I can't tell you enough how much of a royalty nut I am. So it's pretty obvious that watching The Crown has been high on my to-do list, despite the busy schedule, yes. The first season ended ages ago, and the second season will air come November so I tried my best to catch up. Hewego...

***

This scene here made such as an impact for me. Philip always seems to be whining and complaining to Elizabeth about how he misses his career in the Navy and we barely hear the King making a comment about it. But here he just goes straight to the point with Philip and tells him that all the titles given to him are not his job. She, Elizabeth, is the job and "doing this for her, doing this for me", is the greatest act of patriotism.

Amen to that.

I cried so much during the first episode, you'd think I was related to the Windsors. And King George hasn't even died yet! I can only imagine how I'll be on the next episodes.

XO,

Carissa

If you haven't already heard about it, Influencia is a company that makes versions of certain popular (and pricey) scents. I got this one from my officemate who is a reseller. She brought in some testers and I went around sniffing each one until I got dizzy. Strong scents have that effect on me. I was looking for something fruity and when I came across Influencia's version of Jo Malone Nectarine Blossom and Honey, I just knew I had to have it.

I honestly don't know if how close Influencia's version compares to the real thing because I have never tried it. However, I've read some Facebook posts that features some Filipino celebrities that say that Influencia's are very similar to it's inspiration, so that's definitely something to begin with.

Anyway, I checked Fragrantica about the description of the Jo Malone Nectarine Blossom and Honey and it says that it is Floral Fruity Gourmand scent for men and women. Top notes are: green notes, black currant, and petitgrain. Middle notes are nectarine and black locust. Base notes are vetiver, peach and plum. Source: www.fragrantica.com.

Some of these stuff are very foreign to me but I can definitely recognize fruits and yes it dries down to a very peachy scent. It smells so sweet and definitely makes me feel very girly. It's like stepping into the fruits section of the market and your mouth just waters. Longevity is under four hours. I just spray it on my clothes to make the scent last longer.

Here's on the the most popular scents from Avon: the classic Forest Interlude is a bestseller. I have memories of a former teacher who loved this scent so I decided to order one from an Avon lady. It took forever to arrive, I honestly thought it wouldn't. Had it arrived earlier, I would not have decided to purchase the Influencia one. It arrived like two days after I got the Influencia so now I have two new scents on hand. However, they are not going to waste naman so it's okay. 

Forest Interlude is described by Fragrantica as a scent for men and women. It has floral notes, woody notes and leather. Source: www.fragrantica.com

When I sprayed it on straight out of the box, I kinda regretted ordering it. It didn't smell like how I remembered it and worst of all, I got nauseated and it gave me a headache. So I didn't touch it for days and I decided that I would just give it away come Christmas.

Well guess what? I'm in love with it now. I don't know what happened the first time I sprayed it on. Maybe the bottle got shaken I lot before it got to my hands that's why it didn't smell nice. 

You get  sweet floral top notes, then there's like a warm embrace of exotic woody notes and then there's a spicy-creamy (sorry that's how I perceive it) leathery smell. It lasts up to 4 hours on me.

Okay, she's one of the reasons why I purchased a bottle of Forest Interlude, although she's into the Imari campaign now.

Last in this lineup is the Avon Scent Essence Lime Verbena which is something that I've had for two months now and is more than half-way gone. The fragrance features lemon, lemon verbena, freesia and musk.

I'd like to call this scent "freshness in a bottle" because that's just how it feels whenever I get a sniff of it. It's smells clean and if you love lemony or citrusy stuff with just the right hint of floral, you will love this thing. I just wish it would stay on longer. It fades on the 3 - 4 hour mark.

Packaging

Forest Interlude could've looked more classy if it came with a metallic cap and not this brown plastic one. I'm okay with the clear, print-free bottle. No fuzz, not bulky; I can easily carry it in my purse.

Influencia's got the metal cap and sprayer, but it would've looked chic if there aren't a lot of things going on with the label. Agreed?

Scent Essence just looks dainty and cute. It doesn't have a cap. I love the print and surprisingly, it hasn't budged a bit after two months.

Meanwhile, I also got something for my husband from Influencia: D & G Light Blue for Men. He says he doesn't like it and that it's too old school for his taste. I say I love citrusy scents and I purchased it and he doesn't have a choice so I'll make sure that he consumes it to the last drop. (*_*)

At the rate that I'm going, it looks like I will empty the Scent Essence very soon and most likely the Influencia one after that since it's only 30 ML. It will take a while before I purchase another bottle of fragrance.

Me thinks I will check out Influencia's other versions of Jo Malone's scents on my next buy. I'm all curious about her creations now.

XO,

Carissa

Here's a review of one of my current favorites from Human Nature. I bought this along with the Gentle Cleansing Oil and because of this pair, I always look forward to cleansing my face and taking off the grime at the end of the day. 

Regular Price: Php 249.75 

Where I Bought It: www.humanheartnature.com where I have a membership so I have like a 15% off the regular price 

In a nutshell, it is a detoxifying mask+ scrub that promises to unveil radiant, satin-smooth skin. It also promises to dissolve excess oil, clear pores and gently polish away dead skin cells for a better complexion with its natural ingredients. It doesn't contain any plastic microbeads and other harmful chemicals.

It comes in a white plastic squeeze tube, something similar to St. Ives'. The lid closes up well so no amount of product leaks out. I love the white packaging. IDK, it looks more chic and expensive than it actually is.

So I bet you can spot the granules and the brownish exfoliators on this scrub. No plastic micro beads here, just strawberry seeds and bamboo granules to help slough off the dirt and the dead skin.

I'll make a confession here: I am quiet lazy when it comes to taking care of my skin. Yes, I wash my face every night. I know that at the very least, I need to pre-cleanse, I need to tone and to slap on some night moisturizer. I think I'm to able to fulfill it like 75% percent of the time. The rest of the time, I just cut through the process and just wash my face. I know you know the struggle, ladies! 

But....I've seen the difference that a religious skin care regimen can bring so I really try to fulfill the process, although it's not as complex as the Korean skin care routine. 

I've incorporated the Human Nature Gentle Cleansing Oil to my routine and I now appreciate the process of pre-cleansing. And now, it's great that I have also decided to try out the Human Nature 100% Natural Detoxifying Mask + Scrub. 

It promises to dissolve excess oil, clear pores and polish away dead skins and yes my skin looks brighter and healthier now that I am using it. I have also observed that I barely get any pimples.

This product can be used either as a scrub or a mask and there are instructions on the packaging on how to use it. But honestly, we don't have to be too technical about it. ;) When I am in a hurry, I use it as a normal facial scrub and massage it on my face for a while and then I rinse it off. If I have more time to spare or I just want to relax first, I use it as a scrub and leave it on my face and I just lean back and close my eyes. If I happen to fall asleep, the mask stays for more than five minutes on my face. LOL. Either way, it is effective for me. 

It's not something I do every day since I'd hate to over scrub. Just two to 3 times a week is enough for me. Thankfully, I have not experienced dryness or stinging sensation while using this. 

BTW, is smells great! Like mixture of fruits - I don't know what fruits exactly but it smells like it's good enough to eat. 

I'm definitely repurchasing this one when I run out. 

XOXO, 

Carissa