Guest post: Perfume Collection Part II (my sister's collection)

Hi everyone!

I've mentioned a few times that I have a twin sister.  We're very close and do a lot of things together.  We also share a lot of things like clothes, shoes, bags etc and also perfume!  So continuing on from my previous perfume collection post, I thought I'd do a quick review of the perfumes in her collection as well.

L-R: Moschino Couture (back); Cacharel Scarlett (front); DKNY Delicious Night (top); Viktor and Rolf Flowerbomb (bottom); Gucci Envy Me (back); Salvador Dali Purple Lips (front); Juicy Couture Viva La Juicy; Cacharel Liberté; YSL Young Sexy Lovely (top); DKNY Be Delicious Fresh Blossom (bottom); DKNY Be Delicious (top); DKNY Delicious Candy Apples Sweet Caramel (bottom)

I've already reviewed Flowerbomb, Viva La Juicy and Young Sexy Lovely in my original perfume collection post so I won't repeat myself!  Feel free to read back over the original post if you are interested in my thoughts on these fragrances.

As you can see, my sister is quite fond of the DKNY Delicious fragrances.  In fact, if I recall correctly, Be Delicious (the original one) was her first real "grown up" perfume, a Christmas present from our parents a few years ago.  So I guess I should start with these.

Be Delicious is a nice light fragrance with a very fruity note to it.  It's quite crisp and fresh so it's perfect for hot Summer days when you want a fragrance that is not too heavy.

She describes Fresh Blossom as one of her favourites.  It is more floral than the original with a strong scent of rose, but still very light and great for everyday wear as well.

Delicious Night is a much spicier, heavier fragrance which is great for night-time wear.

Finally, Candy Apples Sweet Caramel is a warmer version of the original with notes of vanilla and caramel.  This is quite sweet, but still light enough for everyday wear.

She also has a few Cacharel perfumes.  I know most people probably think of Anais Anais (and their grandma!!) when they think of Cacharel, but Liberté and Scarlett are much younger fragrances suited for younger ladies and they are certainly very affordable.

Liberté is quite floral and citrus-y to begin with but dries on the skin to reveal soft vanilla and patchouli undertones.  Light enough for everyday wear.

Scarlett is an interesting fragrance, combining fruity orange blossom and woody sandalwood for a great everyday perfume.  The bottle of Scarlett is gorgeous too!  I'm told this was a steal for only $16!!

Purple Lips by Salvador Dali opens with a strong scent of violet and dries with notes of sandalwood and musk.  This is a more wintery fragrance but still light enough for everyday wear.

Gucci Envy Me is a nice sweet, floral which is suited for day wear in Summer.  I think the bottle design of this is really cute too!

Finally, we have Moschino Couture, which is quite a heavy, spicy fragrance with strong hints of vanilla and bergamot.  She recommends this for daywear in Winter time.

Sometimes, the thing I love most about perfumes is the bottle design....so here are a few from my sister's collection.

Cacharel Liberte; Gucci Envy Me

Cacharel Scarlett; YSL Young Sexy Lovely (limited edition bottle design)

DKNY Candy Apples Sweet Caramel; Salvador Dali Purple Lips

Hope this is interesting for some of you, thanks for reading!

Project 20 Pan: items 18 - 20

Hi everyone!

Today I'll be sharing my thoughts on items 18 - 20 of my project 20 pan.  Although I have finished 20 items, I'm not considering myself officially done yet, as I did say that I wanted to finish ten makeup items as part of the 20 and so far I've only finished nine.

L-R: YSL Young Sexy Lovely perfume; Red Earth Mattifying Makeup Base; Bourjois Healthy Mix foundation

Number 18 was a perfume, YSL's Young Sexy Lovely.  This has been discontinued so it was a bit sad to finish it, although I'm certain you can still get it at Priceline and maybe MyChemist or similar (plus I'm sure I could find it online as well).  I had this in my handbag as my everyday fragrance.  It's a nice light floral fragrance, and I get quite a strong citrus-y note from this as well.

The next product I finished was a primer, Red Earth's Mattifying Makeup Base.  I swatched this in my daily face routine post.  It's a silicon based primer so great for absorbing any oiliness which I sometimes get throughout the day.  I found this helped me achieve a matte finish which stayed in place for a reasonable amount of time (say 6-8 hours, if I wasn't doing anything too sweaty).  I think this has been discontinued though as Red Earth is not stocked in Priceline anymore (to my knowledge) and I haven't seen it elsewhere since it was discontinued from Priceline.

