OOTD: Comfy Dress

Dress: thrifted 

Bag: Rampage 

Sandals: Payless 

Necklace: Purpleperidot.com

Bracelet: Eulaferns.com

NOTD: Wonder Woman Nails

WnW Sapphire Blue and an unnamed Nabi Gel glitter. The glitter takes forever to set; it wasn't ideal for my purposes as it needs several very thin coats, but it would be great as a topper.

I was trying to follow the tutorial in the last pic; I'm kinda digging it. I feel like this is what Wonder Woman's nails would look like, lol!

Review: Wicknwax Fruit Loops & Ashland Candle

Today I'm burning an unnamed scented candle from Ashland Home collection at Michael's. It's a sweet green floral scent. I'd describe it as a cross between Lemongrass Verbena and Sugared Lavender Twist. Very pleasant with moderate throw.

I'm melting a tart from Wicknwax Candles in Fruit Loops scent. This is a super realistic foodie scent! My husband didn't know what was melting and exclaimed it smelled like fruit loops, lol! I wouldn't have picked it out, but it smells heavenly. Moderate throw.

Recipe: Pad Thai Soup

http://domesticfits.com/2012/10/22/pad-thai-soup/

Review: Pacifica Spanish Amber & Scentsationals Rose Gold

Pacifica Spanish Amber candle has no throw for me at all, even when I put my nose right next to it. Thoroughly disappointed.

Scentsationals Rose Gold is very nice. To me it smells like Blushing Pink Petals (a light, sweet floral that I love) mixed with a bit of amber. Throw is mild to moderate; a little lighter than I'm used to with SS. Overall, this is a lovely tart.

OOTD: Chevron Again

Top: Thredup

Shorts: Walmart 

Bag: thrifted

Sandals: Payless 

Earrings: Wish.com

Necklace: Kohl's

Bracelet: eulaferns.com

Reviews: Southbound Soap Ever After & Pacifica Island Vanilla

This morning I'm melting a cute heart shaped tart from an etailer I'd never tried before called Southbound Soap Co. It is a delightful sugary fruity floral, almost perfumey. It reminds me of pink sugar mixed with love spell. Strong throw but not overwhelming, and I can't stop sniffing! I'm so taken with this scent I visited the website to look up the scent description. "Ever After - Fresh pomegranate, citrus, berries and musk are sweetened with vanilla and sugar crystals." I definitely detect the sugared fruity notes. I think this is a winner and would be interested to try more blends from this company.

I'm also burning a Pacifica Island Vanilla candle. It's a warm vanilla with a hint of spice, but I'm mildly disappointed because I think Pacific's wax base has a fake, plasticy note that I don't like. I had the same problem with their Persian Rose scented candle. I'm glad I got these on sale; I probably won't repurchase their candles, but I hear wonderful things about their perfumes and would be happy to try some of their other products. Not very strong throw either.

Review: Vera Wang Embrace Perfume

I got this Rosebuds & Vanilla fragrance for about half price on Ebay after reading good reviews. I love these two fragrance notes, so I took a chance. Good news; it was not a disappointment! It is quite lovely, and I really, really like it, although it is pretty similar to an etailer fragrance I have called Egyptian Rose Vanille. It is very soft, pretty, and feminine. Definitely nailed the balance of rose and vanilla. I'd describe it as innocently romantic, yet comforting. I feel like if I was a princess in a fairy tale, I'd wear this, lol. It's not extremely complex, but if you love these notes, I'd highly recommend it.

NOTD: Black & White & Pink

Sinful Colors Boom Boom and Pure Ice What's The Splatter.

