I used to be an avid shopper of Luckyscent. Years ago, I was receiving a package every 2 weeks but now, I am lucky if I place an order every 5 months. There is a reason for that. Or a few.
I had realized, at the time, that The Perfumed Court was legit and I was less eager to go to Luckyscent and just buy a full bottle of something that I probably wouldn't like. Then I had realized that FragranceNet and Beauty Encounter sold the Amouages that I had wanted for less. So yes, those sites actually did save me money.
What made me lose some interest in Luckyscent was the lack of coupons. Free shipping when you spend $75 or more is pretty easy to do when you are easily spending over $75 but a coupon for 15% off once or twice a year? The 20% off of Amouage that seems to go on year round? That doesn't make me run over to Luckyscent. Then I had noticed on Luckyscent that there were a few Tauer offerings that were not being sold. I was looking at getting a backup of Une Rose Vermeille and it was not on Luckyscent but was still being sold on Andy Tauer's website. Even with the cost of shipping, the cost was much cheaper. But I still wimped out and decided to get a backup of LADDM instead. Maybe with the new year, I will have that backup bottle. But after poking around Luckyscent, they do have Une Rose Vermeille back in stock and I'm wondering if it's for the holidays but I will still hop over to the Tauer website and order from there.
Tuesday, December 4, 2018
Saturday, December 1, 2018
Dry Skin
Well, on Tuesday, Sydney (the puppy) has gotten spayed and she is now back to being her normal terrorizing self. She is very sweet and affectionate but into everything. Somehow, she had gotten into my Christmas gift bag and killed off a cheapo Sephora lip gloss that I was going to use as a stocking stuffer and almost destroyed an iTunes gift card meant for a friend. Luckily, I managed to save the actual gift card itself with the redemption code. Luckily, she didn't grab a hold of the Amouage Honour bar of soap that I have gotten for my mother, otherwise I would have been screwed because Amouage ain't cheap.
It's now winter here in Cleveland, well not officially according to the calender. That means dry skin city. This time of the year is more than a little rough on my skin. It always is pretty difficult to find a lotion that will help with my dry skin. Many lotions that I have tried have either been too light, too heavy or caused some sort of reaction for my skin. It's not just dry skin, it's dry lips too. I have had cracks in the corners of my lips for the past few years. I attribute some of those cracks to the fact that I have lost teeth and can't eat as well as I could but winters are the worst.
Finding a good moisturizer has always been a problem for me. It's either too thick, too thin or causes irritation. I don't always use the Amouage body stuff that I have. Part of the reason is that Amouage is usually pretty expensive and it's rare that I find anything that is in my price range. Like yesterday, while poking around Amazon before work, I had found Jubilation 25 body milk (lotion) for $58. That was something that I couldn't refuse and naturally I snapped it up. Hey, when am I going to find a deal like that. I am still waiting on a good deal for the Epic body butter or lotion.
It's now winter here in Cleveland, well not officially according to the calender. That means dry skin city. This time of the year is more than a little rough on my skin. It always is pretty difficult to find a lotion that will help with my dry skin. Many lotions that I have tried have either been too light, too heavy or caused some sort of reaction for my skin. It's not just dry skin, it's dry lips too. I have had cracks in the corners of my lips for the past few years. I attribute some of those cracks to the fact that I have lost teeth and can't eat as well as I could but winters are the worst.
Finding a good moisturizer has always been a problem for me. It's either too thick, too thin or causes irritation. I don't always use the Amouage body stuff that I have. Part of the reason is that Amouage is usually pretty expensive and it's rare that I find anything that is in my price range. Like yesterday, while poking around Amazon before work, I had found Jubilation 25 body milk (lotion) for $58. That was something that I couldn't refuse and naturally I snapped it up. Hey, when am I going to find a deal like that. I am still waiting on a good deal for the Epic body butter or lotion.
Saturday, November 24, 2018
The Holiday Season
We are now into the holiday season. Some don't consider the few days before the holiday season as part of the holiday season but I do. The older I have gotten, I haven't been able to enjoy the holidays as much. It doesn't seem to be the same without little kids and the magic that they bring.
The one thing that I really don't like about the holiday season is Christmas shopping. About three quarters I do online but I have to go to an actual store to finish. I am not a fan of crowds, the being pushed around by other customers, the insistent Christmas music and the inevitable question of, "Do you work here?'. How can you not notice that I am not wearing a uniform, not notice that I am wearing a coat and carrying a purse.
I am not asking for any kind of perfume and learned years ago, not to. The last time I was gifted a bottle of perfume was well before I got into perfume. The name was Pure Turquoise by (I think) Ralph Lauren and I hated it. It smelled like a chemical mess and didn't wear it more than twice. I am waiting until after the holidays for getting another perfume. That is if I don't end up going over to Smell Bent and get Bohemian Rhapsody.
