I recently ordered a decant of Fredric Malle's Carnal Flower from The Perfumed Court on the basis of the review in the book Perfumes: The Guide
I love heady, sexy florals in the summertime, especially if they have a tinge of beach to them, such as a coconut note. I'm not a fan of straight up coconut or pineapple pina colada scents. I want something mysterious and complicated. Carnal Flower fits that bill perfectly.
The perfumer who created it, Domonique Ropion, uses the highest concentration of tuberose available on the market. Other notes include bergamot, melon, ylang ylang, salycilates, jasmine, tuberose absolute, orange blossom absolute, coconut, and white musk. I read somewhere that Juicy Fruit gum was an inspiration to this scent, but don't be fooled - it's not sweet. The opening notes to me are quite green, which then gives way to a beautiful tuberose. The musk shows up in the drydown and makes it deeper and adds complexity. The coconut just throws a small beach note in there. It's not very noticeable - almost an unconscious association.
If you're a fan of white florals that go beyond sweetness, then give this a try. Especially if you like glamourous, complicated fragrances that are beyond the mainstream - Carnal Flower fits the bill perfectly.
My New Fragrance Love: Carnal Flower by Fredric Malle
Product Review: Rub Rub Rub Shower Scrub by Lush
I'm not going to lie: I am addicted to this stuff. In fact, I'm kind of hoarding it. I won't let anyone else in the house use it, and now that I'm getting down to the bottom, I'm a little freaked out because there isn't a Lush store in my town and OMG, what am I going to do?
It smells absolutely divine, slightly citrus-y, a little floral, but not overwhelmingly so. It has sea salt in it, but it's not huge chunks that hurt when you use it. Quite the contrary - you don't even realize that you're using a scrub until you see the effects on your skin afterwards. Don't expect lots of lather, although if you're a Lush fan, you probably don't expect that out of any of their products - and that's a good thing. It's made of natural and/or organic stuff as well as "safe synthetics," if you care about that sort of thing. I personally don't, I just love their products.
Lush says you can use it as a shampoo, "if you're in a hurry," although I haven't. I bet it would get your hair squeaky clean, though.
Grab yours at the Lush online store for $8.95 - $23.95.
Another of my Beauty Secrets for You
Since I'm not being very good about keeping up with my regular features...hey! I have a great excuse. I'm not kidding when I say that in the past seven days, my holiday tree has fallen down twice. The first time it was a funny story. The second time I announced that I was canceling the holidays. I'm that serious about not decorating it again.
However, this isn't about me or my doomed holiday tree which is upright in my living room again but is so pathetic that I can't bring myself to do anything about it. No, this is about some goodness that I have discovered and become a complete fan of. That goodness is called Cover FX.
I don't have the worlds worst skin, but it has it's share of flaws, and perhaps it's just my generation, but I like to have a bit of coverage to my foundation. I don't like it to be cakey and artifical looking, but my ideal foundation gives a certain sense of perfection to my otherwise imperfect face. We're all looking for miracles, yes?
Cover FX is designed for those with skin issues such as eczema, rosacea, and acne, all of which can make your face turn funny colors, plus they can also make it difficult to find products that don't make the situation worse.
I tried two different foundations: the Powder FX Mineral Powder Foundation for oily/combination skin and the Water Based Foundation for normal skin. And once or twice, I used them both together when I needed extra coverage. I did not experience a single breakout while using either of these, and got excellence coverage from both. Best of all, the coverage lasted all day, with no touchups at all.
The line includes the water-based liquid, the mineral powder, a tinted moisturizer, bronzer, primer, setting powder, oil absorbing powder, and a complete line of brushes. I especially like the kabuki brush, which comes with it's own case.
Not to be missed is the lip treatment and tint. I like Merlot and Tawny Port. Anything that conditions my lips and tints them as well is a double bonus for me.
Currently, you can only find Cover FX at Sephora and Nordstrom, two of my favorite stores, and is moderately priced line. I will soon have most, if not all, of the entire line.
Book Review Tuesdays: The Lucky Guide to Mastering Any Style
The premise of The Lucky Guide to Mastering Any Style: How to Wear Iconic Looks and Make Them Your Own
is to take iconic looks and make them your own. Lucky breaks it down into 10 different looks:
- Euro Chic
- California Casual
- Rock and Roll
- Posh Eclectic
- Mod
- American Classic
- Arty Slick
- Bohemian
- Gamine
Each look has pages of "essential pieces" that combined, make up the look. From daywear to accessories, everything is covered. They show you then how to mix the pieces together to give you a look, and give you shopping resources, both brick and mortar stores and online venues. Fit and styling of each iconic look is examined, and two real-life examples are pictured with items directly out of their closets.
