To further my point of why I decided to switch, is the risk factor: women with larger breasts are at an increased risk for breast cancer, and I am anywhere from an F-FF (G) cup.

My mother has been trying to get me to use natural deodorant for years (we are a well-endowed family) for the above reasons, but frankly, I really hated the options out there in the “natural” deodorant world… many of which I honestly believe made me smell worse than I did going au naturel.

If you are a heavy sweater and your job requires you to be fresh and sweat-free to maintain a certain level of professionalism, unfortunately antiperspirant deodorant or underarm botox injections are really the only things that are going to stop the sweating and keep you dry, but luckily – I do not sweat too terribly much, so I was able to find my happy compromise…

I am currently happily using Lavanilla’s The Healthy Deodorant with great success, which I purchased from Sephora last week.

Upon initial application, it feels slightly icy with a tingle. Nothing too extreme, mind you. The scent of this in Pure Vanilla is not my favorite; next time I intend to try it in Blackberry or Grapefruit. Pure Vanilla does not (to me) smell the least of vanilla. It simply smells clean (which is certainly not the worst thing in the world, but even so).

If you are looking for something with a distinct scent like I was, Pure Vanilla is not for you. But on the other hand, if you wear a lot of scented body lotions or perfume regularly, this is a good choice, as there won’t be any competing fragrances.

As for how well this lasts, I apply it immediately after I shower, and it lasts me all day. I have not had to re-apply, even with my long hours (typical work day for me is anywhere from 8 – 14 hours).

If I went to the gym (which I don’t, but should…) I imagine this might not hold out too well, but since going to the gym is for sweating it out, an antiperspirant seems a little counterintuitive to me, anyway.

All in all, I will definitely be continuing use of this item, but most likely in a different scent (save for some reason I am smitten with Pure Vanilla by the end of this tube).

Have any of you had any experiences (good or bad) with this, or any other natural deodorants? I would love to hear your feedback, so please leave me a comment below!

Hope you all had a fantastic weekend!

Here is a preview of one of the wedding blogs created for a lovely friend of mine:

A live preview can be seen here: mattandalicia.theycallitlove.com ♥

More on this to come shortly with the launch.

Hope you are all having a lovely Spring! Here in Montana it has been raining all week long, and it’s been absolutely lovely!

XOXO

The individual products:

• Sephora Pro Tapered Foundation Brush #58
• Lavanilla The Healthy Deodorant in Pure Vanilla
• Anastasia Mini Duo Angled/Spooley 7
• NARS Light Reflecting Loose Setting Powder in Translucent Crystal
• Narciso Rodriguez For Her Eau de Toilette – Mini
• Dior Diorsnow Anti-Spot Serum
• Shiseido White Lucent Power Brightening Mask – Single Sheet
• Dior Capture Totale One Essential – Mini

I have so far already tested out the Dior serums, both brushes, and Lavanilla deodorant – quite impressed. I will be doing individual reviews shortly!

Have you tried any of these products? I would love to hear your thoughts!

Hope you are all having a fantastic week!

As some of you may have noticed, C’est Bon got a little mini facelift last week, and I am rather pleased with the result – hopefully it will allow for simpler accessibility to some of my favorites, my Instagram feed, and also social media/networking.

Hopefully within the next week or so I will have some tutorials up of some of the ridiculously easy to accomplish Bridal Makeup looks I have been working on.

Thank you for your continued support, and stay tuned!

Apparently I didn’t have enough little black dresses in my wardrobe, and sun hats are always a must… so this was my latest purchase. I figured it was all perfect for upcoming summer date nights, girls’ night out, or anything that calls for a Little Black Dress (bachelorette party to attend, anyone?).

For the best savings, use all 3 of these promo codes: BCBG20OFF1, BCBG10, and MOTHER. ♥

Hope everyone is having a delightful Spring!

Mind you, this presents a problem… all of her gowns are sublime, so I would have an exceedingly difficult time choosing!

Other information regarding Inbal Dror, including her Paris 2013 Collection can be found via her official site: Inbal Dror.

Hope you all had a fantastic weekend!

I would not normally wear this shade (orchid) of purple, as I usually opt for plum, but I was pleasantly surprised.

I already own these shoes in black (they’re completely gorgeous and vampy), but when I saw they were also available in this bone (“Natural”) color… could not resist.

Lastly, I can’t believe this is an advertisement – this little video for Vodafone is absolutely stunning… I wish everyone would watch this.

Yves Saint Laurent ROUGE PUR COUTURE Vernis À Lèvres Glossy Stain in 15 Rose Vinyl, Dior Gentle Cleansing Milk with Velvet Peony Extract, Dior Gentle Toning Lotion with Velvet Peony Extract, Dior Instant Gentle Exfoliant with Pure Lily Extract, Origins Clear Improvement™ Active Charcoal Mask To Clear Pores, Mimi Holliday Bra & Thong, BCBG Max Azria Esra High-Heel Studded Sandal. ♥

Since then, I have learnt a few things about wedding etiquette that I never had even considered; I am told it’s quickly becoming archaic, but in good taste, one should always avoid wearing white to a wedding, unless you yourself are the bride.

