Search This Blog


Sunday, March 28, 2010

Project 10 Pan

So I decided to join Melissa (loveforathena) in Project 10 Pan, or 5 Pan. The whole idea is to use up the selected number of products in their entirety before purchasing any more beauty prodcuts. So, we originally selected 5 items, but the more I looked around my room I found more products that I could add to this list. In total I have 10 prodcuts that I have started and are almost finished, so I will go ahead and do Project 10 Pan, while Melissa will do Project 5 Pan.

  • Bath & Body Works
  • Brown Sugar & Fig
  • daily high lather scrub
  • 8.4 fl oz.

  • Estee Lauder
  • Perfectly Clean
  • Fresh balancing lotion (toner)
  • normal/combination skin types
  • 13.5 fl oz.

  • Dior Beauty
  • Hydra Action
  • deep hydration radical serum
  • 1.7 fl oz.

  • Viktor & Rolf
  • Flowerbomb
  • hair mist
  • 1 fl oz.
  • Clinique
  • Take the Day Off
  • make-up remover for lids, lashes, & lips
  • 1. fl oz.

  • Estee Lauder
  • Gentle Eye Makeup Remover
  • all skin types
  • 1. fl oz.

  • Victoria's Secret
  • Love Spell
  • Eau de Toilette
  • 1 fl oz.

  • Clean & Clear
  • deep cleaning astringent
  • oil free
  • 8 fl oz.

  • Estee Lauder
  • Idealist
  • pore minimizing skin refinisher
  • 1 fl oz.

  • Estee Lauder
  • Advanced Night Repair Serum
  • 1 fl oz.

Monday, March 22, 2010

Lip Glosses, Sticks, Balms, the WORKS!

Okay Melissa...so here are some of the lip products I have purchased recently:

Calvin Klein Trio:
  1. This one is #303 RADAR--it is a peach/coral color. I have not actually tried this color, so I am not sure what I think of it yet...

2. This one is #210 PRECOCIOUS--it is a SUPER cute bubblegum pink--but pretty sheer, adds a nice shine!


3. This one is #302 DAZZLE--a simple clear gloss with a little bit of bling! So, again just a nice glossy finish to your lips!

  • These glosses are a little thick, so if you do not like that sort of feeling, maybe it is not for you. But, you COULD wear these over lipsticks EASILY...I mean just add a dab to the center of your lower lip to make them look fuller, or all over for that sexy, glossy pout!
  • I would give these glosses a 7.5/10
  • Oh, yeah! The set cost me $7.00

Max Factor:

  • This color is #700 ON CLOUD NINE. (maxilicious glitz line).
  • To describe this color, hmm...kind of like a grayish/gold..almost champagne color!
  • It does add NICE shine, but it makes my lips feel weird. I don't know how to describe it...it doesn't tingle...maybe stiffens my mouth...Oh! I do not like the feel of the glitter in this gloss...too ROUGH!
  • I got this for 50% off so it was probably like $2.50




  • Christian Dior:

Okay, this first product is called: Creme de Rose lip balm. The first picture is of the case!

  • This is the product...as you can see you apply it with your finger.
  • No color--just a sheen look...moisturizes...NICE!
  • $25.00
  • Plus...SPF 10


  • Next, is also by DIOR...this is actually a lipstick from their DIOR ADDICT: HIGH SHINE collection. The color is CATWALK MAUVE...
  • This is the outside packaging:

  • (please excuse the old manicure!)

    And...this is the color itself!




Saturday, March 20, 2010

Fall/Winter 2010 Runway Shows

Bottega Veneta:



Women's runway:



I did not really care too much for the women's runway show. From their outfits, both the designs and the colors, to their hair, down to their walk I thought it was just an okay show. My favorite part of the show came at 3:39 to 4:26 and 5:00 to 5:42. To me those dresses were the best part. The worst for me has got to be those awful pink outfits. It's just too much. This show goes from NO color to TOO much color. I have nothing against color, just the way the colors were paired together. Ooh, the lime green shoes WERE a good touch, for a splash of color.

I am not sure what the thought behind their walks were, or what was trying to be acheived. The walks were sloppy and to quote Melissa, "drunk-like". During my favorite minutes of the show they walked as if they were angry and unhappy to be on the runway (and in those pretty dresses none-the-less!).

Men's Runway show:



I REALLY liked this show. If there were three looks I didn't like I would be surprised. I thought the men were all dressed nicely from their hair, to their clothes, AND the colors of the clothes. Unlike the women, the men's show opened with color, lots and lots of color. The difference between the men's and women's show is the USAGE of the color(s). The men's show had colors that complimented one another. In most looks there are many different colors being used and they meld together beautifully. Also, I think the show had a good flow to it. The men all walked with a confidence, not anger or drunkeness. There was only one walk I did not like and that was when he was flailing his arms about, as if they were completely seperate entity, like his brain had NO control over them.
  • The men definately WON!

