Urban Decay Go Naked Perfume Oil

Please forgive me if this review's a bit loopy. My job's been a bit more than anticipated the past two weeks. Fun fact: I've had either no lunch or PopTarts for lunch 50% of the last 2 weeks. I know that my personal fatigue is not of interest- it's the new Urban Decay perfume oil. Just know, you've been warned.

This was the only Fall preview item that I picked up at the recent Sephora VIB Rouge Fall Preview event, and that was largely because I'd been sucked in by watching YouTube influencers rave about the fragrance. At only $24, it seemed to be a really safe pick.

Let's start with the attention to detail. Look at the lovely purple lining of the box!

Now, let's look at the bottle itself:

In case you're wondering, it's a rollerball. I was initially rooting for a spray but with it being an oil, Urban Decay wisely went with a rollerball. After using it for a week, I'm into the rollerball now.

Let's talk about the basics. As I mentioned, it's $24, and you get 0.16oz/5ml of product. It's a rollerball, and according to the website, limited edition.

According to Sephora, it's in the Floral fragrance family, specifically Fruity Florals. The key notes are Italian Bergamot, Orange Blossom, and Lavender.

With Go Naked Perfume Oil, you don't just look better Naked, but you even smell better Naked too. The limited-edition oil captures the feeling of sun-warmed skin and salt air on a private beach. It's infused with 100 percent concentrated perfume oil for serious staying power. It unveils top notes of Italian bergamot, petitgrain, mandarin, and lemon, with orange blossom and neroli. The base notes carry hints of lavender, jasmine, and musk.

It's a very light scent- this is more of a high summer scent for me. I think I've figured out what it is that's not quite sitting with me- it's the jasmine. I figured it'd be an instant love, but I'm not really friendly, let alone lovers with jasmine.

I adore the packaging on this one- it feels so luxe. The cap is similar to the rose gold packaging from the Naked Ultimate Basics palette.

I can't remember the last time that Urban Decay released a perfume (edit: 2010 and 2004, per Google), but they nailed it with this scent.

The best part about my crazy schedule is that I tried this out for a full week before writing this. Although it's perfume oil, I don't think it's the longest lasting perfume on the market. It's nice and light yet summery (it just makes me think of the beach and skin- perfect for the name!) so it's totally office friendly. I love that it's purse-friendly as well.

Will this replace my go-tos? Nope.

Will I pick up a backup because it's just so easy? Probably.

Bottom Line: I highly recommend checking this new launch up. See how it works with your body- others are reporting it lasting forever on them. It's a wonderful high summer scent. It's been growing on me, and I foresee it being a permanent purse dweller as the temperature rises.

Snow Day Beauty

With so much of the country experiencing snow within the past few days, I thought I'd re-start the blog by bringing you my snow day beauty favorites. This is the exact combination that I wore while shoveling for hours- and why I chose each carefully curated item.  This comes from a lifetime of living in areas with snowy winters- and never having the luxury of a garage/snow blower!

Please note the yummy throw- it may show up from time to time as a background. It seems right since we're talking winter. This picture really was taken by a fireplace (which was in use recently).

1. If you're planning to spend all day digging out in the snow, it's important to pamper your face a little bit more. I upped my moisturizer to L'Occitane's Shea Butter Ultra Rich Comforting Cream ($34, 1.7oz)(sample from last holiday's L'Occitane Advent Calendar) to give just a bit more protection. It has 25% shea butter, which allowed my sensitive skin to deal with the cold elements with nary an issue.

2 + 3. UV protection is a MUST, and you'll be getting a lot more UV (reflection from the snow) than you may estimate. Even though it's winter, protecting your skin is essential. I trotted out my regular daily duo- Chanel UV Essentiale  Complete Sunscreen UV Protection Anti-Pollution Broad Spectrum SPF 50 ($55, 1 oz) and Shiseido Sun Protection Eye Cream SPF 34 ($35.50, 0.6oz). In the time that I've been away from blogging, I have re-dedicated myself to a SPF'd lifestyle. This combo is my HG for use with daily makeup and provides as high of a SPF content as I can find.

4. A light base- I personally love Iope's Air Cushion XP as an awesome cushion compact. It's not available directly for sale online in the US, but it's worth tracking down. I'll post a full review in the coming weeks, as well as more info on how to find the most pale-complexion-friendly cushion compact on the market (IMO).

5. Even though I went au natural for blush and the cushion compact let my freckles (and rosacea) shine through, I have a few spots that I wanted to cover, plus my naturally-occurring dark circles. I could've pulled out my NARS Creamy Concealer, but Sephora Collection Bright Future Gel Serum Concealer ($14) has been in my rotation far more often as of late. PS- my NW15ish skin likes shade 01- Bavarian Cream.

6. Right now, my hair is a few shades darker than my natural shade, so filling in my brows is a must or I look silly. I adore my Tom Ford Brow Sculptor ($45) in Chestnut for a quick one-step brow.  (In case you're curious, I love using MAC Cork with some Fix+ for additional coverage.)

7.  This was one of two totally unnecessary steps, but honestly I wanted to test this out after getting a deluxe sample during the holidays. Any totally neutral eye pencil will do, but I wore NUDESTIX Magnetic Eye Color in Angel ($24), a lovely nude shade. It's my eyes but better. It wore decently well while exerting myself, but if I was going to do this over I'd pull out Laura Mercier's Eye sticks.

