Fragrances -Hugo Boss - Boss Orange by Hugo Boss
CecileCecile 9/23/2010 8:43:00 PM
It's a soft and creamy orange that seems a bit peachy to me, due to the floral aspect. It's light and bright and sweet. I detect a bit of some sort of gentle wood in the base. It's pleasant but not to-die-for, IMO. No sale.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Parfums de Coeur - Skin Musk
CecileCecile 9/23/2010 8:32:00 PM
I bought a small bottle of the oil for about five dollars today and loved it as soon as it touched my skin. It's on the subtle side and I would classify it as a white musk, it is nice and clean and has a bit of depth. The only other fragrance I can compare it to is Attar Bazaar Tunisian White Musk oil - Skin Musk isn't quite as good IMO, or as delicately, exquisitely subtle but it still definitely holds its own. I think it's quite a pretty musk and would be suitable for work. On the other hand, I don't really want to 'waste' this by wearing it to work. I will probably buy Skin Musk oil again.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Marc Jacobs - Bang
CecileCecile 9/23/2010 8:25:00 PM
The opportunity to test-drive Bang at the duty-free shop, although a scent for men, was irresistible. I think the name is perfectly appropriate because the scent experience is so abrupt. It's an abrupt, intense blast of what smells to me at first like freshly ground black pepper. It's like hitting a wall of scent, there are no anticipatory introductory nuances or lingering finish. Bang! There it is. And then gone. After about half an hour it became a slightly more gentle, but still abrupt, peppery wood blast. It did not change on my skin after that, it just faded slowly away. It's interesting, but just far too simple for me to want to get it for DH. No sale.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Thierry Mugler - Womanity
CecileCecile 9/16/2010 5:29:00 PM
After reading the prior reviews, I was more than stoked to test-drive Womanity. Having now tried it, I must say that I am almost convinced to begin passing over scents that come in nifty bottles. It seems lately, at the mass-market retail level at least, pretty and unique bottles have simply become a compensation for poor scents. Or it could just be my finicky skin chemistry ruining another scent, I don't know. Anyhow, my scent experience went like this: I sprayed the tester and the juice came out in a fine stream, not a mist, which I applied to the back of my hand. Immediately I smelled simultaneous snappy fig and a sweet fruity smell like orange. Odd, I thought. The orange part got pleasantly creamy and it reminded me a lot of Liberte' by Cacharel. Meanwhile the figgy part started to smell oceanic, kelp-ish. I kept smelling it and the dominant note would go back and forth between the creamy orange and kelp-fig. It kept doing this for the next hour or so until it finally dried down into a sweaty salty thing that was quite repulsive when sniffed close... yet somehow gave off a pleasant but faint creamy sillage when I waved my hand in the air. Womanity? I don't get it. Maybe I am an idiot. No sale. EDIT: Some of it got on my jacket sleeve, and my work locker smelled like a Mango Margarita for a few days after. It wasn't too bad, actually.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Guerlain - Aqua Allegoria Flora Nymphéa
CecileCecile 9/16/2010 4:56:00 PM
Not bad, but not great either. It started out as a little freshly-picked summer wildflower which amplified, broadened and deepened as time passed but didn't change much otherwise. I got no sweetness or honey, just a flower. It's ok, I would wear it if received as a present, but it's definitely a no sale for me.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Cleansers -Noxzema - Original Skin Cream
CecileCecile 9/13/2010 2:26:00 PM
I've always had a jar of Noxzema on hand, all my life. My mother used to put it on my sunburns and bad mosquito bites when I was little. I'd cleansed my face with it countless times and always enjoyed the velvety glow of my skin afterwards. There was one woman I worked with years ago who had the most beautiful complexion, she was truly like a porcelain doll, and I asked her what she used and she told me all she did was wash her face with Noxzema morning and night. The last 24 hours, however, have been the real kicker for me. It all started about five years ago when I started getting an intermittent rash of tiny red pustules on my chin every summer. It would come and go, and it generally wasn't too bad so I didn't pay it much heed. Well, in the past two weeks it had become quite an angry little patch, it was quite red and flaky/crusty and was even kind of sore. I tried putting all kinds of things on it but it didn't calm down at all. I finally looked it up on the net and discovered it to be perioral dermatitis. Numerous articles advised sufferers to stop all cosmetics, cleansers and lotions, and even to seek the aid of antibiotic pills. I laid off the products for three days and saw no improvement whatsoever, in fact it seemed to worsen. So yesterday I was considering making an appointment with my doctor to refer me to a dermatologist when I remembered the good old Noxzema. I applied a layer to the patch and washed and reapplied every few hours. First the soreness went away and the crustiness seemed to steadily abate. I applied a good hearty layer before bed and then reapplied in the morning. It is now roughly 24 hours since my first application and the rash is about 60% improved! It is now just a slight patch of red bumps. If I'd known how well it was going to work, I would have taken pictures. It may not work for everyone, but it certainly seems to be working for me. Because of this new revelation, and because the smell of it simply reminds me of 'home', I will definitely keep repurchasing Noxzema for as long as it is available. (EDITED to add: The jar I used was an older jar that I bought when it was still made by Procter & Gamble)
