My Fragrance Affair

It's no secret I have a fragrance obsession, at this point I guess it's almost on the verge of a hoarding problem so I figured I would show you guys what I've stocked up on, and talk a little bit about the science of perfume (yeah, I'm a nerd, get over it!)

I first got into perfume at a really young age because my older sister was always wearing Calvin Klein's Obsession and being the little sister I wanted to be just like her, so I pestered my mum for years to let me wear perfume (sneaking into my sisters room to use hers as well, shh....) and finally for Christmas one year, I was about 13 I think, I opened my very own bottle of Obsession and it's all been down hill from there...

The Layers of a Fragrance

Let's talk a little bit about the science of perfume so my fragrancy jargon isn't lost on you; a perfume is fundamentally made up of three layers:

Top Notes: These are usually what you smell first and make up the majority of the scent, they're usually quite strong but tend to recede after about 10-15 minutes.

Middle Notes: After the top notes have gracefully bowed out this is when you'll really begin to smell the middle notes (or heart notes as I've heard them called and we all know I love every thing heart related!) These acts like a transition from the top notes to the base notes, not quite as strong as a top note but instead of fading away all together they tend to melt into the base notes.

Base Notes: This is the foundation of your fragrance, long after the others have faded away the loyal base note still lingers on.

The Body Sprays

Body sprays are a nice addition to your fragrance collection because they allow you to layer your fragrances without adding so much perfume that you get a headache. They're also a great way to freshen up your scent on the go and usually a much more budget friendly option.

• VS Vanilla Lace - Top notes of Vanilla & a base of Musk
• VS Love Spell - Top notes of Cherry Blossom & a base of Peach
• VS Amber Romance - Top notes of Amber & a base note of crème anglaise
• B&BW Snow Kissed Berry - Top notes of Juniper and Cranberry & base notes of Amber  and White Musk
• VS Passionate Kisses - Top notes of Cherry & a base of Vanilla, Amber and Musk
• B&BW Dark Kiss - Top notes: Bergamot, Incense, Mirabelle Plum, Black Raspberry, mid notes: Amber, Burgundy Rose, Geranium, Peony, base notes: Dark Vanilla Bean, Labdanum, Vetiver, Balsam and Musk
• VS Ravishing Love - Top notes of Blackberry, a heart of lilac and base notes of aloe and chamomile 

I tend to stock up on my body sprays whenever Victoria's Secret or Bath & Body Works has a sale one...

The Little Guys

These wee perfumes I picked up from Victoria's Secret ages ago and they're perfect to keep in your purse or for traveling, they provide more of a scent pay off than a body spray but still not quite as much as some of the more high end perfumes and are still very budget friendly.

• Love Spell - Top notes of Cherry Blossom & a base note Peach
• Secret Craving - Top notes of Black currant & a base note of Vanilla
• Coconut Passion - Top notes of Coconut, mid notes of Lily of the Valley and base notes of Vanilla
• Amber Romance - Top notes of Amber & a base note of crème anglaise

The Fresh Scents

• Vera Wang's Princess - Top notes of Water Lily, Apple, Mandarin and Apricot, heart notes of Guava, Tuberose and Cacao with a base of Vanilla, Amber and Wood. (This particular treasure made my March Favourite's List)
• Katy Perry's Meow - Top notes of tangerine, pear, jasmine and gardenia, heart of honeysuckle, lily of the valley and orange blossom with a rich base of amber, vanilla, sandalwood and musk.
• B&BW Midnight Pomegranate - Top notes of Pomegranate, Citrus, Dewberry, Anise, Cinnamon, Nutmeg, heart of  Blackberry, Jasmine, Raspberry, paired with a Base of Musk, Sandalwood, Vanilla, Tobacco and Patchouli.
• Betsey Johnson by Betsey Johnson - Opening with Top notes of grapefruit, pear, black currant and tangerine, a heart of freesia, lily of the valley and red apple, while the base finishes with cedarwood, sandalwood, praline, amber and musks.

