Category: Fragrance
Following in My Footsteps…
While the boyfriend is away…the BFFs will play.
We don’t usually go to the mall, but when we do – we Sephora. (And Nordstrom Rack and Victoria’s Secret and Bath & Body Works and you get the picture…) I have been hearing about lots of Kat Von D on clearance lately, so I was ecstatic to find the Esperanza Palette on clearance for $19! To be honest, I am more in love with Kat Von D’s packaging than the actually makeup, but I keep buying it anyway. I used this palette this morning and it faded quite a bit by lunch, but there was nowhere near as much fallout as the Chrysalis Palette. I’m going to try it with a primer next time.
I asked a girl who worked there if they carried Atelier there or if it was only online and she looked at me as if I asked for Jean Nate. Seriously? I am not a fragrance snob by any means, but really? I guess I need to hit Neiman Marcus to get a sniff…
I was smelling rollerballs and I happened to pick up Stella by Stella McCartney. Holy Fucking Shit – it’s the rose I’ve been looking for. I had my BFF smell it and she said, “It smells like you.” (Notice that she did NOT say it smelled good.) Of course, they were out of the rollerball. I wasn’t smitten enough to blow $52 on the bigger size, so I figured I could just order it online…but the website is also out of stock. I guess I’ll keep looking…
While I was rooting through the clearance bin, I wasn’t exactly paying attention to what my child was doing. I could see her right beside me in my peripheral vision, so I didn’t think anything of it. I grabbed 2 of the Esperanza Palettes and went to show my finds to my BFF. My child did not follow. I went back to get her and she was balls deep in applying makeup. To be fair, I think she was applying NARS blush when I found her, so she appears to have very expensive taste in cosmetics. I wonder where she got that from? I hope she didn’t get face cooties…
Vacay Shopping
Did you miss me?
Or did you just miss my nails?
No one will be surprised that I managed to find new nail polish while vacationing in the sleepy little fishing town of Ketchikan, Alaska. The economy of Ketchikan is built on fishing and cruise ships – the town is comprised of 90% gift shops, 9% bars and 1% everything else. In addition to the many T-shirts, stuffed animals, totem poles and various sundry tourist knick knacks, I found Caribongo Sun Activated fingernail polish. I got blue glitter – “City Girl” – and silver glitter – “Puttin’ on the Glitz”. As far as I can tell, both turn red in the sun.
…and then my sister took me to her favorite store…Simply Bella. Simply Bella is a boutique that has everything – beauty items, cookware and entertaining, gifts, home fragrance, chocolate, jewelry – just anything you could ever want.
I picked up “Royal Peony Rose & Mandarin Musk” Perfume Oil by Lucy B Cosmetics. I had never heard of Lucy B. – but this perfume oil is the real deal. Here’s a blurb from their website: Lucy B. is the only fragrance and colour range in the world to have infused the natural Australian Flower Essences within their products, offering you a taste of the Australian energy & lifestyle.
…so we went back to Simply Bella a few days later and I stumbled across a 75% Clearance Rack.
I showed some restraint and picked up Coco Rose Tinted Lip Balm in “Blush Pink” by Figs & Rouge. Figs & Rouge is a 100% natural lipcare brand from the UK. Can you see the FLAMINGOS on the balm????
I also grabbed a Butter London Lippy in “Pip Pip”.
I was also introduced to John Kelly Chocolates. Jesus, that shit is GOOD.
One last pic…somehow, I managed to NOT paint my nails during my whole vacation. 10 whole days. For real.
I’m still not sick of Zoya “Sooki”.
This is the nasty tear I suffered at the claws of a Dungeness Crab. I fought the crab and the crab won.
I did have the last laugh…he ended up in my tummy!
July Birchbox – Power Up
I got my Birchbox so quick this month – I just got the shipping notice yesterday!
July’s box is a collaboration with Women’s Health Magazine called “Power Up”. Look how cute the box is – no plain brown box this month! There’s even a card in my box for a free subscription to Women’s Health Magazine. I’ll probably go ahead and send it in, even though I’ll probably never read it. My kids constantly need pictures for collages at school and the only magazines I get are Consumer Reports and IKEA catalogs. Their collages have been pretty lame.
Also inside my box: Cynthia Rowley Beauty Creamy Lip Stain in “Sugar” (I got to pick the color – I love it when Birchbox does this!), Harvey Prince Singular Scentsations “Imperial Gardenia” (It smells SUPER old lady), NAOBAY Body Radiance Lotion (very mild smell, thank GAWD), Number 4 “Super Comb Prep & Protect” (yes! more tiny spray bottles of stuff for my hair), and Real Chemistry “Luminous 3 Minute Peel” (looking forward to trying it).
