Makeup

If you told me ten plus years ago I’d be reviewing Britney Spears Candied Fantasy Eau de Toilette Spray I’d have turned my nose up and walked away. I’ve always been a bit of a snob when it comes to celebrity fragrances, with the exception of Sarah Jessica Parker’s Lovely, I’ve always felt rather meh on them. But over the years, I’ve gotten quite fond of some of them and Britney Spears does make some rather fun fragrances especially if you like sweet, fruity scents.

For Summer/Fall 2024 Britney Spears Candied Fantasy Eau de Toilette Spray launched and it had bubble gum notes so, of course, I excited! News broker earlier this Summer but the fragrance didn’t become available for a few weeks and finally it landed on amazon.com recently. I ran to grab it because hey, it has bubble gum and cupcake notes and as a gourmand girl of course, I needed it.

Britney Spears Candied Fantasy has top notes of bubble gum, strawberry, and oranges with middle floral notes that include hibiscus, jasmine sambac, and lily, and a base of Britney’s legendary cupcake accord, musk, and sandalwood. It comes in the traditional ball shaped bottle that Britney uses for 90% of her fragrances and has hot pink to pale pink gradient shading with little diamond studs decorating and a gold pink beaded accent topper. Her bottles are always rather cute and girly. It definitely appeals to my inner teenager.

Speaking of teenagers this is rather juvenile scent initially but has a glow up as it dries down. It isn’t at all what I expected and that probably should disappoint me but I actually liked it. If you expect bubblegum and candy and super sweet, well, it isn’t that. It is fruity floral but it isn’t sweet candy sadly.

The first mist you do get that hit of bubblegum but it’s super soft and you really have to concentrate to smell it but it is there. It’s sort of old school sweet mint bubblegum. You know, like those stale and hard old bubblegum sticks you’d get in a pack of baseball cards! For some reason, that gum tasted so oddly satisfying when you were 8 not to mention it smelled amazing and made all the cards in the pack smell good. The bubblegum is fleeting though and we immediately head into the floral notes and forget about orange and strawberry because I got none of that at the opening. I get hits of jasmine and lily quickly and immediately the cupcake comes into play and finally a warm layer of the sandalwood. It’s a really fast and furious fragrance that just heads right into the warmer bottom notes and stays there from almost first application to dry down and long into the wear. To me it sort of smells like Ariana Grande’s Mod Blush but with more warmth! In some ways, it sort of has that classic Fantasy vibe. Everyone adored the original Fantasy because it perfected the cupcake note so well. I think this has a bit more warmth with the sandalwood so you aren’t straight up cupcake it’s more like a creamy vanilla sandalwood. Oddly, I feel like you can just get a tiny touch of the bubblegum as well mixed with the vanilla and sandalwood after a few hours of wear. The original Fantasy DNA is here it’s just a touch more lighter and warmer than the original.

It wears quite well but you do need a good body cream and a few hits of it to make it last. I misted myself about six times (both arms at the wrist and about four mists around my back of neck, throat, and chest) to get it to linger and create a lasting scent bubble. Well after six hours I could still smell it which is fairly good for an EDT formula.

Britney Spears Candied Fantasy isn’t for you if you want a candy fragrance but if you like a fruity floral slightly sweet and warm gourmand you should get on well with this. I liked it a lot and think it’s worth trying if you enjoy Britney’s other fragrances!

Have you smelled Britney Spears Candied Fantasy? Did you like it?

Where to buy

Amazon

My social media feed is filled with Christmas and I’m not ready to think about any of that right now but the Dove Men+Care Mint Chocolate Martini Deodorant Stick I used today sure is giving off mint hot chocolate vibes. As you know, Dove recently introduced a new Holiday Treats Collection that includes body washes, deodorants, hand soaps, and body scrubs in Apple Cider Caramel, Pecan Butter Crunch, and Cinnamon Pumpkin Pie scents! But Dove, also, slipped in a few goodies for the guys with a new gourmand launch of three Dove Men+ Care Deodorant Sticks Mint Chocolate Martini, Apple Cider & Bourbon, and Hot Toddy!

You may have already read my Dove Men+Care Apple Cider & Bourbon Deodorant Stick Review and if you did you realize I was a little disappointed the scent wasn’t that strong. It wasn’t something you could actually smell once you applied it even though it had a strong apple cider scent once you swiped it under your arms the smell pretty much disappeared. When I’m delighted to tell you that the Dove Men+Care Mint Chocolate Martini Deodorant Stick is a whole other level of awesome. You need it.

