My Collection: Deluxe Perfume Samples

Here is part two of my perfume sample collection series (read part one here). Half of these have been accumulated through gift with purchases (GWP) and through Sephora. I did not even realize that more than half of my collection are Dior scents! With that being said, I did not actually deliberately choose these particular scents with the exception of one. I had started collecting these mini deluxe samples when my mom gave me my first high end deluxe sample when I was a young teenager, and that sample is the Dior Pure Poison. It was a part of a gift with purchase that my mom had bought. I have probably kept this sample for almost decade now as I have saved and not used it because I didn't to use it all up. Surprisingly, the scent has not changed and is still very potent. Dior J'adore one is also from my mom's GWP purchase. Versace Bright Crystal came with an order I made from MzSpa, and Estée Lauder Pleasures from a EL GWP, and the Dior Addicts from a Sephora 500 point perk. Dior's Miss Dior is the one that I went out and spent 100 Sephora points on because I love the scent and the packaging so much (the slanted logo/sticker bugs me so much though!). I know I will be buying a big bottle of this one day but I just cannot resist this mini version. I am really picky when it comes to perfumes and because they are quite pricey, I always have to test drive them before making a commitment. I also do not like to have a whole stockpile of full sized perfumes for fear that I will not be able to use them before they go bad and also because I get tired of the same thing so easily. These are the perfect solutions because they are usual ~5ml, which gives you a bit more product to work with to see if you really like them then the normal 1ml samples you can get with any online Sephora purchases. The best thing though, would have to be that you get an exact replica of the full sized bottles and we all know how elaborate and beautiful perfume bottles can be. I am looking for a nice glass jar or a mirror plate or bowl to keep these in, and once I do find something I like, I will sure be featuring it in a blog post. Keep your eyes peeled.

P.S. I have separate posts for the occasions in which I have acquired most of these; the links can be found at the bottom of the post if you are interested in reading them.

Related Posts:
Sephora Beauty Insider 500 Point Perk - Dior Addict
Sephora Haul (Cover Fx, Origins, Lancôme, Dior)
Miss Dior Eau de Parfum Mini Miss Dior Eau de Parfum
Sephora November 2012 VIB Sale (and the Opening Party)
Estée Lauder GWP 2011: the Gifts Haul
My Collection: Fragrances

XO Nicole

My Collection: Perfume Samples

Mini perfume samples are my favourite beauty "freebies" to get. They are so helpful for deciding whether the scent is right for you because the scent varies between individuals due to the chemistry between each person's personal odour and the perfume itself. These samples are ~1ml in volume, giving you about 3-4 uses (depending on how many spritz you use each time) to allow you to determine if you really do like it or not. I am very picky when it comes to picking perfumes, especially my signature scent (which I have yet to find) so this pile of samples provided me with a lot of excitement... will I find the scent that I have been looking for all this time? Well, I won't know until I actually test these samplers out! So, when I pulled these out of my little collection for use over the next few weeks, I decided it would be fun to showcase it! These samples have come mostly from my online purchases from Sephora where you get to choose 3 samples with every online order (I obviously always go for the perfume samples of course). I love perfume bottles and their packaging so I thought that it would be fun to show you guys as well.

XO Nicole

My Collection: My Lash Stash

I was cleaning out my makeup train case for the new year and I found an overwhelmingly large collection of high end mascaras in there. These were collected from GWPs and Sephora. I thought it would be fun to include this in a "My Collection" post. In this little "lash stash" of mine, I basically have all the popular high end mascaras out there. More specially (in the order from left to right):

• BareMinerals Flawless Definition Mascara
• MAKE UP FOR EVER Smoky Lash
• Urban Decay Supercurl Curling Mascara
• Lancôme Hypnôse Drama Mascara
• Clinque Lash Doubling Mascara
• Estee Lauder Sumptuous Bold Volume Lifting Mascara
• Yves Saint Laurent Mascara Volume Effet Faux Cils
• Lancôme Definicils High Definition Mascara
• Lancôme CILS BOOSTER XL Super-Enhancing Mascara Base
• Lancôme Hypnôse Drama Mascara

The one huge downside to this collection is that I will probably never use any of them because I desperately need the waterproof formula to help retain my curl and to prevent smudging. Therefore, I will probably end up giving these away! I would still like to keep the MUFE Smoky Lash and the YSL Faux Cils just to try because I cannot resist them after hearing so many people rave about them!

