beauty – Peculiar Porter

Clean Reserve’s Citron Fig: an Ethically Made Perfume (Review)

Published on March 8, 2018April 3, 2018 by PeculiarPorter4 Comments

If you saw my post from Tuesday, you know I’m pretty much diving into the world of sustainable, ethical goods blindly. No actually, you could probably put a blindfold over my clueless head and I’d be in the same exact spot. But one thing I do know is that I need to start researching more and more about what and how I’m consuming products.

During the Christmas season, my boyfriend gave me Clean Reserve’s Citron Fig perfume and not only did I fall for the delicious smell but I fell for the company itself. (Props to Rob for really knowing how to give good gifts). The more I researched Clean Reserve and their sustainability practices, the more I started to love the company. They not only use reusable materials, clean energy, eco-friendly oils, but they even pay their workers fairly. Literally, what more could you love about a company?

Citron Fig by Clean Reserve

Fragrance Notes: Ginger, lemon oil, cardamom, mandarin, mint, copaiba, sandalwood, cedarwood, and musk.

What it Smells Like: Having a really good dream and then waking up to the soft glow of the sun on your cheek. It also has the possibility of taking you back in time to the moment where you were first able to ride a bike without training wheels. Hey, I warned you.

The Perfume’s Inspiration: Inspired by a free-spirited confidence that awakens when you realize your true potential.

Perfect for: The up and comer (aka totally me because I’m still trying to figure out the big, bad adult world).

How long does it last: 6-8 hours

Sustainable Ingredients: They procure Cardamom from a local supplier in Guatemala who works directly with native Guatemalan farmers. This allows Clean to guarantee that the local farmers receive a higher profit for the essential oils and a steady income. Working directly with the communities in the Amazon and providing them with technical and financial support ensures the sustainable sourcing of Copaiba Oil and an increase of income for the farmers.

There are so many reasons why I think this is such an incredible company but the main one is that they are actually paying their farmers a living wage. My mom grew up on a dairy farm and from this, I know how hard farmers have to work in order to get the job done. Most of the time farmers are undercut by big corporations even though the farmers are doing all of the hard work. You often see this in any type of farm work from cotton farming to milk production to even essential oils. Companies like Clean Reserve are putting a stop to this unfair practice. I couldn’t be happier to wear their playful scent because of this.

For more information about their sustainable practices including their packaging I decided to pull this super informative picture from their website:

Now that I know more about their company I literally want to try them all… is that bad? If I had to try another one next it would definitely be the Sueded Oud because we all know how I feel about patchouli (if you don’t definitely check out my weirdly obsessive blog post on this candle. But Sueded Oud is apparently for “the boss” so I might have to wait a while until I get to that level!

Have you ever heard or smelled perfumes from Clean Reserve? Let me know in the comments down below.

As always,

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How to Fix Your Dark Circles While You Sleep

Published on February 16, 2018February 16, 2018 by PeculiarPorter14 Comments

Disclaimer: VIICode Skin Care contacted me to try out their Oxygen Eye Mask. They personally sent me an Oxygen Eye Mask to try. Every thought and opinion expressed on Peculiar Porter are entirely mine alone and do not reflect the views or opinions of VIICode Skin Care.

As some of you already know, I’m someone who has always been very insecure about the dark circles under my eyes. Even back in 2015, I was complaining about them… and that was before all the senior year all-nighters. My dark circles are these creepy little circles that cling below my eyes and scream “I’m stuck with you forever.” The worst part is that I’ve literally tried everything. Garnier Eye Roller, Clinique Eye cream, Elf’s illuminating eye cream… the list goes on and on. So when VII Code Skin reached out to me to try out their O2M Oxygen Eye Mask I was very skeptical. Nonetheless, I tried it out be what is a tired, eye girl supposed to do?

How does it work?

The VII O2M Oxygen Eye Mask box comes with six treatments that you can try at any time. After you wash your face you stick the eye pads underneath your eye for no more than eight hours. You can either sleep for those eight hours, which is what I did, or you throw yourself a spa day and relax for the eight hours. Nonetheless, keep on these little eye pads for the full time and take them off to feel like a goddess.

Does it actually stick?