All of this is really helpful, and it's fun to see how the looks come together. The main problem here is that most of us are really a combination of two, three, or even four of these styles. Rarely do any of us purchase exclusively out of one of these styles. Fortunately, Lucky has a small section at the end that shows how Lucky staffers mix and match the looks, pulling from two of the styles.
A lot of the resources will be fairly obvious (Ralph Lauren for the American classic look), you will find some great resources to explore. The last section of the book has "Lucky Breaks," which is a listing of stores that are offering discounts to the book's readers, from such companies as Urban Outfitters, Tarte Cosmetics, and Hayden-Harnett.
All in all, I think this is a great resource to have if you're trying to achieve a very specific iconic look, but if you're looking for a resource to help you pick out quality clothing that is flattering to your body type, you might want to skip this one.
The Lucky Guide to Mastering Any Style: How to Wear Iconic Looks and Make Them Your Own
, Amazon.com, $19.80.
Sephora Brand Beach Glow Melted Body Butter
This is a deliciously rich, jasmine scented, gold-flecked body lotion that gives you quite a beach glow after you put it on. Not content with just adding a bit of shimmer, this lotion gives you a bronze tint along with that required shimmer. I love using this after a good application of self-tanner and while wearing a sundress. And it's a very reasonably priced body lotion as well. You can grab this 5 oz. bottle for $16 at your local Sephora.
Infallable, Indeed
I read somewhere that Christina Aguilera reapplied her lip gloss 30 times during dinner recently. Girlfriend obviously wasn't wearing my newest find, L'Oreal's Infallible Never Fail LipGloss. I picked up this little gem recently after hearing about Clinique's Long Last Gloss Wear, wondering how well the whole idea really worked. Now, I haven't tried out Clinique's product yet, but I have been testing L'Oreal's gloss.
First of all, the gloss itself does stay on quite a long time. I'm not getting the promised six hours out of it, but I'm certainly getting four. It lasts through light snacks, coffee, and a small amount of kissing (pull those minds up out of the gutter - children need a kiss or two while you're sending them off to summer camp, don't they?). It will come off, though, so I wouldn't call it a stain, but it's lasting power far surpasses that of any gloss I've ever used before.
The downside of the product is that it's a bit dry, in comparason to other glosses. This is to be expected, however, given the fact that it's supposed to be a long wearing product. It just takes a bit of getting used to. And the wand kind of freaks me out - it's a heart-shaped sponge wand, but it's kind of...I don't know. Floppy? It moves around a lot. I think the heart shape is great for getting the contours of your lips, but a little firmness in the sponge never hurt anyone. It just looks kind of weird and takes some time to learn to manage well.
You can find this gloss at just about every major retailer. I got mine at Target. I'm sure Walgreens, CVS, Rite Aid, and Drugstore.com has it too. Amazon does not currently have it in stock.
Let's Talk About Cargo's Melt-Proof Makeup Collection
Summer in Virginia Beach isn't subtle. It runs in, slaps everyone in the room, settles in your favorite chair, then proceeds to overstay its welcome by about two months. It's not just hot - it's steamy. Humidity is way up there most days, with condensation on windows being a common occurrence. Or maybe that's just my A/C too high. The point is, it's sticky, hot, uncomfortable, and humidity is almost always above 90%.
When Cargo released it's Melt-Proof collection, I was thrilled. My Cargo Bronzer is a go-to, and I use it every single day. The whole idea of a set of makeup that wouldn't slide right off my oily face on a hot and humid day was extremely appealing - it rarely happens. The set includes Bronzer powder, Better-Than-Waterproof Mascara, and a 3-in-1 Eye-Cheek-Lip Palette.
The mascara is very waterproof, and probably excellent for poolside. However, we all know that I like a lot of volume, and this mascara didn't deliver it for me. That being said, I'm sure most people would find that this mascara does an excellent job - it has great coverage, and it's waterproofing abilities can't be denied. I adore the 3-in-1 Eye-Cheek-Lip Palette. The cheek is a cream blush which goes on smoothly with a finger. The eye part was also creamy, and lasted all day, including a walk to the beach, a BBQ, and a few too many mojitos. The lip was also long-lasting, but it was not a stain. Rather, I would consider it a long lasting creamy lipstick. All the colors blend well together and are easily applied. The colors are sheer and are neutral enough to work well with just about any skin tone.
