Mascara -Christian Dior - Diorshow New Look Mascara
condesadepitimini 2/27/2012 7:39:00 AM
It'sa decent mascara but not the best on the market by far. First of all: the brush (plastic one) is VERY small. it's ok if you have small eyes and tons of little lashes you need to color one by one. But if you are in a constant hurry like me in the morning - the small brush can be a pain in the neck... it takes three times the strokes and time to achieve a decent result (with a larger brush two coats ... you're done). The formula is good, does volumize and lenghten decently (although Chanel Inimitable Intense is by far the best for lengthening); be careful not to overpplay as I got spider eyes on out of two times I apply this mascara. Iconic was better in my opion, and as I said The Chanel Inimitable Intense is my gold standard by now. New Look... is OK but for the money you can get better!
3 out of 4 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Serge Lutens - Sarrasins
condesadepitimini 2/5/2012 6:40:00 AM
Excellent jasmine-based fragrance. But not your average jasmine, mind you! it's rich, deep, cloying, skanky. Definitely indolic (and you may want to consider this carefully, as indolic may not be appropiate for all occasions!). It's sweet and sweaty, enlightened but some rays of fresh jasmine, with a strong dirty leather note. Super feminine. Drydown is rich, ambery and leathery. Excellent frag all in all, but must be worn in small doses (can be cloying!). Absolutely a must try!
2 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Unlisted Brand - Juliette has a Gun - Vengeance Extreme
condesadepitimini 1/15/2012 8:17:00 AM
Extremely well crafted, elegant floral chypre. Rose, patchouli and vanilla are the main notes. Opens on a carnal rose and proceeds with spices and deep notes of carnation (at least to my nose) and some animalic note (could it be civet?). The base is oakmoss with something like aoud. Grand. This is an important perfume for a passionate and sensual woman, it has a faint trail of tragedy and drama in it. Very, very interesting and for grown-ups, I'd recommend this one for evening wear. Reminds me a lot of La Perla (original). Well worth a try.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lip Gloss -E.L.F. - Mineral lip gloss in fierce
condesadepitimini 12/31/2011 7:05:00 AM
Average pearly-frosty lipgloss. This particular shade is a warm toned pink, with a hint of coral (but still, it's a pink shade) with shimmer and a pearly finish, opaque in one coat, not original in the least. Good thing it has no taste or smell. Sticky so it lasts a couple of hours. Nice to have, but was not thrilled. I still confirm the best items ELF produce is their Studio brushes that are unbeatabale
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Fragrances -Unlisted Brand - Six Scents No. 4
condesadepitimini 12/31/2011 6:53:00 AM
Six Scents' third collection of fragrances is ‘an exploration into the nature of childhood memories and the influence of adolescence on identity.’ Six Scents Series Three is a line of 6 fragrances, composed by 6 designers working with 6 perfumers from Givaudan. Each fragrance comes with a portrait of the designer who inspired it, plus a DVD. N°4 “Ascent” by Rad Hourani and Christophe Raynaud, states on the packaging "Ascent replicates the journey of life to death though notes that punctuate each stage of life". Well, for the life of me, I could not detect these stages at all! Top notes should stand for childhood... all I can smell is a synthetic pear note (that I do not particularly asssociate with childhood) and a powdery musky note that is lovely and maybe the creator associates with their infancy, but not really me. Then you should have adolescent age... so wild, not so clean and rebel smelling were supposed to appear. Nothing similar got through my nostrils. Still clean stuff. Adult age? I get some powdery rose - stil very ladylike - and a woody (cedar?) base. And then? Death? what is death supposed to smell like? No, this frag is a clean smelling thing, can be pleasant of course, but I am disturbed and distracted by the claims this perfume should be and to me this unfair, as it created expectations the frag is not keeping. All in all - putting aside expectations - it's a clean frag the is very wearable. It smells like clean, freshly ironed linen. Not original at all - ther are plenty of similar smelling frags and surely not worth the high price tag. And - despite the unisex claim - this is a feminine frag. _________________________ Notes: A harmony of pear, violet leaf, ylang-ylang, rose, cedar, a leather accord, frankincense, powdery musks, tonka bean and benzoin.
