'Victoria's Secret Berry Kiss Flexible Hold Hair Spray' Review

I saw this new hair spray at Victoria's Secret recently and I just had to pick it up.  I love hair products that leave your hair subtly scented so that you can notice it throughout the day.

Victoria's Secret describes Secret Garden Collection Berry Kiss Flexible Hold Hair Spray as follows:

Give hair flexible hold without build-up. Lightweight, non-sticky formula, with nourishing ingredients from a Secret Garden like fortifying Provitamin B5, leaves hair soft, shiny, and luxuriously scented with a delicate blend of Wild Raspberry, Rose and Praline.

Pros - lovely/light scent, choice of 4 different scents (common ones from the Secret Garden collection), medium hold, normal size bottle, nice package design (glowy gold bottle), subtle scent lasts for quite awhile.

Cons - aerosol can (not everyone likes these, always remember to recycle!), very light sheen left by the product (not as shiny as the description gives).

Has anyone else tried this hair spray?  What do you think?

MAC 'California Dreamin' Lipstick Swatch

MAC 'California Dreamin' Lipstick

(LOVE IT!)

Sephora Lipservice Deluxe Sampler - Swatches & Review

I bought the Sephora Lipservice Deluxe Sampler over the holiday break for myself.  I think this set is hit or miss on most of the shades.  Swatches first:

0.12 oz Smashbox Lip Enhancing Gloss in Crystal (Clear)

0.086 oz NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Roman Holiday (vibrant pink sheen, frosty looking)

0.8 oz Tarte Vitamin Infused Lipstick in Hatha (shimmering berry rose)

0.14 oz CARGO Plantlove Botanical Lipstick in Muir Woods (sheer spiced mauve)

0.04 oz Laura Mercier Lip Coulour-Crème in Pink Champagne (cool rose)

0.02 oz Sephora Nano Lip Liner in Radiant Rosy 14

0.06 oz Korres Guava Lipstick in Wine Red (burgundy wine)

0.05 oz DuWop Private Red

As you can see, most of the shades of lipstick are nude and neutral colored.  I think that these colors are nice but I wish there could have been more variety in a kit like this.  I liked the deeper reds and more vibrant colors a lot more than I liked the neutral colors.  I felt that not only was the application better on the deeper colors but that they were also more moisturizing, lasted longer, etc.

The two lipsticks that I am least impressed with are the CARGO one and the NARS lip pencil.  The CARGO lipstick feels really dry on my lips and is hard to apply.  The NARS lip pencil applies very lightly and with a frosty finish.  I want it to be more true to color than the light, frosty look that happens when I put it on my lips.

Mainly, I bought this kit for the DuWop 'Private Red' lipstick sample.  One tube of that lipstick costs nearly as much as this whole sampler set cost me!  So, it was great to be able to try it.  Overall, I am impressed with DuWop and their lipstick.  It applies a rich, deep red to my lips and I feel it works well with my skintone.  I am not sure if I believe it changes color depending on your own chemistry but everyone can believe what they want to.  I have yet to determine if I would ever by the full-size version of this.

Overall, definitely get this kit if you want to try a variety of brands and are a wearer of neutral colors (with some space for some pops of red every now and then).  It is definitely worth the money and you get some full-sized and some deluxe-sized samples of products.  I know it sells out fast so if you are even thinking about it, definitely go for it when you see it!

If you have any questions about this sampler set, please let me know!

Heavenly Hostess: Serve with Grace {Review}

Heavenly Hostess is a cute little website that I saw advertised recently in a local Orange County magazine.  I had just moved into a new apartment so my mind had been swirling with ideas of things for the home.  I haven't bought anything from this site (yet) but I am in love with the how they take practical items and make them so that they can be for an individual who wants to stand out. 

Kitchen accessories are one thing that I think can use some pizazz and I think that Heavenly Hostess does it well.  A modern twist on vintage-style items and the use of unique fabrics really appeals to me.  Even though the cocktail aprons are expensive ($125), I still think they are nice and I can keep dreaming about them.  Afterall, you can't find an item like this in a regular store and it would definitely be worth the money for the effort that went into making it.  Speciality shops do carry their items but I haven't ventured out to any to check them out yet.

Image Source: Heavenly Hostess

I think that out of everything I have looked at, I am eyeing this little apron the most.  It's flashy but still darling and I just might be able to pair it with something else and it wouldn't even look like an apron!

Overall, I am loving this site and the items that are made.  They look well made, with love and heart put into them.  They also occasionally do trunk shows and other appearances around Southern California so maybe I will be able to check them out in "real life" in the near future.

What do you find yourself dreaming of and drawn to when it comes to home accessories, apparel or otherwise?

Davies Gate 'Quince Lotion' Review

First post of 2010!  I promise to be back on track with my reviews, sharing and swatches as soon as I can!

I got a sample of Davies Gate 'Quince Lotion' at a hotel that I stayed at a few weeks ago.  I am totally in love with the simplicity of the package design and the description of this lotion.  Davies Gate (http://www.daviesgate.com/) describes this lotion as:

A healing corrective that nourishes even the driest skin. Distilled essences from a late summer harvest of Quince, Melon and Berries are uplifting, light and fragrant. This perfectly balanced formula has a high concentrate of squalane, nature’s moisturizer derived olives and extremely compatible with your skin. Olive and sesame seed oils deeply moisturize while Vitamin E and Aloe Vera soothe.

I love it, is it light and soft on my hands.  The scent is not overpowering and it moisturizes well while sinking into the skin quickly.  I would highly recommend this lotion for anyone who wants a daytime lotion where you don't need to sit and wait for it to absorb into your skin.

Pros - light, absorbs quickly, softly fragranced, good for daily/routine moisturization

Cons - expensive ($18 on the Davies Gate website), doesn't seem to be sold in stores, not a cream so probably wouldn't work too well on extremely dry skin

What's your favorite lotion for routine/daily moisturization, especially of the hands?  I work with a lot of documents so I am always reaching for some lotion through the day and I am curious to hear what works for others.