Father's Day Gift Ideas: FragranceNet.com

Father's Day is in two weeks! If your dad is anything like mine, he is impossible to shop for. Most of the time, I skate by without really getting him anything because there's nothing that seems perfect out there. If my dad sees something that he likes (such as a lawnmower, tool set, etc. all the usual Father's Day gift ideas) he usually buys it without hesitation, so I can't just get something he's been eyeing. Also, he has basically everything within my price range that he could possibly want so, that leaves very few options.

One thing that I never really think of gifting to people is cologne/perfume. It is just really hard to find a fragrance that someone will actually want to wear, especially if you're like me and you don't live near a perfume store where you can smell the fragrances before you buy it. But FragranceNet makes it super easy to pick out a cologne that dad would probably like! 

"Go for Polo Blue Sport men's perfume if you are looking for an exquisite masculine fragrance that can be used on any occasion and one that all your friends will envy. Recommended for casual use and launched in 2012, Polo Blue Sport perfume was composed by the house of Ralph Lauren and features woodsy notes of sandalwood, fern, and oakmoss, and for extra freshness, they're accented by hints of mandarin orange and sage." 

This is the description for Ralph Lauren's Polo Blue Sport for Men that comes from FragranceNet.com, and the feature that changed my mind about gifting fragrance. Instead of just guessing who would like it from the notes about the ingredients (do oakmoss and fern have a special scent? If they do, I have no idea what it is), it gives you a good guess about who would prefer it ("an exquisite masculine fragrance... recommended for casual use.")

Another awesome thing is the price. This bottle has an MSRP value of $59. However, FragranceNet sells it for only $45.19, or $36.15 if you use a coupon available on their site! The coupon is super easy to get, all you have to do is put in your e-mail and you will receive a 20% off coupon. That is an incredibly good deal! But the next one has an even better deal attached. 

Dolce & Gabbana "The One: Sport" For Men. FragranceNet's description says: 

"This boldly unique fragrance for men was launched by world famous design house Dolce & Gabbana in 2012. Warm and spicy yet woody and aquatic, The One Sport for men is a casual, sporty fragrance that he will want to wear every day. Designed for the active, modern gladiator, this fragrance opens with top notes of rosemary that combine with heart notes of Sequoia wood and dark base notes of musk and patchouli for a go-everywhere scent that captivates and invigorates."

Since this cologne is described as a "casual, sporty fragrance... designed for the active, modern gladiator," I figured that it would be a good choice for my dad. Once again, if I was looking on another site that said "top notes of rosemary... heart notes of Sequoia wood and dark base notes of musk and patchouli" only, I would have just given up, because I have no idea how any of those things smell alone. 

The bottle is so sleek and cool. And again, the price for this is killer. Originally, the MSRP for "Dolce &Gabbana: The One Sport" is $78, which is crazy. I know that it is designer and everything, but still. That is the other reason that I don't usually gift cologne/perfume because it is way too expensive for something that I will never use. However, FragranceNet sells it for $46.19, which is already super reasonable. But like I said, they also have a coupon that you can use, which will bring your price down to $36.95. Which is less than half the price of the retail value. Which is insane. 

Since Father's Day is a little while away, I have not gifted either of them to my dad. I did spray some on a tester sheet for my dad to smell, and success! He liked both of them. 

So don't be afraid of gifting cologne if you use FragranceNet. The description makes choosing a cologne pretty easy, and the pricing is so reasonable. Also, they offer free shipping under $59, so you will totally have enough left over to buy one for yourself! Even if you don't want to buy cologne, then you can always get a gift set, which they have tons of, or even just decide to buy something for yourself! They have so many different brands which is awesome. 

(This was sent to me for review). 

May 2014 Ipsy GlamBag Review

Long time no see! I am finally done with school for the semester, and I am back! I am planning on updating this blog a lot more frequently because I want to be able to use this in my portfolio. So definitely stay tuned and make sure you check back! I have a lot of posts planned and finally everything has come together: most of my pictures have been taken on my iPad lately, because the camera on that is the best one that I have, but transferring the pictures to my laptop takes forever. So I bought a wireless keyboard, and now I can type the posts on my iPad and have them up much quicker! Also, I had a ton of plans for LED/at-home gel nail polish kit posts, but my Sensationail lamp went missing. I just found it, so expect some posts with that within the next month! :)

Here's a simple post to mark my comeback, though. This month's Ipsy GlamBag! 

This month, the products were awesome. I definitely approve! 

The cosmetic bag that the samples come in. That's the nicest thing about Ipsy! I collect make up bags like no other, so I'm glad that I get a new one every month. This one feels like it's made out of canvas material, and it has a green leaf design. 

A 1.76 oz bottle of Avene Thermal Spring Water. So, it feels nice. And it smells nice. And it's supposed to be fancy (it has water taken from French Springs, apparently). But overall, it seems kind of useless because it is just spring water in a spray can. A 10.58 oz bottle is $18, so going by that, this is worth about $3. 

