My perfume collection

After reading this post of Rosie's the other day on her perfume collection, I was inspired to do the same!
I've been hoarding quite a few new perfumes recently, as I'm lucky enough to have access to staff discount which is all the excuse I need to keep collecting...

I think I started wearing perfume aged about fifteen, and my favourites from back then I can still vividly remember.

One was Coty's Monsoon, which was in a turquoise bottle with a bronze lid, and was a lovely, warm scent. It was sold in branches of Monsoon and Accessorize and I loved it. Unfortunately it has long since been discontinued (I don't like the one they sell today) but you can still spot the odd bottle on eBay if you look hard enough. I can't have been it's only fan though as they do tend to go for quite a bit of money even now!
The second I remember was my first real grown up perfume, which I think my Mum bought me for my sixteenth. It was Chloe Innocence, and came in a cloudy glass bottle shaped a bit like a ghost. It was a very "white", clean scent which I adored and again kept reminiscing over until I bought a bottle off eBay and..it was foul. It still smelt the same, but was such a teen scent and just goes to show how your tastes in perfume change over time.

Nowadays, I'm firmly in the floral and girly camp when it comes to my favorites.

I've recently started storing them on this silver drinks tray I bought in a charity shop for a fiver, as it makes more of a feature of the bottles and just makes my dressing table look prettier!

Front row: Marc Jacobs Daisy Eau So Fresh, Victor & Rolf Flowerbomb, Vera Wang Lovestruck, Jo Malone English Pear & Freesia.

I'd say these are my most worn perfumes and are the more light, fruity ones too. Flowerbomb is my ultimate favourite but as it's SO expensive (even in duty free) I tend to wear Daisy most days.
Lovestruck was the perfume I picked for my wedding day as it's so light and inoffensive but very pretty.
And the Jo Malone perfume smells of Elderflower- it's to die for!

Back Row: Bath & Body Works Forever Red sample, Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess Capri, Vera Wang Princess Rollerball (from Sephora), Vera Wang original, Annick Goutal Mandragore

These are my lesser worn and perhaps more summery perfumes. Vera Wang original is quite a sophisticated scent that's great for nights out and feeling a bit more put-together, and Bronze Goddess Capri is just holiday in a bottle- it smells like the nicest tanning oil you've ever used plus just... luxury. I don't know, just gorgeous!
I love the idea of these rollerball perfumes from Sephora, and I've never seen them anywhere else. They're perfect for me as I often have to fit all my liquids into those awful security bags which hold next to nothing.
I'll definitely invest in a few more next time I'm near a Sephora!

I'm always interested to hear about other people's favourite perfumes, as scent is such a personal thing.
If anyone has done or seen a similar post, please leave me the link below!

My Dressing Table

A little while ago,my husband had a moan to me about the state of my dressing table. I'm not a naturally tidy person, and seeing as my dressing table is (obviously) the place I put on my makeup before hurrying out of the door each day, it was a bit of a sight for sore eyes.

I'm not tidy, but I do like things to be pretty, so what better excuse did I need to make  a couple of orders for a few beautiful but practical things to help me tidy up and redesign the space I had? Any excuse for some shopping!

I wanted to complement the beachy, whitewashed unit that we'd recently bought from Ikea so went with a shabby chic look.

 Heart hooks, eBay. 

Cotton wool jar, DotCom Gift shop

My necklaces used to hang over a candle lamp left over from our wedding, but they frequently got tangled, I couldn't see what was there and frankly it looked a total mess. I found this lovely heart shaped set of hooks on eBay and thought it fit the bill perfectly.
To house cotton wool, I found this ever so cute jar via Dot Com Gift Shop

 I'm a bit of a Royalist, and collect vintage tins and trinkets from antiques stalls, markets and auctions. The tea caddy has my hair bobbles and kirby grips in it, the smaller tin (an old Oxo container!) has earrings in it.

 As I said in a previous post, every Christmas I'm a sucker for the Space NK sale and stock up on my favourite Laura Mercier body butters at a fraction of the usual price. the bonus is that they all come in different candy colours and look so pretty lined up together!

My ever-growing collection of perfumes sit on a glass tray I found in a homeware shop in Sheffield.

 Home garland, Dot Com Gift Shop

I wanted a large mirror, but something a bit different. I hit on the idea of a vintage pub mirror, and just as I was about to buy one, my Mum said she had this little beauty hidden away in the attic.
The "home" sign is another DotCom gift shop bargain at just £1!

Bunny Light- Dot Com Gift Shop

Wicker Baskets- eBay (mine are no longer in stock but similar here and I've also seen some pretty ones in Tesco!)

I'm slightly obsessed with my new bunny light- Matt hates it and I'm sure it isn't to everyone's taste but he certainly adds a smile to my face and a little bit more kitch to my dressing table!

 I bought two white wicker baskets with Cath- Kidston esque lining from eBay to house my makeup more neatly:

The bonus of this is I can see everything at a glance, and there's no chance of forgetting about an old favourite lipstick ever again!

SO there we have it- one redesigned dressing table and a happy husband! I must admit I love it and I'm very proud of myself for keeping it so tidy (so  far!)

I'm always curious to see other people's homes- if you've done or seen a similar post please leave me a link!