Tag Archives: Jo Malone

May Favorites

13 Friday Jun 2014

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Contains affiliate links

I do not really have new favorites this month, they are items I reached for more often during May!

 

Too Faced’s The Chocolate Bar Eye Palette

(USD $49.00 for 16 shadows) –> found at Sephora

I grabbed my Too Faced Chocolate Bar palette (review linked here) more often than any other palette I own. Even though I consider my Urban Decay Naked I palette my holy grail, I only use four shades. With the Chocolate Bar palette, I use almost all the colors! Win!

 

 Caudalie’s “Vinosource Moisturizing Sorbet”

(USD $39.00 for 1.3oz) –> found at Nordstrom or Sephora

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I use this occasionally when the evenings are too humid for my Chantecaille night cream. I bought this on a whim and loved it. Upon reading the description I was immediately curious. A gel moisturizer that breaks into water particles? Interesting! I never tried a gel lotion before but I figured it was a good alternative to a typical face cream, especially since I have an oily complexion in the summer. I decided to give it a try because so far, I have been loving the brand!

It is a very unique face lotion. It has a light airy consistency that when rubbed into the skin feels like a light serum. It absorbs relatively quickly and leaves the skin refreshed and hydrated. It does not look or feel like a typical gel but it does not really matter since it does not remain that initial texture. I really like it since I do not need a lot of product and it applies smoothly.

 

Lauren Ralph Lauren Woman’s Alexa Sandal

(USD $19.99 – 65.00) –> found at Amazon.com or DSW

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I have a lot of difficulty finding flats and sandals. I have absurdly flat and extremely thin feet. I either do not fill out the shoes properly or the over-the-foot detailing is not low enough to fit snugly. Because of this, I have to physically go shoe-shopping. It is generally always a miss when I shop online. Last summer was hot. It was humid and hot until November (no joke!). Sneakers were out of the question and so were ballet flats. I went to DSW and tried on sandal after sandal.

I was feeling pretty disheartened when along came the Lauren Ralph Lauren Alexa sandal. The one in my proper size was also the display and the ankle band was too stretched out. Thankfully, the next size up also fit.

I wear these sandals to death. I find them easy to walk in, the ankle band fits me snugly so my feet do not slip out. Don’t you hate it when that happens with sandals?? The separator thong does not rub in between my toes (a common problem I find with flip flops) and the over portion is comfortable. The best part is, even in very hot, humid and sweaty weather the sole does not become slippery! And last, but not least, they do not make my symptoms any worse! 

Since I love these shoes so much, I decided to purchase another set in my proper size. Amazon carries them and they come in A MYRIAD of colors! Last year, DSW only carried them in the black/white or brown detailing. Amazon sells them in yellows, blues, metallics and reds, amongst others!

However, proceed with caution. The company who sells them does not specify how new the shoes are. When I received my shoes, the ankle band on one was stretched out and the buckle holes on both were a bit worn. They may not be used but they had definitely been tried on. Bummer. Thankfully, Amazon & the company made the return easy.

I would definitely recommend. Some reviewers said the sandals were of poor quality and broke or wore down quickly. I have not had this problem. The ankle band stretched some, but no more than any other sandal I tried.

 

Lush’s “Vanilla Dee-Lite” Body Lotion

(USD $27.95 for 8.45oz) –> found at http://www.lushusa.com

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I bought this during the height of my curiosity of LUSH products. I am actually very unhappy with this product. For the price, I expected baby soft skin. Instead, I got mildly hydrated skin with visible lines and tackiness.

The fragrance is heavenly, though. It is true vanilla that is not overly sweet, but has the nutty aroma.

However, the reason why it is in my favorites this month is because it is perfect for blog pictures. It hydrates my hands enough so I feel comfortable photographing them and unlike other hand lotions, it does not leave a greasy or shiny cast. It has a special place in my nail art supply kit!

 

Jo Malone’s “Lime Basil & Mandarin” Cologne

(USD $60.00 for 1oz) –> found at Nordstrom 

I wanted a new Spring fragrance. I ran out of my Prada Infusion d’Iris so I thought this would be the perfect time to try something new. I loved the light, floral candles from Jo Malone and I heard raves of the brand’s fragrances so I visited the Jo Malone counter at my local Nordstrom. I spritzed four different scents on my arms before continuing to shop the half-yearly sale.