The one thing that I really don't like about the holiday season is Christmas shopping. About three quarters I do online but I have to go to an actual store to finish. I am not a fan of crowds, the being pushed around by other customers, the insistent Christmas music and the inevitable question of, "Do you work here?'. How can you not notice that I am not wearing a uniform, not notice that I am wearing a coat and carrying a purse.
I am not asking for any kind of perfume and learned years ago, not to. The last time I was gifted a bottle of perfume was well before I got into perfume. The name was Pure Turquoise by (I think) Ralph Lauren and I hated it. It smelled like a chemical mess and didn't wear it more than twice. I am waiting until after the holidays for getting another perfume. That is if I don't end up going over to Smell Bent and get Bohemian Rhapsody.
Friday, November 16, 2018
La Maison de la Vanille Vanille givree des Antilles Review
Thus far, it seems like I have wasted more time and money at Ulta and Sephora. Last Saturday, I was starting some Christmas shopping and ended up at Ulta. After poking around the little perfume section that mine has, I smelled Chanel's Gabrielle. I didn't spray any on due to the fact that I was wearing Amouage Epic and forgot to pack some decanting supplies. From what I could tell, it was mediocre at best and something I have smelled a million times before. I think that Chanel can do a better job when creating new perfumes.
But I have to get going on this review that has been floating around my brain and sitting in my drafts section of my blog. I have started to really explore vanilla perfumes and stumbled across the La Maison de la Vanille travel set. For 5 15ml coming in at $50, it was a bargain. For $50, I am not expecting them to be SDV or Havana Vanille but I am expecting something a little better than something cheap smelling. So for the past week, off and on, I have been wearing Vanille givree des Antilles.
At first spray, I get a very mellow, slightly inedible vanilla. Then things get a little funky and I couldn't place what kind of took over. It was a shaving cream note that started to dominate. My nose has always found a shaving cream note to be a funky note that tries to add a creamy type of vibe. But the issue becomes the threat of the shaving cream note completely turns me off. The vanilla was slightly inedible, like I had mentioned before but not far enough over for me to enjoy it. This one lasted about 5 hours on skin before fading out. That's pretty good for an EDT but a full bottle isn't in the cards for me.
But I have to get going on this review that has been floating around my brain and sitting in my drafts section of my blog. I have started to really explore vanilla perfumes and stumbled across the La Maison de la Vanille travel set. For 5 15ml coming in at $50, it was a bargain. For $50, I am not expecting them to be SDV or Havana Vanille but I am expecting something a little better than something cheap smelling. So for the past week, off and on, I have been wearing Vanille givree des Antilles.
At first spray, I get a very mellow, slightly inedible vanilla. Then things get a little funky and I couldn't place what kind of took over. It was a shaving cream note that started to dominate. My nose has always found a shaving cream note to be a funky note that tries to add a creamy type of vibe. But the issue becomes the threat of the shaving cream note completely turns me off. The vanilla was slightly inedible, like I had mentioned before but not far enough over for me to enjoy it. This one lasted about 5 hours on skin before fading out. That's pretty good for an EDT but a full bottle isn't in the cards for me.
Monday, October 29, 2018
What Not to Wear Out of the House
I have some good news, the bottle of Arabie that I thought was lost has been found. Somehow, Arabie ended up is a random toiletries basket. I'm blaming the puppy and her learning how to counter surf and then my mother throwing it in that basket. The vintage bottle of L'Heure Bleue has arrived and I am ecstatic. I haven't spent a whole lot of time with it, except for gazing at the bottle marveling on how small a 1.6 ounce bottle of EDC is.
I have compiled a list of perfumes that I can only wear alone. I think that every perfumista has a handful of perfumes that they only wear when they are alone in the house. Those perfumes can be too skanky or there is something about them that renders them not fit for public.
Amouage Gold for men and women: I honestly don't thing that it's the structure of the perfumes themselves but I think that it's the whopping dose of civet (or is it ambergris?) that makes this too poopy. The men's version has a whole lot less going on and I am more apt to wear the men's version then the women's
Patou Joy: I have yet to try the extrait version of Joy, so I can't comment on it. I have the EDP version and I do love Joy. I love how the jasmine and rose play well together. The rose and jasmine is bright, not at all powdery and don't compete with each other. But Joy has a noticeable cat pee type of note that I think that the jasmine probably creates.
Serge Lutens Muscs Koublai Khan: What seems to be the musks to end all musks. I personally love it but while people like it on me, they just simply don't like the perfume itself. So it's regulated for the alone pile. But it's not the sluttiest perfume I own and that's vintage Bal a Versailles and I wear it out of the house and everyone swoons.