I’m someone who tosses and turns and tosses some more in bed. My hair usually ends up in a giant tumbleweed and my pillows are thrown on the floor. You can only imagine how surprised I was that when I woke up these pads were still sticking underneath my eyes. Yes, they were still there. So regardless if you’re a bed roller like me or a dead zombie, these little pads will stay on without any fuss. Tip: Try placing the patches a little longer than your bottom eyelashes so that when you shut your eyes your eyelashes don’t continue to bump into them.

Did it actually work?

After using them only once I noticed a very distinctive difference in my skin’s quality. I may be only 23, but I can already start to tell where my wrinkles will be once I really start to age (like fine wine obviously). After using a few of the eye patches, I noticed not only a brightness to my dark circles but also a decrease in the little wrinkles around my eyes. Although there was a drastic improvement in my skin’s overall quality, the dark circles underneath my eyes did not vanish. They are still there but it was definitely easier to hide up the dark circles after a night of using these patches.

Would I use them again?

I would use these patches again because not only do I love pampering myself but every morning I oddly felt rejuvenated. I’m not sure if it was because I was excited to see if the patches worked or if there was some incredible magic that made me feel like I had the best night of sleep. Regardless, the next morning I woke up rejuvenated, bright eyed, and ready to take on the world… what more could you want from a product?

Do you have dark eye circles? What have you tried before to help hide them? Let me know in the comments down below.

As always,

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“Red” My Lips

Published on July 15, 2016 by PeculiarPorter4 Comments

Hello darlings! I recently bought some of these radiant Revlon lip stains. They’re phenomenal because of how long they last and how creamy they feel on your lips.

I admit, I’m typically not a lipstick wearer. My daily make up does not usually include lipstick, but I wanted to branch out of my comfort zone and try something spunky. These lip stains are perfect for someone who is not used to wearing lipstick because you almost feel like they’re not even there. It’s like wearing a lip gloss! Since it’s a stain, you don’t even need to worry about reapplying it every two seconds. I reapplied my lipstick after lunch and it was good for the day. I tried to take if off for my pilates class at 6 and it was still on! So Revlon really means it when they say lip stain!

Colors from left to right.

045 New York Scene has an elegant, rich velvety color that. This stain has a slight plum color mixed with red tones. This particular one is my favorite because of how rich it is. It’s a great stain that stays on for an extended amount of time, which is perfect since it’s a rich color that you’ll want on for a long time.

001 India Intrigue has a slight touch of glitter in this purple/pink color. This color is particularly great for catching city lights or a summer sunset. I would wear this to a going out to a play in the city or even to a friend’s bonfire. The great thing about stains is if you eat a s’more you’ll still have some color on your lips!

015 Barcelona Nights has such a vibrant, pinky color that is sure to add a pop to any outfit. I think it is perfect for a night out with the girls during happy hour. It would be great paired with a crisp, white shirt for a very dramatic entrance.

Pictured above is 015 Barcelona Nights and 045 New York Scene

The two pictures above are 001 India Intrigue and 045 New York Scene.

Have you tried any lip gloss stains? Have you ever tried the Revlon lip stain? Let me know in the comments if you have any stains that you recommend to someone who doesn’t wear lipstick often.

As always,

Scrub-a-Dub-Dub

Published on July 6, 2016 by PeculiarPorterLeave a comment

Hello darlings! I’m not going to lie this post was a result of me falling in the skin care section of the grocery store. You can find the darnedest things in the grocery story. I’m glad I got lost though. I’m head over heels for these delicious skin care products.

It’s almost as if trained professions came together in one room to decide the best smell in the world. The product: Shea Sugar Scrub in Tropical Mango. If this was edible, I would have drove to the store and bought more. I honestly was in a slight dilemma between the Tropical Mango and the Brazilian Nut. I decided to go for the Tropical Mango because it’s more of a summer time smell. The Brazilian Nut smells almost like a rustic, coffee aroma but better than you can even imagine. They have 19 total different scrubs and I might try them all… my aspirations are high, I know.