A 60 mL bottle of eva-nyc Therapy Session Hair Mask. I love this so much! I try to take super good care of my hair, and this works great. My hair is very thick and long (past my shoulders), and I have to tie it up a lot for work (which causes split ends like you wouldn't believe). I used this as a hair mask, and it made my hair so smooth and soft, this product makes up for the bottle of spray water! A 60 mL bottle sells for $12 on their website, so this is worth $12. (Although through ipsy, they offer 65% off this hair mask, so I am definitely re-purchasing and stocking up).

This was probably the most surprising item in the bag. A sample of Calvin Klein Endless Euphoria. This was surprising for two reasons: One, it's Calvin Klein. And two, it's not one of those tiny, .000001 oz sprays of perfume sample that most companies usually send out. This is .01 oz of perfume. I love the smell of this! It is floral and very light. This is a rollerball, which I love, and it's so tiny that it can easily fit in a purse but, at the same time, you can use it for more than one or two sprays. A .34oz rollerball of this perfume costs $20 at Ulta, so this is worth... Less than a dollar. Oh well! It's the thought that counts. 

A 2.0g compact of Pacifica Mineral Eyeshadow in Duo #2 (Moonbeam & Unicorn). I don't tend to like mineral makeup because it usually creases easily for me, but I do like this one. Plus the color pay-off is quite nice. Unicorn is from their Charmed palette, and Moonbeam is from their Mystical palette.  Just guesstimating (since it's kind of hard to tell with the palettes and this compact), I'd say this eyeshadow compact is worth about $3-4. I love it because purple and white eyeshadows are my favorite :) 

Lastly, sunblock! This is .5 oz of Jersey Shore Sun's Sans Tan Pure White Mineral Sunscreen. The bottle claims that it is all natural and anti-aging, and it has SPF 35. So this is (as the name suggests) kind of whitening. I did pass it on to my mom because she's a sunscreen nut, and she likes it. It smells nice and it applies smoothly. On their website, they sell 2 tubes of this (which is their travel-size) for $25, so this is worth $12.50. For a relatively tiny bottle! Kind of crazy, but I guess that's the price you pay for whitening, all natural, anti-aging sunscreen. 

And there's my review. All in all, this GlamBag was worth about $31 (if you generously say that the Calvin Klein Endless Euphoria rollerball was worth about $0.50). Not bad, considering you pay $10 shipped for it! And the products were pretty nice. Definitely glad that I made the switch to the GlamBag. 

(This review was not sponsored. I pay for the GlamBag out of my own pocket (which is why I was relatively bitter about the spray bottle of water). 

Stay tuned! 

Rakuzen

Review: Jane Iredale's 24-karat Gold Dust

This is a review of a product that I was super excited to receive! It is Jane Iredale's 24-karat Gold Dust, that you can purchase in Gold, Silver, and Bronze for $13.50 from www.janeiredale.com. 

This is what I saw as soon as I opened the box. A sprig of Lavendar! I am a sucker for packaging, so this is such a nice and personal touch. Packaging make up in nice tissue paper helps too, it feels so much more elegant and you could totally send it as a gift. 

The description card that came with it,, which is a note from Jane Iredale and explains a bit about the Lavender sprig and why it was included. This is just such an awesome way to make their customers feel like a part of the family, which is something a good company should do. 

The packaging. A glossy plastic box that the compact comes in. So simple, but the gold edges on the box adds such a nice touch. 

And a little bit of a closer look. I received the bronze shade, which is beautiful. The site recommends applying it to "the eyes, cheeks and lips for a "delicately giled look" that highlights your best features" and recommends adding it to moisturizer or hair gel/leave-in conditioner to make your hair sparkle. 

I tried all three ways. It makes an awesome eyeshadow base, the color is just a bit darker than my skin tone, and the sparkle just showed through my eyeliner. Also, it's easy to just add a little bit to my eyelids in the morning if I don't have time for more make up, just to get a little bit more glitter. Putting it in moisturizer makes it like a tinted moisturizer, which is perfect for the upcoming summer! I didn't really notice it when I mixed it with my hair gel, but my friends said that there was "something different... in a good way" about my hair when I tried it, so apparently it works nicely :) 

As you might have been able to guess, this line is Olympic-Inspired. Too cool, right? This is incredibly pretty and such an awesome value. If I ever run out, I'll definitely re-purchase, and maybe try a new color. 

Rakuzen 

(This product was sent to me for review).

Ipsy Glam Bag February 2014

I just got my Ipsy Glam Bag and I love it for the most part! I am a little bit nostalgic for my Birchbox because they would put random "stocking stuffer"-esque items in it, such as a nail file, candy or a hair tie whereas there's always only beauty items in the Glam Bag. (I realize that it is a beauty subscription, but it would be nice to throw something random in.)

This is the bag that came this month. It's so cute! A cute light pink color with a white zipper and white button tag that says Ipsy. 

The card that came in it this month. February's box is love/Valentine-themed!

