My perfumes: full-sized

I just watched YouTuber KathleenLights' perfumes video, where she lists and describes all of the perfumes she currently has, and it inspired me to do the same. I will be sticking to just the full-sized perfumes that I have in this post, as Kathleen stuck to her full-sized perfumes in her vlog.

Vera Wang Princess - As a teen, I spotted this perfume in a magazine's spring giveaways calendar and instantly knew I wanted to win it more than I wanted anything else.  I sent the magazine an entry email, begging them to choose me for the giveaway. My pleas must have worked, as I won it! Sadly, the perfume has gone bad, despite my keeping it in my fridge for the last 2 years, but I still have it. The bottle is shaped like a heart-cut jewel, the cap is a gold crown inset with purple stones, and the perfume is lilac-colored. It even comes with a removable, wearable ring! No perfume more *me* has ever existed. This is my favorite perfume ever, due mostly to the packaging. It also smelled very nice, with notes of flowers I like and chocolate. There have been several other Princess perfumes with different themes, but I haven't ever felt motivated to try them out (the pink one with the silver crown cap comes closest). I may repurchase VW Princess if I come across it in Marshall's or something for a good price.



Animale Chaleur d'Animale - This was a gift from one of my uncles and aunts when I was in high school. The smell was a good mix of citrus, floral and metallic, and it made me feel grown up. The cylindrical bottle has a giraffe-spotted cap and an attached metal manacle with a short dangling chain, due to its animal theme (I think the name means Animal Heat). Probably not the most appropriate for a young girl, but oh well. I think I still have this but should find out how to get rid of it, since it's gone bad. I believe this perfume has been discontinued.



J. Del Pozo Halloween - This is a medium-sized perfume that was part of a gift set that my uncles had given my grandma. It's purple, so I got it when she passed away. I don't know what happened to the lotion and body wash, but I don't use perfumed stuff like that anyway. This is floral and very cloying. It's in my house somewhere; I last used it to spray down my doorway in hopes that would keep bugs from coming into my house. I'm not sure why it's called Halloween; there's nothing Halloween-y about it. I'm going to get rid of it since I'm pretty sure it's gone bad. I think this perfume is discontinued as well.



Cartier Baiser Vole - My dad gave me this perfume. It was a perfume that my grandmother's older sisters wore, and she would "borrow" it from them as a girl. My grandaunt had asked my dad to buy this for her and the bottle arrived after he left for Mexico, so he bought another in person and gave the online purchased perfume to my sister, then bought me one as well so we could both have this nostalgic family perfume. The bottle is very classy and rounded, but unfortunately this perfume just smells metallic on me. I still use it every so often when I want to wear something that is fancy and clean but not floral or citrusy. There are a thousand versions of this but I think I have the original one. The name means "stolen kiss", which, hello, consent.



Clinique My Happy: Cocoa and Cashmere - I think these are supposed to be spinoffs of Clinique's iconic Happy (my favorite Clinique scent). I got this one because it was purple and I wanted to get a free gift with purchase. It smells nice but is not really the type of scent I like (and unfortunately it doesn't smell like chocolate). I need to try this more. I do like the bottle, very slim and elegant and a lovely shade of purple. It feels small for the price, but perfume is expensive so it probably technically isn't.



Bebe Bebe Starlet - I bought this one at Marshall's because the bottle is purple and shaped like a heart, my perfume weakness. It's cute and smells nice and was a decent price. I have 3 other Bebe heart perfumes, the mini versions that came as a trio. The star charm on mine doesn't have rhinestones. I think this perfume is technically discontinued as well, due to Bebe being a very 2000s brand.



Marc Jacobs Daisy Dream Twinkle - Few other perfumes after VW Princess have made my heart beat the way this and its purple sisters did. As I am not made of money, I couldn't buy them all, so I chose this one because the bottle is the cutest (I had a coupon code). It smells really nice, although if I spray it at close range on my arm it smells like cat pee, at least initially. But I think the cat pee smell is avoided if I spray, delay, walk away. Does anyone know why all of the Daisy perfumes have such similar names? It's confusing. This perfume was limited edition so it's no longer available through Ulta or Sephora or even the Marc Jacobs website, sniff.


