On Fragrances: Don't Know Which Fragrance To Gift Her? Why Not Try A Gift Set?

Do you want to gift a special lady a memorable fragrance but do not know which one to get?

With the number of choices when it comes to fragrances in the market, it is made difficult for you to choose the right scent that could tickle your senses, making it the right fragrance to gift that special lady. Be it your mother, sister, girlfriend or bestfriend,you can either come close or way-off the target when it comes to shopping online especially if you are not too familiar with the scents.

A quick and easy way to lessen the chances of gifting the wrong perfume gift would be to try a gift set. Gift sets usually contain the following:

• The fragrance, body lotion and shower gel, deodorant stick or,
• A small collection of perfumes from the same line

What is great about gift sets is that you can give it as a sample buffet of different fragrances and it also doubles as a whole pampering experience for that very special person. It is a thoughtful gift where you can not go wrong. 

My personal favourite is the Elizabeth Arden Green Tea Variety Perfume, it has four different varieties of the EA green tea line, three out of which I have not tried yet. You can get all of the featured gift sets here at 99 perfume and save as much as 80% off the regular prices from malls and boutiques. 

Green Tea Variety Perfume by Elizabeth Arden for Women

Why should you purchase from 99 Perfume? You can see from the customer reviews that you can get signature perfumes at a lesser cost.

"Prompt shipment and delivery at a good price. No problems" - G Helton, GA, USA

"Fast shipping, Product arrived as advertised. Thank you " - A Wheeler, AZ, USA

"When I saw the price of the perfume I was a bit skeptical... I saved almost 50% on my cost and I got the real deal..." - Tessa Pressage, FL, USA

Go on to 99 Perfume and look for your favourite fragrances so that you can shop and save at the same time! 

Deluxe Fragrance Collection for Women Perfume 

Womens Five Stars Collection Perfume By Five Star Collection For Women

World of Women Fragrances

Calvin Klein Gift Set Perfume By Calvin Klein For Women

212 Sexy Cologne By Carolina Herrera For Men

Now tell me, would you want to gift any of these to a special person or would you want to be gifted instead? =) 

August Sample Room Goodies

Another Sample Room package here, and my Celeteque list of loved products is slowly growing, thanks to Sample Room. For my most recent haul, I have received these:

Celeteque Dermoscience Brightening Radiance Body Cream

Colour Collection in Red Wine Satin

As usual, you could look forward to the reviews of these products once I already have enough observations. I got to try out the body cream (fancy name for lotion?) and I will let you know what I think about it soon enough. I was so nervous when swatching the lipstick, that will be two red lippies for me now. I have a small but reliable collection of lip color because the other shades that I don't really fancy, I give to aunts and my sister.

How's your weekend? Mine is a busy one, I cleaned the guest bathroom and turned it into a small spa corner! Whee! My solo project is not done yet, I am looking for wicker baskets that are durable to make up for the organizing system in such a small bathroom. I'm not done yet, but I could proudly show off photos once I am, how's that sound?

And of course, remember how I blogged about how I prepared for an exam and job interview? I was told last Friday that I could "report on Monday" and so, thankfully I am preparing for tomorrow. 

That's all for now, I hope I still get to blog and keep you updated despite the changes that are happening in my life. 

Keep smiling! 

My paperback giveaway is still ongoing so you can participate here and I have collaborated with another blogger for this month for a second giveaway. You can check them out and join if you are feeling lucky!

Raisie Speaks: 5 Tips to Scoring Affordable Reads And Saving Money Along The Way

You work hard for your money. Can you recall how many hours you put your effort into just to get the latest payslip? So even if you love books, you can still save money with these tips and still be a happy bibliophile who knows how to have good old fashioned entertainment at home or in any quiet corner-reading.

To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee
The Great Gatsby, F Scott Fitzgerald
The Book Depository

1 Buy Used Books or Swap!

Brand new books cost anywhere from Php 300-500 for Paperback and Php 400-800 for Hardbound copies, and you can always hear me complaining about new releases and their respective prices. If you could control yourself and look around your home for other books you have not read, you can wait for a month after and check out eBay or some friends who have finished reading the title you have been pining after and offer to buy the book for a lesser cost. Some bazaars will have secondhand books on sale that are also in great condition so you should set aside a budget for the next one in town. 

Swapping is also a good choice, all you have to do is ask a friend whom you know has the genre that you like or a specific title or author that you have not read yet, then you can arrange for a swap to take place without having to worry about your monthly budget for books. 

Eleven Minutes by Paulo Coelho

2 Borrow From A Friend Or The Library

All it takes is a phone call, text, Facebook message, Tweet or even your library card and a list of titles you have not read. Take the first step and you can have a couple of new books that you can start reading. Hey, if you "borrowed" that from ADZU library, return it at the end of the semester! Other students would want to read it too, okay?

The Darwin Myth by Dr Benjamin Wiker
God's Gold by Sean Kingsley

3 Invest In An Ebook Reader

Most e-book readers these days range anywhere from Php 6,000 -12,000. Even if it is tight for you right now, you can save a chunk of your bonus and stow away a little every month until you have saved enough. This way, you can easily download e-books and save them in your reader's storage. Most of the time, e-books are free. Be sure to select one that won't strain your eyes. 

