Darling Clandestine KelahWhirl perfume oil soild - Review

I've seriously been digging Darling Clandestine's Morderteile Kelah this summer. It was in my June Favorites, and it got a good review when I first mentioned it in my DC haul a few months ago. I also was liking Tilt-A-Whirl a lot, which also did pretty okay in that review (the wear time just sucked.)

Now, I am not creative when it comes to perfumes at all, so it never occurs to me to layer them. When I saw this up in the Darling Clandestine shop, I jumped to order it - it sounded perfect! Also, why the hell didn't I just do that myself!? Like I said - not too creative. Maybe I should think about it. (Also I have a ton of scents I have to wear for review purposes, so there's that.) Of course, it was a limited run so it's gone now, but fear not. I tried layering the scents themselves and you can recreate it at home should you so desire. (You should do it.)

KelahWhirl is described as strawberry jam and amber and cream and spice mingle with bright bursts of orange and passionfruit and sage.  In the tub, the scent is BRIGHT! Very ripe strawberry is the note that is most prominent, backed by orange. Right after applying, the scent is still bright fruits, with a pinch of pink pepper to back it. As the scent settles, the fruits die back just a bit, and the cream comes out and mixes with the pepper to tone it down ever so slightly. The resulting scent is peppy yet somewhat bright with a bit of softness. The throw isn't overwhelming, I can smell it while I sit and type, but it does not fill a room. After about three hours, it is still detectable if you do that huffing your wrist thing I'm sure my coworkers think I am weird for.

The longevity is about 3-4 hours, but with the solid perfume, it is easier to bring around and reapply. I wish the longevity overall was longer, but I still really enjoy the scent. 

Pros:

• Look how cute this packaging and the label has tiny stars I mean come on!
• Solid bitsy is more portable than a perfume vial.
• Throw is not overwhelming.
• Very summery!
• You can easily recreate this by layering the individual scents!

Cons:

• If you apply using the tub, it can scratch a bit.
• Longevity could be better.
• Limited edition

Darling Clandestine KelahWhirl bitsy solid (Limited Edition) - $5.00 for 3 grams

Review - 4/5

Asian Skincare Haul!

Over the past couple of weeks I've been picking up some new skincare items! Some old favorites, and a lot of products that seem really popular that I've been wanting to try out. I've gotten to use most of them, so I can write up a little about those. Usually I will order my Korean goodies from RoseRoseShop, but lately I have been impatient and not wanting to pay a fortune for shipping, so I have just been scouting to see if I can pick them up with Amazon Prime.

1. COSRX Natural BHA Returning A-Sol - This is one product I have yet to use. I hear it will make a good spot treatment, since the level of BHA in it is not high enough to use as a full active on the face. Excited to try it, I need to wait a bit as I am currently starting to incorporate the other COSRX item here into my routine and I don't want to overwhelm my skin!
2. Mizon Snail Recovery Gel Cream - I'm jumping on the snail bandwagon. I heard that this is a "miracle" product, so I had to pick it up. I was originally going to order this from RoseRoseShop, but they were always out! I got it from Amazon, and had a bit of an issue - it was supposed to come Prime, but it wound up not. Either way, I got it for ~$7, so I can't complain. I use this after my regular moisturizer at night, on top of all my other skincare when I feel my skin just needs an extra boost, or needs to be cleaned up a bit. I tend to focus it on problem areas, and in the morning, they definitely do look a lot better!
3. COSRX BHA Blackhead Power Liquid - This is my new acid exfoliator, now that I finished up my box of Dr. Dennis Gross Alpha Beta Peel pads. I've only been using it for about three days or so, so I can't really report anything conclusive. My face seems to be agreeing with it though. I like that the bottle is a pump! I've heard a LOT of good things about this though, so I'm really hoping to get some good results. I have a lot of sebaceous filaments on my nose and chin that need shrinking, as well as some clogged pores on my cheeks.
4. Banila Clean It Zero - I expressed an interest in this a while ago, and Jamie was kind enough to send a depotted sample my way. I loved it! I bought a tub of my own last month and am still loving it. I've moved to a two step cleansing method with this - using the solid cleanser on my face to get makeup and whatever else off my face, rinsing that off with water, and then using my liquid cleanser to finish it all up. This stuff gets basically everything off aside from tubing mascara.
5. Biore UV Aqua Rich Watery Essence Sunscreen - My favorite sunscreen, hands down. There's a ton of stuff I haven't tried, but this always works for me, so why look elsewhere? I recently found a double pack on Amazon (with Prime!) for less than $20, so I immediately ordered it, especially as my last bottle was making the nearly empty fart noises squeezy tubes tend to make near the end of their lives. This sunscreen leaves no white case, sinks in quickly, and has yet to fail me in terms of you know...sunburn. I recommend this to everyone who mentions looking into a new sunscreen.

