Tag: youtube

Perfume Review: Skin Musk Parfum de Coeur
beauty · relaxation

Perfume Review: Skin Musk Parfum de Coeur

MstldelanoLeave a comment

Fresh, clean, easy to wear: of course it was only a matter of time before I bought and reviewed Skin Musk by Parfum de Coeur. As someone that LOVES musk fragrances (like Musk Rose by Al Rehab and Diptyque Fleur De Peau [review coming soon!]), I was compelled to buy this classic perfume. I remember seeing this scent in drugstores and Kmart when I was young, and, as it turns out, it had been around for a long time before I was born (it launched in 1975). Nearly 50 years into its existence, it finally made its way into my review rotation!

I expected this oil to have a straightforward history, but as it turns out, the fragrance’s backstory is a bit muddled. Skin Musk was originally released by Bonne Bell, and at some point the scent was made by Prince Matchabelli (the company that I remember from my youth). At this point, I’m not clear on whether Prince Matchabelli still makes this scent, or if the company that currently makes Skin Musk – Parfums de Coeur – is the sole producer. Aside from the manufacturing history, the formulation itself has changed, and there are plenty of dissatisfied users that have commented on the thicker consistency and slightly more complex notes present in the original version. While there are plenty of discussions online that debate the current iteration of the scent and how true it is to the original version, I decided to just stick with and review the recent version.

I ordered the fragrance on Amazon, and I eagerly tried it when I got my bottle. I took off the cap and I was immediately hit by the familiarity of the scent: I couldn’t place it at first, but then it occurred to me. This scent was quite popular when I was younger (definitely ubiquitous) and I’m sure I was often in the presence of people wearing it. More impressive, however, was how much this scent reminded me of my mother. That’s when it occurred to me: Skin Musk was just like Egyptian Musk (the popular oil available at many incense seller stands and beauty supply stores) but without the light spiciness.

I wore this all day and it lasted beautifully. It wasn’t overwhelming: it remained soft and powdery, but with just a touch of base to it (the sandalwood in this formula is elegant and not too woody). The sillage is lovely, and this is the perfect scent to wear when you want something tasteful, pretty and not too aggressive. It’s a perfectly polite fragrance. I love it!

Here’s my review of Skin Musk on YouTube:

Have you tried this lovely fragrance before? I’d love to hear your thoughts on it!

(This post has affiliate links.)

Perfume Review – Rare Vanilla Blossom by Jones New York Signature
beauty · luxury · style

Perfume Review – Rare Vanilla Blossom by Jones New York Signature

MstldelanoLeave a comment

Perfumes have really been a mood lifter for me recently, and I’m so happy that I’ve had this very long streak of delightful scent purchases. I’m always interested in fragrances that can tell a story, and this lovely one is no different.

I got Rare Vanilla Blossom by Jones New York from Marshall’s last year, and what a buy this was! The bottle is substantial – 3.4 fluid ounces, or 100 mL- and it only cost $12.99 USD, Because this came from a discount store, I cannot guarantee you’ll be able to find it for the same price, but it is available at Walmart.com, so if you’re interested, you can pick it up from there.

I’ll share the notes, how long I could smell it on my skin, and overall first impressions. Here are the notes as listed by Walmart:

  • Mandarin & lemon blossom
  • Jungle lily & Vanilla bouquet
  • Musk & Brown Sugar

I was excited to see that musk and vanilla are some of the notes in here, but my excitement turned to something much . . . milder. While I could pick up on the musk and vanilla, the brown sugar was the most prominent note to my nose. If you don’t like gourmands, avoid this one: there isn’t enough lily or musk to balance against the sweetness of the vanilla and brown sugar. However, if you love gourmands, this may be a scent worth checking out!

I found that I had to reapply this a couple of times. I understand going “nose blind”, but this was not the case, and I wasn’t surprised: I generally don’t get fantastic wear time from any vanilla perfume unless I layer generously with complementary products. So, I tried wearing it alone, and I also tried layering it, and it still didn’t last very long. I was a bit discouraged that I didn’t get significant wear time, but I am realistic about value for dollars, and for the price, I’m not surprised it didn’t last as long as I prefer. Fortunately, this bottle has a lot of product, so you can spray a lot and it will take a while before you exhaust your supply.

