Fragrances -Unlisted Brand - Washington Tremlett Clove Absolute
Rydenfan3 8/22/2009 9:54:00 PM
I got a sample of this from LuckyScent and fell in love. I was really hoping I wouldn't like it so much as it's $175 a bottle. But it's so so good. To me, after the drydown, Clove Absolute smells like the ashes of a delicious incense as you are cleaning out your incense burner. Sweet, not overpowering, a bit powdery, with hints of clove and incense smoke. On application there's a bright citrusy top note in there as well. It's funny because I've read a lot of reviews that call this "masculine" and to me it really isn't...there are florals and vanilla blended into this and it's on the sweet side of incense to me...not quite gourmand however. Notes of Clove Absolute are: Lemon, Heliotrope, Rose, Incense, Clove Absolute, Patchouli, Vanilla Absolute, Cistus Absolute, Musk. And now a note about the packaging: a solid WTF goes out to Washington Tremlett for using a puffy holographic glitter sticker as the label and including a buttload of smoky topaz colored Swarovski crystals in the bottom of the bottle. So unnecessary..LuckyScent doesn't even show the dreaded crystals in their picture of Clove Absolute..so be forewarned.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Unlisted Brand - The Different Company - Jasmin de Nuit
Rydenfan3 8/22/2009 9:42:00 PM
I absolutely love Jasmine de Nuit. When I sampled it at Barneys it made me think "hmm, this smells a lot like a natural perfume". Probably because there's a high concentration of natural essential oils in here. It's not your typical super flowery floral-in fact you have to sniff carefully to pick up the jasmine in here. Sometimes jasmine comes out a bit more prominently when I wear it, other times I smell only a creamy spicy skin scent. Sadly this doesn't last long on me at all, even if I spray it on my clothes. I wish they had a whole line of TDC body products so I could layer and make it last longer. It's also super expensive at $175 for the 90ml bottle. I have a feeling I'll use up the full bottle since you have to super soak in it in order for it to last longer than 15-30 minutes (and don't worry, I've tested this with the DH to make sure it's not just me that can't smell after 30 mins or so). I love it so much that I'm willing to work with it's lack of commitment. If the bottle weren't so damned heavy I'd just carry it around in my purse with me. I'm still trying to figure out how to get the metal nozzle off so I can decant into a small purse spray bottle. Sigh. Notes for this fragrance are: Egyptian jasmin, amber, blackcurrant, star anise, spices, cinammon, cardamom, sandalwood
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Deodorants -Dr. Hauschka - Deodorant Fresh
Rydenfan3 8/22/2009 9:33:00 PM
ETA: Lowering this to 3 lippies. It really isn't as effective as I'd like. Original review: I thought I'd try a natural deodrant yet again. Last time I tried a natural deodorant it made my pits raw. Ouch. Read a good review of Dr Hauschka online & picked it up at Scarlet Sage in SF for $22.50 ((cringe)). After using it for over a month in high summer I can say that MOST of the time it works great..but every now and then I catch a whiff of my..uh..natural musk..something that would never happen with your good old aluminum laden antiperspirant/deodorant. So usually when I get home from work I reapply. This makes Dr Hauschka really expensive since I have to apply it twice a day, and me slightly nervous since I never know if I'm going to blast someone with an armpit surprise or not. I'd like to continue using this as long as I can afford to but if my financial situation ever changes, you bet $23 deodorant will be one of the first things to go.
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Masks -MyChelle - Guava Cactus Mask
Rydenfan3 8/22/2009 9:24:00 PM
Another winner from MyChelle! I didn't really think I needed this because the Pumpkin Enzyme mask works well for me but most of the MyChelle masks are only left on for 5-10 minutes and I wanted something that I could just slap on and relax in the tub with. Instructions for this mask say to leave it on for 20 minutes and relax. Sounds good to me! It has a creamy consistency and a little goes a long way. The mask has a pleasant guava scent. On application it made my face sting slightly so I knew it was doing something. It's supposed to be a hydrating antioxidant mask..so I'm not sure what the tingling was about..perhaps natural enzymes at work. In any case, I left it on for 20 minutes, rinsed it off, and my skin felt amazingly smooth and soft. Wow! This retails for around $32 I believe but I got it at Vitacost for 23.50. Well worth the money. I really hope they don't reformulate or discontinue this one. A new HG!
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Unlisted Brand - Byredo - Pulp
Rydenfan3 6/29/2009 7:17:00 PM
I got a sneak sniff of this for $35 instead of paying a whopping $180 for the full sized bottle. I'm really glad I did because originally I seem to remember sniffing Pulp and thinking it was a very ripe juicy guava & blackcurrant scent. Unfortunately on my skin the fig is amped up so that I can't really smell anything else. One spritz of this lasts for hours and the drydown is rather icky on me. A very disappointing experience but at least I killed an expensive lemming in the process!
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Fragrances -Serge Lutens - Five O'Clock Au Gingembre
Rydenfan3 6/9/2009 12:11:00 PM
I love the idea of this scent but it's not working out for me. I received a large spray tester and have road tested it several times. It is just too masculine to me. It definitely has notes of ginger and spices but it lacks something-some sweetness or something to give it more dimension. I agree with other reviewers that this would be gorgeous on a man. I would love to smell this on DH but sadly will not be purchasing for myself.