The Warm Scents

• Fragonard's Fleur de Vanille - Opens with fresh vanilla flower, melts into a heart of vanilla, ylang-ylang, heliotrope and rose and finishes with a cozy base of chocolate, cacao and musk. (I've also been using and abusing this fragrance so much lately it landed a spot along side Princess last month)
• Calvin Klein's Obsession - Top notes are composed of mandarin orange, vanilla, peach, basil, bergamot and lemon; the heart is rich with coriander, sandalwood, orange blossom, jasmine, oakmoss, cedar and rose; and the base notes are amber, musk, civet, vanilla, vetiver and incense.
• Katy Perry's Purr - top notes of peach, apple, gardenia and bamboo with the heart of jasmine, freesia and Bulgarian rose and the base of vanilla orchid, sandalwood, white amber, coconut and musk.
• Tokyo Milk Dark's Bittersweet - A very prominent top note of cacao, a creamy heart of cake flour and osmanthus, finishing with a base of musk.
• B&BW Dark Kiss - Top notes: Bergamot, Incense, Mirabelle Plum, Black Raspberry, mid notes: Amber, Burgundy Rose, Geranium, Peony, base notes: Dark Vanilla Bean, Labdanum, Vetiver, Sensual Balsam, Musks
• Nuxe's Prodigieux Le Parfum - Top notes are orange blossom, bergamot, mandarin orange and orange; middle notes are rose, magnolia and gardenia; base notes are vanilla, coconut milk and pebbles.
• Tokyo Milk Dark's Tainted Love - Top notes of orchid and tea with a base of sandalwood and vanilla.

One of my favourite fragrance websites is Fragrantica; it lists the notes, reviews, where you can purchase it and recommends other fragrances you may like based on a particular perfume.

What are some of your guys' favourite fragrances you think I should check out?

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IT'S A GIVEAWAY!!

AND THE WINNER IS: Kelsey Anderson! Check your email for further instructions! Thanks everyone for entering and supporting my wee little blog. 


So I'm probably more excited about this than you guys haha! I've been threatening a giveaway for months when the Facebook Page hit 50 likes and as of right now we're still a couple away from that goal, BUT I decided to go ahead and do this as a thank you for the massive amount of support everyone showed to my Food, Beautiful Food post.

I've been collecting bits and bobs for so long I actually have THREE boxes worth of stuff for this giveaway which means that once a winner is selected I can create your own little box of goodies based on your personal wants and needs. I decided to only show you one of the three boxes so that I could still keep some of the surprise.

In your winning box you will find a collection of full size products and deluxe sample sizes of some of the more pricey products I wanted to share with you guys. These products may have appeared in my blog previously (I'd be glancing at my monthly favourites posts for January and February to get some ideas of what you might be seeing...) or may be a completely new surprise!

Brands you may see in your box include:

Fresh

MAC

Sanoflore

Yves Rocher

David's Tea

Kiehl's

My Beauty Diary

Etude House

Bison

FaceQ

Dermal

LUSH

L'Occitane En Provence

The Body Shop

and more...

All you have to do to enter is click the link below and follow the instructions:

Enter the Giveaway!

Ghosts of Beauty Products Past

Ghosts of Beauty Products Past

I'm a self processed YouTube addict; every morning whilst getting ready for work I've got the new videos from my subscriptions playing on my laptop on the edge of my vanity while I do my make up. One of my favourite types of video is the empties videos because thats when you get a real proper review, after you've squeezed the last drop from the tube; so here are the remnants of some products that I've squeezed every last drop out of!

Hair Care

Aveda Phomollient Styling Foam - I worked at an Aveda salon many moons ago and this is a product that's stuck with me ever since. A light weight styling mousse that adds volume and bounce to your hair; apply it to the roots wet or dry and then style as normal. I've never achieved the type of volume I get when I use this on my damp hair and dry it upside down, there's just not taming that volume! If there's no Aveda salon or store nearby you can get your hands on it here and while you're there try some of their awesome shampoos, I feel like I'm at the spa when I use the Rosemary Mint hair products!

Batiste Dry Shampoo - This is one of those items that I've seen popping up all over beauty blogs for the last year or so and I couldn't understand the hype behind some powder. so when my usual dry shampoo ran out I decided to give this a try instead. I can't place my finger on why I love it so much but I've tried several others after I finished this can - anywhere from drugstore to salon brands - and none of them did anything for me, I ended up giving up and purchasing another can of this and I won't stray away again. I've been trying desperately to get my hands on the tinted version for dark hair but even the original white isn't too bad on my black hair! Check out this video about dry shampoo by one of my favourite vloggers.

Skin Care

MAC's Lightful Marine Bright Cleanser & Softening Lotion - So you've heard me mention this duo a couple of times and I'm still very much in love, I've already replaced these. There was a two day period where I was without my softening lotion and I felt like my world was unraveling. I won't go into too much detail but you can read more about these here.

Avene Thermal Spring Water - This first cropped up in the blog here and then may have made an appearance here so it's no wonder I've got one empty can and I'm already almost finished another. This stuff is a perfect step between cleansing and moisturizing, wonderful to keep your skin feeling fresh on a long plane ride, refreshing on a hot day and dang it just feels good all around! 

