Review: Burberry Body

 

I've always been a fan of Burberry fragrances. My signature scent throughout high school and college was the original Burberry fragrance, and I really haven't encountered one of their perfumes that I DIDN'T like.

That said, this weekend, for my birthday, we picked up the small bottle of the 2011 Burberry release, Burberry Body. I must say, despite all of the tepid to scathing reviews, I'm quite enamoured of this fragrance.

I'm notoriously bad at picking out the subtleties of a perfume, but when I smell this gem, I think clean florals. I can also detect a little fruitiness. On the dry down, it comes across as warm and inviting.

Here's what Fragrantica (an amazing resource for perfume hoarders like me) has to say:

Body Burberry is a luxury chypre - fruity composition that begins with notes of fresh green absinthe, peach and freesia. Roses and iris are in the heart, leaning on the base of sandalwood, cashmerean, musk, amber and vanilla.

I can easily see this becoming my new signature. And it doesn't hurt that I'm obsessed with the packaging.

 

Score!

 Are you a self-professed makeup junky like me?

 

Then run to the nearest Burke's Outlet (We have them in the South. Not sure if they are everywhere.) and look in the makeup section.

Why?

Because I just found Stila Lip Enamel gloss for $3.99...They are originally $20+.

I love a bargain. *sigh* I picked up Giggle (hot pink), Joy (sheer red), and Euphoria (berry). I am happy to report that these glosses are long lasting and not sticky. 

Definitely the find of the year makeup-wise!

 

I just FEEL smarter...

 Remember my discovery of Coastal.com? Free glasses?

They came in early last week, and they are perfect! The prescription is spot on, and I've been very pleased with the quality. 

A little outlandish,yes. But I love them! 

 I also popped back in to the site to check out some of their other prices, and they have another special going on for Valentines. $50 off of your order when you add a lens upgrade. So considering another pair!

 

 

Free Nerd Chic Glasses? Why, yes, I will!

I've never been one of those people who only wore their glasses at home...You know? Where no one else would possibly see them?

I've pretty much always been a glasses loving n.e.r.d. Especially funky, trendy frames in unexpected colors. Unfortunately, glasses are expensive. I'm pretty sure every optometrist must have ten kids to put through college, because glasses usually put a crimp in my purse budget.

 

Knock, knock...

Who's there? 

Costal Contacts

I stumbled across this gem of a site while watching YouTube videos.

And do you know what? They have a promo code for a free (FREE) pair of prescription glasses! (Firstpairfree)

Check out these puppies:

 

 

 

 Yeah, that's a multiplication and division sign on the corners. Be jealous. These are so mine.

 

And I only paid shipping. *Sigh*

 

 

Loreal Voluminous

So, I've been trying to use Loreal Voluminous mascara for the past two days. And I must confess, I just don't get it. It makes my lashes look beautiful, but after a few hours....I'm smudge city. I can clean it up, but in another hour or so, I'm looking like rocky raccoon again.

Everyone else seems to love this mascara. Is it just me having these problems?


Thank you all for the comments on my last post! I'm so glad to be back. :)

Okay. So I'm a bad blogger (And a few favorite products!)

I know. I promised some posts, and I went AWOL. I have no excuses....Other than:

1. I'm working on a few big projects at work. I'm in charge of fundraising for Relay for Life for our plant, and I'm also the new publicity chair for the county's Relay for Life.
2. I'm going to Colorado for training in relation to one of my big projects. I'm doing some work for all four plants, and I have to learn a new software, which is based out of Colorado...What a hardship, right?
3. I'm having some medical problems. Nothing to worry about, I hope, but I'm going to a neurologist in April. I'm taking a medicine for nerve pain in my skin, and it makes me really loopy.

But here is some new info about products I'm OBSESSED with right now:

1. Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure (?) in Thinking of Blue. I may have the name wrong, but this shade is the perfect cream navy blue. The formulation is amazing. Go directly to Walmart, do not pass go. Buy this stuff! It is a top, base, and it has a hardener in it as well, I believe. I use two coats, and they last for days!

2. Tresemme Brunette/Red head shampoo (Brown bottle)- I'm not usually one to rave about shampoos, but this product is perfect. It really removes nasty color-changing deposits from my reddish/brown hair, and it leaves it shiny and soft. It also has a very nice scent as well.

3. Bath & Body Works HandiBac Anti-Bacterial Hand Lotion in Fresh Lemon - I hate lotions. No seriously. I only have three types of hand lotion I'll even consider using, and this is now one of my most favorites. It has surpassed Mary Kay Satin Hands for me!

