Sep 20 2014

Perfume Review: Storm Flower by Cheryl

Posted on September 20, 2014 by admin

I haven’t reviewed a perfume before. So when Cheryl(was Cole)’s new perfume Storm Flower landed on my welcome mat (courtesy of Fragrance Direct), I wasn’t really sure I could do it justice and had a panic. I ran through a few scenarios in my head; I could hide it away on my bathroom shelf and pretend it never arrived; I could just cheat and copy and paste the description from Cheryl’s site; I could shut down my blog and change my email address…

How was I supposed to convey to you all how something smells through writing?

Then I clocked a few adverts during 8 out of 10 Cats Does Countdown (you know, the black & white sort, with chiffon dresses, glossy pouts and a mountain… always a mountain or a Parisian flat) and realised that we can’t smell the telly either. That doesn’t stop us all making a beeline for the perfume aisle in Boots whilst hubby queues to pay for a basket full of breastpads, leg wax and stretchmark lotion - just to get a whiff of the scent that saw Charlize Theron trussed up like a Christmas decoration.

You don’t have to smell a perfume to be intrigued by it. When you buy a perfume as a gift, do you always smell it first? I don’t. If I’m in a rush I just ask the lady at the counter to pick something for me.

I can still do a good job. I’ll just make you all want to smell it.

Sorted.

So first things first, Storm Flower is the debut fragrance by our Cheryl. This should be selling point enough for some of us. When I first sprayed it on my wrist and put it to Craig’s nose I whispered “This is what Cheryl smells like” in a vaguely sexy way. There was no way he’d ever turn his nose up with that kind of mental image in his head. She also looks pretty amazing in the all the promotional shots - but then does she ever look terrible? I can’t promise you’ll all transform into her when you dab a bit of Storm Flower behind your ear, but a good spritz of perfume definitely does make you feel sexier (especially when you’ve been surrounded by the less pleasant smell of baby vomit all day).

On a serious note, the bottle is a bit irritating. The lid wobbles on the neck of the bottle and looks more plasticy than the pack shots. It does look pretty under a light though so would look cute on your bedside table. I also like the two-tone bottle which I suspect has been chosen to symbolise sensuality and depth (check me out!) - I just like it because it makes the perfume look less orange.

The bottle shouldn’t be a major draw though. We all know you should store you perfumes in the box - and I really do like this one. It’s tough and more special than your average envelope box.

Now onto the tricky bit: The smell.

Storm Flower is a fresh, clean and floral perfume that was designed to reflect the scent of the air after the storm. It opens with fruity notes of nectar and mandarin followed by a floral heart that is interwoven with the scent of peach blossom and freesia. The fragrance then closes with base notes of sandalwood and musk. This light and refreshing scent conveys her elegance, sophistication and personal style / Fragrance Direct

Do I agree?

Nope. Fresh and clean would suggest a crisp linen-like fragrance to me; a “day-perfume”. This is much more sultry. You can definitely smell the sandalwood and musk making it great for evenings out. The citrus notes also really come through.

Cheryl’s own site describes the scent as “luminous, hypnotic and uplifting” and this seems right on the money to me. It’s definitely a layered scent that will offer something new every time you smell it. After an hour, the musk seems to fade and you’re left with a very sweet-smelling fragrance - like Parma Violets and Lovehearts. It’s a little too intense to be refreshing but it’s very alluring.

The scent lasts around 3 hours then you’ll need to reapply, so not great staying power for a eau de parfum.

… So would I buy it?

My usual scent is Dior Addict. Storm Flower is definitely more girly. I certainly wouldn’t be disappointed if someone gifted it to me (far from it!), but I’m not sure I’d be kicking myself if I forgot to spray it on before a date night with Craig. Having said that, I’d definitely nip into Boots on my lunch break for a quick pump if I had a client meeting afterwards.

