Thursday, June 30, 2011

Sugarcandie Beauty Bar



http://www.sugarcandiebeautybar.com
Paid 5/23, delivered 6/27
I ordered scrubs during a sale with Sugarcandie42 for 42% off.

From the sundae shoppe:
girly girls love pink cotton candy - pink cotton candy+strawberry sugars
~ I really love this scent, just as described! Sweet and sugary strawberry cotton candy. The scrub is white and pink swirled together and topped with blue turbinado sugar and iridescent glitters!


bahama banana cotton candy - banana, coconut, cotton candy
~Definitely getting banana and coconut, not so much cotton candy but I love it. It reminds me of banana flavored snow cones from when I was a wee kiddo. Swirly yellows mingle in this jar which is also topped with blue turbinado sugar. Neat how the blue and yellow made some green there! Iridescent glitter finishes it off. :)


From the dark carnivale:
Mistress of the mansion - amber, vanilla, cotton candy (haunted mansion)
~I love foody and I love amber, so I could not resist ordering this one and I am definitely pleased with it. I cannot stop sniffing it. I didn't want to rinse and get out of the shower the day I tried it. Its heaven in a jar. If you like cotton candy and you like amber, this is a must have scent. This jar is swirly purple and white with spots of blue here and there, I believe it was topped with the blue sugar which appears to have kind of melded into the purple. It also has the glitter, like the other two.


And I took a macro shot of the scrub so you can see close up.


The samples are so yummy too, I didn't do a scent look up so I'm relying on the ol sniffer here. :)

Fresh and Flirti Romance Cake - I get lemon right off, and maybe grapefruit or ginger - something that has that sharp bite to it. I don't really smell cake but this is a sweet scent. There is a very light hint of something dark at play, perhaps a brulee of some sort but I'm not sure.

California Sunshine & Sugar - This is almost vitamin C smelling to me. There's definitely some sort of sugar there, but the vit C smell is sticking quite strongly to my nose. This may have lemon in it too, but I can't get past the vitamin smell. I totally loved this one two days ago, so maybe my sniffer is borked!

Pina Colada in Paradise - Straight up! Just like the name says, I could eat this. totally.

These products were bought with my own hard earned money and my review was not influenced by anyone or anything other than the products and my own experience.

Friday, June 24, 2011

Pink Bow Bath Boutique - Haul and Review


Website: pinkbowbathboutique.com
Order placed: June 16
CnS: June 22
Arrived: June 24
In photo: Everything that I ordered plus two freebie extras in the plastic wrapping. :) Very cutely packaged and surrounded by light pink tissue paper in a bubble envelope. Invoice and copy of my custom listing were enclosed with a nice note from Amy. I love it when shops include freebies, I know its an extra cost to them and totally do not expect them. Its such a generous and kind act and a very nice surprise!

Freebies:
Beach Time Body Frosting - The perfect blend of sand, sea, and warmed golden suntan lotion with hints of tropical fruit. This fragrance is sure to evoke cherished memories of Summer's past!
Body Frosting is a medium consistency and leaves a noticeable difference on my skin when absorbed. It feels soft kind of like those silicone livestrong bracelets. xD The scent is a mix of pina colada and something clean and fresh, and perhaps a vanilla base. Its not overly sweet or heavy and will be a good summer scent.

Pineapple Cilantro Beautiful Body Butter - This one may be a new fragrance, I could not find it on her fragrance list.
This scent is very refreshing, not heavy or sweet. I get pineapple but its not the bright overpowering pineapple I'm used to smelling, its almost got a creamy smell to it. There's something softening it in here and I almost want to say jasmine or some other really soft floral - this does not smell green or herbal at all. Its very refreshing, a little comforting and I think will be great for spring or fall.


On the flipside of that, I don't particularly like that there's tape over the scent label holding the ribbon in place. When I try to remove the tape, the scent label rips. I am having to cut the tape between the label and ribbon to be able to get the ribbons off without harming the label. After two containers I figured out I could remove the cap and just pull the ribbon off the tape, much easier. A bit of a pain to mess with still and I'd leave the ribbon there (its so cute!) if it wasn't taped in such a way as to where once the cap is removed the ribbon is on top of the threads of the jar mouth, making it impossible to screw the cap back on without catching the ribbon in between - so yep those are coming off. ;)
Also, those big tags that were tied on with ribbon were ingredient lists, so now I either have to save one of each or do a web lookup for ingredients. I have seen much smaller jars labeled with company name, website, scent, product type, and ingredients all on the sticky label and easily readable. Its not a deal breaker by any means, I just prefer it all to be on the product container for quick access should I need it.



Hydrating body emulsions
HBE is pretty light as you can see in the photo, I snapped that as soon as I lifted my finger and about 2 seconds later, that soft little peak fell. Its a light feeling lotion, spreads really well, moisturizes nicely, absorbs quick and leaves my skin silky feeling and not greasy. This will be awesome when I want a light moisturizer, like before a workout or on a really hot day where I will be spending time outside, or for my hands when I need the lotion to absorb quick. Though not the Moo dupe I was hoping for, I do really like it!

