Saturday, November 26, 2011

Scented Saturday: Scented Candle Mini-Haul

     Good evening, readers!  I hope your Thanksgivings as well as Black Fridays have been eventful and joyous!  Today's post will involve pictures and scent descriptions of two untouched scented candles that I have purchased.  Also, you won't be disappointed by my new blog scheme, coming soon.  Now to save space, I am going to delve right into the candles!
     The first candle is Marshmallow Peppermint by Slatkin & Co., a division of Bath and Body Works devoted to home fragrance (scented candles, wallflowers, room sprays, oils, etc.).  It is in the 14.5oz size, burns for 45-60 hours, has red glitter on the label, and matte red wax with three thick white wicks.  In addition, it is a circular shape with a 4" diameter and 3.5" height.

     I apologize for the uneven borders as I am just now experimenting with photo editing software.  Moving on, when I smell this candle solid (not burning), I detect strong notes of peppermint and sweet marshmallows immediately, then I smell the faint fragrance of warm vanilla.  For me, it is the perfect holiday blend and I can't wait to burn it!  Here is the company's official description of the aroma: This delicious blend of sweet peppermint, fluffy marshmallow cream and rich vanilla cupcake is sure to delight one and all this season.  The wax actually falls in toward the center, which is inverted.  I have a feeling this will correct over time, and is not an issue.










     Next up is my first Diamond Candle in the scent Cozy Cabin.  As a matter of fact, the "IT Factor" for this company is actually behind its name!  Every single candle contains a ring valued at $10, $100, $1,000, or $5,000!  Now those of us who are familiar with marketing strategies understand that most of them will be valued at $10, but being able to wear a ring from one's candle is a fantastic bonus to the purchase!  This candle is 21 oz, burns 125-60 hours, has a cutesy animated picture of a lit cabin on the label, and has even, matte warm cinnamon-colored wax.  

     When I take a whiff of this sucker, I smell wood, a burning fireplace, sugar, spices, and warmth overall.  It is astonishingly different, and has that quality where you are pulled to it, and can't stop smelling it!  Here is the certified description of the fragrance: You are going to love this one. This earthy and warm cedarwood vanilla infused scent will bring up images of that log cabin that you went to on vacation or those Lincoln Logs® with which you grew up playing. This is a perfect scent that will keep things fresh and warm all winter long. Neither paid mountainous vacation or Lincoln Logs® set included. They have a nice sense of humor, I will enjoy this one for sure!  To the left and below I have images of the golden packet containing the ring, the wick, and the wax.  The candle has instructions regarding the removal of the ring.  Next, I would like to talk about the wick.  It is quite odd, about half an inch long, very thick, and has visible cloth fibers weaved together loosely,  I plan on trimming the wick before I burn this.  Finally, the wax is even but has interesting, faint rings that remind me of a log. LOL, what a coincidence :-).






































     *Takes deep breath*  Finally, you have seen my two scented candles!  I will be burning Marshmallow Peppermint first, then Cozy Cabin.  Hopefully you enjoyed this mini-haul/overview.  
     Comment below telling me if you have any scented candles or if you recommend any brands!  I would love to hear your feedback as well!

     

Review Friday: Bath and Body Works Liplicious Sheer in Dark Kiss

     Happy Black Friday!  Today I am going to be reviewing BBW's (Bath and Body Works) Liplicious Sheer Lip Gloss in Dark Kiss, which I received as part of a Dark Kiss set.  


     In the tube, it is a warm medium purple shade with red and lavender sparkles.  



     However, since this product is classified as sheer, the swatch appears just that, a berry-toned color with purple and red glitter.  




















     I attempted to catch the glitter in a blurred shot of the lip gloss.




     




























     To conclude our picture marathon, here are swatches of my lips before and after application.

     As you can see, the gloss ever so slightly darkens my lips with a berry flush, but unfortunately, the glitter doesn't translate to my lips whatsoever.  It is disappointing because the glitter is so pretty!  