Recipe: Artichoke Lasagna

I tweaked the recipe a bit; used marinated artichoke hearts instead of fresh artichokes and added shredded rotisserie chicken so the baking dish overflowed, lol. It was absolutely delicious; very cheesy and the sauce is so tasty.

http://www.midwestliving.com/recipe/pasta/creamy-artichoke-lasagna/

Review: Pacifica Persian Rose & Mainstays Rose

I like the Pacifica Persian Rose candle I ordered; it is a nice rose type scent with moderate throw and cute packaging. The wax pools well and even though it's only 3oz, I think I will get long burn time out of it because it's burning slowly. The only thing I don't like about it is I think the wax adds a fake plastic-y note to what is otherwise a lovely rose scent. I say this because I also ordered a reed diffuser in the same scent and it just smells like nice rose essential oil; no fake or chemical note. Does anyone have any Pacifica products in the Persian Rose scent? Thoughts on whether it is a true rose or not?

I'm also melting Mainstays Rose wax melts which I've purchased from Walmart several times. Strong throw and a predominantly rose scent with other fresh florals mixed in. Not the truest rose scent I've ever smelled, but very nice.

OOTD: A Little Bit Country

Inspired by this look from the blog Bramblewood Fashion.

Mine:

Shirt: Lane Bryant, thrifted 

Dress: DKNY, thrifted 

Lace (underneath): Ross

Bag: Merona, thrifted 

Sandals: Kmart

Necklace: Etsy

NOTD: Sinful Colors Why Not & Hottie

Why Not has a fabulous formula! Super smooth and easy to apply; thick but not too thick. 1 coater. Bubbled slightly when drying, but it's hot so it can't really be helped. I wish I could get truer color pics; it skews blue in these, but is a vibrant teal irl. 

Also a pic of an interesting glitter gel polish I bought at the flea market yesterday. Glad I sold a couple and only bought one, lol.

OOTD: Chevron & Radiant Orchid

Top: Thredup 
Shorts, necklace: Walmart
Bag: Target, thrifted 
Sandals: Payless 
Bracelet: eulaferns.com
Earrings: Ebay

Recipe: Shrimp Tostadas

Mmmmmm... that's all I have to say about it. Side was leftover sautéed zucchini & corn, recipe a few posts down.

http://www.finecooking.com/recipes/tequila-chipotle-shrimp-lime-sour-cream.aspx?utm_source=social&utm_medium=fb_post&utm_term=no_offer&utm_content=fcrecipe_mit&utm_campaign=FC_social

NOTD: Top Shelf Lacquer Wild Orchid Cocktail

This is 2 coats with a Jamberry accent nail. The formula is nice; smooth and dries fairly quickly, but the first coat was pretty sheer. Definitely a 2-3 coater. I love how vivid it is; makes me happy. :)

Recipes: Lemon Tilapia & Parmesan Zucchini Corn

http://menumusings.blogspot.com/2013/05/grilled-tilapia-with-lemon-basil.html?m=1

http://damndelicious.net/2014/07/12/parmesan-zucchini-corn/?m

Review: Ashland Warm Cookies Candle & BHG Pumpkin Ginger Cookie Tart

I want to rave about this Ashland candle from Michael's for a minute. It throws like a beast and smells so yummy! My house smells like fresh baked vanilla gingersnap cookies! Great value; reg. $5.99 for 17 oz, was on sale for $4.50. They had several other fall scents as well. I'll definitely be checking them out again.

Melting BHG Pumpkin Ginger Cookies, smells just like it says. While it's nicely scenting the room, I feel like it's throw is not quite as strong as last year. Still performing well overall though and a great buy. I'm happy to be melting fall scents!

Review: Black Orchid Candle & Vanilla Woods Tart

I admit I bought this Michael's Make Home brand candle partly because of the adorable packaging and clearance price, but the scent does not disappoint! Black Orchid is a pretty accurate name. It is a light, fresh orchid floral with a hint of berries and musk. It reminds me of Halle Berry Pure Orchid EDP mixed with BBW Dark Kiss. Throw is mild to moderate. It's good for small rooms; not overwhelming. I'm totally keeping the pretty jar when it's gone.

I thought I had tried almost all of the Scentsationals scents but I don't recall seeing Vanilla Woods. It's very pleasant; I don't detect much vanilla. It's a warm and comforting woodsy cashmere scent with strong throw. Reminds me of BBW Cashmere Glow mixed with Axe Dark Temptation. Cosy and a bit masculine. Great for Fall!

