Monthly Favorites | May & June

I know I'm really late on this post, so I'll make it quick. This is just a generalized round up of products I've used through May and June, so I did condense it a bit. It's already almost August, so I wanted to get this out of the way!

Missha Super Aqua Perfect Water Deep Cleanser: This has been the number one thing that I've been using to take off my makeup at night. I have a feeling this is going to last me a long time because I've been using this for a couple months now. 

Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid: I use this after my toner in the morning and it has salicylic acid in it. I just pop a little on a cotton pad and it isn't drying. I prefer chemical exfoliation and this is great and quick.

Paula's Choice Skin Recovery Super Antioxidant Concentrate Serum: This is my favorite thing ever and my favorite from the Paula's Choice line so far. I use this in the morning and at night and it doesn't make my skin feel too oily. This has definitely been replacing my Missha Time Revolution Ampoule at night and my It's Skin serum in the morning.

Paula's Choice Resist Super Light Daily Wrinkle Defense SPF 30: When I was running out of my Neutrogena sunscreen, I wanted to try something new. At first, I didn't like this one because it has a tint to it. Now that I've gotten used to it, I really like that there is a tint. I can use this by itself on a day off and not feel completely naked faced or it can be used as a primer under makeup since it does dry down a bit. 

Boots No7 Stay Perfect Primer: This was pretty much the only primer I used in May and June. I really like this one and I can blend it in a little better with my beautyblender before applying makeup.

BRTC Jasmine Water BB Cream: I really like this BB Cream in the summer because it's nice and light and I don't have to mix anything in to get a good color or coverage. It's something I want to use up also because I've been hanging onto this for over a year. I think it's the only BRTC BB that matches me.

The Saem Cover Perfection Tip Concealer: I had been using a concealer stick for so long that I forgot how much I liked liquid concealers. This had been on of my favorites a long time ago when I first bought it, but it wasn't bright enough for under my eyes. It actually matches my skin perfectly and it works really well with the BRTC BB Cream.

Benefit High Beam: When I was going bare minimum while we were moving, I would do BB Cream and just add a little of this liquid highlighter on my cheek bones and brow bones. This was easy enough to just dab on with the little brush and blend in with my finger or beautyblender instead of toting a powder and a brush with me.

YSL Volume Effet Faux Cils Mascara: I got this in an Influenster Vox Box because no way would I ever pay $32 for a mascara! I really like it, but that is just way too much to be paying for a mascara. I think $20 is probably the absolute maximum I would be willing to spend. I do really like everything about this mascara though. It even smells nice and the packaging is beyond luxurious. 

Anastasia Beverly Hills Dipbrow Pomade in Auburn: This has been my standby brow product since I purchased it. The color is more natural that I was going for before, but I like that it works with my hair and skin tone. It's pretty easy to work with and there is a lot of product in this little jar. I'm a fan.

Marc Jacobs O!Mega Bronze in Tantric: I really like this bronzer for all over bronzing. The color is perfect for my skin and it blends out so nicely. I'm glad I finally sprung for this powder because I wasn't going to buy it due to how expensive Marc Jacobs cosmetics are.

Marc Jacobs #InstaMarc Light Filtering Contour Powder in Dream Filter 20: This is one of those products that I worry about using up because I love it so much and it was so expensive. I love the highlight color to set my under eye concealer and I use it to carve out my contour if I over blend. The contour powder is my perfect shade and it blends so nicely with my NARS Ita brush. It's perfect. I just wish I felt better traveling with it because I worry about something like this breaking my makeup bag. 

MAC Solar Riche: If I wasn't at home and wanted to bronze up a bit, I would use Solar Riche. I used to think this color didn't suit me before I really knew how to use bronzer, but this blends out really nicely. It isn't my favorite MAC bronzer, but I wanted to try something new and I'm a fan.

Sephora Bronzer Powder in Anguilla: I've been loving this for a simple, more natural contour when I don't want to go too dark. Although I really love the Marc Jacobs powder, it tends to look more dramatic. If I'm short on time, I use this to do a light contour because there's a lot of room for error. I don't need to blend it much at all because it's a lighter color.

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush in Diffused Heat: I really like this for a glowy cheek look. This is something I used when I was in a hurry and didn't have time to blend out a more pigmented blush in case I went heavy handed. I think I would definitely try different colors from the line, but they are pricey.

MAC Mighty Aphrodite: I've always loved this blush. I think it was one of the first that I purchased from a MAC limited edition collection, which was Wonder Woman in 2011. I always end up going back to this blush when I don't know what to wear because its just so easy. Definitely an all time favorite.

Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick in Lilac Rose: As far as highlighting goes, I use the opalescent strip. It's beautiful mixed with just a touch of the surrounding pinks. I keep thinking that I'll use the other colors as a blush, but I don't. When I swirl my brush lightly in the whole pan, I get a more subtle pink highlight color.

MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Lightscapade: This has been a standby highlight ever since I bought it. I love remembering when I got something because then I know how long I've loved it. I got this in my old apartment almost two years ago. This is the original release of this highlight that runs more pink than the beige of the second, third, and permanent releases. When I want something that is just simple and pearlescent, I go for this highlighter.

Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector in Moonstone: This is a fairly new addition to my collection, so of course I had to use it a bunch after getting it. I've found that I like this more than theBalm's Mary LouManizer because it isn't quite as heavy. I'm really glad I got this on sale though, because $38 is pretty hefty for a highlighter.

Burberry Britt Sheer: This has been a nice citrusy mist for the beginning of summer. As you can see, I've made a pretty decent dent in this fragrance. I really love how simple this is for warmer weather. It isn't too heavy in the warm weather, so I don't know how it will be when it gets colder. I can't imagine this will be my go-to in the winter.

Escada Born In Paradise: This may be my top favorite out of everything right now. It's a perfect summery mix of pineapple and coconut without smelling like I bathed in a Piña Colada. I really like my other Escada, which is Moon Sparkle, but now I want other more recent Escada releases because of this one. I feel like they will all be pretty similar though and there are a few other perfumes I want before adding on other sweet ones at the end of the summer.

Marc Jacobs Daisy Eau So Fresh Sunshine: I was torn between getting this perfume, two other limited edition versions, and the original. I ended up smelling the original and not liking it enough to wear. Then I couldn't find a good enough deal on the other one that I wanted, which was Daisy Eau So Fresh Delight. I found this on eBay for a good price for a discontinued limited edition without the box. I love the scent and I love the bottle. This is going to be one of those scents that I wear in the day during spring and summer and worry about using up.

Gucci Flora Gorgeous Gardenia: This was my first Gucci perfume and I'm really happy with it. There were a lot of choices in the Gucci Flora line, but I finally decided on this one because I liked the notes and got a sample. I love the beautiful simplicity of the bottle and scent is so nice and light, but sweet at the same time. I feel like I have a lot of spring/summer floral fruity perfumes, but that's what I like. 

Vera Wang Princess: This is actually one of the perfumes in my collection that I can definitely wear in the winter. Princess has always been a favorite of mine, even if it is considered an immature scent. I still really like it and regardless of how sweet is smells, I still get compliments on it at work. I know when certain people at work like how I smell that I've found a good bottle.

Bath & Body Works Sweet Magnolia & Clementine Fine Fragrance Mist: I generally only choose body mists over perfume for when I want to smell nice but don't want to waste expensive perfume. I pop one of these in my gym bag or spray my work clothes so that I don't smell like old food all the time. This is a newer purchase, but I did have a scrub in this scent that I really liked in my past empties.

Bath & Body Works White Citrus Fragrance Mist: This is a nice refreshing scent that I had been using in my gym bag before buying the larger sizes. I really love how sharp and citrus this one is and I may eventually get the larger size, but last time I did that I got sick of the scent soon after.

Bath & Body Works Kauai Lei Flower Aloe Gel Lotion: I love this size for my purse, apron, and behind the bar. This is my favorite scent from the Hawaii line and I even have a backup for this little lotion that I may need crack into. I don't believe the aloe gel formula will be moisturizing enough to use alone in the winter, but I think I'll still prefer this size.

Bath & Body Works Maui Mango Surf Crushed Coconut Body Scrub: I prefer this formulation of scrub to the other one that I had. This lasts a little longer and the granules scrub better than the beads from the other one. I'm glad I decided to get all the Hawaii scents in this scrub when they were buy 3 get 3 free and I'll have plenty of scrubs to get me through the summer and probably the fall until the winter scents come out.

Sephora and Beauty.com Haul

Most of this stuff I bought before I moved and I've already included a couple in my May and June favorites, which I've yet to post. I'm just trying to catch up on things since moving and it wasn't happening. I'm going to try posting more, but no promises as I feel like I'm running out of things to talk about other than empties. I should actually probably do a project pan because there are quite a few things I'm trying to work through and finish up, mainly because of expiration dates. 

I'm going to breeze through this post in a "hey look what I bought!" manner.

Paula's Choice Skincare: I'm going to go through a skincare routine post soon since I've overhauled my skincare. I've had to replace most of my Korean products with American products because I really can't get a ridiculous amount of packages at this address. 

Since I'm a huge advocate of good toners and not ones that strip the skin, I stocked up on repairing toners. I really like all three of these and I would probably continue to repurchase them all. 

I also bought the 2% BHA for morning exfoliation and the 8% AHA for evening exfoliation. 

Paula's Choice Skincare: I also am replacing my retinols with Paula's Choice. I have this first one to use at night and the pink squeeze tube for every day. This is actually what will replace my Missha night ampoule. 