Which brings us to the Bronzer. Ladies, this is some seriously dark powder! I was so used to my Cargo Bronzer in Light that I just didn't think as I reached for my bronzer brush and started applying it all over my face. Needless to say, I was a bit shocked at the end result of my wanton application: I looked like I had the most mismatched foundation in the history of makeup. After further experimentation, I was able to learn to use a light hand, and figured out how to use it sparingly enough that I didn't look like I was dying to be in Miami Beach. I would caution anyone with fair skin to be careful with this powder - it's dark, and goes on a bit heavy. But again, it does what it claims: it stays on for a long, long time through crazy conditions (see above).
Final word? Purchase only after a good testing.
Make Up For Ever Lash Fibers
I'm addicted to mascara. Well, perhaps I should rephrase that: what I'm really addicted to are making my lashes look so big and fat that they could be mistaken for false ones. Although I wear false ones often, I'm always on the lookout for something that will just blow me away when it comes to mascara.
Make Up For Ever's Lash Fibers ($20, only at Sephora) are awesome. I picked this up the other day when I was at Sephora for the grand opening, and just had the chance to play around with it today. I love this stuff. Two coats of this plus two coats of DiorShow, and I am ready to roll. It plumps up my lashes beautifully and I will probably never use mascara without it, I love it so much.
But I have a secret for my budget beauty divas: you can get the exact same thing with L'Oreal's Volume Shocking 2 Step Mascara. Yes, it's true. Just like L'Oreal's product, Lash Fibers is just a base to use underneath any mascara you choose. For about $13.50, you can get both the base and a mascara from the drugstore. If memory serves, it's actually a great mascara, but the comb (versus a brush) is a little awkward to use and requires some practice.
So now you got two reviews in one post! It's your lucky day!
Product Review: Dentaburst Freshening Teeth Cleaner
Do I have to say that having clean teeth and fresh breath is pretty important to me? I go through a lot of gum, mints, and even invest in freshening lip glosses, so I was excited to try out DentaBurst Freshening Teeth Cleaner.
These come in a handy pack of six to a box that fit well into a makeup bag or purse. You open up the foil package and pull out the product. Slip it on your figer and use the bluish-green side to literally rub your teeth. Not only will you remove surface plaque, but the minty fresh flavor will sweeten your breath.
Frankly, I love them. I love the way they make my breath smell great and help remove any yuck that might be leftover from lunch. This is important. No one wants to walk around with lunch or dinner in their teeth. This has replaced my usual gum, and I use about one or two a day.
You can pick up DentaBurst Freshening Teeth Cleaner at Target, CVS, Rite Aid, and Amazon
Boots Botanics Soothing Eye Make Up Remover
I wear a lot of eye makeup. On a regular day, I have the whole works on: primer, eyeshadow, liner, mascara, eyebrow pencil. The mascara may or may not be waterproof - usually in the summer it is. And many of my eyeliners are waterproof as well. This means that it is tricky to find a good eye makeup remover that does it's job well without me having to pull and tug on my delicate skin on my eyelids.
Enter Boots Botanics Soothing Eye Makeup Remover. This little gem was discovered during one of my many trips to the holy land of Target. I had always heard great things in the beauty world about the British brand, but I had never tried it. I figured $5.99 was an easy price to pay to see if this one would work better than the Sephora brand I was currently using.
I was surprised to find out that this product works just as well, if not better than many of the very expensive lines I had tried in the past. It quickly removes all traces of eye makeup with no tugging on my part, and the price is certainly right. I experienced no burning, no problems with it getting in my sensitive eyes, and no problems at all with my contact lenses.
If you're an eye makeup addict like I am, this product should have a permanent spot on your shelf. I can't recommend it enough.
I picked mine up at Target, although I couldn't find it online. You can, however, find it at the Boots US site and CVS.
Bargain of the Week, or Maybe the Year
So I was browsing about in a new shopping center this past week and found a store called Five Below. It's an interesting place, billing itself as the "cool store for teens and beyond." My seven year old was all fired up to go in. While browsing around, I found this Punk Palette by Hard Candy. At first I was kind of, "ew" because I figured that it was extremely old and discontinued. But for a $5 price tag, I figured what the heck. I'd take it home and check it out.
I have quite a few Hard Candy palettes, and I love them all. My absolute favorite is Suede, a gorgeous combo of browns, bronzes, and a vibrant turquoise. I also have Drama Queen and Techno, all of which are fantastic.
