Sixteen92 You Who Swallowed A Falling Star perfume oil - Review

It's been a looooong time since I reviewed any indie perfume oils, and I have a backlog of them. I'm going to start with something from one of my favorite brands - Sixteen92! This was a limited edition scent, but bottles are always floating around on destash lists - hopefully this helps anyone who is undecided on if they want to try it!

Haus of Gloi Fig & Pear Perfume Oil - Review

It's been a while since I've had a new indie perfume! Fig & Pear was apart of Haus of Gloi's Valentine's Day collection this year. This was the only new scent I bought, the rest of my order was all First Blush scented!

Fig & Pear is described as fig with juicy ripe pear. Opening the bottle, the scent is fruity and slightly spicy. The fig note is definitely more prominent, there's a sweetness underneath, but no strong pear note. On the skin, the fig is very prominent, with a slightly peppery scent. As it dries, the fig is still the star of the show - on me, I never got much of a pear scent.

The scent itself hung around on my skin for 4-5 hours, and had a nice throw - nothing too overwhelming. Unfortunately, I had been hoping for more of a pear scent. Overall, I wasn't too much of a fan. I even let this sit for another few weeks to see if the scent would change after resting more, which was not the case.

Pros:

• Decent longevity
• Non overwhelming throw

Cons:

• Not enough pear!

Haus of Gloi Fig and Pear perfume oil (limited edition) - $15 for 5mL

Review - 2.5/5

Sixteen92 Anniversary 2016 Collection - Review

I have been so, so behind on reviewing perfumes. I figured I'd get a start on my backlog with something that was recent - Sixteen92's anniversary collection! I reviewed the collection that was released last year, and I repurchased another set of samples for this year. The collection has two repeat scents from last year - The Tea Party and The Princess Party. I actually bought a full size of The Tea Party last year, since I'm a lover of everything tea related. I'm a big fan of Sixteen92 scents, and I'm excited to review these!

The Tea Party - I'm not going to review this here, since I already did so last year. This year's batch smells exactly like my bottle from last year, which is awesome! Definitely going to keep this as a backup!

The Princess Party - Another repeat. Smells just like last year - orange cake!

The Luau Party - Reminiscent of last year's The Pool Party, the notes for this are white sponge cake soaked in cold coconut milk, topped with rum-infused whipped cream and toasted coconut shavings. From the vial, the scent is all coconut cream. Wet on the skin, the coconut takes a bit of a backseat for a more vanilla leaning note with a hint of rum. As it dries, the scent becomes a little artificial, much to my disappointment. The coconut turns plasticky, sort of like cheap drugstore coconut shampoo. If only the initial notes didn't morph on me! I could seriously huff the vial scent all day long. This scent lasted around 3 hours on me before fading and needing the notorious super huff of the wrist.

Review - 3/5

The Garden Party - I love lemon desserts, so I was super pumped to read the notes for this one - Meyer lemon honey cake soaked in rosewater and jasmine simple syrup, topped with a citrus glaze and candied rose petals. Opening the vial, there's definitely lemon, but more of a chemical cleaner like lemon. On the skin, the lemon opens up more and brings with it a floral note. I don't get much cake out of it, which is a bit of a letdown. As it dries, the scent turns more and more towards a white floral with a bit of an herby background. I was really hoping to get more honey cake from this, so it's a bit of a disappointment for me. This one had a very strong throw and lasted longer than the others, over four hours.

Review 3.5/5

The Cocktail Party - Another new scent! The notes are listed as dark chocolate Devil’s Food cake with caramelized fig compote and whiskey ganache. In the vial, the scent is heavy dark chocolate. On the skin, the dark chocolate melds with cake and comes together as a fantastic chocolate cake note. As it dries, the scent turns to dark chocolate and coffee. The entire scent is super rich, so it's a perfume better suited for colder months. The scent lasted 2.5-3 hours on my skin before starting to noticeably fade.

Review - 4/5

The sample set was $20, and was sent within the advertised 14 day turnaround time. I also got a mini vial of another scent with my order, which is always appreciated! This collection isn't one of my favorites, I liked last year's Anniversary set more (MASQUERADE PARTY!!!) but perfume is such a personal thing, they won't all be winners.

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

May 2016 Favorites!

Another month, another set of favorites! Late, as usual, because I really am the worst.

Urban Decay All Nighter Setting Spray - I picked up the travel size bottle when I went to Texas in April to try and combat the heat and humidity. Now that's also hot and humid at home, I've been using this over De-Slick pretty much daily. My makeup isn't melting off my face halfway through the day (or rather, as soon as I get into my sunbaked car...) so I think this stuff really works! I'm not an all night partier, so I don't know how true the all nighter claim is, but the setting claim certainly is true!

Urban Decay Naked Skin One and Done  - Two months in a row! This sits so light on the skin, making it perfect for summer weather. I've found that it applies best on its own (it has SPF but not enough for sun protection since you aren't loading it on) or over sunscreen that has had 15 minutes to sink into the skin. I've applied this with my fingers and with a beauty blender, and I like the finish for both. I don't always pair this with a primer, since it's supposed to be an all in one product, but I do need a concealer with it for anything needing more coverage.

Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector in Moonstone - Another travel size! To be honest, the regular size is such a massive bottle of highlighter that is seems unnecessary, so I was happy Becca released Moonstone in this smaller size. (I have a full size of Pearl, going strong for over a year...) This liquid highlighter goes on sheer and can be built up to fulfill your disco ball dreams. It sinks into the skin making it look more natural than a powder highlight, and it also doesn't emphasize my skin texture as much. I've worn this with no base products, just a few taps onto the high points of my face for a natural glow.

Givenchy Mister Mat Primer - I liked this when I initially bought it, then I fell out of love, and recently I've picked it up again! I found that the key to using this primer is to really wait at least 15 minutes after my sunscreen has been applied to make sure there's no pilling of product when I apply. That, and doing more patting than rubbing into the face makes this work really well. I definitely notice that my face looks less greasy over the course of the day when I use this. Unfortunately, it's a little expensive for a primer ($38!) so it may have to wait for a sale should I decide to repurchase.

Sixteen92 Lolita EdP - (Full review here!) I'm one of those people who takes too long on their eyeliner or false lashes in the morning, so when it comes time to select a scent, I get overwhelmed. I've been grabbing Lolita lately, because it's so easy to just spritz on as well as being super fruity and summery! I really do love my EdP Lolita over the perfume oil, it lasts so much longer and seems much brighter over the course of the day.

If you haven't noticed, waiting 15 minutes after you apply your sunscreen before applying your makeup is a real game changer! Even something as fast absorbing as the Biore Watery Essence that I use can really benefit from some time to sink in. What have you been loving lately?

Arcana Fille de Joie Perfume Oil - Review

I told myself I didn't need any more perfume oils. Unfortunately, Fille de Joie was released, and when the rave reviews started rolling in, I needed to get on that bandwagon. Thankfully, I was able to snag a bottle from Pretty Indulgent when they restocked. I already started expressing my newfound love in my March favorites, but here is a full review.

Fille de Joie is described as "delicate lavender marshmallows and yellow peaches cured in a vanilla absolute bottle." From the bottle, the first impression is sharp, slightly medicinal, yet somehow sugary lavender. Wet on the skin, the lavender is still at the front, with a backing of deep vanilla. As it dries, the lavender mellows out, letting vanilla and sugar take over. After the oil has fully dried down, the peach note comes forward and the sharp lavender fades fully into the background, mingling with the marshmallow and vanilla. A little goes a long way with this scent, I have a feeling that slathering too much on would be a lavender overload. Which is good, since it's limited edition and I already feel myself rationing it. 

The only drawback to this scent is that the throw fades after about four hours. It still clings to the skin, but I have to actively "look" for it to notice that it's still there. Either way, I have been loving it - it is a wonderful spring scent. 

Pros:

• A wearable lavender!

Cons:

• Limited Edition
• Throw fades after 4 hours

Arcana Fille de Joie Perfume Oil (Limited Edition) - $26.00(CAD) for 5 mL

Review - 4.5/5

Haus of Gloi Valentine's Haul! (it's all First Blush...)

Last year, I did my very first indie perfume review. That scent was Haus of Gloi's First Blush, from their Valentine's collection. As a quick refresher, First Blush has notes of Tahitian vanilla bean, white tea, lavender and peach. In other words, it's lightly fruity and slightly floral perfection. I fell in love with the scent, but I had only ordered a bottle of perfume oil, and a mini sugar scrub. Haus of Gloi has been becoming more and more popular, with more and more releases getting cleaned out. Which is amazing for them, but it makes it harder to get the things you want! This year, I got snowed in on release day, but managed to snag all the goodies I wanted when I finally sat down to order. Here's the damage:

• First Blush Hair Oil
• First Blush Whipped Soap (2x)
• First Blush Sugar Exfoliant (2x)
• Aether Body Emulsion
• First Blush Perfume Oil sample
• Rose Gold Lip Tint
• Chamomile Oak Butterbomb

I HAD wanted a Pink Champagne butterbomb, but I'm happy to have even gotten one at all! I liked the pumpkin one I picked up in the fall release, so hopefully this is just as nice. The whipped soap formula from the Haus is pretty high on my list of favorite whipped soap formulas, so I made sure to stock up. (I did not make the mistake I made with my fall order...where I bought five Pumpkin Queen whipped soaps. No ragrets.) I prefer the Sugar Exfoliant to the Haus Bubbling Scrub, so I made sure to get two of those. I really like the hair oil, and I needed a lighter scent than my wintery Cozy Sweater one. 