If I’ve managed to tempt you to smell it, and you fall in love with it, it’s currently on sale at Fragrance Direct. It would make a great Christmas present for someone special as it’s very reasonably priced when compared with all the designer fragrance houses.

For more inspiration from the guys at Fragrance Direct you can check out their blog, Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.

So how did I do??? Is there a career in perfuming blogging for Ms Mills? Leave me a comment and tell me whether I’m deluding myself!

Sep 19 2014

Back to School with Collins Learning Resources!

Posted on September 19, 2014 by admin

I’m desperately late posting this. I can only blame it on the fact that Dexter is not yet at school, and I don’t drive so haven’t had school-run traffic to remind me that little people everywhere are once again donning pinafore dresses and nylon ties. Yep, whereas every other mum is back to work and going through the trauma that is The School Morning Routine, I’m still in bed at 9am!

Before you all douse your laptop in orange juice as a dirty protest, I do have something useful to share with mummy’s of school age children; A range of books from Collins Back to School Learning Resources …And I better crack on with this review before the very beautiful PR girls start dishing out slapped wrists!

I signed up a few months ago to review a couple of their books. I was expecting a few pre-school workbooks and one of their award-winning picture dictionaries and atlases. I was therefore shocked & chuffed to bits by their generosity when this lot arrived! They’ve provided me with a selection of books from the KS1 and KS2 range, covering Dexter academically from age 3 right up to age 11. It includes…

Collins Children’s Picture Atlas

Collins Primary Atlas

My First Dictionary and Children’s Junior Illustrated Dictionary (6+)

Collins French Club & Spanish Club (for foundation level languages)

Collins Junior Thesaurus

Collins Easy Learning French, English and Maths (Ages 5-7)

Collins Starting School Books - 1 & 2 (For Preschoolers)

From preschool right up to A-Level, Collins covers every stage of a child’s education. Whether it be a trusted dictionary, accompanying thesaurus, handy atlas or appropriate learning book, Collins definitely has it covered.

As you can see, it’s a real bounty of reference & exercise books for Dexter! I’m seriously impressed with the quality & variety of exercises provided to support Dexter’s learning. I love how children are encouraged to work inside the books and make them their own. Although this means you’re unlikely to pass them down to the next generation, it means Dexter will be taking some responsibility for his own learning. It also means Craig and I can tutor Dexter alongside his academic studies.

When I went to primary school, foreign languages weren’t on the curriculum. I’m so out of touch with this, that I didn’t realise they are now compulsory for children at KS2 (7+). This is a very welcome overhaul in my opinion. I speak semi-fluent French (I can order a round of alcoholic drinks in a bar at least!) and love the idea of kids being given the opportunity to get a head-start on their secondary school language studies. The French Club series (available in other languages too) is fabulous as it comes with an audio CD and stickers too - adding an element of interactivity to their learning.

This is what makes these books exceptional in my opinion. It’s difficult for parents to stay abreast of every curriculum change - even big ones like the addition of new subjects! Collins books are completely up to date with the latest curriculum and allow mum & dad to better support their child’s learning - all in a user-friendly package for children. The illustrations (particularly in the picture atlas) are really engaging, and the exercises are clearly explained.

Here’s a video review to explain all the books in more detail. Dexter was supposed to join me for filming, but was on the naughty step for painting his baby sister in chocolate mousse! Apologies for the shaky video - I’ve sacked the cameraman!

Without a doubt, Collins have surpassed expectations for me as a parent. I always knew they were a tour de force in the educational arena - but I’m shocked just how relevant, interesting and thorough these resources are. I can’t wait to get started!

Collins is offering parents the chance to get 30% off their range of Back to School books until 30 September 2014. Simply use promo code SCHOOLBAG30 at Collins.co.uk

What’s more, parents can enter a competition to win one of 50 bundles of books for their child in a Collins branded school bag at Collins.co.uk/backtoschool

Sep 17 2014

The Joy of Print - HP Deskjet 2540 Wireless all-in-one from Viking

Posted on September 17, 2014 by admin

Viking Direct isn’t a new discovery for me. Before mummydom hit, I was an Office & Facilities Manager (amongst other things) at the London HQ for one of the largest global names in social media. Looking after hundreds of pampered, stressed and high-earning executives was no easy task. Most, if not all, had come from some of the most exclusive offices in London, and expectation was often higher than our budget afforded.