Anyway, Tree Hut is a certified organic company that sells sunscreen, butters, lotions, soap, wax, and even salt soaks. I’ve been looking on their website for the past hour and there really isn’t a product I don’t want to try. Seriously though, I’m even dying to try the aloe and peppermint soothing foot cream. I think I’m so willing to try all these products because my heart has fallen deeply in love with this delicious sugar scrub. This sugar scrub makes you feel as relaxed as taking a bubble bath but not having to sit for an hour to get that relaxed. It’s a good 5 minute scrub and you feel totally relaxed afterwords. You also get to smell like trained professionals altered your DNA to smell like you used to live in heaven. So if that isn’t the raddest of rad things i don’t know what is. Also, your skin is as if you were sitting in a tub of lotion for an hour. I don’t think my skin has even been softer.

I would really recommend looking at this page that describes the benefits of all of the different fragrances. For the tropical mango they state that the fragrance “Mango Puree is packed with vitamins and minerals to renew dull skin and reveal a natural glow. Safflower Seed Oil’s natural linoleic acid contains anti-inflammatory properties which help to fight skin conditions. It also prevents dryness and hydrates to provide healthy glow, while promoting elasticity.” I also have safflower seed oil in my next product…

If you haven’t tried at least one of St. Ives products you’re definitely missing out. After falling in love with their facial scrubs a few years ago, I decided to look into their company policies. St. Ives does not use parabens but instead use natural exfoliants, extracts, moisturizers and vitamins. Another great aspect of their company is that they make an effort to use as many renewable and recycled materials as possible. But my personal favorite about St. Ives is that they don’t test on animals. St. Ives clearly knows how to win my heart and keep the world clean while doing so.

So I decided to try their Timeless Skin: Collagen Elastin Moisturizer. It is made with natural safflower seed oil. According to Organic Facts, safflower seed oil “stimulates the regeneration of new skin cells meaning that it helps to clear up scars and other blemishes from the surface of the skin.” This is why it makes sense to put in safflower seed oil in a “timeless skin” cream. The cream is very light weight which is nice because I can put it on before I put my make up on in the morning. I also love the clean, lotion smell it radiates.

I’ve tried some of the Freeman masks (Avocado & Oatmeal Clay mask and the Charcoal & Black Sugar Polishing Mask) before but have never tired the Dead Sea minerals Anti-Stress Mask. I honestly thought there were only three different types of masks because CVS only seems to carry those three. However, after going to their website I was overwhelmed with the 23 different kinds of masks. I clearly need to open my horizon. If I was in charge of their marketing I would change the name of this particular mask to “Want To Look Like a Million Bucks?” I’m almost mad at myself for taking this long to try this wonderful product. It rejuvenates your skin in minutes. Plus, the beautiful blue color gave me a perfect reason to snapchat me singing “I’m Blue” by Eiffel 65.

I really hope this post has given you some inspiration to try one of these fantastic products. I’m also apologizing ahead of time for the deep love you will feel for each product. Also, your skin will thank you.

Let me know in the comments if you’ve tried any of these, want to try one of these, or have any skin care recommendations for me! I love hearing your thoughts and opinions!

As always,

How to Get Your Best Summer Skin

Published on June 25, 2015June 25, 2015 by PeculiarPorter3 Comments

Hello lovely people! Thanks for stopping by. Today I felt like sharing my skin care routine… well obviously you already know that because you already read the title.

I love St. Ives. I’ve always been a huge fan of this company. I originally started off with an orange one and within time I branched out and tried more of their products. One of my favorite parts of this brand is that they consider themselves as a natural exfoliants so their products are natural. On the back of each product they actually rate how much of an exfoliation it is. The three products I have are all moderate except for the oatmeal one which is gentle.

Green Tea Scrub. I’m currently using this scrub. Like all these scrubs they’re not too harsh on your skin. They’re very light and gentle. This one is supposed to just clear your blackheads and calm redness in your skin. It also has salicylic acne medication so if you’re looking for acne reducer this one is great.
Pink lemon and Mandarin Orange Scrub. If you’re in the store and you need a scrub just smell that one and you’ll be sold. I think this one is a little bit more harsher because it is supposed to make your skin even and bright.
Oatmeal Scrub and Mask. This one is a little bit interesting because you can use it as a scrub and a mask. If you want to use it as a scrub you just use it normally but if you want to wear it as a mask you just put it on for 5-7 minutes. I think that is a very unique and different kind of face scrub because you can use it two different ways.