OOTD: 2 Kinds of Stripes

Inspired by this Instagram look.

Mine:

Tee: dollar store 

Dress (as skirt): Walmart 

Bag: Dooney & Bourke, thrifted 

Sandals: Payless 

Bracelet: eulaferns.com

Earrings: thrifted 

Haul: Michael's & Walmart

I've never shopped at Michael's for wax before, but a fellow wax lover on IG mentioned she got some clamshells on sale there for .59-99¢, so I had to go check it out. None of the wax melts were on sale at my store, although they do have a few for .99¢ online. But they had a ton of pretty candles on clearance! The top 2 candles were on sale for $2.59 each and the bottom 2 for $1.99. The big jar candle was in the fall decor section for $4.50. They all smell strong and wonderful on cold sniff; let me know if you want any specific scent descriptions. I also had 2 coupons: one for 20% off entire purchase and 1 for 40% off 1 full priced item, which I used to get the pretty votive holder. All together this came out to $13 and change! I'm very pleased. :)

 I also looked at candles at Big Lots, but their selection was pretty picked over. They did have a wine collection of candles like BBW, which amused me. They were pretty. I did score a great deal on BOGO Pantene conditioners for my hubby though, and a couple np's.

Finally, I went to two WM's in search of fall wax and 719 candles. My regular one had only the cinnamon roll and apple cider candles, and several of the summer ones left. They had a label for the Pumpkin Waffles candles, my favorite, but none in stock. The wax isle was super picked over; hopefully this means fall restock soon. Didn't get anything at that one. Went to a Super WM about 10 miles further away; they had a lot of their wax on clearance for $1.50 and although a lot of my favorites were gone, I managed to get these and a .50¢ votive (which melted in the heat on the way home, aaagh!) Then I went looking for the 719's. They had a couple more scents like classic flannel, but once again the PW's were completely gone! *rageface* I will check back next week; I will not rest until I have hoarded a few glorious Pumpkin Waffle candles.

With the Pacifica candles and WM fall wax packs I ordered, I think I'm set now, which is great because I only had half a candles and 3 half full clamshells left! With everything so deeply discounted I saved a lot in the long run. I will definitely check back with Michael's in the future to see what wax is on sale, and I also want to check Joann's. I know they have wax and they often have coupons. I keep eyeing YC at Kohl's but I haven't pulled the trigger yet. What are some of your favorite lesser known stores for wax and candles?

BTW, WM is selling their YC collection in stores now! It's called American Home by Yankee. I have to say many of them were unimpressive on cold sniff, but I may still try one or two in the future. I didn't see their prices listed.

Whew, long post. Thanks reading!

OOTD: Mostly Thrifted

Inspired by this look from the blog Thrift & Shout.

Mine:

Dress: thrifted

Scarf: Aeropostale

Bag: thrifted 

Sandals: Payless 

Cuff: Target, thrifted 

NOTD: Punk Princess

This is Ulta Little Black Dress with Wet N Wild Sparked. 

Recipe: Summer Squash & Corn Soup

This was absolutely delicious and not too heavy for summer. I ended up adding cheese and bacon directly into the soup for extra flavor. :)

https://control.kochava.com/v1/cpi/click?campaign_id=kogameofwariosmachinezone74551a82d050c16404e175c6d87df&network_id=548&click_id=CD30161p___17395___47092___Z2dXVpZD05MTViNzdhOS0zNTljLTRkMzEtOGMzOC1iOWY3NzcxMmY2ODQ&site_id=CD30161

Hot Deal: Pacifica Candle Sale

Pacifica has all candles and reed diffusers for 30-50% off, ending today 8/16/15! Plus if you sign up for their email newsletter you will receive code WELCOME15 for an additional 15% off! I got 4 candles and a reed diffuser for 65% off! I wanted to get way more but I had to make it sound reasonable for the hubby, lol.