There you have it, my new Asian skincare goodies! I'm really trying to get my skin to a happy place, and I think it's paying off. I've been looking into Korean skincare lately, which is all about layering products and pH levels and it's really a lot to take in. But it's fun to shop around for new products, and even better when you see results!

Let me know if you'd like to hear more about my skincare routine or habits, or if you've been looking into some new skincare yourself!

Sailor Moon Miracle Romance Make Up Powder - Transformation Brooch

This isn't something I'd normally post, but this makeup item happens to be near and dear to my heart. Bishoujo Senshi Sailormoon is one of my favorite anime/manga/all around things, and when it's combined with makeup and limited edition items...well, I just about lose my shit. For the 20th anniversary (2012), Bandai came out with the intial Miracle Romance compact (using the Crystal Star), with preorders reaching ridiculous heights. I received mine in early 2013, and have cherished it. Luckily, if you missed it, Bandai is re-releasing and you can get your hands on it, now that hype has calmed down. This year, Bandai went back and released the Transformation Brooch, which is now sold out everywhere and being price gouged on Ebay. I preordered this in March, and it arrived just a few days ago after shipping in mid June. 

I don't ever plan on using this face powder, it's a collector's item for me. You'll probably see this pop up along with the Crystal Star and some other gashapon brooches I have in some nail of the day posts - they're really cute! But under the jump we'll have some more photos as I show off my new prized possession!

Darling Clandestine Kendraberry perfume oil - Review

I am always on the lookout for green tea scents. So when I had an opportunity to pick up Darling Clandestine's Kendraberry from a destash (it is normally sold in the winter months) I made sure to pick it up! I'm still fairly new to Darling Clandestine fragrances (a destashed r/Hug of Death was my first foray) so not having to wait for a seasonal catalog change is always ideal for me. Kendraberry has a lot of notes that I love - green tea, fizz, and fruit. I am growing to love the depth of Darling Clandestine fragrances, and this one is no exception. Since Kendraberry isn't available right at this moment, pricing information for my bitsy vial is going with current DC pricing schemes.

I mentioned some of the notes before, but the list for Kendraberry is a bright, effervescent honeysuckle spritzer, tempered with fresh fruits and juniper and green tea and amber and ozone. Opening the vial, the initial sniff is fizz and light berries. It's funny how fizz is a discernible scent. Behind the fizz is a slight hint of tea. Wet on the skin, the scent is a bit more earthy - juniper and ozone combining with the green tea, but falling back into a fizzy background so it isn't totally earthy. There's a slight hint of fruit and flowers as well.

After the oil dries, the juniper comes forward and combines with the fruit. The scent leaves a minty aftertaste (you know, nose and throat and all that - I didn't drink it!) but nothing overwhelming. There's a very light top floral note that keeps the scent light. The throw on this isn't enormous, and it does hug close to the skin, but the scent lasts. I noticed this still sticking around 9 hours and a spin class into my day, and that wasn't with huffing my wrist obsessively.

So far with Darling Clandestine, I've been pretty impressed. I am looking forward to experiencing the rest of the seasonal catalog!