Instead of the ever popular Pumpkin Butter, I bought a full size bottle of the Body Emulsion. The emulsion is lighter and sinks in much more quickly than the heavier butter, which I prefer. As an added bonus, the emulsion comes in a squeeze bottle, which (to me) is better than the scoop out tub. Unfortunately, Haus of Gloi only releases their seasonal scents in the Pumpkin Butter formula. To try and get my First Blush lotion fix, I picked up a perfume sample and dumped it into the lotion bottle. To me, it seems like the perfect amount of scent for the amount of lotion, and I've been using it often! I can definitely see myself picking up another bottle or two of the body emulsion to keep myself stocked.

I did notice that this year's First Blush scent is a little different than last year's. It isn't bad in any way, and I still love it, and it could be that my perfume oil has aged a year...but the scent is a tiny bit different. I still recommend it, though! First Blush is a lovely springtime scent, and I'm very glad I loaded up!

January 2016 Favorites

New year, new favorites! I know I've been slacking a bit, but I wanted to get my favorites out as close to on time as possible.

1. Haus of Gloi perfume oil in First Blush - I'm not really one to stick to seasonal scents (I've been wearing pumpkin scents through the holiday season...) but I was so happy to revisit First Blush as Valentine's Day approaches. It may be because Haus of Gloi launched the collection again a couple of weeks ago, and I loaded up on First Blush scented everything. For me, this scent is a perfect springy blend - light peach and soft florals. I'm still working through my first (now wonderfully aged!) bottle, but I will definitely be ordering another when this one is through. (I also have a full review here.)
2. Stila eyeshadow in Kitten - As much as I love bold looks, my go to look is still based around neutrals. Kitten is perfect on the lid - a soft bit of shimmer really brings a "boring" neutral look to life. Stila's single shadow formula is smooth and blendable, it can be foiled for a more intense effect, or blended out for an all over shadow look. Whenever I don't feel like thinking, I reach for this.
3. Chikuhodo P-3 Highlight brush - I picked up this brush in my last Beautylish order, and I absolutely love it. I use it every single day to apply my highlight. The brush is angled so it can be used to apply precise highlight, and then flip the brush to blend it out. The bristles are soft - I had heard about the Passion series being scratchy but I haven't experienced any scratchiness. I've also washed the brush and there's been no dye or bristle loss. I'm really, really happy with this brush!
4. Too Faced Candlelight Glow - Speaking of highlight...I've been reaching for this one a lot. It's more of a soft, glowy highlight than an intense highlight (think Becca pressed powders.) The two sides combined is what I usually use for my highlight. Unfortunately, I got this right before they reformulated, so I can only speak for the old formulation. This blends out nicely, and I find it perfect for an everyday highlight. Not to mention it's a huge amount of product and will probably last forever.
5. Kat von D Metal Crush eyeshadow in Thunderstruck - It took me a while to track down this shadow, as it was sold out online. I got the very last one in my local Sephora, and it had to be dug out a drawer. It's hard to find and for good reason - it's an amazing eyeshadow! Thunderstruck can be used on the lid, on the inner corner, as a highlight - it's amazingly versatile. The shade is neutral enough to be integrated into a work safe neutral look, but can be built up for a bolder effect. The formula applies beautifully and blends out like a dream. The pan is huge, too. A little goes a long way with this, and I'll be reaching for it for quite a while!

I'm happy to have started off the new year with amazing products in my collection. What have you been using and loving lately?

Sixteen92 Merry and Bright Perfume Oil - Review

This scent was a Black Friday exclusive from Sixteen92. Of course, I'm reviewing it late, but the hope is that it will pop up in destashes from time to time.

Merry and Bright has a description of "a plate of freshly-baked frosted sugar cookies set out on Christmas Eve night, dusted with snowy powdered sugar; roasted chestnuts drizzled with caramel; mini marshmallows toasted by the fire; twinkling lights and stuffed stockings." From the vial, the first notes are of caramel and vanilla. The scent is very, very sweet, bordering on sickly. Wet on the skin, the caramel is most prominent. As it dries down, the chestnut note is more noticeable. The scent of cookies and sugar is present in the background after the oil dries. This scent definitely evokes the holiday spirit for me, and I've been wearing it for weeks after Christmas has ended. (I like Christmas...)

Unfortunately, this scent fades on me after three to four hours. On a more positive note, the throw is great - I feel like I'm walking into a house with freshly made cookies every time I wear it. Overall I'm happy with this one. I wish it lasted a bit longer, but sometimes having something this heavy and sweet can be too much after a period of time.

Pros:

• Very sweet
• Christmas cookie-esque
• High sillage

Cons:

• Lasts for only about four hours
• Limited edition :(

Sixteen92 Merry and Bright Perfume Oil (Limited Edition) - $14.00 for 6mL

Review - 3/5

October 2015 Favorites

Could this be more late? Probably. But November hasn't ended yet so it's not toooooo late to put this up!

