Blooming marvellous

Flowers have been central to health and fashion from the very beginnings of beauty products, tinctures and accessories. Indian Ayurvedic medicine uses hibiscus to give thicker, fuller locks. Calendula has been deployed since Roman times for its anti-inflammatory properties. The bacteriologist Dr Edward Bach pioneered his eponymous - now famous - homeopathic system, which utilises such flowers as honeysuckle (for living in the past), rock rose (for terror and fright) and water violet (for isolation). And we all have memories of mashing up our own flowers and mixing them with water as children to create our very own 'perfume'.

Floral delivery company Bloom and Wild not only celebrates a range of flowers in their beautiful bouquets but has now gone a step further by evoking the power of flowers in art with its new Matisse collection, which includes such plants as alstroemeria, gerberas and chrysanthemums. Evoking different moods and cultural significance as well as sheer ornamentation, the company's new infographic (pictured right) enlightens us as to the use of different flowers by artists throughout the ages, from Botticelli to Jeff Koons.

The infographic also mentions the use of specific flowers that are still used in some of my favourite perfumes today. Anaïs Anaïs, by Cacharel, is a bit 1970s and has a slightly powdery tone to it, but has sentimental meaning for me. It doesn't just contain jasmine - mentioned by Bloom and Wild as having prominence in Indian art for its symbolism of love and fertility - but also orange blossom, hyacinth, rose, lily, and sandalwood - making for a sexy mix overall. My other choices, however, would be Jasmin Noir by Bulgari (a really top-quality fragrance that lasts), and Flowerbomb by Viktor and Rolf, for a sparklier setting.

This latter fragrance also contains lotus flower - another bloom highlighted as significant for its use in Egyptian and Asian art form. Representing life and creation, it adds real freshness to fragrances - as equally exemplified by another favourite of mine, Hermès' Jardin Sur Le Nil.

The final flower mentioned in the infographic is ivy, which was meaningful in Ancient Greek art for its links to the harvest and theatre. The iconic J'adore (by Dior) and Lolita Lempicka fragrances use this grounding ancient plant.

But I couldn't do a post without flowers without mentioning the new cult floral favourite in the world of beauty: Kailijumei's flower lipsticks, which are the latest hit from Hong Kong. The clear jelly lipsticks have dried flowers embedded in them, and thanks to the natural ingredients (such as cocoa butter, candelilla and lavender oil), lips are kept moisturised as well as slightly tinted. The flowers used include rose - which of course, being a classic, is included in Bloom and Wild's Marguerite bouquet - available now as part of the Matisse collection to further indulge our love of flowers.

Make Your Summer Sparkle

POST SUPPORTED BY WWW.MYJEWELRYBOX.COM

So they say that diamonds are a girl's best friend? Fine - until your jaw hits the floor at what are normally stratospheric prices. You're very often looking at three figures before you even begin - and that's often for a diamond that you need a magnifying glass to look at. But as with most things these days, if you shop around a bit (thank you, Google Shopping) you can often get what you want closer to the price you want.

Another way to get diamonds more cheaply than having a socking great rock on one finger is to think smaller: diamond earrings, for instance, will be cheaper than a diamond ring. One such website bringing you the sparkly stuff for less is MyJewelryBox.com, and you can also look around for sales at the major retailers such as H Samuel and Ernest Jones. If the prices at MyJewelryBox.com are too good to refuse, but you balk in the UK at the $50 shipping charge, it's equally easy to go in with friends or to take the chance to buy some dazzling gifts in order to get maximum value out of your order.

If you're not really into jewellery, though (after all, this is a beauty website), there are still plenty of other ways to inject some sparkle into your summer, both on the high street and off. Starting with the body, you can find lots of glitter on your local high street, whether this is with Body Shop's Brilliance Powder (which has slightly flawed packaging but still does a good job) or with the ethical competitor, Lush's Iridescent Glitterbug or their Shimmy Shimmy glitter bar (which you just rub over your body until the desired effect is achieved). If you set your sights a little higher in the sophistication stakes, though, you could always try Cacharel's Noa Perfumed Body Lotion, which starts at just over £20 online and provides a divine glow as well as smelling gorgeous.

There are also seemingly infinite numbers of options for adding some sparkle to your face. For the eyes, try Avon's Colour Sparkle Lash and Line, which incorporates a glitter liner and a mascara all into one handy tube, or for a more full-on look, try MAC Pigments for wow-factor and easily achievable fairy princess looks (or their less expensive cousin, Stargazer Eye Dusts). Even the nails can carry off a Dorothy-style look as you paint your nails with Barry M Nail Paints, whose sparkly variants can make you feel like you've stepped straight out of The Wizard of Oz.

