Fragrances -Banana Republic Beauty - Classic for women
ShellyMum 2/3/2012 2:51:00 AM
I received a 4 pack of mini Banana Republic fragrances and have decided to review them all at once. The stars rated will be for the one it's filed under. ROSEWOOD (2006): Notes, Bergamot, champagne, white tea leaves, vanilla, sandalwood, and white amber. I like Rosewood, it’s a sweet musky, powdery floral oriental scent. It is quite unusual to my nose but in a good way. I will definitely wear this one. For those looking for an actual rosewood scent, you won’t find it here. I don’t smell any actual rosewood. Try Amarige by Givenchy for a better rosewood scent. ALABASTER (2006): Notes, Lotus flower, wild rose and warm musk. This is a nice clean rose scent. It reminds me a lot of True Love by Elizabeth Arden. It’s nothing spectacular but I’d still wear it if I’m in the mood for a fresh, clean rose scent. MALACHITE (2007): Notes, Water hyacinth, pepper, green mango, imperial peony, winter pear, rose, carnation, sandalwood, vanilla and musk. I found this one to be very interesting and loved it the best of all the 4 scents. It is a lovely soapy, classy scent. It is a bit peppery too, which is different to other soapy scents I’ve owned in the past. Lastly, CLASSIC (1995): Notes, Herbal notes, bergamot, pink grapefruit, clementine, honeysuckle, ginger, white musk and woody notes. This one was my least favourite of the 4. It is marketed as a unisex scent but on me, it just smells like a horrid spicy lemon scent. I wore it a couple of times, just to be certain, but each time found myself running to scrub it off. My nose just couldn’t like it. Oh well, liking 3 out of 4 isn’t bad odds I guess.
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Fragrances -Burberry - Brit
ShellyMum 1/24/2012 5:37:00 AM
Burberry Brit is what I've been looking for in a fragrance. I find it to have just the right amount of fresh, clean, citrus, sweet, powder, vanilla and amber. It lasts and lasts and I love the smell of it from the lime at the start to the vanilla/amber at the finish. It is the first time in many years that I have bought a second bottle of a perfume. I usually get bored very easily, but not with Brit. It's not overly girly or floral, nor is a scent that stands out in a crowd, but more like a sophisticated clean classy scent that I feel comfortable in on any occasion from being dressed up on a night out, a day at the office, being at home relaxing, to running errands around town. I love it.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Christian Dior - Poison
ShellyMum 1/12/2012 2:34:00 AM
Poison is my absolute first "real" perfume (a big step up from supermarket body sprays). It was as a gift to me from my first boyfriend as a teenager. I loved it immediately and wore it as my signature scent for about 5 or 6 years. I received many compliments over the years, so hopefully that means I didn't ever wear too much of it. So IMO, Poison is a lovely scent in small doses. It is very unique, with a deep plum/wine mysterious feeling about it. I would describe it as a spicy scent. However, it does also have floral and sweet undertones to it. The dry down is gorgeous. I can see how it wouldn't be something everybody likes, but it is one fragrance I will always have in my collection. For a modern day comparison I think Euphoria by Calvin Klein is "slightly" comparable to Poison, but honestly Poison is really in a league of its own. I now wear it (sparingly) at night or on cooler days. Sometimes when I'm just at home, I spray a bit on for the nostalgic, cosy feeling it gives me.... yum!!
2 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Elizabeth Arden - Hidden Fantasy by Britney Spears
ShellyMum 1/9/2012 3:14:00 AM
Well this one is not overly original… as other reviewers have mentioned it smells similar to Victoria’s Secret Supermodel, Ralph Wild and I’d like to add Burberry Brit to that collection. Having said that, I do really like the fragrance. It’s a fruity oriental to me. Not too sweet, not too spicy and it has a nice creamy vanilla dry down. I really enjoy wearing it and feel it suits most occasions. It is quite a versatile fragrance that I will keep in my rotation. I am by no means in the target market age group for these perfumes, but I think Britney Spears and Elizabeth Arden do a fantastic job on these scents. I find they have great lasting power and smell great.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Coty - Heidi Klum Shine
ShellyMum 12/24/2011 12:30:00 AM
I heard an interview with Heidi Klum where she said she didn't want anything too sweet. I was immediately keen to try this as I do find some of the modern day scents way too sweet. Well, the initial spray of this scent IS sweet. The drydown is certainly less sweet and more soft and powdery. I can definitely see the comparison other reviewers are giving to scents like Beyonce Heat. Personally, I actually find this fragrance to smell very, very similar to Guess by Marciano. I give this one 4 stars as it's a pleasant enough scent, with quite a bit of sillage and good lasting power on the skin. I'm probably not going to buy a full bottle of this one, but it is quite a nice fragrance.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Elizabeth Arden - Red Door Shimmer
ShellyMum 12/22/2011 8:38:00 PM
I bought this one unsniffed because it was $25 for 100ml/3.4oz. It is another fragrance in the Red Door flanker group and it smells nothing like the original to me. It's a lovely fruity floral oriental type fragrance. I think any age can wear any fragrance, but I guess you could say this one is more mature than girly. I don't find it lasts very long on my skin, which is disappointing. The fragance consists of; Top: Japanese pear, yuzu leaves, blackberry and pink pepper. Heart: gardenia, Casablanca lily and peony. Base: tonka, red amber, musk, sandalwood and vetiver. Overall, I do like the fragrance, but am just disappointed in the lasting power and sillage. Maybe I'm a bit anosmic to it and my nose doesn't pick up the scent after a while.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Thierry Mugler - Angel Garden of Stars Violet Eau de Parfum
ShellyMum 10/26/2011 12:38:00 AM
I didn't like this fragrance. I smelt very medicinal, stale and musty to my nose. Thankfully I only had a sample, so no sale for me. I guess it just didn't suit my chemistry. A good reminder of "try before you buy" for me.