This palette has three eyeshadow shades, a blush, a shimmer powder, and two glosses. At first, I didn't know if the three shadows would blend, but they actually blend together quite well and create a subtle look as well as a more "wild" one. And for those of you who need a bit of direction, on the inside cover there are directions for a "mild" or a "wild" look using all the colors in the box. The lip glosses aren't as dramatic as they look - the "wild" one being a nice grape shimmer and the "mild" one an almost transparent bronze. The shimmer might be a little much for the over 30 set for daytime use, but it is a nice highlighter to have on hand. The blush isn't really my cup of tea, but it's a coloring issue, I think. I tend to go for more sheer colors on my cheeks, although it might encourage me to expand my horizons. I definitely don't focus much on blush.
All in all, this is a really great palette for $5. I would even consider it at the full price of $25, probably just for the instructions alone - I think those are super handy. It's really just a fun little thing that I will use every now and again and takes up too much room in my makeup basket. But if you're in Five Below, head to the makeup section (yes, they do have one) and pick it up. You won't be disappointed.
MAC's Tendertones
I know that a person can get MAC Fatigue, what with all the coverage of MAC cosmetics that is out there. While I like MAC, and always stop by the counter to see what their latest offerings are, I don't write about them very often because everyone else covers them extensively and with great skill.
But I recently picked up a little something while browsing the MAC exclusives at Nordstrom (they aren't available yet, but the bright color kits look really fun). It's one of the Tendertones in Sweet & Nice.
I'm not really sure how to describe this product. It's essentially lip gloss in a pot, with a sweet grape-candy smell. While I'm not a huge fan of the smell (I really do not want to run around smelling like candy - I'm not 13), I do really like the gloss itself. It has a nice pigment to it, not overly dark, which is nice considering this no-makeup thing I've had going on while I've been home these past two weeks. It's easily applied with a finger, although you could use a brush if that's your thing - I'm sure the brush would give you a more precise application. But the best part about it is the SPF protection it offers while giving you a nice glossy sheen.
Hurry, though, if you're interested. This is a limited-time only product, and many colors are already sold out online. My local Nordstrom had all of them, though, so it might not be hard to find them locally.
Posietint by Benefit: Now With Free Shipping
This is not a product that I have actually used. However, I'm having a major lemming for it. I was never able to really rock the Benetint, it just didn't seem to work well for me. It was just too tricky for me to deal with, and I ended up looking like I had red stripes on my cheeks. I'm quite sure it was user error, and I just need a bit more practice. In the meantime, the cute pinkness of this product looks like it would be right up my alley, especially for the spring and summer. Here are a few reviews from some beauty bloggers that you should check out, as most of them are quite favorable:
Musings of a Muse: Benefit Posietint Review
Beautyholics Anonymous: Benefit Posietint Review
Reviews on Total Beauty
Free US standard shipping with
Report back and let me know if you like it! As soon as my Sephora opens, I'm all over it.
Other Benefit reviews on Daily Dose of Coffee:
That Gal by Benefit
Some Kinda Gorgeous by Benefit
Product Review: Urban Decay Big Fatty in Indigo
They say when you're old enough to have seen a trend come around more than once, you should skip it. I think that's true for things like jelly shoes, but there wasn't any way I was going to pass up this season's crop of brightly colored mascaras. I remember back in the 80's having all sorts of colored mascaras, even yellow! I've always been pretty creative in my makeup, obviously. But while I still love color, I don't need to be in everyone's face about it, and I don't need to try and look 16, either. That's why I love Urban Decay Big Fatty Colored Mascara
I tried out indigo, which I love. It's a dark purple-y blue that looks fantastic both with blue eyeshadows and plum eyeshadows. It has the same formulation as the regular Big Fatty, which gives nice plump eyelashes without a clumpathon. I like to apply a base coat of my regular mascara (whatever I'm wearing that day, as long as it's black) then the next two coats of my indigo mascara.
It's a lot of fun, a great way to modernize your look, and there is no fear of looking 16. Enjoy it now, though, because this trend won't last any longer than it did back in the 80s - I give it two seasons at the most.
OPI's Sea Ya Later, Sailor
This is a super fun blue - it's light, sparkly, and part of OPI's Retro Fun in the Sun line, which I adore already, and I've only tried one. It's hard to see here, but each of the colors are glittery, but not obnoxiously so. I don't feel like it would be better suited to a 16 year old, just that it's fun without being completely in your face. The color is sheer and light, and I got three compliments on it just today alone. Fun!
FOTD: LORAC Croc Palette
Did I mention that I won a free LORAC Croc Palette
Forgive the photo - it was taken with Photo Booth while sitting at my desk at work.
Here is what I used for this look:
1.Laura Geller Spackle
2.Laura Geller Caulk Pencil: an excellent concealer. Used on problem spots and under my eyes.
3.NARS Oil Free Foundation: applied with foundation brush evenly.
