Fragrances -Elizabeth Arden - Red Door
Nirhtuc 9/26/2011 12:52:00 AM
The grandmummy of Old Lady perfumes! Yuk yuk yuk! For some reason, my mother kept on stocking up on this horrid perfume over the years- she finally discovered the much kinder-on-the-nose Red Door Revealed (and I also gave her my unwanted Versace Woman which smells great on HER), so no more disgusting Red Door in our home (hopefully)!
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Fragrances -Thierry Mugler - Angel
Nirhtuc 9/26/2011 12:51:00 AM
I got half a dozen sample-sized spray vials of this and spritzed some on a few minutes ago... I'm not happy at all. I am only writing about the top notes, I guess- will have to wait for the drydown. I'm hoping (maybe against hope) that this would pleasantly surprise me like Mariah Carey's M recently did, because all I'm smelling now is a whole lotta patchouli, pepper and alcohol. Nothing else. Update: It's been four hours since I first sprayed this on- the smell isn't as strong now, and I can smell slight chocolate and other notes in there, but it's still too strong for me!
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Fragrances -Juicy Couture - Viva La Juicy
Nirhtuc 9/26/2011 12:50:00 AM
Very yummy! The floral fruity description is very appropriate. I'm smelling the top and middle notes now, and I think it's kind of subtle on me. To me, the dominant notes are gardenia, blackcurrant, and honeysuckle; with vanilla and caramel shyly hanging out in the background- maybe they'll get a big more outgoing by the time the drydown comes along! It's great! I'm glad I got a mini of this! Next base: full bottle! Update: Drydown is really nice- I didn't really notice this before since I was drooling over the original Juicy Couture! On the downside, most EDPs and EDTs will last at least 9 hours on me, but this one kind of went very subtle after 5 hours- not too happy about that, but it is still one of my favourites!
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Fragrances -Juicy Couture - Fragrance
Nirhtuc 9/26/2011 12:50:00 AM
I have sprayed this on one wrist and Viva La Juicy on the other. Juicy Couture- I know many people here have commented saying that everyone wears this, but I honestly haven't smelled it on anyone before... I'm smelling the top notes now- I'm not getting any sugar (OR patchouli-yay!)- just a lot of jasmine and something that reminds me of...money. I think someone alluded to 'rich girls' and I'll have to agree! It also pleasantly reminds me of good childhood memories- going to department stores and occasional trips to a high-end toy store. I don't get the 'sad, funeral flowers' vibe others have been talking about at all! I would also describe it as similar to Britney Spears Curious- albeit that one's rich cousin or something. It's pretty light on me and lasted 5-6 hours. Right now, I'm loving it! It's not something I would typically wear, but I definitely see myself wearing it this Spring. I'm pleasantly surprised- I want to buy a full bottle! : )
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Fragrances -Coty - Lovely by Sarah Jessica Parker
Nirhtuc 9/26/2011 12:49:00 AM
I think this is a perfume that really varies in scent according to body chemistry. My mother bought this for me, but it smelled SO bad when I put it on! It was like having a layer of synthetic body odour- not 'lovely' by any means! My sister took one whiff off the bottle and said "What a nice, subtle scent" and lo and behold- it smells great on her (i.e. clean florals, not disgusting B.O.!). It was a sad experience overall, because I really wanted to like it and unfortunately, could not!
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Fragrances -Unlisted Brand - Parlux - Jessica Simpson Fancy
Nirhtuc 9/26/2011 12:48:00 AM
Today, I dabbed Fancy on one wrist and Fancy Love on the other. Guess which one sucks?! Maybe I got a bad sample or something, because the top notes smell like chemicals, sugar, cream soda, and mens aftershave! I don't know if the drydown will yield more favourable results- it seems unlikely. I love the bottle and was just about to buy a 100mL bottle, but got a sample just in case- I think this was a good decision. I will update in a few hours if the drydown exceeds my expectations. Meanwhile, Fancy Love on the other hand (or wrist in my case!) appears to be quite promising! Update: It's been 2 hours and I can definitely smell vanilla, freshly baked cake, and a bit of caramel in there, but the masculine aftershave smell persists in the background. Unfortunately, the same thing applies to the Fancy Love! It may be due to a body chemistry incompatibility thing. I'm undecided on whether to buy it or not. Either way, for those who have the same problem, I think the way to go is to spray this a couple of hours before coming into contact with people.