If you would like to try Birchbox, click on my referral link – https://www.birchbox.com/invite/5453f – I’ll get 50 points if you join.
Rapture Light
I’ve been wearing Victoria’s Secret “Rapture” since its launch in 1992. Stephanie Seymour was the face of “Rapture” and she was one of my idols in high school. (I totally thought I would be getting married in her mini-skirt wedding dress from “November Rain.” Don’t judge.) Funny, when I was 16, wearing it made me feel all grown-up, but wearing it now…it makes me feel young.
“Rapture” is a heavy scent and it’s easy to put on too much. Victoria’s Secret just came out with a lighter version – “Sensual Fragrance Mist”. It’s in a bottle like a body mist, but you can’t give yourself 8-10 sprays, like a mist from Bath & Body Works. Even though it’s lighter than perfume or cologne, it’s stronger than most body mists. Use with caution!
Regular price is $25, but it was on sale for $15 at launch a month or so ago. It was backordered and I just received it today. Youth in a bottle!
Soap Addict
As the Bath & Body Works Semi Annual Sale winds down, the deals and coupons get a little better. The best stuff is gone and they want to get rid of whatever is left.
I’ll admit it, I went to Bath & Body Works yesterday and didn’t buy anything. I’m so glad I didn’t, because this morning, I got an email that ALL soaps are $3 today. That’s a sale I can get behind. I’m not even going to list all the scents I got…because I bought 14. That’s right…14. The current coupon is either $10 off $30 or $20 off $50. You know what I did…
In addition to the 14 soaps, I picked up a 75% off “Coconut Lime Breeze” Body Cream for my desk at work, a 75% off “Citron for Men” Shower Gel for my husband (because he always complains that I buy crap for myself and the kids, but never for him) and 2 50% off “Honolulu Sun” Hand Creams for my purse.
$35.15 <throws microphone down>
Modern Mermaid & More
If Birchbox keeps sending me coupon codes for 20% off my first purchase, I’m going to keep using them. Is that unethical?
I finally got a product in one of my monthly boxes that I loved enough to purchase. If you had told me a month ago that I would spend $36 on moisturizer/sunscreen, I would have laughed in your face…but then I tried COOLA Tinted Matte SPF 30 for Face. It goes on smooth – my face feel like velvet and stays matte and shine free all day. This is the holy grail of face products.
I had been lusting after the Limited Edition “Modern Mermaid” Box ($44) and I finally made the plunge. In the box: a deluxe sample of Anastasia Beverly Hills Lash Genius Waterproof Topcoat (which I probably will never use); a travel size spray of Atelier Cologne “Cédrat Enivrant” Cologne Absolue (citrusy and woodsy – another scent my mother would have loved…and I love it too); Captain Blankenship “Mermaid Mane” Sea Salt Spray (I need to devote a post to all my sea salt sprays – I use them every day); COOLA Liplux SPF 30 Original Formula; RUFFIAN Endless Summer Collection – Nail Polish Trio: “Blue Lagoon” – a metallic blue, “Endless Love” – a metallic pink and “Sahara” – a metallic nude; Vasanti Kajal Extreme Intense Eye Pencil in “Electric Navy” (dunno about this one…); and a Stephanie Johnson Mermaid Round Snap Mirror, which is exceedingly cute. I think I will use everything in the box, except the waterproof mascara top coat – I don’t want all my eyelashes to fall out!
I also got 2 free samples in my box: another air repair “Rescue Balm” and eyeko “Skinny Mini” black liquid eyeliner, which I am excited to try out.
With my coupon and another $10 in Birchbox point, I only paid $54…sweet deal!
Click my referral link – https://www.birchbox.com/invite/5453f – I’ll get 50 points if you join!
Saturday Shopping Fun
Another Saturday, another shopping marathon with Lily.
First stop was Ulta. I needed another Zoya “Remove +”, because I finally created my dream nail polish remover system. Last week, I bought another up&up “nail polish remover dip-it”. I emptied it and refilled it with Zoya “Remove +” – this is the absolute best way to remove nail polish. It’s soft and gentle and doesn’t smell like Chernobyl.
I also picked up Ulta “Ultimate Brunette” Shampoo and Conditioner. I exclusively use John Frieda “Brilliant Brunette”, but I wanted to give Ulta’s version a chance – it was $4.99 and BOGO. With my $3.50 off coupon, this purchase put me at Platinum status – $400.89 to be exact. Woo hoo!