1. Real Techniques Duo Fiber Face Brush - I love this brush for finishing powders. It has that stipply end, so it doesn't pick up too much product, and deposits it nicely. I use it the most with my Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder, and my Guerlain Meteorites. Unfortunately, this brush came in a limited edition set last year, BUT there's another version in the RT Duo Fiber set!
2. Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation in 51 Vanille Clair - This has been my go to foundation lately when I need a little bit more coverage, but not quite full coverage. I also mix in a pump of Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector in Pearl, which really helps with a natural looking finish. I find that this stuff lasts most of the day on my skin, and applies beautifully with a damp BeautyBlender. Unfortunately, it can be a little bit harder to track down in the US, but can be ordered online from ASOS!
3. Benefit Roller Lash mascara - Okay. I usually will avoid Benefit products like the plague. I find the packaging gimmicky, and the products to be underperforming for the price. I was curious about their new mascara (even though I hated I'm Real...) so I picked up this mini as a 100 point perk from Sephora. I love this! The mascara separates, lengthens, and gives a little bit of volume. I'm going to test the brush with a different formula to see if its just the brush, or if I really need to shell out for the whole deal. It is a little pricy, especially for a mascara. But I really like it so far. Best part, it doesn't flake!
4. Kat von D Studded Kiss lipstick in Cathedral - I don't think I've done a full review on this lipstick, but I've reviewed some other Studded Kiss shades. In general, I'm a fan! This one is a matte "coco rose," and is one of those "my lips but better but also a little darker?" shades that is perfect for fall. This is a great one to pair with a bold eye, since it's neutral but will make you look put together. 
5. Haus of Gloi Pumpkin Queen perfume oil - This is my favorite indie fall scent. My bottle has aged a year, and it is wonderfully complex, better than when I first got it. It isn't an overwhelming pumpkin scent (which I also love!) but the pumpkin is there, mixed with peaches and bright fruit scents, and hay. It's a seasonal scent from Haus of Gloi, so it isn't available at the moment. It seems to be one of their regular autumn scents, so if it sounds like your type of thing, definitely keep an eye out! (I may or may not have ordered like five whipped soaps in this scent. It's that good.)

I've already got this month's favorites settled, so it won't be so late! Let me know what you've been loving lately, I always want to find new things!

Arcana McNaughty Nog Perfume Oil - Review

I hate reviewing products that are no longer available, simply because it isn't cool that I may rave,and there's no chance to even consider picking it up! But I like talking about indie scents, so I'm here anyway with last years Arcana exclusive for the Rhinestone Housewife - McNaughty Nog. I'm pretty sure I ordered the last bottle that was available from the shop last month, and I'm really happy to have it in my collection.

McNaughty Nog is described as eggnog, Arcana's beloved yellow cake note, rum, fresh milk, nutmeg, and a drizzle of toasty caramel. Straight from the vial, the initial scent is warm cinnamon and nutmeg with caramel and cake. It seriously smells like freshly made French toast, and it is soooo good. On the skin, the nutmeg shines with a backing of creamy caramel, and a hint of apple. After drying, that wonderful French toast from before has returned. This perfume doesn't remind me of egg nog, really. It's more warm baked goods and caramel. The lasting power on this was great - I smelled it for over 9 hours throughout the workday. The throw was a bit larger than general wafts from gesticulation, I felt like I was tucked in between two pieces of challah bread drizzled with vanilla and caramel. It isn't the best thing to wear when you're trying to diet, but I'm seriously glad I got this bottle!

Arcana McNaughty Nog perfume oil (limited edition) - $20.00 for 5 mL

Review 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!

Arcana Pumpkins Crave Treats perfume oil - Review

I got into indie scents last fall. Fortunately for me, I've found a ton of great scents in the past year. Unfortunately, I now know about a ton of scents I will never be able to get my hands on due to just being oblivious to the world of indie scents. Arcana's Pumpkins Crave Treats was one such scent. However, it was brought back this fall, and I promptly snapped up a bottle!

As you probably already know, I'm a sucker for pumpkin scents. I also love a good gourmand. Pumpkins Crave Treats seemed right up my alley, and I'm so happy I was able to snag a bottle to try! Pumpkins Crave Treats is described as rum-laced caramel, cane sugar, pumpkin custard, and delicate, vanilla-infused marshmallows. The first whiff from the bottle is sweet caramel and pumpkin. Wet on the skin, the pumpkin is front and center, with a lingering mix of pumpkin pie spices in the background. The pumpkin is definitely a more creamy scent than a spiced pumpkin, think a light pumpkin pie filling. The scent did not morph much upon drying, the creamy dessert pumpkin lingered the entire time. I was able to detect this scent for around 5 hours after applying, before it faded down closer to the skin. The throw is not huge, but not small. You'll definitely smell like a pumpkin dessert to anyone standing nearby.

I'm SO happy I was able to get a bottle of this, it was everything I dreamed of when I first heard about it. Then again, Arcana is rarely a disappointment for me. 

