Monthly Favourites - May 2012

Sometimes, I feel like time gets away from me... This is one of those times. Pretty soon, we'll be ringing in another new year and I'll be dumbfounded as to where all that time went. :p

Ahh, but right now, we're still in June. So as I always do, I present to you all my favourite products from the previous month.

1. Pure+simple All Natural Sunscreen 

I confess that sun protection is not something I always think about. In fact, I downright forget about it during the late Fall, through the Winter, and in early Spring. But when I noticed that my left arm was darker than my right (curse you, driving tan! *shakes fist*), I realized it's time to whip out the sunscreen again.

This Pure+simple sunscreen is the best I've tried so far. It doesn't feel sticky and doesn't smell like your typical sunscreen product. Also, it evens out my skintone. So for those few days in May where I didn't want to wear any foundation at all, I found that this product and some concealing were enough to make me look presentable... It also made me realize that my skin really doesn't need foundation to look good. So I'm going to aim to go foundation-less at least 4 times a month to give my skin a bit of a breather.

To read my full review, click here. 

2. Physicians Formula Youthful Wear Youth-Boosting Powder*

I've been using this to set my foundation nearly every day now. I also wore it during my foundation free days just to add a bit of illumination.

But does it make my skin look youthful? Well, I can't say it did. Though at 26, it's not really much of a concern for me. That said, it does give a very nice glow; so while my skin didn't necessarily look more youthful, it did look healthier and more glowing, which is always gets a thumbs up in my books!

3. Lush Ro's Argan Oil Body Conditioner

I don't think I can rave about this product enough! It leaves my skin so deliciously smooth and it smells amazing, to boot. All I need to do is do a quick slather of this stuff while my skin is still wet from the shower and then do a quick rinse. This removes the excess, but it doesn't remove everything. It definitely feels like I've got product on my skin. It moisturizes my skin so well and it lasts all day, too! My skin feels just as soft, smooth, and moisturized at the end of the day as it did in the beginning (though the product does seep in a bit more - meaning there's less tackiness, but your skin still feels hydrated). The scent, as I mentioned, is absolutely lovely and also lasts the whole day. Incredible!

To read my full review, click here.

4. Physicians Formula pH Matchmaker pH Powered Bronzer & Blush

Say that 10 times fast!

These two products have been doing a lot of work for me lately. Whether worn alone or paired together, they both colour-match to a shade that is both lovely and wearable for my skintone. I love that the bronzer doesn't look orangey on me and that the blush does double duty by leaning more pink when worn along and leaning more coral when worn with the bronzer. 2-in-1 is better than 1-in-1! (that doesn't even make sense -_-')

To read my full review, click here.

5. Hand Therapy Avocado Hand Repair Butter

I'm always on the lookout for a great hand cream. I wash my hands quite often and my hands can get pretty dry, so that means I require some lotion application fairly frequently. I have two requirements for a great hand cream: 1) fantastic hydration, and 2) no shiny, greasy residue left behind... So far, I have only found one that does that, and that's L'Occitane Shea Hand Cream. But it's $30 CADqw for a 150mL tube and around $12 CAD for a mini tube at Sephora. I mean, the larger tube did last me a long time, but $30 for hand cream still feels a bit like a kick in the gut.

So when I found this Hand Therapy product, I decided to give it a try... And boy, am I ever glad I did. This product makes my hands feel silky smooth and super hydrated, without the greasiness! And for the cheap price of $6.99 (I found this product in Superstore), it can't get any better!

I lied, it totally gets better. This hand cream is paraben free, synthetic dye free, mineral oil free, SLS free, and phthalate free. Amazing, no? I always have to resist the urge to buy more every time I pass by the display at my local Superstore.

6. Jo Malone Dark Amber & Ginger Lily Cologne Intense

Ahh, the new love of my life!

This perfume has been my latest obsession... It smells divine and it lasts all day, two things that are most important to me when it comes to fragrances. It's really hard for me to describe what this smells like, but it's definitely one of the most interesting scents I've ever had the pleasure of smelling. With some perfumes, I can tell straight away if it's floral or citrusy or what have you. But this one is pretty complex, at least for me, and that's what I love so much about it.

To read my full review, click here.

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So there you have my May favourites.

It is now officially June. Which means the next two Wednesdays are my Evening & Bridal final exams. I'm nervous, but kind of just looking forward to getting it over with. I've gotten to the point where I don't really sweat it anymore. Yes, marks are great, but that's not going to book me a job, is it? No, I just want to focus on doing a great job so that I can be more confident in my skills.

Aaaand I just remembered I have to do makeup, hair, and styling in under 90 minutes...