Avoiding one color such as white isn’t such a big deal, but etiquette experts also say as much as, one should avoid any color that even comes close to resembling something like white (cream, off-white, nude, beige, palest of pinks, you get the idea), and black, because black is supposedly a color of bad tidings when worn to a wedding (a bit too reminiscent of a funeral, perhaps? Who knows).

Other colors to avoid: anything too bright, i.e., hot pink, neon yellow, orange, and red should be avoided at all cost; the attention should be focused on the bride, and not distracted from by loudly dressed guests.

There seems to be a lot of discrepancies and general disagreements on the omission of black from wedding attire (especially that of which is acceptable for a guest to wear), but just to play things safe, I figured I could rule that color out as well.

All things considered (or ruled out entirely), I decided on orchid purple. Not overly understated, yet not so bright that it would attract undue attention, or stand any chance at detracting away from the bride and her crisp white.

Disclaimer: Yes, I am obsessed with BCBG Max Azria everything. Hence, this entire above wardrobe can be purchased from BCBG online boutique.

I tend to think accessories should be kept simple when wearing a dress like this, keeping it as the focal point; uncluttered, and exempt from gaudiness. Beside earrings and a dainty gold necklace, the only other accessory I would consider adding would be my beloved Rachel Leigh Singita Infinity Bracelet…

So, a quick little rhyme in summary:

When in the quest
of assessing the dress
for the wedding guest
simple is best.

Yes, that was a bit much, but… ahem.

Onwards warm spring weather, and the very best of wishes to anyone getting married this Spring!

Until next time, beauties!

For those of you on the West Coast, there are still a few hours left to use the promo CHIC to get your 15% off! ♥

Here’s what I splurged on

Quickly about the Yves Saint Laurent Rouge Pur Couture Vernis À Lèvres Glossy Stain; sadly, most of these were all sold out (especially in the shades I had my eye on), but I managed to get #15 Rose Vinyl, which is absolutely stunning (I will be doing swatches on this very shortly)!

Yves Saint Laurent ROUGE PUR COUTURE Vernis À Lèvres Glossy Stain in 15 Rose Vinyl	Shiseido Ultimate Sun Protection Lotion+ Broad Spectrum SPF 50+ For Face/Body	Dior Gentle Cleansing Milk with Velvet Peony Extract
Dior Gentle Toning Lotion with Velvet Peony Extract	Dior Instant Gentle Exfoliant with Pure Lily Extract	Illume Eternal Nomad Lathering Body Scrub in Thai Lily
Illume Eternal Nomad Intensive Moisture Body Wash in Thai Lily	Origins Clear Improvement™ Active Charcoal Mask To Clear Pores	Dior Addict Gloss in 363 Dormeuse
Dolce & Gabbana The Foundation Perfect Luminous Liquid Foundation in #60 Classic	Dior Diorskin Nude Skin-Glowing Makeup SPF 15 in #011 Crème

Again, for those of you that know what Ebates is and have yet to sign up, be sure that you do, as Sephora is offering 4 – 8% cash back with every purchase, just in time for extra savings during Chic Week!

I decided to pick up the Illume & Dior Skincare products on a bit of a whim; my skincare routine needs an update and my body needs some serious exfoliation and hydration (I am attending a wedding next month, and need to look pretty, of course).

My lovely (also a makeup artist and beauty blogger) friend Sarah recommended that I try Origins products awhile back, and Active Charcoal is a kick I’ve been on recently. After reading the countless positive reviews on this Origins Clear Improvement active charcoal-infused pore-cleansing mask, I decided it couldn’t hurt to give it a try. Keeping my fingers crossed for great things!

As for the sunscreen, it seemed like an ideal time to purchase the Shiseido Ultimate Sun Protection Lotion+ Broad Spectrum SPF 50+ For Face/Body, since I refuse to step out into the sun unless my face is well protected with SPF – nothing suits a woman less than badly aged, sun damaged skin (a wide brimmed hat also does a girl good, but I digress).

Also, two new foundations to swatch and test out… I am on a hunt, my fellow fair-skinned-neutral-undertoned makeup warriors, to find that perfect foundation that can overthrow my love for NARS Sheer Glow in Siberia. Why you might ask? Well, because as much as I love my Sheer Glow foundation, I suspect there are other formulas out there that would look more natural. Less like makeup, more like perfect skin. I hear good things about both the Dolce & Gabbana and Dior foundations above, so hopefully the formulations and shades will be suitable, and up to par. Fingers crossed, please!

Last but certainly not least, I managed to get my hands on some Dior Addict Gloss in #363 Dormeuse. If anyone has been trying to purchase this from Sephora, perhaps you will understand just how incredibly difficult it is to get this between the seemingly impossible narrow restocking window, before it’s completely sold out again. But finally, victory! I will be swatching this, rest assured.

I hope everyone had a lovely weekend, and managed to get every last thing on your wishlist (a girl can dream, right?)!

Stay beautiful!