Sunday, May 5, 2013

Nail Polish Challenge Week 31: The Final Challenge!

It's the very last challenge!
    I feel so accomplished! I actually completed 31 weeks of this! On one hand I am proud of myself for actually sticking to this and doing it every single week. I'm also happy that it is finally over so that from now on I can do whatever I want without having to stick to a theme, but on the other hand I'm a little sad to see it all end. I've devoted half a year to this little project so it has kind of become a routine for me and it has also challenged me and improved my nail art skills by a marginal bit. Oh, my conflicted feelings... But all things must come to an end. So for this final nail challenge the theme is to re-create your favorite challenge! Honestly, I don't have a favorite theme although I do have a favorite nail design. (*cough* My cityscape nails for artwork week *cough*) Instead I chose to do a mixture of re-doing both gradient week (that was a fail of epic proportions) and tutorial week (since I rushed through that one). Without further ado here is the final nail challenge...
Ombre Sunset Forest Nails
    I followed SimpleNailArtDesigns's tutorial on Youtube to create this. For the base coat for the gradient to stick to I just used one coat of Zoya's Bela. Then on a make-up sponge I used Sally Hansen's Xtreme Wear Hard As Nails in Blue It, Avon's Orange Creamsicle, and Avon's Sunshine. I just dabbed my nail to create the ombre. Then with a toothpick dipped in China Glaze's Liquid Leather I patiently added the ground and trees. Finally I just sealed it all in with my trust NYC Long Wearing Extra Shiny Top Coat. Viola! Tutorial completed! That finishes the final nail polish challenge. I might put together a collective post of every single week just like a re-cap. It will depend on how much free time I have. Anyways it has been an interesting and fun ride and I thank you all for sticking with me. I suggest you guys try this out. Obviously I have no nail art skills at all, but doing this challenge has really shown me new and creative designs that even I can do. You would be surprised at how easy some things are. Thanks again for everything guys!

Wednesday, May 1, 2013

Don’t Go Breaking My Tart

Welcome back everyone!
      Is it May already? Is it me or is this year passing by just as quickly (if not more) as last year? Luckily though summer is just around the bend so it is time to dust off all of those fun summer fragrances sitting in the back of your CBV stash. This round of shots found a few new top favorites for me and a lot of other great scents that are perfect for the warmer weather. As always though I have to start off with the bakery category...

I've got six bakery scents for you this month.
Get Me S'more:
Color: Milk Chocolate Brown
Cold Throw: Another flawless food to fragrance scent. This smells EXACTLY like real s'mores. I can perfectly smell all three of the scent combinations. I can pick out the crumbly graham crackers and the fluffy marshmallows all coated with gooey milk chocolate. I have to say this is probably the realest smelling chocolate I've smelt to date. I normally dislike most chocolate type fragrances. To me they all have the same artificial "this is chocolate like but not really chocolate" smell. This one however smells like a real milk chocolate Hersheys bar. Buyer beware this may give you one hell of a s'mores craving...

Warm Throw: I have to say I liked this one a smidge better on the cold throw only because the scents were so easy to individually pick out, but once it's melted I mainly get graham crackers and marshmallows with the chocolate moving to the background. I'm still able to smell all of the scents, but they aren't as clear as they were on cold throw. That being said though it still is a perfect s'more scent with a pretty decent throw. I'm not a big fan of camping, (too much bugs and dirt) but I am a big fan of campfires and s'mores. This scent takes away all of the downsides of sitting outdoors and eating empty calories while still giving me that much needed s'mores kick.

Bear Claws:
Color: Caramel Brown
Cold Throw: This one smells like a donut shop to me. In fact it smells just like the local favorite donut shop we have here in my hometown that I absolutely adore. The main scent contributor is thick rich caramel. Following that up is a yummy fried dough fragrance and then there at the very bottom you get a slight nutty smell. I'm not a fan of nut type fragrances but I don't mind it at all in this one since it's not the main scent and just kind of like a nice after thought. I've never had a bear claw persay, but I'm willing to bet this smells just like it or something very close to it. Smells like a delicious breakfast treat. 