My 20th item was a Bourjois Healthy Mix foundation.  This was the lightest shade it comes in (light vanilla) and still way too dark for me, so I mixed this with my NYX foundation which is super light.  Apart from the limited colour range for pale skinned people like myself, I quite like this.  It has a fresh, fruity fragrance (but not too overpowering), blends quite nicely and doesn't feel heavy or cakey.  It apparently contains "Radiance Boosting Fruit Therapy" whatever that means....sounds like a bit of a gimmick to me, haha!  But overall, I quite liked this (apart from it being too dark).

For my final item(s), I am currently chippping away at a Revlon eyeliner and a Revlon lipgloss.  Hopefully I'll be finished by the end of February (which will mean a total of around six months without any new purchases).

Revlon lipgloss; Revlon eyeliner

Thanks for reading!

Project 20 Pan update: items 10 - 14

Hi everyone,
apologies for the lack of posting, I've just been crazy busy this past week and haven't had a chance to write anything.  Since my last Project 20 Pan post I've used up a few more items.  I've already given my thoughts on the Tommy Hilfiger Dreaming perfume, Covergirl pressed powder (I finished another one of these) and the Burt's Bees lip balm, but I also finished a Trilogy Moisturiser and a NYX foundation.

L-R: Burt's Bees Lip Balm; Trilogy Moisturiser; NYX Liquid Foundation; Covergirl Pressed Powder; Tommy Hilfiger Dreaming Perfume

I received the Trilogy Vital Moisturising Cream as a promotional gift when Trilogy had some kind of competition last year to sign up for their email list.  I have really enjoyed using this and will definitely purchase again, once I go through the two unopened moisturisers I have in my stash. It's a really light cream that blends and absorbs in perfectly without feeling greasy or sticky.  I used this morning and night and it gave my skin a really nice glow (I think this is from the Rosehip as I've heard that Rosehip oil is great for adding a nice glow to your skin).  I also really liked the fragrance, it was a nice fresh, kind of earthy fragrance that was not too overpowering (earthy makes is sound like dirt, haha!  I really don't know how else to describe it, but it wasn't a dirt smell!).  My only criticism would be the packaging - I think a squeezable tube is more hygenic than a jar you dip your fingers in everyday.  Obviously I wash my hands first, but I think a tube is better packaging than a jar.

The next product was a NYX The Makeup Liquid Foundation.  This is probably my HG foundation as it is the only affordable foundation I have been able to find in a shade light enough for my skin.  This is, in fact, a teeny bit too light (so I mix it 2 parts to 1 with a Bourjois foundation that is slightly too dark for me), which is a world first for "drugstore" foundations.  Usually I try the lightest shade in a drugstore foundation, generally labeled as "porcelain" or "vanilla", and what does it look like on my pale skin? Orange!!  I would say Maybelline is probably the worst offender in this department. Covergirl does have some ok lighter shades, as does Revlon.  But I don't even bother trying Maybelline, L'Oreal or Max Factor foundations anymore.  Anyway, back to the NYX foundation, it is a great colour match for me, which is really the most important thing for me.  It gives good coverage though and doesn't break me out or make my oily or anything like that.  I would highly recommend that any fair skinned gals like me try this out if you are sick of budget level foundations making you look like an oopma loompa.

For any Melbournites looking for the NYX foundation, it is stocked at Groove accessories for around $20 or so, but the cheapest place I have found in Melbourne is at the shopping center above Southern Cross (aka Spencer St) station.  Between Blockout and the perfume outlet store (called Cosmetics Fragrance Direct or something like that), there is a clothing store which looks like one of those temporary outlet places and on the counter they have a display of various NYX products.  They sell the foundation for $5.  I haven't been to Southern Cross for a while though, so I can't be 100% certain that this store is still there, because it did look kind of temporary.

So this brings my Project 20 Pan total to 14 which means I only have six more items to go.  Although I did promise myself that I would finish at least 10 makeup items and thus far I have only finished six, so depending on what the next six items are, I may have to make it a Project 21 or 22 Pan.  Hopefully I'll be finished sometime early in the new year.  I already have a list as long as my arm of things I want to buy, haha!