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Fragrances -Chloe - Love, Chloé
ShellyMum 7/31/2011 7:35:00 AM
To me this fragrance smells exactly like a cake of soap in an expensive hotel. It smells like you just got out of the shower and you are walking around in your big white fluffy hotel robe. LOL I'm still undecided about whether I actually like it or not. Will try to sample it again before making a definite yes or no on this one. It's nice enough I guess, if you love soapy, clean scents. EDIT: After testing this one out several times, I decided to buy a full bottle. It is quite a strong scent with good sillage and it lasts a long time on skin/clothing. I am absolutely loving it. I only hope the love lasts considering the expensive price I had to pay for it!!!!
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Lancome - Hypnose
ShellyMum 7/5/2011 2:38:00 AM
Mmmm, Hypnose. This is one ususual smelling fragrance to me but I somehow absolutely love it. It's kind of mystical or something. To my nose it is a very strong sweet vanilla with a bit of incense or spice (but it still manages to smell clean). I find it very linear in that it doesn't seem to change in scent from first spray to dry down. It's a very soft unusual scent and I am loving it. I find it my go to scent to wear to bed.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Yves Saint Laurent - Paris
ShellyMum 7/5/2011 2:21:00 AM
To me this is a classic and quite ageless. A lovely sweet rose violet scent. I have the EDT which has great longevity and sillage. The only negative in my mind is that sometimes it reminds me a bit of Red Door by Elizabeth Arden. I have no idea why as I love Paris, and don't like RD... Paris is a lovely scent that I don't wear every day, but enjoy revisiting every once in a while. I hope to always keep a bottle of it in my rotation.
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Fragrances -Unlisted Brand - Reb'l Fleur by Rihanna
ShellyMum 5/19/2011 6:49:00 AM
I bought this one as I saw it for a really great introductory price of $49 for 100mls. To my surprise I actually really enjoy wearing this. It's a perfect combination of sweet, fresh, clean, spicy, fruity, vanilla. The opening is very sweet but as it settles, it's much less sweet. The drydown was slightly reminiscent of Flowerbomb. Overall, I really like Reb'l Fleur. It is a strong fragrance though. I find it projects well and lasts forever on skin (even longer on clothes). A nice fruity, coconut scent for the summer.
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Hair Color -Unlisted Brand - Nourish Naturals NatureColour
ShellyMum 5/1/2011 4:14:00 AM
Nourish Naturals NatureColour is a gentle hair colour formula free from harsh chemicals, such as ammonia and resorcinol. This is a permanent colour and proclaims to be extra gentle and give 100% grey coverage. OK, so I used 8N (Almond) and was suprised at how much I enjoyed using it. The colour is a very rich creamy formula that feels like a lovely conditioner when putting it on. It stung my scalp very slightly (as all hair colours do). There was only a very slight perfume odour that was extremely non offensive. No stinging eyes or horrible ammonia smell at all - yay. You have to cover your head with a shower cap they provide while the colour develops. I left it on for the recommended 40 minutes. The conditioner provided is lovely and moisturising. Overall, I loved the product. My hair felt great, the colour itself is a slightly "warm" N (neutral) shade on me, but I like the colour. I found it looked darker than the box (which can be a common issue with hair colours I guess). Next time I may try the 9N (Macadamia) shade to see if I prefer that. The grey coverage was not 100% on my hair, but better than prior to colouring. I was quite happy with the product and will try it again next time. It was $11.
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Treatments -Schwarzkopf - Blonde Toner
ShellyMum 4/15/2011 5:26:00 PM
I love this toner. You just have to remember that it's a toner, not a conditioner - so it has zero conditioning properties (on my hair anyway). You still need to use a conditioner after using this. This is how I use it:- I put some in my hair colour mixing bowl, add some water to make it a creamier consistency, and so it goes further. I then put it on my dry hair with a colouring brush. I then let it sit for 5 minutes. Then I wash it out with purple shampoo and condition with a nice moisturising conditioner. This routine gives me much quicker and more lasting results than using purple shampoo alone. It is a good price, at most supermarkets, and does the job for me.
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Fragrances -Chopard - Wish
ShellyMum 4/15/2011 5:09:00 PM
I got Wish for a great bargain price so I thought I'd try it. This is one extremely potent scent with amazing lasting qualities and mega sillage (please use with care LOL). I used 1 spray on my arm and could still smell it the next day on my skin and my clothing. The scent itself is a heavy sweet oriental on me. I get incense as the main stand out smell (mixed with baby powder). I can see the comparision to Angel because of the strength and silver/blue bottle combo. But I certainly wouldn't say they smell the same. They are both individual scents in their own right. Don't buy it expecting a copy of Angel, IMO. Overall, I don't love it but it's a nice warm winter scent to me.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Borghese - Il Bacio
ShellyMum 4/8/2011 5:43:00 PM
I was sorely disappointed in this fragrance on me. After reading many reviews I was expecting a lovely spicy sweet winter or autumn scent, but on my skin I got a very fresh floral honeysuckle fragrance. It was amazing just how strong the honeysuckle stood out on me from start to finish. I tried it in warmer weather, so perhaps will try it again in the cooler months to see if that makes any difference. Oh well, the search is still on for my HG fragrance.
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