4. Revlon Super Lustrous Lipgloss in Pink Whisper - This is the prettiest baby pink gloss ever. Yes, it is kind of sticky, but it is well worth it. It is glittery, but it isn't chunky. Just try it out! I fell in love with this shade, and I went back for the peach as well. They are my staples now.

Also, I'm on day 1 of my Revlon Color Stay Foundation, so I'll keep you posted on that. Does anyone have application tips? I don't use liquid foundation much, so I'm a little out of practice.

Again, I'm sorry I've been all MIA. I have missed the blogging community, and I hope to get back in the swing of things soon. Anybody living in Colorado want to come save me from the big bad airport? :-/

At home dermabrasion

While bargain hunting at Marshall's recently, I found a nifty little product that I was pretty excited to pick up to the tune of $12.99: Neutrogena Pure Glow Microdermabrasion.

The kit is basically all you need to give your skin a new glow at home. Here is what you get:

You also get 2 AA batteries to run your little scrubber thing. 

The foam pad that covers the machine is replaceable, as is the cream with aluminum oxide micro-crystals. 

The instructions basically tell you to wash your makeup off, dip the wand into the cream, and dot it on your skin on your forehead, cheeks, nose, and chin. You then use the wand to buff the cream around your skin (no more than 2 minutes in any place), and you get a choice of 2 speeds. When you're done, you wash the cream off with a warm water and moisturize with your favorite cream.

You repeat this process nightly for 7 days (every other day if you have sensitive skin). After that, you will continue to use the kit 1 to 3 times weekly.

I've been using it for about 3 days now, and I notice a difference in how my makeup goes on and how my skin looks. I feel like my moisturizer is more effective now, and I don't have any irritation from the system. I also feel like my skin is more "glowy" than normal. I will post a picture once I'm done with my 7 days.

I noticed on Makeup Alley there are a couple swaps available for this product if you can't find it in stores or online!

Remedy: Straight hair blues? You too can be a Curly Sue!

Okay, here's the deal:

I have very straight hair. I have never had good luck with curling tools: rollers, curling irons, etc. They just don't give me the perfect curls I have always longed for. Until....Dum da da dum!

I heard about this neat product:

Photo courtesy of Curlformers.com

Curlformers is a no-heat, curling tool that you can use to give you perfect curls every time! I have been using these for about 8 months now, and I have been in love with them from day one.

Here's how they work:

In Sally's you can purchase the Curlformers themselves, which are flexible plastic tubes that are pre-twisted into ringlets, and you can also get the "hook" you need to pull your hair through them.

Basically, you take the hook and slide it through the curlformer, hook it on to a small section of hair (damp is preferable) and pull the hair through the curler. That's pretty much it. It takes a little practice to get used to it, but you can re-use your Curlformers indefinitely.

How many do I need?

When I purchased my Curlformers, I had barely shoulder length, pretty fine hair. I only need one package of the "Long and Wide" Curlformers. They come in different sizes, and the girls at Sally's can usually tell you what you'll need. You can also buy these things in a kit with a bunch of different sizes and a hook, but that gets pretty expensive. Now, I have hair past my shoulders, and I feel like my hair is a bit thicker. I can still get curls without buying an extra package, but I have to be careful how I section my hair.

Pros and Cons:


1.They are kind of expensive. I think I paid a little more than $20 for my little starter kit.
2. They are indestructible. Well, basically. They stayed curled no matter how many times you use them.
3. For me to get the best curls, I put them on damp hair and sleep on them, which ain't the best night's sleep I've ever had. You CAN blow dry them, but that seems to take too long for me.
4. No joke, these curls last for HOURS. I spray them with a bit of hairspray, and I'm out the door.


Nobody paid me for my endorsement, and I bought everything on my own. I do highly recommend them to ladies avoiding heat styling. Check out their website: http://www.curlformers.com . Or go to Sally's to see them in person!

That's me on my first try with Curlformers.

Knock it Off!

Who hasn't at one time or another been curious about fake (Knock off) purses, perfume, sunglasses, or what have you? It gives you a little boost to have "the real thing," but have you ever indulged in a little harmless "foolery" ?

Today, I was strolling around Cato's waiting on my interviewer to finish assisting a customer, and I stumbled upon a stand of "Inspired By" perfumes. Preferred Fragrance Inc. puts out several perfumes that are modeled after extremely popular designer brands. They attempt to package them in similar packaging and do it for an insane price. Read: $4.99 for a gigantic bottle.

Now, in most cases, you get what you pay for. I was, however, pleasantly surprised by some of the fragrances on display. Bamberry Weekend (Burberry Weekend) was a lovely scent as well as the mock DKNY's Be Delicious, whose name I forget. Since they were so affordably priced, I picked up La Vida Loca, the Viva La Juicy knock off.

