Advent Blog: Friendship, Benefit Sun Beam, and Golden Wonder

Friendship Quote

"Don't walk behind me; I may not lead. Don't walk in front of me; I may not follow. Just walk beside me and be my friend." ~Albert Camus

Christmas Song

Christmas by Mariah Carey http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9FixKBZZl0

Benefit Countdown to Love Calendar

Day 18: Benefit Sun Beam

This has a brush like Benetint and Posietint, but it is a highlighter. You put it on top of your cheekbones and under your brows. It gives a pretty golden glow. It reminds me of a liquid version of The Balm Mary-Lou Manizer.

My dupe I heard for this was Hard Candy Glow Away in Maui the bronzer side. It has two sides, one is bronzer and one is highlighter. I swatched Sun Beam on the left and Maui on the right.

These look like dupes to me. Hard Candy Glow Away in Maui is $6 at Walmart, while the full version of Benefit Sun Beam is $26! To be honest the Hard Candy one has a really bad smell. It might have gone rancid, and I should throw it away. I don't know if they still make this because it isn't available on the Walmart website. It is on the Hard Candy website, but not for sale.

Lush's The Night Before Christmas

This is a package I got at Lush. It comes with a bunch of bath bombs. It suggests using one bath bomb per night for the seven nights leading up to Christmas, so that is what I'm going to do. Did you know Christmas is only seven days away! It has been fun for me to countdown the days. This is what the package looks like. It has a lot of pictures on the top, bottom, and all along the sides.

Isn't that a cute hat box? This is what the Lush website says, "This inventive limited-edition hatbox features seven Bath Bombs including a mixture of seasonal inventions and year-round favorites to keep your tub festive and bright this holiday season. Designed by artist Serge Seidlitz, the illustrated hatbox tells the story of how Santa prepares for a hard night's work of delivering gifts around the world. Lucky for us, we just need to sit back and enjoy! We've chosen a mix of relaxing and energizing Bath Bombs to match your mood, whether you're hoping to calm your nerves for a restful nights' sleep or the evening's just getting started!

Golden Wonder Bath Bomb

Today/night I'm going to try out this present in the bath. When you shake it, you can hear something is in it. Sometimes they put glitter or rose petals etc in the bath bomb, so it comes out in the bath. This is what the website says about it: "Golden Wonder is back again this year and we can't wait to hop in the tub with this fizzy golden gift! It simply wouldn't be a LUSH Christmas without soaking in its soft citrus fragrance; a gorgeous, uplifting blend of sweet orange, lime and cognac oils. Drop this bestseller in your bath and watch it put on a colorful show as the vibrant gifts inside reveal themselves and leave you with soft, champagne-scented skin." I don't want to read anymore because I don't want it to give away the surprise that is inside.

Review: These bath bombs are really fun! This was yellow and blue with gold glitter and little yellow stars! It smells citrusy. I recommend it.

Advent Blog: Love, Bad Gal Lash, and a Body Conditioner

I have found all the Christmas quotes that I liked, so I wasn't sure what to do, but then one day I thought, why not just put quotes I like? It can be about topics that have to do with Christmas like love, joy, charity, family, etc. So my first quote is a very famous one about love. You probably have heard this at a wedding. I love it. This is also one of my favorite paintings by John Waterhouse. I think it is Guinevere and Lancelot. He painted redheads a lot. I have Christmas quotes for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, but the rest are non Christmas quotes.

Love Quote

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails." ~1 Corinthians 14:4-8

Christmas Song

All I Want for Christmas Is You by Mariah Carey http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXQViqx6GMY

Benefit Countdown to Love Calendar

Day 14: Benefit Bad Gal Lash Mascara

I was hoping to get a mascara in this calendar. I haven't really liked the one I was using from the drugstore. I just finished the Benefit mascara I got as a free birthday present from Sephora. I really liked that one. Normally, I am happy with the drugstore mascaras, but I've been missing the Benefit one. This doesn't mean I'm going to switch to a higher end mascara because I think there are ones at the drugstore that are just as good as the high-end ones. I don't want to pay more than I need to for a mascara, but I will enjoy my little samples whenever I can get them. The brush on this thing is huge! It's like bigger than my eyeball! xD It gave good length and volume.