Tips:if you're already signed up for their newsletter, add your stuff to your cart and let it sit there for a while. Within 15 minutes they has emailed me a 10% off code if I completed my order! Unfortunately it can't be combined with other codes, so I used the 15% one. Also, make sure you are signed up for their rewards program; every purchase and a bunch of other actions earns you point to redeem for free stuff and discounts! If you don't have any coupons, feel free to leave your email address in the comments and I can send you one for 15% off.

I'm so excited; this is my first time trying Pacifica. Here's what I got.

Recipes: Parmesan Chicken Bites & Potato Wedges

These nuggets were delicious and I've posted the potato wedges recipe before, but it's a new favorite!

http://damndelicious.net/2014/12/26/parmesan-chicken-bites/?m

http://lecremedelacrumb.com/2015/04/baked-garlic-parmesan-potato-wedges.html

NOTD: Holo Nail Art

1 coat of E.L.F. Metal Madness. I used a thin nail brush to draw a diagonal line with Zoya Trixie and then filled in the top half. Finally I added Dainty Digits Drop the Ball over Trixie for some extra holo-y goodness! Ulta base coat and x-dry top coat. I'm pretty proud of this; it doesn't look terrible. :D

Also, here's a brush cleaning tip. I saved an old metal candle lid to clean my brushes off in, and it works great! Just squeeze a little thinner in and dab your brush around until the polish is gone. Wipe the brush off on a paper towel or newspaper and let it dry before putting away. Another tip that was helpful to me is don't rinse your brushes in water after using thinner. The bristles become all goopy and stick together.

Review: Many Perfumes

These are all the perfumes and samples I've purchased or received for free in the last 3 or so months. I'm trying to find out which mid to HE end perfumes I really like and pick a few to be signature scents. I'm trying to use up the mists and older perfumes I have so that I can have an updated and very "me" scent wardrobe. The most important qualities to me are obviously scent, longevity, and price.

 

Here are my thoughts on these perfumes left to right, top to bottom.

Purchased from FragranceNet all in the $1.49-$2.99 range

Valentino Rock N Rose: I had high hopes for this one as it is a popular rose scent and I love rose, but I was underwhelmed. It's a pleasant scent with a hint of rose and several other floral notes. Light and doesn't assault the senses like some florals, but wasn't anything special. Was completely gone in an hour. Wouldn't repurchase due to longevity and lack of uniqueness.

Aquolina Gold Sugar: Love! It's pink sugar mixed with a warm cashmere type scent like BBW Cashmere Glow and a hint of amber like BBW Sensual Amber. Lasted 2-3 hours on me. Would repurchase.

D&G 14 La Tempérance: was rec'd to me by the perfume board (thanks!) and I like it! It is a warm floral with a hint of rose, musk and other floral scents. Fresh and flirty; lasted 2-3 hours on me. Might repurchase, except that DH didn't like it. He and I tend to have different scent preferences, so I have to take this with a grain of salt, lol.

Hervè Leger Rose Leger: This was one of my biggest disappointments. Very strong, fresh & green, didn't really get rose from it at all. Smelled like unpleasant  air freshener and unfortunately lingered for a few hours. Would not repurchase.

Anna Sui Forbidden Affair: one of my most pleasant surprises! I get rose, iris, berry, musk, sugar, and other floral notes. It is fresh and not overwhelming but sensual. It seems like a lighter, more mature version of and old discontinued favorite of mine and DH's called Sinful from the store Anchor Blue. It only lasted 1-2 hours on me but I hope it would have more longevity in the full sized bottle. Might repurchase.

Free Samples with an Ulta Order:

Paco Rabanne 1 Million: A strong, sexy warm amber scent. Similar to BBW Sensual Amber, but a bit more masculine. (May even be a men's cologne.) Lasted 3-4 hours. Liked it but might not repurchase as there are amber scents I like more.

Aquolina Pink Sugar: Love! You all know what this smells like. Would repurchase but will probably get an etailer dupe: CP or CYS.

