Monday, February 25, 2013

Nail Polish Challenge Week 21: Inspired By A Color!

Bowie and me have got a case of the blues...
      Welcome back to another installment of the 31 Week Nail Polish Challenge. Honestly, I didn't even think I'd make it this far. I figured I'd keep it up for about two months and then find it tedious and call it quits. I'm kind of proud of myself for sticking with it for so long. The theme for this week is inspired by a color. So the color I chose to be inspired by was blue.
Two toned accent nails on middle finger and thumb.
       For the lighter blue base coat I used two coats of Zoya's Breezi which is a really great blue for the summer months. Then I just painted half of my thumb and middle finger with one coat of Zoya's Ibiza. Then I just took my LA Colors Art Deco nail striper in Black and just made a line down the middle where the colors meet. To top it all off I used my handy dandy NYC Long Wearing Extra Shiny Top Coat. I decided to go really simple this week since the theme itself was pretty simple. That's all for this week's challenge, please look forward to next week's as well. Btw I've got my March CBV review coming up soon as well as a special review on my Candles By Victoria Love Victoria glitter candle, which I chose in gem blue. I know I just can't get away from all the blues lately lol. See you guys next time.

Monday, February 18, 2013

Nail Polish Challenge Week 20: Water Marbled!

Yay! Work is finally over!!
      Happy Monday everyone! I know it's kind of an oxymoron isn't it? But today didn't drag on for me like most Monday's do. I think it's because I only got about two and a half hours of sleep last night and I'm running on pure adrenaline and green tea right now. The theme for this week's nail polish challenge is water marble and I have to say I was not looking forward to this one too much because it seemed a little daunting and I knew it was going to be time consuming. Still its always good to try something out of our comfort zones right? So this is how it all turned out. 

Yet another addition to the #failnails collection...
      As you can see my instincts turned out to be dead on. This was a total disaster!! The Youtube videos make it looks so easy, but if you are like me and have no hand eye cordination, and are prone to spilling things, this is a total nail nightmare. Let me tell you how this all went wrong. First thing that failed was that the white base coat I put on turned super streaky and thus making my white nail polish completely useless. So I had to substitute a lighter base color. So I decided to go with my China Glaze For Audrey. The next thing to go wrong was the fact that the water you use has to be EXACTLY room temperature otherwise the polish will not spread; so I had to wait for it to round out. Then it turns out my Zoya nail polishes that I originally wanted to use, do not work for water marbling. So that took out half my nail polish color choices. In the end I ended up just using my cheapo Avon polishes in Sunshine and Viva Pink. So here is where my lack of grace turned out to be water marble kyrptonite.You have to work quickly with the polishes otherwise they will dry on the surface. And the polish dries within about 30 seconds. So in my haste to try and put the drops of polish in then make a design with a toothpick then dip my nail in the water I ended up spilling globs of polish all over my dresser. Ugh... I ended up getting so frustrated with the process that I called it quits with just one hand and left my other one blank. After posting this I'm going to remove these fail nails pronto! Still while this was a complete mess to do I'm glad I tried something new although I think it's safe to say I wont be doing much water marbling in the future lol!

Monday, February 11, 2013

Nail Polish Challenge Week 19: Galaxies!

It's Galaxy Nail Week!
           Hey everyone! I'm back for this weeks nails challenge and the theme as you could already tell is Galaxies! Galaxy nails are really pretty, but I have to say a little tedious. This was my first attempt at trying galaxy nails and I'm pretty happy with the results. I just wish my glitter would show up in the pictures. I need a new camera... Anyways here is how it all turned out.
        For the base coat instead of using a matte black like most people I decided to use my China Glaze Smoke And Ashes polish from the Hunger Games Collection. I like that it looks mostly black but when you see it up close and in person you see these tiny micro-flecks of green and teal glitter. With a small torn off piece of a make-up sponge I first used Avon's French Tip White and then layered on Avon's Sunshine followed by Avon's Viva Pink to create the galaxy gradient. After it had fully dried I added on Pure Ice's Don't You Wish which is just a clear coat that has lots of really fine raibow colored micro-glitter in it. I wish you could see the glitter in the pictures because it really adds that pop effect when the light hits it and makes it look like stars. 
\And another view...
       In the end I am really satsified with how it all turned out. I was honestly expecting a huge mess, but it wasn't that bad or that hard to create. I have a feeling when this nail polish challenge is over I will be wearing a lot of galaxy nails, playing with different colors and glitters. Anywho that's it for this week's nail polish challenge. I hope you enjoyed it and look forward next Monday for the next one. Bye guys!

