How to smell amazing!

 

I know that like me, so many of my Instagram followers are obsessed with scents. My post on making your home smell great was one of my most popular, so I thought you may be interested in making your body smell just as good! I’m going to share my top tips and product recommendations on everything from perfume to fabric softeners and I’d love to hear your favourite products too! So without further ado, here we go!

Fabric Softener

What can be nicer than walking past someone leaving a trail of fresh, clean scent in your path? Fabric softener is the product the does precisely this. I know that I use may more than I should but it’s one of my favourite products! I’m constantly sharing my favourites on my Instagram stories and screenshotting others to try. Oh, to have some quiet time without the kids browsing the laundry aisle, what a treat! That market seems to have exploded with a plethora of bottles in every colour, size and scent imaginable.

So I have three favourites, I’ll start of with ALDI Peach and white musk. This is my all time favourite, it makes my clothes smell so fresh and fruity and it lasts. I love the scent so much I have stopped using fabric beads because I only want my clothes to smell like this product and I simply don’t need to add anything else in the mix.

I also adore comfort Strawberry and lily. You’ll be sensing a theme here? I love fruity, fresh scents. I enjoy rotating these as I do feel my nose can get used to a particular scent, so every once and a while I fancy smelling like a juicy strawberry instead of a ripe peach! I also only use the summer and lily washing powder on my clothes.

Lastly, my long term favourite has been your bog standard Lenor in summer breeze. This smells gorgeously fresh, but there’s something warm and comforting about it. It smells like coming home, soft and relaxing and of course, it lasts an age on my clothes.

If you want to add an extra something into your laundry to make it smell incredible then I have two favourite fabric beads to add to the load. I love Comfort Fragrance Burst in Pink Radiance. Be a rebel and add two full capfuls, to hell with the instructions! It’s basically perfume for your clothes! I also love Unstoppables in Lavish. It’s the bottle with the golden lid. I generally buy which ever is on offer and as I said previously, rotate them so that you don’t get used to the scent.

Perfume

‘Perfume is the most intense form of memory’

Even the most subtle of perfume can be incredibly powerful. I always wear perfume and  my tastes have changed over the years, therefore different periods of my life can be defined by a scent I associate with that time. I have a bottle of perfume in my drawer with only a smidgen left, kept because it reminds me so much of being a brand new, first time mum. It’s seven years old now and I’m not sure how much longer it will last, but I love to take that bottle out every now and then and I’m transported the most memorable, emotional and happiest time of my life when my daughter was born.

Perfume is such an individual choice. What smells beautiful to one, will not be to another’s taste. Also, the same perfume can smell completely different on someone else, reacting with their own unique body chemistry. I’m not a fan of woody, musky scents. I love everything fresh and fruity. My favourite perfume of all time is Ralph Lauren ‘Big Pony Pink 2‘ It’s main notes are cranberry and Tonka bean.  However, if that’s too sweet for you, I’ve recently discovered a beautifully fresh scent for summer that I think everyone will love. Tony Birch ‘Bel Azur‘ will transport you to the Cote d’Azur. It’s like summer in a bottle and I am addicted to it at the moment!

Perfume can get a little heady when layered up throughout the day. I tend to spritz in the morning only and then top up throughout the day with a body spray. I love ALL of the Victoria’s Secret scents, you cannot go wrong. I have also used the coconut body spray from The Body Shop for years. I get so many compliments on this scent. It smells just as good as you’d imagine, just like lazing under a palm tree on holiday!

Deoderant

A couple of years ago, I discovered the perfect deodorant in the form of Michem ‘Pure Fresh’ Not only does it keep sweat at bay, but it literally makes your arm pits smell of lemon drops. No joke. I remember rushing out to buy it when one of the beauty gurus on YouTube first suggested this and I couldn’t wait to leave citrusy vibes wherever I went. It did not disappoint, its so fresh and zesty and makes you feel clean all day.

Hair

Beautifully smelling hair is one of the most attractive things I can imagine. There’s so many different ways to achieve this. Let’s start with the obvious, shampoo and conditioner can leave your hair both look and smell incredible. Recently I’ve been enjoying the Head and shoulders range with added argan oil. It makes me want to swish my hair around all day long just to smell it! The body shop also do a fabulous banana scented range. It’s practically edible!