Arcana Pumpkins Crave Treats perfume oil (limited edition) - $18.00 for 5 mL

Review - 5/5

Sixteen92 Spellbound and Last Exit for the Lost perfume oils - Review

I decided that I was not going to purchase the entire fall collection from Sixteen92, and only pick up samples of the scents that really stood out to me. I liked the sound of Spellbound and Last Exit for the Lost the most, and ordered those.The fall collection has a theme of 1980s goth rock, which isn't really up my alley, but themed collections are cool! These two are songs from Siouxie and the Banshees and Fields of the Nephilim.

Spellbound is described as having notes of creamed pumpkin, spiced bourbon & Tahitian vanillas, sticky marshmallow fluff. Opening the vial, the initial notes are cream and vanilla, with a tiny hint of spice. Upon applying to the skin, the pumpkin comes out and mixes with the spice, a hint of pumpkin pie. As it dries, the vanilla becomes more prominent - the fluffy marshmallow can be found here, too. The full impression is that of a pumpkin pie, paired with a chai tea latte - spice and cream. This scent lasted about five hours on me before sinking in close to the skin. The spiciness of the scent permeates the air more than the cream, but it is never overbearing. The throw overall won't fill a room, but doesn't exactly hug close. I love pumpkin scents, and I really enjoyed this one.
Review - 4/5

Last Exit for the Lost is listed with notes of orchard apples, woven wood baskets, dried hay, distant chimney smoke on cool air. From the vial, the first whiff is apples with a woodsy backing. I was drawn to this scent because I love fall apples, and the initial sniff did not disappoint! On the skin, the apple note remains, though the hay and smoke become more apparent. As the oil dries, the smoke overtakes the apple and hay. The smoke remains the main note after the drydown, which was disappointing for me, especially after the initial burst of apples. I got about five hours of wear of this scent before it began to fade. Since I wasn't a big fan of the scent, of course it seemed to be bigger than it probably was, so I would say the throw is moderate.
Review - 2.5/5 (though I wasn't a fan, it did stick around for a while!)

Last Exit probably won't stay in my collection, but I know Sixteen92 has a wonderful apple note to keep an eye out for! Spellbound was the definite winner for me - I can't say no to a good pumpkin scent!

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

September 2015 Favorites

I've been MIA for a while! I'm back to pick up where I left off - I have a ton of stuff to play with and review. Here are the things I found myself reaching for the most in the month of September:

1. Kat von D Shade and Light Eye palette - When this came out, I told myself I didn't need it. I have so many neutral shadows, so many matte shadows, so many matte neutral palettes...but I caved and bought it. Since I picked it up, I've been using it near daily. The shadows are extremely blendable and smooth, and there are shadows for every occasion, whether you want dark or light eyes. I'm really happy I picked this one up!
2. ColourPop Super Shock Shadow in I Heart This - A basic shimmery champagne color, I've been using this on the lid constantly with my KvD palette looks! I like applying this with the finger, and then blending out the edges with a synthetic hair brush.
3. Sixteen92 The Masquerade Party - I have a full review of this Birthday Collection scent from a few months ago. Now that the weather has cooled off, I have been reaching for this pumpkin scent at least two to three times a week. I purchased a full size, and kept my sample as well so I'll be well stocked. I'm all about pumpkin everything during autumn, and this scent fits the bill.
4. Hakuhodo J5522 - This is my new favorite crease brush. My eyes are small, so the shape of this brush is a little bit too big. I find that although it's big, the end is able to deposit color in my crease and blow it out just the right amount. It makes putting transition shades down that much faster, since I'm depositing color and blending out the edges in one fell swoop. Also, it's super soft and fluffy - what's not to love?
5. Tom Ford lipstick in Richard - This shade is a limited edition shade from the Lips and Boys collection - but it is also an exact dupe for another LE shade, Negligee. I've started wearing this more often since the collection is rumored to be making a comeback - I can pick up a backup! This shade is a great My Lips But Better shade on me, perfect to go with more bold eye looks. The formula is also extremely comfortable, another plus. Hopefully the collection is back soon, before I run out of this one!

Arcana Apples Crave Apples perfume oil - Review

Apples Crave Apples came out near the end of the spring/beginning of the summer as an add on to the Peaches Crave and Strawberries Crave collections from Arcana. I missed out on this initially, but was very excited to pick it up from a destash! I had been wanting a fresh apple scent to add to my collection, and this sounded perfect.

Apples Crave Apples has notes of golden apple, green apple, Winesap, Fuji, fresh apple, baked apple, spiced apple, apple cider, and a hint of apple. In the bottle, the first scent is apple cinnamon - think an apple cinnamon candle from AC Moore or Michael's. I had gotten that scent initially when I first received the bottle, and I let it sit for a few weeks hoping the cinnamon scent would deter enough to get more of a fresh apple note. Unfortunately, that never happened. On the skin, I can still only get that apple cinnamon note, I'm going to go with the "spiced apple" from the description. I couldn't think of anything else but cheap apple cinnamon candle the entire time I wore this, it was really disappointing.