Before I tell you how much I love this I gotta tell you that not everyone wants to walk around smelling like a cup of mint hot chocolate. I’m not one of those people. I love gourmand fragrances and I love smelling edible! And sure, Mint Chocolate Martini Deodorant sounds absolutely bonkers but it doesn’t make me love it any less.

This is brilliant. It’s minty, it’s chocolate, it’s delicious! As you may know last year the Dove Holiday Treats Collection featured a Peppermint Bark fragrance and I thought it was one of the best scents they had offered in the collection. I wish they brought it back and I have hopes they might still do for the Holiday 2024 Season! This smells a lot like it (almost identical really). I have plenty of it left from last year so, I hauled out my scrub and body wash and used it this morning and finished up with a little of the Dove Men+Care Mint Chocolate Martini Deodorant Stick. I can absolutely smell mint and chocolate in the air around me. This one is strong! Sadly, it is a deo stick and not an antiperspirant so if you’re a sweater this might not work for you. But I’m not really one who sweats (unless I’m working out) so this is fine for me to use daily! The scent bubble it creates is really quite lovely!

I’m sort of amazed that it didn’t sting or burn when I applied it. It does have mint but I didn’t experience any tingle, burn, or cooling when I applied it. It’s a solid gel so it doesn’t pill it up or leave staining on your shirts or bra.

Is it weird? Not to me! I thought it was delicious! As they say, there’s an audience for everything and the Dove Men+Care Mint Chocolate Martini Deodorant Stick is totally in my wheel house. Highly recommend this one if you want to smell like a cozy night on the couch with the Christmas lights on and a Christmas movie on the TV and yummy snacks and a warm hot cup of cocoa in front of you!

Dove Men+Care Mint Chocolate Martini Deodorant Stick is available now for $6.97. I need a backup (or two..or three…)!

Where to buy

Walmart

Rare Beauty Mabel Mora’s Must-Haves is a new, limited-edition gift set that was created in collaboration with the hit Hulu show Only Murders in the Building. The set was $30 and included a full-size Tinted Lip Oil in Delight and an exclusive shade of Soft Pinch Liquid Blush in Resilience. The total value of the set is $43 and I ended up purchasing it plus got the new free Merlot Mini Puffy Tote Keychain with it which made it a cute little steal. Right now rarebeauty.com has 20% off sitewide and this is out of stock but so are the Rare Beauty Holiday 2024 Gift Sets. I do wonder if after the Friends and Family Sale is over if all these items might restock? Sets like the Mini Blush and Luminize Trio are still available at Sephora.

If the Rare Beauty Mabel Mora’s Must-Haves does pop back up I’ll give you a heads up but here are my review and swatches for those who might be interested.

I’m probably one of the few people that doesn’t lose their mind over the Soft Pinch Liquid Blush! But this set does include a limited-edition shade called Resilience and it called to me because it’s such a pretty Fall shade. This is a deep, rich, warm sienna. It has a rich brown undertone and I think it’ll make anyone with tanned or darker skin look incredible. It might be a little too much for those with lighter or light to medium skin tones. I’m still on the fence how I look in it. I think it would look amazing paired with a peach or golden peach highlighter. I haven’t yet tried that as for this review I tested it on its own. I went with a shimmery copper on my eyes when I created my look below as I thought it would compliment the blush and it did.

Now, for the bad news…! As I said, I’m not a big, big fan of Soft Pinch Liquid Blush. I realize it’s a HUGE favorite in the makeup world but I do find it a touch difficult to work with. It’s JUST too pigmented. Even the smallest amount is too much. And as a person who’s very heavy-handed with blush it can be overwhelming to blend this out not to mention it does seem to dry and set so very quickly which gives you little time to blend it out. The color lasts and lasts and lasts and lasts without fading no matter the temperature outside. It’s really a long-wearing formula that’s super pigmented but I do think the pigment works against folks like me who tend to overdo things. That being said, if you can get just the smallest amount onto your cheeks it’s a very nice shade! I’m not sure if it’s ideal for my light-medium tone as I mentioned above it really is going to pop on those with a deeper or warmer skin tone.

Rare Beauty Soft Pinch Liquid Blush Swatches in Resilience

The set also, includes Tinted Lip Oil in Delight. Delight isn’t exclusive and is a permanent shade. I remember when these launched and people were raving on and on and on about them. I think the watery gel formula can be interesting if you haven’t tried Korean or Japanese makeup. However, if you have been exposed to brands from Korea and Japan this formula is pretty standard in a lot of different watery stains across the board. It’s a thin yet creamier gel consistency that has an almost watery texture. There really isn’t anything oil about it even though it is described as an “oil-to-gel” formula. It’s lightweight, not sticky nor tacky and feels very lightly hydrating. At first, it provides a hint of glossiness to lips but as it dries down and the day progresses it turns into a stain that lasts for around four to five hours. The shade Delight is a rosy brown but be warned it does apply sort of gray mauve at first but as it sets it turns into a pretty brown-based rose.