I also have the 10% AHA that I rotate with the 8% AHA so my skin doesn't get too irritated. 

I use two different Paula's Choice suncreens, one with a tint and one without. The tinted one dries down to more of a matte finish and I prefer that one when I don't have a lot of time to get ready and need to put on foundation immediately or when I don't want to wear makeup to leave the house for a bit.

Estée Lauder Bronzed Goddess: Holy hell this bronzer is huge. I really like it and I had this in my April favorites which just tells you how long I've had this stuff ready for a post.

Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector in Moonstone: This is a super pigmented highlighter that I absolutely love. I got this on sale or I wouldn't have paid $38 for it, but I love it.

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush in Diffused Heat: Also something else from April favorites. This is such a nice highlighting blush.

Marc Jacobs! I'm not going into a lot of detail because I want to eventually do a post for these, but I bought these two lemmings due the Sephora sale. The top is the Instamarc contour and highlight compact. It's my favorite thing ever. I love setting my undereyes with the first powder and the contour powder is the perfect color.

The bottom one is the Tantric O!Mega Bronzer. This is also a great color, but I reach for this less because I tend to contour with the top compact.

Sephora Bronzers: I tossed these in my cart just because. I don't really like the top one, but I've used it for all over bronzing. The bottom one I thought was too light, but since it's matte, I've used it as a contour powder.

Bobbi Brown Shimmer Bricks in Beige and Lilac Rose: I cheated a little. I picked up Beige at Nordstrom Lilac Rose at the CCO, but I'm lumping these into the haul because I bought them at the same time. I love my Copper Diamond Shimmer Brick so much that I knew I needed more. I got a 20% discount on the Beige Shimmer Brick and the Lilac Rose one was a limited edition and I got a good deal from the CCO so I needed it. I'll use the top two strips in the Beige one or mix all the colors together, but to highlight with the Lilac Rose one, I tend to stay around the second strip.

Boots No7 Stay Perfect Primer and Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer: These were both on sale, so I figured I'd give them a go. At the time, I was running out of my MAC primer and the Smashbox primer was too drying for me, so I needed a backup plan. Both of these are good, but I don't think they'll bring me into the winter. I was really excited for the Hourglass primer, but I don't love it the way I thought I would. Good thing I didn't spring for the huge expensive size!

One last quick thing I forgot! I finally bought an Anastasia Dipbrow! This matches my hair better than my MAC brow gel creme, and I got it on sale. This has been my only brow product since purchasing it. I only wish the Auburn shade was a little redder, but it still matches better than the Blonde one from MAC.

April Monthly Favorites

I feel like the month of April was so long that I can't remember everything that I liked. There was just so much crap that I used in the beginning of the month and I don't know where March ended and April started. I've either used these things for most or all of the month or closer to the end of the month because it was so long. I also feel like I had a lot of no makeup or minimal makeup days, so that isn't helping. 

I've been in a pretty consistent skincare routine, so I'm getting bored of posting the exact same things that I use every day in every week or every month. That means maybe I'll post a skincare routine and maybe a daily makeup routine or something. I don't know if that would be interesting at all.

Shisheido Perfect Whip Foam: This has been my cleanser of choice lately, even though I've been trying to use up some others. Recently I decided to push this into the back of my cabinet because I really do need to use up things. I really like how thick this cleanser is and I prefer to use this with my Clarisonic because it's harder to lather up with my hands.

Lioele Multi Seaweed Gel: I had a sample of this eons ago and after I chose to purchase a full size, I stopped using it. So it sat in a box for a few months until I rediscovered it a little over a month ago. I've slowly started replacing my Clinique gel cream with this in the mornings. I'm actually finding that I prefer this over the Clinique one and this was only about $12 and there's a lot more product in the tub. This absorbs into my skin much quicker and I feel like it will be a summer favorite.

Missha Time Revolution Night Repair Science Activator Ampoule: Yes. This again. It's my favorite ever. Blah blah blah. What else can I say about it other than this one is almost gone?

MAC Prep+Prime Skin Base Visage: I've honestly continued to use this because there isn't another primer that I can even reach for right now. Everything else is still sucking the moisture out of my skin, but this is just a standard. I'm actually surprised that I haven't run out of this yet. In a couple weeks, I'm sure I'll need to use an oil control primer and I don't want to have to save this for next year because I'm sure the expiration is coming up.

Skin79 Super+ Triple Functions BB Cream in Green: I've been favoring this one over VIP Gold because I've been using other foundations this month. Mainly this has been an under eye concealer and brightener because it's on the lighter side. Now that the weather is warming up, I've been using slightly darker bronzers and don't need my foundation to be so light.

Illamasqua Skin Base in 02: This is not something I can use on its own. The foundation itself is too thick for my skin and I prefer to mix it into my MAC Face and Body when I want a little more coverage. I also have this in a darker color that I'll probably end up using in a month or so.