I loved that this came is a lovely, heavy glass bottle and it looks elegant on my vanity. It has very luxurious packaging: my weakness! It smelled cozy, like warm baked goods, and does a great dance between timid and syrupy sweet. Because it’s so gourmand forward, I would wear it more during the cooler months than in the summer. However, vanilla and brown sugar are fairly versatile notes, so if you really enjoy this scent profile, it can easily be worn during the warmer months, too. I enjoyed it, though I wouldn’t purchase again (it just didn’t suit my personal scent preferences). I’d also gift this to some of my family or friends that enjoy smelling like caramel candies.

If you want to see my video review on this, here you go:

That’s it for Jones New York’s Rare Vanilla Blossom? Do you have it? What do you think of it? I’d love to hear your comments!

Fibro Friday – Real Talk About Telework
career · health

Fibro Friday – Real Talk About Telework

MstldelanoLeave a comment

Happy Fibro Friday! I’m in the midst of updating my routine to reflect the inevitable season change that is right around the corner (and that I’m feeling already!) so I’ve been laying low. That being said, I created a video a while ago about telework. I’ve meant to write about telework over here before, but I never quite had the words . . . Then I realized that some stories are best told via video. So that’s what I did.

As someone who had fragile mental and physical conditions, I did feel a bit of discomfort sharing how vulnerable I felt during the worst of my fibro experience. But if my story can help someone else feel less ashamed of their journey, then I’m glad to share it.

That’s all for today. Continue taking care of yourselves, and enjoy your weekend!

Style Chat – How I’m Using The Four Essence System, Pt 1
beauty · style

Style Chat – How I’m Using The Four Essence System, Pt 1

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It’s been a while since I discussed the Four Essence System developed by Rita (of Style Thoughts by Rita). To date, my post about the Four Essence System has been one of the most popular posts on this blog (which is really surprising, considering how this was never intended to be a blog about fashion!) A recent video posted by Rita discussed the four tools of the Four Essence System, and I thought it would be fun and beneficial to muse over what she mentioned in the video, and how it applies to me and my essence (Right Up). Here is the video discussing the tools:

The first tool Rita mentions is keywords. Keywords allow us to laser focus on the elements of the essence, without getting lost in minutia. These also function as a compass of sorts, constantly guiding users to the heart of the effect they are trying to create through style. The keywords for my essence are as follows:

For Right women: Dreamy, Radiant, Inspiring, Luminous, Refined, The Sun, The Ice Queen

For Up women: Intimidating, Effort, Extravagant, Persona, Glamorous, Mysterious

The words that resonate with me were Luminous, Refined, The Sun, Effort, Persona and (in my mind) Glamorous. I started comparing these words against some of the things that I own, and whatever doesn’t make the cut, was placed into a giveaway (charity) bag. It was a simple metric for seeing which items suited me, and which ones are not harmonious with my style vision.

There are a lot of great keywords mentioned in the video that can help calibrate your style approach, so you can make choices that resonate with your core style ID. I loved experimenting with the many ways that keywords show up in my style. It also exposed ways that I’m falling short of my style vision, too.

That’s all my friends! What keywords from the video suit your style?

Fibro Friday – How I’m Getting Better Sleep
health · life curation

Fibro Friday – How I’m Getting Better Sleep

MstldelanoLeave a comment

Happy Fibro Friday, friends! I hope you all are having a great week and, if not, I hope your weekend is full of whatever you need to feel better.

This is a brief post, because I’ve already discussed the three biggest things I’ve been using to improve my sleep over on my Youtube channel. Anyone that has fibromyalgia, or any other chronic illness or chronic pain condition, knows that sleep is necessary to restore ourselves and to feel as good as possible. We also know that being in pain often means that sleep rarely makes us feel refreshed. So, anything that can improve the quality of our sleep can make the difference between feeling amazing and feeling awful.

The three things I’ve used that have helped me get deeper, more restorative sleep are weighted eye masks, magnesium supplements, and turmeric supplements. I’ve talked about magnesium and turmeric supplements (I’ve reviewed turmeric here and here) on this blog before, but I’ve never discussed eye masks. I’ll post my videos about each tool below, but if you’re short on time, here is the TLDW version:

  • Weighted eye masks help block out light (obviously), and the weight of it acts similar to weighted blankets: it provides a cozy feeling that helps with sleep. (I use the one by IMAK)
  • Magnesium is a muscle relaxer and a sedative, so it helps reduce pain while also giving you deeper sleep. (I use Nature’s Bounty magnesium supplement).
  • Turmeric supplements reduce inflammation and I take it at night, so it can do its work while I’m resting. For me, less pain means better sleep. (I use turmeric from Doctor’s Recipes and VitaBreeze: I alternate between the two).