Equate Beauty Blemish Control Apricot Scrub. This is a just like the St. Ives brand but not as good.

When I have time, I love putting on a mask. It’s so relaxing. I love the freeman products you can find them at CVS and they usually have a sale like buy one get one half off.

Avocado & Oatmeal Clay Mask. This mask is meant to deep clean and purify pores. I typically have combination skin which means I basically get oily in my T-zone and dry else where. I really like how my face feels after I use this product but during the process your face gets tight, feels very dry, and is uncomfortable. Not the relaxing vibe a get. However, I continue to use it because, like I said, your face feels like a baby’s butt afterword.
Charcoal & Black Sugar Polishing Mask. Different from the clay mask, I love the way this feels on my skin. It slightly warms up on your skin and you get to basically massage your face with the scrub. Obviously I love scrubs from the picture above, but this is the holly grail of face masks. I can honestly say that I feel purified after I do this mask. I feel all the make up, dirt, pollution, etc escape from my face. On the back it says, “Naturally purifying activated charcoal helps absorb oil and impurities without over-drying. Then, Black Sugar helps exfoliate away dulling skin cells for softness and clarity.” I feel exactly that.

Clearasil Daily Clear Hydra-Blast Pads. I typically put this on before I go to bed. It helps get the extra oil from out of my skin. Whenever I’m breaking out I make sure I dab this onto the area.
Burt’s Bees Radiance Serum. I recently found this product and I really like it. There is a little dropper in the bottle and you put 3-4 drops in your hand. I rub my hands together and then rub it all over my face before I put my make up on. It’s a very soft and lightweight lotion.

Clean and Clear Morning Burst Skin Brightening facial cleanser. I love the smell of this so much! It takes the oil off your face without drying it out.

Gold Bond Ultimate Softening with Shea Butter. I put this on every night on my eye lids. Not really a reason why but I always do it.

Not pictured:

Clearasil Daily Clear Acne Treatment Cream. I talked about this product in this post. I always wear it every morning. If you get shinny after you wash your face I highly recommend this product.
Clinique Take the Day off makeup remover. Some of my makeup is hard to take off and this really helps. It also seem to make my skin a lot softer. I talk more about this product in this post.

P.S. don’t forget to wear sunscreen and drink a lot of water!

When I was taking these pictures this cute little garden snake came out. Sorry for the poor quality picture I was trying really hard not to scare him!

Join the discussion: What are your favorite skin care products?

As always,

Sephora Haul

Published on June 11, 2015August 7, 2015 by PeculiarPorter5 Comments

Hello darlings! Attracting a new crowd with this post. Yes, I am into the craze of shopping online. It is a true problem. However, I actually needed stuff this time. I was running out of cover up and foundation so it gave me the excuse of shopping online. I got a plethora of freebie stuff… 6 free things if anyone is counting. This is the overview of everything I received:

When you shop online at Sephora, you get to pick the different samples to receive. I picked these three.

The PORE fessional by Benefit. You can use this product under or over make up. You can put it under the make up to help makeup stay put (like a primer) or you can put it over make upland blend. I tried this today and it seemed fine. I’m not quite sure if I would actually buy this product though.

Burberry Brit. I usually don’t ever get perfume samples because I never know if I’ll like them. I surprisingly love this one. I’m really considering buying it. Since I’m trying to save money for Italy, I won’t be buying it anytime soon. But goodness it smells so good! The notes are Bright Yuzu, Pineapple Leaves, Litchi, Mandarin, Grapes, Pink Peony, Peach Blossom, Nashi, White Musk and Creamy Amyris Woods. If you’re looking for a perfume try this one… or my favorite perfume, Miss Dior, that I’m currently wearing. The notes are Italian Mandarin Essence, Egyptian Jasmine Absolute, and Indonesian Patchouli Essence. I talk about it in this post.

Amande Milk Concentrate. To be honest I really had no idea what this was when I picked this. I really just didn’t want another perfume. However, since I can read… it is a lotion that is supposed to help the body look visibly firmer and smoother. It smells so weird. It kind of smells what I imagine wet or rotten baby powder smells like. I would never purchase this product.