I’m also completely in love with dry shampoo, not only because it gives my hair texture and volume, the fruity cherry scent from Batiste is addictive. I go through a can a week as I put it in my hair immediately after it’s been washed to stop it being flat and soft. Dry shampoo didn’t exist on my wedding day, 10 years ago. I shudder to think about walking down the aisle, on the most important day in my life completely dry-shampooless. I didn’t know what was to come….

Another product I cannot live without is my Coco LoCo Coconut hairspray. I cannot even tell you how good this smells. I’m not keen on the rest of the range but the hairspray I am never without. I use it every day on Sofia’s hair to keep her hair tucked into a bun for school and people are constantly commenting on how good she smells.

Now, this is a bit of a splurge. A luxurious item that you certainly don’t need, but do you want it? Yes! Hair perfume is becoming more popular. I have Chance by Chanel. House of Fraser have so many options available here. I only use it for special occasions. It’s such a lovely finishing touch on an evening out. Now if you’re watching the pennies, you could easily lightly spray some of your favourite perfume on your hairbrush and each time you brush your hair you’ll have a fresh burst of fragrance!

Shower gel

Most soaps and shower gels smell lovely in the shower and that’s where it ends, however I have two favourite in shower products that linger beautifully on the skin for hours after. I’ve lost count of how many Radox Feel Lively in Wild Peony and Lychee I’ve gone through. I discovered this last year after being amazed at how good my sister smelt on holiday only for her to tell me it was simply a cheap shower gel. I’ve been addicted ever since and it’s always on offer. The other scents in the range are nice, but the pink is my absolute favourite.

My next recommendation is a luxurious shower oil by L’occitane Almond Shower Oil. This makes any bath or shower an absolute treat with it’s sweet almond scent. Afterwards my skin feels nourished too and its fantastic for shaving your legs.

Body Creams

I have abundance of deliciously scented body creams and butters. Some of my high end products I keep for special occasions and others I go though quickly, slathering them on every morning. I need my creams to be rich and moisturising, but it’s a huge added bonus if it smells good too!

My all time favourite body butters are from Laura Mercier. If you ever have some spare time, pop in to one of their counters and smells their products. They are simply heavenly. Their Crème Brulee Body Souffle Crème is probably the best thing I have ever had beneath my nostrils. Delicately scented with French vanilla and shea butter, you’ll be left sniffing your arms all day, not to mention it’s luxuriously rich. Warning, you may be tempted to taste this stuff, but it really doesn’t taste as good as it smells…..

For a more budget friendly, every day option I love Boots Sanctuary Spa Chilli Mango and Tonka Bean body butter. The fruity mango infused with a kick of spice leaves your skin smelling good enough to eat. Who doesn’t want to walk around smelling like a cocktail this summer? And just look how thick and buttery it is!

Hand Cream

It may sound frivolous, but when my hands smell good it makes me feel really perky and fresh! I also have incredibly dry hands, so having a hand cream to apply immediately after washing my hands as I hate that tight, uncomfortable feeling, is a must. Recently I discovered these cute little hand creams in Superdrug, all which smell amazing however the rhubarb and custard version is just gorgeous.

Another long time favourite which, annoyingly, I have to buy on eBay is the Bath and Body Work warm vanilla sugar hand soap and hand gel. The combination of these two products leaves me smelling my hands all day! Can we please have Bath and Body Works in the UK please?!

Little extras……

Some little tips I have picked up along the way can help keep your clothes smelling good for longer!

The fabulous Lynsey Queen of Clean suggested pouring a little spoonful of scented beads, like the unstoppables mentioned earlier, into a little mesh bag and leave them in your wardrobes and drawers. Not only does this delicately scent your clothes, its a joy to open your drawers to that lovely fresh scent and it’s much cheaper than buying scented sachets. Although I do confess to being completely addicted to the Yankee Candle Baby Powder sachets in my babies’ nurseries when they were little. Oh the smell just takes me right back….

For as long as I can remember, I have always included a couple of tumble drier sheets in my suitcase when going on holiday. Not only does it make your clothes smell good, when you open your suitcase you get a beautiful fresh scent of home!

I also love to spritz my clothes with Febreze Fabric Refresher Spray. It’s like a burst of fabric softener on the go and can be used around the home too. The original scent is still my favourite.

I also love to use ironing water on my laundry. I’m not too fussed on the brand and they all smell good and much more exciting than plain water. Why not add a drop of your favourite essential oil into the water to create your own scent?

Scent is one of the first things you’ll notice about someone. Make a good impression and make sure you always smell gorgeous!

Love