What are your favorite high end mascaras?

XO Nicole

My Collection: Eyeshadow Primers

I have never tried any other eyeshadow primers other than the Urban Decay Primer Potions. I have quite oily eyelids so a primer is absolutely necessary for whenever I am wearing makeup - even when I am not wearing eyeshadow. I find that this even helps with your eyeliner lasting longer and not smugging as much when you have this own. Thus, it is no surprise that I would have a little collection of these primers. I have not found use for two tinted primer potions (Sin and Greed) but I know that they will come in handy in the future. I thought that the "vintage" packaging was very cute but the newer squeezy tubes are more efficient with dispersing all the product out. In short, I love this primer because it works and it does not cost as much as compared to the other eyeshadow primers Sephora has to offer. I also love that it comes in different shades to help bring out your eyeshadow colour!

What: Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion
Where: Sephora
Price: $20USD/$24CAD

XO Nicole

My Collection: Revlon Colorburst Lip Butters

Revlon ColorBurst Lip Butter

When these first came out, I thought people were crazy to be hauling at least 5 of these lip butters. Yes, they are drugstore and therefore, considerably a lot more inexpensive compared to lip products you buy at department stores, but these babies retails for $8.99-$11.99 (for CAD prices at least), so for people to be buying almost the whole collection would easily total up to $50+...

But once I bought the first one, I couldn't stop. I looked at a bunch of the reviews about these and decided on two that I liked, Creme Brulée and Creamsicle. At the store, they sold out on Creamsicle so I decided that maybe it was destined that I could only try one and that would be Creme Brulee.. Well, after the first try of these, I instantly fell in love and had to buy another. I ordered Creamsicle on Well.ca.

Yup, you've guessed it, one thing turned into another and my collection has expanded. However, although I do love almost everything about these little babies, I am very picky about lip colours. As you can see, I really only wear peachy/nudes and my-lips-but-better shades as to not emphasize my lips so much, especially in school settings. So while I have seen that their reds and plums are gorgeous and super pigmented, I am going to stop the collection here.

Revlon ColorBurst Lip Butter

Revlon ColorBurst Lip Butter

XO Nicole

My Collection: Pink Lipstick Swatches

I do not have the biggest lipstick collection - if you even consider this a collection at all. It just consists of some ‘here and there’ lipsticks that I picked up along the way for occasions that I feel requires a more put together look. Most of these lippies are permanent and therefore, are still accessible at drugstores or online!

This is part one of my swatch series that I will be posting this summer. Enjoy!

Think Pink, Party Pink, Pout, Pink Gold, Copacabana

1. wet n wild MEGA LAST LIP COLOR - 901B Think Pink
2. e.l.f. Mineral Mineral Lipstick - Party Pink (discontinued)
3. Avon Ultra Color Rich Lipstick - Pout
4. New York Color Ultra Moist Lip Wear - 318B Pink Gold
5. NYX Tinted Lip Spa - Copacabana

