Mybeautywaxstash

Tag: ownbrand

  • Primark’s PS Love Opal Crush Eau de Toilette

    Most of us will have a collection of fragrance products. My daughter is no exception to this. At the age of 12 she seems to have gathered a varied mix of fragrances in different shapes, forms and strengths. All bought (of course) by the Bank of Mum. One fragrance I bought for her 12th birthday was Primark’s PS Love’s Opal Crush Eau de Toilette. This cost £4.50 for 50ml.

    Primark’s PS Love Opal Crush Eau de Toilette
    Why did I buy this?

    Primark has a good selection of fragrances. This particular one caught my eye because of the packaging. The scent notes sounded like a good combination (they’re on the box) and if I recall correctly there was a tester so I used it and it smelt pretty good! The price was affordable and overall this made a good gift for the birthday girl.

    Packaging

    Opal Crush is housed in a glass bottle. Not totally rectangular in shape because the edges are curved with mint green detailing on the label and the lid. The bottle comes boxed, mint green in colour with a perfume bottle shape cut out of the front so you can see the actual bottle inside. Not extravagant in packaging but easy on the eye.

    Scent Notes

    Oriental, floral and vanilla.

    Fragrance

    This is quite a Summer feeling fragrance, thanks to it containing feminine florals. I’m not too sure what type of floral it is but there might be a hint of rose but only lightly. Mixed with the floral is a hint of comforting and sweet vanilla, which I love anyway. I’m not getting much in an oriental scented way but what I do get is something powdery. Overall it’s a great scent that would appeal to most people.

    Strength & Longevity

    When I first applied this (onto clothes), I would say this was a light to medium but more closer to light. It’s such a nice scent it could have been stronger but it wasn’t. But that’s my personal preference. I was quite generous with the amount I used hoping it would last all morning while in work. I noticed it at the start of the day but by mid morning I only got a light whiff of this scent. So longevity for me wasn’t long and I couldn’t reapply it to boost the fragrance while the scent became softer. Both strength and longevity was low for me.

    Did my daughter like it?

    Strangely enough no she didn’t! She’s a very fickle person so she might dislike it one minute and love it the next. But she wasn’t keen on how it smelt overall. I think she prefers her fragrances to be more fruity and sweetie like rather than floral.

    Recommended?

    Although presented nicely with a great scent, I wouldn’t recommend this fragrance to everyone. It just didn’t deliver the punch and staying power needed for it to stand out or wow me. BUT for my daughter this is more acceptable because she doesn’t need overpowering fragrances. So if you want something affordable and pretty in scent but light, then this would be fine. But honestly? This should and could have been much better because I’ve used body mists that performed better.

  • Saving Money With Aldi’s Lacura Lynx Dupe Shower Gels

    Lynx is not my favourite brand. When I think of Lynx it takes me back to being a teenage girl in high school. All the boys, and I mean ALL of them reeked of some form of Lynx body spray. Over 20 years later I now have my 13 year old son having the same, strange addiction to these products that half of my school year had in the 1990’s. With the cost of living and trying to save money, I wanted to see if there were cheaper alternatives available that gave a similar performance and fragrance.

    Aldi’s Lacura Men’s Shower Gels in Noir and Desert Heat
    Aldi’s Lacura Men Range

    Never failing me with their ‘inspired by’ products, is Aldi. When it was difficult to pick up some Lynx shower products due to stock availability, I noticed they had their own versions. The two that I picked up were in the fragrances of Desert Heat and Noir.

    What are their Lynx counterparts?

    Desert Heat is Aldi’s version of Africa. Noir is their version of Lynx’s Black.

    Packaging

    The shower gels come in very robust, quite masculine looking plastic bottles. Dark grey in colour, flip top lid to dispense the shower gel and the colouring of the label reflects their dupe counterparts (Desert Heat is red, green and black. Noir black and grey).