Thanks for reading!!

Project 20 Pan items 6 - 9

Hi everyone,

In the past few weeks I have finished off a few more items for my Project 20 Pan.

Covergirl Olay Primer, Ralph Lauren Romance Perfume, Maybelline Coversitck Concealer and The Body Shop Touche Lumiere Concealer

Covergirl Olay Primer - this is a silicone based primer and gives a good matte surface for your makeup.  I really liked this and will repurchase after P20P is over, however, priced at around $25, this is one of the pricier "drugstore" primers so I would tend to wait until this goes on sale.  Also, this primer is good for absorbing oil from your skin throughout the day to prevent your foundation from sliding off, however it was not the most moisturing of products (I use a moisturiser underneath) so I would probably not recommend this for people with dry skin.  Don't be alarmed by the opaque, completely white colour of this, it blends in nicely and won't make you look like a geisha!

Ralph Lauren Romance Perfume - I gave my thoughts on this in my Perfume Collection post so I won't bore you by repeating myself!

Maybelline Coverstick Concealer - this product was ok, nothing special but does what it is supposed to do.  Sometimes I like to use a cream concealer (as opposed to liquid) on days when I have more to hide (e.g. pimples, very dark undereye circles etc).  I like the idea of a stick as I think it is probably a little more hygenic than a pot that you stick your finger in everyday.

The Body Shop Touche Lumiere - I like to think of this as a rip-off of Touche Eclat (which I purchased earlier this year, but am yet to try out).  It's a liquid undereye concealer in one of those automatic twisty brush type contraptions.  This has a peachy orange tone which is good for cancelling out the blue/purple tones of undereye circles, which I often have.  I'm still searching for the perfect thing to cover them and I have my eye on a few products from Benefit, once P20P is done...although I think the perfect solution would probably be to get more sleep, but I don't have time for this!  Touche Lumiere has good pigmentation and covers discolouration quite well.  As far as I'm aware, this product has been discontinued.

I'm now almost halfway though, how exciting!!  I have been tempted a few times, but so far I have managed to resist.  A few items thus far have been skincare, perfume and lip balm.  It was part of my original plan to include these, however I think I will add a clause to my Project 20 Pan.  As I think that makeup items are really what I have too much of, I have decided that as part of the 20 items which I use up, a minimum of 10 items must be makeup items.

Thanks for reading!!

Perfume Collection

Hi everyone!  Today I will be giving a brief overview of my perfume collection and some insights into a few fragrances that I really love.  I enjoy wearing perfume and trying out new fragrances and have built up a small collection of different fragrances over the past few years.

Let’s start with perfume oils.  I have three of these, all from the Body Shop, in the fragrances Clementine, sandalwood and tea rose.  These are very concentrated fragrances and you only need a tiny amount so the 15ml bottles will last a long time.  As you can see, I’ve barely made a dint in any of them.  They are fairly reasonably priced at around $18 each, however I think a lot of the scents have been discontinued (at the time I purchased these I think there was quite a large range, but now only four different fragrances appear on the website).

Clemetine (or Satsuma) is a citrus fragrance which is nice and light and perfect for summer when you don’t feel like a heavy fragrance.  Sandalwood is a spicy, woody fragrance which is much heavier and more suited to night time wear.  Tea rose is a nice floral.  It’s hard to say a lot about these as they really are what they say they are!  Whilst each oil has a single fragrance, they can be worn alone, or blended to make up your own customised fragrance.  I personally haven’t experimented with this as I’m not sure than any of the three I own would work well together but I can imagine, for example, vanilla and sandalwood being quite nice together.  They are also very long wearing.

Left to right: Clementine (Satsuma), Sandalwood, Tea Rose

Next up is Vera Wang.  As you can see, I am obsessed with the "Princess" perfumes.  I have just recently finished a 30ml of the original Princess and I have a 100ml in reserve (which I am planning to try to decant into the 30ml bottle).  This is a nice fruity/floral fragrance with strong hints of vanilla.  I wear this as an everyday fragrance.  Then, there is Flower Princess which is similar, but a little less sweet and more floral.  I get more hints of rose from Flower Princess.  This is also great for everyday wear.  I also have Rock Princess which I haven't opened yet, however I am planning to use this as an evening/night fragrance when my current night fragrance has run out as this is a more musky/woody fragrance.  Another thing I love about the Princess series, is the bottle design - it's so cute!!  I have tested Glam Princess as well (the newest addition to the series) and I really do like it - perhaps I will purchase it once I have finished one or two of my current Princess fragrances.