Yves Rocher Apricot - I completely forgot about this one because I keep in the fridge to keep it from going bad, as it's such a season-specific scent. This is a really nice smelling apricot perfume that was a gift from my aunt a few years back. It's such a great summery scent, and it's from a natural brand. Unfortunately this perfume is discontinued.

Types of skincare routines I have

The ideal, super long skincare routine where it's the night before but at least an hour before my bedtime, so I can take as long as I want without cutting into my sleeping hours

1. Remove eye makeup with 1-2 Almay Oil-Free Gentle Eye Makeup Remover Pads
2. Remove face makeup by either washing with my Neutrogena Ultra Light Cleansing Oil, or by using e.l.f. micellar water and a cotton round
3. Wash face with Neutrogena Ultra Gentle Hydrating Cleanser
4. Tone with this knockoff of Clinique Clarifying Lotion 2 that I found at the dollar store, or with First Aid Beauty's Facial Radiance Pads. ALTERNATIVE: face mask
5. Apply Neogen Dermatology White Truffle Serum in Oil Drop that I got from a free gift with purchase set all over my face, neck and chest except for my eyelids since I got a blocked pore there once after using it there (I skip this step if I used a moisturizing face mask)
6. Roll this overpriced jade roller that squeaks all over my face as directed to help the serum soak into my face
7. Apply eye cream to undereye areas and eyelids. Currently I'm using a sample of Clinique's Pep Start Eye cream
8. Apply face moisturizer. Currently I'm using a sample of First Aid Beauty's Ultra Repair Cream on my face, and CeraVe's Moisurizing Cream for normal to dry skin on my neck and chest 
9. I've started using Mario Badescu's Drying Lotion on my pimples, but I'm not sure where it fits in this skincare routine
10. Apply Rimmel lash serum

The usual skincare routine that I do like 10-15 minutes before bed

1. Remove eye makeup with the Almay eye makeup remover pads. If I've only worn eyeliner that day, use the 2 sides of 1 pad, 1 for each eye. (Skip this step if it's 10 minutes before bed)
2. Remove face (and eye) makeup with face/makeup wipes. Currently using Pacifica Rose Water Makeup Removing Wipes. 
3. Wash face with the Neutrogena ultra gentle hydrating cleanser. 
4. Apply eye cream.
5. Apply face cream to face, neck and chest. 
6. Carefully wipe moisturizer from pimples and apply drying lotion.

The skincare routine I do if I have 5 minutes before bed

1. Remove all makeup with makeup remover wipe.
2. Wash face with face wash
3. Apply eye cream.
4. Apply moisturizer.

The skincare routine I do if I have 1 minute before bed

1. Face wipe
2. Rinse face with water
3. Eye cream
4. Moisturizer

The skincare routine I do if I haven't put on any makeup or sunscreen that day

• Nothing, or, just moisturizer and eye cream

The skincare routine I do when I'm staying the night at my parents' house

1. Remove eye makeup with baby oil and 1-2 cotton rounds
2. Remove face makeup with No7 makeup remover and a cotton round
3. Wash face with Clinique facial soap bar
4. Apply Neutrogena Eye Cream
5. Apply face moisturizer. Currently it's Clinique Pep-Start Hydroblur Moisturizer

The skincare routine I do when I'm traveling

1. Try to remove eye makeup with e.l.f. eye makeup wipes that I have to dampen with water because they've dried out. Give up.
2. Remove makeup etc. from face with makeup wipes
3. Wash face using face wash sample packet I've brought in my toiletries bag
4. Apply eye cream from the sample packet I've brought in my toiletries bag
5. Apply moisturizer from the sample packet I've brought in my toiletries bag

Book review: Her Royal Spyness by Rhys Bowen

Ok everybody, you know the words to this one: I picked up this British cozy mystery at the thrift store. It was intriguing because the heroine was royalty (daughter of a duke) and in line for the throne, but she's also a spy. Summary from the back of the book:

My ridiculously long name is Lady Victoria Georgiana Charlotte Eugenie. [Despite being] thirty-fourth in line for the throne, I am, as they say, flat broke. When my brother, Binky, cut off my meager allowance, I bolted from Scotland--and my engagement to Fishface (I mean, Prince Siegfried)--for London, where I have:

a) built a fire in the hearth--entirely on my own, thank you very much

b) fallen for an absolutely unsuitable Irish peer

c) made a few quid housekeeping incognita, and 

d) been summoned by the Queen herself to spy on her playboy son.