    Fragrance

    Aldi’s Lacura Men’s Desert Heat Shower Gel is fresh, clean, a little zesty with a touch of muskiness to it. Noir is more woody notes based with a slight fruity hit behind it. Just as clean and fresh as Desert Heat. Do they smell like Lynx? I’ve got both the Lynx and Lacura versions in my bathroom and I would say yes. Not identical but similar.

    Consistency

    Both shower gels have a typical shower gel consistency. They are fluid with a little thickness to them. Smooth, clear but both are coloured. Desert Heat is green in colour and Noir a very subtle and pale blue/green.

    In use

    Not a chance I was going to shower in these but I did wash my hands in them! They lathered well, gave my hands that clean feel and lightly scented them. As for my son using these, they haven’t irritated his skin or dried his skin out and he uses these daily.

    Size & Price

    These shower gels are 300ml in size and cost 55p each. Every time I’ve been in my local Aldi store the stock of these have been decent so not had an issue so far in grabbing a few bottles when needed.

    Does my son like these?

    Well he uses them! That’s probably the best indication that he’s happy with these shower gels. There is zero point asking his opinion as I will just get a grunt or ‘whatever’, ‘not bothered’. So if he uses them and I’ve had to repurchase them because a bottle has run out, let’s call it his unofficial thumbs up!

    Recommended?

    For the price and size of these I would say yes! You get a great amount of product for the price. The packaging is decent and obviously geared towards the men/boys. Fragrances are very similar to their Lynx counterparts and they clean the skin and leave a slight fragrance to it too. So what more do you want for 55p?

  • Aldi’s Lacura Vitamin C Brightening Cleanser, is it Good?

    I’m a fan of the supermarket Aldi’s own brand called Lacura. It should come as no major surprise that I bought one of their most recently stocked skincare products in the form of Lacura ‘s Vitamin C Brightening Daily Cleanser. I gave my first impressions of this cleanser when I first purchased it. Now that I’ve used this for a few weeks, what do I think about this product now?

    Aldi’s Lacura Vitamin C Brightening Daily Cleanser
    Packaging

    This packaging is very practical and easy to use. Being housed in a flip topped plastic tube makes it easy to dispense the product. Not hard to squeeze out the amount you want to use. If this is given as a gift, just so you know, it does comes boxed which makes it so much more presentable.

    Fragrance

    I love this fragrance! It’s orange but not a zesty orange. It’s more softer, creamier and more comforting compared to a more acidic citrus smell. Not strong but obvious enough for you to smell and enjoy when using this cleanser.

    In Use

    I currently use this morning and night. I squeeze out half a fingertip of cleanser onto my hands and rub it into my face which is dry. When using this at first, it’s a cream cleanser. I can rub this all over my face and at some point, it feels like it can’t rub in anymore. Then I add water to my hands which goes onto my face. This is when the once cream cleanser turns into a facial wash. Adding the water creates a light foam and totally changes the consistency compared to when it’s first used. When I add the water, I am not joking, I could move this cleanser all over my face forever! You add more water to it, and it keeps going, as if it’s reactivated. This takes a little time to rinse off if you’re thorough with it. Personally I enjoy this process.

    Once I rinse this off, I pat my skin down with a damp and slightly warmed face cloth. My skin doesn’t feel dry but it does feel clean and fresh and ready for whatever I want to put onto my skin next. It’s important to add I wear suncream every day. No make-up, but this really does get my skin to a clean base canvas whether that’s in the evening or the morning.

    cream cleanser to facial wash
    Recommended?

    I totally recommend this! The amount you use (you don’t need much) and the size of this tube (125ml) means this should last a good amount of time. Fragrance is appealing and the consistency is perfect. A comforting, cream cleanser which turns into a refreshing face wash? That doesn’t dry out the skin? The perfect combination which I think so many people will love the way I do. The price (£4.99) means you can purchase this without going bankrupt and possibly buy 2 at the same time and put the other one away for future use.