Chanel


I really enjoyed this show. I love the runway and the feeling you get from watching them. The icy atmosphere and the "messy-neat" styling of the hair and makeup--almost cavelike appearance. The music adds to this effect. The only looks I did not fully understand are the ones with the barely there, almost underwear-like shorts (look #71 & 72). My favorite looks (#76 & 77). Those two dresses are simply amazing! The monochromatic show, simply wonderful...simply Chanel.



Link of all the looks!
  • The men's looks...NOT a favorite at all. Too much like women's clothes!


Alexander McQueen



This is just a look-book, not a runway show. I am so saddened by McQueen's death. His works are simply beautiful. This collection, is the most cohesive that I have watched thus far. I would love to own each and every one of those outfits. The almost all black show, with the last few looks full of color AND print. The only look I do not care for so much is a coat that has black and gold rose-like designs on it. I love ALL the TWEED! :)


Marc Jacobs

Marc Jacobs Collection

The show opens with Mr. Marc Jacobs, himself, unveiling his models, standing in wait, on a (opened box) platform. The models start walking to just the melody of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow." As the show goes on a "weird" rendition of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" begins to play, which turns into yet another version of the song. At one point the models are stepping in tune with the beat of the music. A nice effect!

My favorite show out of these would be Bottega Veneta's (BV) men show, followed closely by McQueen's lookbook. The BV men show kept me interested. The looks could be worn on a daily basis with a little added something.




Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Escada's Moon Sparkle

Escada releases a new summer fragrance every year, and each perfume is exclusive to the year it was released. Moon Sparkle was released in 2007.


Young, hip, sweet, perfect for summer are a few ways to describe this perfume.
Fragrance Notes:
Top Notes:
  • Red Apple
  • Citruses
  • Black Currant
  • Strawberry

Middle Notes:

  • Rose
  • Sweetpea
  • Freesia
  • Jasmine

Base Notes:

  • Raspberry
  • Musk
  • Amber
  • Sandalwood

Moon Sparkle is a really fruity and light smelling fragrance. Perfect for warmer weather, young girls, or those who cannot tolerate strong perfumes. I really enjoy wearing this scent during the summer and not so much in the colder weather, nor during night hours. This perfume exudes so much "summer-time" feelings with all the sweet fruit notes and the oh, so sweet smelling flowers. Another reason it is not so good for nighttime is that it does not have the greatest lasting power. I would give it a good couple hours before it becomes so subtle you can barely smell it. Such a bummer!

I think teenage girls would really enjoy a fragrance like this and it seems to be age appropriate, but of course women of any age could wear it. It would not be so easy to O'd on this fragrance. I supposed its strength could be compared to that of a body splash (another reason I feel it is appropriate for younger girls).

At first the smell of sweet pea and citruses mix to create a really crisp scent. The dry down is clearly mouth-watering raspberries. Simply delicious.

Sunday, March 14, 2010

Agent Provocateur Maitresse

I never had intentions on buying this perfume. I just happened to be in Bloomingdales one day and they had a table of a few selected perfumes that were 50% off: Waterford, Betsey Johnson, and Agent Provocateur. I figured for 50% off I would take a chance on it. If I liked it, great, if not, oh well, at least the bottle was visually pretty. I honestly wasn't expecting to like this fragrance. At first sniff I thought it was too heavy for my taste, but sometimes things change.

The packaging is so sexy! It is a gold almost egg-like shaped bottle with a red silhouette of a semi-nude woman, almost pinupesque, gorgeous.





The fragrance notes are:



Top:
  • Ylang-Ylang
  • Lotus
  • Violet
Middle:
  • Rose
  • Jasmine
  • Aldehydes
  • Osmanthus
Bottom:
  • Musk
  • Amber
  • Patchouli
  • White suede
  • Iris
At first spray the initial smell can be a little strong, but do not worry, it will relax and become more tame as time goes on. This is definetly a more mature and nighttime smell, as in it exudes sexiness. Before reading any other reviews my first reaction to wearing this perfume is "SEXY." It is THE sexiest smelling perfume I have encountered. With that being said I feel as if this perfume can be a MAJOR confidence booster for anyone. I really enjoy this smell when I need a little winding-down time, so I will quite often spray this in my room before I go to bed. It is a quite long lasting perfume. It does not smell soooo strong as if choking you. The bottoms notes are definetly visible, providing all the sexiness. All the reviews I have read have been by women, but none mention how any man in their life has reacted to this fragrance. I am really curious if men find this sexy, or is this what women think is sexy?

Since this purchase, Bloomingdales no longers carries Agent Provocateur, nor does any department store in my area. There is an Agent Provocateur store located in downtown Chicago, but I almost never go down there. So, on one of my recent trips to Vegas I stopped into The Ceaser's Palace Shoppes and visited their Agent Provocateur store. I purchased another Maitresse product that has flakes of gold in it, so when you spray it it leaves you with a little bit of shimmer.


I also purchased Agent Provocateur's Agent Provocateur (the sales girl's favorite, but not so much mine).



