Give your perfume lasting power

So you finally splurged on a new perfume, but sadly a few hours later the smell has faded. Here are some tips to get the most out of your perfume and to understand how you may be making simple mistakes while applying.

First, here's a little background about what makes perfume smell. If the perfume
never evaporated, we'd never smell it! The scent molecules evaporate and perfume
the air around us, where our sensitive noses detect the scent. Different
components of the perfume evaporate at different rates, which means that the
perfume will change over time. (Quoted from Ezinearicles.com)

**Make sure you've washed skin before applying your perfume. If you have sweat prior to applying or have body odor, the fragrance won't mask it for long and the end result is pretty much wasted perfume.

**Don't apply perfume over open sores or irritations, since a combination of perfume and bodily fluids can combine to create unpleasant odors.

*Body temperature, weather, and skin dryness affect how fast your perfume launches off your skin.


How to make fragrance last:

1- Don't put your fragrance on immediately after you get out of the shower. The heat, soap, and water strip away your skin's natural oils. Try using a body lotion first, and give your skin time to recover its moisture balance. This will give the perfume something to latch on to.

2- Applying lotion hydrates skin and people with oilier skin retain fragrance longer than people with dry skin. The oil binds the fragrance to the skin and results in a more controlled release of scent over time. You can opt for applying a lotion in the same (or complimentary) scent as your perfume and wait for it to be absorbed properly.

3- Spritz the perfume lightly on each of your pressure points after they've been moisturized. The most common areas to spray perfume are your wrists, your neck and behind your knees. Between the chest is also a good area and it tends to be oily. Around the hairline works too, but it may clash with the scents of your hair products.

4- Spray perfume across your body, making sure to cover your pressure points for maximum staying power. And also keep in mind to apply fragrance before dressing since it will last longer on your skin.

5- Don't rub the perfume into your skin but instead either just spray it onto skin or lightly dab.

6- If you have skin that remains dry after moisturizing, you may have to reapply perfume at various points throughout the day and night, as dry skin sucks the moisture out of perfume, dissipating the scent.


Last but not least: Stronger scented perfumes naturally last longer than light and airy scents. Choose appropriately!

What perfumes do you absolutely love?

DIY romper/playsuit tutorial

Just wanted to share:

Nylon Mag had a romper tutorial and Behindtheseams was nice enough to share and scan along with instructions on how to make the romper.:) (It took me a minute to figure out the tutorial but I think I get it know. I think you're supposed to use a pair of boyshorts to trace, not bikini briefs. You'll get what I'm babbeling on about after you check it out).


It's probably the easiest tutorial... EVER!
So get thee a nighty slip asap.


Check it out here: http://theseams.blogspot.com/2009/04/quick-update.html


End result:





... and here is ANOTHER one made from 2 t shirts:
http://www.brightestyoungthings.com/style/style-diy-romper/#comment-60166

Make your own colored mascara

Colored mascara trends go in and out of style. One minute their hot and the next their just tacky. Stars like Rihanna and other supermodels are bringing the look back. Covergirl’s New Exact Eyelights Mascara and LashBlast Luxe feature bit of color tint and shimmer.

So why not make your own at home for a fraction of the cost? Here's how you can have several mascara colors for the price of one:

1. Apply your (black/brown) mascara as you normally would.
2. Before it dries, dip a flat eyeshadow brush into a colored eyeshadow and pat on top of your lashes while looking down.

Pictured: Bourjois $7.50 available in 5 shades.

Review: Vaseline Intensive Care Cocao Butter

Believe it or not my boyfriend recommended this product to me. And I'm glad I took his advice.

What the product claims:

When our skin is healthy, light reflects off the rich color below the
surface, enabling it to literally glow. But when skin is dry, its surface
becomes uneven and rough, leaving it looking dull.
Cocoa Butter Deep Conditioning Lotion penetrates deeply to smooth away roughness and the appearance of dark spots, so your skin can glow from within.

Key IngredientsRich cocoa butter - helps to even skin tone
Conditioning moisturizers - leave skin smooth and supple

My experience:

Firstly, it smells amazing. You can even use it before perfume and it brings out the fragrance. (Note: it will make it smell different of course). I used it with my Cool Water Summer Limited Edition perfume, which  smells sweet and fruity. Also, this lotion doesn't smell like the Palmer's Cocao Butter creams - This one has a Vanilla+Cocao scent.

Secondly, it's so cheap! It's nice to see not ALL companies have highered their prices and for $4 I'd say it's very reasonable for such a big bottle.

I'm pretty happy with this product, and it smells MUCH better then the last Vaseline Intensive (with Alpha Hydroxy and Vitamin A) lotion I tried, so I'm thinking of getting the other products from this line - which include the Body butter, Extra care cream and Gel body oil.

How to make a (retro) romper/playsuit

I've been scouring the net for months trying to find a sewing pattern or tutorial, but till today had no luck. Thanks to Wingmonkey on Youtube my romper obsession can be satisfied. She makes the hottest retro romper I've ever seen! And most importantly she made it out old clothing she had lying around (=my favorite way to DIY since it works out to be free!)

Giveaway!

UPDATE: CONGRATS KELLY F.

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Katherine from KMR Communications was so kind as to email me about a giveaway I could host on my blog. This one will be a double giveaway of their Wrinkle Arrest Skincare from Aminogenesis as well as HealthDropz.

Wrinkle Arrest is a new moisturizing day cream with SPF 18 and broad spectrum sun protection. Wrinkle Arrest contains the groundbreaking AminoGenesis DermaScyne formula which helps reduce the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles, discoloration and other signs of aging. These precursors help support proteins like collagen and elastin as well as many other key proteins found in the skin. Price: $59 (http://www.aminogenesis.com/. )
And the second give away is for Healthdrops.
healthDropz is available in three blends (Energy, Focus and Green Tea Antioxidants), each providing a precise, highly concentrated mix of vitamins, herbs or select natural ingredients. Simply add six healthDropz to 8 oz water of water or any beverage. No mixing necessary. A 90 serving bottle of healthDropz (0.9 fl oz) retails for $8.99. The bottle is small and convenient to carry, about the size of a lipstick.
I haven't tried any of these myself or else I'd give a personal review of them.

Just leave a comment telling me what your favorite post is with your name. And I will announe and email the winner for contact info.

(Open to residents of the U.S. and contest ends May 2, 2009. Sponsor of giveaway is responsible for fullfillment of prizes.)

Good luck!