More about weighted eye masks –

Why I use magnesium at night –

My daily turmeric and collagen supplements, and how the two I use measure up against each other –

These three things are the building blocks for improving my sleep, and I’m recommending these in hopes that they will help you, too! If you’ve tried any of these, or if you’re curious about any of them, please let me know in the comments below. Take care, and have a great weekend!

Saying Goodbye to Beem Box
beauty

Saying Goodbye to Beem Box

MstldelanoLeave a comment

Yes, you read that right: the Beem Box is no more. The owner of Beem Box decided to cease operations back in June, and I’ll be the first to say that I’m so sad to see them go. I hope that the owner eventually brings back the brand and starts doing subscription boxes again. Until then, I’ll just smile at the wonderful memories of learning about brands that I’ve never used, and trying products that I never knew existed. So long Beem Box: I hope to enjoy you again soon! Here are some of my previous Beem Box reviews from the past year:

Becoming Bilingual – 5 Free Language Resources That Aren’t YT, Duolingo or Podcasts
books · culture · international · life curation · travel

Becoming Bilingual – 5 Free Language Resources That Aren’t YT, Duolingo or Podcasts

MstldelanoLeave a comment

As an aspiring polyglot, I’m always reviewing language tools and resources that can help me fast track my mastery. Naturally, I dove first into Duolingo, YouTube and various podcasts. But, there are limitations with those resources, and sometimes you just want to try something different.

If you’ve been trying to learn a language but you want to go beyond YouTube videos, podcasts and Duolingo, then this is the post for you! I’ve located five other language learning resources that can help fast track your language learning, give you some much needed variety, and are all completely FREE! I discuss these options in a YouTube video (the link to the video below).

  • Amazon Kindle ebooks – This gives you a great source of free ebooks in various languages, as well as some free instruction books, too. To find them, search for books in a particular language, then filter by price (lowest to highest). Filtering by price shows the lowest priced books first, so you can quickly identify free publications.
  • MIT OpenCourseware – If you’re interested in college-level language instruction, this site is excellent. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) archives resources from courses taught during prior semesters. The courses include syllabi, worksheets, exercises, and links to other great resources. To find these courses, look under the Global Studies and Languages department.
  • Foreign Service Institute (FSI) Free online course material – This page speaks for itself: it’s the material developed by the Foreign Service Institute (FSI) to instruct diplomats before assigning them to foreign posts. These classes are developed to quickly acquire mastery at the highest levels of language. The link has lots of languages available, especially some that are somewhat rarer and harder to study online.
  • Alison & FutureLearn – Both Alison and FutureLearn offer language classes that are paced and offer certificates of completion at the end of the course (the documentation of completion has a cost). This also gives you the advantage of participating in group discussion and other ways of interacting with other learners.
  • Internet Archive – There is a host of free archived materials on this website, including movies, music, books and newspapers. Find the kind of material you want and filter it by the language that interests you.

Here’s my video, discussing the ways to use these resources:

Those are the five free resources I can recommend for language learning, outside of the most popular recs. Do you have any language resources that work for you? I’d love to hear about it in the comments below!

Perfume Review – CLEAN Warm Cotton vs CLEAN Fresh Laundry
beauty · life curation · style

Perfume Review – CLEAN Warm Cotton vs CLEAN Fresh Laundry

MstldelanoLeave a comment

It’s a perfume review, my friends! As a huge fan of CLEAN perfumes, I had several bottles lying around that I hadn’t reviewed yet. So, I decided two review two at once!

In this review, I compared CLEAN Warm Cotton with CLEAN Fresh Laundry. I decided to compare these two because the names of these scents sound like they’d share some common traits (cotton, laundry, you get it). I figured that it would be fun to see what they share, and on which notes they diverge. There are some similarities but also some stark differences that I noted.

