May Monthly Favorites

This is a rather ridiculous grouping of montly favorites.  I, oddly enough, included some food items....which I haven't done before.  I'll explain why in just a few moments.

In the top photo were the things I gathered first and then realized I left out a single make up product and the food items I wanted to include.  

I am still loving my jojoba oil.  My husband likes to tease me and say that I am slathering hobo oil on my skin.  When I'm finished washing and toning my face, I dip a q-tip into the bottle and then swipe it all over my face.  After I've distributed it with the q-tip, I massage it in with my hands.  This has been my moisturizer.  I've liked it so much that I completely stopped using my Simple moisturizer that I have sworn by for so long.  I gave my mother in law some of the oil in a sample container, too, because I am so convinced of its amazingness. 

While I have been rotating between a lot of perfumes this past month, I think I've worn Vera Wang Princess the most.  When I'm not entirely certain what to put on, I end up grabbing Princess.  It is just so easy to wear any time of day and it is inoffensive. 

Now that it is warmer, I've been spending much more time outdoors.  Because of that, I've been more diligent about my sunscreen.  I've gone back to using the Neutrogena Dry-Touch sunblock.  I not only use it on my face, but I will slather it on any exposed areas of skin.  I even use it on my little one. 

My mascaras are nothing new.  I'm still using and loving the Cover Girl Clump Crusher mascara for my top lashes and Maybelline Lash Discovery for the bottom lashes.

On my eyes, I've been wearing a lot of pinky or rose gold colors.  My main go-to is a combo of a Color Tattoo and a shadow.  I start by applying the Color Tattoo in Inked In Pink (which is just as awesome all on its own) and then applying the pinkish color in the Maybelline Eyestudio quad. They are an absolutely perfect match.  And, it looks phenomenal on blue eyes.

A lot of people weren't fond of the Maybelline Dream Bouncy blushes.  I actually really like them, though.  With the right brush, they go on bright and can definitely be seen.  (side note: the awesome brush I've been using is a synthetic pointed foundation brush by Sonia Kashuk).  The particular color I have been reaching for is Pink Frosting.  It gives the perfect flirty blush to the cheeks.

Now, this is where things get weird.  I have 3 food products here and a make up item.  However, only 2 are actually being shown for food purposes.  Okay, so the coconut oil has been in my favorites before.  Not this particular brand....  But, coconut oil, in general, is amazing.  My mother in law gave me this one.  However, no matter the brand...  I love coconut oil for removing my makeup, for shaving, for moisturizing my body, and keeping my nails healthy.  I use it every single day.  I'm convinced it has made a huge difference in the health of my nails.

The shadow sitting there is Ulta brand and in the color Milk Chocolate.  I have had this shadow for a while, but I haven't really messed with it for a long time.  I pulled it out recently and discovered I really like it for lightly filling in my brows.  With a light hand, it is perfect!

Now, onto the strange food items.  I have been really enjoying these two items.  The first is a Hidden Valley spread in the flavor Spicy Chipotle Pepper.  I replaced mayo with this on my sandwiches.  The tiniest bit goes a long way and adds a HUGE burst of flavor to an otherwise dull sandwich.  And, it is very low in calories.  Bonus!  

The last item is a little fruit pack.  I know I can easily get the fruit and chop it up myself, but the convenience of these makes them so nice!  I can just grab and go, and still easily track my calories.   There are several to pick from at my grocery.  They have the plain apples, apples with grapes, apples with caramel, citrus fruit, etc.  I just find them handy and the price isn't bad either.  I always see one of the selections on manager mark down, so those are the ones I tend to grab. 

Well, that is the end of my rather strange grouping of montly favorites.  I really love to know what others have been using and liking, so let me know what is in your list of favorites for May!

More DIY Flowers

I mentioned in my other DIY Paper Flower post that I've become obsessed with painting glass bottles and vases, as well as making the flowers to go into them.  I've since made three more floral arrangements. HAHA, I know.. a little bit ridiculous.  Let me explain, though.  I am horrible...horrible at keeping actual plants and flowers alive.  So, if I want to bring spring and summer into my home, I have to do it through artificial flowers.   I have fun making these, so why not?  