8. Pick out your favorite waterproof mascara. This is the one that I have open right now, Chanel Le Volume Waterproof Mascara ($32).

9. Your lips will need some pampering. Do it up right with the Rolls Royce of lip balms, By Terry Baume de Rose. I pulled out the special edition from Holiday 2015- the Gold Baume de Rose Parure Lip Balm ($31). It's Baume de Rose with shimmer. It's the best of both worlds- the luxurious lip balm and a glittery gloss.

10. Let's be honest, friends. Shoveling is an awesome cardio workout. Continue smelling awesome with a little bit of perfume oil. I pulled out one of my favorites, Elizabeth and James Nirvana White Perfume Oil ($35).

11. If you're heading out to shovel, or if you're simply taking a halftime break, a great dry shampoo is essential. Living Proof Perfect Hair Day Dry Shampoo ($28) is my HG and beats the pants off of any other dry shampoo I've tried.

If you want to simplify, simply edit out the mascara and eye pencil. I didn't wear them on the first day that I was shoveling.

What are your snow day beauty must-haves?

Jo Malone Silk Blossom Cologne

Even though I don't normally review perfume since (admittedly) I lack the nose to detect the distinct notes, I wanted to show everyone the new LE Jo Malone scent.  It's available now via JoMalone.com (where I ordered it), although it will be available at Jo Malone locations in June.  I was able to smell the pre-release tester at Nordstrom last week.

Silk Blossom is a flower that I'm admittedly not familiar with.  I searched for some information but came up empty aside from references to a 2009 Kenzo scent that also used Silk Flower. Unfortunately, I came up with 99.9% content about fake flowers.

Jo Malone's website has the following description: "Nature’s blooms at their most tempting. The nectarous, pink-fringed pompoms of Silk Blossom. Irresistible to hummingbirds and butterflies. Apricot-fresh with a touch of spice. Airy with clouds of powder-soft heliotrope, nestling on a bed of moss. Fruity and enticing."

I describe this scent as a "smooth, clean, and crisp floral that sweetens over time." Compared to Peony and Blush Suede, it's longer lasting, but the lingering notes are far sweeter than the other florals I've tried from Jo Malone.  I suspect that the sweet notes are from the apricot and the fruity notes.  I find that Silk Blossom is far more complex than most of the other scents I've tried.

Since perfume is such a personal experience, I highly recommend sniffing this at your local counter first.  I struggle to describe perfume, but I also know I'm one of the early purchasers here in the US.

Silk Blossom costs $65/ 30ml and is a limited edition.  That's higher than the usual Jo Malone pricepoint.  There are two major considerations here. First, this is one of the few times that a LE scent is released in both the small and large sizes. Previous Jo Malone LEs were restricted to the larger size. Second, for the first time the perfume comes with the photographed tassel.

I'm a relative newbie to Jo Malone fragrances.  This is only my second purchase, although I've smelled seven of the other scents in the line. Silk Blossom is one of the smoother, cleaner, and more understated scents I've smelled in the line. The instant that I smelled the tester, I knew Silk Blossom had to be mine.  I love it so much that I may purchase a second bottle next month once it hits stores.

What I'm Wearing- Perfumes, Spring 2014

It's only been over the past year that I've noticed that my scent preferences shift dramatically with the seasons.  After going through an entire bottle of Dior Addict Eau Delice, with Flash by Jimmy Choo sprinkled in that I noticed a distinct pivot for spring/summer.

Although I'm not a trend-following scent type of girl, I noticed that I'm right on trend, despite myself.  I've been rotating between three main fragrances this spring.  I don't do perfume reviews for a reason, as my nose lacks the sophistication to pick out different notes and accurately describe them.

Spring Love #1: Tom Ford Private Blend Santal Blush ($210/50ml)

Photo via Nordstrom

I don't own a full-sized bottle of this (yet), but I've been enjoying some deluxe samples I received as a GWP at my Nordstrom Beauty Trend Show in March.  This is the only Private Blend fragrance that I'd feel comfortable wearing to a conservative office. It's soft and feminine, but wears like iron.  I require a lot from my fragrances, and this is one of the few that I can still detect 16 hours later. This fragrance manages to be simultaneously soft and complex. If the other Private Blend fragrances are too powerful for you, I highly recommend this offering.

 
Spring Love #2: Jo Malone Peony and Blush Suede Cologne ($60-$115)

Photo via Nordstorm

This purchase is directly attributable to the generosity of a Nordstrom SA. As a part of an order, she threw in a group of Jo Malone fragrance samples. While I enjoyed playing with all of the scents. Peony and Blush Suede stood out to me.  It wasn't a surprise since I have been loving suede fragrances lately.  I think this is lovely, soft, and perfect for spring. I wish it had a little better wear time, but I just throw a sample vial into my makeup bag in the morning and I'm good to go.

Spring Love #3: Balenciaga Rosabotanica ($25-100)

Photo via Nordstrom

This is another example of where sampling works. I got the recent 500pt perk with a deluxe sample of Rosabotanica and fell in love.  I managed to limit myself to just a rollerball during Chic Week, but have been loving roses this spring.  Yes, I know that's right on trend, but really... Rosabotanica just fits my state of mind lately.


What have you been wearing this spring?  Do you rotate your scents?