Molecule 01: Science Meets Beauty

You may remember my Top 10: Wishlist Items post from back in March where I shared my most lust-worthy items; since that post I've been gradually making my way through that list, treating myself every now and then to a more luxurious item but try as I might I could not find anyone that would ship Escentric Molecules: Molecule 01 to Canada. Imagine my surprise when I opened my birthday gift from Pete then and low and behold in that massive cardboard box filled with tissue paper there was a little black box nestled safely inside.

Eccentric Molecules: Molecule 01 has been described as being "created solely from the aroma-chemical Iso E Super, traditionally a perfume basenote that adds allure to a scent, which works as more of an effect than a fragrance. The scent has a subtle, velvety, woody note which will meld with your natural pheromones, vanish, then re-surface after some time, making it totally individual and personalised to the wearer. You will rarely smell this fragrance on yourself, Molecule 01 perfume is more about the effect it has on others." 

The concept of wearing a fragrance you can't really smell yourself is a strange one but I like to think of this perfume as more of a social experiment than anything else; I've made many friends and family try it on just I can smell it and it honestly smells so different on everyone, always warm and slightly musky but still unique.

I was wearing this to work one day and had a rather interesting reaction; one co-worker said that my perfume was a bit strong and another co-worker standing right beside her said she couldn't smell it at all, meanwhile I had clients all day complimenting me and asking what I was wearing.

All in all, this isn't a fragrance I wear every day because I do enjoy being able to smell my fragrance but I do love this so much, I'm curious how it would pair with another scent as well so I'll report back my findings on that after some experimenting! 

Ghosts of Beauty Products Past #2

It feels like I just wrote the original Ghosts of Beauty Products Past post, you'll probably see some repeat offenders that I just can't get enough of, I'll post them but won't go into too much detail so if you want to see what I really thought of them you can refer back to the original post!

Hair Care

It seems I've been finishing off a lot of products that have been on the go for a while now so I'm super stoked to share some of these gems with you guys! Everyone knows my love for Batiste dry shampoo so I won't go into that, BUT I've finally finished some of my favourites that I've been using for about a year now.

Difiaba Hydressence Conditioner:  I've been using this conditioner for over a year now and I adore it! It's super hydrating without leaving your hair feeling heavy, has the most amazing scent and is perfect for any heat junkie, styling addict or just general hair abuser that needs a little help getting those locks looking luscious again, this will definitely be a repurchase. You can find it here!

Difiaba Luminessence Hydrating Serum: This is an amazing treatment I use once a month, a combination of hair care and aromatherapy. I follow up my shampooing with a vial of the hibiscus scented hydrating serum, comb through and leave for five minutes before rinsing. For $36 here you get enough to last you a whole year! I've already placed an order for more.

Skin Care

MAC's Lightful Cleanser and Lightful Softening Lotion are staples in my skin care routine so clearly it's not a surprise to find them in another GofBPP post...

Delarom Revitality Cream: I used this cream for three months and when I first talked about it back in my What's My Age Again? post I thought I could never live without this cream but since finishing it off I'm not so sure I still feel so strongly about it. While I did notice a slight improvement in the fine lines on my forehead whilst using this product, I've found that since I've stopped using it my Keihl's Powerful Strength Line Reducing Treatment does just as good of a job at keeping the lines at bay, if not better and only for a fraction of the price! Needless to say I will not be repurchasing.

Omorovicza Thermal Cleansing Balm: This is a product I have yet to mention on the blog because I've been so on the fence about it and I still can't decide if I like it or not even after finishing the pot and here's why: the thermal mud is packed full of mineral rich goodness and because it's a cleansing balm it makes removing make up and cleansing the skin a piece of cake which is what everyone wants after a long day, is it not? So then you
may ask why aren't I head over heels in love? Well for starters it's £46.00 for a 50ml pot that barely lasts a month, which if it did amazing things for my skin would make it a little easier to justify but the fact is it just doesn't. I wanted to love this product, I've tried so hard to love this product, but in the end, I just can't. It's definitely worth a try (and if you're curious you can find it here) but it's not something I will be repurchasing. 

Body Care

Nuxe Huile de Prodigeuse: This is the third bottle of this glorious oil that I've finished off in the last six months and I've already cracked my fourth. For a full review of this product click here.

