My Minions

Saturday, July 30, 2011

FOTD: Epicurean Boho

No idea why I named this look "epicurean" but I tend to write whatever things in my head first and regret later...so for now let's just settle wit it lol.

Used:
Pure Anada Niagara Fawn mineral foundation
Thevi Mocha pressed powder (as contour bronzer)
Wet'n'Wild Heather Silk blush
e.l.f Beauty Book Neutral Eye Edition (my review/swatches here)
NYX Abu Dhabi lip cream

My attempt to be hipster like all the cool kids out there...

Friday, July 29, 2011

Perfume Review: Wiggle





Wiggle Perfume and Sundries is a indie perfume oil company with burlesque theme store and label. As soon as you see the images and descriptions, you will immediately catch their sultry and classically naughty background. 
Catering to the unique female individual, even by the names and backgrounds they chose for their products, Wiggle offers a wide variety of scent depends on your preference (feminine, sexy, mysterious, fun).


I honestly was attracted by their labels and after long months of holding back I finally caved in and ordered six samples ($2.00 each) but I just noticed yesterday they raised up their price to $3.00 per sample vial. I had troubles narrowing down my choices but I finally settled with:

  • Anna May
  • Speakeasy Vanilla
  • Honeysuckle Sweet Tea
  • Sakura
  • Buxom
  • Manora
  • Lila (free sample)


ANNA MAY 
(peony, green tea, wisteria, white musk, orchid, ginger, soft incense, lychee)
~ This smells like an airy spring days when the cherry blossom blooms and you sit with your picnic table, hair down, enjoying nature. Although the notes are mostly floral, they're not dominant. The lychee as a top note did gives a vibrant sweet opening but then the scent becomes softer and girlier. The incense and ginger are barely detectable unless you inhale really deep like a coke addict (ok maybe not really). The spices are somewhere in the background, hiding, and magically morph Anna May into a more complex fragrance.

SPEAKEASY VANILLA 

(bourbon vanilla, sultry amber, frankincense, white musk, bay rum)
~ If you love vanilla scent and think Solstice Scent Cenobite is too boozy/sweet for you, give this a try because this one is like a more powdery version of Cenobite. The beginning is quite warm but the dry down is definitely more powdery and multidimensional. The incense is definitely there, creating this feminine, classic grown up vanilla. It's pretty soft and comforting. A must try.

HONEYSUCKLE SWEET TEA
(black tea, honeysuckle, golden honey)
~ Wow, this one is very realistic. It's a well balanced combo of those three notes above and I can't tell you which one is stronger just on a cold sniff. It's that kind of fragrance you wear in those sticky hot and balmy summer nights. A tea lover would really enjoy this one but on me the drydown smells just like honey which is not my cup of tea. HA!

SAKURA 

(cherry blossom, Egyptian musk, red santal, fresh cut grass, nag champa, pink grapefruit)
~ You know you can easily tell that a scent is "old-fashion" but I can never actually know that there is such thing as "new-fashion" until I smell this one. Everything screams au courant, vibrant, fresh and modern. Not sure if I make any sense but scent wise, it's really unique, the pink grapefruit in the opening fools you into thinking that this would be a straight up fruity scent, but that's not the case. Not at all.

BUXOM 
(rich bourbon vanilla, English rose, red musk, powder)
~ I frustrated myself yesterday because this reminds me of something I've smelled when I was a child but I can't remember what it is. After a long painful search on Google of "What Buxom smells like" and "Buxom reminds me of..." with no result, I give up and focus on the notes. It's a very classic feminine powdery rose that also has a dry pastry note (i know it's weird) but the site says Buxom usually evolves differently on everyone's skin so it may smell totally different on you.

MANORA 
(black tea, lotus, coconut)
~ Oh my god Thai Iced Tea creamy goodness come to me !!!! It's so yummy and the tea balances out the heady lotus note. I love how the coconut in this one smells dry, and not tanning lotion-y. A must try, definitely!

LILA 

(lilac, black musk, vanilla, black tea, black rose, black pepper)
~ Don't you hate it when you order a bunch of samples and you get one free extra, and that one extra turns out to be your uttermost favorite? Yeah this is it. I actually was very surprised because Lilac on me always smells odd. Notice how 4/6 of the notes have "black" in them? :) This smells nothing dark or haunting, instead it's very feminine and soft. The lilac smells very romantic (if that's even possible lol idk) and makes you feel like a sexy retro actress going out on a romantic dinner; polka dot shoes, red lipstick, white pearls and all.



