Fragrance Direct haul: including Essie nail varnish for £1.99!

hi guys!

Massive apology for the lack of blog posts, my life is being ruled by revision. Three weeks until it's all over and I'm all yours :)

I placed an order on fragrancedirect.co.uk around midnight on the 11th using 2nd class delivery at £1.99. I was told to expect a wait of between 5 and 14 days, but my order arrived at midday on the 13th, kudos to Fragrance Direct for speedy delivery.

Here are the things I ordered:

Sally Hansen Super Shiny Top Coat // Dainty Doll blusher // Manhattan Professional Eyebrow Kit // Essie Nail polishes (L-R): Neo, Cascade Cool, We're In It Together, Capri, Bikini So Teeny

The first item I tried out was from Nicola Roberts' Dainty Doll range, which is a blush in shade Orange County Girl (002).

 It is a cream blush, which looks like a deep pink but it actually applies as a more peachy pink shade with a shimmer to it, to give quite a rosy glow. It is very easy to apply, blends well and builds easily. It retails at an RRP of £13.50, but you can get it on Fragrance Direct here for £1.99 (saving you £11.51!)

The second item I tried out was the Manhattan professional eyebrow kit. 

I only gave it a quick go and I haven't worn it for a full day yet, but it's staying power has helped it stay on for the past five hours in quite humid air. It comes with an angled brush to make application easier. The powder is pigmented enough to allow you to build the colour and achieve a natural look, without it being overpowering and creating giant furry slugs on your face. The shades are pretty dark, so if you're looking for a blonder kit then this probably isn't for you. It's retails at an RRP of £5, but it's available here for £1.50, (saving £3.50)

Here's a photo of me wearing both the Dainty Doll blusher and the eyebrow kit, both of which have stayed put all day so far

Onto the Essie nail polishes. I'm a bit of a nail polish obsessee and I've been hearing about Essie for a long time, but could never part with the £7.99 per bottle. After spotting it here for £1.99 (a saving of £6 per bottle!), I had to have one (or five, woopsie). 

top left: Bikini So Teeny without top coat // right: with Sally Hansen top coat

I've only used the shade Bikini So Teeny so far, which took 3 layers before it was opaque. It is a great polish, but I'm not sure it's formulation is much different to nail varnishes I've paid as low as £1 for before. The bottle is clear glass which makes it easy to see exactly what colour your nails will be when the polish is opaque. I think I might have been a bit disappointed if I'd paid £7.99 per bottle, even though it is a well coloured varnish with a soft & flat brush for easy application. I'd definitely recommend buying a few bottles at £1.99, even if it is just to satisfy your curiosity about the brand. It's finish wasn't as shiny as I expected it to be, which is where Sally Hansen's Super Shine Top Coat comes in. 

I actually bought this on ebay as I didn't spot it on the Fragrance Direct website when I ordered, but it is there! I applied this after my Essie varnish had dried completely. It definitely added shine to my nails as you can see in the previous picture, and two days later there isn't a single chip in sight. Again, it is an easy-to-apply product with the gloss having similar consistency to water, no gloops at all! The top coat hasn't bubbled and feels like my nails are stronger for wearing it.

Overall, my Fragrance Direct haul cost me a total of £13.44 (+£1.99 P&P), with the RRP totalling £58.45, saving me a grand total of £45.01! 

I can almost promise that I'll be buying from Fragrance Direct again in the very near future, with savings that good it'd be a bit silly not to.

Have you bought from Fragrance Direct before? Are you going to? Tell me other places with incredible savings!

Melissa xo