Ocado and Viking quickly became my go-to brands for stress-free next day delivery of all manner of essentials (from luxury handwash, to sweeties, to flowers, to stationery). Let’s face it, running out of paper in a busy office means you’ll be fending off irate executives and swiftly picking up your P45 when 5pm hits. In fact, with my lot, running out of chewing gum was as just as big a drama.

When I fell pregnant and left my peeping Blackberry and chaotic Outlook inbox behind me, my days became an equally monotonous haze of nappy-changes, baby-rocking and rhyme time classes. I must admit, until now, I hadn’t given Viking another thought.

When I found out they were seeking bloggers to trial their service from a home-based worker’s perspective, I thought I’d throw my hat in. I already know how fab they are for business use - I was on first name basis with my Account Manager and often rang them at unsociable hours with urgent requests - any business that welcomes hysterical phone calls from a stressed out Miss Mills deserves a medal.

Accepted as a trialist, I was given £40 to spend on absolutely anything from the site. It might surprise you just how far £40 can go at Viking. There’s some seriously useful things for the home, from confectionery to back-to-school essentials to pretty diaries and organisers. There’s also tons of freebies on offer if you buy certain promotional products.

But nope, I decided to order a printer.

A printer has to be the most overlooked gadget in the average home. Every home office needs one, but few actually have one primed and ready-to-go, with a neat supply of ink and paper. Why? Because they’re a faff to maintain, and are prone to breaking down.

Yet try as we might to go paperless, once a week you’ll be sent a form, email or invoice that will need filling in, signing and sending. People sat in swanky offices just can’t seem to get their head around the fact that not all of us have the means to print. In fact, forwarding attachments to friends and family to print off and pop through our letterboxes is a frustrating but necessary monthly skirmish for most of us.

When our last printer gave up the ghost after just one month of service (I think I only printed off a few coupons and some colouring-in sheets for Lil Man), I vowed never to bother again. But then real-life took over and hauling a double buggy down the library to print became a real pain in the bum.

I was shocked that £40 could actually get me a good quality branded printer. We plumped for the HP Deskjet 2540 wireless all-in-one inkjet, and waited patiently for it to arrive. Sure enough, the next day a friendly delivery guy knocked at my door.

Craig set up the printer for us (I have zero patience for manuals). I won’t lie and tell you it was an easy set-up, I did hear the odd expletive from downstairs as I relaxed in the bath, but eventually persistence paid off.

Our new printer is rammed full of features. With the option to print, scan and copy it performs every task you need it to. Better yet, you can do these wirelessly from any room in your house. Built-in WiFi and HP Auto Wireless Connect, means you can sink it to laptops, tablets and smartphones. Connecting to all our devices was really simple and now we can send documents to print from all of our most used devices.

The product description makes a big fuss out of the fact it’s compact and space-saving - I’d certainly question this - it’s a whopper! This doesn’t bother me at all though as it lives happily in our lounge and isn’t ugly.

The best thing about it, was the price. You can bag this with free delivery for just £35.99. Better yet, operation costs are low as you can use high capacity cartridges.

All in all, I’m impressed. Now I know that Viking offer personal accounts, I’ll definitely be using them again in the future. Every 3 months or so we do a trolley dash down Staples for paper, post-its and pens - now we can save a little money and stock up without leaving our sofa. The only person likely to be disappointed is Dexter - he really does love pulling down pen displays, opening reams of paper we have no intention of buying, testing out of the office chairs… you get the picture!

To set up a home office account, just visit www.viking-direct.co.uk