Lush's Rosy Christmas: Ro's Argan Body Conditioner

This came wrapped like a present, so you can give this to someone for Christmas or whenever. They have a lot of packages like this. I wanted to try something rose scented because that is one of my favorite scents. This is what the website says, "We wish you a rosy Christmas, complete with this gorgeous gift of luxurious treats for the shower! This pint-sized package contains fan favorite Rose Jam shower gel and Ro's Argan body conditioner for soft skin and decadent, floral showers all winter long. Give a Rosy Christmas to the hostess, friend, mother or sister who could use a reminder to take time out for themselves during this busy holiday season."

This is the Ro's Argan Body Conditioner. The website says, "Luxurious rose-scented shower lotion for the softest skin that ever was. LUSH product inventor Rowena made this decadent, rose-scented shower 'lotion'. She noticed how much she liked the sultry soft feeling hair conditioner gives her hair, so she thought how nice it would be if she could have the same feeling for the body too. With scoops of cocoa butter, cupuacu butter, almond oil and Argan oils, and the fragrant scent of fresh rose petals, this is the most luxurious body softener that ever was (if we don't say so ourselves!). After washing up, slather yourself all over with this new invention. Rince, pat dry and revel in supremely soft, rose-scented skin." When I opened the package it said that if you turn in 5 Lush containers, empty, you get a free Lush face mask!

I think this is a neat idea: to have a conditioner for your body. I really need it for my feet! I'm curious to try it today. I will take a shower later today and come back to share what it was like.

Review: It actually doesn't smell like roses to me. It smells like pie, and I have a weird aversion to pie smells. It makes me feel nauseous. When I was little I was sick and had pie and then threw up, ever since then I connected the two together. I also don't like the way it feels. Usually when you put something on your body and you wash it off, you feel it washing away, but this stuff sticks to the skin, so it feels weird to me. I'm used to lotion, I guess. Also, there wasn't much in the container. I feel like this will last for one more shower and then I will be out of it. I wouldn't get this again. I'm disappointed.

Favorite Spring Perfumes

The fragrances of Spring have notes of Lily of the Valley, Peonies and Violets. I have a few sample perfumes that I consider to be Spring perfumes.

1. UR for Women by Usher: White Freesia, Peach Nectar, Jasmine, Osmanthus, Pink Peonies, Creamy Musk, Honeysuckle, Praline, Soft Woods

2. White Diamonds by Elizabeth Taylor: Narcisse, Gardenia, Lilies, refreshingly crisp green notes

3. Mariah Carey's Luscious Pink: Sicilian Bergamot, accords of ocean breeze, Italian sparkling coctail Bellini, petals of Tiara from Tahiti, lily of the valley, pink peony, accords of bright blond wood, sandalwood, white musk

4. Jennifer Aniston: Jasmine, scent of the ocean, Citrus Grove Accord, Rose Water, Violet, Amazon Lily, Musk, Amber, Sandalwood

5. LIV GRN C2C Fragrance Collection in Earth: Jasmine, Green Leaves, Lavender, Lily of the Valley, Ocean, Musk, Sandalwood

6. Bvlgari Omnia Crystalline: Bamboo, Nashi, Lotus Flower, Balsa Wood

7. Bvlgari Mon Jasmin Noir: Green Sap, Gardenia Petals, Sambac Jasmine Absolute, Satiny Almond, Precious Wood, Licorice, Tonka Bean Absolute

8. Coach Poppy Flower (purple): Citrus, Lychee, Cassis, Water Lily, Jasmine

9. Bath and Body Works Sweet Pea: Sweet Pea, Watery Pear, Logan Berry, Rhubarb, Cyclamen, Freesia, Raspberry, Musk

10. Bath and Body Works Country Chic Fragrance Mist: Sparkling Lemon, Grapefruit Zest, Juicy Pear, Crushed Leaves, Marigold, Fresh Raspberry, Jasmine Petals, Day Lily, Gardenia, Orange Blossom, Peach Nectar, Vanilla Orchid, hint of Praline & Patchouli, Cedar Wood, Amber Wood, Skin Musk