This first arrangement, I made just a couple of weeks ago.  I had gotten some IBC Cream Soda that weekend and after finishing a bottle realized it might be really cute painted and then a bundle of flowers dropped in.  My other bottles and jars didn't have any script on them.  This one does, though, and reminded me of the lovely mason jar arrangement I did (shown in the original post linked above).  I think it gives them a bit more "country character," if you will. 

This bottle was simply painted with some aqua blue acrylic paint from the inside and allowed to dry.

So far, all, but one, of the arrangements I've made end up very multi-colored.  Once I saw how bright and cheery they look with a mix of colors, I've continued bundling them that way.  I think I will end up making a couple that only have one, or maybe two, colors combined.  This is a look at several of the flowers in this arrangement.  Yellows, red, orange, pink, blue, green, etc.

This second one has much fewer flowers than the others.  It only has five, I believe, flowers in it.  I didn't paint the vase for this one, though.  This is a vase that I have had for years and years.  It was sitting out as a decoration all on its own, but I thought it could be put to better use in a different room and with flowers put into it.  The colors of the vase work amazingly well with the flower bundles.  

This is the third bundle I've made this time around.  I went a little crazy with this one.  My husband says this particular one looks like a bunch of fruit loops because I threw random colors into each flower.  Not one of them is a single color or a gradient.  Most of the other flower bundles are mainly solid colored flowers or going from light to dark (or vise versa).  This time around, I grouped together sets of colors that I thought would be fun but look pretty in a single flower.

This bouquet is placed in a glass jar that I painted with yellow acrylic paint.  The jar was actually an empty cookie butter jar.  There are no etchings or designs on it.  It is completely smooth all the way around.

haha, okay, I have to agree with my husband.  This one is awfully bright and I see why he says that it reminds him of fruit loops.  It's still fun and pretty, though!

L De Lolita Lempicka

This isn't a review of L de Lolita Lempicka, simply because I have already done one.  You can see my thoughts on it here: L De Lolita Lempicka.   I did want to share some shots of the large bottle, though.  Previously, I just had a mini-sized bottle.  While the minis are designed after the large, there are minor differences.

The large bottles have all the charms danging from the nozzle area.  There is a starfish, a crystal, and their signature "L" with rhinestones in it.

The back of the bottle has the shape of starfish etched into it as well.

I have to say, this is probably one of my favorite perfume bottles.  I think it is absolutely, 100% beautiful!

I did get the tester bottle, so I didn't get the fancy box it would have otherwise come in.  Also, L De Lolita Lempicka bottles have a little golden net around the neck, just below the spritz nozzle.  Mine doesn't have that.  My mini bottle does, though.  I would have liked to have the bottle with the net, but I can't complain considering I saved quite a lot by going the route of a tester bottle.  Plus, I'm not buying the perfume for the visual appeal the bottle may or may not have....rather, the juice inside.  And even without the net, the bottle is eye-catching!

Here, you can see my large bottle and my mini bottle together.  You will notice that the juice of the mini has already started to darken.  This is normal for L.  Some people actually purchase it already turned amber.  The scent hasn't changed at all, it has just oxidized with use.  I imagine the mini bottle turned a lot faster than a bottle with a spritzer would because you have to pop off the lid each time you wear it, thus allowing more air into the bottle itself.  

While I linked to the post where I reviewed L De Lolita Lempicka, I wanted to add that my ideas on when this perfume is appropriate to wear have changed.  Initially, I said this was best suited to fall and winter because of the cinnamon in it, making it a very cozy scent.  I have worn this on quite hot days now as well, and love the result just as much.  It is a slightly different fragrance in the heat.  It becomes something relaxing and beachy. I think it can easily be worn year round for that reason.

Vera Wang Princess

Princess is not an unknown perfume.  It was created in 2006 by Ilias Ermenidis and Harry Fremont. It is considered an oriental floral.  While packaging shouldn't be important, let's face it, we all appreciate a lovely bottle. This particular bottle is a heart shaped jewel.  It is supposed to have a youthful, carefree feeling to it.  And it does.  Between the color of the juice (lilac), the name of the perfume (princess), and the shape of the bottle (heart), we are made to see something very young and sweet.  Lilac + Princess + Heart = SWEET!

