Fragrances of Ireland - Inis...

Like most women, I love my perfume. It's lovely to have a signature scent and one that you go back to buy again and again! My signature scents are Gucci - Gucci Rush and Nina Ricci - Ricci Ricci. Those are the ones that I go back and buy again and again and am most likely to receive as a gift from those that know me best. I also love trying out new scents, sometimes you can find a new favourite doing this, which is why I love sampling perfumes and receiving new perfumes as gifts.

I recently had the chance to sample a couple of scents from a website called...Fragrances of Ireland. Fragrances of Ireland is an independent perfume house, which means that they don't have a boardroom where they talk about inspiration for a new product, they go out, into the open, surrounded by beautiful things such as a gorgeous blue sea or a beautiful sandy beach. Their products are inspired by the magic, beauty and nature of Ireland! It's such a refreshing thing to know and sounds right up my street. I'd take that over sitting behind a desk talking about a new product any day!

Aswell as perfumes, Fragrances of Ireland also sell premium soaps and toiletries. I got to sample their best selling perfume 'Inis - the energy of the sea' and another of their Inis scents, 'moonlight'. They have such a unique way of describing their products and explaining where the inspiration for each one comes from.

 

Inis - the energy of the sea: this is Fragrances of Ireland's best selling fragrance. It is also a unisex perfume and in my opinion definitely a day time scent. There is a crispness and freshness to the scent, reminding me of the ocean. Fragrances of Ireland describe the inspiration behind the scent as the powerful message that the sea and an island can give us. The message that no one is an island, we are all connected, not just by the seas, but by our dreams and experiences. I can't stop smelling this...I have just sprayed it on to me a couple of times to help with the description of the scent when it comes to me writing it down here...this is not always an easy job. If only there was smell-o-vision! The notes of the scent are...top notes: neroli, sicilian lemon, bergamot and traces of marine notes. Middle notes: geranium and lily of the valley. Bottom notes: cloves, nutmeg, sandalwood, oakmoss and musk. Such a gorgeous scent! The bottle is simple and frosted and the cap is reminiscent of two large pebbles one could find at a beach. You can buy this perfume in 30 ml, 50 ml and 100 ml, with prices being £19.95, £24.95 and £29.95.

Inis - moonlight: this scent is for women and it gives off a feminine, romantic and sexy vibe, with a light and airy feel. I would use this as an evening fragrance. Fragrances of Ireland worked with Anne Flipo (she has worked with international fragrance houses such as Givenchy, Michael Kors, Yves Saint Laurent and the late Alexander McQueen) to create this scent and when writing the brief, they asked Anne to spend time at the ocean by moonlight to capture the feelings of awe, wonder and opportunity that take hold when one is surrounded by the sound of the ocean and the only light that is the moons rich glow...how amazing! I think I need to get a job like this ha ha! The notes of the scent are...top notes: mandarin, cyclamen and watery accord. Middle notes: rose, jasmine and peach. Bottom notes: musk, orris and sandalwood. The bottle is reflective of the blue sea with the glow of the moon up above and the cap is the same as above. You can buy this perfume in 50 ml for £24.95.

I don't think the prices are bad to be honest, especially with the imagination and time taken to create the scents. They aren't much different to prices you would pay for quality scents in say Boots for example.

Inis - the energy of the sea is my favourite scent of the two, but both are gorgeous! If you aren't sure of the notes, try searching a few within Google to try and get a feel for what kind of smell the scents give off. I mean, you might be better at knowing how a perfume smells by its notes, but I'm not an expert when it comes to describing perfumes, I just like a scent or I don't ha ha.

Is it me or do you guys find it more interesting/intriguing to know that something has a meaning/inspiration behind it?

Fragrances of Ireland allow you to purchase small 2 ml samples of their perfumes at just £1.25. They will also give you a discount for the same amount after you have ordered, which can be redeemed against any future order with them...sounds good to me!

Check out their whole product range here, they also have body lotions and other products in the same scents so you can layer, which we all know makes a scent last longer on you :).

They do ship to a number of places, so check out their shipping rates to see if your location is on there, otherwise contact them and they will tell you your nearest Fragrances of Ireland stockist.

Has anybody ever tried any of their perfumes or other products? If so, I'd love to know what you think!

Thanks for reading!

Gem XxOo

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So...? Fragrance with Attitude...