Saturday, February 2, 2013

My Tart Will Go On And On…

Happy Valentines/Singles Awareness Month! 
         Yep, it's that time of the year again. The month dedicated to love it seems and in some cases loneliness, but whether you love or loathe Valentine's day it's time for my February scent review. I decided to do things a little differently this time by breaking the scents down into scent category's instead of starting off with the one's I like most like I usually do. Not sure yet if I'm going to keep doing them this way from now on or if I'm going to go back to the way I did them before. But don't worry I will still have fun gifs at the bottom overview. Let me know what you guys think if I should do it this way or the old way. Anyways now on to the review.
First Category Is Bakery!
Country Bumpkin:
Color: Burnt Orange
Cold Throw: Now this is a mixture of a lot of bakery smells, but on cold throw all I get is a very strong Hot Tamales cinnamon. I can't pick out any of the other fragrances in it like the apples, marshmallows, yams, or even the clove or nutmeg. It just smells like those Hot Tamales candies on cold throw alone.

Warm Throw: While cinnamon still continues to be the main note, the other fragrances do come into play more when warmed. I mainly get an undertone of the yams and maybe a tiny bit of the marshmallows, however I don't smell the apples at all. Overall this is kind of a cinnamony scent with a slightly sweet bakery basenote to round it out.

Cotton Candy:
Color: Crayola's Razzmatazz
Cold Throw: Smells just like pink cotton candy that you get at the fair. It smells just like lightly spun sugar. Another spot on fragrance from Victoria. If you love the smell of sugary sweet fluffy cotton candy then you will want to pick this one up.

Warm Throw: This one is another one that completely lives up to it's namesake. It smells like light fluffy pink spun sugar on a stick...only without the stick. The throw starts out strong at first but dissapates quicker than most of the CBV scents I've had. If you were expecting a fair worthy cotton candy fragrance then you will not be disappointed with this one.

Blueberry Cobbler:
Color: Blueberry Blue
Cold Throw: On the cold throw I mainly smell a thick fried dough smell mixed with Victoria's Blueberry Patch. It smells more like fresh blueberries than baked ones, but it is still a nice pretty accurate scent. The throw is pretty good as well, you get both the scents in one whiff. It smells like it is supposed to like a heavy comforting and rich blueberry cobbler.

Warm Throw: Smells legit. Smells like a real blueberry cobbler complete with glazed blueberries and heavy crispy fried dough. On the cold throw the blueberry scent was a bit too fresh for me to think of as a baked dessert, but when warmed they smell like true baked blueberries and the dough keeps it's fried yeasty notes as well. The two scents combine together and make one awesome yummy fragrance. The throw is a moderate one and it smells delicious. Smells just like a hot fresh blueberry cobbler and even like a blueberry crisp too.

Orange Clove:
Color: Burnt Orange
Cold Throw: Such an amazing and often overlooked scent. This lives up to its name and is just oranges and cloves, but they mix so well. The orange is a fresh orange and not like orange juice while the clove adds a nice touch of soft spice that isn't sharp like a lot of other spice like fragrances. This one actually reminds me of this special tea my mom makes in the winter with Tang. It evokes a lot of good memories for me. This is a very very subdued spice fragrance so if you are put off by most spices you might want to give this one a try because it wont assault your nose.

Warm Throw: I liked this one more on cold throw than warm throw, but it is still a great steady scent. It still continues to smell like how it did in the container only the oranges aren't as predominate as they were before, which I would have preffered. Still this is still a nicely subdued spice fragrance with undercurrents of citrus for blending. The throw wasn't anything great, but it was still noticeable. Might have to start putting in half a shot instead of a fourth for this one.

Peppermint Bark:
Color: Dusky Pearl
Cold Throw: A lot of people have described this as smelling just like an Andes Mint and they are 100% correct. This smells like creamy chocolate and cool peppermint. This is actually the most toned down mint scent I've tried from CBV. Normally I find the peppermint to overpower most of the scents it's paired with, but not with this one. I get equal parts of the chocolate and mint. I really like this one and think it's not only great for winter, but any time really. In winter it fits because of the peppermint, but any other season I think it will fit because it is chocolate and mint like the ice cream only creamier.

