Bath and Body Works Fall 2012 Slatkin Candle Haul and Storage

Candle Storage

When Bath and Body Works recently had their 2 for 20 candle deal, I went a little bit nuts.  I bought five 3-wick candles.  My justification for this was that they were only $7 each with a coupon - and they smell so delicious!  Now I regret not buying more.  Next time, I have my eye on Pumpkin Cupcake, Cranberry Woods, Cider Lane, and Salty Caramel.  During my most recent haul, I purchased:  Frosted Cupcake, Leaves, French Baguette, Cafe Au Lait and Cinnamon Sugared Donuts.

My favorite fall scent from BBW is their signature scent, Leaves (it doesn't really smell like leaves).  So amazing!  For me, it captures the scent of the season.  Leaves is described as, "a rich blend of golden nectar, red apples and berries."  It's a little bit spicy, which I love.  I smell apples and spices.

Right now I am burning Cafe Au Lait which smells yummy.  It doesn't smell like coffee, which is what I thought it would smell like.  It smells more like a cafe/bakery with some chocolaty notes...almost like tiramisu. Throw is great and wicks haven't had any problems. 

I'm also burning Coconut Water since it's still very warm in California and thus, season appropriate for me.  It's a mild creamy coconut scent with a light throw.  The wicks on this candle suck.  I do have to mess with it a bit to keep it burning evenly. 

I store my candles and fragrance oils in a buffet in the small dining area of my apartment.  They are kept in a cool dark place.  These new ones won't be kept in storage for long!  I can't wait to burn them.

OOTD: 9/9/2012 Lunch with Friends

Outfit of the Day:  Sat, Sept 9

I wore this outfit to grab lunch with friends at a local Indian restaurant down the street from my apartment.  I forgot I owned that skirt!  I'm trying not to buy any new clothes for a while so I have been rummaging through my overflowing closet to find items I've neglected.

Tank:  J Crew

Skirt:  Free People "Cantina" Wrap Skirt

Sandals:  Dolce Vita

Bracelets:  Kenneth Jay Lane and unknown brand

Top 5 Scents/Fragrances

L to R:  Iris Noble, Child, Creme Bouquet, Monyette Paris and La Chasse Aux Papillons

I love perfume but I often forget to wear it.  In high school I wore Elizabeth Arden Sunflowers or Estee Lauder Beautiful.  My taste has changed and over the years I have collected a few fragrances.  These are my top five picks in no particular order:

1.  Acqua di Parma Iris Noble [packaging has been revamped] - Sephora.com claims that "Iris Nobile strikes the perfect balance between the elegance of a classic floral bouquet and modern, refined notes like Mandarin from Sicily, cedar flower, vanilla from Madagascar, and ambrette crystals."  A nice light citrus-y Spring/Summer scent.
2. Child - I have been wearing this for about a decade and it's probably my signature scent.  Beautyhabit.com describes this scent as having the following top notes: vanilla, lilac, and faint magnolia.  Heart notes are jasmine, tuberose and violet with base notes of creme musk, rose, and mimosa.
3. Stila Creme Bouquet [packaging has been revamped but this old bottle is cuter!] - Stila.com claims this scent "sparkles in notes of sweet vanilla entwined with rare lily of the valley and sensual pink lilac essences."  This smells soft and powdery sweet.
4. Monyette Paris [packaging has been revamped] - Luckyscent.com describes this perfume as "creamy and luscious, this bewitching scent combines voluptuous gardenia and island vanilla orchid, a sweet earthy vanilla." A creamy floral that smells divine. 
5. L'Artisan Parfumeur - La Chasse Aux Papillons - I have also been wearing this scent for years.  A lovely feminine Spring/Summer floral scent.  According to Luckysent.com, these are the top notes:  linden blossom, lemon tree blossom, orange blossom, jasmine, and tuberose.   
6. Honorable mention [not pictured]:  A good friend gave me a limited edition Jo Malone Gift Set with 6 fragrances to wear alone or layered.  My favorite from the set is Orange Blossom.  I also love Pomegranate Noir.

What are your top 5 scents?  

