Perfume Pursuits: A Swing and a Miss - Gucci Guilty and Atelier Cologne Mandarine Glaciale

This will be a bit of a different blog post for me. When I started doing my blog I reviewed some perfumes in the beginning but I quickly stopped for two reasons. One, perfume and scents are such a subjective thing! What smells good on you might smell like a donkey's bum on me. Two, I don't wear a lot of perfume so I thought there wasn't much point pursuing this subject matter. However, I think people like to know what others recommend to help them narrow down what to try at the perfume counter so here is my two cents or "scents" haha.

I am trying to get more into wearing perfume. I love it when someone walks by and they smell nice! It seems to be rare phenomenon these days and that's a shame. I know a lot of people have allergies these days so I get it. Also, I really don't think most people give a lot of thought to smelling nice anymore, especially in Toronto. There, I said it. When I go to other cities, most people smell nice. Something smells rotten in Toronto these days.....

So, I have a ton of perfume samples taking over my bedroom and I thought I better dip into them in this lifetime. There are very few perfumes that I like and I am picky as all hell when it comes to this subject matter. Probably too picky so please take my perfume reviews with a grain of salt. However, I have guy friend who drags me cologne shopping because I will tell him flat out if it stinks or smells like lemon pledge so I must have half decent taste.

I tried Gucci Guilty the other day and while putting some on, I accidentally spilt it all over myself. That was a long day just because it was too much to wear at once. But I loved the scent. It didn't change on me and I even got a compliment on it. Where has this perfume been all my life? It's nice enough and light enough to wear during the day time, but it also is mysterious and works well at night. I will be buying a full sized bottle at some point.

I tried another sample recently by Atelier Cologne in Mandarine Glaciale. I have to say that the smell intrigued me. I have never smelt anything quite like it and it was complex to say the least. It smells fresh and of course has an orange scent. I am still in the dark as to whether this is a cologne for men or women. If someone knows, could you please let me know! I've snooped around online and it appears to be for either/or. I didn't even have the scent on me for 15 minutes and I started to dislike it. It's musky and manly to my mind. It seems to get more manly the longer you wear it. I am going to have to try this on my husband and get back to you. I don't think he is going to like it but we will see. Something about it reminds me of a cleaning product too and I can't shake it. It's just not for me.

So there it is, a swing and miss in my book. Let me know if you like this type of blog post and I will do some more as I dive into my perfume sample collection over the next few months....

MAC In Extreme Dimension 3D Black Lash Mascara - Review

I got this mascara at the Estee Lauder/MAC sale a little while ago. This mascara retails for $23 Canadian but I think I got 2 for $15 at the sale. I believe my friend and I split the two and she took one. I'm glad she did because I really am not feeling this mascara. The wand is one of those bendy plastic ones, not the typical bristle wand. I normally prefer the bendy plastic one, but this one is nothing special.

The formula is a carbon black one and this mascara is meant to volumize more than lengthen. For me, I need both and this mascara really falls short in the lengthening department. It does volumize, but I found the formula to be thick and clumpy. It takes longer to apply than it should. It does have some lifting properties, but not enough for my taste. My lashes look thick and spikey. It does smudge a little even though it is suppose to be smudge-proof. I actually can't wait to back to MAC this!

The wand is a bit big for travel, but I've seen worse. The formula is jet black so that is plus. I still say Zoom Lash is MAC's best.

Packaging: 7/10

Pigmentation: 10/10

Easy to Work With: 6/10

Longevity: 6.5/10 it keeps a slight curl and smudges a tad

Texture: 4/10 clumpy

Price: 6/10 considering what I paid ($7.50) 3/10 if it was retail price 

Ingredients: ?

Comfort: 5/10 feels heavy 

Travel Worthy: 4/10 big

Smudge Proof: 6/10

Flake and Clump Proof: 3/10

Attractiveness of Product: 5/10

Would I buy this again? NO 

Overall Rating: 5.5/10

January 2017 Empties

It's time for my January 2017 Empties! As you can see from the picture, this will be a short post.

