Forever Kerry

More shampoo doesn't mean cleaner hair 🧴

Hands up if you've ever squeezed out a massive blob of shampoo because your hair felt particularly dirty. 🙋‍♀️

It's very easy to think more product = better result, but you don't necessarily need loads.

With shampoo, I'm concentrating on my scalp and roots, where the oil and build-up tends to be, rather than piling shampoo through every inch of my hair.

Then conditioner is the opposite - I'm much more interested in the lengths and ends than covering my scalp in it.

And I've learned it's much easier to start with a smaller amount and add a little more if I need it than discover I've squeezed out enough shampoo for half the street.

It's one of those really simple things that can also make your bottles last longer.

How do you wash yours?
Shampoo once or twice?
Conditioner every wash or only occasionally?

And be truthful, are you a sensible little blob person or a giant handful person? X

What does that little jar actually mean?

Have you ever noticed the tiny picture of an open jar on your skincare or makeup?

It'll usually have something like 6M, 12M or 24M written inside it.

And no, it isn't telling you how long the product will last me before I need to buy another one. 😂

It's the Period After Opening (PAO) symbol.
So:
6M = use within 6 months of opening
12M = use within 12 months
24M = use within 24 months

It's something that's really easy to overlook, especially when you've got products that seem to last forever.

The problem is, does anyone actually remember WHEN they opened them?

It's also worth paying attention if a product changes significantly in smell, colour or texture rather than automatically carrying on using it just because there's some left.

Go and have a nosey at a couple of products in your bathroom.

Did you know what that little jar meant?

And what's the oldest product you've currently got open? 💜

🎄 CHRISTMAS IS COMING 🎄

I know, I know, we're not even in October yet.

But if you're one of those people who likes to get organised early, this one's for you.

4 x 50ml perfumes for £100 from our Standard and Classic ranges.

That's four presents sorted in one go.

You could choose one for your mum, your partner, your bestie, that person who's impossible to buy for.

Or perhaps:
🎁 One for Mum.
🎁 One for a friend.
🎁 One for someone else.
🎁 One that somehow accidentally ends up in your perfume collection.

Don't worry, I won't tell anyone if you get something for yourself! 😂

With the new fragrances just launched too, there's even more choice this year.

If you'd like the fragrance list, just let me know and I'll send it over. And if you're stuck choosing for someone, tell me a little about the perfumes they normally wear and I'll help you narrow it down.

Are you an early Christmas shopper, or are you firmly in the “I'll think about it in December” camp? 🎄

What’s the most boring product you use every single day? 😂

Not your favourite perfume.

Not the gorgeous skincare serum.

Not the product you’d show off in a photo.

I mean the completely ordinary product that quietly gets used over and over again.

For me, things like deodorant, toothpaste, shampoo and conditioner probably get far less attention on here than the more exciting products - yet they're the ones that actually get used all the time.

And I think we’re all a bit like that.

We get excited about the new or fancy things, while the dependable little products in the bathroom just keep doing their job.

So today I'm giving the boring products some appreciation.

What’s your everyday product that you’d genuinely be annoyed to discover you'd run out of?

And is there something you buy repeatedly without even thinking about trying another one? X

Four more of the new fragrances have had the skin test, and I definitely haven't found four new favourites.

I've been working my way through the new launches properly - on my skin and for a few hours, because that first sniff really doesn't tell you the whole story.

First up I compared W205 and W211.

🌸 W205
Saffron, lemon and bergamot open it, followed by rose, oud and amber, then sugar, oakmoss, tonka bean, musk and vanilla in the base.

I wasn't sure about this one initially, so I gave it time to develop.

Final verdict? Too floral for me. There's plenty of depth underneath those florals, but on my skin they were still what I noticed most.

🌼 W211
This one has jasmine, bergamot and fruity notes at the top, more jasmine and gardenia through the middle, then musk, woody notes and amber underneath.

Again, I wasn't convinced immediately, but this one improved as I wore it. It developed a bit more depth and I actually quite liked it.

I'd wear it, but it's not going onto my favourites list.

Then I put W206 and W210 head-to-head.

🍓 W206
Strawberry, pineapple and apple, moving into rose, gardenia and jasmine, with sugar, musk and woody notes underneath.

