February Empties: The Month of Never-Ending Perfumes

So I know this is late, but I've been busy with work and school. As I mentioned in another post, I knew February was gonna have a whole bunch of scents to test. The pros: I love perfume! The cons: some of the scents didn't give off a good impression, because they were ones you rub on your wrist.

Enough of that, let's get down to the empties from this month:

See what I mean by scent cards? Some of them had small bits of gauze with the scent, so I could get a better grasp of the scent. Anywhoo, here are the items, starting from the top-left, going down to the bottom right:

1. Tory Burch by Tory Burch:

Very nice scent, but it was kind hard to gauge how long it lasted on my skin, because it was literally a card where you peel back the plastic, and swipe your wrist. Kind of a floral/warm/woodsy scent, but definitely not oriental. I will need to try it in-store next time I'm buying stuff.

2. Gucci Guilty:

Ew. Too much pepper and oriental undertones. I tried washing it off my wrist and it wouldn't budge. I would definitely not even want someone to buy this for me, it smelt that bad. 

3. Love swept by Philosophy:

When I smelt it, I swear I smelt it somewhere else before. Then it hit me.... It smells like a Victoria's Secret fragrance called Sheer Love (which is FANTASTIC - I used to spray this on myself whenever I was at work). 

4. Roses de Chloé by Chloé:

I actually liked this one! It's not a rose overboard like Givenchy's Very Irrésistible, that's for sure. It had staying power, and when I actually sprayed it in-store, I still liked the scent. It's a bit strong, so I'm holding off buying it until I try the other Chloé scents. 

5. Daisy by Marc Jacobs:

I already own this in the biggest bottle I could get, as well as a rollerball. It's that good. It's been my signature scent for a few years now :) 

6. Nirvana White by Elizabeth and James:

It smelt nice on my wrist when I swiped it on the card, but when I tried it in-store it was a very confusing scent. Too bad, I was ready to order the rollerball and the regular size bottle. Oh well. I definitely like it better than its counterpart...

7. Nirvana Black by Elizabeth and James:

... Let's be real, this smelt like poo. It's the sandalwood that did it in. Made it too musky and on the verge of orient undertones. Like Gucci Guilty, I tried scrubbing it off my wrist and it wouldn't budge.

8. Candy by Prada:

I liked this one, but I don't think I would purchase it. I did find it had more lasting power than Candy L'eau (which was in my fragrance sampler), but the caramel smelled like it had vanilla in it... Did I mention I'm not a big fan of strong vanilla notes in my perfume? 

9. Lily by Stella McCartney:

I liked the scent, but it was very close to Lancôme's La Vie est belle that I knew I wouldn't be purchasing it. However, I made myself get throughout is sample! It does have a moderate-to-long staying power, and it's not too heavy. 

10. Benefit Some Kind of Gorgeous (medium shade, if I remember correctly):

This stuff is awesome. It's a pressed-yet spongey texture when you apply, but it goes on matte and spreads well, turning into a powder. It also blends well for even coverage. I have another on I'm using, as on Boxing Day I bought two of these in a set that also had the "That Gal" primer. The downside: although it works, it has a funky smell. Don't let that through you off, though, as the smell goes away once you apply it.

11. Dr. Andrew Weil for Origins Mega Bright skin tone correcting serum:

Megh. It was all right, but due to the sample size I found no difference in its suggested results. I feel these foil samples for skin should be bigger.

12. Benefit "That Gal" brightening face primer:

This stuff is awesome. A little goes a long way, and I found I didn't need to follow up with highlighter, as it's built in to this primer. The primer itself is like a light pink-coral, but it blends invisible once on. I did notice though that it doesn't cover pores as well as Too Faced Primed and Poreless - I have yet to see a primer de-throne it as my #1! 

13. Tarte Clean Slate Flawless 12 hour brightening primer:

Unlike "That Gal," this one is yellow in hue, but goes on invisible. It also smells a bit like lemons. This one didn't really brighten, but I did find it covered pores a little better than "That Gal." Not enough though to de-throne Primed and Poreless, that's for sure!

All in all, this was a pretty good month to get through some samples. I'm hoping in March to get through some more foundation and primer, as well as some fragrances and some body lotions. I'm very close to finishing my honeydew EOS lip balm, but it's almost like a bottomless pit of good-for-your-lips goodness.

If you would like to join in on my empties challenge, click here to see how I structured it. Let me know below what's your take on the products I reviewd above, or if you have suggestions for things I should try next :)

January Empties: Another one bites the dust

This month has been such a wonderful whirlwind! Things are shaping up for a great year, and I'm excited for spring! (I can't stand all this snow - as I write this, my area of the Great White North is being dumped with more snow)

This month also saw another end to another two full-sized products. Nothing feels better than being able to get through a whole bunch of things (February is shaping up to be full of fragrance samples, thanks to Sephora's fragrance event promo ). 

Here's what I got through, with mini reviews of each product to follow:

1. Güd Natural Body Lotion in Floral Cherrynova: This lotion is amazing. It instantly moisturizer my dry hands. I recently did a more in-depth review , so I'm not gonna get too much into a review on this.

2. Murad Hydro Dynamic Ultimate Moisture for eyes: I finished another of these last month, and it is pretty true to its name. I found my eyes also felt the skin around my eyes more firmer. A little truly goes a long way.

3. Ole Henriksen oil-free, brightening moisturizer: I found this was a pretty good product, but I felt I really did have to put it evenly over my face. 

4. Boscia Recharging Night Moisture: This stuff is absolutely amazing. I got this in an Ipsy bag (can't remember which one) and I've been using it on/off since. I found my skin instantly felt refreshed and smoother the morning after, as well as the following day. I would definitely buy this again.

5. Madly Kenzo Eau de Toilette: This is a lovely perfume. I got it during the perfume launch at Sephora (it so happened the day I went to the store, they were launching). I would consider buying this, as it does have lasting power, but I think my Lancôme La Vie est belle tops all.

6. Ole Henriksen Perfect Truth CC Crème: This CC Crème is absolutely awesome. I found it spread and covered very well - literally 2 pumps and I had enough for my whole face. I also highly recommend using a primer and concealer, before applying this, as it will ensure perfect coverage. I would love to buy this; however, the full-sized bottle is a little out of my price range for now. 

7. Hampton Sun SPF 15 Super Hydrating Face Cream: I'm not one to put sunscreen or moisturizer right before I start my makeup regime, but I couldn't resist. This cream left my skin super smooth, even after I wiped off my makeup. It's also lightweight, and it doesn't have an oily feel.

8. Makeup Fprever HD High Definition Primer in #0: I was referred to this primer, after I had my first VIB makeover the beginning of January. I found it did its job, but it didn't cover my pores as well as I hoped (even though during my makeover, my skin looked flawless). In all honesty I would not repurchase this, considering Too Faced Primed and Poreless stole my heart (same with Benefit's That Gal, which I will be reviewing soon). 

All in all, this was a pretty good clean up. As I alluded, February is shaping up to be a month of more empties! 

Thinking of joining my monthly makeup empty challenge? Click to here to read more!