Warm Throw: Delicious! That's what I would use to sum up this fragrance. It continued to smell as yummy as it did on cold throw. The fried dough was subtle and mixed really well with the rich warm caramel and the nutty scent continued to be a background player so it only enhanced the wonderful gooey breakfast treat smell. The throw was very good as well. I only used 1/4 a shot and it filled up the entire downstairs space.This one was a big hit with everyone in the house. I will be repurchasing this one soon. Homer Simpson would probably be eating the wax if he could.    
So delicious they will make your mouth water!
Cinnamon Raisin Bread:
Color: Licorice Brown (So dark it almost looks black)
Cold Throw: Smells legit to me. I get cinnamon and while it is that red hot type of cinnamon it isn't standout strong like the red hot type usually is. The sweet baked bread fragrance really tampers it down nicely. I also get a hint of raisins there on the "edges" of the overall scent though I can't tell the raisin scent apart from the strength of the cinnamon sweet bread. It is a heavy bakery scent that's for sure.

Warm Throw:  The cinnamon in this one is very toned down by the sweetness of the bread. In fact it almost loses that "red hot" harshness. The bread smell isn't too yeasty like some of Victoria's other bread scents, so that is nice. It mainly smells like spiced bread to me with maybe a tiny pinch of raisins in the undertones. The scent throw on this one is decently strong.

Pumpkin Pie Spice:
Color: Pumpkin Orange
Cold Throw: I wouldn't say this one smells like pumpkin pie spice, more like just pumpkin spice. It is most certainly a pumpkin cinnamon clovey fragrance, but it lacks that really thick creamyness that would make it pumpkin pie smelling to me. The cinnamon is the "red hot" kind of smelling cinnamon, but it isn't too bad. It mixes well with the richness of the heavy pumpkin and the baking spice of the cloves. This is more of a fall fragrance to me, but my mother LOVES pumpkin scents so she burns them all year round. Which is why I'm melting this in the summer.

Warm Throw: Not so much pumpkin pie, more like spiced pumpkin. This one was lacking the richness or the creaminess of actual pumpkin pie filling, though it is a good pumpkin fragrance nonetheless. What I mainly get out of this is thick pumpkin with notes of cinnamon and clove. Luckily pumpkin is a strong fragrance so it blended well with the equally strong Red Hot cinnamon smell. Like all of Victoria's pumpkin based scents, this one was a strong scent thrower. It filled up my living room well without being overwhelming. If you were looking for a thicker richer pumpkin I would try Harvest instead, but if you just want a straight up pumpkin with some spices then this one is for you.

Yum.
Spiced Apple Pie:
Color: Dark Maroon
Cold Throw: I like this one better than Apple Pie Ala Mode though they are very similar. I have noticed Victoria's baked apple pie smell tends to come off smelling more like a Luden's cherry cough drop then it does apple pie. (Am I the only one who thinks this?) This one is no exception though the cough drop smell isn't as strong as it is in Apple Pie Ala Mode. I like this one better because I can get a sense of cinnamon baked apples with just a kind of faint cherry cough drop smell in the undercurrents. Perhaps my nose is playing tricks on my mind (I wouldn't be surprised my nose can be a picky SOB) but for some reason I just can't not associate the baked apple pie smell with cherry cough drops.   

Warm Throw: The baked apples and cinnamon smell did come out more after melting, but there was still a faint medicinal quality in the undertones that just sadly ruins the scent for me. The scent throw started out strong however the fragrance dissapated as soon as all the wax had fully melted. I still like this one better than Apple Pie Ala Mode because so far it is the most apple pie smelling I have tried as of yet, but I was really hoping that this one would break the Luden's cherry cough drop curse. I am going to try my luck with Apple Cobbler in my next order. Hopefully I will finally find my one true apple pie scent.