    My only issue with this product, and the range in general, is availability. My local store has NONE of this range on its shelf at the moment. No matter how good this product is, if you can’t buy it, that’s a problem.

    If Lacura’s Vitamin C Brightening Daily Cleanser sounds appealing to you and you manage to see this in your local Aldi store, you know what to do! Unfortunately, this isn’t available online so grab this while you can.

    Fancy reading up on other Aldi product? Check out the links below.

    Aldi’s Hotel Collection No 4 Freesia & Pear Wax Melts

    An Alternative To Aveeno, Aldi’s Lacura Moisturising Hand Cream

    Aldi’s Lacura Spa Foaming Bath Soak & Luxury Bath Float

  • A Fragrance for Under £5.00! Lidl’s Lovely Eau de Parfum

    If you’ve read any of my previous blog posts, you will know I don’t turn my nose up at products that are labelled as ‘cheap’. In fact, I LOVE affordable products! How much you spend isn’t always a reflection on quality of a product. There are so many low to mid-priced ranges out there that are fantastic in quality, you would be crazy not to try things out and hopefully save yourself some money. So, guess what I picked up while grabbing a frozen pizza and a tub of ice-cream recently? A bottle of Lovely Eau de Parfum from the supermarket Lidl. This retails at £4.45 for 75ml.

    Lidl’s Lovely Eau de Parfum
    Why did I buy this?

    I browsed the personal care section in Lidl and saw a selection of fragrances. Testers on the shelf, I spritzed and sniffed, and I realised I liked the scent of all the ones I showered myself with. I normally purchase a body mist because they are affordable. But Lidl’s Lovely Eau de Parfum is not that much different in price to body mists available, so I thought it was worth a purchase.

    Packaging

    75ml of fragrance comes in a clear, glass bottle. It’s wider at the bottom and comes in closer at the top so the shape is very appealing. The bottle itself comes boxed. Off white in colour with gold and black writing on it.

    I don’t expect much for less than £5.00 but the packaging is very plain and basic. It’s not the most interesting packaging I have ever seen but it’s not worst. What I didn’t like was how the box wasn’t in plastic. The plastic finishes it off and gives it a more professional look whether it’s for a gift or for yourself. And dare I say you know if it’s wrapped in plastic no one has opened and used it!

    Fragrance, How Does It Smell?

    This gives me a Spring/Summer vibe. It’s floral based and has a powdery element to it. It’s quite clean and fresh but not heavy. I wouldn’t say this a modern fragrance but it’s not old fashioned either. What I would call it is a classic feminine floral fragrance which smells really good.

    Strength & Longevity

    Strength is a medium. I can be quite heavy handed with fragrances as I apply them mainly in the morning before work and want it to last. The strength doesn’t knock me out but it envelopes and comforts me. And at the end of a 4 hour shift I can still smell this although it’s not as strong as when first applied.

    Longevity isn’t bad at all! It lasts throughout the morning but to give a boost to strength a reapplication is needed around mid-day.

    Is this a Dupe?

    I’ve read that Lidl’s fragrances are based on well-known designer fragrances. Which one this is inspired I can’t be 100% sure because I’m reading conflicting information about it. One name that pops up is Dior’s J’Adore which I cannot confirm or deny as I don’t own it and haven’t smelt it.

    Recommended?

    I would, for a few reasons. The fragrance is beautiful. It has a decent strength and longevity to it. Good size and of course, the price means it’s affordable. You won’t feel the need to hold back using this or keep it for special occasions. Ideal to pop into your bag for work, college, or leave it on your desk. I think how this smells would appeal to a wide range of people regardless of age. Great gift idea too but I personally wouldn’t give it on its own. It doesn’t look special enough. What I would do it maybe add a nice bath bomb and lotion to give it a bit more of a wow factor.

    This gets the thumbs up from me. If you’ve skipped the fragrances in your local Lidl store, it might be worthwhile giving this a try as I think you will be pleasantly surprised.