New fragrance: Pulse Summer EDP by Beyonce

Beyonce launches a new version of the original fragrance Pulse intended for summer - Pulse Summer Edition. The scent is described as fresh, playful, optimistic and upbeat summer time compliment to the original.

“Life is a flirt. Love is a game. The sky is your limit. Beyoncé Pulse Summer Edition gives you a burst of the inexplicable energy you feel during the Summer. It will leave you feeling great, ready to conquer anything, as if nothing and no one could ever resist you." (beyonceparfums.com)

Its composition is floral - fruity with fresh sparkling top notes and creamy base. The top notes include icy mandarin, pear and pink pepper. The heart is exotic and floral, featuring ginger orchid, jasmine and orange blossom. The creamy base is composed of sapphire woods, musk and benzoin.


The fragrance is available as 50 and 100 ml Eau de Parfum. Pulse Summer Edition was launched in 2012.

I tested this in Boots last week, and I found it so-so: certainly not bad, but I didn't find it especially 'wow'. I really like the original Pulse, but didn't find anything in common with it here.

Still, it is fresh and light, so it is perfect to wear in hot weather.

New fragrance: Dazzle EDP by Paris Hilton

"Give me a chance to color my world and I colour it pink. A sparkling, sweet, pretty and playful pink, Dazzle, my newest fragrance, is about my world, me and all the different facets of my personality.”, said Paris adding:"I love beautiful jewels and of course, pink diamonds are a favorite, but feeling dazzling, special and on top of the world isn't about material things, for me, it comes from within.”

Official key scent notes: pink lady apple, maraschino cherry and peach nectar, violet petals, pink calypso orchid and orange blossom, vanilla, white patchouli and musk.

Hair horror: My experience with [L'Oreal] Recital Preference in Havana 6.35...

I'd stripped my fire truck red hair in preparation for trying L'Oreal Feria's new orange shade, and was left with a light, yellow/blonde stain on my hair from the dye stripper. However; after the unexpected death of my half-brother I found myself looking for a 'sensible' hair dye for the funeral.


Mistake; I picked HAVANA based on the photo of the model on the box [new 2012 design], even though I've been dying my hair for over half of my life, so I'm aware that this picture is rarely accurate. The model has honey soft hair, with a lovely golden overtone, that all together looks more blonde then brown. What the packaging's picture doesn't show is the mahogany highlights the colour has, which is strange because the mahogany is much stronger then the gold in real life, so gives hair a red tinge for a few weeks. Plus, without the vividness of the golden overtone showing through, the brown base looks much darker.

But, although this wasn't the shade I wanted or expected, after a week or two it grew on me and I came to love it. Which is why I was dismayed when it came time to touch up my roots; the dye covers my roots, but they are still noticeably darker then the rest of my hair. Of course, if my hair were naturally dark I'd expect this, but it isn't. My natural hair colour is ash [not quite classed as blonde, but still too light and colourless to be classed as brown], so I don't understand why a brown dye covers it so much darker then the brassy blonde that was on the rest of my hair.

At first I thought the uneven results were my own fault and I hadn't applied it properly the first time around. So I recoloured my whole head again, to try to even it out:

 So now the base shade is even less like I wanted, AND the roots still cover a differing shade to the rest of my head. Needless to say, that despite liking the colour, I'm going to have pick something darker, to avoid the two-tone effect.

***


I want to clarify that I do love the new and improved Recital Preference formula; it doesn't have a harsh smell, it doesn't stain or irritate skin, it covers my gray streaks perfectly, it is fade resistant and has a long lasting shine.


If you have blonde hair and want to go darker I'd recommend HAVANA, but for everyone else I'd look elsewhere.

First impressions: Meow EDP by Katy Perry

"It's a sister fragrance. Purr to me was a little bit more floral, and Meow is a little bit more sweet. It was probably because of the California Dreams tour that it was more of the confectionery world, because everything I've seen for the last year has been like cotton-candy scented or huge peppermints or massive gummy bears." - Katy Perry

Rating: 3/5
Advantages: Non-cloying, reasonable wear, pretty bottle,
Disadvantages: unoriginal, spotty availability.

Review: My Style by Dannii Minogue

"I'm not perfect when it comes to fashion and I never have been, but I feel I am starting to hit my stride" - Dannii Minogue

Dannii has been working longer than I've been alive, so I've grown up with her on the radio, seeing her face on TV & in magazines. I've always been fascinated by her style - all the way from her experimental early pop days, her goth 'bad girl' Home & Away look, her sex kitten disco girl era, to today's pretty and polished glam.

Therefore getting the chance to learn about where it all started and how she achieves it was something I couldn't resist, even though I would never class myself as trendy or as someone who is otherwise really into fashion - I'm mainly just nosey and wanted to see the contents of her wardrobe...