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Collaborative Post | Does the high cost of perfumes get you down? We hear you, and believe us, you’re not alone. Especially at the moment when people are having to watch every penny just to pay their heating bills, forking out upwards of £100 on a bottle of smellies is something many of us simply cannot afford. Perhaps you wonder why the most expensive, luxuriant fragrances have to come in such big bottles. Is it simply to push the price up? Why would anyone need so much, anyway? With the really good stuff, you only need a dab or two to smell fabulous. And it’s the kind of stuff you save for special occasions, anyway. Or leading on from this, perhaps you’re the sort of person who doesn’t want just one or two posh perfumes - you want as many as you can get your hands on, a different bottle for every occasion and whim, like shoes or handbags or dresses. And yet it comes round to cost again. If only there was a way to get cheaper, smaller bottles so you could build up a proper collection without having to break the bank… If any of the above apply to you, then keep reading. Because we’ve got a secret to share. There is a way to get the very best, most expensive perfumes in smaller bottles, at very affordable prices.  Women's perfume samples from Fragrance Samples UK (Photo by Nati Melnychuk on Unsplash) What is this magical secret, we hear you ask? Well, the clue is in our name. We are Fragrance Samples UK, and we specialise in selling, well, fragrance samples - women’s perfume samples, men’s cologne and aftershave samples, unisex fragrances, big brands, niche brands. You name it, we’ve got it. And if mens grooming is important to you, you will love what we offer. What are fragrance samples?Fragrance samples are simply miniature tester bottles of genuine fragrances. As the name suggests, the purpose is to allow people to sample a fragrance before they buy a big bottle of it. Because, let’s face it, when you’re talking the amount of money it costs to buy a full bottle of posh perfume at retail prices, you want to be absolutely sure you like it. Love it, even. Fragrance samples are try-before-you-buy for the perfume trade. Are fragrance samples genuine?Absolutely. Every sample we sell is 100% the genuine, authentic product, guaranteed. We’re not in the business of selling rip-offs and counterfeits - that’s a whole different ball game and we have nothing to do with it. We sell genuine, original, branded fragrances, just in smaller bottles. And we are happy to prove the provenance of every product we sell. Are fragrance samples legitimate?Again, 100% yes. There’s no skullduggery going on here, and again, we have to distance ourselves from the fake perfume trade, which is illegal. It’s probably helpful at this stage to explain how we do what we do. Perfume manufacturers have always understood the desire of customers to try out their products before they pay good money to buy them. So they have always been happy to make ‘testers’ available. Traditionally, tester bottles would be sent to cosmetics retailers to put on display along with bottles to be sold. They might come in a slightly different packaging - some would be labelled ‘tester’, some would be labelled in several languages to make it easier to send the same testers to shops all over the world, some would be sent without caps. But the stuff inside the bottle would be the same as the stuff in the bottles you buy. And with good reason, because the fragrance company wants you to have a good whiff, fall in love and buy its product. This is still common practice in cosmetics stores all over the world today. Walk into any perfume counter, and you will be able to sample products from tester bottles. But perfume isn’t just sold in stores these days. It’s sold online, too. Obviously, if you’re shopping for perfume on a website, you can’t pick up a tester bottle and have a spray to help you make your decision. The answer is to decant fragrances from these tester bottles into smaller ‘sample’ sizes, and send these out through the post. And because the customer is getting more than just a whiff (enough to get several wears, in fact), it’s sensible to charge a small amount for these samples, rather than give them away  Fragrance samples represent amazingly good value (Photo by Hans Vivek on Unsplash) Are fragrance samples good value?Absolutely - although we would say that, wouldn’t we! But you can make up your own mind. Our smallest sample size is 1ml, starting at a cost of £3.42. Now 1ml doesn’t sound very much and in truth isn’t. But when you are talking an eau de parfum or an extait de parfum - really concentrated, intense-smelling formulas - a tiny bit goes a long way. You will get two, three, four wears out of 1ml. Which gives you a great opportunity to really ‘live in’ the fragrance as you make up your mind whether you like it or not. Much better than a quick spritz at a perfume counter, no?
