Beauty


Pure Natural Diva botanical perfumes review

Pure Natural Diva perfumes are a new line of botanical fragrances which are fresh and long lasting. The collection of natural fragrances offer a fragrance experience which transports you through fields of flowers, citrus groves and exotic faraway lands. These are the types of perfumes I love to wear.

Pure Natural Diva sent me four sample vials of their fragrance collection, which was nothing short of amazing! All four fragrances offered a long fragrance experience with just one dab of perfume in the morning. The botanical perfumes cycled through top, middle and base notes offering a fresh and complex fragrance experience throughout the day. I definitely need to invest in full bottles of these perfumes!

The four botanical perfumes from Pure Natural Diva I tested were “Pure,” “Elixir,” “Natural” and “Diva.”

“Pure” offered notes of cassie, lavender, soothing chamomile, lemon, lime and Egyptian neroli. Normally I shy away from chamomile, but with Pure Natural Diva’s “Pure” fragrance the chamomile was blended with the right amount of citrus and florals which created a soft yet vibrant fragrance experience I found calming; much like drinking herbal tea in the evening. The combination of florals and citrus in “Pure” make this an easy to wear fragrance in cool, warm and hot weather. Love that!

“Natural” offered a slightly spicy floral fragrance experience which reminded me of a floral garden at dawn. This perfume combined notes of clary sage, exalting pink grapefruit, Moroccan rose and soothing ylang ylang. I love the exotic floral combination of “Natural!” I feel “Natural” is ideal for warm and hot weather due to the exotic floral combination.

“Diva” provided a warm, woody fragrance experience which I found to be ideal for a “date night.” I am a huge fan of musk, sandalwood and vanilla; so the combination of these three fragrance notes in “Diva” makes this perfume a huge must-have in my fragrance collection! “Diva” is also ideal for warm, cool and cold weather. Nothing keeps you warmer than a sultry fragrance!

I always save the best for last.  “Elixir” was hands-down my favorite fragrance from Pure Natural Diva botanical fragrances. The combination of aphrodisiacal vanilla, oakmoss, exquisite osmanthus, pink grapefruit and red mandarin is to-die-for! This complex fragrance kept me on my toes all day as it cycled through woody and citrus phases while maintaining a rich, warm vanilla base. The vanilla in “Elixir” is the most pure vanilla I have experienced in any fragrance; and I spend money on my perfume! “Elixir” is warm and perfect for cold, cool and warm weather. It is also an ideal evening fragrance for both casual and formal affairs. Love this!

Pure Natural Diva botanical perfumes can be found online at pndbotanicals.com. There are sample sets for $14 and $16 which are a great way to test out the different scents and see which one you fall in love with. The full bottles are 1.67oz. EDT and are priced from $100 to $150.

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Top facial sunscreens for summer 2013

Summer is fast approaching, which means we will all be spending a lot of time in the sun! Unfortunately, this also means the sun will be hitting our faces; which is not really a good thing.

Although we all feel a little better when we have some color on our faces from the warm sun, the rays can damage our skin. Thankfully, there are several sunscreens on the market right now which protect our face from the evil rays of the sun without giving us teenage acne and clogged pores. Love that!

I spend a lot of time in the sun; both swimming and playing tennis. Due to this fact, I have tested A LOT of different sunscreens. I have sensitive skin and several allergies to cosmetics; so finding the right sunscreen for my face was difficult! This took a lot of testing and patience.

Using free samples from beauty counters and a few store bought bottles, I have selected my favorite all-time facial sunscreens just for you!

To shop my sunscreen picks, please use the shopping widget below and click on the photo of the product you are interested in-and shop away! Hope you love my picks!

Happy shopping, stay safe in the sun, and of course, stay fabulous! 

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Chanel Bel-Argus nail polish for summer 2013 review

Chanel Bel-Argus nail polish is a beautiful new cobalt blue nail color from Chanel’s summer 2013 beauty collection. This deep blue nail polish offers vivid color saturation and Chanel’s signature sparkles. Love this!

There have been many shades of blue nail polish from Chanel in season’s past, but, Bel-Argus may be the most fabulous shade of blue the iconic design house has ever invented. Chanel Bel-Argus fits perfectly into summer 2013 “shades of blue” trend while also working as an alternative to the season’s hottest nail polish craze; the green-blue nail.

I tested out Chanel Bel-Argus and found it to be one of the longest lasting nail polish colors from Chanel in recent memory. Bel-Argus turned out a little bit streaky with two coats of color, so I added a third coat which made the color look perfect. With one base coat, three coats of color and no top coat, Chanel Bel-Argus lasted without chipping for a whopping nine days! The only reason I needed to take the polish off my nails was due to the fact that my nails grew and the bare nail was showing at the cuticle. Love that!

Chanel Bel-Argue also blends well with all of summer 2013’s bright and neon hues. While pastels seem to be staying in spring and not traveling too far into summer, Chanel Bel-Argus will still work with pastel hues of blue and green; the cobalt offers a little contrast to the pastels without clashing.

Chanel Bel-Argus nail polish is priced at $27 and can be found online here. Happy shopping, and stay fabulous 

The photo below shows Chanel Bel-Argus in direct sunlight. As you can see, there are sparkles! Love sparkles!

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In the picture below, Chanel Bel-Argus is shown in the shade. You can see the pretty blue hue and natural shine from the polish.

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Photos: One base coat and three coats of Chanel Bel-Argus. No top coat.

Photo credit: Cathy/Bay Area Fashionista 2013©