AD: This blog post is part of a paid partnership with Fragrance Direct.

January: long gone is the month of detoxing, toxic diet culture, incessant sales shopping, constant forced exercise, no alcohol, no fun. Long live the new January, one filled with acceptance, motivation, refreshing your routines, being the same old you, because you've realised that you're blummin' amazing as you are. I think we can all agree on one thing though, there's no better feeling than a clear out, a refresh, a fresh start. Whether you're donating your old clothes, dusting your house from skirting to ceiling, or refreshing your skincare and beauty. When Fragrance Direct contacted me and asked me to be a part of their Beauty Refresh campaign, it sounded right up my street. Initially, I was thinking about all the new products I could try, and how I could do a "first impressions" or an "unboxing". However, my recent pledge to be less wasteful came to mind. I decided to take it back a little bit and re-introduce you to some all-time favourite products of mine. Some fragrance, some skincare, some beauty. If you scroll down my Instagram, you'll see each of these pop up numerous times on my feed from way back when (plz don't cyber-stalk me too much, 2012-2017 was questionable for my feed). I love re-discovering old products that I loved, so hopefully, this post inspires you to either try out some of the things I'm fond of or reignite a spark for your own 'oldies but goodies'.

Let's chat about fragrance. One of the most memorable scents to me is CK One. When I first met Jerome in 2011, he used to wear it. Years later, it's still his go-to scent. The best part? It's unisex and very wearable from day to night for all. I often spritz myself with it if he's working away, because, well, I'm a massive wet flannel. For me, I associate this fragrance with safety, comfort, a lot of great memories, and it's just always going to be one that I pick up as a gift for him, but also for myself too.

Next up, Armani Si. I'm really bad at describing scents - god knows how I bagged this partnership lol - but this one is my "sexy" perfume. Not because I save it for special occasions, but because I get this sense of femininity and sexiness when I wear it. It wears well from day to night and I get plenty of compliments on this one. It's my go-to, whether I'm getting ready to go to work, or getting ready for a date night. I discovered this perfume when I was at uni a few years ago; back then I couldn't afford a bottle, so I would request samples and save them for my dates with Jerome (which, back then, usually consisted of dining at the cheap Italian in town, or ordering a takeaway and hours of Netflix). Additionally, I'm a sucker for good packaging, and this comes in a sleek bottle with hints of rose gold colours throughout. Hook, line, and sinker.


Moving on to skincare, this is inarguable a cult favourite among the beauty community: Elizabeth Arden 8 Hour Cream. When I say this is hands down the best moisturiser you can invest in, I wholeheartedly mean it. Personally, I get quite dry throughout the winter/spring seasons and this is a saviour for chapped lips, sore/dry patches, eczema. Sometimes, I pop this all over my face before bed if I'm having a "bad" skin moment and I wake up feeling baby soft and hydrated as f*ck. I always have this in my skincare cupboard in the bathroom.

Another Elizabeth Arden fave here: the exfoliating cleanser. This is perfect for your second cleanse. I often use the Pixi Vit C Cleanser or the Neal's Yard Frankincense Cleanser to initially take off my makeup, but for stubborn base makeup, this EA one is perfect. It leaves my skin feeling super clean and soft, without irritating it at all. The thing I love most about it is that a little goes a long way, so therefore the one tube lasts ages!



Lastly, if you know me, you'll know how I'm head over heels for the NARS Audacious lipsticks. I see these as my "treat" purchases as they can be quite expensive, but I found some on Fragrance Direct for half the price! Obviously, I snapped up a statement colour. I already have a few of these in the form of nudes, pinks and reds, so I thought I'd be a bit more adventurous and try out a dark purple shade.


That's all for my little haul of new but old beauty products. I have to say, seeing these products and using them has taken me back to the old blogging days. Who else loves re-discovering od products or clothes? Not only is it less wasteful, but also loaaads cheaper if you buy on Fragrance Direct (in my experience). You can find out more about Fragrance Direct here, and follow them on Instagram here.

Lastly, I did create a lil video on Instagram as part of this campaign, so if you're interested in supporting me on there, it would mean a lot!

xo