A box of J. Cat Beauty eyelashes and glue in EL05. 

The back of the package with instructions. According to the website, this is $3.99, which isn't bad for fake eyelashes. I have a ton of them (because I'm an impulse shopper) but I've never actually worn them. I still like having them on hand with the fantasy that some day I will dress very fancy and use them.

This is an Eyetini Cordial Cream Shadow + Base in One stick from Tini Beauty in Violette. I usually use Urban Decay Primer Potion as a base when I wear eyeshadow (which hasn't been often lately because I am lazy), but even with that my eyeshadow still smears and rubs off. So far so good with this one! Plus I like this color because I usually wear purple eyeshadow. This is $18 and the one in the package was full-sized. 

PopBeauty Plump Pout Mini in Fuschia Freesia. I love this bright pink color, I always go for bright pink or red lip products. Plus this is mostly flat, which is awesome because it makes it more portable. Happy with this! This is about half the size of the one that they sell on their website, which sells it for $16, so it'll probably run around $8.

This is a blue clay mask and activating gel that is supposed to be used weekly. I haven't used it yet because I'm cheap and want to savor it, but the reviews look good! The website sells it for $39 for six packets, so this one in the Glam Bag would be about $6.50.

Zoya nail polish in Dot. I love Zoya, but this color is such a light girly pink that I passed it on because I don't use pink nail polish that often. It's $8 for the full size on Zoya.com

Overall, this bag is worth $44.50, which is an insanely good deal, especially since I liked this month's Glam Bag. 

Hope you like it! If you're interested in signing up, here's my affiliate link:

Till next time!

Vaseline Lip Therapy Rosy Lips

Earlier last week, I mentioned the giveaway that is going on over at the Vaseline Facebook page. They are offering the chance to win a box of MarieBelle chocolates and a Vaseline LipTherapy Rosy Lips. If you haven't entered yet, I suggest doing it and soon! The contest ends at 3PM EST TOMORROW (2/12). Even if you don't win, it doesn't hurt to try! (That's how I once won $1000 in a raffle).

Anyways, Vaseline sent me their Rosy Lips to try and I 1000% recommend that you go out and buy it if you don't win. It's priced at $2.29 which makes it super affordable, and its really cute! It is 0.25 oz in a jar, which means you can toss it in your bag and go! 

(Size comparison to a quarter. It's so cute!)

This Rosy Lips edition is new, and it gives your lips a soft rose-tint while healing and softening your lips. (I would show you the product on my lips, but winter has taken its toll on me and I'll need to keep using this for awhile to soften my lips. The tint is barely noticeable, in a good way.)

Another thing is the smell. It has a rose/vanilla/red berry scent, and it smells incredible. 

So go enter the giveaway on the Facebook page, and go buy this! I'm so in love with it hehe. 

Rakuzen

Vaseline Facebook Giveaway!!

I just wanted to do a quick post about a giveaway that I found out about, just in time for Valentine's day!! Vaseline is having a giveaway on their Facebook page, where you can enter for the chance to win a box of MarieBelle chocolates and a jar of their new Lip Therapy in rosy lips!

It looks amazing! Definitely go enter for your chance to win! And stay tuned, I'll be posting a review of the Rosy Lips by the end of next week! Good luck!

Chinese New Year 2014 nails

新年快乐!! Happy Lunar New Year!

This post is actually a little bit late, but who cares! Chinese New Year lasts for fifteen days ;) the first day was on Friday, but I was too busy eating my mom's cooking and greedily collecting hong bao to care.

A first for my blog (I think). The nail art today was painted by me, but on my sister's nails! She coerced me into doing her nails for her over the weekend. Her nails/hands are about 100x prettier than mine, so really it all worked out!

The red is (surprisingly, not China Glaze Ruby Pumps) from a brand called Venique. I can't find the name because I don't have the bottle, but I highly recommend this brand! The nail polish applied beautifully. Use two coats over a base coat. 

The glittery gold is Julep Oscar. By itself, this polish is really too sheer to look good. Pictured is a few coats, just because I wanted the glitter to be more dense. With a striping brush, apply 2-3 (depending on how sparse or dense you want the glitter to be) coats on a diagonal across the tips. 

For the ring/accent figure, I offered to either attempt to draw a horse or I could write the Chinese character for horse (because it is the year of the horse and, coincidentally, her zodiac sign!), 马. Considering I draw about as well as a second grader, she wisely chose the second option. So using a striper brush and a Venique foil gold (also of unknown name), I drew the character for horse. 

Overall, the design turned out very well! I had managed to leave nearly all my red and gold (since I don't have a lot of either color) in my apartment, but somehow I managed to find the pack of nail polish that Venique sent me, so it all worked out! 

Lastly, sorry about the obnoxious watermark. I usually use Aviary, but since I haven't updated my iPad yet, I couldn't get it to download. I like this one though, plus it's super simple to use!

Up next, I'll probably post a couple of Valentine's Day designs!