The Body Shop's Body Butter in Coconut and Chocomania: As far as I am concerned there is no other body butter in the world, or at least none that can compete with the Body Shops, I've already restocked my cupboards with four more of these bad boys!

Bath and Body Works Aromatherapy Body Lotion in Sleep:  I talked a little bit about this guy in my Night Routine post, and since finishing it I've realized two things about it; 1. It's not the most hydrating lotion and 2. The scent was way more relaxing than I had noticed, since finishing I've found my mind doesn't relax quite as quickly, hopefully my Aromatherapy Associates Relax Body and Massage Oil shows up soon so I can go back to sound sleeping!

Caudalie Divine Oil:  I first mentioned this in my recent post about beauty oils and when I wrote that I mentioned it was heavier than Nuxe's and almost sticky, but since switching it to an evening use only product, I've fallen in love. It hydrates scaly spots on my legs, tames parched hair and smells just heavenly. You can get your hands on a bottle of your own here.

Hand Care

Tokyo Milk's Tainted Love Hand Cream: While it smelled absolutely amazing it wasn't the most hydrating for my seriously dry hands, I think in the future I'll stick to the perfumes from Tokyo Milk because those never disappoint. 

Sanoflore Miel Nourricier Hand Cream:  I mentioned this in my January Favourites post after returning home from a romantic weekend in Paris with the boy. This was definitely a gem that I stumbled upon whilst ravaging the French pharmacies and am glad to have someone back in France to mail me some when it runs out because woah man is this stuff awesome! Smells amazing, super hydrating and calming if your hands are sensitive like mine and just all around amazing! There may be a tube of this sitting in my goodie box waiting for the next giveaway.... just sayin.

Holey Butt'r:  This product is designed for stretched earlobes, which is why I have it but it is good for so much more! It contains a blend of Karanji seed oil, Jojoba seed oil, Soy butter, soy wax, Candelila wax and Neem seed oil which are a potent blend of moisturisers and emollients to hydrate and heal dehydrated and stressed out skin. I like to put this on my elbows, knees, knuckles, heels and anywhere else feeling particularly crocodile like.

Make Up

L'Oreal Mega Volume Miss Manga Mascara:  I mentioned this in my February Favourites post as it was something I picked up from Boots on a whim whilst in Brighton back in January and I'm so sad I didn't pick up another because now that this one is done I can't seem to find it here back in Canada or anywhere online, we all know I'm queen of online shopping, and I'm struggling to replace it. There is a mascara shaped void in my life now...

MAC's Studio Fix Powder in NC15:  This has been a staple in my make up bag since I was about 13 but since my skin shifted more to the drier side I had been avoiding using it, now that I've got my skin back under control, a light dusting of Fix powder with a fluffy MAC 187 Duo Fibre Face Brush over top of my Jouer Matte Moisture Tint creates the perfect finish.

Bath and Shower

LUSH's Snow Fairy Shower Gel: I've ranted and raved about this stuff multiple times so if you want to see more about why I love it you can check that out here and here.

Soap and Glory's Sugar Crush Body Scrub: This stuff is amazeballs. Like seriously. I went into raptures here about my nostalgic love for this product and why I was so happy to see it back in Canada. If you're looking for a good scrub look no further!

Tokyo Milk's Tainted Love Shower Gel: This faired much better than it's hand cream partner I mentioned earlier in the post; it has that amazing combination of dark vanilla bean, orchid and sandalwood that lingers after the shower is over.

Pure Potent Wow Muscle Soak Bath Salts: If you lift heavy weights you're going to feel it the next day, and since I'm constantly lifting weights or running my muscles are always aching and sore and this stuff definitely helps me keep moving. I'm always trying out new bath salts so the chances of repurchasing this aren't very likely but if you're someone that enjoys a good bath on the regular these are a must try!

Bloglovin // Facebook // Twitter  // Instagram // Tough Mudder

Monthly Favourites: April 2014

April was a good month for discovering new treasures even though I tried to reign in my spending habits, it seemed I finished off a lot of products I had been using regularly and moved onto to something new that I'd squirreled away.