Rare Beauty Tinted Lip Oil in Delight Swatches

Rare Beauty Mabel Mora’s Must-Haves is a cute little set you might want to grab for Fall looks. Sadly, it is out of stock as I said above but maybe it’ll pop back up soon! Did you purchase it or want to?

Where to buy

Rare Beauty Sephora

Enjoy 30% Off Marc Jacobs Daisy Pop Fragrances at ulta.com! Also, don’t quote me but I think there is a point activation in dashboard for 5X rewards on fragrance purchases. Double check before you check out! Plus Online Get a Free Perfect Eau de Parfum mini with any Marc Jacobs women’s large spray purchase and Online Only a Free Daisy Pop Makeup Pouch with any fragrance purchase.

Enjoy!

Where to buy

Ulta

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We all know the Sephora Collection has some hits and some misses. They recently introduced a Sephora Best Skin Ever 8HR Color Corrector for $15 in three shade selections and I decided to pick up the Peach shade to try out. I didn’t really buy this because I have dark circles but because I actually like to use peach shades as a way to brighten up my under eye area. I’ll just use them as a concealer on a more natural day of makeup! For example, I’ve only ever used Tarte Shape Tape Corrector as a concealer and never as a corrector before my concealer. It’s the perfect brightening shade of peach for my under eye area.

When I purchased Sephora Best Skin Ever 8HR Color Corrector that was exactly how I had plans to use it as well! Here’s how it turned out.

Sephora Best Skin Ever 8HR Color Corrector is $15 bucks and 0.16 oz in size and looks like Maybelline Age Rewind Concealer. For reference Age Rewind is around $8.99-$10.99 and 0.2 oz which makes it a touch cheaper, a lot more pigmented, and a better formula. I’ll explain all that shortly though.I’m actually sort of surprised that Maybelline never released corrector shades other than pink to the Age Reward Concealer Collection as of yet.

Sephora Best Skin Ever 8 HR Color Correct has the same twist up design as Maybelline’s that allows the product to release under the attached sponge applicator. Unfortunately, this doesn’t work nearly as well as the Maybelline one and barely releases any product into the sponge head which makes for frustrating application. I will say this, I do think Age Rewind releases a bit TOO much product into the sponge where as Sephora’s version releases too little so both are kind of screwed up.

Since it barely releases product it made it a little difficult to work out how heavy, thick, or creamy the Sephora formula is. I’m going with it being a bit thinner, a lot less creamier, and more sheerer than Maybelline’s version. Granted, one is a corrector and the other is a concealer so keep that in mind. That being said, correctors should be pigmented enough to diffuse dark circles and even offer some assistance in concealing them. This provides some brightening but doesn’t really do much in the ways of concealing anything. I do think the thinner texture does make it easy to wear under a concealer. One of my issues with applying corrector and concealer is I feel it’s just too much. This thinner formula actually wears easily under a concealer should you like to use both. It has a soft, silky, matte finish that blends quite easily but the matte finish isn’t too friendly if you have drier eyes or finer lines as it did crease into my finer lines. The wear time is a bit eh as I got around three hours in before it faded and that was when wearing it alone without concealer. With concealer, I didn’t notice fading as my concealer is pretty pigmented (I used Shape Tape Concealer) but I did notice it made my concealer crease a bit which isn’t the norm when I use this particular concealer. The creasing happens rather quickly within the first hour of wear and this results in fading as well.

Sephora Best Skin Ever 8HR Color Corrector isn’t really worth your coin (even when it goes on sale at 30% off during the Sephora Holiday Savings Event). It’s just not that great of a corrector and I’ve seen better and cheaper options available.

Where to buy

Sephora

As you know the Dove Holiday Treats Collection launched and with it we to got three limited-edition Antiperspirant Deodorant sticks to choose from in Apple Cider Caramel, Pecan Buttercrunch, and Cinnamon Pumpkin Pie scents.

But did you know they also, launched a new Dove+Men Care Fall 2024 Deodorant Stick Collection? They have Hot Toddy, Apple Cider & Bourbon, and Mint Chocolate Martini available in the Dove+Men Collection and let me tell you, they smell amazing (particularly Mint Chocolate Martini).