MAC Face and Body Foundation in N1: Yup. This one is back. We had a enough warmer days that I could wear this foundation, but then it got cold again. I really love this foundation, so I had to toss this in the post. I can't wait to wear this foundation on a regular basis, but I may have discovered that VIP Gold from Skin79 is perfect of its own for a light makeup day. 

It's Skin Under Eye Brightener: When I needed a little under eye pick me up, this is what I used. I've been using this instead of my Maybelline one and I think I actually prefer it. I think I say that every time I switch up products though. Maybe it's just because this blends a little better into my foundation because of the texture.

MAC Sideshow You: This blush was from the Simpson's Collection and it was the only other thing I purchased from it. I was really feeling this blush color and out of the three blushes, this is the one I wore the most. I definitely wore more blushes than these three, but Sideshow You overshadowed most of them.

Tarina Tarantino Feathers: When I wanted just a light pop of color with a bronzed look, this is the color I would go for. The color is nicer on my face than it is in the pan and it blended in nicely with my bronzer.

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush in Diffused Heat: This was a new item for me and I'll probably do a collective haul at some point. I really like this blush, but I've only been using it for the past maybe week and a half. I received this before my Sephora items, so I felt fine including this if I didn't include the Sephora stuff.

NARS Laguna: I have to say that by the time the end of the month hit, I had stopped using this bronzer in favor of Estée Lauder. I really like this bronzer, but now I think I have a couple that top it. I love that it is included in every one of my NARS blush palettes just so I don't necessarily need to pack an additional bronzer. It blends out so nicely and it isn't orange, so I can use it with my Ita brush and contour.

Estée Lauder Amber Bronzer Sienna Earth Powder: I really needed to start using this powder because I had neglected it for a long time. Although it leans a little orange when the color is blended together, it looked nice on my skin. The packaging is also really sturdy, so this is a bronzer I wouldn't mind traveling with.

Estée Lauder Bronze Goddess 01 Light: This is seriously a huge bronzer. I really like the color of this powder and the shimmer isn't overpowering. I was glad to know that I wasn't getting a matte bronzer when I ordered this online. I know I have too many bronzers, but I really love this one even though I only used it during the last bits of April.

NARS Miss Liberty Highlighting Blush: This is basically a glitter highlight. The base adds just a slight touch of champagne color, but it is packed with multicolor shimmer particles that obviously don't show up in the photo of the pan. I rocked this for the beginning of the month until I bought the newest highlighter in my collection, which sadly isn't the newest when I'm writing this.

Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick in Beige: I wasn't going to buy this, but Nordstrom had Bobbi Brown on sale for 20% off, so that was good enough for me. I probably wouldn't buy a shimmer brick for full price, but 20% off is great. I love this highlighter. I might have to compare it to my other highlighters because I feel like I go for the same colors. I use the top two colors the most, but when you swirl them all together, it gives such a beige golden glow. It's the perfect companion to bronzer. One of the girls I work with told me that my highlight was like "Wah-bam," so at least someone agrees with me.

Darac Beauty Sifted Blur Complexion Perfector: I use this powder to set my under eyes and my entire face. You can tell that I've plowed through the powder when you compare the photo to last month's favorites. I'm trying to not use so much powder, so I may try to cool it with this one. There's another powder that will definitely be in my favorites next month that I've moved on to for setting my under eyes.

I also need to do a Bath & Body Works haul, but there's just so much stuff that I need to photograph because I spent an absolute ton of money. I know I didn't even need half of the things I bought, but the Forever Sunshine lotion in the picture is already almost gone. For real. I'm trying to consistently use lotion after showering because the weather is getting nicer and I don't want dry skin if I can wear short sleeves. 

I've been loving Beautiful Day and Love & Sunshine body mists. I keep one in the bathroom for reasons and one in my gym bag so I don't smell like socks after working out. I like the little body mists because I can carry them around and not worry about a bottle breaking. I also like that they're cheap and the scent isn't too strong. The last thing I want is to smell like Versace when I'm dead lifting with a bunch of guys. That's not exactly the image I'm going for. 

I also bought a bunch of hand sanitizers, mainly to keep in my apron pocket at work for after I handle money or for a quick fix after wiping down tables. I also keep one in my bathroom so that my hands are always clean while I'm doing my makeup or skincare. I do bring my phone in the bathroom with me, so I want to make sure my hands aren't germy because I definitely touch my phone and don't want to immediately touch my face. Honolulu Sun is the one I keep with me at work and it smells like a Piña Colada. It's almost gone!

I've also been keeping a small lotion in my apron pocket because serving dries my hands out. I've always meant to keep lotion on me, but I don't have a ton of smaller ones that absorb quickly. I have five different scents in the Aloe Gel Lotion, but Kauai is my favorite and I even bought a backup because I feel like I'm going to finish that off quick.