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
American Gods by Neil Gaiman
The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula Le Guin

 4 Collect Only Authors That You Really Like

What's the use of having a huge collection of books and only read and just appreciate a few authors? You just might as well be throwing away your money. Yes, you can't avoid those times when you bought a book and thought that the author was promising only to realize that the writing style was childish and the story plot was off-but you can resell it, and learn to look keep away from that book altogether. Keeping only authors that you really like showcases your true bookworm's preferences and the collection can be called truly yours. No matter what genre it is, it's your time and money spent, isn't it?

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

5 Or Join A Giveaway

It still saves you money, doesn't it? Alright, no more questions asked . Head on here. 

How about you? How do you save money while looking for books? Is there anything that you do uniquely? Let me know in the comments below!

On Fragrances: Oriental Summer by Celine

Some people are really attracted to warm fragrances, and I am quite undecided. However, this does not mean that I am closing my doors on them, especially if I could learn a thing or two about warm fragrances. With my experience, I find that they make great complements in opposing weathers-warm fragrances are for winter days and nights and the cool fragrances are for the summer days and nights. Are you with me on this?

I received this years ago as a Christmas present from my close friends' mom, and I have not had the chance to wear it for a long time really. You see, I am really a cool scent person, and I even like to sniff on men's cool-scented cologne, but I don't really have that much experience with warm scents for women. You can tell that it is an authentic signature fragrance because the bottle is really durable and the scent is intact after a couple of years.

"Celine Dion's Oriental Summer fragrance for women is fresh and fruity, a citrus-rich, floral-oriental scent that wraps around a fragrant note of jasmine, mandarin, all-spice pimiento and dried fruit introductory notes rest over a hear-composed of iris and heliotrope; a base of sandalwood, amber and vanilla is purely sensual and ultra-feminine-a fresh and endearing fragrance choice for women." 

My Observations

At first whiff, the strong notes of sandalwood and pepper come to life. It is a really spicy scent that brings to life an oriental appeal of sunsets, sands and the rich and exotic scents of the East. Just looking at the bottle brings me back to the carved interiors of opulent, Byzantine interiors, (yes I have been there in my dreams! Hahaha).This would be a great scent for Christmas and for those who like woody, spicy scents. I could even have a soft spot for this during the -ber months. 

It lasts long and although the first notes could be overpowering, the tail can be sweet and musky in the end. A little spritz goes a long way, and the scent also lasts long. As you can see, the bottle makes use of sprayer and this could be a great help for those who are prone to spilling perfume all over the place. 

For more fragrances by Celine, you can visit 99 Perfume and get authentic signature fragrances so that you can save more compared to the expensive prices in malls and boutiques. 99 Perfume carries many signature fragrances and has the varieties that you are looking for such as gift sets and body lotions from your favorite perfume connoisseurs.

This is where I am being transported every time I sniff this on my wrist. I hope you get to visit these places and watch the sunsets too.

Are you feeling lucky? You can join my paperback giveaway or you can win awesome prizes from my collaboration giveaway, join one or both!

Paperback Giveaway

August Giveaway Collaboration

Beauty Review: Colour Collection Vitamin E Sheer Lipstick in Pinkish Nude by Tupperware

I finally found the lipstick shade and brand that goes well with my skin tone! I even took a formal application photo wearing the shade and it turned out well for me. I was in search of a barely-there shade and I finally met my match! I also found it in Sample Room of all places! The good thing about it is that even if the lipstick itself cost only Php 330, I didn't pay for a full size sample and just paid for the shipping fee along with a perfume sample of Thierry Mugler's Alien.

"Keep your lips healthy and kissable with Colour Collections's Vitamin E Lipsticks, a range of lipsticks that are formulated with Vitamin E, making your lips still look moisturized and supple even long after the color wears off. It also has sunscreen that protects your lips from the harmful UV rays of the sun."

About The Company 

Most people know the brand Tupperware to be associated with durable kitchen and home containers made of plastic and the like, but not a lot of people are aware of their cosmetics line. Tupperware Brands has a cosmetic line and has allowed Sample Room members to try out their bestselling, glamorous lipsticks with Vitamin E. It is known to speed up cell regeneration and retain natural moisture content of the lips. 

Price 

For a 4g lipstick sample that is already full-sized, it costs Php 330, but since I got it from Sample Room, it's only 85 points for members and the only expense is the provincial shipping fee of Php130. 

About The Product

There are three types to choose from: satin, sheer and matte. Because I am on the lookout for wearable, barely-there shades, I chose the Pinkish Nude in Sheer finish but I am curious to try the Red Wine Satin finish next. It promises sheer texture, and is loaded with Vitamin E to maintain smooth, sensuous and vibrant lips and also a glamorous finish. 

Who Is It For?

This shade is for those who are:

• On the lookout for affordable lipsticks
• Fond of sheer finish lipsticks and pinkish shades
• Looking for wearable, barely-there, everyday shades for conservative environments

Pros

I like that it offers:

• Moisturizing effects, it is very sheer and has gloss-like appearance on the lips
• Very lightweight, as if there is no lip color whatsoever
• Subtle pink shade most of all, it goes well with my skin tone!
• Affordable for most women
• No drying after-effects which means chapped lips! 

Cons

I don't like that:

• The packaging is bulky, it would have been better if it came in a slimmer stick
• It is available only through Tupperware dealers 
• Totally wears off after drinking water, must be due to its sheer finish

The Verdict

As I have said, I found my match and it seems like this will be my no-brainer, everyday go-to shade. Now I wonder if the Red Wine Satin lipstick is just as good...

Are you feeling lucky? Do you think you can bring home a Paperback copy of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children here.