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Fragrances -Unlisted Brand - Six Scents - N°3 Can’t Smell Fear
condesadepitimini 12/31/2011 6:40:00 AM
This is Six Scents third collection of fragrances, ‘an exploration into the nature of childhood memories and the influence of adolescence on identity ’ as it's written on the packaging. Six Scents Series Three is a line of 6 fragrances, composed by 6 designers working with 6 perfumers from Givaudan. N°3: “Can’t Smell Fear” by Juun.J and Natalie Gracia-Cetto, states: "providing the protection and comfort of an old leather jacket in a city of concrete and wood". Well to me this is a classic tobacco-leather fragrance, very very masculine and NOT unisex at all as the claim would be. The base is classic sandalwood/amber. It did not give me any feeling of "protection" not did I smell a "city of concrete and wood". I guess it's all about the marketing.... It did not appeal to me, yet it is smelling "manly" and is very very longlasting. Try it if you like masculine frags, but this is nothing original and for me it's a no buy. ______ Notes: A fusion of green mandarin orange, bergamot, pink pepper, nutmeg, ambrette seed, cedar, frankincense, a leather accord, sandalwood, amber and musks.
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Fragrances -Andy Tauer - Carillon Pour Un Ange
condesadepitimini 12/28/2011 4:54:00 PM
I so love the smell Lily of the Valley- Diorissimo is my Gold standard for all LotV based frags - I was drawn to Carillon ever since I read it was based on this flower I love so much. I finally manged to smell it. It is one unusual LotV scent. Yes, the note is there, prominent BUT it's not crisps and cristal clear like in Diorissimo.. it's on the contrary a creamy, round one. Think of Cuir Beluga and Diorissimo, and add some amber. The top and heart notes are floral ones, but he best part of this frag is the drydown (and it lasts up to 8 hours!). It's something unique. I could not really pinpoint it... but I got it clear several hours later. This fragrance is a homage to child, as I could get clearly a hard-to-describe "baby skin" note: the smell of a newborn's head, with that milky, sweet, salty, warm skin accord. It's almost animalic, in a clean way. I cannot describe it better BUT it was clear to me that the angel Tauer refers to in the name of this frag is a baby. It is sweet, round and can be addictive. I could not stop sniffing my wrists. (by the way, this milky-baby note is almost exactly the one you can get in Louanges Profanes). Absolutely interesting and a must try. ___________________ Notes: lilac, rose, ylang-ylang, green lily of the valley accord, jasmine, leather, ambergris, moss and woods.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Amouage - Ubar
condesadepitimini 12/28/2011 4:14:00 PM
Enormous, huge floriental that I was driven to think - at the firs notes - it was a chypre. Indeed the chypre notes (a green vetiver/ sandalwood oakmoss accord) are there but they wander, they come and go. Ubar is indeed a huge floral, done with high quality materials and there is no way it will go unnoticed - and you with it. This is not a frag for the shy ones. Indeed it requires a huge personality or it will wear you and swallow you in an instant! I get a huge lot of roses here and little to no Lily of the Valley (it is in the notes, though); jasmine is also there and there a pungent note of lemon, very zesty and unusual in the heart notes of a perfume. The base is the best part, with a nice and smooth sandalwood and a tad of vanilla, and of course frankincense (all the Amouages have that note). This is what will last on your skin for hours, and it's quite pleasant as this base is not your typical amber/styrax/vanilla base, it's way fresher and uplifting. As I said, this is a potion to handle with care. I like it but there is not way I am gonna buy it, seen the exhorbitant price tag.
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Fragrances -Amouage - Memoir
condesadepitimini 12/28/2011 3:56:00 PM
Very Complex Fragrance, on the heavy side with a strong pepper and tuberose note. There is a sugar sweet, candied fruit note but this could very well be the tuberose. Very heady, strong & feminine, yet verging on the masculine side as you smell notes as leather and incense. The pepper and tuberose note (reminds me of the old Versace Blonde) are disturbing my nose, so does the incense, it's like holy and profane together and they do not quite match - at least in this composition. Memoir is said to be a "leather animalic chypre”, but to me it is little animalic (oh well, tuberose is often mistaken with raw animalistic sex... :o) and little chypre, as it lacks the green, oakmoss iconic part all chypres should have in common. The drydown is more domesticated with some ambery and rose note. Not something you should bathe into nor suitable for offices or small crowded places. As I said, it is very complex and interesting in its construction but not my cup of tea. A nice to try, but there are some better Amouages around. _______________________________________ Notes: mandarin, cardamom, absinthe, pink pepper, pepper, clove, white flowers, rose, jasmine, wood, frankincense, styrax, oakmoss, castoreum, leather, labdanum, fenugreek and musk.
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Lipstick -E.L.F. - Mineral Lipstick in Runway Pink
condesadepitimini 12/5/2011 1:37:00 PM
Lovely baby pink shade, on the warmer/coral side; it gives very little pigmentation - the shade is nice though - and lasts basically minutes on lips. Nice, non offensive smell, however it's on the dry side. I do not get why I bought it, as it's not the quality I am used to have in lippies - I could not know as I ordered online! Well for 4 euros you cannot claim much. Lessons learned. ELF is very very good on brushes, for the rest, skip.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Giorgio Armani - Acqua di Gioia EDP
condesadepitimini 12/4/2011 8:16:00 AM
another useless, generic, boring fruity floral mess. Acidic and ozonic (willl someone please BAN calone from Perfumery?) To me, utterly annoying, verging to disgusting. A total scrubber. Aren't we ALL sick and tired of this kind of fragrances all the same, displayed in bulk over the depatment stores' shelves? I really can't say how much fed up I am with there all-smell-the-same products. Please, Armani and all the mainstream rest, bring back QUALITY fragrances!