So...? Fragrances really do take me back to my childhood - I used their perfumes and body sprays when I was growing up. I think they are perfectly suited to the younger generation as there are many soft, light fragrances in their range and they are quite inexpensive. I always remember asking my Mom to buy me So...? during my childhood and seem to remember this was a popular gift to receive from friends for Birthday Parties/Christmas. I think this was how I first discovered So...?, by receiving one of their perfumes as a gift.

Baring this in mind, I am now 25 and still love and use their fragrances :-). Their scents are suitable for all ages and there is bound to be a scent to suit you. I have acquired a more expensive taste in fragrances as I have grown up, but this brand has always remained a favourite of mine and even if I don't purchase their perfumes regularly, their body sprays are definitely a top choice to be dropped into my basket when I am out shopping.

I haven't tried all of their fragrances. However, they do have a wide range of scents each with their own notes of fragrance. A sure fire favourite of mine, even now, is So...? SuperStar, with it's Pomegranate, Fresh Orange and Passion Fruit scent, it is absolutely divine! If I need a body spray, I still can't resist popping this scent into my basket when I am out shopping.

    Picture on the left courtesy of the So...? Fragrance website.      

Picture on the right courtesy of www.fragrantica.com .

The scent I most remember having when I was younger was So...? Kiss Me. This was lovely when I was younger, a really nice sweet scent that starts by teasing you with notes of Fresh Blackcurrants, Pineapple and Citron, before revealing layers of Sweet Vanilla (gorgeous) and Floral notes, rounded off by Musks and Woods. Not too overpowering for little me, back in the day! I do tend to go for more stronger, deeper scents now but this scent reminds me so much of my childhood! It's strange how scents can take you back...

       Pictures courtesy of the So...? Fragrance website.
  

I recently received a 50ml bottle of So...? Sinful perfume and a 75ml So...? Sinful body spray to try out and review. This is more of a mischievous, sensual scent rather than a youthful, innocent scent (which is how I would describe So...? Kiss Me-aside from the name). Even though there is that difference, both scents have Vanilla in them, so some notes of the fragrance are similar in that way. So...? Sinful combines a Fresh Strawberry scent with Juicy Pineapple (Mmm, Strawberries!) for a fruity scent, followed by Violet, Water-Lily and Jasmine before releasing notes of a Rich Creamy Vanilla and Dark Chocolate. I love floral scents and I love fruity scents and believe it or not they work really well together in this fragrance, even with a hint of Vanilla and Chocolate thrown in. I don't recall trying this scent when I was younger, but I can imagine I probably wouldn't have liked it as I do now, because to me it does smell like more of a 'grown up' smell.

        Picture courtesy of the So...? Fragrance website.

Although So...? Fragrances aren't just aimed at the younger generation (from childhood to early teens). The main reason I feel they are more suited to that generation is because of the amount of time the fragrances last on your skin. They don't last for ages and ages and do eventually fade within a few hours, which I feel for younger girls is ideal, whereas when you get older you tend to look for scents which do last longer on the skin. One thing I did notice though, if you spray the fragrance on your clothes, it does last longer that way.

So...? Fragrances are available to buy from the So... Fragrance website, which you can see here. However, they do only deliver to the UK. I always remember seeing So...? in Boots when I was younger and it is still sold there today. I also have a Body Care in my town centre, where they also sell So...? products - I get my So...? body sprays from there. You can also purchase So...? products from Morrisons, Sainsbury's, Asda, Superdrug, Tesco, The Fragrance Shop and The Perfume Shop.

Different stores sell So...? products at different prices, according to what offers/deals they have on. However, all average prices are on the So...? website.

For my lovely readers: I have a special offer exclusively for you!

1) Enter this code: BSI30_092011 during checkout to receive 30% off the So...? Sinful Fragrance.
2) The code is valid between the 8th September 2011 and the 15th September 2011.
3) The code can only be used on the So...? Fragrance UK E-Store website, which you will find here.
4) The subtotal minimum purchase is £20, but you can mix and match fragrances.
5) The offer is available to UK residents only, as they only deliver to the UK (sorry!).


Enjoy Lovelies!!


Did any of you use So...? products when you were younger?

Do any of you still use So...? products now?

What's your favourite fragrance from their range?

Thanks so much for reading my post-please follow, like and comment :-).

Much Love Gem XxOo

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Disclaimer: I was sent the 50ml So...? Sinful perfume and the 75ml So...? Sinful body spray for review purposes. All opinions are my own and 100% honest.