Left to right: Rock Princess, Flower Princess, Princess, empty Princess

Glam Princess - image sourced from www.fragrancenet.com

I have two Gucci perfumes: Flora and Gucci by Gucci.  Flora is a lovely, light floral with hints of citrus and rose, perfect for day wear.  Gucci by Gucci is quite a heavy spicy/oriental fragrance which I only ever wear in the evening/at night time.  The strongest notes I get from this fragrance are musk and patchouli.

Left to right: Gucci by Gucci, Gucci Flora

I couldn't really think of categories for the rest so I have just grouped the rest into what photographed nicely together haha!  So first up are the tall bottles, Hypnose Senses by Lancome and Viva La Juicy by Juicy Couture.  Hypnoses Senses is also quite spicy, but I find this light enough for day wear.  Viva La Juicy is a sweet floral fragrance, with hints of vanilla as well.  My sister wears this a lot and reports frequent compliments!  The bottle is gorgeous to look at as well!

Sorry, I couldn't get this to upload the right way up!  Top to bottom: Hypnose Senses and Viva La Juicy

Here we have Young Sexy Lovely by YSL and Romance by Ralph Lauren.  I probably have maybe three more days of wear left in Romance and I probably won't repurchase this.  It was a nice fragrance but I wasn't really crazy about it.  It's quite floral with strong notes of rose.  I use this for everyday wear.  As I mentioned the other day, I did quite like the newest edition to the Romance series, Summer Romance.  Romance Always Yours is also on my perfume wishlist.  Young Sexy Lovely is a very light fragrance with a strong citrus note.  Also for everyday wear.

Left to right: Young Sexy Lovely, Romance

And finally, Chloe by Chloe, Flowerbomb by Viktor and Rolf and Dreaming by Tommy Hilfiger.  This is the newer version of Chloe which was released in 2007 (there is an older fragrance of the same name) which is a nice, light floral rose-y fragrance.  I think this would suit casual use, however I haven't worn it on a regular basis yet.  Flowerbomb is quite a sweet floral fragrance.  I also get a hint of vanilla from this.  I love the bottle design of this one too!  Finally (I can almost hear sighs of relief!), we have Dreaming by Tommy Hilfiger, another sweet fruity/floral everyday fragrance.  I bought this in a 100ml on principle that it is generally the best value for money in terms of ml/$ but honestly, I am sick of it.  It's taking forever to use, so I think in future I will stick with either 30ml or 50ml because I enjoy experiementing with a variety of different fragrances and don't like being tied to a single one.

Left to right: FLowerbomb, Chloe and Dreaming

I should probably also mention that both my mother and myself are able to purchase wholesale priced perfumes through our workplaces and as such they are not all that expensive (compared to e.g. Daivd Jones, Myer etc).  I’m aware my collection is not huge by any means but it may be bigger than some so this is just a disclaimer for people who might wonder how a cash-strapped uni student such as myself can afford to buy all of the perfumes I have.  Also, my sister and I share some of these fragrances (we really share all of them, however some are "officially shared" as they were joint purchases).  Some I have also received as gifts for Christmas, birthdays etc.  Another disclaimer: I am aware that perfume doesn't keep forever!  I tend to have one or two on high rotation (at the moment, Dreaming and Romance) so they get used up within a reasonable amount of time.  Also, I store my perfumes in their original boxes and away from heat and sunlight which helps to extend the shelf life and try to refrain from opening them as soon as I get them and leave them in the protective shrink wrapping until I am ready to start using them.

I hope this is helpful/interesting to some people, I know I'm not an expert by any stretch but I did my best haha!

Perfume Wishlist + P20P update

Let me start by saying I love perfume!  In the past 1-2 years I have built up quite a collection, and I plan to do an overview of my collection in the near future (i.e. after exams), but for now, here are a few on my current wishlist....

