Perfume Dupes

Perfume a can be VERY expensive, and when you spend a lot of money you want it to last. I've tried out some dupes of designer perfumes and I'm amazed at the quality, and how well the scent lasts on my skin. I've narrowed it down to my top 3 and thought I would share them with you, because why waste £60 when you can have essentially the same product for £10? Especially as the majority of us buy an expensive perfume and end up saving it for special occasions because of the cost.

                        

    

All three of these perfumes have lovely packaging so can be displayed, are very long lasting and most importantly all under £15.

1. New Look ~ Pure Blush ~ £12.99 ~ 100ml

This is my favourite perfume at the moment. I had it for Christmas and I'm already half way through. What I like about this, is it lasts a fairly long time, and every time I wear it I get complimented on how I smell, and who doesn't like getting told they smell nice? It smells quite floral with a citrus twist and smells very sophisticated. It's got lovely simple packaging in a glass bottle. The lid has a tiny mirror on it, and it's not bulky so easy to travel with. This smells similar to Chanel Coco Mademoiselle which is £68 for a 50ml bottle from Debenhams, that works out to £136 for 100ml! The New look version comes in a 50ml bottle aswell for £7.99 so your essentially saving £60.01 for same product. If you can get your hands on this I would defiantly recommend giving it a try. 

2. Next ~ Just Pink ~ £8 ~ 30ml

An old favourite. I love this perfume, I had the 30ml in September for my birthday and it's still going. It's a lovely fresh fragrance and another one that I get complimented on all the time. For the 100ml it's £12 so better value for money than the 30ml, and you can also buy it in gift sets with the body cream with I think is nice as presents. The packaging is a pretty glass bottle with rose gold trim and a pink ribbon, that looks lovely sitting on a dressing table. This is a dupe for The Ralph Lauren Romance which is £42 for the same 30ml, £55 for 50ml or £72 for 100ml-however the packaging is identical to the purfume Chloé. In my opinion just pink is a must have in any girls perfume drawer, it's one of the best scents at lasting and for £8 you really can't complain. 

3. Lidl ~ Suddenly Madame Glamour ~ £3.99 ~ 50ml

Yes you read that right. Lidl. I certainly wouldn't have expected a perfume like this from Lidl, but it's such a gorgeous scent, and another one that is a dupe for the Chanel Coco Mademoiselle, just like the New look Pure blush. The only downside is you have to give a quick spritz again mid day, however for the price you can afford to. The packaging is also very similar just with a different shape. A glass bottle showing the pink/orange toned purfume inside, with a white lid and gold trim, this looks so sophisticated and grown up. In consumer blind tests, Lidl's dupe was actually preferred over the Channel version, impressive huh? Especially as there is an overwhelming £64.01 price difference, between the two bottles, you really have to give this a try. 

Would you give any of these a try? And do you own any perfume dupes?

I hope you enjoyed this post.

Ella X

The Cookie Brownie

Today's recipe is one that is very popular with my friends, whenever I send a photo of these cookies, I'm bombarded with messages asking for some. I found this recipe online, and have adapted it to a more brownie like texture, because lets face it, who like a hard cookie?

For this recipe you will need:

• 1 egg
• 270g Self raising flour
• 210g Margarine
• 300g Caster sugar
• 80g Cocoa powder
• 50g milk chocolate
• 50g dark chocolate 
• 50g white chocolate

1. Preheat your oven to 200 degrees (fan assisted).
2. Cream the butter and sugar in a bowl until light and fluffy
3. Add in a beaten egg and mix until its combined.
4. Mix in the cocoa powder and flour, until a dough consistency is formed and its not sticking to your hand, add milk if its too dry.
5. Break up the chocolate into chunks and add to the dough, making sure its distributed all the way through the dough.
6. Using your hands make the dough into balls, whatever size you want your cookies to be. Personally I make them the size of a ping pong ball, and place them on a lined baking tray with a 2cm gap between each one.
7. Bake for between 8-10 minutes depending on how gooey you want the Cookie brownies to be. When you take them out the oven they won't look cooked, however they continue cooking out the oven and start to harden, so its important you don't leave them in too long.
8. Leave to cool for 30 minutes.

I hope you like this Twist on Chocolate cookies. Let me know if you make them!