Vaseline Spray & Go Moisturizer in Cocoa Radiant

I suck at applying lotion when I should, especially because I have really dry skin that demands lotion just to look presentable.  I'm just really lazy and I also hate that heavy, slightly sticky feeling of applying moisturizer after a shower.  I always feel a bit greasy for a little while.  And there's nothing worse that having to put clothes on top of a freshly applied lotion (read:  first world problems).  So Vaseline has set out to change all though with its new Spray & Go Moisturizer.  Let's take a look!

Sample Sunday: Flirty Little Secret Firming Cream with Pheromones

Some girls get dressed up when the go the mall, but not me.  I like to get myself all prettified when I'm going to hardware stores.  I know that may seem odd at first, but it's all a matter of what type of guy you want to attract.  For me, Lowe's and Home Depot seem like the logical locations where I'd be more likely to meet my dream guy.  What's better than a guy who know's his way around a toolbox?

So after I finished getting dressed and making my face flawless one day, I thought I'd try a sample I've had for a while:  the Booty Parlor Flirty Little Secret Firming Cream with Pheromones. It claims to firm your skin and contain pheromones to make you irresistible to the opposite sex. I was hoping the pheromones would give an extra boost of sexiness.

Upon arriving in the Lowe's parking lot to purchase a gift for my grandfather, I slathered some of this stuff on my arms.  I noticed that it was quite thin.  My skin didn't feel too much smoother.  It had a sweet fruity smell as well which was okay.  

I walk into the store ready to fight off the inevitable hoards of men fighting to smell this irresistible scent emanating from my person but.....nothing.  No one even bothered to help me find what I was looking for despite the damsel-in-distress expression I put on my face.  It probably didn't help matters that there seemed to be a rule that any man entering the store had to be 70 or older that particular day.

So much for the pheromones.... :-p

Would I be interested in purchasing a full size product, based on this sample?  No

Okay, so I may have been joking a little bit.  I didn't really expect this stuff to be Love Potion No. 9, but I did hope that there would be something special here.  Unfortunately, my skin did not feel any firmer or softer, and I'm not a fan of watery moisturizers.

You can find more information about this product on Amazon.  It retails for around $25.

St. Ives Naturally Indulgent Advanced Body Moisturizer

It's no secret that my skin is drier than the Sahara Desert.  It's probably my biggest beauty challenge.  Most products don't really help either, so I've gotten to the point where I just grab a lotion off the shelf with my only standards being 1) it smells nice and 2) it's thicker than water.  One of the many that fit that criteria is St. Ives Naturally Indulgent Advanced Body Moisturizer.  I didn't expect it go beyond temporarily relieving my ashiness, but boy was I surprised.....

First of all, I LOVE the scent.  The bottle says it's Coconut Milk and Orchid Extract.  I say it's heaven.  If you're a fan of Juicy Couture's Viva La Juicy or Sarah Jessica Parker's SJP NYC frangrances, this lotion is for you.  It's that flirty kind of fruity/floral scent.

In terms of it's actual moisturizing abilities, it really did a good job on me.  It didn't cure my dryness or anything (nor did I expect it to), but it did feel like it really sank into my skin.  I never felt like I had to reapply between showers like I'd normally have to.

Bottom Line:  Amber LOVES!!!!

If I was more faithful in applying it, I'd be interested to see if it really does improve my skin.  I'm kind of lazy in the winter when it comes to moisturizing my skin though.  If there's an area of my body that isn't going to show after I'm clothed, I usually don't bother with lotioning up.

You can find more information about this product at the St. Ives website.  It retails for around $5.

Empties Lately #1

It's such a rare event that I hit pan or the bottom of a bottle that I can't help but get excited about it.  For some reason, it seems that over the month or so I've had a bunch of empties all at once.

• Garnier Moisture Rescue Fresh Cleansing Foam

I'm now on my 3rd bottle of this stuff.  I occasionally try different cleansers but I always go back to this one!

• Stila One Step Correct

I've had a backup of this One Step Correct for a while now, but at $36, I've tried to squeeze every last drop out this first bottle as I could.  

• Garnier Moisture Rescue Gel-Cream Moisturzer

As tiny as this jar is, it seriously lasted me forever.  Well, it lasted me over 1 1/2 years.  I'm now trying out the new Dry Skin formula.  Can't wait to review it for you guys.

• Dove Visible Care Renewing Body Wash

This is the only Empty that I was glad to see go.  I'm a HUGE fan of Dove Body Wash.  My skin is dry and sensitive and the only wash that I've found to accommodate both issues is the regular ones from Dove.  So I figured, if the regular ones are good, the Visible Care ones must be better.....not really though.  My skin was left dryer and I did see any effects from the "Visible Care" that was supposed to happen.

Sample Sunday: Fortune Cookie Soap's Vampire Blood Body Wash

Source

You may have noticed that there was no Sample Sunday last week.  That's because I was laying back on the beach for the weekend before the hurricane comes by and ruins everything!  But even there I was still testing out products, FCS's Body Wash in Vampire's Blood to mention one of them. 