Viktor and Rolf Eau Mega

Lancome Tresor In Love

Yves Saint Laurent Parisienne

Ralph Lauren Romance Always Yours

Dior Miss Dior Cherie L'eau

Images sourced from FragranceNet.com

Obviously these are planned purchases for a long way down the track, when I have finished off a few of my current perfumes.

In other news, yesterday, I finished product no. 4 of my Project 20 Pan, only 16 to go!  No 4. was a Covergirl pressed powder.

Have a great weekend!

Project 20 Pan

My interest in makeup and perfume is relatively recent (last 2-3 years) and I have amassed a reasonable collection in this amount of time.  I’d rather not think about how much I’ve spent haha!  I think in the beginning I was very “noob” about it and tended to go for quantity rather than quality.  Also, as I was very new to makeup, I tended to buy a lot of different brands just to try them out.  Now, I’d rather narrow down my collection to a smaller amount of products which I really enjoy using and use on a regular basis.  Also, I think my tastes, especially in eye makeup, have changed.  I used to wear a lot of colour and now I’m much more into more natural looks.  So some of the products which I have now don’t really suit me any more.  I’ll still probably purchase mostly “drugstore” brands (e.g. Revlon, Maybelline, Covergirl etc) as I’m still at uni and on a very limited budget, but I would like to save up for a few “splurge” type purchases as well.  Also, being in Australia, even brands like L’Oreal and Revlon get expensive (relative to my teeny-tiny uni student income).  “High end” brands (department store brands like MAC etc.) are just hideously expensive (unless purchased over the net – hooray strong Aussie dollar!)

I’ve gotten rid of a lot of things through the Vogue Forum Free for All thread (I like the idea of things I don’t want finding a new home rather than me just throwing them in the bin).  Perhaps the next time I do a cull I will do some kind of blog give away.

As a way for me to curb my spending on makeup, and also use up some products that have been lying around for a long time, I’ve decided to undertake Project 20 Pan (inspired by the Project 10 Pan, which I believe was coined by lollipop26 but has since been repeated in some shape or form by just about every beauty blogger).  So I am committing to not buying any new products until I have used up 20 items which are currently in my collection.  I’ve decided that the items may include makeup, perfume, nail polish and skincare, but not things like shampoo/conditioner, soap and face wipes etc (as I have seen on some blogs....seriously, what next? Toilet paper??)  The only exceptions will be if I completely run out of something (I think I may possibly run out of lip balm, but that’s not a very expensive item anyway).

I’m hoping that as well as helping to downsize my collection, this spending ban might also help me curb my addiction to buying new things (and save a bit of $$ as well).

So, after all that, what have I used up so far?

1.  Natio Ageless Brightening Eyecream

2. Vera Wang Princess Perfume

3. Nivea Light Kiss lip balm

My thoughts on these products:

Natio Eyecream – I really liked this and will probably re-purchase after I’ve finished P20P.  It has tiny light reflecting particles, kind of like glitter, but not actually glitter.  So it gives a kind of radiant look without making you look like a disco ball.

Princess Perfume – I love this perfume.  I bought it in a 30ml to use as my “handbag perfume” and I get a lot of compliments on it.  I bought a 100ml as a backup and am going to try to decant it into the 30ml bottle so I can keep it in my handbag (I don’t fancy lugging around a 100ml bottle of perfume in my handbag).  I would really recommend this fragrance, and best of all, it’s pretty cheap!  If you can get it on sale (at Priceline or My Chemist etc.) it’s usually around $30 or 30ml or $50 for 50ml.

Nivea Light Kiss – as I mentioned in the tag questionnaire, I didn’t really like this.  I think I bought it because it was on special at Priceline for like $1 or something.  Anyway, I’m not a huge fan of pot lip balms as I think they’re not very hygienic and you always get balm under your fingernails – gross!  Also, this seemed to separate after a few days of using it and had these funny little grains (of wax, I think) in it.  Remelting in the microwave fixed it, but I had to keep remelting it every week or so.  I definitely wouldn’t be repurchasing this (I think it might even be discontinued anyway).

The empties:

I cut the Natio Eyecream tube in half to get the dregs out of it - this is a great idea for making any products in tubes last a little bit longer.  I usually find I can get at least another week's worth of use out of things by cutting them open. 

Phew, that was a long post.  Thanks for reading (if anyone made it all the way to the end haha!)