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Fragrances -Chopard - Wish
Nirhtuc 9/26/2011 12:46:00 AM
I've come to the conclusion that I just don't understand 90s perfumes. That, or somehow NONE of them smell good on me! I agree that Wish Chopard is kind of comparative to Angel, but Wish is not as strong and harsh as Angel. I can tolerate this scent- it's not overpowering, but not soothing or delicious in any way. I've dabbed this on about 15 minutes ago, and I'm smelling oriental florals, woods, spice, and something creamy. I don't understand why perfumes like this one and Angel are categorized as 'oriental vanilla'. Vanilla is traditionally categorized as 'gourmande', is it not? How are Angel and Wish gourmande? Perfumes like Fancy, Fantasy, and Body Shop Vanilla remind you of food, not these... I definitely won't purchase a full bottle of Wish- I bought a mini and I adore the bottle, so I'm keeping that. I'm only trying these 90s perfumes in search of a mysterious, wonderful oriental-vanilla perfume that my ESL teacher used to wear (1995-1997). I hope I'll find it someday! :( Update: I will (sort of) eat my hat! I've grudgingly had this on for about 6 hours now and it smells... really good! I can smell the caramel, vanilla, honey and incense notes and my confusion about the 'oriental vanilla' term has abated. Pity about the patchouli note, which is the offensive (to my nose) dominant top note and remains in the drydown.
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Fragrances -Unlisted Brand - FCUK - her
Nirhtuc 9/26/2011 12:45:00 AM
When I first put this on (some months ago), it wasn't totally unpleasant. I wore it a couple more times and then it started to get on my nerves! I can't define any notes or anything (maybe the peony and cedar notes?), but there's that annoying mens perfume smell in this one, and it just smells very synthetic and cheap on me. I was hoping this would be a nice, summer-type fragrance, but unfortunately, it's not for me! Longevity was great, and that didn't really help! I'm going to be corny and say: "FCUK this!"
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Pacifica - Indian Coconut Nectar - solid perfume
Nirhtuc 9/26/2011 12:44:00 AM
I got this in solid form- it came in the mail today. I can see why it has lots of 'likes' but few 'loves' on this site. It just smells... okay. I don't think it will end up being a favourite- I can smell coconut and vanilla, but they combine to give off that plastic, waxy Play-Doh smell that many mainstream coconut-based perfumes tend to have. It's a little bit fake-scented, but a little bit nice too. For a solid perfume, there is not much longevity and intensity at all. Update: I don't know how I've missed this, but the drydown smells like milk and caramel- a bit like Peters vanilla ice-cream. Another note: My sister wore some of this and it did not smell plastic-y on her at all- it smelled like how it was supposed to smell like: tropical flowers and vanilla- gave it away to her!
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Parfums de Coeur - Body Fantasies Vampire EDP
Nirhtuc 9/26/2011 12:43:00 AM
I sprayed some of this on a few minutes ago- I smell berries (mostly cherries and strawberries) and some other floral-fruity notes. I don't really know how the notes in this perfume match up with those listed above...wisteria? I've never smelled wisterias in my life! But for now, berries and florals are what I'm getting and it's quite pleasant and not headache-inducing at all. Strangely reminds me of christmas in the southern hemisphere. I would not say it's exactly 'light'- I think it's more like a heavyish fruity gourmande! Update: Drydown- smells like vanilla ice-cream with raspberry swirl- similar to Love Etc by Body Shop but sooo much better! Longevity is excellent for an affordable perfume like this- it lasted 10 hours on me!
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Fragrances -Jo Malone - English Pear and Freesia
Nirhtuc 9/26/2011 12:40:00 AM
I received some samples of this today and sprayed some on a few minutes ago. The first thing I smelled was peppery-spice notes- which I have now realized is the smell of patchouli. Then a minute later, the melon and rhubarb notes emerged. I'm going to wait for the drydown and report on favourable results if there are any. Update: Drydown was nicer, with the pear emitting a fresh smell I really like, but the dirty patchouli (as usual) stood strong throughout the whole thing. I think I've learned my lesson now- if patchouli is listed in the top 5 detected notes, I shall stay away! I can see why patchouli would work better on guys- this scent would probably smell good on them. Longevity and sillage were okay.