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Yves Saint Laurent - Parisienne
CecileCecile 8/7/2010 3:09:00 PM
Unfortunately I don't get nearly the depth from Parisienne that others are lucky enough to experience. All I got when I sampled this was a sweet blast that smelled like a cross between peach and cotton candy. It only lasted a few minutes before it was completely gone, not a trace left behind. It was reasonably pleasant while it lasted but I was not surprised since, overall, I haven't had very good luck with the house of YSL. I can wear both Yvresse and Opium very well and that's good enough for me. No sale for Parisienne though.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Issey Miyake - a scent by Issey Miyake Florale
CecileCecile 8/7/2010 3:00:00 PM
I haven't sampled the EDT version but based on the media I believe the EDP to be different enough to warrant needing a category of its own. Freshly misted on, it is a pale delicate floral, decently done - I detect mainly a fresh dewy rose still on the plant. Suddenly a deep green mossy chypre note comes in and bullies the rose and other blossoms around. I lost interest and smelled again half an hour later, it smelled like a handful of wildflowers, nice ones at that, but very faint. I honestly feel that this scent simply isn't worth the price tag. It's a meh-tastic scent. No sale.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Elizabeth Arden - Wrapped With Love by Hilary Duff
CecileCecile 5/23/2010 4:59:00 PM
Not bad - nice and light with a zingy edge, to me it smells like fig and violet mainly. Not too sure what the actual notes are but it bears some resemblance to Guerlain's Aqua Allegoria Figue-Iris. No sale for me - would recommend to someone looking for a lighter, softly sweet summer scent.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Coty - sjp nyc
CecileCecile 5/23/2010 4:53:00 PM
Nothing new here folks. A fruity floral that to me was beyond disappointing. Why are these companies still cranking these throwaway scents out? It's too bad that Coty is offering this scent instead of bringing back classics like Muguet des Bois. No sale here.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Chloe - Chloe (EDP new)
CecileCecile 5/14/2010 4:11:00 PM
Freshly applied, Chloe smelled just like OFF! mosquito repellent on me for about one minute, and then then it dried down to almost-nothing, a mere hint of scent. I expected much more from this scent than what I experienced. No sale for me.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Unlisted Brand - BEYONCE HEAT
CecileCecile 5/14/2010 4:03:00 PM
Beyonce Heat opened with a bright sweetness that was an awful lot like candy apple (real)... then the sweetness quickly deepened and intensified into something that, to me, was frankly revolting. Then some discordant florals crept in and made it even worse. Now I can smell aftershave-musk coming through the background. I can't take it anymore, I must go and scrub this mess off my skin right away. I can't believe what the stores are charging for this. No sale here, definitely no recommendation either.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Gres - Cabochard
CecileCecile 5/2/2010 5:03:00 PM
I was lucky to acquire a vintage mini parfum of Cabochard somewhat recently. I definitely have mixed feelings about this parfum. It is a very very dark and serious fragrance, smoky leather and bitchy greenness bridged by basic soap. I inhaled deeply and recalled the mid 70s smoky haze, a smokers purse, gas-station liquid hand soap (from the 70s) and Charlie. It's a little like Charlie, only the darkness actually works here. The citrus is barely perceptible but it does lend a slight gleam to the facets throughout. I am not sure how I could pull this scent off. We shall see. I don't think I would buy again but am surely glad to have had the opportunity to try it for myself.
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Alyssa Ashley - Essence de Patchouli
CecileCecile 4/12/2010 9:00:00 AM
Discovered Essence de Patchouli yesterday at my neighborhood drug store, and since I like patchouli I thought I'd give it a go. I only realized it was Alyssa Ashley brand when I was putting the tester back on the shelf - the bottle appears to be of better quality than the usual AA bottles. Anyway, I can't honestly say that I am a fan of this scent. On my skin it smells like an old-fashioned, powdery herbal fougere men's cologne - kind of like Old Spice! I didn't smell any patchouli at all, honestly. I was curious to see what notes were actually listed for this and googled it and discovered that someone has made a fan page for this scent on FBook! LOL such times we live in. Anyway the notes listed on that fan page are: Top: Rose and Geranium; Heart: Iris; Bottom: Cashmeran, Cedar, Guaiac, Patchouli, Musk, Labdanum, Coumarin and Vanilla. I have seen it listed as an Oriental and as a Unisex scent. Go ahead and try it and decide for yourself what it is. It's a little too grampa-smelling with my chemistry, so no sale.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Unlisted Brand - Baby Phat - Dare Me
CecileCecile 4/12/2010 8:30:00 AM
I didn't know Dare Me existed til I saw a tester at a drugstore near my work. I didn't get any coconut or tropical vibe whatsoever with this one, unfortunately. On me it was just a sharp unpleasant fruity scent with a hint of floral that degraded in minutes to an almost-fruity "off" smell. Don't let my description put you off because this scent probably would smell better on almost anyone than it does with my unusual chemistry, so go ahead and try it for yourself. This one's definitely not for me though - no sale.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No