Buttercream Crunch:
Color: Goldenrod
Cold Throw: When I smell this I mainly get a really heavy rich churned butter fragrance. It's kind of weird but it almost smells to me like the melted butter you put on popcorn only with the faintest hint of sweetness underneath. I'm not sure if it's more maple smelling or vanilla smelling. The scent underneath is too weak to be sure. It does however smell like buttercream or what I imagine buttercream smells like since I haven't actually taken the time to stop eating a buttercream cake or cupcake to actually sit and smell the icing.  

Warm Throw: Typical buttery sweet bakery scent really. This one is just top notes of Victoria's rich butter scent mixed with a soft background of her signature bakery notes. I don't really smell any coconut, cocoa, or maple in this one. This one isn't as buttery as Butter Brickle. It is a lot sweeter than it too. Between the both of them I prefer this one only because it has a bakery note that adds depth where as Butter Brickle smells like pure butter or butterscotch candies. I will say that Butter Brickle has a better scent throw. The throw on this one was just average and it didn't last very long after being fully melted. I have to admit that I dont really care for buttery type fragrances nor butter itself so I am not fond of this scent. Butter lovers take note though, this one is for you. 


My search for the perfect apple pie scent continues...

Four fruity fragrances.
Exotic:
Color: Ocean Blue
Cold Throw: This is a really juicy fruity fragrance. I can immediately identify peach and mango as the top notes, but then there is also a strong undercurrent of other sweet mixed fruits like strawberries and something else. I like that this one is really sweet and fruity without going into artificial syrup territory. For some reason when I think of the word exotic mixed in with fruits I tend to think more along the lines of coconuts, pineapples, and passion fruit, but this one isn't any of those.

Warm Throw: This is such an amazing blend of fruits! I love it very much! All of the fruits in it come together to make one giant fresh fruit salad fragrance without the marshmallow cream. I get peaches, mangos, apples, and strawberries all mixed together in a great throw. No scent really overpowers the others. I really like how it all smells like real fresh fruit rather than their artificial syrupy counterparts. This is a fruit explosion and I know I'm going to love burning this one over the summer. If you are a fan of really fruity scents then you need to try this one. A new favorite to add to my list!

Exotic smells great!


Strawberry Lemonade:
Color: Dark Maroon
Cold Throw: Smells like strawberry lemonade to me as far as I can tell. I smell Victoria's fresh picked strawberry fragrance mixed with a sweet fresh lemon base. I haven't tried very many of Victoria's lemon scents so I can't tell you which one specifically is in this. Smells pretty accurate to me though. It brings to mind sitting on the porch in the summer and sipping a nice cool glass of pretty pink strawberry lemonade.

Warm Throw: Smells JUST like real strawberry lemonade. It was cool and lemony, but not an overpowering kind of lemon, more like a light airy lemon. The strawberries added this sugary sweetness to it without adding any real strawberry smell. The scent smells like a real glass of freshly poured pink lemonade. The scent throw on this one was a marginal bit over average. I feel like this will be a really refreshing scent to burn on those lazy days of summer.

Banana Kiwi:
 Color: Banana Yellow
Cold Throw: Willy Wonka candied banana flavored Runts with undercurrents of kiwi to give it a little special twist. That is what I get when I smell this. It's definitely an artificial candy banana smell that makes up most of the fragrance but you can tell there is a little bit of kiwi hiding there in the base notes. It's a really bright and fun scent. I'd say it is more candy like than it is fruity.

Warm Throw: For the most part I would say that it is still the same on warm as it is on cold with the only exception being that the kiwi comes out just a little bit more so that it becomes equal parts candied banana and artificial kiwi. I say it's artificial kiwi smelling because honestly I've never smelt a "true" kiwi scent. I believe the real fruit doesn't have enough fragrance itself to make much scent out of it. But you can definitely tell that it is an artificial sweet kiwi scent. The throw on this one was just average for me. It filled the room up, but didn't do much past that. I feel this one in a candle would probably be too weak to give off much scent.