Vera Wang Preppy Princess: I wore this mostly in the beginning of the month when it was still chilly out. I kind of feel like the scent is a little too strong for warmer weather, so I started wearing other scents. I do like this perfume a lot, but I'll probably get even more use from it during the fall and winter. 

Marc Jacobs Daisy Eau So Fresh Sunshine: I definitely prefer this limited edition release of Daisy Eau So Fresh to the original. It's a little less floral and a little more fruity, which is my preference. The only fault I find in the perfume is that it doesn't last long at all. This is definitely one I have to carry around with me, although I've been really bad about that lately because I need to fill all my atomizers and that takes time. I love everything else about this perfume though and the bottle is so pretty.

Escada Born in Paradise: I can just tell that this isn't the last time this scent will be in a favorites post. I can pretty much guarantee that this will be in at least one more post because this perfume is the perfect summer scent. It smells like coconut and it actually lasts a pretty decent amount of time on my skin. I like that it sort of matches my trend of island scented lotions so it makes it easier to pair other things.

Versace Bright Crystal Absolu: Still my most used and most loved perfume, and not just by me. The picture isn't a very good indicator, but I've used quite a bit of this perfume. There's a guy I work with that associates me with expensive perfume, this one being the one he likes on me best, and calls me Gucci Girl even though I've told him this is actually Versace. I did just finally buy a Gucci perfume though, so I guess I don't need to correct him anymore.

March Monthly Favorites

I know. I know. I haven't posted in forever. But that's okay. This is the monthly favorites post and one of the only posts a month to even matter. I think I may need to post some recent buys and I will have an empties post coming up soon.

Benton Aloe BHA Skin Toner: Oldie but a goodie. This is my favorite toner and I'm already halfway through this bottle. I think because I've been using only this toner that I might start using some others that are almost gone so that I can get rid of some things before we move.

Mario Badescu Facial Spray with Aloe, Herbs, and Rosewater: I've had this kicking around for a few months and I've used it off and on. I had been using Fix+, but I like this to take away the powdery look on my face and it's much less expensive than the MAC one. The only thing I don't care for is the strong smell, but it does go away.

Clinique Acne Solutions All-Over Clearing Treatment: I've been mixing this with my Benton Snail Bee Steam Cream that should have probably been in this post, but was forgotten. I think the benzoyl peroxide in this helps keep my skin clearer than salicylic acid.

Skinfood Milk Shake Point Makeup Remover: This is a dual phase makeup remover that I end up using daily. When I ran out of my Missha cleansing oil, I opened a new one that doesn't take off my mascara and also burns my eyes. What I've ended up doing is not even using the cleansing oil and I've just been using one cotton pad of this to take off all my makeup. I'm sadly almost out of this and may have to just try another different cleansing oil. 

Missha Super Aqua Fresh Cleansing Milk: This is not the cleansing oil I was just talking about, but it's the same thing. It doesn't take off my eye makeup at night, but it's a great waterless cleanser for the morning. I used this when my skin was really dry and I didn't want to strip it with soap. I also use this as a hand cleanser when my hands are dry since it is like a lotion.

Mario Badescu Glycolic Foaming Cleanser: I've been using this cleanser off and on since I bought it in the summer, but I really liked it this month. I felt like I had been wearing more makeup and this cleanser really deep cleans and chemically exfoliates. I try not to use it more than 2 or 3 times a week because I don't want my skin to get irritated.

Skin79 Super Plus BB Creams in Green and VIP Gold: I should have included my beautyblender again this month, but I took pictures quickly and forgot. I just want to reiterate that I'm super surprised that these are still around. I honestly don't know what I'm going to do when these both run out, so I'm not complaining. I feel like nothing else blends like these BB Creams, but I know I'm going to fall back on my Face & Body foundation in a month or so. I've also been loving the green one under my eyes because it's a lot lighter and blends really nicely under my eyes.

MAC Skin Base Visage: I keep thinking this is also going to run out. I'm waiting for my skin to be ready for a silicon based primer and have been using this for a couple months now. I really like it, so I'm not complaining. I've been putting this on immediately after my moisturizer and then waiting for everything to dry down a bit and I've been pleased with those results. 

L'Oreal Voluminous Butterfly Mascara: This mascara has been so good to me that I haven't even touched the YSL mascara I received from Influenster. I love the brush and the mascara keeps a curl without being crunchy and isn't too difficult to remove at the end of the night. I know I need to move on once I run out, but I'll definitely repurchase this at some point and see if it contends with the MUFE mascara I also loved.

theBalm Mary Lou-Manizer: I wanted to branch out on highlighters this month because I had only been using this one and the Bobbi Brown for as long as I can remember, but this sits in the front of my organizer. I really like this highlighter for when I'm feeling a strong golden look. I even wish it was a little less pigmented sometimes.

