Review: Givenchy Le Rouge

I got this Givenchy Le Rogue as a 100 point perk at Sephora and it is super lovely! I thought I'd do a post covering it because it is the swankiest makeup item I own and now that I've gotten a taste I see why some people go crazy over high end lipsticks.

First, the packaging.

This was a free 100 point perk yet it is still so freaking fancy. There is a smaller box you push your tiny little lipstick out of, and a larger box encasing it. It is reminiscent of higher quality pens which are individually contained with little cushions. However instead of being surrounded by cushion this lipstick is surrounded by… Le Rogue tissue paper! This is seriously adorable stuff, I was so pleased by it. It has Le Rogue printed on otherwise plain white tissue paper and was cut to perfectly wrap around the lipstick. The lipstick case itself is also very nice. It is really sleek, and has a black case with silver accents. The lipstick itself is also really nice.

It glides on quite pleasantly and stays put on the lips. There's also a surprising amount for this deluxe mini. Though the bullet is small it is quite long and there seems to be a little more product than I've gotten from other brands' deluxe minis.

I was a little iffy about the color because bright pinks aren't usually my thing, but I can easily make an exception for this because application and longevity are so great. I had no idea what color I'd receive and I ended up getting 202, which is described as a bright pink coral. Not usually my jam but this lipstick speaks to me and I will use it. I also didn't clean the swatch off afterwards and it stained my arm for literally over 24 hours, which is magnificent. It lasted through plain water and light physical towel drying which normally demolishes any lipstick remains.

Here it is on my lips with a sheet for balance, it's actually quite wearable! It's pigmented but not overly bright, making it a good dip toes into water pink for a gal like myself. I hope they have many many more higher end deluxe sample sizes. Maybe someday I'll be able to splurge on a full size of one of these beauties but for now having it as a free perk is more than enough. In the meantime I remain envious of people who actually own these and shall admire them from afar.

Review: Jenna Hipp Nail Polish The New Brights

Jenna Hipp is a celebrity nail artist and has a line of nail polishes at Costco, AKA my favorite store! The other day while looking around I bought this set of 8 nail polishes. There were two options, New Moderns or New Brights but since it's summer I figured I'd go for the brights. Costco usually carries decent/good quality items, so I figured these polishes would be ~OPI/China Glaze quality but in smaller bottles and in a large pack.

I was immediately drawn to the pale mint color, and after reading the name I thought it would be love. 

We Are Mint To Be, oh if only.

Unfortunately, though it looks great in the bottle it has terrible application.

2 coats of "We Are Mint to Be" over opaque white nails.

This was it 2 coats later on top of an opaque layer of white. I tried it on a bare nail and immediately removed it because it cannot stand alone.

This was a beast trying to paint dear god. The polish was very goopy and didn't like being spread/painted, plus it applied extremely patchily and wasn't very opaque at all. It was difficult getting a regular layer on and getting a thin layer was completely out of the question, since the brush just left uneven streaks when I tried. It also wasn't fast drying like the box claimed.

In better light you can see how badly the polish applied. The pinky was okay because I basically used one glop and one stroke for the entire nail, but with the pointer finger especially you can see the it just didn't apply smoothly. And when trying to apply on bare nails it looked terrible. The brush wasn't very pleasant, it was rougher and more uneven than Sally Hansen and even comparable Wet N Wild nail polish brushes, except the polish itself was somehow lower quality than $1 Wet N Wild polish. The pack itself was pretty cheap, costing a little over $1 per 5 mL bottle, but I would rather buy 1 or 2 bottles of higher quality polish than this pack of subpar paint. Heck I'd rather get Wet N Wild or Revlon. I would have tested some of the other colors to see if the quality was the same for the other polishes but I plan on returning this and didn't want to waste more than I already had, and after a bit of research I saw that Jenna Hip's creme nail polishes (which all of these are) do not have good formulas. If only I had known that before buying and applying. 

Are there any brands of nail polish you especially adore? I usually don't paint my nails too often but when I do I usually reach for the bottles my nail shop owning aunties gave me, which are China Glaze. 

Quick Review: Whish Shaving Cream

So I received this in my May Birchbox and finally gave it a whirl. Here are my thoughts during the process.

The Packaging
This is pretty darn cute. It's compact and would be good for travel, but I just used it at home before a mini trip and it barely took up any space in my shower. Squeeze tube is handy too.

The Texture
I wasn't sure about it at first, because though it's a cream it didn't spread too easily. It also didn't feel very smooth on my legs, and left them feeling a little waxy and a bit more water resistant.