Of course, I picked up all three of these as I’m a gourmand girl and I can’t resist a yummy scented body product. I’m sure some of us don’t want to run around smell like apple cider but I can’t say I mind! Dove has these marketed as $6.97 for 3 oz. The women’s version is the same price but a little smaller at 2.6 oz. The men’s version is actually clear and the women’s version is a white deodorant so if you prefer something that applies clear the Men’s formula might be more appealing to you! Also, these is a deodorant stick where as the women’s is formulated as a deo and antiperspirant. I’m not someone who sweats crazily so I didn’t mind the lack of antiperspirant but it feels odd not having it in a men’s deo. It claims to prevent orders from up to 72 hours! I dunno how true that is because again, I’m not really a smelly sweaty person but if you are, well, I think I’d skip it and go with a deo and antiperspirant formula.

Dove Men+Care Apple Cider & Bourbon smells nothing like bourbon and everything like apple cider. It’s a very Glade Air Freshener scent! Spicy cinnamon and apples all the way! I was a little surprised as cinnamon scents aren’t exactly skin friendly but I had no issues with this. I thought it might burn or at least tingle on my skin as certain cinnamon fragrances I have tend to make my skin heat up a bit but I had no issues with this. The scent is very strong but once applied it’s actually a bit disappointing and didn’t smell all that much at all. My Teen Spirit deodorant from back in the day had more fragrance than this did. It’s really subtle and doesn’t really last throughout the day. Not gonna lie, I’ve worn deodorants that if I lift my arm I can still smell them throughout the day. Sadly, that isn’t the case with this formula. I’m sort of sad about that. It’s still a fun little pick up if you’re a fan of Fall and all it’s beautiful scents.

Dove Men+Care Apple Cider & Bourbon Deodorant Stick is available now. Have you tried it?

Do share!

Where to buy

Walmart

Make sure you head over to your local Marshall’s and TJMaxx and be on the look out for Scentworx Bath and Body products. I recently got the Scentworx Hot Cider Donut Body Wash and Body Lotion on sale at Marshalls and it isn’t a half bad deal to spice up my Fall showers. I probably wouldn’t pay full price for these but at $7.99 for the 34 oz Scentworx Hot Cider Donut Body Wash and $5.99 for the 22 oz Hot Cider Hand & Body Lotion I’m cool with this purchase.

As you may know last year Homeworx candles started popping up at TJMaxx and Marshall’ss. I purchased a few but sadly, I’m off them now and returned to Bath and Body Works. I really LOVED Homeworx when it originally launched. They were massive, inexpensive, and they had incredible throw. Sadly, things somehow went downhill the last year or two. They smell amazing cold but once they are lit they have little to no scent and some tunnel badly. I hope Harry takes time out to correct it because I think he and his wife are fragrance geniuses and I’m surprised he hasn’t noticed the quality control on what is being launched lately 🙁

As you may know Harry Slaktin was involved with the creation of many Bath and Body Works Candles and later he launched Homeworx Candles. Once Homeworx started picking up speed he ventured into create body washes, hand soaps, body lotions, and even fragrance mists and entitled them Scentworx. I hadn’t tried any of them but I believe the body washes are only rarely offered up at QVC nowadays and the fragrance mists are gone but the hand soaps are still readily stocked on the Homeworx website. I was never really tempted to try them as I have SO many body mists it’s absurd.

As for bath and body stuff…! Well, you know how a trip to TJ or Marshall’s goes right? The most unlikely things end up in my cart and since these two were located at the checkout shelves I ended up adding them to cart without thinking much about it.

My Fall scent arsenal is pretty much stocked with a lot of pumpkin, apple, and other cozy scents but this spontaneous purchased wasn’t too shabby! As someone who adored Bath and Body Works Cinnamon Donut Swirl Body Lotion and Shower Gel I was pretty delighted to see this at Marshall’s and sort of hopeful it would smell the same but with a little apple thrown in! It isn’t quite at the level though but it was still a fun little purchase.

Out of the two items the body lotion was the most scented. It has a spicy apple donut scent that was delightful! It’s a very lightweight lotion that absorbs easily, doesn’t hydrate overly much, and can be used on hands or body. If you layer it with a donut-scented perfume or mist you’ll be good to go (and if the idea of a donut scented perfume amazes you, I promise, I have plenty!). The scent isn’t super strong nor does it give off an intense fragrance but it does capture the essence of a yummy apple cider donut. The body wash is less scented. This is a light apple donut scent with hints of spice but it wasn’t overly strong and it doesn’t linger on your skin! Much like Philosophy Shower gels it’s an in shower experience only.

You don’t really need them if your shower is already loaded up with Fall products but if not they’re a cheap, fun little Fall find! You might want to see them out your next trip to TJ or Marshall’s as they aren’t too badly priced. Let me know if you’ve seen or tried them!