Strawberry Kiwi:
Color: Dark Maroon
Cold Throw: The scent throw on this one is really VERY weak. It's almost as weak as Sugar Plum's was. Its really hard to get a sense of the scent because of this. However it kind of smells like a very faint typical artificial strawberry kiwi scent. I smell more kiwi than I do strawberry which is surprising to me since normally the strawberry is the dominate smell. I wouldn't say this is a juicy fruity scent more like an artificial Lip Smackers strawberry kiwi scent only heavier on the kiwi.

Warm Throw: To me this smells like either a strawberry kiwi Lip Smackers chapstick or strawberry kiwi juice. It smells kind of artificial to me, not really like fresh cut strawberries or kiwis; instead it smells very sweet and almost syrup like. On cold throw the kiwi was stronger than the strawberries, but once it is warmed up they even out and become equal. The two scents blend and mix together to create one whole scent instead of two separate ones. The scent throw is better once it is warmed up. It isn't strong but it is average. This is pretty much your typical run of the mill strawberry kiwi scent. 
Fruity scents? Mama like...

Two florals and two perfume dupes!
Cleopatra's Closet:
Color: Eggplant Purple
Cold Throw: I'm normally very leary when it comes to florals but I was extremely so when I decided to purchase this one. I had heard a lot of great reviews on it, but the description was very daunting. I'm picky when it comes to florals and this one is said to be chock full of them. I was doubly put off by the "powdery peony petals". I'm not much for powdery scents either. Still I wanted to go out of my comfort zone so I sucked it up and clicked the buy now button without looking back. While this one is without a doubt a floral fragrance its actually really pretty. I fail at trying to describe individual florals so I will just say that this one is a sweet darker floral with a vanilla base. It isn't too stong or cloying in the least. Jason Hogan described this one as Bella Swan's older sister once and now that I have smelt this one I have to say that is a perfect analogy. The scent is very feminine and sensual. I think it would be great as a bedroom scent.

Warm Throw: This one stayed true to it's original cold throw smell. It continued to be a very beautiful and feminine smelling floral fragrance. I actually like this scent a lot more than I had thought I would. It's definitely up there with Bella Swan in the florals I actually care for category. The only complaint I have about this one is that the throw wasn't as strong warm as it was cold. Granted though I used this in my open living room and only used a forth of a shot so the throw would be better if I had used a half shot or if I had melted it in a smaller closed off space like my bedroom. Other than that this is another lovely floral.

Sophie Belle:
Color: Plum (I know it looks the same as Cleo's Closet but it isn't)
Cold Throw:  Yet another floral I was hesitant to try but after hearing so many reccomendations on it I didn't want to miss out. To me this one is another sweet mixed floral like Cleo's Closet, but it is more of a fruity floral fragrance. It isn't cloying or punch you in the brain strong. Like with Bella Swan I get a slight grape note only it's fainter in this than it was in Bella Swan. The mixed fruits and mixed flowers blend together very well. And don't be discouraged by the description on the site where it says "fresh cut grass and musk" trust me you won't smell any one of those.

Warm Throw: This is a really pretty subtle floral fragrance with a nice medium to average throw. The fruits tone down the intesities of the florals and they all combine to make just one very pretty overall gentle floral. It's slightly sweet smelling and the mysterious grape note that was found in it on cold throw completely disappeared when warmed. It's a very feminine almost girly fragrance. I would say this is the Jan Brady of the floral bunch with Bella Swan being Cindy and Cleopatra's Closet being Marcia. I imagine Sophie Belle as the middle sister with a fragrance that's right in between girlish and womanly. My analogies are ridiculous I know...

Coco Lime Verbena:
Color: Fern Green
Cold Throw: A dupe of the Bath & Body Works fragrance of the same name. I have this scent in a B&BW hand soap and I can tell you they smell almost exactly the same except for the fact that (as with most of Victoria's dupes) hers are stronger smelling and this one is a little stronger on the coconut than the original. I really love this scent for summer. I'm not a big fan of strong coconut or verbena scents, but the three scents in this come together and blend so nicely that they make up one entirely unique fragrance. Its fresh and crisp with a sweet but tart edge to it. Perfect for a hot summer day.