Less than thrilled with this last bit, I'm wondering what to do when an arrogant Frenchman--who was trying to swipe our family estate!--winds up dead in my bathtub. Now, my new job is to clear my very long family name...

A note of clarification: Georgie did not leave Scotland because her brother stopped giving her an allowance; she bolted because the Queen "requested" her brother and his wife host a party where Prince Fishface would attend, with the aim of getting Georgie engaged to him. Georgie was like hell no and peaced out. Also, for the "fallen for [...] an Irish peer" part, she was just attracted to him but felt he was too dashing and handsome for her to trust. They do get closer as the book goes on. Also, "family name" refers to the surname, such as Windsor, not her super long name with all the middle names. I mean. That's elementary stuff. 

 Ok, so despite the silliness of the title (it sounds like a middle-grade book about a princess who's a spy), I enjoyed this book. I did feel that there were probably quite a few anachronisms (it's set in the early 1930s), such as Georgie's worldly friend talking about sex all the time, and Georgie being close to her Cockney working-class grandfather and being willing to clean despite being nobility, and errors with all the royalty and peer stuff, but luckily I don't know a huge amount about that, so I was able to enjoy the book. I felt that Georgie did too much sighing out loud for a Lady, but whatever. There were a lot of characters, but I didn't really have any trouble keeping them straight.The mystery was pretty good and kept me guessing, although I had my theories.

I'd recommend this book to anyone who likes cozy mysteries set in the British Isles, or historical fiction in the same location about royalty and gentry, but not to anyone who's really studied this, because I feel that the errors and anachronisms would make them pitch a fit. I'm going to try to track down the others from the library (it's the first in a series).

Score: 4 out of 5 stars
Read in: April 17
From: thrift store
Format: paperback
Status: probably giving away

Book review: Becoming by Michelle Obama

I received Michelle Obama's memoir Becoming as a Christmas gift from my parents. It will not surprise you to hear that I didn't read it until last weekend during a road trip. Requisite Amazon summary, even though we all know what it's about:

In a life filled with meaning and accomplishment, Michelle Obama has emerged as one of the most iconic and compelling women of our era. As First Lady of the United States of America—the first African American to serve in that role—she helped create the most welcoming and inclusive White House in history, while also establishing herself as a powerful advocate for women and girls in the U.S. and around the world, dramatically changing the ways that families pursue healthier and more active lives, and standing with her husband as he led America through some of its most harrowing moments. Along the way, she showed us a few dance moves, crushed Carpool Karaoke, and raised two down-to-earth daughters under an unforgiving media glare. 

In her memoir, a work of deep reflection and mesmerizing storytelling, Michelle Obama invites readers into her world, chronicling the experiences that have shaped her—from her childhood on the South Side of Chicago to her years as an executive balancing the demands of motherhood and work, to her time spent at the world’s most famous address. With unerring honesty and lively wit, she describes her triumphs and her disappointments, both public and private, telling her full story as she has lived it—in her own words and on her own terms. Warm, wise, and revelatory, Becoming is the deeply personal reckoning of a woman of soul and substance who has steadily defied expectations—and whose story inspires us to do the same.

Reader, it was just that good. Michelle looks over her life and shares it with us, including the bad alongside the good, and the personal and sometimes embarrassing alongside the triumphant. She went to Princeton AND Harvard Law School! I mean. I was already thrilled that we share a first name, but our elementary schools also have the same name! I loved getting these glimpses into her life, and how honest she was about her struggles in her marriage and her role as FLOTUS. You really see the sacrifices that the Obamas went through during Barack's presidency. Michelle has really made so many efforts, time and time again, to make the world a better place and inspire girls to reach their goals and fulfill their dreams. I love her. I loved this book. Read it.

"Am I enough? Yes I am." ~Michelle Obama

Score: 5 out of 5 stars
Read in: late March
From: gift
Format: hardcover
Status: keep

p.s. This is my 200th blog entry!