The other day, I was wandering around Sephora and fell for two Laura Mercier palettes that I now want desperately.
There's the Luxe Portfolio, with a gorgeous combination of eyeshadows, cake liners, and blushes. Then there's the pretty Bonne Mine Cheek Palette, which has 2 blushes, a bronzer, and 2 highlighters. All very pretty and wearable!
Have you tried any of these products or tried either of these palettes? I'd love to know! :)
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This past week or so, I actually managed to come to some conclusions about my makeup and my daily routine! Woo!
Products I Loved: Koh Gen Do Aqua Foundation was a big hit for me this week, and I also am quite excited by Marcelle BB Cream and Laura Mercier Radiance Primer. Rimmel Scandaleyes liners are also a happy success so far!
Product Disappointments: Stila Smudge Stick in Black made my eyes itch too, which has seriously now made me conclude that I have some allergy to an ingredient in waterproof eye pencils or black ones (aside from the Rimmel ones). Groan! At least now that I'm feeling happy about the Rimmel liners, the disappointment of the beautiful and amazing Armani Waterproof Smooth Silk Pencil is not as bad.
Wishlist: My wishlist is always rather large, but this week I've uncovered a deep desire for Le Labo fragrances. I also really want a pale pink Rebecca Minkoff pouch with the words "hard earned, easily spent" printed on it. At $75, it is more reasonable than a Le Labo perfume. Just barely. Oh and Oribe Dry Texturizing Spray, which almost feels too indulgent to be a hair product that I desperately want!
What have you loved, lusted after and shed tears over this week? I'd love to know!
I received this shampoo from Lush in early March, and tried really hard to wait on using it until I finished another shampoo. In the end, I couldn't wait very long, because its unique lemony-cognac scent drew me in!
This shampoo is deep brown in color, and is slightly liquidy in texture It lathers easily and immediately after the first use, I could see how clean and soft my hair was. It has been a few weeks now, and my hair continues to feel soft, clean, and even fluffy! (In a soft, I have volume sort of way.) I was surprised how much I love the scent, which is rich and sweet at the same time. I think this particular shampoo would be perfect for guys too, and I know this is one of my boyfriend's favorite Lush products.
Another thing that will probably sound quite strange is that this shampoo is really easy to wash out. Now this may not be an important quality of shampoo, but for me it is kind of a big deal. Some of you might know that I am not a morning person, and I have this horrible inability to wash my own hair. What this usually means is that some days, I still have shampoo left in my hair after my shower! (Yes, I fail at this lol.) With Lush Cythia Sylvia Stout, however, I've never had this problem. It just seems to wash out, though even if I do have some leftover, it doesn't seem to make weird leftover shampoo clumps in my hair! LOL.
What do you think of Lush Cynthia Sylvia Stout Shampoo? Have you tried this or any other Lush shampoos?
This product was provided for review by Lush. Lush Cynthia Sylvia Stout Shampoo retails for $9.95-$29.95 depending on size and is available at Lush retail stores and LUSH Cosmetics online (affiliate link).
Sometime last spring, I fell in love with Jo Malone English Pear and Freesia and then fell headfirst into a Jo Malone obsession. A few months back, I discovered that Jo Malone had launched Jo Loves recently after leaving her eponymous brand. With a smaller collection of scents, Jo Loves brings some interesting notes to the table. A month or so ago, Jo Loves sent me a few samples and scent cards to get a sniff of their lineup. Exciting!
The two sample sizes I selected were the popular Pomelo and A Shot of Thai Lime Over Mango. Both had a very interesting combination notes, so I was quite excited to try them. I am terrible at describing fragrances, so all I can really provide is an impression and whether or not they work for me! Apologies in advance for my lack of ability to discern scents! :)
Pomelo Top: Pink Pomelo, Rose Heart: Clove, Vetiver Base: Suede, Patchouli
On me, Pomelo is a sweet and spicy concoction that is also a bit woodsy. Pomelo wears quite well - hours and hours, in fact. The scent is quite interesting, but unfortunately something in the depths of this fragrance just doesn't agree with my sensitive nose. The clove or patchouli notes, perhaps, but I can't be sure. On the other hand, my boyfriend likes this one and would even wear it himself. Actually, he's taken this sample off to who knows where!
A Shot of Thai Lime over Mango Top: Mango, Kaffir Lime, Black Pepper Heart: Freesia, Mint Leaves Base: White Thyme Absolute, Vetiver
A Shot of Thai Lime Over Mango is definitely a sweet citrus floral. It reminds me of a shower gel or something that I can't put my finger on! Mango and lime are quite a nice pairing, but yet again, there's something about this that I just don't like on me, though this was milder than Pomelo. Grrrr why do I have to be so weird about scents on myself??
Green Orange & Coriander Top: Bitter Green Orange, Black Pepper Heart: Coriander Seed, Coriander Leaf Base: Green Oakmoss, Tonka Bean
I found Green Orange & Coriander to be a very interesting mix of powdery floral and a light herbal scent. Quite nice, though I typically don't prefer herbal notes in my fragrances.
A Shot of Oud Over Mango Top: Mango, Black Pepper Heart: Freesia Base: Oud Wood Accord
I'm always a bit fearful of "oud" type scents for fear that they are too strong and heady for me. This one, however has strong woodsy notes with a nice layer of sweetness that I find very intriguing. I really want to love this one, but it is another that I don't think will work once I wear it!
Gardenia Top: Italian Bergamot, Gardenia Leaves Heart: Ylang Ylang, Gardenia Blossom, White Narcissus, Sambac Jasmine, Coumarin Base: Heliotrope, Musk
I think this is one of the purest gardenia scents that I've sniffed lately in my limited fragrance experience. It is very light and delicate, and smells like a sweet gardenia. I think that bit of bergamot makes me love this even more!
Orange Tulle Top: Orange Flower, Mandarin Heart: Mint Leaves, Neroli Base: Petitgrain, Musk
I quite like Orange Tulle, but find it hard to describe. It is a light orange blossom scent, not as green to me as Jo Malone Orange Blossom, yet quite sweet and nice. Actually, it almost reminds me of a Lush bath bomb. :) My boyfriend quite likes the scent too, but as you may be able to guess, this one is not particularly masculine.
Mango Nectar Top: Bitter Orange, Pink Grapefruit, Mango Leaf Heart: Mango Nectar, Apricot Blossom Base: Jasmine, Musk
Nectar immediately reminded me of mango nectar juice, which was actually quite exciting to me. My boyfriend immediately thought it smelled like Skittles! Yummy! I quite like the different notes in this fragrance, despite how sweet it is, I would love to see how it develops on the skin.
Pink Vetiver Top: Pink Crushed Peppercorns, Juniper Berries, Cardamom Heart: Cumin, Nutmeg, Ginger, Angelica Base: Vetiver and Amber
My immediate reaction to Pink Vetiver is to the "spicy" notes. I think this scent is also very interesting and merits more exploring. I quite like it, but sadly, I don't think it is me!
My absolute favorite was Gardenia, followed closely by Orange Tulle. I also liked Nectar, though I'm not sure that I could wear it often. Pink Vetiver is also interesting, but I fear I wouldn't like smelling it on me! My boyfriend really enjoyed Pomelo, as mentioned before, and thought that Pink Vetiver was very interesting and really wants me to wear Mango Nectar and smell like Skittles! LOL.
All in all, I was very glad to have experienced this fragrance collection. One of these days, I'll purchase one or a few of these. :) What do you think?? Have you tried Jo Loves??
These samples were provided for review. Jo Loves is available online at www.joloves.com which ships to a number of countries worldwide. If you're in London, be sure to visit the shop!