4. MAC Studio Fix Powder: applied with a big brush.
5. Next comes the Croc Palette: the blush is called Soul and is described as a burnished rose. I applied this lightly to the apples of my cheeks.
6. Then I moved on to my standby,Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion
7. Back to the Croc Palette: I brushed the lightest color, Moonstone, all over the lid as a highlight.
8. On the lower eyelid, I used Garnet, which is a nice bronze color. I covered the lower eyelid completely, then moved on to the crease:
9. Using Suede, which is a chocolate in the outer crease and along the lashline.
10. Then I lined my eyes with Rimmel Liquid Eye Liner
11. Then I tried a new mascara (I've got a few reviews in the works for you!),Lorac - Lotsa Lash Mascara. I have only good things to say about this mascara so far, but it was my first day using it.
12. Finally, on the lips, another LORAC product,LORAC Co-Stars
If you're looking for a good solid neutral palette, I would definitely recommend the LORAC palette. The shadows were long wearing, and nicely pigmented. I'm pleased with it, and will certainly be using it often.
Do. Not. Want.
I think it's well known that I adore beachy scents. Make me smell like straight up Coppertone circa 1978, and I'm thrilled. It's weird.
So anytime there is a release of a summer scent, I'm usually all about it. So I was pretty excited to try this one out. The notes are listed as coconut milk, sandalwood, vanilla, vetiver, myrrh, amber, mandarin, bergamot, lemon, orange, tiare flower, jasmine, magnolia, orange blossom and lavender. There isn't a whole lot listed here that I can't get down with, especially with myrrh, amber, jasmine, and tiare flower listed. However, on me, this was straight up sandalwood. Nothing else. Just sandalwood all the way through the dry down. I actually went back to my hotel and washed it off my wrists because it was so very annoying.
However, if you are a sandalwood lover, this is probably right up your alley.
More on Nic's Sticks by OPI
Here is Carpool Mama by Nic's Sticks by OPI, as promised. I definitely like the color - it's more of a true red, which is right up my alley. Working with the brush again was a bit easier, and I think that the more you work with it, the better it is. It's just very different from the typical brush that I'm used to.
I'm not the person to review a polish based on chips, because I am seriously hard on my hands. I use my fingernails for everything, and I can chip even the best polish in less than a day. But based on what I've observed, this polish does a fairly good job staying on, although I think the regular OPI does a much better job.
The best part about the product is definitely it's portability. Fits easily into my small makeup bag in my purse, and it's great for touchups - which happen as often for me as lipstick, usually. You just have to watch how many times you pump your brush, however, as you can easily end up with far too much polish and a huge mess. Other than that, it's easy to use.
Review: That Gal by Benefit
Let me start by saying that I am a huge Benefit cosmetics fan. Even though some of their products are a bit gimmicky, I love them, and continue to buy them over and over. I've never gotten into the colors, but that's because I'm not much of a neutrals girl, and they obviously do neutrals super well. But I need color! Lots of color!
Anyway. That being said, I think I have finally found the one product by Benefit that I just plain don't like. I'm forever looking for a decent foundation primer, and as soon as I figured out that I needed one badly, I turned to Benefit first. I grabbed That Gal because 1) it was Benefit; 2) it has the cityscape of NYC on it, and we all know that I heart NYC and 3) it was supposed to "brighten" my face as well as prime it.
I really don't like the twist up style of the product. If you happen to lose the cap (and please don't - you'll forever regret it), the product will dry out and you will not be able to work the product up out of the packaging. Currently, after 2 months, I am able to get one string of primer out of the package. Bear in mind there are probably 50 holes in the thing. I'm guessing they are all clogged up. I'm not sure. I don't want to pull it open and investigate. But don't lose that cap. Seriously.
But more than that, it just didn't have the brightening effect that I was looking for. I didn't see much of a difference at all. Maybe my face doesn't need brightening, I don't know. But if it did, this wouldn't be the product I'd reach for. I didn't find that it helped extend the life of my foundation, nor did it help achieve that flawless finish that I'm used to.
For $27 an ounce, I need a bit more performance. But don't worry Benefit, I still love you. I love your Eye Bright, EyeCon, Ooh la la lift, and just about everything else that you've ever made.
Chanel Quad Eyeshadow in Bleu Celestes
This compact is everything you would expect from the house of Chanel. Gorgeous shades, incredible pigmentation, long wear, perfect amount of shimmer vs. matte, shades that work perfectly together, and a price that is out of this world expensive. If paying $55 for an eyeshadow quad isn't out of your price range, then this is one that you won't want to pass up. I purchased mine at Nordstrom, but you can find it online (with a video!) on Chanel's website.
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