Warm Throw: It really lives up to what it is duping. In fact I think I like Victoria's version better because the coconut note is a bit stronger without taking over the scent like coconut tends to do. The scent throw on this one is just a tad bit over average and it smells the same warmed up as it does on cold throw. This one is perfect for summer when you don't want anything too fruity, or too tropical smelling.

Mango Sorbett:
Color: Pumpkin Orange
Cold Throw: So this is supposed to be a dupe of Tutti Dolce. I've never had the pleasure of smelling Tutti Dolce so I can't say whether or not it's a fitting dupe. The first thing I smell is mainly mangos. Since I have smelt several of Victoria's raspberry fragrances I can pick out the bottom notes of raspberry that's almost hidden in the mango mix. And I can make out just the slightest hint of citrus that blends very well with the mango raspberry combination. This is a nice and juicy sweet mango fragrance. I feel like it would be good to melt in the summer.

Warm Throw: This was a really sweet mango fragrance. The slight raspberry and citrus scents that I got on cold throw were swallowed up whole by the strength of the mangos. The mango scent isn't your typical artificial mango, but it's also not as crisp or fresh smelling as the real deal. The mango in this is sort of right in the middle between those two realms. This one remains to be a very juicy scent, it doesn't have any hint of that fake syrupy note that I get in some fruity fragrances. The scent throw was a little bit above average, but not strong. Unfortunately the scent didn't linger as long as I would have liked it to. I will probably melt this more on the long hot days of summer.  

They all turned out to be lovely!

Two housebends and one customer creation and one tropical scent.
Whistlin' Dixie:
Color: Ocean Blue
Cold Throw: I have to say the description on this one intrigued me something awful. With so many different scents I had no idea what to expect. Having it in my possesion now I have to say the scent itself is as complex as its description. I will be honest and say I haven't the faintest idea of what dewberry or cotton flowers smell like, but I have a strong suspicion that they smell like this. I'm guessing that dewberry is in the same vein as honeydew because I'm getting a fruity smell similar to that nature. I can tell that this one has lily of the valley and ylang ylang which is in a lot of the softer floral scents that I tend to like. Then I can pick out an undercurrent of sweet amber. The whole fragrance is anchored down with a creamy base of vanilla. I find this scent so very pretty. Smelling this makes me think of a cloudless breezy summer's day.

Warm Throw: This continues to smell just as pretty warmed up as it did on cold throw. I'm still getting the Lily of the valley and the ylang ylang, only now I smell the cotton flowers in the base. This fragrance is just perfect for a cool summer's day. The florals are really light and gentle, not overpowering or cloying in the least, then it has this slight fruity quality to it that adds sweetness. It's kind of airy as well and the cotton flowers and vanilla in the basenotes just anchor the whole frangrance together. The scent throw on this one is pretty strong as well. With just a fourth a shot in my bedroom I could smell this all the way to the living room. Another new favorite. I might have to get a glitter candle in this scent. 
Oh! A new favorite!!!
Pop Rocks:
Color: Crayola's Jazzberry Jam
Cold Throw: This is a mixture of Fizzy Pop and Rasberry Guava; two scents that I really like. Mixed together I do get the wonderful carbonated tingles that Fizzy Pop has, but the lemon lime fragrance is weighed down by the Raspberry Guava. It is a nice mixture, but I would have liked it more if the Raspberry Guava was stronger and lent the Fizzy Pop more of its sweetness. As it is all I can really smell is a tampered down version of Fizzy Pop. Despite the name it does not smell like actual Pop Rocks so if that's what you were looking for this isn't candy like in the least.

Warm Throw: Fizzy Pop remains the dominant fragrance, however all the lemon lime smell that usually comes with it is completely gone. The Raspberry Guava cancels out all the citrus in Fizzy Pop while leaving the effervescant smell of the carbonation. Unfortunately though I don't feel like the Raspberry Guava adds much to the scent. I don't smell any more fruity notes in it at all. It just kind of smells like a very toned down version of Fizzy Pop. If you are looking for something that has the Fizzy Pop bubbles, but has a more sweeter fruity smell then I would go with Champagne Pomegranate instead. I still like this scent and it does have a great scent throw to it, I just was expecting it to be fruitier or sweeter smelling than it was. To me this one is just okay.