My immediate reaction was quite a sharp floral. I was expecting the fruit to jump out at me more, but that's not what my skin gave me.

🍯 W210
Now this one gave me the best first impression of these four.

Honey, anise and caramel, followed by milky notes, chocolate and jasmine, with vanilla, caramel and musk in the base.

Slightly sweet, creamy and I could definitely pick up those caramel hints.

BUT, a few hours later I could barely smell either W206 or W210 on myself.

So although W210 in particular started promisingly, neither seems particularly suited to my skin.

And this is exactly why I keep saying test perfume on your skin and give it time.

The notes tell you what's in the fragrance.

Your skin tells you what you're actually going to smell.

So far, from these four, W211 would be my pick - but none has knocked one of my existing favourites off its perch.

Which sounds most like your kind of fragrance: 205, 206, 210 or 211? 💜

You've got £100 to spend on yourself but there's a catch.

You can only spend it on ONE of these:

💜 Perfume
💜 Skincare
💜 Makeup
💜 Haircare
💜 Wellness

No splitting it.

So if you choose perfume, the whole £100 is going on fragrance. If you choose skincare, you're having a very nice skincare haul.

I think this is actually quite interesting because what we happily spend money on is so different.

Some people won't think twice about spending £100+ on a perfume they'll wear for months, but £30 on skincare feels expensive.

Someone else will happily invest in their skincare but couldn't imagine spending much on fragrance.

And then there are people who'd skip both and spend it on supplements and wellness products they use every day.

Where would my £100 go?

This is harder than I thought.

Perfume would be VERY tempting, but I've already got plenty. I'd probably put mine into wellness because they're the products that become part of my everyday routine rather than an occasional treat.

Although ask me again while I'm standing in front of a perfume display and the answer could change.

Where's your £100 going - and why?

And which category would you absolutely NOT spend £100 on? 💜

If your skincare routine needs an instruction manual, you've already lost me. 😂

I do love my skincare, and there are evenings when I'll happily use my serums, eye gel, mask and everything else.

But there are also nights when my skincare routine is basically:
Wash face.
Put something on it.
Go to bed.

And that's absolutely fine too.

On those nights, two products will do me nicely.

1. Colostrum+ Mild Face Soap
A liquid face wash in a pump bottle.
I keep mine right beside the bathroom sink, so it's perfect for those evenings when I'm not having a shower but still need to cleanse my face before bed.

Pump, wash, rinse. Done.

2. MHE Face Sorbet
Then something to moisturise.
I love the Face Sorbet because it's light and fresh rather than feeling like I've covered my face in a thick layer of cream.

And that's it.

Cleanse → moisturise → bed. 🛏️

I can add my Bakuchiol Serum, Eye Gel or other skincare when I fancy doing a bit more, but it doesn't have to be a full routine every single night.

Sometimes “wash face, put something on it, go to bed” is exactly the level of effort I'm willing to give.

And two products I'm actually going to use are much more useful than ten sitting on the shelf looking pretty. X

They're HERE! And there's definitely no single theme to this launch.

Our new ESSENS perfumes have officially landed today, and looking through them, there's a real mix of scents.

Some are sweeter.
Some fresher.
Some warmer.
Some more floral.
Some woody.

Basically, if you were expecting ten versions of the same sort of fragrance, nope. 😂

I've already had a little head start because I got samples at the ESSENS event in Manchester, but I've only properly tested two of them on my skin so far - W208 and M053.

And I do mean properly tested.

A quick sniff from a sample tells me whether I'm interested, but I never really decide what I think of a perfume until I've worn it on my skin and given it time to develop.

So I've still got plenty of sniffing to do.

And that's actually the bit I'm looking forward to.

I want to work my way through them rather than immediately deciding which ones I should like from the fragrance notes.

There could be a surprise favourite hiding amongst them.

There could also be a “Nope, definitely not for me” - because I'm not going to pretend I love every perfume just because I sell them.

I'll share my thoughts as I try them properly, including who I think they'd suit.

For now though, the new fragrances are officially LIVE.

And if you've been waiting to see the new ones, tell me what sort of scent you normally go for and I'll point you towards the ones I'd start with. 💜