September Favorites

Whew!  It has been a very long time since I've put up a post on the vanity table!  Sheesh!  I'll work on changing that.  I'm trying to be more active on here and on the nail blog.    As I mentioned on the nail blog, things have just been crazy and being pregnant makes me tired. I'm struggling to find the energy to blog.  

Let's jump right in.  Now that the weather is giving peeps of cooler temperatures, I've been in the mood for some of my deeper fragrances.  I've pulled out two great fall perfumes.  The first is a Bath & Body Works Eau De Toilette in Sensual Amber.  This one is really nice alone as well as layered with things like vanilla. Mmmm!  I've given a full review on it HERE.

The second fragrance is wildly popular and well known.  It is Thierry Mugler Alien.  While I do have the EDP (eau de parfume), the particular one I have been wearing recently is the EDT (eau de toilette).  I dab on only the tiniest of bits, otherwise it becomes extremely overpowering.  I haven't put up a review on the EDT as of yet, but it is very similar to the EDP...so, if you'd like to see my full review on that one, it can be found HERE.

This past month I've been reaching for these two eyeliners quite often.  The first is by Ulta and it is in the color Moss.  I've been wearing it on the upper and the lower lid.  I like to smudge it out just a bit.  The second liner I constantly reach for is the very popular Rimmel ScandalEyes in Nude.  I've only worn this on my waterline.  I love that it takes away any redness from lack of sleep and gives me a wonderful bright-eyed look.  I highly recommend that to EVERYONE!

For my shadows I have gone more fallish.  I'm really loving the autumn-like colors in my makeup.  The two that I've gone for most frequently are Wet n Wild Envy and Ulta Safari.  They're both so pigmented and rich.  The Wet n Wild one is, admittedly, more buttery.  Both are beautiful, though!

I am a huge fan of stains.  I love them for hot weather because they last so well and are lightweight.  I love them for the cool weather because they look very natural and wind-kissed.  Let's just agree that they are awesome all the time.  The first one is Vincent Longo in the color Liquid Kiss.  The second is Pixi Sheer Cheek Gel in Rosy.  These are both good reds.  They look amazing on the cheeks AND the lips. The Vincent Longo one is a touch more berry-red in its coloring while the Pixi one is more of a true red.

I know people prefer to see swatches as they'd be worn, but I didn't prepare ahead and take photos as I wore them. Sorry!

1. Ulta eyeliner in Moss
2. Rimmel eyeliner in Nude
3. Wet n Wild shadow in Envy
4. Ulta shadow in Safari
5. Pixi stain in Rosy
6. Vincent Longo stain in Liquid Kiss

March 2013 Favorites

Wow!  I haven't done one of these for quite a while, now have I?  It has been something like four months, I think. Ah well.  Anyway, I decided to round up some of the items that I have given quite a bit of love to this past month.

A general listing of items is as follows:

• Coconut oil
• CoverGirl Clump Crusher mascara
• Rimmel Moisture Renew lipstick in Nude Delight
• CoverGirl foundation in 805 Ivory
• Milani blush in Luminoso
• Thierry Mugler Alien EDT
• Physicians Formula quad in Classic Nudes
• Maybelline Color Tattoo in Bad To The Bronze
• Maybelline Lash Discovery mascara
• Ulta Automatic liner in Teal Blue
• Wet n Wild palette in Vanity

Something that I forgot to grab for the photograph is

• Essie Van D'Go nail polish

As for the coconut oil, I have been using it for quite a while now and keep buying new jars when I run out.  I have done a post on shaving with coconut oil, and I'm still doing that.  It works better than any other soaps or shave cream I've ever used.  I've also been using it to remove my makeup at the end of the day.  It breaks everything down with extreme ease and is natural.  Win-Win!  Most recently, though, I've been using it in the evening as an intensive eye cream.  I use the tiniest amount on and around my eyes.  Also, I tried using it in a bath one evening.  It feels amazing and once out of the tub, it is still on the body.  It soaks in and you will have the softest skin since infancy!   I have to warn, though, that you shouldn't dunk your hair into the water and not wash it afterwards.  I had showered before taking my bath and didn't bother to avoid getting my hair in the bath water.  When my hair dried, I looked like I hadn't showered in months, it was so filled with coconut oil.  I will admit, I left it.  I wasn't leaving the house, just staying in doing house cleaning.  So, I left it in for 24 hours and washed it out the next night.  Consider it a deep conditioning...HA!  The feel drove me nuts, though, so I did keep it in a bun.

As for my perfume of choice...  I have done a review on my blog about the EDP and said that I wasn't the biggest fan of it.  It isn't that I hate it, but it is quite strong.  Well, the EDT has a very, very similar smell and at first I felt the same way.  However, over the winter I've been using them both and have actually come to really enjoy them.  I've been wearing the ETD the most through March, though. 

The rest of my makeup isn't anything too fancy.  I've been very neutral with my eyes and lips...even cheeks.    However, because of this, I did decide to squeeze in some pretty teal liner several days.  With it having been slipping into spring, I figured I was safe to do a small burst of color.  It is quite lovely on blue eyes.

So, that is it.   My selection of products for the month of March. 

Alien Sunessence Eau De Toilette

There is no mistaking this perfume (or Eau De Toilette, rather.  I am sure die hard fragrance fans will cringe with how often I will refer to this as a perfume).  It is easy to tell that it is a member of the Thierry Mugler Alien perfume family.  This particular one is Alien Sunessence.  If it is possible to find a lighter, more warm weather appropriate version of Alien, this is likely to be the one.

This came out in early 2009, along side the Angel Sunessence fragrance.  It is marketed to be a lighter, more summery scent.  Granted, you can't really make any version of Alien light, as we would traditionally think (ie: all the fruity floral perfumes floating around).

