Cheryl StormFlower

Preparing For Cheryl

When celebville hits town, there is so much preparation to do – even last minute like the stand-in Cheryl for lighting checks above. The Cheryl Stormflower launch was shrowded in secrecy – not one leaked picture or details – and still, some of Cheryl’s fans used their spidey senses and knew where and when she’d be! I didn’t even know til a few days ago. Anyway, they were so friendly and chatty and waited a long old time for Cheryl’s arrival on the hottest, most uncomfortable London evening of the year.

Cheryl Arrives

When Cheryl arrived to launch her new fragrance, I was so surprised at how tiny she is. She’s like a flower fairy – absolutely petite. Of course, she was immaculate – beautiful dress, beautiful make-up, smiley and relaxed. If I compare it to the Kim Kardashian fragrance launch – it was a whole different vibe.

Cheryl

So, if you’re a regular reader of BBB, you’ll know I’m not in the least interested in celebrities but Cheryl looked directly at me, did the most beautiful smile – and I actually got a shiver. Whatever ‘it’ is, she has ‘it’.

Cheryl and Marvin

Marvin did a quick interview with Cheryl about Stormflower – it was really relaxed – she said all the usual things (totally involved, etc) but they had a good chemistry and it didn’t feel all that celeby in the end.

Stormflower

So, finally, here’s StormFlower in its rose gold packaging. It’s a fruity-floral that’s suprisingly clean and fresh smelling. The intitial spray is quite heavily fruity, but the dry down is very wearable – it doesn’t wear you, I suppose I am trying to say. The blurb says that it contains vanilla (not heavy), white musk, sandalwood, mandarin and nectarine, freesia and peach blossom. I would have to say it’s a pretty scent – it won’t rock the fragrance world but it’s right for its audience I think and a very welcome change from the usual youth market fragrances that smell of boiled toffee and roses.

There were plenty of flower shaped fragrance spills spritzed with StormFlower so I pocketed lots of them and gave them to Cheryl’s fans on the way out – I’m not sure why this isn’t done as standard – they were waiting in boiling heat for such a long time so it seems such a small thing to do; and I only learned to do it at the Kim Kardashian fragrance launch when I accidentally had some extras and gave them away there and they were just so pleased to smell the scent. Not that I’m at many celebrity fragrance launches, but if I am I always do it.

I’m also wondering if the bottles had to be re-done in light of Cheryl’s secret wedding. Imagine the panic!

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Fendi Furiosa

Fendi Furosia

Woo! There’s a name – Fendi Furiosa. Despite such a strong name, the fragrance is very feminine – it’s powerful with some big blossomy notes in the form of gardena and jasmine absolute, and the centrepiece, the Violaciocca flower (scented stocks). Like the name suggests, Fendi Furiosa isn’t for wallflowers! It’s unapologetically sexy and meant to be so – down-notes of woods and amber ensure a base that’s enveloping and heady.

Fendi Furosia

The bottle is such a mercurial design; basically an ‘animal’ print that could be anything from a butterfly wing or leopard spots, to alligator markings or even, I guess a giraffe print. I think it is so, so clever. Fendi Furiosa is all about evenings – I wouldn’t mark it for myself as a day fragrance, but as the last part of a glamorous going-out ritual, it’s spot on. As you might expect, it’s rather a ‘luxury’ price, too! You can find it at Harrods for £63.50.

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YSL Sahariennes: The Ultimate Bronze

YSL Sahariennes Bronzing Stones Review

If you watched the June Favourites video then you’ll already know that I’ve totally fallen for these silky, buildable bronzers from Yves Saint Laurent. I love everything about them, from the way that the powder has been pressed so that it looks like rippled sand right down to the luminous, creamy finish when applied to the skin.

I have to say that the glamorously-named Sahariennes Bronzing Stones nearly got passed over in the testing queue – I thought that they’d be like those annoying pots of powdery beads that you can get. Blasted little spheres of bronzer or blusher or illuminating face powder that bounce out all over the place and go everywhere except onto the makeup brush.

But they’re not. The cream-powder is pressed into a compact, just like a traditional bronzer, albeit one that’s far lighter, brighter and smoother. The Sahariennes use ultra-fine pigment that sits so beautifully on the skin, so seamlessly, that it’s difficult to tell whether you’re actually wearing any bronzer at all.

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I mean that in a good way, obviously; nobody wants to fork out on a bronzer for it to make absolutely no difference! I suppose what I’m getting at is that the finish is so lightweight and non-powdery, so fine and smooth, that it’s a subtle and believable bronzing effect that you end up with rather than anything brash or “done”. Definitely one for people who like makeup with a light touch, though both shades of this that I’ve tried (1 and 3) are supremely buildable for a more dramatic look.

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In the photograph above I’m wearing a light dusting of shade 1 with a bit of shade 3 in all of the usual places – below cheekbones, temples – so that you can see the overall effect. I can’t get enough of these Bronzing Stones: bright but non-shimmery, light but generously pigmented… Well worth checking out on counter if you’re on the hunt for an easy makeup bag update – you can also find them online here. They are £35 each, come with a smart-looking brush and are lightly scented with the most delightful, fruity sort of smell. Just delicious.

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© 2016 A Model Recommends®: all opinions are my own and any sponsored or paid posts will always be very clearly marked. I accept press samples and receive product and services to review as part of my job. Outward links to retailers will usually be affiliate links. Please see here for full “about” section and disclaimer.  A Model Recommends and Ruth Crilly are registered trademarks.

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