Their 5ml perfume oils are $15 whereas the 15ml are $39 each. Honestly I do think the price is quite steep and it's probably the only downside I can think of from this company. The perfumes staying power is decent, Speakeasy Vanilla and Buxom last the longest on my skin (around 5-6 hours) and some only hold for 2 (Sakura and Anna May). Overall I'm very pleased with my purchase and I'm considering to get Lila in full size when I'm not broke ^^


Monday, July 25, 2011

NOTD: Angry Birds




BC & TC
SH Double Duty


White Base
Maybelline Colorama French Tip White


Thumb 

Essie Silken Cord 
Ulta Truth or Dare
Artdeco Black
Artdeco White
Essence Sundancer


Index 
SH Extreme Wear Pacific Blue
Artdeco Black
Artdeco White
Essence Sundancer

Middle 
Essence What Do You Think?
Artdeco Black
Artdeco White
Essence Sundancer

Ring 
SH Extreme Wear Mint Sorbet
Ulta The Jungle Look
Essence Lime Up!
Artdeco Black
Artdeco White

Pinky 
SH Extreme Wear Bubblegum Pink
Ulta Truth or Dare
Artdeco Black
Artdeco White
Essence Sundancer

Monday, July 18, 2011

Perfume Review: Wylde Ivy

Another long overdue review which I always regret and apologize for... I could swear to you I planned to blog about this company right after I received my order but apparently my brain was somewhere else along with my memories. Anyway, let's start before I forget about it again 
(loljk....)



Wylde Ivy is a perfumery artisan whose product are uniquely blended and vegan friendly. I've seen them mentioned many times especially by those who enjoy musky and fruity-floral scents. Their blends are well known to be very complex, delicate and sophisticated. I honestly have no idea why it took me so long to make an order from them. I took a plunge and ordered their 5 Mini Perfume Spritzers Set from their Etsy store when they had a 15% off discount back in May.   




The scents I chose are: Indigo Moon, Simple Love, Moonflower, She's So Flirty, It's My Party (Good Girl Edition). Along with my order I was given 2 free sample vials in the scents of: Neroli Creme and Muse.
"Indigo Moon" ~Wylde Blend~  Indigo Moon, dreamed into being by a Wylde Ivy customer, is sugared plums, soft red currants, sweet cream apples, vanilla drenched musk, and sheer white amber. The waning crescent moon hangs delicately in the ink blue sky as a 1000 glistening jeweled stars pierce the indigo night. 

"Simple Love" ~Wylde Blend~ To honor my twin baby girls, I wanted to create a fragrance to reflect the amazing feeling of being the presence of uncomplicated, perfect, unconditional...Simple Love. A light, airy fragrance of euphoria, gentle and inviting. Like love, this has a delicate nature, yet invokes such powerful emotions. Let Simple Love surround you. Notes of: White Lily of the Valley, Dewy Moss, Pure Vanilla, Pink Jasmine, Mandarin Peel, Sweet Berry, and White Musk. 

"Moonflower" ~Wylde Blend~ This stunning cool floral blend invokes visions of sheer white petals glowing under the moonlight. Moonflowers are crisp white flowers that bloom under the rising moon. They fragrance the night with their gorgeous and subtle gardenia like fragrance. This is the scent of Moonflower petals wrapped in velvet moonlight, fresh jasmine and sandalwood, violets and sheer musk. This is a simply magnificent scent. 

"She's so Flirty" ~Wylde Blend~ She’s so sweet and so seductive. Her sweetness draws you in and her seduction ensnares you. She is charm, allure, and attraction in a petite, sapphire eyed, scarlet lipped package. She may be playing you, but it feels so good you choose not to care. She’s so cute. She’s so sweet. She’s so captivating. She’s so flirty.Notes of: Chilled green apple, smooth vanilla musk, white amber, sandalwood, a hint of jasmine petals, and citrus peel. 

"It's My Party, Good Girl Edition" ~Wylde Blend~ The good birthday girl is all sweet and charming. She glistens and sparkles and radiates pure joy. She's the embodiment of picture perfect in every picture ever taken of her, her smile practically glistens. Expect her to throw her own huge parties with people traveling from four states away to share her day. She loves the attention, she adores the primping, and she lives for this once a year day of her own.Notes of: Pure white vanilla frosting, a touch of sweet cream, rainbow colored sugar crystals, blackberries and currants, a dash of citrus and sticky candy, with a base of sugar musk.
"Neroli Creme" ~Wylde Blend~ The timeless, gracefully scent of orange blossoms meets the simplicity of pure vanilla cream. 
"Muse" ~Wylde Blend~
Muse [Middle English, from Old French, from Latin Mûsa, from Greek Mousa.] meaning a source of inspiration.
The Scent: Light and airy white musk meets delicately sweet ribbons of sugar intertwined around subtle notes of vanilla beans, orange glazed berries, and soft white florals. Be inspired.