MAC Lightscapade: This is an all time favorite highlighter of mine. I had been using a lot of pink blushes, as you'll see in the next images, and this gives a beautiful pink iridescent glow. I have talked about this before, but I love it. This is the original release of Lightscapade, which gives more of a pink iridescence than the newer releases that come off more beige.

Darac Beauty Sifted Blur Complexion Perfector: I hadn't used this in a couple months and then I used it with my beautyblender to set my under eye concealer. In just a couple weeks, I hit that pan in the middle and now I'm considering purchasing a backup because the brand doesn't exist anymore. I've been setting my entire face with this powder and a damp beauty blender and it is perfection. 

MAC Golden Bronzer: I've been using Golden instead of Aphrodite's Shell because I wanted to branch out a bit and this has more apparent shimmer. You can kind of tell from the pan that the rings are starting to show, so I may end up hitting the pan on this bronzer soon. I've only ever done that with face powder and this is in limited edition packaging, so I don't know how I feel about it.

Vincent Longo La Riviera Sun Face and Body Bronzer in Beauty Sin: I was really enjoying this bronzer this month because I was trying to use other products. I don't know if this is going to be my summer color because of how light it is, but I do like how it blends and I already have a dip in the pan.

Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush in Achiote: I really love the color of this blush. It's really effortless and just a dab is all you need. The color blends really nicely into bronzer. I love all of my Tarte blushes, but I actually think this one is my favorite.

Estée Lauder Peach Nuance: I love this blush more and more whenever I use it. I feel like I would use it more if I had just ponied up the extra cash to buy this in a compact and not just a loose pan. I never regret wearing this color and the gradient makes it easier to blend. 

NARS Albatross: I hadn't touched this highlight in so long that I almost forgot what it looked like! I was really digging the yellowish sheen it gave me and it was a nice change from pink or gold.

NARS Hungry Heart: This was another highlight I reached for all month that I didn't use for a bit. I was really into glitter for part of the month and this is a really glittery highlighter. I ended up pairing it with glittery blushes because why not be overkill?

NARS Angelika: This is one of the glittery blushes I wore this month and I've talked about this color before. The color itself is really flattering and the glitter doesn't come off really strong, which is why I like pairing it with a glittery highlighter to amp it up.

NARS Super Orgasm: I haven't talked about this blush before because I've barely touched it. For some reason, I didn't think I would like it because of the chunky glitter. The glitter doesn't translate on the skin as much as it looks like it would and the color is a nice peachy pink. I really loved this blush this month, but I think I'm taking a break from the glitter bomb cheeks.

Prada Candy L'eau: I was skeptical about getting Prada Candy, but I really love the L'eau version, which is the EDT. I wore this scent a ton this month and I only ordered it in the beginning of the month. I'm surprised by how much is gone and this is only a 2.7oz bottle. I may need to cool it on this scent and use others. I've been trying to wear them all evenly, but who am I kidding?

Burberry Brit Sheer: Burberry Brit was another scent I saw everyone raving about, but I didn't care for the notes. The Sheer version, however, was another thing. I really love this scent. It's crisp, clean, and fruity without being overkill on the sweet or smelling like laundry. This was another scent I wore a ton this month.

Marc Jacobs Lola: I'm still on the fence, but I might like Lola more than Oh, Lola! and that's saying something. I originally bought Oh, Lola! in the 3.2oz because I thought I would love it. I do like the scent, but I bought Lola in the smaller 1.7oz bottle because I didn't think I would like her as much if at all. I read reviews saying that if you liked Lola, you wouldn't like Oh, Lola!, so that worried me. I ended up buying this smaller bottle used on eBay, like with Oh, Lola! However, I ended up loving Lola and wore it a ton this month.

DKNY Be Delicious Fresh Blossom: I think I may have mentioned it somewhere, but I actually prefer Fresh Blossom to the Red Delicious that I bought a couple months back. I wore this at the end of February and through March. I really like that it has the perfect balance between being sweet and floral and this actually happens to be one of the scents I get complimented on the most at work.

Perfume Wish List

Okay, when I get obsessed with something, I get into this spree of can't stop, won't stop. Do I think I have plenty of perfume to last me through the year? Yes. Are there still bottles that I want? Absolutely. Especially working in food service where I definitely need to look and smell great all the time, there's just not a limit.

I purchased decanted samples of these scents and I want to eventually get a couple of these in full size bottles. I am going to leave a few alone and pass the list on to Shaun, because he was interested in buying perfume for my birthday and Christmas but I never had anything I wanted.

DKNY Be Delicious Fresh Blossom: If I could go back in time, I would have tried Red Delicious before buying it and realize that I like this one a hundred times more. I do still like Red Delicious and I'll definitely continue to wear it, but there's a bottle of this unboxed on Fragrancenet.com for $32.99 and I'm really considering getting this one because it smells great. The notes include Apricot, Cassis, Grapefruit, Smooth Skin Accord, Blond Woods, Jasmine, Rose, Apple, and Muguet. I don't even know what half of those notes smell like on their own, but I like them together.