I pick up a lot of berry notes in this and citrus (which are present in the designer fragrance), and I think I am smelling the floral in it as well. My husband loves it!

The staying power of these types of perfumes isn't that good, but for $5, I'm not really ticked about it. It did last longer than I thought it would, and since it is packaged so nicely, I won't mind a bit toting this around with me for a midday spritz. It's a bit of harmless fun, and I can save my special perfume (Burberry London) for special occasions!

Initial Review: Clinique 7 Day Scrub

Confession: I am the world's worst about actually taking care of my skin. No joke. I'm terrible about not putting on sunscreen, and I rarely exfoliate...And...Shh! I don't take my makeup off every night. I know! It's bad. But, I'm getting to the age where if I don't start taking care my skin somehow, I'm going to look like a Jim Henson creature from The Dark Crystal.


Enter Clinique 7 Day Scrub. I received a sample of this with a gift-with-purchase, and I tried for the first time last night. 

Photo courtesy of Amazon.com

All in all, the texture is not as gritty as some I have tried that made me feel like I was going at my face with sandpaper. It had just enough texture to make me feel like I was doing something. Afterwards, it rinsed off fairly easily, and my skin felt very smooth. After applying my Dramatically Different, I really did feel the difference in the texture of my skin. I'll have to try it a few more times to tell you what I really think of it. Here is what Clinique has to say:

"Nudges away roughness, flakiness to refine skin. Helps lessen the appearance of fine lines. Clears the way for moisture. Suitable for all skin types."

It was also voted a "Reader's Choice" by Allure Magazine.

Has anyone else tried this product?

Quickie Lippie

This weekend I was able to pick up another nude lippie that I'm loving. Clinique's High Impact Lip Color in Nude Beach is a lovely and wearable shade. I picked it up looking for an alternative to Mac's Honeylove, which I have an on again-off again relationship with. Honeylove is gorgeous, but somedays, it just doesn't work for me. Nude Beach is very moisturizing and has a very subtle shine.

Nude Beach is on the left; Honeylove is on the right.

As you can see, NB is a little darker and has a pinker base, but I think they are two great shades to have in your arsenal.

Update on Cell Phone

Let me just say a big old thank you to Walmart and AT&T!! They went ahead and got my upgrade pushed through, and Takeisha and Connie of WM helped me get everything set up and switched from BB to Nokia!

Update on Pros / Cons of Nokia:

Pros - Screen clarity (Gorgeous), sound, customizable, easy to navigate, reads messages aloud, tells you who is calling.

Cons - Slightly weird keyboard, doesn't allow full track ringtones

Cell phones?

Okay, so I'm due for an upgrade from AT&T (Hallelujah!). Upgrades always sneak up on me, because it seems like just yesterday I got my Blackberry Curve 8310. In light of this, I'm going to do a quick review of the BB and post a couple of cheapie PDA's that I'm considering for my new phone.

Blackberry Curve 8310

                                                                     Image courtesy of CNET

Pros:

-Customizable! You can change menus, ringtones, backgrounds, colors, EVERYTHING. There are tons of free themes out there from great designers such as Nancy Drew, etc.
-Kitchen sink phone. It will do everything but buy your groceries. Facebook, Twitter, email, messenger, text, mms, video, photo, audio notes, internet, etc.

Cons:

-Freezes. A lot. I've read a lot of reviews about this and experienced it first hand. If you don't do daily maintenance (delete messages, clean memory, etc), you will want to kick this phone. It once took me five minutes to get my phone to clear the unlock screen.
-Plastic casing scratches easily. I didn't have this phone for a week before I had two bad nicks in it. And I babied this sucker.
-I have a lot of errors. Not sure what's up with that, but I get a lot of "uncaught exceptions." No bueno.

Overall:

I love the Blackberry brand. This is my second BB, and I would probably get one again...Provided I could upgrade to the Bold or Tour.


What am I switching to?

                                                                      Image courtesy of CNET
                    
The Nokia E71X is a steel frame construction, super slim dynamo. It is currently the thinnest qwerty smartphone available, according to CNET. I wasn't originally sold on this baby, but after doing some extensive research, I'm super psyched to get this sucker tomorrow! It is also one of the cheapest available to me at $29.00!

Features:

Wifi, music player, camera, qwerty, GPS, etc etc. I'm most excited about the Wifi and the very sturdy casing. Can't wait to use this baby!!!

Epheriell Designs!