Warm Throw: Well this is supposed to be a dupe of Y**k**'s fragrance of the same name. It is a mixture of white chocolate and peppermint. I smelt the Y**k** version in a store one day and really liked it so I decided to try CBV's version of it. While they smell similair they are not the same. Personally I like CBV's version better because it smells mintier while the Yankme scent smells more like heavy chocolate with the tiniest hint of mint in the background while the CBV version still is a chocolatey fragrance I get the mint in it better. The throw on this one is really strong as well.

Chocolate Chip Cookie:
Color: Chestnut Brown
Cold Throw: I got this one because lots of people said that this smells just like the real deal and I'm hoping that this one is like Fudge Brownie, where on cold throw it smells nothing like what it does warm. Because I do not smell chocolate chip cookies on cold throw at all. It smells like a really heavy bakery type yeasty scent that is oddly reminiscent of Zuchinni Bread to me. The throw is really strong and I don't even get much of a chocolatey scent at all. Just a heavy bakery note that is not cookie like at all.

Warm Throw: This one did indeed turn out just like Fudge Brownie in that the real scent came out when it was warmed. Smells just like crispy chocolate chip cookies hot off the oven. My mother actually came down stairs and asked me if I was baking. She was a little disappointed that she was tricked once again by wax. Then we both lamented the fact that we didn't have any cookies in the house. This scent is pure yummy legit baking chocolate chip cookies. So don't be deceived by the smell of the cold throw alone. It has a medium scent throw, not too powerful, but strong enough to notice once it gets going.
Now On To The Florals...
Butterfly Kisses:
Color: Grape Purple
Cold Throw: Okay this is another floral like Bella Swan where I smell a mysterious grape note. I don't know if it's the lilac or honeysuckle or even just the mixture of the two that make this grape like florally fragrance. This scent is supposed to also have cantaloupe and kiwi in it, but really all I get is a soft floral basenote with a grape top note. It's still a really pretty scent, but if you aren't a fan of grape smells then I would pass on this one.

Warm Throw: When warmed up I still get that grapey floral note. I think it is caused by the mixture of lilac and honeysuckle, but I'm not really a floral expert. I didn't smell any of the fruity notes this one is supposed to have in it; instead I just got that rogue grape note. It was still a pretty floral though with a hint of dry powder in the undercurrent. Not too noticeable, but if you use your nose to search for it you'll find it instantly. This one is in the same vein as Bella Swan, but I think I prefer Bella Swan over this one because it has more depth and I don't get any powder like nuances. While I found nothing wrong with this scent I don't think it's one I would go out of my way to re-purchase again. I could take it or leave it.

Raspberry Violet: 
Color: Violet
Cold Throw: This smells like a nice gentle floral with an undertone of sweetness. I can't really pick out a straight raspberry, just a sweet fruity undercurrrent beneath the soft and light floral. I don't really know what just plain violets smell like, but the floral notes in this one aren't heavy, cloying, or overpowering in the least. Smells really good, with the tiniest hint of a "dry" note which could just be the dried flowers, but don't be put off because I only smell that when I inhale really deeply and search the fragrances.

Warm Throw: Smells just like it did on cold throw only I smell the "dry" note a tiny bit more so, but it's not anything that would put me off the scent. If you've ever had the scent Faerie Ring then you'll pretty much be able to pick out this scent from the Apples And Oaks it's mixed with. This one is a very very gentle smelling floral that doesn't offend my senses at all with just a touch of light sweetness. The throw isn't the greatest, but it isn't too weak either. I just wish the scent lingered longer than what it does. Next time I'm going to have to melt half a shot at a time with this one instead of my usual quarter. This one is great when mixed with Fizzy Pop to make Alice Cullen.

Now Onto The Fruits!
Poisoned Apple:
Color: Crayola's Jazzberry Jam
Cold Throw: This one is both similar and different from Enchanted Apple. I get the same airy apple top notes that I got in Enchanted Apple, but the base notes are completely different. Enchanted Apple had a sweeter, greener base while this one has a heavier and deeper less sweeter base. I'm guessing that is the licorice and bergamot that's making it so. Still this one is pretty smelling. It's mainly breezy apples with a hint of something darker underneath. It really matches it's namesake actually.