Pink Polka Dot Bikini – One sniff and this fragrance will be your ultimate Spring and Summer wardrobe staple! Plump juicy strawberries, fresh island-grown passion fruits, and sweet guavas mingle with tropical vanilla bean pods, lemon-lime soda bubbles, and sparkling pink sugar crystals! This fragrance is funny, flirty, and super sweet :)
--I can really smell the guava and lemon lime in this one. Maybe a little of the strawberries or sugar - its sweet smelling. I really love this, because I love how guava smells and the lemon lime brightens it up just a hair.

Pixie Dust - This is an over-the-top girly-girl fragrance with sweet notes of fruit and a fun candy-like essence! Sugary, sweet and playful!

--Definitely smells like sweet sugary candy, picking up a faint hint of cherry here too. Very nice!

Maui Sunrise - Imagine lush and tropical island grown guavas mingling with sweet and juicy passion fruits, topped with fresh cracked creamy coconut milk, and studded with a toasty macadamia nut crunch. Then add in a hefty dose of sunshine and the unmistakable scent of the beach just steps away and you’ve found you’ve woken up in paradise…to a Maui Sunrise
--This is the one I was most curious about. Toasty macadamias are what I smell first and foremost, not really getting coconut or passion fruit - but now I know what sunshine and beach smell like! Sunshine and Beach are soft clean scents, fairly light yet noticeable. They blends really well with the toasted note. I think I will really love this one to wear all over.



Beautiful Body Butters
BBB is thick but not solid, very nice consistency you can see in the photo how the butter has stiff peaks which hold their shape forever. This is a really nice butter, it absorbs well and leaves my skin moisturized and very soft feeling. I LOVE this stuff!

Banana Buttercream Parfait - Smooth and creamy banana custard smothered with indulgent fresh whipping cream, banana slices, and rich buttercream pudding makes for an irresistibility sweet treat!
--Highly recommended by jennistarbrite at MUA and I can see why. Its a yummy sweet scent. I'm getting something caramelly and I don't really smell the banana note in the jar at all, but I can smell it once I've applied it to my skin. I like this a lot! Its sweet and yummy.

White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies - Ooey, gooey, and delicious! This scent captures the essence of it’s namesake perfectly. Fresh baked buttery cookies loaded with sinful white chocolate chunks and tropical macadamia nuts.

--Another scent highly recommended by jennistarbrite. I get a heap of white chocolate and very light almost hidden nuttiness. This reminds me of the Ulta White Chocolate body butter from a few Christmases ago. Yum!

Strawberry Velvet Cake – Rich chocolate cake, frosted high with creamy vanilla infused marshmallow frosting and decorated with freshly picked strawberries.

--The strawberry note in this reminds me of IOEs 7 strawberry lane scent. While my nose is not picking up a distinct chocolate note, there's definitely something warm smelling in there and oh yum, marshmallow! I'm on the fence with this one as a blend, but dissected each note is heavenly! I think I like it, its really unusual smelling and doesn't really seem that bakery/gourmand to my nose its a darker more sensual scent, similar in concept (not scent) to midnight pomegranate.

These products were bought with my own hard earned money and my review was not influenced by anyone or anything other than the products and my own experience.

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Love & Beauty Taupe

Brand: Love & Beauty

Color: Taupe

Coats: 2

Application: Very nice, no streaks - great brush!

Finish: cream with hidden silvery shimmer

Base Coat: Sh Nail Quencher

Top Coat: Seche Vite

Wear: Photo taken at 9 days of wear, pretty decent yes?

Purchased From: Forever 21

My Polish Spreadsheet


Just look at those little hidden shimmers! Its a really lovely polish - wears like iron! Ive been so busy this past week I haven't even had a chance to think about my nails until today. I need a refresh, that's for sure but I'm quite exhausted so this mani is going to hang around yet another day, at the least. :D

xoxoJen's swatch of Love & Beauty Taupe

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Thursday, June 16, 2011

Coco & Lola haul and review



Coco & Lola's shop

Soap Bars:
Strawberry Delight - Strawberry dessert soap has a fresh and delicious scent of fresh strawberry's, just in time for Summer.

Lavender and Rose - This soap has a delightful lavender and rose scent to it. It includes French lavender from my garden and is great for sensitive skin types. It has a beautiful purple hue on the bottom and a sky blue color on top.

Citrus Coffee - It's like drinking your coffee with a twist of citrus. This soap has a beautiful green color to it with coffee blended in.

Pacific Ocean - Has a great smooth texture to it which includes coffee and oatmeal. Color of this soap is a beautiful ocean blue color with swirls all around.

Bath Salts:
Midnight Blue - Midnight Blue Bath Salts have a nice lavender scent.


Freebie:
Caramel lip balm - Anyone that loves caramel, will really enjoy this lip balm. Has a rich flavor of caramel with a little bit of vanilla added in.


The descriptions are from their website and are very accurate. The soaps all smell lovely and their bars are so gorgeous. Their scents are light and delicate, the soaps are creamy to the touch yet are nice hard bars. I tried the strawberry one and the lather it produces is so awesome. I swear there was a 1/4 inch of frothy bubbles all over my hands. Perfect for shaving with. My hands felt soft and clean after rinsing. I am in LOVE with their soaps! I also adore how the soaps are all cut a little differently. It really lends a handmade touch to them.