Skincare

I finished off my Delarom Revitality Cream earlier this month so I reached for the Embryolisse Lait-Creme Concentrate that's been sitting in my skin care drawer since Paris back in January. This is the perfect spring cream because it's lightweight while still super hydrating AND it doubles as a primer, no wonder all the beauty bloggers call it their holy grail.

Tarte's Maracuja Oil has bumped Fresh's Seaberry Moisturizing Facial Oil from my morning regime to my evening regime as Tarte's oil is more readily absorbed and lightweight than Fresh's making it the perfect base for a flawless foundation application.

First Aid Beauty's Ultra Repair Cream this stuff is seriously amazing. I picked it up from Sephora on a whim (again, I just can't say no to miniature products!!) and it's the only thing preventing my hands from falling apart right now. For some reason at the change of every season the backs of my hands breakout into a dry, itchy, painful rash (it's seriously gross, and I put my hands in peoples faces for a living!!Eek!) after only a couple days of using this the rash dissipated into a massive dry patch and then a few days later was gone altogether, after lingering around for almost 3 weeks prior to using this cream.

Make Up

I was super excited to try Jouer's Matte Moisture Tint after seeing Estee talk about it in her videos for what seemed like months I ordered it (in the colour Linen if you're curious) as well as the Luminizing Moisture Tint (which I for some reason ordered a colour WAY too dark and looked like an Oompa Loompa, I have no idea what I was thinking when I ordered it...) and I've been wearing the matte moisture tint every day since it arrived. It gives great coverage without being too heavy, the added SPF is really nice and it's a natural matte which I always find much more flattering than a full on matte. It can be worn on it's own for a nice glow or you can set it with a light powder if you're looking for a more matte finish, I find the coverage so great I rarely need concealer.

My other staple this month isn't new to me but the use for it is and it's a life saver! You've probably heard all about the MAC Prep + Prime Highlighters and how they're great for a natural matte highlight, blah, blah, blah. But do you know what they're really awesome for? Colour correcting, especially if you've got dark purple circles under your eyes! A light bit of the Bright Forecast highlighter applied will counteract the purple so that when you apply your concealer afterwards you get an even better coverage! The colour you use will depend largely on the undertone in your under eye circles and your skin tone, but for a fair gal like myself with purple bags this is the best trick ever!

Fragrance

Bittersweet No.83 from Tokyo Milk's Dark Femme Fatale Collection is the best chocolate scent ever, usually artificial chocolate smells just that, artificial. This has a rich dark cocoa base that gives you a dark chocolate scent without the cheap alcohol smell that many others are full of. I've been using this every day for probably three weeks now, so so very in love.

Life's Bits and Bobs

Life: Got away to Columbia, MD for a couple days to see the boy and had a wonderful time playing tourist in Washington, DC.

Tea of the Month: Midsummer Night's Dream by David's Tea, the only way to describe it is it tastes like love, try it and you'll understand. To the lovely gal at the David's in the Toronto airport that introduced me to this tea and dried my tears during a missed flight and boyfriend missing sadness induced meltdown, thank you for everything and for dealing with my crazy like a pro.

Book of the Month: Lady Catherine and the Real Downton Abbey by The Countess of Carnarvon clearly when I saw a book with Downton Abbey in the title at Costco last month I had to pick it up, what can I say, I'm obsessed. What I didn't expect was what I got from this book, a non-fiction written by the current Countess of Carnarvon from the archives of Highclere Castle (what is Downton Abbey in the show) as well as first hand stories from those who knew the family well. Sometimes the true stories in this book are even more dramatic than those fictional events in the television program! And the Countess' writing style just makes the book so easy to devour.

Netflix Obsession of the Month: Well considering they put the third season of Downton Abbey up that was binged watched clearly and then keeping with the current trend of British period dramas I seem to be enjoying I also watched Mr. Selfridge which was based off the real life events of Harry Selfridge the American the founded London's Selfridge Department Store. 

Blogger/ Vlogger of the Month: I couldn't pick just one this month but I figured since they were friends it could count as one, right? Lily Pebbles who you can also find on YouTube here, and her lovely friend Vivianna from Vivianna Does Makeup who is also on YouTube.

What were you lovelies loving this month?

Bloglovin // Facebook // Twitter  // Instagram // Tough Mudder

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?

Bloglovin // Facebook // Twitter  // Instagram