After McDonald’s, my Eye Doctor and Rack Room Shoes, we hit Bath & Body Works for my 3rd round at the Semi Annual Sale. Mini Candles were 5/$10, so I picked up “Beach Cabana”, “Pink Petal Tea Cake”, “Fresh Picked Strawberries” and 2 “Red Lava Guava”. I want to exfoliate, so I grabbed a 75% off “Apricot & Honey” Body Scrub. 3 more 50% off Hand Soaps (NOT AntiBac) – “Sea Side Bloom”, “Endless Summer” and “Honolulu Sun”. Last, I let Lily pick another travel body spray – 75% off – she chose “Tokyo Lotus & Apple Blossom”. This week’s coupon was 20% off $25, so I got all this for about $20. I’m running out of room for soap.
I did manage to go to Big Lots after that (Zone Bars!) and NOT buy any nail polish. We did look…nothing tempted us.
Pretty full shopping day and spent under $100…
June Birchbox – Away We Go
I received my Birchbox yesterday, but I had a birthday party to go to, so…good morning post!
“Away We Go” is June’s Birchbox theme – products perfect for a summer getaway. Inside my box: Coastal Scents “Revealed 2 Eye Shadow Palette Set” (4 shades from the 20 shade set – a little birdie told me that this palette is duplicate for Urban Decay “Naked 3”), COOLA “Tinted Matte SPF 30 for Face”, Joie “Folle de Joie” Eau de Parfum (a very mature scent, but better than that stinky Realtree from my Ipsy bag), Perlier Body Cream “Shea Almond” and suki “Exfoliate Foaming Cleanser (I am an exfoliating fiend, so this will definitely get used).
If you would like to try Birchbox, click on my referral link – https://www.birchbox.com/invite/5453f – I’ll get 50 points if you join. I want that Modern Mermaid box!
June Ipsy Bag – Pretty in Paradise
Ipsy came first this month…
June’s theme is “Pretty in Paradise”. This month’s bag is OUTSTANDING. It’s a a pretty Hawaiian pineapple design, made out of windbreaker material and designed by Rebecca Minkoff. (I’d never heard of her before this.)
Inside this month’s bag: Be A Bombshell “Lash Out Mascara”, Marc Anthony “Dream Waves Beach Spray” (At first I thought it was the guy who used to be married to J-Lo, but then Google helped me figure out that it is a Salon chain in Canada. DOH.), NYX Butter Gloss in “Crème Brulee”, OFRA Universal Eyebrow Pencil and Realtree for Her, which is the single most horrifying fragrance that I have ever tried. I accidentally got some on my hand and I couldn’t get the smell off after washing my hands with AntiBacterial Soap three times. It smells exactly how you would imagine a woman dressed in head-to-toe pink camouflage would smell – like a deer in heat. BURN IT WITH FIRE.
The most exciting thing in my bubble mailer, was my Ipsy points reward – NYX “Bronze Smoky Look Kit”. It’s just a little compact with 9 eye shadows and 2 lip glosses, but I love bronzes and browns right now. Retail price is $12, so not bad for free!
If you’d like to try Ipsy – click here. I’ll earn 250 points if you sign up through my link.
Sephora Stop
Since I have known him…and really, since his early 20s, my husband has been a one fragrance man – “Tsar” by Van Cleef & Arpels. It’s a unique scent that you’ve probably never even heard of…but it’s unmistakably him.
Of course, the fragrance was discontinued several years ago and it’s getting harder and harder to find…and what we do find is OLD. How does he replace a unique scent that he’s been wearing for 20+ years?
So for my husband’s birthday back in December, I got him a gift set from Sephora with samples of 10-12 different fragrances, with a certificate for a full size of his favorite one. After trying several of them, we decided on “Uomo” by Ermengildo Zegna. (I know, I’ve never heard of it either.) I visited Sephora back in February (when I went to pick up the Big Girl Makeup) and they no longer carried it. WTF Sephora? I was going to call Sephora Customer Service and bitch about it, but I haven’t quite fully turned into my mother…yet.
In any case, we decided this morning that the runner up was “Bvlgari Man Extreme”. Whereas “Uomo” was somewhat similar to “Tsar”, “Extreme” is very different. It’s woodsy, but citrusy. So after a hectic hour at Build-A-Bear with Lily and Lexie, I stopped by and picked it up…the beginning of a new era?
While I was there, I also picked up a rollerball of Balenciaga “Rosabotanica”. Those who know me well, know I gravitate towards rose scents, much to the dismay of my husband. He thinks it makes me smell like his grandmother. As much as I’ve been put off by the Kristen Stewart “Rosabotanica” campaign, I had to have some. Next time you see me, please sniff me and give my your thoughts…