I think Coco & Lola's soaps are also perfect for gifts because they're not heavily perfumed, yet they smell really good and they're gorgeous! The outer wrapping is clear and really allows the beauty of the artisan soap to be showcased.

I haven't tried the bath salts yet, but they are a gorgeous dark blue and while the listing says lavender I think they smell like milk, honey, and cherries - really creamy and yummy. Love that scent!

The lip balm is so very nice! Its very similar in texture and hardness to a lip smacker balm. The scent and flavor is yummy, Jas swiped it from me and he usually will only use chapstick brand. This one is a little softer than chapstick and does not turn to an oily greasy mess after application. It stays put!

By the way, Jas picked the citrus coffee and I gave him the ocean bar as a kind of surprise. Yep, he's into homemade soaps now! :D

The only thing that disappointed me a little was they were shipped in a flat rate priority envelope which the post office banged up on its way to me. Only one of my soaps was dented on a corner, but a box or something a little more sturdy might be better for shipping.

Sunday, June 12, 2011

Pink Shells from Loreal

xoxoJen's swatch of Pink Shells from Loreal

Brand: Loreal

Color: Pink Shells

Coats: 2

Application: Awesome, I totally LOVE the brush

Finish: glass flecked, sparkly

Base Coat: Sh Nail Quencher

Top Coat: Seche Vite

Wear: 7 days at photo. My thumb nail has a chip but that's the only one.

Purchased From: CVS

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Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Sally Hansen Distressed Denim

I layered this over SH Silver Lining, which I wore for a week first. When I took this photo, the mani underneath the crackle was a little over 7 days old. I wore it with crackle for about 3 more days. You can definitely se the nail growth!

xoxoJen's swatch of Sally Hansen Distressed Denim


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Saturday, June 4, 2011

Moonalisa Haul and Review

I photographed the box opening since this was my first direct from Moonalisa order. (I've gotten Moo product in swaps, but this is my first order from her)

TLDR -- check photos and scroll to bottom for summary!

Long Version:
This is what it looks like right after I got the box opened. I didn't smell any product yet, just the usual paper/box.
I love how she uses the golden tissue paper, you know something good is behind it and its a really neat way to unveil it with a single colored paper which doesn't appear to be special on its own. Its kind of like entering the gates of Disneyworld. You know what lies ahead, but you can't see it just yet!


When I removed the golden paper, this is the next thing that I saw. Fun Mardi gras ephemera, even a necklace! Lots of colorful tissue papers and shredded paper grass for extra padding. The Mardi gras prints smelled soft and clean, yep I sniffed them! This part of the package opening is like the walk through the tunnel at Disney where you see the "movie posters", advertising what you're about to see. So now you've got confirmation that its gonna be awesome and fun!


After I lifted the shredded paper and mardi gras prints, I found the precious! All wrapped up in colorful tissue papers with shiny confetti all around! As I unwrapped each item, I noticed the tissue paper had been stamped with a golden Fluer de Lis, X marks the spot! After unwrapping, each item was also enclosed in a heat sealed plastic bag. This is comparable to the walk down main street at Disney - looking in shop windows, hearing the music and realizing you're really there! Every once in a while you get a whiff of the waffle cone and taffy coming from the ice cream shop!


And now that we've walked through the tunnel and down main street, we can see the Disney Castle! Hooray!!
xD It was kind of bold of me to compare this to Disney, but Moona really is an experience from start to finish and I believe that the unveiling of Moo is very similar to how Disney does it.

Here's what's in this haul:
Lemon Tart and Coconut Curd pie slice soap - definitely like crack, I want lemon meringue pie now. stat!
Banana Tarte Tatin Parfait Scrub - smells caramelly on top, can't wait to see how all the layers smell!
Cafe Du Monde Parfait scrub - oh this one smells soooo yummy! Like coffee and chocolate, can't wait to sniff the layers of this too!
Tea Reader perfume (it has the cutest little roller ball top!) Smells beautiful! Just like fresh, sweet tea, with a teeny floral note. Very unique!
Samples in Witches Tea Pot Lot (new formula) - This is a sandalwood vanilla scent, so I'm not crazy about it. I've already offered to swap this away to someone on another forum.
Pacific bath salts - These smell really clean and fresh, and soft. I really like this one! (I don't usually like the sharpness of most clean scents, this one is very soft and sweet!)



I posted a message to Moona at FB and kind of a summary of what I've already told you guys, so if you want the short of it, here ya go!
My very first Moona package arrived today! I love everything in it, and Jas does too. He's threatened to take the Lemon Crack soap when I'm not looking! That bar is huge, so we can share...maybe! I love the two scrub parfaits and the tea reader perfume is so beautiful! Everything is so special, and lovely! I love the packaging and how its themed. It was like watching the curtains rise, seeing the set, and then seeing the performers come on stage! The samples are great; I do prefer the original pot lot formula and I can't wait to try out the Pacific bath salts, they smell amazing through the plastic! Truly a magical first purchase and a customer for life. ♥