Summer's Must-Have Fragrances

Summer is almost here, and it's just about time to break out all your flowy sundresses,  those killer shades, and of course, your go-to-summer scent. In Cali, at least, the weather has been extremely difficult, with one day being windy and drizzling and the next has everyone sweating under the AC. Lovely. Either way, here's my favorite must-have perfumes for the summer.

Sephora Steal: Perfume + Free Minis and 15% Off!

Hey guys! I just wanted to share something with you that I took note of yesterday and thought was ah-mazing. As some of you probably know, Sephora usually puts out perfume samples from time to time. There were a bunch of sets during the holiday season, but they were all those mini sprays in the tubes that you can get as samples in the checkout line, and ridiculously overpriced.

Here's where a confession comes in. I love bottles. Boxes. Any sort of organization storage compartment, I love it. Especially when it's perfume. That's what makes this really, really, really tempting for me.

This set costs $58, which seems expensive, but is the best possible deal available right now! Layered on top of the Beauty Insider discount until April 10th, (more below), you'll definitely being saving some cash.

The set contains:

 0.25 oz Balenciaga Florabotancia dabber (Scent certificate redeems for 1 oz Spray) 
- 0.15 oz Burberry Body Tender dabber (Scent certificate redeems for 2 oz Spray) 
- 0.17 oz Bvlgari Omina Crystalline dabber (Scent certificate redeems for 1.3 oz Spray) 
- 0.24 oz Elizabeth and James Nirvana Black Rollerball (Scent certificate redeems for 1 oz Spray) 
- 0.24 oz Elizabeth and James Nirvana White Rollerball (Scent certificate redeems for 1 oz Spray) 
- 0.16 oz Gucci Guilty (Scent certificate redeems for 1 oz Spray) 
- 0.17 oz Juicy Couture Viva La Juicy La Fleur (Scent certificate redeems for 2.5 oz Spray) 
- 0.14 oz Lancome La Vie Est Belle (Scent certificate redeems for 1 oz Spray) 

If you happen to be looking to buy one of these perfumes, I'd definitely recommend buying this instead. Here are the prices of the sprays that you can redeem the voucher for:

Balencia Florabotanica: $70

Burberry Body Tender: $68

Bvlgari Omina Crystalline: $65

Elizabeth and James Nirvana White: $55

Elizabeth and James Nirvana Black: $55

Gucci Guilty: $58

Juicy Couture Viva La Juicy Fleur: $72

Lancome La Vie Est Belle: $58

Also, can I mention that the Nirvana ones are rollerballs? Totes Magoats amazing. 

Since some of the perfumes, like the Elizabeth and James ones, are $3 less expensive than the kit, there's a 15% off discount for beauty insider RIGHT NOW. That would bring the price down to $50, making it officialy a steal.

For some of the perfumes that are over $50, you can take that money and go buy a new eyeshadow or mascara. It's a win-win.

http://www.sephora.com/bottled-dreams-fragrance-sampler-for-her-P385509?skuId=1605260

Bath and Body Works Be Enchanted

You guys are all probably sick of Bath & Body Works by now...but I can't help myself! There's just so much to review! This will be the last one for a while, until their spring collection comes out. I promise.

Anyways, Be Enchanted is often regarded as a "new Secret Wonderland," which was discontinued.

"Inspired by the wonder of a shimmering fantasy, Be Enchanted is a charming mix of frosted florals sweetened with sparkling, sugared pomegranate

Top Notes: Mouthwatering Citrus, Iced Pomegranate, Chilled Wildberries, Crystallized Passionfruit

Mid Notes: Sheer Honeysuckle, Floral Frosted Bouquet, Sugared Violet, Dew fruit, Asian Pear

Dry Notes: Whipped Vanilla, Creamy Musk, Sandalwood"

-Bath & Body Works Description

Where Velvet Sugar is more on the sweet side, Be Enchanted has more of a musky, floral smell instead. The first notes you'll smell are the fruits, which then give way towards the citrus and rest of the flowers.

As the description says, the frosted berries and flowers definitely give off the whole "frosted" effect. 

Pun sort of intended, but it's a very "enchanting" scent, but I think that "secret" would work too. (These people who name these things are really good at their jobs.) 

What I'm trying to say is that Be Enchanted is more of a dark, mysterious scent than a fun, flirty scent, if you get what I mean. I'm not quite sure if you have to have an acquired smell for it, since I know that some people do not like darker scents, (this is also backed up by the fact that it is not on the fragrance best-sellers at Bath and Body) but it's definitely something you should give ago, if not for every day, then for when you want to create more of an aura of "mystery" and classiness.