Want something more subtle? No problem. There's a plethora of glittery products out there for even the most shrinking of violets, including Bourjois' Little Round Pot Blusher, which has colours carrying the tiniest glitter particles you ever saw, and Sally Hansen's Diamond Lip Treatment, which looks natural while still making you sparkle. It's good for your lips, is hard-wearing, and is even decorated with a small faux diamond on the front of the tube. However, that's not to say that perhaps a real diamond would not be better.

Flower Fairies

SPONSORED CONTENT

In the third of my series on the fragrance wheel, I'll be throwing a bone to all the real girly girls out there who love flowery, truly romantic fragrances.

This doesn't mean that such fragrances are always superficial, trite or cheap-smelling; quite to the contrary, many floral fragrances are classics that have been adored by women for many years.

One such classic ladies' perfume is Cacharel's Anaïs Anaïs, which combines rose and lily with some of the woodier and more oriental scents previously discussed, such as sandalwood and amber, to make one of the beauty world's most-loved perfumes. Cacharel hit the spot again with Noa and Noa Perle, using a similar blend to capture the essence of forest flowers on women's wrists the world over.

Another cult favourite came to the world of floral perfume in the form of Yves Saint Laurent's Paris, which also nods to the woods with its sandalwood and amber notes alongside its dominant mimosa flower, orange and rose. Originally released in 1983, it's also packed with jasmine and violet, and has inspired many spinoffs from YSL, including the more recently released Parisienne, which is more heavily dominated by violets and is more sugary.

However, floral fragrances are not just stuck in the seventies and eighties, with many more modern floral perfumes having taken the world by storm in recent years. Daisy by Marc Jacobs, for instance, captured the world with its dreamy and dazzling gold bottle, adorned with daisies. It not only uses the popular violet scent but also utilises jasmine and gardenia along with some fruitier undertones and muskier, more vanilla-like overtones. This captivating combination has held the public's attention ever since it first hit the shelves (although it is perhaps not purely floral due to its reliance on other members of the fragrance wheel, perhaps making it more of a Fougère fragrance - more on this soon!).

Other, perhaps more obvious, examples of floral fragrances that have arrived on the scene this century include Valentino's Rock 'n' Rose. Categorised as a floral oriental perfume, it blends orange flower and rose to create an edgy, unique new scent for modern young women. Lastly for today, there's Viktor & Rolf's Flowerbomb, which almost speaks for itself. It contains everything you could think of for a floral scent: jasmine, rose, orchid, freesia, and a hint of patchouli just to mix things up a bit. This last one is one of my favourites, although I'd also recommend Anaïs Anaïs (mentioned before) - though I'm sure there's a myriad of floral fragrances out there just waiting for me to discover them.

Anais Anais by Cacharel

RRP: £21.00/30ml of eau de toilette; £25.00/30ml of eau de parfum

--What does the promo say?--
"Since her birth 25 years ago, Anais Anais has expressed the spirit of youth and femininity. She has captured the hearts of millions of young girls and women with her unique fresh floral blend. Inspired by the lily, Anais Anais is a true modern classic. It combines a fresh burst of hyacinth, orange blossom and jasmine with the intense scent of Virginia cedarwood, Bourbon vetiver and musky sandalwood."

--Packaging--
The bottle is small, squat, and somewhat quaint with its white and silver colour combination. The flowers are shown in pink and the Cacharel logo is shown in white or black. The lid is a screw top lid and comes in silver. It's quite sweet and feminine, but in this modern age may not appeal to all women and girls. However, of those it does appeal to, it should appeal to all ages. The bottle is small enough to comply with new hand baggage regulations, though I'd say it's probably better to have the spray from a travel point of view. I've never taken my screw top Anais Anais on holiday with me and I'd be wary of doing so.

--Application--
Depends on the one you have. Either undo the screw top and dab a little directly onto your wrist, or pull off the lid and spray onto the desired area.

--Scent--
As I've said in one of my other reviews here, I don't know enough about botany to know whether it really does smell of all the things they say. However, I do know that the scent is just lovely. It's very light, not at all overbearing, and (so I've been told) very seductive...

--Longevity--
I haven't formally tested this one for longevity at the time of writing, but will edit when I have. I know for sure that it lasts for at least a whole morning without having to reapply, meaning you should only have to reapply once a day if at all.

--Value for money--
I didn't actually buy mine, so I feel pretty impartial on this, but as far as perfume prices go, I'd say this is a pretty reasonable price - especially for a classic that's sustained the public interest for at least 25 years. It seems to go about as far and last about as long as most other perfumes I own. However, I wouldn't pay as much as they ask for the deodorant equivalent.

--Other comments--
I actually have a lot of respect for the company for not capitalising on the public's clear love for this product by jacking up the price. There are many perfumes out there that are twice as expensive without being half as loved. The scent is inexplicably pretty and sexy. I will be buying this again.

perfect partners
Anais Anais Body Lotion, £19.50/200ml
Anais Anais Bath and Shower Gel, £17.00/200ml
Anais Anais Deodorant Body Spray, £14.50/150ml