The longevity was great on this (of course!) and I could still smell it with no issues at the 8 hour mark. There was a good throw on this too, my car smelled like apple cinnamon candle, and I smelled it all day at my desk, even without moving my arms around. So if you're looking for something with longevity and throw - this is your oil!

I'm disappointed that I didn't get any of the fresh apple notes I was looking for. Hopefully others that picked this up have better luck than i did. Thankfully, I was able to rehome this scent, so it doesn't waste away in my "perfume cellar."

Pros:

• Spiced apple note, can't deny it!
• Long lasting
• Good throw

Cons:

• Couldn't get any other note other than spiced apple
• Smelled like a cheap candle on me

Review - 1/5 (I give credit to the longevity and throw for the one point.)

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

Arcana Strawberries Crave Rhinestones perfume oil - Review

The Arcana Craves collection came out a while ago, so this review is a bit late. I had missed out on the initial sale of this one from the Rhinestone Housewife (it was an exclusive scent), and picked up a bottle in a destash. I'm sure there are a few more floating around out there if you take the time to hunt!

Strawberries Crave Rhinestones sounded super fruity, girly, and right up my alley. The notes listed are sparkle strawberry with pink frosting, white musk, black raspberry, black cherry, pink pepper, and a drop of champagne. From the bottle, the initial scent is thick, sweet syrup. I don't want to say cough syrup, since it doesn't have that medicinal backing, but it's reminiscent of that. Dry on the skin, it smells mostly like cherries and strawberries. I don't get any pepper or fizz of champagne. The fruit is still syrupy, almost too sweet in a way. This lasted a good eight hours and more, even after a shower. The throw was enough so that I could smell it while typing and driving, didn't need to look for the scent.

Review 2.5/5 - I'm torn. It's a bright scent, but I don't know if it's too heavy for a fruit scent for me.

Sixteen92 General Catalogue Perfume Oils - Review

As you may or may not know, I pick up a lot of Sixteen92 collections in the form of samples. So this review focuses on some scents from the general catalogue. I picked up Black Sugar, Mellifera, and Southern Gothic, and Claire (the owner) was kind enough to include two mini samples of Rei and Shadow Show with my order! I've had these in my perfume cellar for a bit, so they've had time to rest. (Also known as: I have too much stuff to review!)

Black Sugar is listed on the Sixteen92 site as "A dark counterpart to Aquolina’s Pink Sugar. Spun brown sugar, red berries, vanilla and tonka bean absolute dance with a sprinkle of dirt, a swirl of cauldron smoke, and a drop of bittersweet cocao absolute." In the vial, the perfume smells exactly like Pink Sugar. If you haven't come across it, it smells like bright pink cotton candy. On the skin, it smells like Pink Sugar. I'm going to be honest, I only smelled Pink Sugar all day. This scent lasted ALL DAY on me! After 9 hours I could still distinctly smell cotton candy on my skin. The throw was very good - I got in the car and smelled cotton candy. It faded after about 5-6 hours, but the scent never left my skin. Personally, Pink Sugar was not a scent for me, and neither is Black Sugar. If any of the "dark" notes had come out to play, maybe. But on me, this was fluffy cotton candy all the way.
Review - 2.5/5

Mellifera has notes of "Wildflower Honey Accord (not vegan), Violet, Jasmine Sambac, Vanilla Infused Sugar, Sandalwood."  From the vial, the scent is rich honey. Claire has a great honey note, it's so realistic. There's some vanilla in the background, but it's mostly honey. Wet on the skin, the honey is there but the floral notes come out to play, as well as a bit more of the vanilla. Dry on the skin, the perfume keeps the strong honey scent. There is a light and sweet floral background - the vanilla sugar mixing with jasmine. I did not detect any violet, which usually goes a little powdery on me, so that was nice. This lasted on the skin for over eight hours, though the throw fell away after around six hours.
Review - 4/5

Rei was included as a free sample, and I decided to give it a shot even though the notes aren't something I'd normally go for. The notes are listed as "Aldehydes, Ozone, Rose Oxide, Bergamot, Yuzu, Gardenia, Labdanum, Vetiver, Fossilized Amber, Opium." Opening the vial, a bright white floral is the first scent. Wet on the skin, the white florals remain, mixed with rose and hint of yuzu. Dry on the skin, the scent is a very sharp white floral. In the back the citrusy scent of yuzu is lingering, but gardenia is the most prominent note here. A tiny dab of bergamot finishes off the scent. The throw was somewhat big, I sat in a cloud of gardenias. But it wasn't too big to be offensive. The scent was still detectable on my skin after eight hours - and not the crazy sniffing my wrist to see if it's still there sort of detectable.
Review - 3/5

Shadow Show is not a scent I would have picked for myself as a perfume. The notes of "Kettle corn, spun sugar, apple, machine oil, rusty metal, dirt," are a far throw away from my usual fruits, tea,  and cake like gourmand scents. But because I am always looking to go out of my comfort zone concerning perfumes, and it was included with my order - here we are. The initial scent upon opening is of apple cider. Wet on the skin, the apple note remains, with a background of dirt and something metallic. As it dries, the initial apple note fades, and leaves behind the dirty metallic scent. I didn't really get any kettle corn out of this at all, which is a little disappointing. Definitely not a scent for me! My partner got a whiff of this and said it smelled earthy and herbal. He wasn't a fan either. I will honestly say I didn't wear it around for the day since I wasn't thrilled with my initial test, but I wore it to bed after trying to wash off the wrist I applied it on and it was still around.
Review - 2/5 (not for me, but it did have those machine like notes and the apple, so credit where credit is due...)