Pros:

• Fruit! Tea! Fizz! 
• Great longevity

Cons:

• Throw isn't huge, hugs close to the skin

Darling Clandestine Kendraberry perfume oil - $5 for 3.7 mL (1 dram "bitsy" vial)

Review - 4.5/5

Sixteen92 Summer Collection - Review

I realize the Sixteen92 Summer Collection came out a while ago. I bought a sample set right off the bat, since so many of the scents sounded promising. It took a while to go through these, and wear them enough times to feel confident in reviewing them. But now that we are ready...let's go!

As a general note, I wanted to state that the wear time for these was MUCH better than perfume oils I have had from here in the past. The shop has recently changed up the carrier oil blend after complaints of short wear time, and that has certainly done the trick! 

Blood and Honey - The notes for this scent are listed as blood orange, wildflower honey (vegan), pale amber, honeysuckle.  I was so excited for this scent after the great letdown of Haus of Gloi Honeybelle. In the vial, the scent is straight up honey. Thick, resinous honey. Wet on the skin, the thick honey note is still there, with a very pale floral note on top. There is a small backing of citrus to it, but nothing that screams blood orange, which is what I was sort of hoping for. After the oil dries, the honey backs off ever so slightly to allow the floral honeysuckle to shine through. I don't really pick up on any in your face amber, thankfully, which I was wary about. Unfortunately, not a big blood orange note came through, which was disappointing. But it is an AMAZING true honey note if you are looking for honey. (Unlike Honeybelle.) This one has a nice, big throw that fades throughout the day but didn't disappear completely.

Review - 4/5

Eternal Return - I'm not going to lie, this was the scent I was least excited about. The notes are peat moss and damp garden soil, tomato leaf, beetroot, grass, herbs, lavender spikes, galbanum, sun-warmed oak bark.  From the vial, the scent is dirt and leaves. I won't lie, it smells like dirt and leaves. Did I mention I wasn't excited? This isn't really my type of scent, but I'm trying to branch out. (Heh.) There's a small amount of lavender to be picked up on as well. Wet on the skin, it's all tomato leaf. After the oil dries, the scent is like a leafy garden, plus the lavender comes back as well. It really isn't my type of scent, but it does live up to the notes promised - those of tomato leaves and grass and dirt. The throw on this wasn't super impressive. 

Review - 2.5/5 (not my cup of tea, but it as a very realistic earthy garden scent!)

Paper Moon - This scent is listed with notes of soft vanilla musk, benzoin, oakmoss, trailing ivy, peach blossom, rose.  Opening the vial, the scent is flowery musk. Gentle, not cheap, which is always a concern. Wet on the skin, the scent is of light rose. After drying, the musk comes back, blending with the rose. The throw faded after about three and a half hours, and was barely clinging to the skin after six. I was a little disappointed with this scent, I was hoping for more vanilla.

Review - 3/5

The Beautiful and the Damned - Here's another scent I was excited for, you can just tell by the notes - sparkling pink grapefruit, strawberry, raspberry and currant with soft violet, gardenia and vanilla absolute.  From the vial, it's all effervescent fruit. Wet on the skin, the mix of berries and grapefruit continued to fizz while joined with soft florals. As it dried, the fizz peaked while the florals came forward, especially the gardenia. The floral notes never got too flowery, the fruit and fizz kept them from getting overwhelming. I didn't pick up on any vanilla, which was a tad disappointing. The scent feels like a champagne garden party, and I for one enjoy it. The throw isn't anything over the top, which I personally find nice when it comes to white floral scents - they can sometimes choke out the air.

Review - 4/5

Theda - Here we go, the big one. The scent I bought the collection for! The notes are tart sangria infused with ripe summer fruits (white peach, nectarine, berries, citrus), dark vanilla, wild vines, rose absolute. In the vial, the scent is peach and nectarine, warm summer fruits. Wet on the skin, its all fruit - the peach and nectarine spilling from the vial, joined with berries and grapefruit and orange. After the oil dries, the fruit settles and a deep green pulls it back and grounds it. There's a sparkle of fizz on top to finish it off. Thankfully, the rose doesn't make itself super present, which could have ruined this scent for me. I also didn't get a giant dose of vanilla. The throw is enough to get a whiff as you walk past, but not enough to clear out a room.