Star Fruit & Mango
Color: Pumpkin Orange
Cold Throw: I'm not sure what starfruit smells like (seems to be a theme in this review lol) but judging by this fragrance I'm going to guess it has a water based tropical fruit smell. What I get with this one is a strong mango mixed with a juicy tropical fruit. No artificial syrup or candy like smells to be found here just straight up fragrant and juicy fruit. Very strong cold throw.

Warm Throw: The star fruit comes out more when warmed up. It actually became the main scent in the end. I'd say star fruit to me smells like a water based fruit that is very similar to kiwi to me only not quite as sweet. You can still smell the mangos but the scent ratio comes out 2/3 star fruit, 1/3 mangos. The scent throw remains pretty strong, but not the bad kind of strong. It's really fragrant without being agressive. Sometimes I get scents that are so strong it feels like they are waging guerrilla warfare on my senses. Not a lovely feeling... Luckily this is not one of those.

Sunburst:
Color: Banana Yellow
Cold Throw: Wanna know what this one smells like? GRAPEFRUIT!!!! That's the first thing that popped into my mind. It's grapefruit with a lemon base. I know it says it is a mixture of oranges, strawberries, and pink grapefruit but to me all I smell is grapefruits and lemons. It kind of reminds me of a very sour lemon Starburst. It has this almost candy like quality to it. Its sweet and tart and citrusy.

Warm Throw: Luckily for my nose the grapefruit note was toned down a lot once it was warmed. You could still smell the citrusy notes, but there was a hidden sweetness that majorly came into play once it melted fully and that rounded out the scent very nicely. It ended up smelling just like a lemon Starburst candy in the end. I can see why it is named Sunburst now. Well played Victoria, well played. 
Sunburst/Starburst... I see what you did there.
     That's all for this month's review. Just a heads up for all of you guys who are looking to order in June. The CBV team will be going on a short vacation so turn around times will be longer then usual. They will start on all the orders as soon as they get back I am sure so please be patient if you do decide to order during that time. The CBV team has also added some more new products to their website so go check those out when you get the chance. I will see you guys again next month for another shots review. Until then guys take care and don't forget the SPF!!

Nail Polish Challenge Week 30: A Tutorial

Only one week left of the nail polish challenge!
     Hey everyone. I know that I am two days late posting this, but I have had to work overtime all this week and so things got a little crazy there. Nevertheless I have finished this week's challenge. This week's challenge was a tutorial. I decided to do Bubzbeauty's spring time nails. I wish I would have slowed down and taken my time a bit more when doing this, but as I said I had worked overtime yesterday and I was hurrying to get it done before dinner. Still I'm happy with the results...
Spring time grass and daisies.
      For the sky which is also the base coat I used Zoya's Blu in two coats, then for the grass strands I used two different greens/ With a toothpick dipped in polish I used Zoya's Josie, and Apple. This picture does not justice whatsoever to the glitter in Apple. It actually has a three dimensional effect because I used one matte color for the stalks and then a glitter for the other stalks. So it sparkles in certain light. Then for the daisies I just used a bobby pin and dotted it in my cheap dollar store nail striper in white. For the center of the daisies I used Avon's Sunshine and just dipped my bobby pin in. This was super simple to create and it would have looked way better had I slowed down and taken my time with it. This is a really great look for springtime and trust me on the nails it looks way more forgiving then this harsh picture. Can you believe we only have one more challenge left? I feel like crying... not sure if I'm happy or sad that it is all about to end next Monday. I will still post some manicure looks, but they will be sporadically and in no particular theme really. Just the nails that I believe are worth taking a picture of. Anyways that's all for this week's challenge. Please look forward next week for the finale. Also later today when I get off work I will be posting this month's CBV review so stick around for that. Bye guys!