(Excuse my non-painted nails.. I’ll paint them soon I promise).

Fresh by Sugar. I’ve had this product before which is why I picked it as a freebie. I love this product. It smells like lemons which is one of my favorite smells, protects you lips from the sun (SPF 15), and if free of Paragons, Sulfates, and Phthalates. The only downsize is that the real one (not the sample size one) is $22.50. Expensive for a chapstick but, honestly, it might be worth it. If you want to try different colors without buying the full size you can get five mini ones for $36! Also I got this product FREE with the code FRESHLIPS

Tarteguard 30 by Tarte. I got this product for 100 Sephora points. It’s supposed to product your skin from the sum without a bunch of chemicals. It is free of Paragons and Phthalates. It is very lightweights and it feels like you’re not even wearing it. It’s also recommended by The Skin Cancer Foundation so thats pretty awesome. The best thing I like about it is that it is dermatologist-tested which means that it won’t clog your pours. Sephora says it smells like “fresh, ocean’s lily” but really it just smells like normal sunscreen. I probably would buy this but that $32 price tag is like eh. The Neutrogena sunscreen I use is always the bomb.com for way less than $32.

Hypnos Drama by Lancome. For another 100 Sephora points I received this mascara. I’ve never had a mascara that has a S wand liked this one. It’s hard to get used to but I really like it. I typically am a strict waterproof mascara only, but I guess I let this be the exception.

Cover FX mineral foundation in P30 and Cover FX concealer in P light. The reason I went shopping! Cover fx is by far my favorite product for make up because it matches my skin tone perfectly. They have three different types of shades based on your pigment. I have pale to medium skin tone depending on the season. Therefore, I usually switch from P light or P medium concealer. The P stands for Pink because I am a pink undertone. Cover FX also offers pink, neutral, and gold undertones. The video on the Sephora explains this perfectly if you want to watch the video. Basically, if you figure out your undertone the make up will match better. I can’t wear a neutral or a gold make up because it won’t blend in properly.

I usually get Sephora powder foundation (which I talk about here), but since I am in love with Cover FX’s concealer so much I wanted to try the foundation. To be honest I really don’t see a drastic difference between the Sephora foundation and the Cover FX foundation. Might just be me though… I’m not a huge make up guru so if you think differently let me know in the comments!

I wanted to get a smaller palette to take with me to Italy. I typically use the Naked Palette 3. This palette is just the right size. I think this palette is really cool because it is split up in three different looks. My favorite colors are Silk Teddy, Push-Up, and Honey Pot. I’ll probably be wearing them a lot.

Day is for every day wear. You would wear Heaven as as an eyelid color, Cashmere Bunny as a crease, and Sexspresso as a lashline color.

Classic you would wear Silk Teddy as an under eye brow color, Push-Up as a lid color, and Erotica as a crease color.

Fashion you would wear Nudie as an under eye brow color, Honey Pot as a lid color, and Chocolate martini as a crease color.

While I was taking pictures for this post, Daisy was having fun playing fetch. Usually I post more pictures of Butch, but there is another dog! Both adorable.

Join the discussion: What do you think about these products? Do you love Cover Fx too? Do you have the Too Face Natural Eyes Palette?

As always,

Miss American Pie: Updo in less than 2 minutes

Published on March 22, 2015August 7, 2015 by PeculiarPorter1 Comment

I’ve had this hairband in my life for about three years now and have never worn it. I simply could never never figure out how to wear it. So I’ve decided to make it a priority to wear it one day. I figured out this updo the other day when I really just didn’t feel like doing my hair. To recreate it all you need to do is pin your hair back with two bobby pins so that you have no part on the top of your head. This basically makes sure you don’t have weird side part on the top of your head. After you do this, place the hairband on top of your hair… make sure it is op top of all of your hair. You then wrap the strands of hair over the band as if you were putting them in a hot roller then tuck them under the band. Once you did that to your entire head you’re done. Easy as 1, 2, 3. This hair style would be perfect if you have a crease in your hair from the gym or even if you really are just tired of burning your hair on your appliances.

Let me know if you try this hairstyle!

As always,