XO Nicole

My Collection: Fragrances

1. Baby Phat Goddess Eau de Toilette - "Baby Phat Goddess has a blend of gardenia, white rosebuds, cedrat flower, blue lily, hyacinth, black pepper, seringa, musk and exotic woods."
2. Juicy Couture Viva la Juicy Eau de Parfum - "Notes: Wild Berries, Mandarins, Honeysuckle, Gardenia, Jasmine, Amber, Caramel, Vanilla, Sandalwood, Praline."
3. MARC BY MARC JACOBS Lola Eau de Parfum Spray - "Notes: grapefruit, peppercorns, pear, fuchsia, geranium, peony, rose, musk, tonka bean, vanilla."
4. Vera Wang Princess Eau de Parfum Spray - "Notes: Water Lily, Lady Apple, Mandarin Meringue, Golden Apricot Skin, Ripe Pink Guava, Tahitian Flower, Wild Tuberose, Dark Chocolate, Pink Frosting Accord, Precious Amber, Forbidden Woods, Royal Musk Captive, Chiffon Vanilla."
5. Britney Spears Hidden Fantasy Eau de Parfum - "Notes: Tangerine, stargazer lily, sweet orange, fluid sandalwood, jasmine, amber, vanilla bean, sweet Napolitano cake, verbena, jacaranda wood, grapefruit blossom."
6. Chloe Chloé Eau de Parfum - "Notes: Pink Peony, Freesia, Lychee, Magnolia Flower, Lilly of the Valley, Rose, Cedarwood, Amber, Honey."
7. Hello Sugar by La Senza Eau de Toilette - "A deliciously sweet indulgence with sugary hints of berries and vanilla. A charming surprise of bergamot, raspberry and strawberry begins a fragrant journey with a touch of cotton candy mixed with addictive notes of black licorice and liquid caramel. At journey's end, the welcoming warmth of vanilla, sandalwood and musk."
8. Britney Spears Believe Eau de Parfum Spray - "Notes: Guava, tangerine, Honeysuckle and linden blossom, Patchouli, amber and sweet praline."
9. Jessica Simpson Fancy Love Eau de Parfum Spray - "Romantic fragrance blends goji leaf, peach blossom, bergamot and blush champagne with notes of lotus blossom, peony, plumeria, jasmine and rose. Fancy Love finishes with a heady touch of creamy amber, blonde woods, musk and patchouli."

I've lived and learned with perfumes. One of the lessons being not to purchase drugstore/cheap perfumes because quite frankly, most cheap perfumes smell just like, cheap perfumes. That is not say that all cheap(ier) perfumes are crappy but it is quite inevitable that a higher end/more luxiourous perfumes are so distinugishable as such and are more long lasting (especially if it's an eau de parfum) and therefore, in my opinion, worth the splurge (compared to "wasting" money on the cheap stuff that one, does not smell all that great and possibly can give you headaches with one spritz, and two, does not last at all).

Another dilemma that I have when it comes to buying perfume is that I can fall so madly in love with one particular scent for the longest time that I want to buy a big bottle but then I just get tired of so easily and so quickly. This has happened for me for all of these scents. Even the number one fragrance on my wishlist for the longest time, Chanel's Chance Eau Tendre, I have gone to get tired of it and I do not even own this! I have been smelling this everywhere I go that it's so common that I do not want it anymore (is that weird)? I still love it so much whenever I smell it on someone but then it just reminds me that every other girl has this perfume!

My top picks from my collection will have to be Chloé and Fancy Love by Jessica Simpson. Chloé just smells so soft and feminine. This along with Chance Eau Tendre would have to be the most girly and romantic scents that I have smelled. Fancy Love by Jessica Simpson was definitely a surprise for me. I did not expect it to smell that good that I had to go and buy a second backup set of this (pictured here is my second bottle). The set that I found at Shoppers Drug Mart for $20CDN also came with a rollerball that I am also very close to finishing up. This stuff smells florally but in a very soft way. Fancy Love is definitely an exception in that it delivers in scent, and affordability, and longevity.

This post made me realize that most of these scents that I own are very, very sweet, that it makes me totally justify getting Dior 'Miss Dior' Eau de Parfum Spray for fall/winter.

XO Nicole

My Collection: NYX Blushes

As you may have seen/read from my previous post on my NYX haul, I decided to do a collective swatch/comparison on all the NYX blushes that I own. Though I only own a few, I feel like the collection is going to stop there. They are very affordable and they do have a lot of different shades to choose from but I think I own all the shades that I am interested in. Until then, I am content with my collection.

 Swatches of the powdered blushes:

NYX Powdered Blushes in Natural, Angel, Mauve, Raisin, Taupe

Raisin

Though I am not going to review all of these blushes (as I have talked about them previously) I will make notable mentions on some of them.

My favourite out of the bunch would be Raisin - I love that is mauve-y enough that it can also act as a contour. It is a muted colour with a matte finish so it is definitely OK to use this alone.

Natural

NYX Rouge Cream Blush Natural - This is one of my first cream blusehs and I though since this was so affordable and the colour is so wearable, you cannot really go wrong about giving cream blushes a try. I have never actually worn this blush just because it is really scarey for me as this thing is so so pigmented. You need the lightest hand to apply this, so I have since given this to my sister. She enjoys it and it looks really nice and natural on her.

XO Nicole