The Lime, Basil & Mandarin fragrance was the one I kept sniffing and sniffing again. It oxidized wonderfully on my skin. The first notes I detected were not what drew me in. It was the spicy basil grounding the fragrance that made me purchase it.

The initial citrus-y orange scent is strong but not over-powering. It reminds me of those orange-lemonade drinks with mint or basil garnishes.

It is a very unique scent, but as I realize most of the Jo Malone fragrances are! What really draws me to this, though, is it is very unisex. I think this would smell great on a guy, granted, I am not sure how many men would wear a cologne called “Lime, Basil & Mandarin”.

The only downside to this perfume is it is not very long lasting. I should have realized as it is not an Eau de Parfum but a Cologne, which is generally lighter and more dilute.

I wear this during the day when I know I will be inside, so it lasts longer. But I love that it is almost foolproof. It is extremely difficult to apply too much! If you do, just wait and most of it will diffuse.

 

Jo Malone’s “Black Cedarwood & Juniper” Cologne

(USD $120.00 for 3.4oz) –> found at Nordstrom

I did not plan on purchasing this perfume. I was in the market for one new one and I kept going back to the Lime, Basil & Mandarin scent even over this one. Regardless, there was always something that kept the Cedarwood fragrance at the back of my head. It was spicy but sweet and it was my second choice out of the four initial tests.

I returned to Nordstrom to get a sample, I decided against purchasing at the time. And, of course, out of all the samples I had, I reached for this the most.

I bit the bullet and returned to the store to purchase…but, since it was limited edition, it was sold out!! According to the sales assistant, most of the local Nordstroms were also sold out of this item (now, whether this is true or not I do not know but I was not about to drive all over the place for one bottle of perfume!).

I ran home and purchased the fragrance online. I could have forgotten about the cologne sooner or later but the purchase was mostly fueled by how popular it was and how much more difficult it was to get!

I cannot really say what this perfume smells like. Once the top notes evaporate it becomes more sweet than spicy, but it reminds me of sitting outside after a hard thunderstorm with the addition of juniper.

Even though this perfume was expensive, a 3.4-ounce bottle lasts a long time. For reference, a 1-ounce bottle of perfume lasts me about six or seven months with daily use.

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Well, that is it for my monthly favorites! Have you tried any of these? What do you think? Is there something I should try that is similar?

 

Hi, my name is Monica and I have RA.

2014 Empties – #2 (Miscellaneous)

31 Saturday May 2014

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I do not plan on Empties posts every month but this past month left me with a TON! I decided to do a post because my darling Affie is getting into my “empties box” and having fun with her new toys.

I hope you find these posts interesting! One person’s trash is another person’s treasure; sometimes! I hope my reviews help you with products you’re on the fence about or you, just like me, find Empties posts fascinating!

 

Jo Malone London’s “Dark Amber & Ginger Lily” Intense Scented Candle

(USD $75.00 for 7oz) –> found at select Nordstroms, http://www.nordstroms.com, http://www.jomalone.com

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There is so much hype around this brand that I generally steer clear. It helps there are no Jo Malone counters anywhere near me. As you all know, I am super sensitive to scent and I am VERY picky about the candles I burn. However, in March, I grew tired of my winter-themed Yankee Candle candles so I went on the hunt for a new one. One day, I was in the Nordstrom beauty section and nestled in the back was a new counter dedicated to Tom Ford and Jo Malone. I rushed over and started opening every single candle. I wanted something new, something interesting, something I had never smelled before. The Dark Amber & Ginger Lily was just that.

The scent is intoxicating. It is spicy and intriguing. Interestingly, the amber mentioned in the name is not the main scent. I looked at the description listed on the website to pick apart the other smells and I never thought the included scents would work well together. Cardamom, black orchid and ginger are competing scents on their own but the amber grounds and unifies them.

This candle is not for the faint of heart. It is strong and bold.

Now on to the product itself! Descriptions boast 45 hours of burn time. This is not true. I got no more than 30 hours, if that. I maybe got six uses out of the candle and I general burn it for 2-5 hours. I am hugely disappointed because for an expensive, revered brand I expect accurate descriptions and more use.

The candles in the black jars are marketed as “intense” and cost $10 extra. I thought this meant the fragrance was strong, both unlit and burning, because of the more concentrated essential oils in the wax. Unlit the smell is very strong. This is not the case while the candle burns. The fragrance only fills my room if I keep my door closed and it does not waft very far. (For comparison, when I burn my Yankee Candle candles, I smell the fragrance throughout the basement and even at the top of the stairs). Upon further speculation, maybe the “intense” applies to the boldness of the scent? It is strong, woodsy, spicy and is more pronounced than any of the other scents. Whatever the case, the company should make it more clear.