The Result
Immediately post shave it didn't feel as good as it normally does with foaming shave cream or Olay. During the shaving process it didn't feel as luxurious. However, the end result is glorious. My legs (which usually get prickly again in a few days) lasted nearly a WEEK without another shave. I used the same razor I normally use with the same routine apart from the shaving cream and wowzah was I surprised. So though it isn't great while shaving or immediately after the results later are very much worth it. I'm not going to show before/after of my shaved legs, but believe me they felt fantastic.

Overall
Cute product with meh use but fantastic results. I don't think I'd buy a full-size but I do enjoy taking this when traveling, and if I got it in a different subscription box I wouldn't be displeased.

Review: Darling Clandestine Aequitas, Blue Valentine, Mad As Birds, Monstre Delicat, Serpentina, and Tapadero

Here's the next part of my Darling Clandestine review! Part 1 can be found here. If you don't know Darling Clandestine is an indie perfume company that sells their wares on etsy. The owner Evonne going to start it as full-time gig soon though, which is pretty exciting! Anyways in addition to the samples I had ordered I also got 2 sets of bitsy vials. Specifically I got Aequitas, Blue Valentine, Mad As Birds, Monstre Delicat, Serpentina, and Tapadero. Keep in mind that fragrances are very personal, and scents will react differently based on the individual. I'll just be talking about how each scent reacted to me and my opinions on the scents that were created.

The Bitsies.

Aequitas
Aequitas first! I love the Boondock Saints and this smell was going to be my first fandom scent, possibly bought as a bottle because the square bottles look lovely. Unfortunately Aequitas really did not pair well with my skin and nose. It smelled like whiskey in the vial but mutated to something unpleasant on my skin. Like a mix of cat pee and vomit post heavy drinking. It's supposed to smell like whiskey and musk but unfortunately it was a major miss for me, my least favorite of the entire batch.
One month later - This still does not agree with my skin. May need to find a new home for this one.

Blue Valentine
Fortunately Blue Valentine was much better for me. It kind of curled up and moodied up the place.
It's supposed to smell like violets, figs, hyacinths, poppies, musk, whiskey, and mint which whew is a mouthful. I can't distinguish the individual notes but it melds together to create a delightful mix.
One month later - Smells stronger, also somehow less department store-esque? Smells a bit sweeter, a bit moodier. I think I prefer it after letting it set.

Mad As Birds
For me Mad As Birds smelled like bubblegum in the bottle, and got less sweet on my skin. I really liked it on my skin, still smelled like bubblegum but it was also tampered down by some sort of floral??? And coolness??? I'm not the best at describing scents obviously but trust me, this was excellent. Out of all the scents this was the one that had the least herbal/incensey effect on my skin, which was a plus.
One month later - It's gotten a touch less sweet, a bit more cool.

Monstre Delicat
For me Monstre Delicat turned into pure cigarette smoke. It certainly didn't smell like it out of the bottle but it is what it is. An unfortunate miss, because I was so excited about this scent.
One month later - It's gotten even more smokey. Seems more masculine.

Serpentina
I asked Evonne about what scents she thought I should choose based on my preferences, and she said that Serpentina was probably one of her most popular and well-received scents. For me Serpentina smelled true to the description, strong green tea with a bit of a bite. It isn't really crisp though, it's a bit more thick? Like more matcha powder than green tea leaves.
One month later - Still smells very similar to how it smelled when I first got it, but there's a little less smoke.

Tapadero
Tapadero did not agree with my skin. Like holy cow, it smelled like Grand Canyon gift shop in the bottle and ended up smelling like piss on me. I washed it off and then decided to do a smell test on my knee (similar to how I tested Bete Noire) and even hours later it did not smell pleasant.
One month later- It smells stronger. I must admit I was too afraid to put it on my skin especially after retesting Aequitas haha, so I don't know for sure how it'd react but I'm planning on finding it a new home so less use is better.

Overall
The longevity of these are okay. They didn't seem to last too long when I was active/out and about but they perfumed my sheets pretty heavily. I fell asleep after testing a bit of Serpentina on my wrist and when I got back the next day I smelled green tea on my sheets which was pleasant.

Darling Clandestine's fragrances are described as creating/evoking memories and feelings more than scents. From my experience with them I can definitely say they are unique and unlike many other fragrances out there. I really want to try Tilt-A-Whirl next, which sounds right up my alley, and also pick up larger sizes of Circassian and possibly Mad As Birds depending on usage (so far I haven't made a dent in any bitsie or even the samples so they might be more than enough). Unfortunately a lot of the scents turn a bit medicinal or too smokey on me, so it's really nice that she has smaller sizes you can buy to try. If anyone has any bitsies that don't work for them and want to swap I'd love to try out some of her other ones :)