I finally finished my first bag of Shiseido Facial Cotton. I have already repurchased a second bag. These really are the best, price be damned. One square is at least the equivalent of 2 drug store cotton rounds.

Another bottle of Wen Sweet Almond Mint Cleansing Conditioner bites the dust. I think I mentioned in a previous post that I finally stopped my subscription and now I have close to 15 bottles to finish. Sheesh. I get bored with shampoo easily though so I frequently mix it up with other shampoos and conditioners. So it may take awhile for me to plough through those 15 bottles. I love this product for its detangling abilities but am I sure there is a better product out there for me that conditions a bit better and reduces the frizzies better.

It's a new month and another tube of my Estee Lauder Double Wear Light is done. Already repurchased.

I finished a small tube of Bite Beauty Lush Fruit Lip Gloss in Kir Royal. I thought that I had done a review on this colour but looks like I didn't. Kir Royale is a very bright magenta purple and it leaves your lips with a stain closer to fuchsia. I am not crazy about the stain colour. It smells great. The actual quality of the product is fantastic, I'm just not in love with the colour.

It took me a long time but I finally used up my tube of Colleen Rothschild Sheer Renewal Cream. Oh dear, I see I never did a blog post on this. I had a strange experience with this product. I quite liked it at first (felt like my skin was sighing and really breathing when I wore it). Then it started to make my face feel tight. I gave it a break and came back to it. I've used it steadily for the past maybe 3 months and I started liking it again but not loving it. I felt like it didn't moisturize enough and we are in deep, dark winter right now here. My skin was also not as glowy as it is with my Dr. Hauschka moisturizers.

Last, but not least, I finished another jar of my Origins Eye Doctor. Nothing else I have used is as moisturizing. I just wish it would work a tad better on my dark circles. How many jars of this have I gone through? No clue, but a lot. Already repurchased.

Laneige Water Sleeping Mask - Review

I've received a couple of small sized travel jars of this product in recent months. It's winter so I have been testing it out. I'm not really impressed and I am wondering if I am missing something. Considering what the competition is charging, this product seems very reasonably priced. Maybe that's my answer right there.

Sephora's website has the following information about the product:

What it is: An overnight, revitalizing gel mask that absorbs instantly and works while you sleep to deeply hydrate skin.

What it is formulated to do:
Recharge dehydrated skin overnight. This unique mask is formulated with highly concentrated ionized mineral water and ceramides to deliver intense doses of moisture to stressed, parched skin. Aromatic Sleepscent™—orange flower, rose, and sandalwood—relaxes and rejuvenates while apricot and chestnut extracts exfoliate, brighten, and purify fatigued skin. The result: skin looks and feels radiant, refreshed, and soft. Wake up to soft, glowing skin.  

A jar costs $30 Canadian or $23 U.S. The directions say to use once or twice a week. It's a gel formula that is not a cooling one. The smell is ok but a bit perfumed for a night cream or treatment for my taste. I feel like it doesn't fully absorb into my skin and my face is left feeling sticky all night. Even sticks to my pillow and I am not using a lot! In the morning, my face still feels sticky. Obviously, you have to wash it off, but should it still feel sticky hours later??? I could live with that if I noticed any serious hydration but I don't. My skin is left feeling tight and not in a good way. I find myself lathering up in moisturizer the mornings after I use this. I could maybe argue that my face looks a bit more plumped, but since I have a plump face to begin with, I'm not sure that is a plus for me.

I haven't noticed my skin getting exfoliated nor brightened after using this. In fact, I think my skin looks a tad dull the morning after.

If anyone has had success with this product, please let me know. I will not be repurchasing needless to say.

January 2017 empties post should be up within the next 2 days.

Packaging: 7/10

Texture: 1/10 (sticky)  

Price: 8/10 (if it were any good)

Ingredients: 7/10

Easy to Work With: 5/10 ???? 

Travel Worthy: 7/10

Moisturizing: 2/10

Comfortable/Softening: 1/10

Smell: 6/10 (a little strong for me)

Would I buy this again? No!  

Overall Rating: 3.5/10