Southern Gothic excited me due to the fruit notes it contained - "Mandarin Orange, Apple, Coconut Pulp, Southern Magnolia, Jasmine Sambac, Balsam, White Sandalwood." From the vial, the scent is light coconut, white florals, and sandalwood. Wet on the skin, the oil is all white floral and sandalwood. After drying, it smells a lot like sunscreen. There's a touch of white florals and coconut in the background, so it's like a tropical sunscreen. So if you're looking for a Coppertone like scent, something to remind you of the beach and summer, this might be it. The throw filled my car after applying it 20 minutes earlier, but quickly faded to hold close to the skin. The scent lasted about 4 hours on me before needing the strained sniff.
Review - 3.5/5

Sunsets and Seas Haul!

Sunsets and Seas is a new bath and body shop from Christine, the mind behind Hello Waffle Cosmetics. The grand opening is on August 28th, but Christine was nice enough to let me put in an order a few weeks early to try out the new items! They arrived with a few days to spare before the shop opening, so I wanted to post up some first impressions.

I picked up the following from the shop:

• Body Lotion (2 oz.) in Vanille
• Dry Body Oils (2 oz.) in Forever Young and Let's Go To The Orchards
• Bubble Bombs in Candied Pears and Raspberry Lemonade

And some extra goodies:

• Half of a Bubble Bomb in La Mer (which I used before taking a picture, oops.)
• Perfume Oil samples in Blush and Lace, Fleurs, For Your Dreams, Haunted Hay Ride, and Vanille

The Body Lotion in Vanille (A rich and deep vanilla. Slightly boozy yet creamy. Sweet but not at all gourmand. Divine.)  has a light sent of vanilla sugar with a hint of coconut. When I sniffed out of the bottle, it smelled just like coconut cream! I really like the lotion formula, it's not very heavy, almost liquidy. It absorbs quickly, and doesn't leave a lotion residue - you know the feeling when you apply a heavy lotion and you know it's there. I don't get that at all with this lotion. The remaining vanilla scent is very light, and lasts for a couple of hours after use.

The Bubble Bomb in La Mer (Rolling Ocean Waves, Musk, Clary Sage, Ozone, and a drop of Salty Seaweed) has a light scent to it before use. I scrubbed my tub out to give this a whirl since we were lucky enough to get a non-humid day, I was going to wait til the weather had cooled down a bit to try one. Unfortunately, it didn't bubble very much, and what bubbles did come up faded pretty quickly. However, the water was turned a very pretty light shade of blue, and had a soft ocean water scent to it.

I was super excited to give the dry body oil in Forever Young (A lovely sweet scent consisting of juicy peaches, ripe coconut, and french vanilla.) a shot, as I have heard great things about body oils. (Of course, I was too late to the game for Haunt, who supposedly made a great one!) I sprayed this on liberally and rubbed it in - the initial scent was fruity coconut, to die for! About a half hour later, the scent had faded to a nice vanilla. The scent is not overpowering at all, but is very light and pleasant. The oil absorbed completely within five minutes, and no greasy feel was left behind. My skin was nicely moisturized - not too heavy, just the way I like it.

Like I said, this post is all about first impressions. I'll probably go back and do a full review of the perfume oils I received, but here's what I'm getting from some quick sniffs of the vials:

• Blush and Lace - Light and feminine, a combination of soft florals ad fruit.
• Fleurs - White florals and a bit of earth. (Not like, dirty earth, though!)
• For Your Dreams - Bright citrus.
• Haunted Hay Ride - Leaves and smoke.
• Vanille - Vanilla bourbon.

I'm really excited about my order, especially the body oils and lotion! I'm looking forward to reviewing the scents I received more in depth as well. I'm a fan of Hello Waffle, and it's great to see Christine branching out into other items - I hope she continues to bring more offerings to Sunsets and Seas! (Whipped soaps and scrubs, fingers crossed!)

Sixteen92 Birthday Collection - Review

To celebrate their first anniversary, Sixteen92 put together a wonderful cake themed collection. I managed to get my hands on one of the coveted sample sets, which sold out lightning fast when first stocked! The Birthday Collection was structured a bit differently than other releases - samples were only available until July 31st, after which full sizes would only be available until August 15th. Lotions in all five scents were also available, but those sold out quickly as well. I normally try to wear scents around three times before reviewing, but in an earnest effort to try and get a review out before full sizes are gone, I've only worn each of these once or so before reviewing.

