July 2015 Favorites!

A few days late on this, mostly because I was out of town and also lazy. I'm excited to share my favorites, though!

Darling Clandestine KelahWhirl Bitsy Solid - I have worn this at least 3 times a week since I got it. You can read my full review here. It's getting to the point where I just reach for this because it's perfectly summery and juicy, instead of other scents that I have that I haven't even worn yet! I tossed it in my bag on my latest trip, it was great. Also my bitsy is teeny and pink with stars, I love it!

NYX Micro Brow Pencil in Ash Brown  - I've had this in my favorites in the past, I know. But as I just bought my third one, I feel that it was time to feature it in my favorites again. You can read my full review of it here, but I gotta say, this is my new staple brow product. It's so easy to use, and SO much cheaper than the Brow Wiz. If I want a more defined brow, I do pair this with Anastasia Dipbrow, but I usually use this by itself for natural looking brows.

Kat von D Everlasting Liquid Lipstick in Double Dare - This shade is one of the sixteen! new shades released earlier in July for the Everlasting Liquid Lipstick range. I haven't put up a full review yet, but it's coming! I love this shade, it's a darker pink leaning coral. It's perfect for summer, especially with the liquid formula when you don't want things to melt off of your face. I've worn it a couple of times since I got it about two weeks ago!

Skin79 Lovely Girl BB Cream - So I've had this laying around forever and wasn't really using it since I didn't buy it (Anna sent it my way a while back!) but I started applying it using a damp BeautyBlender and oh my. I LOVE this! The 'target' range for this BB is younger women, aged 17-22, and yes I am past that, but I love the finish! It's a little dewier than natural, but when I set with some powder it looks great. It has been my go to for summer since it's so light, and it doesn't weigh on my skin. It looks greyish at first, but it really doesn't make my skin look off at all.

Chikuhodo Sakura Collection Cheek Brush - Unfortunately, this brush was apart of a LE set and is now sod out. I provided an overview of the set when I received it. I really like all of the brushes, but the cheek brush is the standout of the collection. It is so inexplicably soft, it's like I'm applying highlighter with my pet bunny's tail every morning. It's very soft and is good to diffuse stronger powder products - I use it often with Becca's Rose Gold pressed highlighter.

As always, excited to go through August and see what it brings! What stood out for you in the past month?

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

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

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!

Darling Clandestine Perfume Haul and Review

My first experience with Darling Clandestine was a few months ago, when I managed to score the limited /r/Hug of Death perfume oil in a destash. I really liked it, so I decided to place another order with the summer release, looking to hopefully get a feel for what Darling Clandestine has to offer other than cutely packaged LE scents pandering to places I spend a lot of my time at. I placed my order the first day of the summer release, May 7th, and my order took the full 14 business day turn aroud time and shipped on May 28th (dammit holidays!). I had my goodies in my hands on June 2nd, after USPS decided to drive my package all over the state for no reason whatsoever. I hope my perfumes had a nice time in the truck.

I ordered three perfume oils - two from the summer collection (Morderteile Kelah and Tilt-a-Whirl), and one from the spring collection that was still hanging around (Blue Valentine). I picked up two in small "bitsy" sizes, and one full size (as it wasn't offered as a bitsy). Darling Clandestine offers both traditional perfume oil in liquid form, and solid perfumes. I ordered all three of mine in regular liquid form, but was pleasantly surprised to see a bitsy of a solid perfume included with my order in Electricity So Fine from the summer collection.

Let's talk about the scents!