Review - 5/5

My favorite scent from the collection was Theda, which I may pick up a full size of. I had a lot of hope for this collection, but I was a little let down - I think there was too much floral and not enough fruit for me. Blood and Honey stood out with just how amazingly authentic the honey note is, I just wish there had been more citrus with it.

Anyone else pick up the summer collection? Thoughts?

Perfume oils work differently for different people due to skin chemistry. This is my experience with this perfume oil, which may differ for you!

Corvus Cosmetics Mini Haul and Swatches

So a little while back I decided to put in a mini order at Corvus Cosmetics. My first order was great, so why not go back for more? (I may or may not have a third order with stuff from the new collections in the worlds. No ragrets.)

I picked up two shades from the Westerburg collection, based off of the movie Heathers. I was also given a sample shade of Urania, from the Mouseia collection.

Is That Pâté? is described as a "slightly shimmery warmer-toned taupe." Over bare skin, the sparkles do not really blend well into the shadow and are loose. Over primer, the sparkles blend in with the pigments, really creating the shimmer in the description.  

MTV Video Games is a "bright yellow-toned lime green." Over bare skin, the shadow is not as vibrant as in the jar. Over primer, the color is more amplified.  This shade of green definitely leans more yellow for me. There was no big sparkle to it, which was a nice change of pace. 

Urania is a "near-black navy base with a strong blue and turquoise shimmer, with gold and silver sparks." I am not a huge fan of black based shimmery eyeshadows, but this is near black. Over bare skin, it just does not perform that well at all. The dark base is patchy and the sparkles are everywhere and this is why I am not a fan of dark base shadows! Over primer, though, the shadow unites and looks lovely. The sparkles come together to form a beautiful shimmer, and the near black base amplifies the blue. I used this as a liner, and it really brightened up.

Always happy to order from Corvus, and I can't wait to see what comes in the mail from the latest collections!

Chikuhodo x Beautylish Brush Collection

Beautylish recently released their collaboration with Chikuhodo - the Sakura Collection. I was given the opportunity to pre order the five brush set of hand crafted Japanese brushes, and of course I jumped at it. I have been contemplating making my first Chikuhodo purchase, so this was a perfect opportunity for me. This post will be picture heavy, so everything else will be under the jump.

June 2015 Favorites!

Happy July! It's time to go over my favorite products from the past month. It's a lot less colorful than one would expect for June...but the scents are summery!

1. Darling Clandestine perfume oil in Morderteile Kelah - I have a full review of this here, but I really just can't stop putting this on! It's deliciously fruity and just a touch spicy, and has been making my June.
2. Too Faced Milk Chocolate Soleil Bronzer - I will let you in on a secret - this is the only bronzer I own. I'm not a big bronzer person, at all. However, I've been breaking this out to add a touch of glow to my face now that it's summer. It's matte, which is great for adding a bit of warmth and not a load of shimmer. Milk Chocolate is the lightest shade Too Faced offers, and I find that it doesn't look super orange or unnatural on me. Also, it smells like chocolate.
3. Etude House I Need You Mask Sheet in Snail  - Because I live under a rock, I am just getting into snail products now. I love Etude House sheet masks, and I am really liking the snail ones I picked up a century ago and am just now getting around to using. I may or may not have ordered more snail products. Oops. If you can get around putting snail slime on your face (just do it!) these feel really nice on the skin. I'm wearing one as I type this up! I find sheet mask essences to be delightfully cooling on the face during the summer.
4. Sixteen92 Detangling Hair Mist in White Grapefruit & Peach - I picked this up with my mondo Sixteen92 summer order. I am really digging the scent - the peach is the same peach note as I pick up in Lolita! I've been spritzing this on my hair just to get the scent after I shower. It also does a pretty decent job of detangling. I look forward to either reordering this scent or trying another!
5. Make Up For Ever Artist Eyeshadow in M-548 (Pink Gray)  - I have hardcore fallen in love with the MUFE Artist shadows. Pink Gray is my newest obsession, it's a great cool toned crease shade! It blends beautifully, and can be blown out or layered and deepened. I just love it!

I am shocked (haha so shocked I picked these!) that there was no lip product on here - maybe next month!