If you recall, I received this in the Halloween Soap Box this month, and since it was sample size, I figured it was the perfect size to travel with.  

Vampire's Blood is actually translucent black in color, which is kind of cool.  I smells like black cherry in the bottle, but on my skin it also had a hint of the traditional soapy smell along with the cherry, which I found very pleasant.

The biggest thing for me was that it didn't dry out or bother my skin.  My skin is very sensitive to me changing body washes and there have been many times when a new soap has made me break out it in itchy rashes all over the place.  This was not an issue at all with Vampire's Blood.  I was even more please that it didn't leave my skin feeling stripped or tight from loss of moisture.

Would I be interested in purchasing a full size, based on this sample?  Sure!

I'm pretty happy with my current Dove body wash, but if for some reason I wanted to change it up I wouldn't mind doing that with Vampire's Blood, or any of FCS's other body washes, for that matter. 

You can find more information on this body wash at the FCS website.  Full size retails for $10.99.

Fortune Cookie Soap's Halloween Soap Box 2012!

Sooooo....I'm still playing catch up with my posts as you can see.  I got my AWESOME  FCS Halloween Soap Box a long while ago but am just now getting a chance to share.  Opening this box feels like I must've already gone trick-or-treating!  So many fun little treats here!

Sample Sunday: Guerlain La Petite Robe Noire Eau De Parfum

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FACT:  You read the title in your head with your best possible french accent...

The last time I put in an order for Sephora they were offering a deluxe sample of Guerlain's La Petite Robe Noire fragrance so I snatched one up.  I've always wanted something from the brand but as you may know, it's hella expensive.  To put it in perspective, Sephora recently put Guerlain's Illuminating Powder on sale from $59 to $58 - saving you ONE WHOLE DOLLAR!  What a bargain, right? 

So I figured any perfume from the brand would make me feel like I was bathing in liquid luxury.  And while it does indeed smell "expensive", it's not my cup of tea.  

To first describe the scent, I'd say it has a strong base of black cherry.  I also detected a bit of a powdery essence to it.  There is something smoky about it, too.  

There's a little too much going on here for me to fall in love here.  The black cherry bit can come off a bit too much like cough syrup at times and the smokiness makes it a little hard to breathe in at all.

Would I be interested in purchasing a full size, based on the sample?  No

It's not a horrible scent, but at $64 for the smallest size, it's not something I'm willing to drop that chunk of change on.  

You can find more information about this fragrance at the Sephora website.

Sample Sunday: Hawaiian Tropic Silk Hydration

As a beauty blogger, I'm ashamed to confess that I commit the cardinal sin of not applying an SPF,  like....ever.  Care to hear a bunch of BS excuses?  Well hear you go:

1. I'm tan and almost never burn naturally.
2. I get really hot in the summer so the thought of slathering myself down in a cream product is the last thing I want to do.
3. Even though I'm already tan, I like to get a bit more color if I can and don't want an SPF to block that

Are you done rolling your eyes at me?  Look, I know, I know.  There's no good enough excuse not to sport some sort of SPF at all times but, maybe Hawaiian Tropic's Silk Hydration can change my bad habits?

I got this sample in my last Influenster Vox Box and rolled my eyes on reflex since I figured I'd never use it anyway.  But I gave it a chance anyway and fell in love at first whiff.  Seriously, this stuff smells so yummy!  Like bananas, coconut, and sunscreen.  It makes me crave banana cream pie.  

As for the hydration part, it's not the most moisturizing, but that may actually be a good thing for me since that means it sits lighter on the skin(refer to excuse #2 above).  

Would I be interested in purchasing a full size, based on this sample?  Yes, probably next summer!

Next Summer, you ask?  Hey, baby steps, right?  I can't change over 2 decades of bad habit overnight.  But seriously, I'll be using this stuff more often based on it's scent alone!

You can find more information about this product at the Hawaiian Tropic website.  Full size retails for $9.

Sample Sunday: Skin, An Apothecary's Soy Body Whip in Poppy

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Earlier today in my Birchbox September post, I noted how my favorite part of the box was this Soy Body Whip from Skin, An Apothecary.  After using it again, I can now say that I really love it!

It has a truly whipped consistency, like whipped heavy cream.  I've had many a "whipped" body cream that didn't really feel whipped at all, but such is not the case here.  The Soy Body Whip feels very light when you dip your finger into it to apply.  But, even through it's whipped texture, it still maintains a significant substance in that it doesn't just dissolve into nothing once you rub it in.

Last Sample Sunday, I talked about how for some reason lately my forearms have been extremely dry for reasons unknown.  This cream makes the skin on my arms feel like silk.  They're so much smoother it's unbelievable!  

The sample I was given is in Poppy, a very fresh, floral scent.  I'm not crazy about straight-up floral scents but this is alright.  And I love that the scent lingers on my skin for quite some time after application.  I'm talking well throughout the day!  There's nothing I hate more than applying a beautiful scent to my skin and having it fade in less than an hour.  

Would I be interested in purchasing a full size, based on this sample?  Hells Yes!!!