The largest size we label as a ‘sample’ size is 3ml, starting at £8.83. Do the maths, and you will see you could get up to around 12 wears out of a 3ml sample. That could be a whole year’s worth of special occasions, for under a tenner. And cheap enough to build up a nice collection for variety. We also do larger ‘travel’ size bottles, in 5ml and 10ml. These start at £13.85 and £24.92 respectively. As many perfumes start at 20ml as a smallest retail size, our largest travel bottles are basically half the size and half the price. Which may be the difference between you being able to justify splashing out on a luxury perfume for yourself or not. Disclaimer: this is a collaborative post Collaborative Post | Homes are the perfect investment opportunity. If you make the right home improvements, you can achieve huge returns that far exceed any savings account and do not come with the same risks associated with stock markets. Here are four of the best, high-value improvements you can make to your home that will give you a great return when the time comes to sell your property. Convert the garageIf you have a garage attached to your property, then you are in luck. There is no better way to add property value to your home than adding liveable space. Extra square feet mean extra pounds on the house price, and often in the tens of thousands. Extending a property or converting a loft or basement is expensive and time-consuming, but converting a garage is quick and cheap to do. You can add a large extra room that can function as a living space or bedroom, and you can even fit an en-suite in there too. Conversion and decoration are pretty simple, but some of the work may be a bit beyond a do-it-yourself enthusiast. You will need some help to get some of the bigger jobs done. Look for a ‘handyman near me’ at MyBuilder to get an extra pair of experienced hands to help you. At MyBuilder, you can read reviews of workers from people just like you, and even see photos of completed work. This lets you find the right person for the job and you can hire them with confidence, knowing that they are capable and reliable.  Remodel your kitchen and bathrooms (Photo by Sidekix Media on Unsplash) Remodel your kitchen and bathroomsThese two areas are the highest-value rooms in a home. Per square foot, nothing comes close. They can also be the most expensive areas to upgrade, so you need to be careful and thrifty to get the best return on investment. A glorious kitchen and boutique bathrooms help sell a home as no other space can. With the right decor, these rooms can add desirability as well as value. The most expensive elements of both of these rooms are the appliances. Ovens, fridges, baths, and sinks can all be costly to replace so try and refurbish and reuse what you have. If you do need to replace the bathroom furniture, for example, try to reclaim and upcycle used fixtures and fittings. Salvage yards can be a goldmine for high-quality, vintage baths, taps, and sinks. Every pound you save when remodelling a kitchen or bathroom with triple or quadruple when you sell your home. Investing in these two rooms that you find in every home has a huge return on investment potential, as long as you spend savvy and make cost-effective updates. Open plan living spacesThis home improvement can require some extensive renovations, but it is worth it. Many lovely homes are stymied by small rooms that can feel claustrophobic and cold. Open up your living room by taking down a connecting wall to another space. This can bring extra light into a space and make a home that looks traditional on the outside more modern on the inside. Big jobs are best completed by professionals, and you should consult an architect or experienced contractor before you get out your sledgehammer. Though it does require a significant financial investment, all the money and more comes back to you when you eventually sell your home. In the meantime, you get more space to enjoy as well as a lighter and brighter living space. You can do this upstairs too if you want a bigger master bedroom with an en suite bathroom. This will add a lot of value to your property, but again it will require a large investment to get the work done. Make sure you carefully weigh up the cost and benefits before you commit to any work. Update the outdoorsFor the best return from the smallest investment, update your garden. This is a simple job to do, with the right planning and preparation. You can save a lot of money on labour by doing the work yourself and most garden makeovers can be completed in a weekend. The most important thing is to add functionality and usability when you give a garden a much-needed update.
A decking or patio area is a must. With this you can enjoy al-fresco dining or entertaining friends and family outside, weather permitting. It is worth adding a couple of extra features to this area, such as an awning or patio roof to give you some shelter from the elements. This will help you, and any future owners of the property, get more use from the area throughout the year. Landscape the garden to give the patio area a better view. Use plants and flowers to bring colour, texture, and depth to the space. Painting any exterior wall or fencing is a good idea, but do not stick to the traditional creosote, wood-stained colour palette. Try pastel shades, or greens and blues. And for instant kerb appeal, consider painting the exterior of your home! Any one of these home improvements can give a significant boost to your house price. Put a couple of them together and you can add tens of thousands of pounds to your property value from a relatively small investment. Disclaimer: this is a collaborative post Collaborative Post | Core strength is an area that should not be neglected. Core strength can prevent injuries, improve athletic performance, improve posture, protect your organs and more. Of course, it can also help to develop a six-pack too! So, what activities can you do to improve core strength? Instead of doing hundreds of sit-ups each day, there are a handful of enjoyable activities that can develop core strength. SwimmingOne of the best ways to improve core strength is with swimming - this is also one of the best forms of exercise as it is low impact and a full body workout! Swimming requires you to use your core to support you in the water, which will help to build strength and improve lower back strength.  One of the best ways to improve core strength is with swimming GolfGolf is often overlooked as a form of exercise, which is a shame because it can bring many health benefits while also being good fun. Obviously, you will benefit from walking and this is an excellent low-impact form of exercise, but it can also improve your core through the mechanics of the golf swing. Swinging fairway woods will engage your core muscles to improve strength and stability of these muscles. Stability is key when it comes to golf, so you should find your performance improves as your core gets stronger. YogaYoga is one of the best forms of exercise for core strength, plus it can bring many other physical and mental health benefits. Yoga involves engaging your core to help with balance and this will help to improve joint strength. One of the best things about yoga is that this is also an activity that you can do at home or you could find a class and make it a social hobby.  Yoga is one of the best forms of exercise for core strength, plus it can bring many other physical and mental health benefit PilatesSimilarly, pilates is highly effective as a core workout because core muscles are used with every exercise and there are many different exercises to target all of these muscles. It is also low-impact and something that you could do from home. DancingDancing is also a great way to build your core while also having some fun. Any type of dance will help because it will involve balance and engaging your core, but a few types that are known to be highly effective at improving core strength are Zumba, street dancing and ballet. You can dance anywhere you like, but many find joining a class to be the best way to learn and also meet new people.
If you want to improve your core strength but do not like the idea of doing hundreds of sit-ups each day, then you may want to try the above activities. They are all excellent ways to improve core strength and can also be fun, active and social hobbies that improve your life in a handful of ways. Disclaimer: this is a collaborative post. |
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