Be Enchanted seems to have a little bit more of a staying-power margin than the others, but I think that the notes are just much stronger than some of the more generic ones found in some of the other perfumes. (The vanilla is definitely evident, and is the main thing you smell after a while, along with a bit of the others.) The end result, when the day is over, is a sweet, musky vanilla scent.

Overall, I'd recommend this to anyone that loves Secret Wonderland, Velvet Sugar, Warm Vanilla Sugar,  and Forever Midnight.

*UPDATE* I just saw some photos circulating on Instagram, on 1/7/13, (this Tuesday) B&BW will be having a preview of their new Spring Collection: Sky, Air, Sun. The lotions will be 3/$6 until they are released on January 21st.

CLEAN (Rain, White Woods, Skin)

Image Credit: www.sephora.com

Hey guys! So, this rollerball perfume set right here was part of my little haul from Black Friday in November. It was one of the $10 deals at Sephora, and I couldn't be happier!

In the rollerball set are three of their most popular fragrances, Rain, White Woods, and Skin. These three each are eau de parfum, and are 0.17 oz. (Not as big as regular rollerballs, but a decent size.)

Anyways, lets dive in!

Rain: 

"The pure scent of rainfall has been captured. Hints of daffodil, dewy melon, water lilies, daisies and sheer musk embrace the moment when droplets cling to flower petals and the world feels quiet, soft and bright."    -Clean

Rain is really, true to the name! I couldn't think of a better word to describe it. While no perfume can ever capture the essence of a fresh rain, Rain gets pretty close! 

The only way I can really describe this as without saying rain would be melon. I'm personally not a huge melon fan, (taste wise) but I do love the scent. 

Rain smells a bit potent, if you ask me how to describe it. Not that it's a bad thing, it just smells a bit too strong to be really close to the actual smell of rain. Had it been dialed down a bit, it probably would've smelled more similar. 

This perfume is great for anyone who loves melon or rain! 

White Woods:

This woody musk Eau de Parfum weaves a cozy, comforting blanket with hints of crisp bergamot leaves, sparkling mandarin, creamy vanilla orchid, sandalwood, praline musks, and a dash of black pepper. The result is a warm, luxurious scent that embodies the pure essence of natural light dancing in a quiet wooded path. -Clea

Even though White Woods is still very natural in terms of smell, it couldn't be anymore different than Rain! 

The musk, in this one, is very evident, but toned down and covered with basically everything in the description. 

I actually immediately compared this to the Abercrombie and Fitch perfume/cologne. It's almost identical, though I think that White Woods is much better, if not only because of the floral notes! (Plus, it's less expensive, too.)

This scent is almost borderline fancy-cologne-perfume, almost close to a unisex fragrance, but in other ways, it's definitely a girl's perfume. While I wouldn't recommend this for a fancy dinner party (and all those shmancy-pant things) this is a great every day perfume for those who like a little bit of oomph, while keeping it natural. 

Skin:

   This fragrance captures the delicate     scent of bare skin. Hints of dewy flower petals wrap around notes of pure creaminess and warm musk to evoke the simple scent of touchable skin. Enticing, fresh, pure. CLEAN skin at its best. -Clean

The one word I would use to describe this as would be spicy. While I like this perfume, it's not necessarily my cup of tea for every day. I'm more of a floral-fruit sort of girl. (Which you may have gathered from my millions of rants about Versace Bright Crystal. Haha.)

It's safe to say that this is one of those perfumes that really just react to your skin type, since it smells a lot more pleasant for me on my skin than straight from the rollerball. 

It's a bit more subtle than White Woods and Rain, but still packs that little punch that's great for a casual or semi-casual event. 

Don't be doubting the perfume because of how it smells in the bottle/rollerball, because I can assure you it smells so much better once it's on you! 

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This set was a blind purchase for me, since I had seen it on the Sephora website the night before, and picked it up quickly on Black Friday. Overall, it did not disappoint, and I'm super happy with all three!

If you're stumped on Christmas gifts, these would make perfect gifts for any tween/teen girl or woman. 

For a limited time, you can buy the set I got at Sephora for $10. (It's worth it!)

http://m.sephora.com/clean-rollerball-set-P384028?skuId=1564392

That's all for now, and I'll talk to you guys later! Make sure to subscribe and follow to be the first to know about new reviews, tutorials, tips, and giveaways! 

xxJuliaxx