Review:


Indigo Moon - On a cold sniff it smells very plum-y, it quickly settles down and the amber starts to emerge, making it deeper and almost smokier. This reminds me of a sugar plum scent which I honestly was never a fan of, very sugary with dry berries and a bit of musk in the background. This one is just an ok for me, I don't love it but it's also not offensive by any means.


Simple Love - Ok, I might be delusional but this is a dead-on Philosophy Falling In Love scent which I owned. I even Googled the notes and turns out they're pretty similar. I'm not calling it a dupe or anything because this is supposed to be Wylde Ivy's house blend but to my nose they are very very very similar. 


Moonflower - Be completely honest with you I ordered this one because of the name. You know my long sappy old love story with The Body Shop Spirit of Moonflower, so when I saw this scent I was kinda hoping to get something close to that discontinued scent, but WI Moonflower is nothing like it. This is obviously a white floral scents, on the first sniff I was welcomed by the gorgeous gardenia and jasmine. The musk appears after a couple of minutes and pretty much stays in the background. I can't really smell any violets although it was listed but I'm kinda glad because violet tends to be a little cloying. This blend is beautiful and I can see myself wearing it to a garden picnic or one of those spring days when you just want to smell light and pretty. Definitely a day time scent.


She's So Flirty - This one took me 2 tries to finally understand it, which is a shame because this turned out to be my favorites of the bunch. The green apple definitely dominant in this blend but don't worry, you won't smell like a jelly roncher because there is so much more to it. The sandalwood and amber add a sexy and mysterious vibe whereas the jasmine and citrus "beautify" this perfume and make it smells less fruity-generic. This blend developed on my skin and it smells more complex the longer I wear it. A must try, even if you're not an apple fan :)


It's My Party Good Girl Ed. - Sweet, sweet, sweet. I smell sugar, musk and more sugar. Those of you who enjoy sticky sweet cotton candy scents, this one is for you. If I tried this perfume back in 2008 I might have had enjoyed it very much but unfortunately this one is too been-there-done-that scent, which is definitely my fault for having to try too many similar scents in this category before. This perfume reminds me of BBW Warm Vanila Sugar which is a long time favorite of mine. I might wear this on my fun days when I feel like a teenager again, running around in midnight carnivals with two giant fluffy pink cotton candies in my hands.
Added: The drydown smells kind of odd for me, not sure what it is but it doesn't go well with my body chemistry. Boo :(


Neroli Creme - Amazing, is all I can say. Sometimes less is more because this blend only consists of orange blossoms and vanilla creams, but it smells soooooo dang pretty. It's soft, it's creamy, and it makes you want to cuddle with your lover under a giant blanket and your favorite sentimental movie playing on TV. Gorgeousness in a bottle, period.


Muse - I believe this is a revamp version of their famous line and people said they don't smell the same anymore. I haven't tried the old one so I can't really say much about it but what I know that Muse smells close to Pink Sugar, in a less-cloying way (which is why I felt like I'm very familiar with it). Again, the sugar definitely speaks loud and clear in this one, along with the musk and vanilla. I can't pick up too much of the floral but it does develop into something more complex than It's My Party Good Girl Edition. I like this one better, obviously, since I'm old now.


Final Say:


I am quite pleased with my order, and especially with the free samples I got, I definitely want to try more of their floral scents. Based on my experience, I could say that their sugary blends are no joke, and they are mostly overpowering the other notes. I am happy with the ones without, especially Neroli Creme and She's So Flirty. Overall a very good experience with Wylde Ivy, if you have tried them please leave me a comment below and let me know which one should I try next.


FYI, Wylde Ivy do offer 1 oz Perfume Spray for $17 or if you're international you may purchase their 1/3 oz Perfume Oil instead (since alcohol can't ship overseas) for $12. If you feel like sampling a bunch of fragrance, you can also do that, they have this 10 Perfume Vials for $15 deal, which I think is pretty neat. 

Sunday, July 3, 2011

NOTD: Milani Jewel Fx

This is such a fun polish to have, whenever I wear it I feel like there's liquid gold on the tip of my fingers :)