     The ingredients of this .47 fl oz/ 14 mL product are: Polybutene, Hydrogenated Polyisobutene, Mineral Oil (Paraffinum Liquidum, Huile Minérale), Silica Silylate, Polyethylene, Polygylyceryl-3 Diisostearate, Flavor (Aroma), Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Tocopheryl Acetate, Petrolatum, Ethylene/Proplyene/Styrene Copolymer, Pentaerythrityl Tetra-di-t-butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate, Butylene/Ethylene/Styrene Copolymer, Calcium Sodium Borosilicate, Sodium Saccharin, Tin Oxide, Silica, Benzyl Alcohol, Benzyl Benzoate, Linalool, Red 33 Lake (Cl 17200), Titanium Dioxide (Cl 77891), Iron Oxides (Cl 77499), Red 7 Lake (Cl 15850), and Blue 1 Lake (Cl 42090)
     In addition, this product is not tested on animals.  Overall, the application is smooth and even, but thick.  It has a strong berry smoothie scent that leans toward the artificial side, but is not overwhelming.  On me, it lasted around 3 hours, providing a noticeable shine and fading away to moisturization.  Within this time period, I was sitting watching TV and couldn't resist kissing my cat a few times.  ;-)
     Although this specific lip gloss is no longer available at Bath and Body Works, it is sold on a variety of reputable websites such as Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/Liplicious-Tasty-Bath-Body-Works/dp/B004AOFLBA) and eBay (http://www.ebay.com/itm/X3-Bath-Body-Works-Liplicious-DARK-KISS-Lip-Gloss-HTF-/110780287462?_trksid=p4340.m185&_trkparms=algo%3DSIC.NPJS%26its%3DI%26itu%3DUA%26otn%3D5%26pmod%3D230673859332%26ps%3D63%26clkid%3D4453943712451101280#ht_591wt_768).
     To sum it up, I give this product a 7/10 because although berry smoothie is not my favorite flavor, it lasted for a reasonable amount of time, gave my lips a dewy touch, and a subtle hint of color (without sparkle).  I would not repurchase this product because there is nothing extraordinary about it and the flavor would have gotten to me by then.
     Please provide feedback on the structure of my review; it was loosely modeled after those of Swatch and Learn, a blog I highly admire.  I am receiving my Diamond Candle in the mail tomorrow, get excited for a mini overview of two very special scented candles tomorrow!
     As always, never forget to leave feedback in the check boxes and comment!  Have a nice Black Friday!

Thursday, November 24, 2011

What's She Wearing? Wednesday: Purple For Prostate Collage

     Happy Thanksgiving Eve! Haha :-) Unfortunately, stress and lack of sleep got to me yesterday and that will happen occasionally so sometimes days will be missed; I will attempt to keep it at 3-5 days off a month but hopefully it won't get to that much.
  Regardless, today on my campus we had a Wear Purple Day in honor of prostate canccer as well as to kick off Relay For Life, an organization that supports cancer and raises money for research for the cure.

     In honor of this day, I compiled a wearable outfit with affordable items from various clothing retailers!  Individually, they are affordable options, but together they add up, so please comment below if you are interested in purchasing any of these pieces so I can post the product names and prices.
     Alright, so the top is a pleasing way to incorporate purple as the diagonal stripes bring in a focal point while keeping the color wearable.  Then, the blazer as well as the pants add structure and balance to the outfit; a foundation for the accessories.  Finally the accents of purple within the suede pumps and silver clutch pulled the outfit together.
     Hope you liked it!  Taking Thursday off for Thanksgiving, have a nice one!  I wish you all the best lives you possibly can have and hope you stuff yourselves until you are satisfied! ;-) Comment below! 

Monday, November 21, 2011

Miscellaneous Monday: NOTD and Back to Bloggin' + New Schedule


Before I even begin, let me just apologize profusely for being MIA for months!  I had a really nice flow going on for a couple of days, but then my blog went into that mental pit of neglected commitments. :(
     As a result, I decided to completely revamp my blog into a beauty and fashion-based website updated daily!  Excluding today, here is what you can expect from each day of the week, as well as a new theme and background coming by the end of this week:

Makeup Mondays:  FOTD's (Face Of The Days), Tutorials, Makeup Hauls, Makeup Reviews, etc.
Lip Talk Tuesdays:  Spotlight on a lip product, lip product collection, lip product swatches, etc.
What is She Wearing? Wednesdays: OOTD's (Outfit Of The Days), Trend Collages, Styling Tips, etc.
Project Pan Thursdays:  Weekly update on my ongoing Project Pan, PP tips, etc.
Review Fridays: Reviews on products, can range from cosmetics to home decor
Scented Saturdays:  Spotlights on scented products (perfumes, scented candles, Sephora Samplers, etc.)
Spontaneous Sundays:  Random topics- Website/blog spotlights, hauls, wishlists, shoutouts, recipes, etc.