*thud*

Happy June, lovelies!

The New Love Of My Life - Jo Malone's Dark Amber & Ginger Lily Cologne Intense

Once in a while, you meet a perfume that you just connect with... Well, I know I do, at least.

I've said it before and I'll say it again: I don't know much about perfumes. I only know what I like and that's pretty much it. I actually only have thirteen perfumes; some of which, I've had for more than 2 years now. But there are a few fragrances I own which honestly have a very special place in my heart. I can't really explain it beyond a "love at first whiff" feeling and knowing that it's a scent that represents who I am better than any other fragrances I may enjoy.

There were only two perfumes that I felt this way about*: Burberry For Women and Viktor & Rolf Flowerbomb. But now, I have Jo Malone's Dark Amber & Ginger Lily Cologne Intense to add to the mix.

*I'd like to add that although I'm not head-over-heels in love with Emporio Armani She, it was given to me while I was in Milan (I also started wearing it then), and to this day, a whiff of this perfume makes me remember that wonderful month-long trip to Europe.

I saw the Jo Malone counter for the first time in Bloomingdales when I went to New York in March. I was immediately intrigued because I loved the uniformity of the glass bottles... And there were so many!

Anyway, I wasn't in the mood for buying a new perfume, so I didn't really stop to try any of them out. Fast forward to the end of April and I happen to be at Holts Renfrew with my girl Winnie with the express purpose of having a sniff at a Diptyque fragrance I was interested in getting. But on the way to the Diptyque display, I passed by the Jo Malone counter and, well... I couldn't resist this time!

There were literally about 5 fragrances that I immediately liked, but only two of them really struck my fancy: Dark Amber & Ginger Lily and Orange Blossom. So the lovely Sales Associate (Audrey, who had the cutest Irish accent) sprayed one fragrance on each wrist and Winnie & I proceeded to walk around the beauty section to give myself some time to make a decision.

Eventually, it was decided that Dark Amber & Ginger Lily was "more me," so I went and made the purchase. I've never spent so much on perfume before; the Cologne Intense collection retails for $155 CAD and is not available in the 30mL bottles (at least not in Holt Renfrew). Still, I was in an indulgent mood and bought it anyway. Like I said, I really connected with this perfume; and since I loved it so much, it would make a great buy.

I've been wearing Dark Amber & Ginger Lily every day since I bought it and I am enjoying every moment of it! The scent is absolutely divine and despite being labeled as "cologne intense," doesn't smell overpowering or too sharp. It's comfortable to smell, in that it doesn't irritate my sinuses or give me a headache at all. It has such an interesting and multi-faceted scent as well. I can't immediately tell you what it smells like (i.e. vanilla, floral, powdery, citrusy, etc.), although that may very well be my lack of scent-descriptive skills. But mother-of-pearl, does it ever smell amazing!

According to Fragrantica, this perfume has base notes of leather, sandalwood, kyara incense, patchouli, and black amber; middle notes of jasmine, orchid, water lily, and rose; and finally, top notes of black cardamon, ginger, and pink pepper. I kind of have no idea what that all means. All I know is that put together, it makes for one of the most amazing, most interesting perfumes I've ever had the pleasure to smell!

Seriously, you guys... It smells SO good! <3

I also have to add that this fragrance lasts amazingly well on me. It's certainly not as present or obvious at the end of a long day, but I can definitely still catch whiffs of it and so can others. That's something that is very important to me when it comes to fragrances. If I have a full day of work and rehearsals afterwards, knowing that I still smell good kind of helps me feel more presentable.

Audrey included 8 free samples with my purchase, 3 of which were Orange Blossom because she knew how much I liked it as well. Oh, and she also told me that my name sounded like a famous singer, so she's now my new favourite person (after the Winmeister and all my Bandits, of course :p).

I'm told that Jo Malone fragrances are also meant to be layered, which is kind of an unknown concept to me, but I do love the idea of creating unique scents by layering different perfumes together. The Jo Malone website proves to be quit helpful in this regard, because each perfume's individual page has a list of other perfumes that it pairs well with.

I've also got my eye on a few other fragrances. As I've mentioned earlier, I also quite liked Orange Blossom, but I don't think I like it enough to purchase a full 100mL bottle. Thankfully, Holt Renfrew carries the 30mL versions of the perfumes that are not in the Cologne Intense collection (those retail for $75 CAD, while 100mL bottles retail for around $130 or $140 CAD). Aside from Orange Blossom, I also quite like the sound of Nectarine Blossom & Honey, as well as Rose Water and Vanilla. So I'm thinking that another visit to the Jo Malone counter is in order one of these days.

What perfume holds a special place in your heart?