Gucci Flora Gorgeous Gardenia: I was really bummed when I couldn't find Gucci II anywhere, so I decided I was going to see if there were any other Gucci perfumes I wanted to try. There's an entire Gucci Flora line, but the Gorgeous Gardenia one sounded the best to me. Notes include pear, red berries, gardenia, sugar, frangipani, and patchouli. I really like the smell of this one, but it's pricey. This is $50 on frangrancenet.com, but it's over $100 retail for the 3.3oz bottle. This is one I'll probably save for a later date or get a smaller bottle.

Gucci II: I'm lovesick over this stupid perfume and I haven't even smelled it yet. I almost don't want to talk about it. This is probably going to be a blind buy and I think the scent has been discontinued. The notes include a blend of tart, tangy fruits, cassis, blackberry and a mix of red berries, orange, violet, jasmine, freesia and peony. I want this so bad. I am currently bidding on a bottle through eBay, but I know what I'm willing to spend. If someone beats my bid, then I'm definitely not spending more. It's possible that I would settle for a tester bottle without that large glass cap.

Marc Jacobs Daisy Eau So Fresh Delight: I got samples of both this and the regular edition of Daisy Eau So Fresh. I ended up not really liking Daisy Eau So Fresh, but I do like this version. This was a limited edition release, so I'm sure this is going to be hard to find. If I decide to buy this perfume, I may end up getting one without a box or a bottle that has been used. I don't see an issue with purchasing perfume that someone didn't like and they used a little bit of it, especially if it ends up being a good price. The original has top notes of grapefruit, pear and raspberry with middle notes of rose, jasmine and apple blossom. The Delight version has notes of sweet, run-ripened apricots and blood oranges and high notes of pink pepper and white tea. 

Admittingly, I did blind buy a limited edition bottle of an Eau So Fresh, but I think it was the Eau So Fresh Sunshine. It was an unboxed bottle, but the picture looked like the sunshine edition with brighter flowers. When it comes in the mail, I'll find out which one to cross off my list. If they end up smelling similar, then I definitely don't need both. 

Hugo Boss Boss Femme: This is just such a random perfume choice. I noticed that a lot of the scents in the pink bottles were what I was looking for, so I clicked on this one. The notes were Tangerine, Apricot, Freesia, Jasmine, Fleur de lys, Blackcurrant, Rose, and Lemon Wood. Now that I know what I like in a scent, I decided to try this one out. As this perfume is a bit heavier and expensive, I'll probably end up filing this one away for a bit. I feel like I have plenty of perfumes to wear in the winter, so I might ask for this for Christmas next year. It's only $35, but that's only for a 2.5oz and many of the other ones are 3.3oz for that price or a little more.

Versace Yellow Diamond: I should have known this was coming. I'm so hooked on Versace Bright Crystal Absolu that I had to try another one of their scents. I really like this and it isn't that expensive. This is an EDT, so not as strong as an Eau De Parfum. It's listed as $42 on fragrancenet.com, which is more than I'd like to spend on perfume now that I have as much as I do. This is also another scent I'll end up saving, but maybe not until next year. I think this would be a nice spring scent, so I might wait until I have a coupon. The notes include lemon, mimose, pear, freesia, bergamot, water lily, neroli, guaiac wood, musk, amber. I think it smells fresh and nice.

Marc Jacobs Daisy Dream: I'm conflicted on this one, which is why I made sure to leave it at the bottom. It was the first Marc Jacobs perfume that I wanted, but now that I have a bottle of Daisy Eau So Fresh, I don't know if I can warrant purchasing this one. As an Eau De Toilette, it's too expensive. The cheapest I can find it is $55, and that's without a box. I'm still leery about purchasing tester bottles because I like having the fancy caps on my perfume. This is another scent that I will file away, and it I happen to find a bottle on eBay that is half full, I might splurge if the price is right. The notes are blackberry, wisteria, coconut, lychee, pear, and grapefruit, so it is right up my alley. I'm not even sure why it's so expensive.

Perfume Diary #3

Jimmy Choo Exotic - My initial thought was blah, this stinks. It's a lot heavier than I expected it to be from the notes. I guess considering that it's from Jimmy Choo, you would want a perfume that only needs one or two spritzes to do the job. I worried about what I smelled like for most of the day, but I didn't notice that my perfume smelled overwhelming when I got home. I did add another spray and noticed that I didn't hate it. At first, I didn't think I could ever wear this out again, but now I actually think I might like it. The notes include grapefruit, raspberry, black currant, passion flower, orchid, and patchouli. It's possible that I initially smelled the patchouli, which isn't my favorite on its own. There is a possibility of actually liking this perfume, so I'll probably do another post.

