Ulta Love Your Skin Event PSA: Algenist GENIUS Ultimate Anti-Aging Vitamin C+ Serum

Just a PSA that the Algenist GENIUS Ultimate Anti-Aging Vitamin C+ Serum is half-priced today ($59 vs. the regular price of $118).  I'm a fan of this vitamin C serum, but refuse to pay the full price.  I originally discovered the GENIUS Ultimate Anti-Aging Vitamin C+ Serum last year during Ulta's Love Your Skin event, and after using the full sized bottle I do think it made a difference in how my skin looked.  

I took advantage of some sample offers on the serum that Sephora was running to tide me over once I used up my bottle, so this offer could not come at a better time!  You can see my full review on the GENIUS Ultimate Anti-Aging Vitamin C+ Serum here.  Ulta also has a skincare sampler GWP offer, although I needed to add something to my bag in order to hit the $70 trigger point. 

Ulta has two skincare box bundles of deluxe sized samples that are currently half price, and I got this one. Considering I also purchased the Bioassance Weightless Hydration Essentials set this week from Sephora in order to take advantage of their 2X points for skincare purchases plus a sample bag,  I should be set all year now!

Atelier Advent Calendar Days 9 and 10: Santal Carmin and Cédrat Enivrant

Disclaimer: I purchased this.

Happy New Year everyone!  I had a really nice holiday break (two weeks off from work), which I spent alternately resting and cleaning/decluttering my house.  Consequently, no blog posts happened.  I still want to finish reviewing the Atelier colognes from their advent calendar however, so I'm going too :-)  Hopefully someone will find it useful.  Day 9 of the calendar brought a sample of Santal Carmin, which seems to be marketed more towards men.

I found it to be one that I would be happy to wear however, so it's definitely more unisex than masculine, IMO.  Santal Carmin showcases lime and sandalwood, with a complete notes list of:

• Top notes: bergamot from Calabria, limette from Mexico, saffron from India
• Middles notes: sandalwood from New Caledonia, gaiac wood from India, white musk
• Base notes: papyrus from India, cedarwood from Texas, vanilla from Madagascar

Launched in 2014, Santal Carmin is also one of the more expensive colognes in the brand, with a 30 ml bottle running $115. Perhaps that's because it's part of the Haute Couture (powerful, rare, precious) line of colognes.  It's classifiend as a woody Oriental, and while it is warmer than many of the Atelier colognes, it still manages to register as fresh/light as opposed to what I envision when I see a fragrance described as Oriental.  I can't say I would invest in a bottle, but I do like it and will happily use up the sample.

Day 10 featured a sample of Cedrat Enivrant, which I found to be a bracing and cheerful scent with it's emphasis on lime and cedrat, which is another variety of citrus fruit. 

• Top notes: Moroccan cedrat, lime from Mexico, bergamot from Calabria
• Middle notes: mint from China, basilic from Egypt, juniper berries from Macedonia
• Base notes: tonka bean from Brazil, vetiver from Haiti, elemi from Philippines

The French 75 cocktail (champagne, gin, lemon juice) is mentioned in the scent description, and I think the juniper berry does give it that hint of gin with it's trace of bitterness.  Cédrat Enivrant also had more oomph and lasting power for me, and I think the fact that it was cold and snowy when I was testing it made me enjoy it even more.  It was a nice antidote to the biting cold which set in through most of December, and Mobile even got a light dusting of snow.  I just felt happy when I put this cologne on, and would consider purchasing a larger size of this one.

We had a brief warm up yesterday to almost 70 degrees, but it's back to bone-chilling temps tonight.  I swear it feels colder down here when the temps fall - I think because it's so damp/humid.  Bundle up everybody!