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Liquid -Guerlain - 'Lingerie de Peau' Invisible Skin-Fusion Foundation
condesadepitimini 11/3/2011 12:58:00 PM
That is one AMAZING foundation. I do not give 5 stars to a foundation that often. I was skeptical when I swatched it at the counter as it went super sheer and I thought "this will not provide enough coverage for me". Boy, I was wrong! I was given a sample in Beige 02 and I tried it at home. OMG! I was in awe! it is so feather light you cannot feel it on your skin. It's like naked skin but smooth and flawless. It's true, it's not covering everything in one coat. I had to apply a second coat to make my melasma disappear. But it worked, and the result is SUPER natural and flawless... it's like angel skin, miles away from the cakey face a haevy duty foundation like Double wear gives (or Guerlain Parure Extreme, that's heavy too). Lingerie de Peau compares to Chantecaille Future skin, in my opinion. It's not super longlasting, you have to power it up again after a few hours, but the l skin literally GLOWS (well I also used come Guerlain Meteorites on top, that helps with the glow!). But I never had such good skin in months. I totally recommend this one and need a FB ASAP!
6 out of 6 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Chloe - Love, Chloé - Eau Intense
condesadepitimini 11/3/2011 8:04:00 AM
....I wish all flankers were this good! This new take of the original Love, Chloé is absolutely enticing. First and foremost, I loved the original. But as I sniffed first time this Eau Intense I knew immediately it would have grown on me even more that its predecessor. Starts off w/ the Love, Chloé notes - fresh orange blossom and pepper, and then ventures into the florals with Lilac, Hyacinth, Wisteria, Heliotropine, all made deeper by some woods. However, this is a powdery fragrance, and, while being very similar to the original, it has been enriched with Peru balm and vanilla absolute for a more ambry, oriental effect. Indeed, to me this is a "powderiental" - if I may call it so! The drydown is drop dead gorgeous: deep, warm and cosy. Juice is darker /ambery (whitle the original was powder pink). Bottle remains the same. Perfumers: Louise Turner and Nathalie Cetto-Gracia, Givaudan. In a nustshell: Love, Chloé Eau Intense is deeper, has a greater sillage and it is a must try if you like orientals with a modern twist. Very wearable even for daywear, it is classy, refined and very sophisticated. FB worth!!! ____________________ Top notes: Orange Blossom, Pink Pepper heart notes: Lilac, Hyacinth, Wisteria, Heliotropine, Woodsy Notes base notes: Peru Balm, Vanilla, Rice Powder, Talcum Accord, Iris, Musks
13 out of 13 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Unlisted Brand - Jean-Charles Brosseau Ombre Rose
condesadepitimini 11/3/2011 7:46:00 AM
How happens I have never reviewed this? This is a masterpiece among rose scents. As Meg has correctly pointed out below, this is the Gold Standard of roses, where you go to compare all the other rose scents out there. It is soft, powdery and delicate, like a whisper on your skin. It is feminine and elegant. the drydown is about a powdery note, with a touch of vanilla - very subdued - heliotrope. I loved it 30 years ago when it first came out (1981) and still love it today. I wear it often during the day as I find it subtle and very office appropriate. For comparison: it is in the lines of Bulgari Femme (the first one), minus the violet. Absolutely a must have for any rose lovers. ______________ top notes: Aldehydes, Rosewood, Geranium heart notes: Rose, Orris, Lily of the valley, Ylang-Ylang base notes. Tonka, Vanilla, Cinnamom, Heliotrope
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Polishes -Chanel - Le Vernis LE-- Quartz
condesadepitimini 11/2/2011 2:53:00 PM
Sorry to be a bummer, but of the 3 polishes Chanel has issued this fall 2011, Quartz is the most forgettable one. I was -initially - in awe when I saw it on blogs - looked chic and and understated... I thought it was the best of the three (while the best are Graphite and Peridot, if you dare to wear this last one). Then I tried it in person and... what a disappointment! It is so thin and sheer you need at let 3 coats to show up some colour. Well, the shade is indeed very wearable, a taupey pearly kind of thing. But it's BORING compared to the vibe the other 2 have! Will suit anyone and it's very office appropriate, but for that plain nail polish you don't need to shell out 24 Euros, I think. Check the other 2 shades!
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No