You will notice that my bottle doesn't have the adorable little crown on it.  That is because I opted to purchase a tester bottle.  I was able to get the largest bottle available for a fraction of the price.  I'm completely okay with this because, really, very few people see my selection of perfumes outside of myself and my family.  And, at the end of the day, I'm wearing the juice inside and not the bottle. :-)

Onto the fragrance itself!  When I first spray this on, it takes a couple of moments to really come to life.  It opens, on me, with delicious sweetness.  There is a hint of zing from the mandarin, but it is swimming in a pool of vanilla. There is something floral in there that doesn't come off loud at all.  It is just enough to keep this perfume from being 100% edible.

At the 10-15 minute mark is when I, personally, detect the dark chocolate.  It isn't exactly sweet.  It actually is slightly bitter.  I read somewhere that said it is dusty and hinting at patchouli.  DING DING DING!  Spot on.  It really does have a dusty patchouli quality to it. The vanilla is also livening up even more at this point.  There is something a bit fruity tip-toeing in, but I couldn't put my finger on it.  While researching, I came across some information about guava and I believe that must be the note.  It is almost lemony citrus-like, but without being kitchen cleaner sharp.

About one hour in, something about Princess reminds me of Coach Poppy.  It has the same cozy sweetness to it. The difference is that Princess is easily detected.  In Poppy, it was there, but you had to breathe deeply to find it. This is vanilla, vanilla, vanilla, and snippits of amber.

I can definitely see where everyone says this is a young, youthful scent.  However, I enjoy wearing it.  It is playful and lighthearted.   It is just a very happy fragrance.  I'm pleased that I went with the big bottle because I've enjoyed wearing this often.

Lolita Lempicka Coral Flower

Lolita Lempicka's Coral Flower was launched in July of 2008.  This is considered an oriental floral perfume.  You will notice the bottle is very, very similar to that of L De Lolita Lempicka.  However, Coral Flower has a frosted finish where as her sister, L, does not.  Also, Coral Flower has flower charms and no netting.  There will be no mistaking, though, that they are of the same family.

The opening of this is sharp and slightly bitter.  I don't see it listed, but I promise you, I get black licorice.  It doesn't last long, only the first couple of minutes, but I swear it is there. It isn't sweet, but rather spicy.

A few minutes later, after it has settled a bit, it becomes citrus-like.  I can pick up on the grapefruit and bergamont.  I think the bergamont was there in the opening, too, because there was something bitter about it.  I think the sharpness was coming from the bergamont note.  The more clean, bright, fresh citrus scent is the grapefruit that I am picking up on. Right along side that are clean, tropical flowers.  I also get jasmine, which isn't listed.  I think that is the frangipani.....which I don't believe I've ever smelled in nature (at least that I know of)....but upon research, it is in the plumeria family and takes on a jasmine scent.  It definitely smells like jasmine, as I am reminded of Thierry Mugler Alien, which is heavy on the jasmine note.

Around the 30 minute mark, the strangest thing happens.  On my wrists, it is an all jasmine smell.  however, on the crook of my elbows, it is soft and powdery.  It is lovely orchid! Isn't it odd how different areas of the body will allow perfumes to develop unlike one another?  I don't know that I'd have been able to place an actual name with the next thing I detect, but I read a review where someone said it smells faintly of calamine lotion. It's true!  I don't find it to be bad, though. I smell it when I am sniffing the elbow area that I sprayed.  I think it is something about the powderiness of the orchid that is creating it.

Around an hour and a half in, I am reminded of salted sea air at the beach.  There is a slight musk to it but also something that is a tiny bit woodsy.   If all the other fragrance developments didn't hint at summer and warm evenings, the dry down definitely does.  I just keep thinking "vacation", "beach", "sea air", and the like.

Maybe I am crazy, but the base is sweet and salty at the same time.  I'm still getting all the beachy references, but also something almost vanillic.  There are slight hints of the amber, but I really detect vanilla!  I don't know if it is the amber tricking me and taking on a, somehow, vanilla form, but I really find something sweet in the base.

This is different than a lot of the other Lolita Lempicka perfumes, yet tips its hat, recognizing they are still from the same family.  There are similarities to the others in the licorice at the opening as well as a spiciness that initially reminds me of L de lolita Lempicka.  However, it all stops there and Coral Flower makes a name all its own. It is from their family, but has created its own personality and is more vibrant and playful.