My sample was 2 oz, which I thought was great for just a sample.  The full size is $27, which is a bit steep for me, but you do get 16 oz.  I'll definitely get a different scent but otherwise I'd love to purchase!

You can find more information about the product on the company website!

Sample Sunday!! (The 1st!) Viva La Juicy La Fleur

Source:  Sephora.com

Here it is, the first Sample Sunday on Amber Likes Beauty!  As you might remember from my last Beauty Sins Confession, I've decided to start give first impressions based on the samples I've tried during the week.  The sample experience I bring to you today is from Juicy Couture.  It is the new Viva La Juicy fragrance in La Fleur sample that I received in my Birchbox this month.  

I really love the original Viva La Juicy fragrance but unfortunately it doesn't mesh well with my own personal body chemistry.  You know what I mean?  It smells great in the bottle, but once it's been sprayed on me for a while it starts to smell a bit like cardboard.  I know this isn't the scent's fault, because my old roommate used to wear it and it smelled fine on her.

Luckily, I've had better luck with La Fleur.  It maintains it's bottle scent on my skin.  As far as the actual scent, it's very similar to the original Viva La Juicy.  So similar that I'd say if you're a fan of the original fragrance and have none of the issues I have, you probably don't need to purchase La Fleur.  

To me, La Fleur is ever so slightly fresher.  Both Viva La Juicy's have that sweet, fruity yet floral scent, but La Fleur seemed to me to have a few more flower petals thrown in the mix.

Looking at the descriptions for both perfumes, though, it seems that the only difference between the 2 is that La Fleur doesn't have the Amber and Pralines that Viva La Juicy has.  That annoys me a little bit because it almost seems like Juicy Couture just took their perfume, took out a note or 2, and then slapped a new name on it.  It's just not too creative.

Would I be interested in purchasing a full size?  Yes

Despite it being almost a carbon copy of the original Viva La Juicy, I can't deny that it does sit on my skin better and seems to be a little more lightweight of fragrance (possibly due to the 2 notes they took out).  It still maintains that flirty, fun fragrance that we've all gotten to know so well, just not as heavy (not that original was heavy in the first place).

Soap and Glory Clean on Me Creamy Clarifying Shower Gel: My First Fancy Body Wash

When it comes to bath and body stuff, and even my hair for that matter, I like to keep it frugal so I can splurge on makeup from time to time.  But I got the mini Soap and Glory Righteous body butter around the holidays last year and fell in love with the scent.  In my mind I figured if I got the shower gel in the same scent I would "lock in" the fragrance to my skin and enjoy the scent even longer, thus my purchase of Clean On Me Creamy Clarifying Shower Gel.  I've never bought a body wash over 5 bucks so I expected this to be awesome.  But was it? 

My First Look Bag (June 2012) Just Arrived!!

I've been window shopping at a lot of these beauty sample subscription services for a while now but up until a few weeks ago haven't taken the plunge. But my mom decided to gift me a 6-month subscription to The Look Bag because she's a client of Damone Roberts, the "Brow King" who happens to be the face of the service and I've been anxiously awaiting June's bag which was to be my first.  Well, it just arrived today and I couldn't wait to share its contents with you.  So without further ado.....

Venus Gillette Never Lets Me Down! Venus & Olay Razor Review

My usual M.O. when it comes to any beauty, bath, body, or hair care product is to always experiment.  There are very few, and I mean next to none, products that I've stuck with repeatedly since the day I first use them or that I've repurchased more than 1 or 2 times.  The first product, or should I say brand, that breaks that habit for me is Venus Gillette Razors.  I've used these razors for well over a decade now and have always been happy with them.  So it is with pleasure that I talk about the newest addition to the Venus Gillette Razor family: the Venus & Olay Razor!

Glam or Sham? Smooth Away Hair Removal System

*Glam or Sham is a new series in which I will investigate the sometimes outrageous & sensational claims made by some As-Seen-On-TV health & beauty products*


I hate shaving.  As a matter of fact I hate all types of hair removal:  waxing, creams, etc.  My real problem though is that as much as I hate hair removal, I hate being hairy even more.  So when I saw Smooth Away at my local Big Lots promising an easy-peasy painless process, I thought, why not?  Find out if this really does result in instant and painless hair removal or if you should just stay with the trusty razor after the jump!

Fortune Cookie Soap Whipped Cream Review

Have you ever got a whiff of your breakfast and thought, "I wish I could smell like this all day"?  No?  Ok...maybe I'm the only one, but maybe you should consider it.  Especially since Fortune Cookie Soaps has a vast amount of bath and body products that smell like not only Fruit Loops and blueberry pancakes, but also things like cupcakes, fruit punch, strawberries, and, uh, unicorn farts (yea, I don't know either lol).  The smells aren't even the best part though:  these products are amazing for your skin.  They're homemade and are what the company calls "gunk-free", with no parabens, animal testing, or synthetic preservatives!  I lucked out and my mother got me a bunch of their products for Christmas so today, I'm going to talk about the FCS Whipped Cream Body Butters that I was most excited about getting!  Read on for more after the jump!