Marc Jacobs Dot - This is one of those perfumes that I don't know if I want to purchase. Look at the bottle. The bottle is so cute. I'm trying to move away from how much I like the design of the bottle. It was much easier to get away from Honey because I ended up not really enjoying the scent. For Dot, I do like the scent. The notes for Dot are listed as red berries, dragon fruit, coconut, jasmine, honeysuckle, vanilla, neroli, driftwood, and musk. All the scent notes sounded great to me, which is why I ordered a sample. My only gripe with this perfume is that it doesn't last very long at all. My sample is almost gone because I carried the mini spray in my pocket and reapplied throughout the night. I think if I do purchase a bottle of this scent that I'll wait until the summer. I feel like the scent will probably linger better when the weather is warmer and it isn't really a winter fragrance to begin with anyway.

Escada Moon Sparkle: Ah. Back to this little gem. I'm so happy that I bought a full size bottle of this perfume. It smells so good. Right now, I think I can safely rank this as above DKNY Red Delicious but under Versace Bright Crystal Absolu. I'm worried about using up Bright Crystal Absolu because it costs so much money, but I think I've discovered my fall back scent. I actually shouldn't get to spritz happy with this one because I do think it is discontinued, but I'm sure a 3.3oz/100mL bottle should last quite a bit of time. I noticed that it's back in stock on Perfumania.com, so I think I can still get it. I did purchase a full size bottle on eBay and I got a much better price for it then than what is listed right now. I really love this scent so far and I don't mind that I need to touch it up to keep it fresh. It does last on my skin, but I like when you can actually smell this. One of the guys at work actually really likes this on me and keeps trying to think of what perfume it reminds him of. The first night I wore it to work he asked me what I wearing because he could smell me when I showed up for my shift. I think I may wear it when he's working just because.

Perfume Diary #1

Okay. This is something I want to do now that I'm starting to get into fragrance. Since I barely have time to blog about things I buy and swatch, this is perfect to actually write down my thoughts on products I've been using.

I recently sprung for my first designer fragrance, Bright Crystal Absolu by Versace, and have started exploring other scents that I might enjoy. I also purchased Red Delicious by DKNY and while I like Bright Crystal Absolu more, I do like the smell of Red Delicious.

Because I've ventured into trying scents, I decided to get a few decants online and order full size bottles of the ones I like the most. I hauled a bunch of 3ml decants from myperfumesamples.com and I've smelled about half of them and worn a couple just around the house.

I've come to realize that I most enjoy fruity floral scents, which I'm sure I knew all along.

In this entry, I want to discuss my initial thoughts on a couple.

Marc Jacobs Honey: I actually thought this would be one of my favorites, but now I'm not so sure. I'm going to wear this out of the house, but I also don't think this is really the most appropriate for winter. It opens as a floral and as it hangs around, never really transforms into the fruity floral that I thought it would be. The honey note turned out to be honeysuckle, which would be nice if there was something else to balance it. As it turns out, I'm not a fan of straight floral scents and this does kind of remind me of grass.

Miss Dior EDT by Dior: The first notes listed on the site was mandarin and tangerine and there was a strawberry sorbet note listed. I was fine with jasmine and violet as floral notes because I do like fruity floral perfumes and this is a popular fragrance. However, I think the patchouli and musk really overpower everything else in the fragrance. I don't know if I'm brave enough to even wear this outside, seeing as I've only sprayed this on my shirt and really didn't care for it. I know scents have to transform with your body chemistry, but this is the only one that I have sprayed on my skin. This just smells too strong for my taste.

Escada Moon Sparkle: I was most excited about this perfume because KathleenLights talked it up in her perfume collection video. I don't think this would have been something I would have selected on my own because I've never heard of Escada. All the other brands of fragrances I've heard of, but I think Escada is smaller and I don't believe their  perfumes are high end. Apparently, they release limited edition scents and then discontinue them. This one is from 2007 and is apparently still circulating. I believe this is supposed to be one of their more popular releases. Anyhow, it was only my list to try because of that video so I did a search for it not expecting it to be available. The fragrance notes listed were strawberry, raspberry, black currant, red apple, citruses, sweet pea, freesia, musk, jasmine, rose.  I really liked the idea of this scent. It was one of the first scents I tried on and I loved it immediately. I definitely leans more fruity than floral, but it's balanced nicely. I had no doubts about this fragrance other than it's an EDT (eau de toilette) and I was worried it wouldn't have staying powder. I was wrong and I loved the scent so much that I found it online and purchased a brand new bottle for $37 to add to my budding collection. I normally wouldn't be so rash about a purchase and I want to try out my new scents more before making another purchase, but I'm worried about the availability. I don't want to shell out an arm and a leg for perfume. My bottle is still on the way, but I'll probably do another post after it arrives.