I also purchased the Diamond Dust Edition (the same as the above fragrance, just infused with REAL diamond dust, c'mon ladies! Who doesn't love diamonds!)



Review of the other perfume to come! :)

Thursday, March 11, 2010

Bvlgari's Omnia Crystalline

Bvlgari's Omnia Crystalline is the first flanker to Bvlgari's Omnia and was introduced in 2005 and would not be the last flanker to be introduced.

If you are not a fan of strong fragrances, then this is a good choice for you. It is a light, clean, green smelling fragrance, which will result in LOTS of compliments.

To be honest all of the Omnia fragrances do not smell the same, but are quite similar and can be worn together, which is an added bonus. I will talk about another Omnia fragrance I have in a future blog, which is Omnia Jade. I use both of these fragrances together.

But, back to Crystalline. This is another perfume that is a good standby for me. I first encountered this perfume on a woman in a store. Just like Flowerbomb I remembered this fragrance for quite awhile and knew it was one that I just had to have.

This fragrance is grouped in the Oriental category, which could also be considered a spicy oriental. I look at it as more of a tea scent. Crisp and clean. The notes are:
  • Bamboo
  • Lotus
  • Nashi Pear
  • Tea
  • Balsa wood

There is no wrong time to wear this fragrance. It is light enough for Summer and Spring and is warm and comforting for Winter and Fall. The smell does not "choke" you or overpower. I think it could be a good stress reliever or a confident boost for one. Sometimes I will just smell my wrist when wearing this and it seems to bring an almost calming effect over me. Quite nice.

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Flowerbomb by Viktor & Rolf

Flowerbomb is the first fragrance created by the Dutch duo, Viktor Horsting and Rolf Snoeren, whose fashion house is Viktor & Rolf (located in Amsterdam). This perfume made its appearance in 2005 and since then a few different verisions have appeared (La Vie En Rose, a lighter, summer version and Flowerbomb Extreme, a more concentrated version). La Vie En Rose was not released in the U.S







This is the original version of Flowerbomb. As you can see, the bottle takes the shape of a grenade, adding to the "bomb" of this perfume and its fragrance. This personally, is one of my favorite perfumes. In my opinion this perfume has a great lasting power. I sprayed it on my arm this morning at around 10 a.m. and the scent can still be smelled, just a little lighter and more relaxed. What is great is you do not need to spray it a million times (a little exaggeration). I spray once on my arm and just tap (not rub) my two arms together, and spray once in my hair. Another bonus to this fragrance is that it has an accompanying hair mist, which is alcohol free (so you do not strip your hair) and smells just like the perfume. I cannot stand lotions and other sprays that are supposed to smell like the perfume, notice the SUPPOSED to...

Flowerbomb is considered an ORIENTAL fragrance. Its notes are as follows:

Top:

  • Bergamot
  • Tea (green)

Middle:

  • Freesia
  • Jasmine
  • Orchid
  • Rose
Base:
  • Patchouli
  • Musk
I have received so many compliments from people when I am wearing this. People have had to stop and take a smell, or just ask me what I am wearing. It is very comforting in knowing people do not think you stink. I have only had one person tell me they did not like it, they pick up all the flower notes, whereas everyone else describes it as a sweet smell.

I enjoy wearing this fragrance in the Fall and Winter. To me it smells sweet, but not to the point of Aquolina's, Pink Sugar. It is not a forced or synthetic sweetness. The smell is almost comforting and warm. There is an absolute calmness to it.

I heard about this perfume through a friend, but she warned me it is more on the pricey side! At first I fell in love with the packaging, the cute pink bottle, the pink packaging (the first gift set I ever saw was a three-tiered hat box...almost like a BIG pink 3-tiered cake!), and not the fragrance itself. But then, I needed to decide which perfume I wanted for my birthday, it was between, Gucci's Flora, or Flowerbomb, I chose Flora, for the simple fact it was cheaper (and I did like it too). Needless to say, after that first smell at Nordstrom, I was hooked. I just had to have it. During thier anniversary sale I bought an exclusive set to Nordstrom for this occasion. The set included a bottle of Flowerbomb, a bottle of the hair mist (looove it!), and a small "sample" bottle of both the lotion and shower gel. I believe this set came to a little over $100. To me, the money was worth it.

If you think you may be interested in this perfume, they do offer a refillable purse size spray, I believe the set includes (4) 0.5 oz refill bottles, for $110 at Nordstrom. Or, they sell a refillable 1.7 oz bottle for $115 (I think when you refill the bottle at the store the price is a little cheaper). My bottle is just the regular 1.7 oz bottle, but I think I am going to go back and purchase the refillable bottle, since I do love it so much. It is a good standby perfume.

When in doubt, just Flowerbomb it!



Additional versions I own (which are limited edition, but smell the same):


Flowerbomb Eau de Extreme (2008):





Flowerbomb Pink Sparkle (2009):





Monday, March 8, 2010

The Beginning....

I'm not really sure what to post about, or if i will even continue to post...but for a special someone, i may do some things!