Perfume Splurge: diptyque

I have heard of diptyque talked about quite a lot in the beauty community, and the packaging for their candles is so ubiquitous because everyone keeps the jars and uses them for storage. However, it was only recently that I discovered there's actually a diptyque counter at my local Nordstrom's! I was shopping there with my mom recently, and we got pulled in to smelling all of the wonderful scents that they had.
Diptyque is a french brand. It's very luxury and very much a splurge, but the quality of their products is undisputed. I have alway been so interested in trying their products, but again, I can barely afford them.
However, when I smelled their new Geranium Odorata perfume, I knew I had to make it mine. I purchased a roll on of that scent, and it was $48. That seems absolutely mental, but it's a larger roll on than what you typically see, and I figured you need such a sparing amount that this will really last.
The scent is almost straight- up geranium. I hope you've smelled geraniums before, but they smell fresher than sweeter, and have the smallest hint of bite. I'm seriously in love with how fresh I smell, and since wearing this, I have had more than one person tell me how good I smell. Every time I take this out and apply it, it makes me happy. I know that it smells great, the packaging is absolutely gorgeous, and it just always makes me feel like I am treating myself to something special. I think that this perfume is the definition of a splurge that works, because I have truly enjoyed using this so far, and have barely used any at all.
Geranium might not be your scent of choice, but I strongly urge you to check out a diptyque counter if you have one near you and smell their amazing candles and perfumes. I am sure you will fall in love with one as well, and I can promise you - it was well worth it.

<3

Xxx Kate

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Nails of the Day - Essie Van D'Go

You might recall that I made a post about my five favorite nail polishes for Spring a while back. If I had known about Essie's polish in the color Van D'Go, I would revise that list! This is definitely my new favorite pink color. I just think it looks super flattering with my skin tone, and I love the formulation - coat one was a bit streaky, but coat 2 made my nails look uniform and opaque. I think if you google search this polish, you will see that it can almost look a little pink- orange in certain lights and with certain skin tones. On me, it's definitely a candy pink color. I am including two nail pictures because I took one in natural light and one in artificial light, and it definitely looks different, even though this was the same day, just to show you how the polish is somewhat of a chameleon. I just find it such an interesting and pretty color, and I am definitely so glad I purchased this!

hand/ nail pictures are so awkward! 

Xxx Kate

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Three Current Favorites: Lipstick

Lip products are without a doubt my favorite makeup product to purchase, so I am constantly buying new ones and therefore finding new favorites. Here are my current three must- have picks!

From left to right:

1. Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Stormy Pink - This is a matte pink shade that is extremely flattering on me. It's basically the perfect classic Barbie pink - it definitely gives your lips a pop of color, but the matte effect makes it suitable for everyday use.
2. Laura Mercier Gel Lip Colour in Clementine - My mom and I went to the Laura Mercier counter and a makeup artist picked out this shade for me, saying that the pretty orange was perfect for me and very flattering for spring. I think he was right! Orange and purple colors are my current lip obsessions, and this is one of the most wearable true orange shades I have found. My favorite thing about this lip colour is that the gel formula makes it very sheer, but buildable. It's extremely versatile, because you can use it for a very subtle shade with one swipe, or you can build it up into the color that you see in the tube. Also, it smells like vanilla!
3. Collection Little Mix Lipstick - Perrie - Little Mix is one of my favorite girl bands, so I was so excited when I learned they were launching a makeup collection! I love this color because it's so interesting - is it purple, is it mauve? It seems to be a different color every time I open the tube. However, for a purple, it's very wearable and makes a great bold lip. I especially love this for a night out.

I hope this post makes you inspired to purchase a new lipstick soon! :)

Xx Kate

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Lush's Mother's Day Treats!

Mothers Day is a week away and if you are anything like me, you never quite have a gift planned ahead of time. This year Kate and I decided that we would sample Lush's special Mothers Day Collection and review it. Mostly because we both like bath products and a little bit because we need gifts for our mothers. So here we go....