     Alright, now that you know what to look forward to, mark your virtual calendars for the dates you may enjoy!  Haha :-)  And definitely provide feedback as well as your ideas for this blog in the comments below!  

   To hold you off until tomorrow, here is a nail of the day for you all!  This is Julep's Gayle, a stunning aubergine créme-finish polish that was released with their Winter 2011 nail polish collection.  It has been 8 days since I got this manicure, so there is slight chipping (I treat my nails like precious gemstones when they are painted, preserving them for as long as possible; gloves in the shower, anyone? ;) Haha).  Also, these images were taken by a webcam, so I apologize for the poor quality.  I am hopefully getting a new camera that will shoot in HD!

     

     I'm not sure if you can pick it up, but before a top coat, this polish has an odd vitreous finish that shines yet simultaneously appears waxy.  Do any of you have this nail polish?
     Although the camera is not superb, it represents this fantastic, dark-but-not-black color accurately.

     I am definitely one of those people who will never wear black nail polish, yet I feel like this is edgy, speaks autumn, and remains within my comfort zone (which is quite broad, so to speak).  I feel like you all should definitely try this nail polish and you may be pleasantly surprised at what it does for you!  In facct, I am going to go paint my toenails with Gayle right now!  Order online here: Julep

     Thank you so much for reading!  Don't forget to leave your feedback in the boxes below and comment!  

Coming Tomorrow: My Lip Product Collection








Sunday, June 19, 2011

Project Pan

Alright, so I am beginning a Project Pan!  For those of you who are unfamiliar with the term, Project Pan is a project in which one chooses a designated amount of cosmetic products (normally 10) and sets out to hit pan-bottom, or completely finish all of those products.  The goal of this program is to get the most out of what one buys, downsize their makeup/skincare/haircare collection, and realize the true value of products.  It also helps hoarders gain control of their incessant buying habits, LOL.  I am a mere teenager, and I don't wear makeup on a regular basis, so my personal purpose is to keep my collection modest and my motivation is that I will buy myself my first MAC product once the first Project Pan of mine has been completed.
In this case, I have selected 5 products to finish.  I will most probably post a weekly or biweekly update on how much of each item ahas dissipated as a gauge; so here are my starting points.
1. Dark Kiss Body Mist by Bath and Body Works, 8 fl oz
I would like to finish this as it was given to me as a gift and the scent is a tad too sweet for my taste.  In addition, I purchased another Bath and Body Works fragrance mist in the Country Chic scent, which I am absolutely enchanted with, so I would like to finish this first otherwise I know this product will go to waste.
2. Strawberry Fanta Lip Balm by Lipsmacker, 4g
I own an entire set of soda-themed Lipsmackers and have not even come close to going through a single one!  I chose this flavor as it had been partially damaged by the laundry and I knew I probably would have never touched it again.  My strategy for the entire package of chapsticks is to divide and conquer, and this will be the first one to go.
Visibly Smooth Deodorant by Dove, 74g
I currently own 2 deodorants and really want to use this one as it minimizes the appearance of underarm hair over time.  There is not much to say about why I want to finish this; I am fond of its smell and want to go through one deodorant so that I can use the other later on.
4. Cocoa Butter Body Scrub by The Body Shop, 190g
This product is another gift; one that I highly recommend.  I nearly forgot about it, and then found it one day.  I am going to finish this scrub because it needs to be revived, and has excellent benefits such as a fantastic aroma and exfoliation to the max.
5. Strawberry Patch Scented Candle by Slatkin & Co., 4 oz
I purchased my first 2 scented candles from Slatkin & Co. approximately a week ago, and they take surprisingly long to burn.  For this reason, I am intent on burning out this candle without getting tired of the smell, and so I can move on to the other pleasant Flower Shop scented candle.

These are the starting points for the items:
1. Body Mist: 3/4 in. into the bottle
2. Lipsmacker: 1 in. of balm in the tube
3. Deodorant: N/A
4. Body Scrub: 1/8 in. into tub
5. Candle: 3/4 in. into pot

Wish me luck and tell me if you decide to do a Project Pan!  After all, products are bought to be used!