 Body Oils  

Nuxe Huile de Prodigieuse - This was the star of my very first proper blog post here and I've been using it religiously ever since. I finished this 50 ml bottle and I'm already more than half way through a 125ml I picked up in Paris. I add this to my bath water, spritz it in my hair to tame frizz and slather it all over my body right out of the shower, I love the way it smells and how glowy it leaves my skin looking. They've made a perfume of the same fragrance that I got a little bottle of in a box set with the 125ml bottle and the mini gold Huile de Prodigieuse pictured above.

Nuxe Huile de Prodigieuse Gold - I was interested in trying this variety of my already favourite body oil so when I saw it in a box set with a large format of the original (the 125ml bottle comes with a spray pump that is so handy!) and a small bottle of the perfume that I was also keen on trying, I figured it was as good a time as any to give it a go. I love the sun kissed shimmer that this gives the skin but I am a little sad that the fragrance isn't as apparent as the original and it's a drier formula, I layered it on my arms and chest over top of the original Huile de Prodigieuse to compensate for that. I have not yet replaced this but come summer I think I'll find myself reaching for it again.

Beauty

I'm not one to finish cosmetics very often since I'm always trying new things, in fact it's probably taken six months to accumulate these few in my Back2MAC bag (if you don't know what Back2MAC is: save your empty plastic and glass containers and when you've got 6 you can exchange them for a free lipstick, lipglass or eyeshadow. Who doesn't love free stuff?!) 

MAC Something Special Cream Blush - I was a little skeptical of cream blush when I received this as a gift for christmas (2011 - told you it took forever for me to finish things!) and it fell to the bottom of my make up drawer in favour of other blushes. But one day after finishing a blush and being too broke to replace it I found myself reaching for this peachy cream and I fell in love! Takes a little getting used to but once you do you'll be hard pressed to go back to powders; wonderful colour pay off and they wear FOREVER! I'm a true convert...

MAC Eye Brow Pencil in Strut - I usually use powders to fill in my brows but I found myself drawn towards this brow pencil quite a bit during my stint as a brunette, I love the definition it lends to my sparse brows and then I use a powder to soften the overall look.

MAC Lashes in #20 and #4 - I've got a friend that is renowned for stacking 20's and 4's to give the perfect natural, flirty, dramatic lash that so many women crave, thus this combination has been dubbed the "Lindsey Lash" in my circle of friends. #4's are a natural length wispy lash mainly used to add volume and #20's are corner lashes that add a bit of drama so these two work amazingly together, try it, you'll thank me!

Bits and Bobs

Jojoba Oil- This is another one of those versatile oils that's taking the world by storm; I love it for my skin, my hair, my nails, everything! I mainly use this before I shower, yes you heard me, before. I found that this winter my skin was taking a beating and my acupuncturist suggested something I'd never really even thought of. I exfoliate with a body brush like this one and massage jojoba oil into my skin before hopping in the shower and my skin's never been softer and here's why: the oil protects your skin from the hot water which will normally strip it of it's natural oils especially when we crank the heat like we tend to do in the winter AND the heat of the water will open your pores allowing your skin to better absorb the oil. You get out of the shower with soft non-greasy feeling skin and none one would guess you've spent all winter in Alberta...

Cinema Secrets Brush Cleaner - After hearing a couple people talk about this magical blue liquid (not that you can tell what colour it is from the empty bottle...) I had to give it a go myself and picked up a small bottle here. First let me explain why it caught my eye: 1. It actually kills 99.9% of bacteria that the bristles of our brushes play host to. 2. It leaves your brushes smelling like vanilla. 3. It will get ANYTHING out of your brushes. Anything. On that last note let me offer you a word of caution, this stuff is seriously strong and not to be taken lightly. If you're forgetful like me, set a timer when you put your brushes to soak in this cleanser. I forgot about my brushes (for like an hour...oops!) and the bristles sucked the cleanser all the way up into the handle and when I went to rinse my beloved MAC #168 all the hair came out in one clump, this stuff means business.

Bath and Body Works Wall Flower in Frosted Cupcake - I'm a fat kid at heart who loves smelly things, clearly I was going to love this. I'm a huge fan of the wall flowers because I find they have a wonderful variety of fragrances and last for a decent amount of time before needing to be replaced. I never find that I can smell them but it must be due to the fact I smell it every day as whenever I have guests over they always tell me it smells like I've just been baking. I will also be blaming my cupcake addiction on smelling this in my sleep every night...

Have you tried any of these products, if you have what did you think? Are there any products that you think I would love? Let me know in the comments below!

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