First up is the bath bomb Secret Garden. According to the description from Lush, this ballistic is supposed to smell of rose and orange oil, I disagree. When I first dropped it in the tub the scent I smelled was more along the lines of grass, which I liked but not particularly one I would choose for a bath scent. As far as fizzing, the bomb lasted a lot longer than I am used to and I actually ended up speeding the process along. Once the green layer dissolves, the center is a bright yellow filled with wild flowers and did give off a faint floral scent. Again I was a little disappointed. There seemed to be more leaves than flowers in the small amount that was included in the center. Color-wise the water turned a dark green. Overall, I would pass on Secret Garden for my own mother. She would not appreciate the clean up of the flowers or the color of the water.


Next, I tried Wonder Woohoo, a bubble bar, which is the one I was most excited about due to the scent which is orange and sandalwood. However, I was also a little weary about the glitter due to many horror stories I have encountered about the clean-up associated with that particular add in (also I work in childcare and have experience in the persistence of glitter). Luckily, I had nothing to fear! This bar broke down in the water fairly easily, although a part of it was a bit more difficult to break apart than anticipated. The water was a sunny, golden yellow that shimmered prettily underneath a mountain of bubbles. The shimmer is a result of the inclusion of some of Lush's Lustre powder (a favorite of mine) according to the employee who sold it to me. I did have to rinse the tub quickly once the water drained but that was due to the glitter on the outside of the bar and none of it transferred to my person once I was finished. I am planning on making my mom try this one (and buying approximately 5 more for myself), she is definitely not one for glitter but I think she will make an exception this time.

The third item I tried was Rose, another bubble bar. This is probably the most mom-friendly of the three I sampled. The scent is rose and lemon, it's easy to use, and turns the water a pretty pink that is a few shades lighter than Lush's seasonal Prince Charming (I checked). The description online says this bar is intended for two baths and has "glimmer" which I don't necessarily agree with. I can't say that I noticed any sort of shimmer or glimmer when I used Rose. I also don't think that I would have been satisfied with the amount of bubbles that half the bar would create. But this was also an obvious yes for my mom.
--Now it's Kate's turn! xJenna
I also tried rose - I agree with Jenna that I didn't see a satisfying amount of bubbles or glimmer (which I wasn't fussed about), but the scent is really amazing. Apparently, the smell is the same as Lush's Amandopondo which is a part of their permanent collection. I don't think you can go wrong with rose scents for a mother - generally, it's a pretty safe bet.


I think the Mumkin bubble bar is so cute, honestly, which is definitely why I grabbed for it. Of course, pumpkin- themed items aren't very traditional for spring, but I just found it adorable and I knew that the colors would turn my bath a really gorgeous coral color (which it did). As for scent,  Lush describes it as raspberry with bergamot, lemon, and violet leaf. I couldn't pick out any of these scents specifically - unfortunately I found the scent to be extremely subtle. It did smell sweet and fresh, but I wish the scent had been more intense. As with any bubble bar, you want to crumble it in your bath while the faucet is on to get the maximum amount of bubbles. I was pleased with the amount of bubbles I got, but I hated the stem and leaf, which were made out of a material that was very difficult to break down in the tub, so it just lasted for ages.

I believe Madame Butterfly bubble wand was my favorite product that I tried. While the bubble bars retail for about $4 and you can only get one bath out of them max, madame butterfly retails for around $7 and you could get 2 or 3 (if you were being stingy) baths out of this. I absolutely loved the scent - again, the primary scent is rose, but this bubble bar boasts the same scent as Lush's Rose Jam bubbleroon, and Ro's Argan Body Conditioner which is rose and lemon oil. So, if you know your mom loves rose scents, I think it would be a great duo gift to get her madame butterfly and the body conditioner for a nice pampering set! I was hesitant to buy this despite my love for the scent because I haven't had luck with the bubble wands in the past - I swirl them around in the bath and nothing happens. The sales girl at Lush gave me some advice which changed my life - you want to stick the bubble wand under the running faucet as your tub fills up! I tried that, and was amazed at the amount of bubbles and scent I got. I seriously didn't use much of this at all, but I had a bath I really enjoyed. I can't wait to have another bath with it later on, and I think I might repurchase this before the mother's day collection leaves Lush's stock.

We hope that this post gives you some great ideas for mother's day, or even for a pampering night of your own!

Xx Kate and Jenna

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