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Fragrances -By Kilian - Straight to Heaven
Rydenfan3 5/20/2009 12:32:00 AM
Sampled this today. Rave reviews on Luckyscent but sadly on my skin this turns into..bandaids and Vicks Vapo Rub. Others describe it as warm but I get a cold menthol note. Not a warm incensy fragrance at all for me, I'm afraid. It reminds me of Nephilim by BPAL...which is another odd, medicinal and cold scent that I happen to love for Winter.
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Fragrances -Montale - Mukhalat
Rydenfan3 5/18/2009 10:13:00 PM
Another sample from Luckyscent. I had to get this off me asap. I don't mind sweet fragrances but (at least on my skin) this smelled like a bubblegum scented marker on me..sharp and sweet and just ick. It was a scrubber. Between this sample & Patchouli Leaves, I wonder if I'm just not a Montale person. If anyone knows of a Montale I might like, please pm me.
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Fragrances -Montale - Patchouli Leaves
Rydenfan3 5/18/2009 10:10:00 PM
I ordered a sample of this because I usually like patchouli. Wow. This is not your average patchouli. There's something green & sharp in here that did NOT mesh well with my skin chemistry. Unpleasant experience for me. It was a scrubber-I had to wash it off right away. I've heard good things about Montale but unfortunately this one is not for me.
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Hair -Moroccanoil - Moroccan Oil
Rydenfan3 5/9/2009 12:50:00 PM
I have been using Moroccan Oil for about a month now. I wasn't sure about it at first. It's expensive & it does contain 'cones. I've been trying to move away from synthetic products and switch to all natural products slowly but surely and I wasn't sure if this fit the bill.The label indicates that it's a cruelty-free product, which is great. Moroccan Oil contains Argan Oil, which is what makes it so expensive. They've added a fragrance supplement that gives it a light incense-like smell. To apply it, I just tip the bottle into the palm of my hand and dispense a nickel sized amount, then emulsify it in my palms and spread it throughout my wet hair, concentrating on the areas that need it the most. Maybe it's my imagination but when I blowdry my thick wavy hair, it seems to take less time than before. My hair is much less frizzy. I still need to straighten it afterwards but it's way less of a chore than it was before I started using the Moroccan Oil. The final test is how my hair holds up over the course of the next few days. It does not get greasy at all-which is amazing. Overall I've given Moroccan Oil 5 lippies. I think this is a product that deserves all the attention and hype it's been getting. I have a half full bottle of Kerastase Oleo-Relax that's been completely neglected since purchasing this and prior to using Moroccan Oil, Kerastase was my HG hair straightening serum. A new HG has been found!
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Andy Tauer - Le Maroc pour elle edp
Rydenfan3 4/28/2009 2:34:00 PM
Maybe I need to sample this again. I received a small sample with a recent order of Incense Rose and Incense Extreme. On my skin, the jasmine went through a distinctly fecal period (indolic) and the fragrance reminded me quite a bit of something by Mandy Aftel. I know Andy Tauer is a fan of Aftelier so this would make sense. It dried down to a sweet floral and thankfully the indolic note disappeared but it was touch and go for a few minutes. Not sure if I'm a fan. I will try it again in a few days and update my review but currently I would not purchase or wear this. *updated 8/22* I thought I was changing my mind about this as it smelled nice and rather "purple" on application today..then it morphed into another indolic phase..heavy on the urinal scent. Sad. It must be something with my skin chemistry because I didn't get that until about 5 minutes in. :(
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Fragrances -Tom Ford - Tom Ford in Black Violet
Rydenfan3 4/6/2009 3:40:00 PM
This is soooo damn expensive. I bought a full bottle recently. I do love the smell but unlike some other reviews I get absolutely no violet out of it. To me it smells just like the top notes of Black Orchid (the ones that die down after a few minutes leaving you wonder..where did that amazing and fantastic smell go?) and I think that's what drew me to it. It manages to be woodsy and citrusy with a hint of chypre, without being too masculine or harsh smelling. Unfortunately, perhaps due to the high concentration of natural essential oils, this does not have the best staying power. The bottle is too fancy and expensive to just throw in my purse and I wish there was a lotion or purse sized version you could get to refresh it throughout the day.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Lavanila - Vanilla Spice
Rydenfan3 3/16/2009 11:45:00 PM
I tested this at Sephora and was really disappointed. It's one of the fragrances they recommend if you like incense. I get no incense from this and not much spice either. It smells sweet and cake batter like to me. It also doesn't seem to have much staying power and I don't feel it's worth $50+ for such a weak scent.
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Shampoo -Oscar Blandi - Pronto Dry Shampoo Spray
Rydenfan3 2/13/2009 1:34:00 PM
Another big fat ripoff dry shampoo product. I thought I was the only one that got like 2.5 uses out of this can. I figured it was me, overspraying or something. Then I saw all the other reviews that mention the same thing. Also this product smells like Lemon Pledge and that is just not a scent I am down with for my hair. This product makes me wish I had 3 hands so I could give THREE thumbs down.
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Masks -Unlisted Brand - Devita Cappuccino Coco Masque
Rydenfan3 2/8/2009 10:24:00 PM
I picked this up today on sale for 14.95 marked down from 24.95. I figured for that price I could afford to try it out. It has the consistency of thick chocolate pudding and smells slightly chocolatey but not overpowering or fake like some synthetic products might. The mask is meant to dry on your skin and be left on for about 20 minutes. Perfect for applying and relaxing in a hot bath.I rinsed this off with a warm washcloth and WOW-my skin feels really smooth and soft. I was also afraid that the ingredients might irritate my sensitive skin and leave a red "mask" as has been the case with some other clay/mud type masks but not so. Devita is a brand that is slowly growing on me.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No