Warm Throw: This one smells to me very very similar to Enchanted Apple. It is mainly crisp breezy apples, but the only difference I can smell is that Enchanted Apple had more "greener" smelling basenotes while this one had a "darker" smelling background (Probably from the Black Licorice and Bergamot). I also noticed that Enchanted Apple seemed to have a bit of a stronger scent throw. The throw on this one is good, but Enchanted Apple was a lot more noticeable I think. Still the scent is lovely and oddly beffiting of it's namesake.

Birds Of Paradise:
Color: Milky White
Cold Throw: This smells exactly like what the description says it does. It smells like fresh picked strawberries with cream. This actually reminds me of these strawberry Slim Fast shakes that my best friend's mom used to drink all the time. It's a pretty sweet and simple fragrance, just juicy strawberries and fresh milky cream.

Warm Throw: Another one that lives up to it's description. It stays the same on warm throw as it does on cold throw. It's just a really nice subtle srawberries and cream fragrance. The throw is good, but not overly powerful so it stays in the background of the room quite nicely. Nothing too stand outish, just a pretty simple scent.

Blushing Peaches:
Color: Crayola's Jazzberry Jam
Cold Throw: I mainly get strong peach notes out of this one with just a hint of strawberries underneath. There is some creamy notes at the base which I'm guessing is the vanilla, but on first whiff all you really get is the peaches unless you are searching for the other scents. Not as juicy as I thought it would be, but that's probably because of the vanilla that rounds it out.

Warm Throw: The peaches continue to be the main fragrance with this one, but the bottom notes of strawberries come out more and turn it into a peach candy smell. The strawberries add this candied sweetness element making it smell like artificial peach flavored hard candies. To me this one is just like Blue Raspberries, where the fruity notes turn into an artificial syrup candy smell instead of the actual fruit it is supposed to be. Still I like this one. It's really sweet and smells pretty nice. So if you like the smell of peach candy then you might want to give this one a try.

And Some Miscellaneous Scents...
Sugar Kisses:
Color: Crayola's Jazzberry Jam
Cold Throw: So this is a customer created scent of Raspberry Guava and Cotton Candy. While I have never had Raspberry Guava this scent is making me want to. This is probably the most difficult one to describe fragrance wise on this list, but it is soooo good. It's very juicy and fruity with a really sweet undercurrent. It reminds me of a scent I've smelt before, but for the life of me I can't place. The Cotton Candy and Raspberry Guava blend together so well to make a completely new fragrance that's sweet without being too sugary as to make your head hurt and fruity enough without being too powerful or complicated.

Warm Throw: The throw on this one is pretty good, it started to permeate from my bedroom into the hallway and bathroom. It took a little time to warm up, but once it did it really smelt great. It smells exactly like it does on cold throw. I get a juicy candied raspberry with something light and sweet to soften it up. This mixture smells great! Special thanks to Emily over on the Pouring Pot for steering me in the direction of another great scent!

St. Lucia:
Color: Bright Blue Grey
Cold Throw: So this a mixture of honeydew melon mixed with marshmallow ambrosia and nectarine. I immediately get the light sugary marshmallow ambrosia which is a scent I can usually pick out anywhere. Then when I inhale deeper I can pick out the honeydew melon. I don't really get any of the nectarine though. While you are probably wondering why this is filed under the Tropical Fragrances category when there is really nothing tropical about it but, all the scents seem to mix together and give it a magical almost sweet sea like smell. It is very hard to describe, but smelling it I can see how it fits.

Warm Throw: I mainly just smell the marshmallow ambrosia. The honeydew and nectarine really aren't identifiable to me. The ambrosia just consumes them. The throw is pretty strong as well, it filled up my living room, and traveled to the upstairs office. While I don't get the other fruity notes this one is still a pretty scent if you like the smell of sweet sugary marshmallow ambrosia which is a pretty stand out scent once you know what you're looking for.