(Not pictured) single use Verscace Bright Crystal: a pleasant but unmemorable fresh floral. Lasted an hour or 2. Would not repurchase.

Free samples from Dame Perfumery:

Black Flower Mexican Vanilla: extremely unique, great for layering. Very strong and long lasting. Latsted 3-5 hours. Smells like horchata (vanilla rice milk, cinnamon & spices) to me, but can have a "vintage" smell on dry down. I like to wear it under other vanilla or coconut scents to add complexity. Would not repurchase.

Desert Rose: Ugh, horrible, strong, cloying rose perfume. Not for me at all; probably the worst on the list. Would not purchase.

Peach Blossom, Violet & Vanilla: this was the only one I specifically requested from Dame as I like all these notes individually, but it was just ok. Reminds me of a lighter, more sophisticated Love Spell (which I love). But something was lacking overall; just wasn't special enough. Would not repurchase.

Dark Horse: Probably the best of the Dames I received. Reminds me a lot of BBW Dark Kiss, but not quite as strong and less sweet. Like it, but would not repurchase as I have Dark Kiss and like it more.

There was one more Dame sample (not pictured), a men's cologne called Herb Man that was extremely strong and green. Neither DH nor I liked it and didn't wear it, so I can't give it a proper review.

One Direction You & I EDP, received for free in my Walmart Beauty Box:

I like this one quite a bit for a "young" celebrity fragrance. It's a clean, green floral. Fresh and slightly sweet, not cloying at all. Lasted a while, at least 2 hours. I like but would not purchase as it's not very "me."

Avon Secrets To Keep Kiss, purchased on sale for $8.99:

I like this for a change of pace or palate cleansing fragrance, but am not in love with it. It is green and just a tiny bit sweet with a prominent nutty note, like almond. Not at all what I thought it would be, but it's pleasant. Very relaxing and mature to me. Would not repurchase.

BBW Oahu Coconut Sunset EDT purchased on clearance for $7 and change:

One of my favorite buys! Very unique and not super sweet coconut, warm scent. I love everything Oahu, but my favorites are the EDT, body cream, and shower gel. EDT lasts about 3 hours on me (really good for BBW) and layers well. Would Repurchase.

Taylor Swift Enchanted Wonderstruck, purchased at Walmart on clearance for $9.

A lovely warm, musky, ambery, sweet pink sugar type scent. Very nice but only lasts an hour on me. Wouldn't repurchase due to longevity and lack of uniqueness.

So the clear winners for me so far are Pink Sugar, Gold Sugar, and Oahu. The strong maybes are La Tempérance and Forbidden Affair. Everything else I can live without. Thanks for reading and please feel free to suggest any other fragrances you think I might like! My search is not over yet. :)

OOTD: Black & Boho

Kimono Jacket: thrifted 

Top, bag: wish.com

Shorts: Walmart 

Hat, sunglasses: Ebay

Necklace: F21

Bracelet: eulaferns.com

Hot Deal: Earn Free Coffee With Bean Box

If you use my referral link and enter your email address with Bean Box, you will get $5 off a coffee bean purchase and the more friends you refer, the more free coffee you get!

Copy and paste the link below to get started!

https://beanbox.co/invite/13752

NOTD: Sephora Sultry, Zoya Tinsley

Guys, we have a winner!!! This rose gold is a one coater, glides on super smooth and easily, and I love the shade. Would rec this if you're looking for a rose gold. Added Zoya Tinsley over the top as an accent nail, and I love the pretty pink glow it adds.

OOTD: Stripes & Floral

Inspired by this Instagram look.

Mine:

Kimono jacket: Asos, Ebay

Dress: Mossimo, thrifted

Bag: Merona, thrifted 

Sandals, earrings: Walmart 

Cuff: thrifted 

Hat: F21

OOTD: What A Hoot

Cardigan: Ross

Tank, shorts: Walmart 

Bag: wish.com

Sandals: Payless 

Earrings: souvenir