Morderteile Kelah is described with "notes of amber, hyacinth, milk and strawberry jam. Spicy and sweet." I normally avoid scents with amber, since amber tends to go all old lady on me Opening the bottle, the scent is subtly spicy, with a touch of strawberry. Wet on the skin, the spice is still there, like a touch of pink pepper. There is a light floral note mixing with the fruit of the strawberry as well. As the oil dries, the fruity strawberry intensifies, along with the spice of the pink pepper from earlier, all mixing with the light floral hyacinth note. There's also something slightly creamy about the final drydown of the scent as well. The wear time is okay, about 3 hours or so before fading. Throw was moderate, nothing that will overpower a room. This sort of reminded me of /r/Hug of Death, mostly because of the fruity notes.
Review - 4/5

Tilt-a-Whirl is listed as "bright summer citrus and passionfruit mellowed with sage and other wonders. Juicy and fruity but not too sweet, candy for grownups." From the vial, the scent is summery and happy, bright, sweet, and fruity. Wet on the skin, the scent is still fruity, with a subtle earthy spice grounding the scent. As it dries, the scent expands to include a pepper note, and the sage becomes detectable, all while keeping the sweet fruit from the initial sniff. This scent hugged close to the skin on me, and lasted for about two hours. I liked the scent, but I was disappointed in the longevity.
Review - 3/5

Blue Valentine is from the spring collection, and I snagged it in bitsy form. "A moody bouquet of hyacinth and violet and poppies and figs, washed down with shots of real whiskey and bitters and delicate musks and mint." Opening the bottle, the scent is all violets and mint. Wet on the skin, the whiskey and bitters surfaces, mingling with musk and mint and violet. When I smell it, I can feel the mint on the back of my throat. As it dries, the scent stays minty but becomes a bit more fruity. This scent had a bit more throw, than the others in this post. As it faded, it stayed as a bit of mint that hugged closed to the skin. I could still smell this on my wrist after about four hours.
Review - 4/5

Electricity So Fine was my bonus solid bitsy that was included in my order. From the summer collection, it is "a night-black canvas of artemisia absinthum and mosses and blackest tea and port wine, splashed with an electric sizzle of sparkling violets." In the tub, the scent is floral - thick perfumed floral, imagine heavy tropical blooms. Right after applying onto the skin, the scent is floral and a bit powdery, like baby powder. It smells like the violet of my Guerlain Meteorites. As the solid perfume sinks into the skin, the scent becomes a little more green. The throw is okay, but this stays mostly close to the skin. I'm not sure if this scent is for me, but it was cool that I got to try the solid formula!
Review - 3/5

Now that the summer stock is gone, I need to think about possibly getting stuff from the Darling Clandestine general catalog to try. The solid formula is really interesting, and I'm curious to know if the solid lasts longer than the traditional oil.

Review - Darling Clandestine /r/Hug of Death perfume oil

I initially missed out on snagging /r/Hug of Death, but I was able to pick it up in a destash sale! I'm happy to review it for those who may be lucky like me to find it in a destash sale and may want to pick it up. This is my first Darling Clandestine scent, and I'm excited about it!

Darling Clandestine /r/Hug of Death perfume oil

/r/Hug of Death has notes of "intense black tea infused with a trio of fruits—strawberries, blackberries and sweet red apples—grounded with vetiver and ginger and tonka bean." When opening the bottle, I am greeted with sweet, sweet fruits. Just fruits! I love sweet fruits, so I'm very happy that this is true to the description. When applied, the dried down scent has the fruity intensity of the initial sniff still there, but it slowly peels back to reveal the ginger and vetiver. As time wore on, the black tea came out to nicely balance the sweetness. The throw on the scent was nice - not too much, but I didn't need to keep sniffing wrist directly to see if it was still there.

I wanted to point out how gorgeous the bottle for this perfume is! I normally don't care what my perfume oils come in, what is inside is what counts, but look how cute this is! The label even has Snoo's little antenna. Displaying this is going to be a real treat.

I loved the concept of this perfume oil as well - something dedicated to the indie buyers of reddit. On release days, or just when something is linked on reddit, the influx of traffic has a tendency to overload servers, being nicknamed the "hug of death." I thought it was a really cute name.

Pros:

• Sweet fruit notes
• Fruit notes weren't too sugary/artificial smelling
• Nicely balanced by grounding notes

Cons:

• Did fade throughout the day

Darling Clandestine /r/Hug of Death perfume oil (Limited Edition) - 0.5 oz
Review - 4.5/5
Perfume oils work differently for different people due to skin chemistry. This is my experience with this perfume oil, which may differ for you!