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Fragrances -Tokyo Milk - Honey and the Moon
Nirhtuc 9/26/2011 12:39:00 AM
Ahhh give me a non-patchouli gourmande any day! After all those bad encounters with scents like Angel, Wish, and Jo Malone's English Pear & Freesia that made me want to cry because of good fragrances being plagued by the evil Count Patchouli, this is a breath of fresh air! I got my bottle today morning and even smelling it out of the bottle, I knew I was in for a treat! Smelling this up close on my wrist, (to my nose) there are some powdery and floral notes- which I assume are violet and jasmine. However, genuine-smelling/real honey (mixed with a bit of toffee) is the dominant note- yum! There is a slight similarity to Pink Sugar, but it's nowhere near as tooth-decay-inducing! I love sweet fragrances, but even I could not tolerate Pink Sugar very much! Drydown brought out the honey even more, and the overall smell is subtle- the floral notes are in the background. I don't see how this is a unisex fragrance, although it may easily smell tempting on a guy as well! I think this scent could be worn in any season except for summer, perhaps- this might smell a bit cloying then even though it does not smell cloying at all when the temperature is less than about 25 degrees celsius. This is easily a 'love'. : ) P.S. For those who can't find this (especially people living in countries other than America or Canada), there is one reputable seller on eBay selling this- that's where I got my bottle from.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lotions/ Creams -The Body Shop - Hemp Hand Protector
Nirhtuc 9/29/2010 10:40:00 AM
I've been wearing this for an hour now, so I might update the rating after some time... Packaging: I don't really like it. I like the silvery colour of the tube, but it looks too much like a tube of ointment for a rash or something. And the flat topped, shallow lid is pretty much useless and ineffective in closing the tube after each use. Excess cream sticks out of the tube even if you squeeze the tube a little. Application: On application, my rough hands felt so smooth and soft it didn't even feel like my hands! :O But after half-an-hour or so, the usual rough feeling of my hands returned. The moisturizing effect of the cream is apparently just temporary. This is the first time I have used this, so I might update the rating if my hands do become softer after continued use (or alternatively, become drier/rougher). The smell is certainly what everyone has made allusions to (I loved the hippie description someone else here gave!): hippiesh, herbal, sort of bitter, a bit like how my grandma's room used to smell like (i.e. musty and old-lady-ish). A bit unpleasant, but nothing unbearable. I suggest using this before going to bed for everyone who likes the cream but can't put up with the smell! .
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Polishes -Essie - Wicked
Nirhtuc 8/29/2010 6:51:00 AM
Wore this colour on my nails last week, and redid some of my nails for this week too. Application: I just don't like the consistency of all Essie nail colours. The product is simultaneously runny and dried up at once (this comment applies after trying brand new Essie polishes). The brush is okay but with it, I always end up putting too much or too little polish on. It's almost never even. Colour: I LOVE the colour. I wish there was a lipstick of this shade somewhere too... It's a lovely, vampy, darkened blackened red- no browns, bright red or excessive purple tones. The bad thing about the colour is that it looks shiny on application, but quickly turns dull even just after 10 minutes or so. Durability: After a week, the colour had not budged on the nails of my left hand. However, it chipped the next day on my right hand. Not surprising, because I am right-handed, but most of my other polishes stayed put for at least a few days on my right hand. And this polish SMUDGES like crazy! It's only been about 15 minutes after I redid the nails on my right hand, and it's already smudged. Have to agree with jmuemos, quality of Essie polishes does not even come close to the quality of OPI, and also China Glaze (my favourite in terms of quality). Overall, not a very good polish in terms of quality, but the colour is absolutely beautiful and in my opinion, hard to find.
3 out of 4 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Polishes -OPI - Black Cherry Chutney
Nirhtuc 7/26/2010 6:01:00 AM
Application: If you are used to the pro-wide brush, application is not much of an issue. However, I did have a bit of trouble getting the right amount of product from the bottle onto my nails- which is generally not the case for OPI polishes. Layered 2 coats on top of SV base coat, finished with SV Fast Dry Topcoat. Colour: I've come to the conclusion that this colour would probably have more of an effect on fairer (and olive) skin tones. On skin tones darker than about N/NC/NW 40, this would just look like a dark brown or black. The colour does show up a little better when you hold your fingers right under your eyes, but why would you do that? Duration: I've just put this on, so I'll come back and report later! I'll not be buying this colour again. It's good overall, but looks quite bland on me. Provisional verdict: 3 lippies
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