First, let’s start off with the notes. Warm Cotton opens up with bright citrus and lemon verbena, blooms into a combination of sea notes, orange blossom and fruit essence, then dries down to the scents of musk, fern and amber. On the other hand, Fresh Laundry hits you with notes of grass, Brazilian orange and Mexican lime, before blossoming into the essence of jasmine and rose otto, then finishing with the fragrance of musk, heliotrope and woody notes.

The shared notes of citrus on top and musk at the base means that these two fragrances are channeling the same brightness as the opener, and a fresh but earthy base. The difference shows up most with the mid notes and the differing base notes: Warm Cotton relies on the essence of brisk ocean notes and zesty orange blossom and fruits in the middle, while Fresh Laundry leans heavily on classic “soapy” notes, with jasmine and rose, as its middle. Finally, the base notes of fern and amber give the warmth to Warm Cotton, while heliotrope and woody notes add a powdery touch with some heft to Fresh Laundry.

Here’s the video where I discuss these scents a bit more:

Again, the notes are as follows:

Warm Cotton – Top notes: Citrus and Lemon verbena Mid notes: Sea notes, Orange blossom, Fruits (floral cotton) Base notes: Musk, Fern, Amber

Fresh Laundry – Top notes: Grass, Brazilian orange, Mexican lime Mid notes: Jasmine, Rose otto Base notes: Musk, Heliotrope, Woody notes

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Have you tried either of these, or any of the other fragrances from CLEAN? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!

I Finally Reviewed My Favorite Exfoliating Product on YouTube
beauty · style

I Finally Reviewed My Favorite Exfoliating Product on YouTube

MstldelanoLeave a comment

I’ve praised Dr. Dennis Gross’s Alpha Beta Ultra Gentle Peel Pads on this blog before. On my quest for glass skin (you all remember that, right?) I stumbled (head-first, naturally) upon this product. I’ve been using it since 2017(!) and I haven’t been disappointed at all.

After hearing me discuss the peel pads in multiple posts (like this one and this one), I figured it was high time that I did a video discussing the product, because, why not? I’ve posted pictures of my skin after the glass skin experiment, but this video is my most recent update/review, where you can see my skin as I discuss how well these peel pads have worked for me.

The great thing about this product is the gentleness of the peel pads: I tried other exfoliating brands but none have been as good on my skin as this one. I appreciate a good “bargain” as much as the next person, but this is one of those items I’m always sure to splurge on a few times during the year. The other products I’ve tried just don’t come close to the gentle effectiveness of this one. I’m a forever fan!

Do you have a favorite exfoliating product? I’d love to hear about it in the comments below!

*this post contains affiliate links.

fitness · health

Fibro Friday – The Most Comprehensive Turmeric Supplement I’ve Seen

MstldelanoLeave a comment

Happy Fibro Friday! I hope that you’ve had a great week and a fantastic weekend ahead! Today, I’m sharing with you all a turmeric supplement that I recently started using, and the many benefits that this particular supplement has. To be clear, I’m sharing this because I believe in more bang for your buck: if I find something that is more effective at a great price, I’ll be sure to share the details so that you all can do your research and see if it works for you.

Several weeks ago, I purchased a bottle of Doctor’s Recipes Glucosamine Chondroitin Turmeric MSM Quercetin supplements. I previously tried VitaBreeze Glucosamine Chondroitin Turmeric and MSM supplement because the only way I can get reimbursed for turmeric supplements through my flexible savings account is that they be included in a covered category (in this case, glucosamine chondroitin product). This product is used for management of inflammation, pain, and discomfort. This product also has no shellfish and soy.

Doctor’s Recipes Glucosamine Chondroitin Turmeric MSM Quercetin

I did a video comparing the two turmeric supplements I currently have. I’m including that video below, but for those that don’t have the time, the key points here are that, ingredient wise, the formulas are fairly similar, but the inclusion of collagen and boswellia give this product a little more of an advantage. Here’s the video:

My interest in the product really came from being curious about including more collagen in my diet, especially now that I eat a mostly plant-based diet. While there are certain percentages in the Doctors Recipes that are less than the VitaBreeze formulation, I think that Doctors Recipes is a more comprehensive product, due to the additional ingredients in their formula. I will continue using it and see if I notice a difference. Look out for a video on that in the near future.

That’s it for today! I hope you all have a great weekend, and I’ll talk to you all next week. Take care!

***** This post has affiliate links.