I have compiled a list of perfumes that I can only wear alone. I think that every perfumista has a handful of perfumes that they only wear when they are alone in the house. Those perfumes can be too skanky or there is something about them that renders them not fit for public.
Amouage Gold for men and women: I honestly don't thing that it's the structure of the perfumes themselves but I think that it's the whopping dose of civet (or is it ambergris?) that makes this too poopy. The men's version has a whole lot less going on and I am more apt to wear the men's version then the women's
Patou Joy: I have yet to try the extrait version of Joy, so I can't comment on it. I have the EDP version and I do love Joy. I love how the jasmine and rose play well together. The rose and jasmine is bright, not at all powdery and don't compete with each other. But Joy has a noticeable cat pee type of note that I think that the jasmine probably creates.
Serge Lutens Muscs Koublai Khan: What seems to be the musks to end all musks. I personally love it but while people like it on me, they just simply don't like the perfume itself. So it's regulated for the alone pile. But it's not the sluttiest perfume I own and that's vintage Bal a Versailles and I wear it out of the house and everyone swoons.
Friday, October 19, 2018
Beauty Sponges
A couple months ago, I had done a Sephora run (or was it Ulta?) and had thrown a beauty sponge in my shopping cart. Once in a while, I do read makeup blogs and kept seeing beauty sponges mentioned in them. So yes, I had to get one and try it out. I had chosen one that was about $5 for a reason. Reason being is that I have never used a beauty sponge before and I wasn't willing to go and spend a million dollars one one if I didn't like it or it turned out to be an epic disaster.
Yesterday, I had actually decided to give it a shot with foundation. I've never really worn a lot of foundation and with some sun damage and being 36, it's time that I should start wearing some. After watching a video, I thought that it was as easy as I had thought. I had a fairly easy time blending foundation and my foundation job looked pretty good. Which did remind me to actually go physically go into Sephora or Ulta and get matched for a foundation. It's been years since I had bought a foundation and I think that the foundation stick isn't good anymore and maybe doesn't really match my skin so much anymore.
**The brand of beauty sponge was Japonesque.
Yesterday, I had actually decided to give it a shot with foundation. I've never really worn a lot of foundation and with some sun damage and being 36, it's time that I should start wearing some. After watching a video, I thought that it was as easy as I had thought. I had a fairly easy time blending foundation and my foundation job looked pretty good. Which did remind me to actually go physically go into Sephora or Ulta and get matched for a foundation. It's been years since I had bought a foundation and I think that the foundation stick isn't good anymore and maybe doesn't really match my skin so much anymore.
**The brand of beauty sponge was Japonesque.
Monday, October 15, 2018
Lost and Found
Decants are funny things. It's funny when they just seem to keep multiplying without even slowing down and sooner or later, they are everywhere. I kind of have a system of keeping track. What I have worn and reviewed, I keep in a medium sized makeup bag. The ones that I have not worn and reviewed are kept in another makeup bag. I am quickly outgrowing those bags and have bought another that I am about to start filling. But I am finding it difficult to actually just get started on that needs to be worn and reviewed bag. My biggest problem in procrastination, as much as I love perfume, I just procrastinate on trying new stuff and review it. I think that I should start a system of once a week of trying one perfume and then review it. Let's see how long that will last.
Last weekend, I spent quite a bit of time cleaning out my closet and bedroom. As it always happens, things get moved around but I always know where things have been placed. The worn and reviewed bag was moved to a second nightstand and for some reason, something was placed on top of it and something was placed in front of it. When I was getting ready to go to work, I could not find the bag. I couldn't find the stupid bag to grab a decant to slip into my work cardigan to spray my wrists before work. I was lucky in the moment because there were some decants that I've already worn and reviewed that were work safe scents. But I did actually manage to find the stupid thing and not look through the garbage after work.
Now it actually feels like fall and I am really pulling out my fall scents. You know what that means? I can haul out my Amouage offerings and really start wearing them. Once in a while, I do like to wear Lyric or Epic in the summer but they work better in colder months.
Last weekend, I spent quite a bit of time cleaning out my closet and bedroom. As it always happens, things get moved around but I always know where things have been placed. The worn and reviewed bag was moved to a second nightstand and for some reason, something was placed on top of it and something was placed in front of it. When I was getting ready to go to work, I could not find the bag. I couldn't find the stupid bag to grab a decant to slip into my work cardigan to spray my wrists before work. I was lucky in the moment because there were some decants that I've already worn and reviewed that were work safe scents. But I did actually manage to find the stupid thing and not look through the garbage after work.
Now it actually feels like fall and I am really pulling out my fall scents. You know what that means? I can haul out my Amouage offerings and really start wearing them. Once in a while, I do like to wear Lyric or Epic in the summer but they work better in colder months.
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