11. Juicy Couture Couture La La: Mandarin, Green Apple, Red Currant, Lily of the Valley, Orange Blossom, Violet Leaves, Musk Accords

I got some of these perfumes from a gift set from Rite Aid and a gift set from Sephora. The Bath and Bodyworks I got as a Christmas present. The little vials I received in beauty boxes. What are your favorite perfumes/scents for Spring?

Autumn Perfume

Well, even though it is still warm here in Oregon, the first day of Autumn has passed, so this is the time of year when it is getting colder and the leaves are starting to change colors. I forgot to wear one of my autumn scents today, so I'm going to start tomorrow. Some of the perfumes are also considered other seasons because of the different notes it has. I looked up which notes go with each season. What I have found for autumn was that the notes that "go" with autumn are sandalwood, musk, amber, and jasmine. This is my collection of perfume that go with autumn.

1. UR for Women by Usher
2. White Diamonds by Elizabeth Taylor
3. Forever by Mariah Carey
4. Luscious Pink by Mariah Carey
5. Curious by Britney Spears
6. Fantasy by Britney Spears
7. Clean Warm Cotten
8. DKNY Golden Delicious
9. Givenchy Ange ou Demon le Secret
10. Jennifer Aniston
11. Juicy Couture Viva La Juicy
12. Viva La Juicy La Fleur
13. Paco Rabanne Lady Million
14. Philosophy Amazing Grace
15. Philosophy Love Sweet Love
16. Atelier Cologne Vanille Insensee Cologne Absolue
17. Harvey Prince Yogini
18. LIV GRN C2C Fragrance Collection in Earth
19. Body Fantasies Signature in Vanilla
20. Bodycology Fragrance Mist in Brown Sugar Vanilla
21. Paris Hilton
22. Oscar de la Renta Live in Love
23. Billionaire Boyfriend
24. Bvlgari Omnia Crystalline

I collect my little sample vials and keep them in this pretty pencil pouch I found. It has silver sparkles on it. It's hard to see in the picture but they are little flowers and the blue is more of a Cinderella blue color.

Summer Perfume

I don't know about where you live, but where I live in Oregon it is still summer in September. We usually get "Indian Summers." I have organized my perfumes into the different seasons according to the notes in each fragrance. I researched what scents go with which seasons, and looked up the notes for each of my perfumes. I started to wear the perfume that goes with the summer season. I thought it might be interesting for someone. I don't own all of these perfumes. I have samples of a lot of them. I like the way all of them smell.

I also looked up where are good spots to place perfume on your body. It seems that the hot spots are the best places.
1. behind knees
2. wrists (don't rub them together)
3. chest
4. behind ears
5. insides of elbows
6. spritz in the air and walk through it, so your hair gets it
7. spray on hair brush
8. between breasts
9. neck

The best notes for the summer are:
1. rose
2. orange blossoms
3. raspberry
4. peach
5. honeysuckle
6. island flowers
7. sea salt

My summer perfume favorites:
1. UR for Women by Usher
2. White Diamonds by Elizabeth Taylor
3. Mariah Carey's Luscious Pink
4. Clean Warm Cotten
5. Dior Addict To Life
6. DKNY Golden Delicious
7. Jennifer Aniston
8. Juicy Couture Viva La Juicy
9. Juicy Couture Original
10. Juicy Couture La Fleur
11. Paco Rabanne Lady Million
12. Philosophy Amazing Grace
13. Philosophy Love Sweet Love
14. LIV GRN C2C Fragrance Collection in Earth
15. Taylor Swift Wonderstruck
16. Calgon Tahitian Orchid
17. Calgon Ahh...Spa! Tropics
18. Paris Hilton
19. Dragon Fruit by Demeter Fragrance Library