Endless Forest Lariat Silver Necklace - $23

Silver Spirals Urban Sterling Silver Earrings - $18

Artist Jessica Van Den's jewelry designs are sleek, modern, and fantastically priced. I read about her on Down and Out Chic, and I'm officially in love with her Etsy shop. I already have several pieces picked out to give as gifts. And a few to give to myself ;)

Pixi Makeup Kit Review

Picked up this makeup kit at Target to replace some makeup that I threw out, and I decided it was good for a quick review:


Pixi makeup is apparently a brand out of England that Target is now carrying along with Boots. I picked up their Must Haves kit in No. 3 Ravishing Rosy. 

  

Pros:

-Compact kit. Fits easily in my purse.

-Brushes feel great. Shed a little but not much.

-Good color payoff. 

Cons:

-Lip glosses are a little grainy.

-Every single product is glittery. You have to be careful not to go overboard. I would have preferred a matte option in blush.

-It is hard to fit a powder compact or lipstick in the kit.

Overall:

I like the look the kit provides. I tame down the shimmery effect by tapping my brush off and just applying a very tiny bit of the blush, which is really all you need. It comes off as a nice pretty look. I definitely like being able to throw a complete makeup look in my bag! 

There are also two other color combinations available, so be sure to check them out at Target!

OPI Polishes, Fall Favorites!

1. Owl Ring - $7.99 at Rue 21. I love owls, and this ring was a great price for a good statement ring. Love it!

2. Boots - $29.99 at Charlotte Russe. LOVE them. I haven't had a pair of boots in a really long time, and these were love at first sight. They have a nice chunky heel and a great buckle detailing.

3. You Don't Know Jacques by OPI - $8.50 at Ulta. I love this nice muddy grey color. Today is really nasty and rainy outside, so I painted my nails to match the clouds. :) It did take 2 coats to get a nice opaque color, so be forewarned.

4.  Barefoot in Barcelona, Miami Beet, You Don't Know Jacques, and Parlez Vou OPI (sp?) - Buy 2, Get 2 at Ulta. I've only tried Barefoot and YDKJ, but so far...I'm loving them! This was my first time using OPI polishes, and I'm really impressed by the quality of the brand.

Hands on!

My hands have been super dry for the last couple of weeks, and I am healing two tattoos on the inside of both my pointer fingers. Not cool. For those of you who are having dry skin problems during these cooler days, try Suave's Advanced Therapy Moisturizer. I'm really loving it. I put a dab of Aquaphor on my tattoos, and I coat my hands with Suave. No irritation for the tats so far. I have also used a dab of Clinique's Dramatically Different Moisturizer on my hands, and I thought that worked really well also.

In and Out

Saw this post on Lollipop26's blog, and I loved the idea of it. Here are mine:

In:

Lighter hair for fall- I have had black hair for a couple months now (I usually go to black hair for fall.), and I decided to lighten it up for a change. I chose a medium auburn shade, and I'm loving it. I think it really brightened up my skin.

Purples and magentas- I recently picked up a few new pieces of clothing, and I'm really gravitating to the purples and violet colors for this season. I think they are really beautiful, and they add a nice pop of color against dark jeans.

Moisturizing religiously- I have just recently seen the light as far as moisturizing regularly. I am using Clinique's Dramatically Different every day. It is wonderful!!

Out:

Washing my hair every single day- It is true. You can skip a day. It is better for your color and for the actual hair. I wash every other day most of the time. I let my hair dry naturally, and I section it and flat iron. I use Sally's generic flat iron guard spray. I don't have to use very high heat, because my hair is naturally straight. I can sleep on it, and it still looks good for the next day!

Dressing for a size- Do NOT, I repeat, do NOT look at the size of that shirt or those pants. Look at the fit! Don't say, "I'll buy it in a size smaller and work my way into it." Don't set yourself up for failure there. Look great at every size by buying clothes that fit you properly. Buy a few special pieces and inexpensive staples. When you do drop those pounds, you can easily replace them.

New favorite things:

1. Hard candy plumping serum volumizing lip gloss- You can buy this at Walmart for about $6. It makes your lips tingle, and it does seem to plump them up a bit.

2. Clinique's different lipstick in Spiced Apple- This lipstick is sheer and flattering on everyone. I usually hate lipsticks, and I can't get enough of this one. It's currently part of a gift with purchase.

3. Brushlab's hairbrush mirror combo- Pink hairbrush with a big round mirror back. Nuff said. Find it at Walgreens for about $7

4. Casio exilim 10.1 mp camera- Great for throwing in your purse. Walmart has great deals on this camera. I still use my big kodak for really important stuff, but this camera has a rechargeable battery.

5. Clinique superpowder double face makeup- Great coverage that doesn't look cakey. I'm usually an all mineral girl, but I'm being won over hard core.