Overall, it was not what I expected. That being said, I am glad I tried the candle and the scent. It was interesting and what I was looking for at the time. In my opinion, it is not worth the price for the strength of the fragrance or how long the product lasts.

 

Will I re-purchase? No.

 

Jo Malone London’s “English Pear & Freesia” Scented Candle

(USD $65.00 for 7oz) –> found at select Nordstroms, http://www.nordstroms.com, http://www.jomalone.com

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 I bought the “English Pear & Freesia” about a week after I purchased the first candle. I could not get this scent out of my head. It was sweet, floral and reminded me of Spring. Exactly how our garden smelled when I was young. At the time, when we were still in perpetual winter, I was craving it. The scent was not as strong as the Dark Amber & Ginger Lily but I prefer that with floral scents.

I ran into the same problems as the Dark Amber & Ginger Lily candle. I did not get anywhere near 45 hours of burn time. I do not know if this is false advertising or I am doing something differently but how can I lose almost 15 hours of burn time??

I know I bashed into the brand’s candles in the above review so I will talk about the good things here. The “English Pear & Freesia” scent wafts better and fills the hallway outside my bedroom.

These candles burn exceptionally well. Candles aerate and lose their potency the longer they are in sunlight and exposed to oxygen. I did not have this problem with the Jo Malone candles.

Don’t you hate it when candles burn straight down and the wax does not melt evenly? 

The wax remained solid and burned evenly to the edge of the jar. While I did not get a great amount of use out of the product at least I did not waste any of it!

I am torn on whether I will re-purchase this candle. I LOVE the scent. It screams “me”. I might buy it as a splurge-y present to myself because honestly, and I agree when other people say this, Jo Malone London has some very interesting, unique scents that you just get hooked on.

Re-purchase? Probably.

 

Yankee Candle’s “Balsam & Cedar” Large Jar Candle

($27.99 for 22oz.) –> found at http://www.yankeecandle.com

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One of the other large candles I bought during Yankee Candle’s famous “Buy 2, Get 2 Free” sale last winter. I took a gamble on this one because I purchased online and had never smelled it in person. This was a huge gamble and I won! The description says the candle smells like  “fresh forest scent”. It is spot on. It reminds me of when we used to buy live trees (before the monsters!) from the Christmas tree yards. (Don’t make fun! I am a city girl, those tree yards were the closest I got to the real forest!) It smells EXACTLY like that.

Yankee Candle candles have a great burn time. They claim burn times of 110-150 hours. I do not know if this is true but the candle lasted me from November to April, if that is any indication. The scent lingers for at least a day after I burn the candle and wafts through the house.

As with the Christmas Wreath (review linked here), the candle aerated quickly towards the end and I lost the fragrance. This candle lasts a good long while before this happens so I am not too distraught. I think this just one of the trade-offs.

 

Will I re-purchase? Probably, but I will wait for the sale in the fall.

 

Quick review of things I use regularly —>

 

Bausch + Lomb’s Re-Nu Fresh Multi-Purpose Solution for contact lenses

This has been my go-to contact lens cleanser since I started wearing them. It is probably the most expensive of the contact solutions but it is by far the best. The solution stays fresh even when left in indirect sunlight. I use it twice daily to rinse my contacts and add new contact solution to the case. My contacts feel fresh for the entire two weeks, so much so if I do not mark down when I need to change them, I will continue way past expiration.

 

Arm & Hammer’s Complete Care Plus Whitening Baking Soda & Peroxide toothpaste

I drink coffee, iced black or green tea most of the day. Without this toothpaste my teeth would be a lot more yellow than they are. I have very strong teeth, only one cavity up to date, but they are very sensitive to whitening ingredients. I cannot use mouthwashes and Colgate, Crest brands make my teeth hurt! Arm & Hammer is gentle on my mouth. However, if you are looking for diehard whitening effects, this is not for you. It is a gentle, everyday stain remover that works to remove newer stains.

 

Well, that is it for my Miscellaneous empties for this month. I just realized, they are all candles and I am not to surprised! With four pets, I seem to burn (hah, see what I did there!) right through my candle stock!

 

Hi, my name is Monica and I have RA.