CVS Drugstore/Pharmacy Haul

CVS Drugstore Cosmetics Haul

I went to CVS Pharmacy last week and they were having a sale so I picked up a few things.  I will provide the links below.  Looks like they are having another sale on-line too:

1. Essence of Beauty Swabs - bought these for fixing eye makeup messes, so much more precise than regular Qtips
2. Milani Nail Polish in Pink Flare - dupe of OPI's Teenage Dream which has been discontinued
3. EOS Strawberry Sorbet Lip Balm [similar here] - been wanting this for a while
4. Maybelline Volume Express One-On-One Mascara in Very Black - recommended by a beauty guru so I thought I'd give it a try.  I love a good mascara!
5. Maybelline Color Tattoo 24hr Cream Eyeshadow in Bad to the Bronze - wanted to see how this compares to MAC's Paint Pots
6. Tresemme Thermal Creations Heat Tamer - I flat iron my fluffy hair almost everyday.  Right now I'm using Redken's Iron Silk Heat Spray and I like it but there's a lot of alcohol in it.

On a side note, I never used to pay much attention to drugstore cosmetics (although I do buy a lot of skincare from the drugstore).  However, lately I've been finding some real gems!  Like Revlon's Colorstay Whipped Foundation, but more on that later.

Disclaimer:  I am not affiliated with any of these companies.

Lipgloss Collection in Muji Storage

I used to be obsessed with lipgloss.  I had more lipgloss tubes than I could count and I carried no less than 5 of them in my purse at a time.  I have since mellowed out a little bit because I noticed all of my lipglosses were the same shimmery nude shade.  Right now, this is what my lipgloss collection looks like:

My lipgloss collection in Muji acrylic storage

 Products left to right:

1. MAC Pro Longwear Luscious/Mirror
2. MAC Pro Longwear Boss Brown/Mirror
3. Candy Doll in Peach Orange
4. Candy Doll in Strawberry Milk
5. Nars Turkish Delight
6. Guerlain Beige Caprice 845 [color discontinued]
7. Korres Nude 33 [shade may have been renamed]
8. Korres Beige 30 [shade may have been renamed]
9. Boots Botanics in Mallow
10. Laura Mercier Mini in Sparkling [link is for full-sized versions, mini came in a set]
11. MAC Liplustre Love Nectar
12. Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balms in Crush, Smitten and Honey
13. Small glosses at top:  extra MAC Pro Longwear gloss in Mirror and 2 Laura Mercier mini-glosses in Baby Doll and Rose

Makeup Storage Unit:  Muji

Disclaimer:  I am not affiliated with any of these brands.

Review: Bath and Body Works True Blue Spa 60-Second Manicure Hand Scrub

Available for $12 at Bath and Body Works (BBW)

This was a gift from my mom.  She likes beauty products almost as much as I do so when she goes shopping, she sometimes buys me thoughtful little gifts.  I was excited to see this scrub because I had my eye on something similar called One Minute Manicure.

Bath and Body Works Hand Scrub

The sugar and oil scrub is a bit messy.  It was leaking when I received it so the oils had gotten all over other things.  I was a little afraid it would leave a greasy residue on my hands as well.  But it didn't!  To use it, I basically scooped up a generous amount with my hand and scrubbed both hands for 60 seconds.  The sugar grains are exfoliating and the oils feel moisturizing.  The scent is fruity and sweet.  I was surprised that the product rinses off really well!  While my hands do feel exfoliated, they weren't particularly moisturized.  I felt the need to use lotion afterwards.  

Overall, I do like the product.  It's an easy way to exfoliate my dry hands.  You can purchase this for $12 at bathandbodyworks.com. 

Lush Mini-Haul: Smitten, Gumback Express and The Strokes

Retro Lush!  Please excuse the messy lids.  Looks like some of the products leaked during shipment.

I recently placed an on-line order for three Retro Lush items: 

1. Smitten - a handcream scented like their famous Snowcake soap.  The handcream itself is great - rich and moisturizing.  But the scent was not what I expected.  I don't know what Snowcake smells like so I had to go based on the description on the website (almond icing).  I was expecting something rich and decadent, sort of like Laura Mercier's Almond Coconut.  This scent is very light and almost artifical smelling.  It smells nice enough but it's not my fave.
2. Gumback Express - a banana-nut shower smoothie.  I know some people hate bananas but I like the scent!  If this smells like banana cream pie, then I'll be happy.  I haven't used it yet so I am storing it in my fridge.  I am finishing up a tub of Creamed Almond Coconut.
3. The Strokes - a rich hair treatment for frizzy hair.  I have poofy hair and I will try anything that claims to make it look sleek and tamed.  This conditioner has really high ratings so I wanted to try it.  The only thing is that the description of the scent scares me.  It's supposed to smell like beer...which I don't really want to smell like.  So we'll see.  This is also being stored in my fridge for a later date.

You can buy all the products I mentioned on the Lush website:  www.lushusa.com

Disclaimer:  I am not affiliated with Lush.