I only have a mini of this perfume, seeing as I was uncertain how I would really feel about it, and how often I'd wear it.  The bottle is very beautiful, even as a small one.  It's a sunshine yellow that is shaped almost like a jewel. It is supposed to look like a citrin gem. It is a spray bottle, which is a bit unique to mini sized perfumes.  Most have the little cap that you have to pull off and then dab the juice (or liquid) onto your skin. It cannot stand up, as the base is pointed, so it lays on its side. I choose to keep my perfumes in their boxes, so it does stand upright inside of the box while it is stored away with the rest of my fragrances.  I would suggest being careful if you have the mini and want to keep it out on display, laying on its side.  My bottle leaked a bit in transit after purchase.  I think it was completely due to the way it lays.

I am not one of those on the Alien obsessed train, but I do like Sunessence much, much more.  It is somewhat lighter and more pleasant to my nose. It opens very heavy on jasmine, as you'd expect from any Alien, but also has traces of fresh lemon.  The lemon is almost overpowered by the jasmine, however, the hints of lemon are just enough to make this feel more bright. Alien can be almost chokingly strong, but this one I can stand right from the initial spritz. 

After about a half hour of wear, it calms down just the tiniest bit.  It is still powerful, but seems to have settled somewhat.  At this point, I feel that it takes on more of a clean smell.  It reminds me of stepping out of the shower and the smells of shampoo and body wash still clinging to the skin.

I don't find that this really develops or changes too awfully much throughout wearing it.  While it mellows out some, I still really pick up on the same set of fragrance notes.  The listed notes are: lemon, jasmine, cashmeran, amber, vanilla, and green notes.

All in all, I really like this fragrance. I am able to handle it much more easily.  I find it to have a powerful kick, but not enough to bowl me over.  It is crisp enough to be absolute perfection in the spring and summer.  Heck, it is still winter and I've been enjoying it lightly spritzed onto my wrists.   I think if you like the original Alien, you might appreciate this as a younger, more playful (but still classy) sister to it.  Further, if you are someone who really wanted to love Alien, but just couldn't get beyond how strong it is, this would be the perfect way to still get your Alien fix.... in a lighter dose! 

Please keep in mind that while I describe this as lighter and more fresh smelling than the original Alien perfume, it is not at all a light fragrance by today's standards.  It most definitely is lighter when you compare the usual Theirry Mugler perfumes, though. I just wanted to stress that because I don't want someone to be persuaded to purchase this, and then be shocked by what they receive. 

Thierry Mugler Alien (EDP)

Alien is a rather popular perfume by Thierry Mugler.  It was launched in 2005 and created by Dominique Ropion and Laurent Bruyere.  Most people will know of Angel, but Alien is supposed to take to the other side of the spectrum.

I bought this one as another blind buy.  For the most part, those who test Alien can clearly tell you if they love or hate it.  There is a small group that are torn, but that is a small percentage.  I find that I fall in that middle crowd.

When I first put this perfume on, it opens extremely strong.  I am talking bowl-you-over heavy! The scent is sharp and thick with jasmine. I am very glad I read a ton of reviews before I ever wore this perfume because I knew to apply lightly.  I put one little dab onto my wrist and then rubbed them together.  That was more than enough.  I could smell this even when my arms were down at my sides.  That should give you an idea of just how strong this perfume is.  I didn't enjoy the deep inhale of it as it was just too much.  However, a light whiff of it was okay from afar.

After about 30 minutes it does soften up, but it is still quite strong.  I wouldn't say that it has become very mild like some perfumes will have done after a half hour.  This is still rather fresh and pungent.  However, at this point it takes on something of a soapy quality.  It starts to remind me of that fresh from the shower kind of smell.  It seems artificial...the scents I pick up on are definitely not natural-found ones.

After an hour, it is finally working its way into something I can start to enjoy. I am able to breathe it in more deeply to pick up on more notes besides strong, harsh jasmine. The smell of jasmine is still there, don't get me wrong, but it is more tame and settled in.  I can now pick up on the amber note, which makes it a tiny bit more welcoming. Initially, it is rather stand-offish but the amber brings a bit of coziness.  Don't let that fool you, though.  This is most definitely NOT a cozy scent, over all.   It is more sweet and sexy, though, at this point.

Somehow this is a complex perfume, yet only contains three notes! So many perfumes are a hodge-podge of three dozen scents fighting for their shining moment yet you'll never detect them all.

This is another fragrance that a lot of men will wear, too.  I smell a very womanly fragrance from this one.  I don't remotely pick up on anything that hints at a masculine fragrance.  I have tried and tried to figure out how a man would wear this one, but I just can't.  And a lot of male reviews are out there about this perfume. To me, it is a bomb of femininity!


This isn't at all a "warm" fragrance.  It is quite "cold", in fact. I like scents that meld with the skin and have that cozy kind of feel when you smell them.  This doesn't at all do that for me. It seems to be a perfume that sits on top of the skin.

I also find this to be a perfume for the more mature crowd.  I really cannot see a young girl pulling this one off.   I'd say mid to late 20's and beyond is the age range for Alien (and part of me feels that is even pushing it).

Over all, I will say it again.  I am of the minority who fall in that middle ground.  I don't absolutely hate this perfume, though I definitely don't adore it.  I don't enjoy the opening, as it reminds me of a funeral home.  After it has calmed down and the hints of warmth have crept in, I do think it is more pleasant to wear.  It still isn't enough to push me to reach for this bottle over others, though. I feel it is worth the scent experience for everyone to try.  I do believe it is worthy of that much.