Jo Malone Black Cedarwood & Juniper from the London Rain Collection is my new Fragrance Lemming!

So I was at Nordstrom's today and happened to walk by the Jo Malone counter (okay so it wasn't exactly an 'accident'...I can't stay away) and learned about the new limited edition 2014 fragrance releases.
The collection is called 'London Rain' and if that isn't enough to make me all over it...I don't know what is.

From the London Rain press release: "City rain. The park at dawn, saturated with dew. Clean, revitalising. A light shower, falling gently on purple wisteria, infusing the air with petal-washed scent. An afternoon cloudburst, drenching gardens exuberant with summer blooms. And as dusk descends into night...the downpour. Liberating the darkness of cedarwood on deluged concrete".
Um...yes.

There are four fragrances, in 100ml bottles priced at $120 are are limited edition. However, the one fragrance I need and I think YOU need is Black Cedarwood and Juniper.

Image from Jo Malone

The bottle is gorgeous, with a dark black gradient that fades into deep plum. Sexy and almost fall-like, even though we are entering spring.

But let me tell you a little bit about the amazing fragrance. Jo Malone says it is "Midnight rain. Seductive with the carnal touch of cumin and chilli leaves. Dark with cedarwood. Humid with moss. Modern and urban".

To me: this is definitely a unisex fragrance and upon first spritz is spicy--the chili definitely comes out. This is a busy city when it first starts to rain and the result is something you can't stop sniffing.

This is one of the most unique fragrances I have come across in a while. It is intriguing, and a little perplexing, but not for the faint of heart. I definitely want this to wear when I spend my semester in London!

After spending the day with this fragrance, I have to sum it up as 'Femme Fatale in London at Midnight'. Its just amazing.

Have you smelled the new Jo Malone fragrances?? Let me know!

I might be live tweeting the Oscar makeup looks @PrettyPandaMU (link on top right sidebar) so come hang out with me later tonight! Wildcard lippie week recap and monthly empties will be up soon!

Sweet Steal: Nordstrom Beauty Grab Bag

Hey guys!
I always love when makeup surprises me, especially 'cheap' looking sets, you know?
I got the Nordstrom Beauty Grab Bag as a stocking stuffer experiment from my Mom, with her hoping it was decent, and prefacing it with "well, you can blog about it either way".
She knows me so well!
But thankfully, I have good news to report---for $10 (and there are a few of them left hanging around the beauty department of your local Nordstroms! And they put out these sets frequently), Nordstrom's makeup brand has significantly upped their game. I would say this set is on par with anything Sephora brand.

The Beauty Grab Bag includes 4 pot glosses, 2 blushes (one matte, one with a hint of shimmer) and 12 teensy eyeshadows (but they are big enough to get a brush in them).

Swatch time! All swatches are done without primer.

This is the top row in the palette. Neutrals mostly, and although they aren't the most pigmented in the world, they have a buttery texture that shocked me, and very minimal fallout. I was impressed instantly.

The violet was surprisingly non-streaky and pigmented, which was awesome!

The blues were a bit disappointing, but the gorgeous dark pink and moss color are amazing, both here and on the eye!

The shadows wear just as well as any other with a good primer. Score! And I am kinda loving the teeny size...maybe I will finally hit pan on a shadow (which always makes me feel accomplished).

The blushes are decently pigmented and very finely milled, but the pots are a little hard to get a good sized brush in. The top is matte and slightly mauvey, and the bottom is more coral with the tiniest hint of shimmer.

I am always afraid of glosses in pans---that they will be hard and gross, but these are creamy (a bit sticky on the lips but that goes away after fifteen minutes or so) and they last decently long (about 2 hours). I like that there are darker colors as well. Pleasantly surprised here.

Now some face shots!

I am wearing the hot pink and bronze colors on my lid, a swirl of both blushes on my cheek, and the second darkest gloss. Makes for a pretty little look! Color me even more impressed!

The glosses are much more opaque than I thought they would be! Even with the annoying pan aspect, I think I will be using these often!

So...bottom line...sometimes cheap can be a good deal...and if you see one of these in the future, you might want to check it out!

Sweet Steal: Nordstrom Beauty Grab Bag

Hey guys!
I always love when makeup surprises me, especially 'cheap' looking sets, you know?
I got the Nordstrom Beauty Grab Bag as a stocking stuffer experiment from my Mom, with her hoping it was decent, and prefacing it with "well, you can blog about it either way".
She knows me so well!
But thankfully, I have good news to report---for $10 (and there are a few of them left hanging around the beauty department of your local Nordstroms! And they put out these sets frequently), Nordstrom's makeup brand has significantly upped their game. I would say this set is on par with anything Sephora brand.

The Beauty Grab Bag includes 4 pot glosses, 2 blushes (one matte, one with a hint of shimmer) and 12 teensy eyeshadows (but they are big enough to get a brush in them).

Swatch time! All swatches are done without primer.

This is the top row in the palette. Neutrals mostly, and although they aren't the most pigmented in the world, they have a buttery texture that shocked me, and very minimal fallout. I was impressed instantly.

The violet was surprisingly non-streaky and pigmented, which was awesome!

The blues were a bit disappointing, but the gorgeous dark pink and moss color are amazing, both here and on the eye!

The shadows wear just as well as any other with a good primer. Score! And I am kinda loving the teeny size...maybe I will finally hit pan on a shadow (which always makes me feel accomplished).

The blushes are decently pigmented and very finely milled, but the pots are a little hard to get a good sized brush in. The top is matte and slightly mauvey, and the bottom is more coral with the tiniest hint of shimmer.

I am always afraid of glosses in pans---that they will be hard and gross, but these are creamy (a bit sticky on the lips but that goes away after fifteen minutes or so) and they last decently long (about 2 hours). I like that there are darker colors as well. Pleasantly surprised here.

Now some face shots!

I am wearing the hot pink and bronze colors on my lid, a swirl of both blushes on my cheek, and the second darkest gloss. Makes for a pretty little look! Color me even more impressed!

The glosses are much more opaque than I thought they would be! Even with the annoying pan aspect, I think I will be using these often!

So...bottom line...sometimes cheap can be a good deal...and if you see one of these in the future, you might want to check it out!