Love Shack:
Color: Crayola's Jazzberry Jam
Cold Throw: Now I have not tried Love Spell or Pink Sugar on their own which are the two scents that make up this fragrance so I can only go by the scent as a whole. And let me tell you this is a tricky one to describe. I mainly get a combination of juicy fruity scents similar to those in Sexy In Stilettos was on cold throw. It also has a sweet perfume like base note quality to it as well. The scent is very feminine and it reminds me ALOT of a few Victoria's Secret fruity perfumes that I have. If you are put off by the perfume description don't be because it isn't a heavy chemical like perfume scent. It is more like just a really fruity and girlie type of perfume.

Warm Throw: While this continues to smell like a Victoria's Secret perfume the fruity notes in this one remind me more of berries while as the one's in Sexy In Stilettos is deeper and has hints of cirtus in it. This one smells like a sexy, yet sweet juciy dark berry perfume. It has a pretty medium throw to it and smells very girly and pretty.

Relaxation:
Color: Light Blue Grey
Cold Throw: This was my free scent shot and I have to say I was pretty baffled at first when I looked up the description after just smelling it. The site says that this is a mixture of mahogany, sandalwood, and rose, but when I first smelt this I didn't smell anything woodsy or earthy at all! This smells more like it belongs in the clean/soothing fragrance category. It smells like baby powder and rose scented soap to me. I don't smell any sandalwood or mahogany. I guess I can understand why it was named Relaxation, but I'm just so surprised that those three ingrediants created this scent.

Warm Throw: I have to say that I did not like this scent at all. I actually turned my warmer off. Not that I found it too offensive to my nose, it just had all the scents that I don't like in it. The first thing I smelt when this was warmed was a strong rose scent, which happens to remind me of old ladies for some reason. It has some undercurrent of something woody-ish, but the rose really just overpowers it all. There is a bit of the clean like smell that I got on cold throw, but really when I smelled this all I could think of was an old lady's house. The throw was really strong too. So if you like rose type scents you will probably love this one, if you don't (like me) then you will want to skip this one.

Sexy In Stilettos:
Color: Crayola's Jazzberry Jam
Cold Throw: First off the throw on this one is amazing! I was a little unsure of how this one would smell since the description was a little vague saying that it smells like sweetness and oriental musk. And while I am not a big fan of musky type scents I decided to give this one a shot based on all the rave reviews it seemed to be getting. For those of you who were confused as to what it smelt like allow me to break it down for you a little better. The sweetness mentioned is actually a very juicy fruity fragrance, though I can't pinpoint exactly what type of fruits they are, but I can say they don't smell tropical. The musk mentioned I find is missing on cold throw, but this is a perfume like scent. Not a heavy chemical perfume like I found in Vanilla Bean Noel, but more like a Victoria's Secret fruity perfume. In fact that's exactly what this reminds me of, like a Victoria's Secret sexy, yet girlie fruity perfume.

Warm Throw:I get more of the fruity notes when warmed up. The fruits are more citrusy; like I want to say blood oranges and strawberries or at least something close to that effect. It is a very juicy perfume like scent that's really feminine and it remind's me even more of a Victoria's Secret type fragrance. I could see them selling this or something quite like it. The throw is pretty good as well. I can see why so many like this scent and I can't believe it took me this long to burn it. I love it!

Scent Overview: 
Scents I loved: Blueberry Cobbler, Chocolate Chip Cookie, Sexy In Stilettos, and  Sugar Kisses!
I Notice I Tend To Love Scents That Remind Me Of Food.
 Scents I liked & would re-purchase: Country Bumpkin, Cotton Candy, Peppermint Bark, Orange Clove, Raspberry Violet, Butterfly Kisses, Poisoned Apple, Birds Of Paradise, Blushing Peaches, Love Shack, and St. Lucia!
They Were All Squee Worthy Scents.
Scents my nose didn't get along with: Relaxation!
Pretty Much A Metaphor For My Nose & Relaxation.
       Well that is all for this month's review. All the scents are in the categories that the master fragrance list has them under, so that is why a few scents are listed in different catagories than they are when you use the drop down menu when you order. I'm still playing around to see how I want to set up my reviews from now on. If you like the old way I did it better or if you like this new set-up let me know. I'm still going strong with my New Year's resolution to try 100 new CBV fragrances. I don't know what all exactly I'm up to just yet, but I know I'm doing pretty good so far. I hope to keep at it and I hope that you guys enjoy these little reviews and that some of you find them helpful. Until next time guys!