The Masquerade Party is one of the scents from this collection I was super excited for, and I'm sure you can see why: spiced pumpkin cake filled with toasted pecans and topped with maple buttercream. From the vial, the first sniff is maple syrup and rich buttercream. In the background is a touch of cinnamon and other pumpkin pie spices. Wet on the skin, the maple takes prominence and becomes sweeter. The buttercream is still heavy in the background. As the oil dries, the pumpkin note emerges, mixing with cinnamon and cloves. As the pumpkin starts to eclipse the maple buttercream, the full cake scent manifests. This scent is a very full sweet gourmand, not for those who don't love rich cake scents! Wearing this makes me think of those pumpkin scones that Starbucks has. 

The throw on this is moderate - you won't clear a room but you may be told you smell like autumn. As for wear time, I got more than three hours out of it - I applied after a shower and wore it to bed, but it was gone in the morning.

Review - 4.5/5

The Princess Party is described as orange petit fours with fluffy whipped vanilla cream filling and a caramelized brown butter glaze covered with pink fondant. Upon opening, the scent is just like the Blood Orange & Vanilla lotion from Sixteen92. Orange creamsicle. Wet on the skin, the scent warms up a little, bringing forth the notes of browned butter and fondant. Vanilla cream sits back, but you can sense that it's there. As the oil dries, the orange becomes a little more prominent, but it's not a juicy orange, still leaning more creamy. After drying, the sweet brown butter fades off, leaving just the orange creamsicle notes to remain. Unfortunately for this one, it starts out somewhat layered and complex, but then fizzles out. 

This one has a moderate throw, and since it's a softer citrus scent, it wasn't overpowering. I got about 3.5-4 hours out of this one.

Review - 2.5/5

The Tea Party is another scent I was looking forward to, because, well, I love tea scents! The description for this tea cake concoction is vanilla almond birthday cake topped with Earl Grey buttercream. I was hesitant about this, because Claire (the wizard behind the curtain) had mentioned that this was like Almond Tea Cakes with a very top note of Earl Grey tea. I reviewed the lotion not too long ago, and I was worried that the scent would go all almond extract on me. In the vial, the scent is a light, sugared almonds. A sigh of relief from me. Wet on the skin, the note of sweet almonds remains, but it's graced with the bergamot of Earl Grey tea. The buttercream is in the background, not nearly as strong as The Masquerade Party's note - this cake is much lighter, more sophisticated, meant for high tea, not coffee after dinner. As the oil dries, the almond eases back and the scent is all Earl Grey with a light touch of buttercream. There's a slight hint of vanilla, but black tea with milk is what remains after the drydown. Perfect.

The throw on this scent wasn't terribly impressive, it hugged close to the skin mostly. The wear time was about three and a half hours before it got to the weird sniffing the wrist to see if it hung around stage. I still loved this scent, Earl Grey is one of my favorite teas (don't judge me!) and I love tea scents all around.

Review - 4/5

The Pool Party has some wonderful summer notes to it: fluffy white cake with a pineapple-citrus compote filling sprinkled with toasted coconut. From the vial, the scent is cake and pineapple. The pineapple note is very juicy, like when you cut open a very ripe pineapple. Wet on the skin, the pineapple note remains but is mixed with coconut. The sweetness of the cake is still evident, though, though as the oil dries, the coconut begins to take over the scent. After everything has settled, the end result is basically a piña colada. There's a faint cake scent in the background, but it's mostly tropical drink goodness.

The wear time on this was about two and a half hours, not the longest wear time in the book, but noticeably better than earlier Sixteen92 perfume oils. The throw was moderate, I could catch whiffs when I gesticulated, but I don't think I was knocking anyone out with pineapple outside of my immediate vicinity.

Review - 3/5

The Afterparty has a rich coloring to it, just like the rich cake it is supposed to embody. Chocolate espresso truffle cake with marshmallow filling topped with dark chocolate ganache. The first sniff is rich mocha.  Behind that, there's a distinct marshmallow note, very fluffy. While it's wet on the skin, the perfume holds its rich mocha topped with marshmallow scent. The chocolate here isn't overly sweet, embodying the dark chocolate note that was offered in the description. As it dries, the initial richness wears off, leaving behind a more cake like scent, akin to fresh devil's food cake. In the background the espresso note remains, to complete cake and coffee for dessert.

This didn't have too great of a throw, which is good because its a very rich scent that doesn't have much to give it a 'lift,' so to speak. Unfortunately after about three hours, I couldn't detect it on my skin anymore. This is a bit too rich of a gourmand for me (omg!) Maybe I will revisit it when it is less hot outside and I'll change my mind!

Review - 2.5/5

My personal favorites were the Tea Party and the Masquerade Party, and I ordered full sizes of each! All of the scents did a wonderful job embodying the luscious desserts presented in the description. If you're a fan of gourmands, you'll probably find something to like in this collection!

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

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