Fragrances -Kenneth Cole - New York Women's EDP
CecileCecile 2/20/2010 11:05:00 AM
I found a full but unboxed and unpriced bottle of Kenneth Cole New York on a last-chance clearance shelf at Winners today amongst all the other opened, damaged and misfit items. I gave my hand a hearty spritz, remembering it was an oriental that at least seemed to be worth trying. And it is - it is a sweet, spicy and mature fragrance that definitely does not smell cheap at all. Freshly applied it seemed quite promising, but as it continued to bloom it became less and less like a fragrance that I could carry off well - the spicy aspect, which I usually like in scents of this type, was actually what ruined it for me. I probably could have had the bottle for next-to-nothing, but when a scent is less than pleasing, it isn't even worth getting for free. No sale.
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Fragrances -Bath and Body Works - p.s. I love you
CecileCecile 2/15/2010 7:24:00 PM
I got a little bottle of P.S. I Love You body spray for xmas and wasn't crazy about it. I started wearing just a little to work because I want to smell fresh but not over the top. Apparently this smells good on me, fruit and hairspray is a good description however I have gotten nothing but compliments from everyone who smells it on me. I am astounded and will probably repurchase it for work since I don't mind the scent and others seem to really like it on me.
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Lips -Bonne Bell - lipLITES Glossy Tint
CecileCecile 1/30/2010 6:50:00 PM
These are great - I've been using strawberry gelato at work for a few months and liked it so much that I picked up caramel latte and vanilla today. I think caramel latte will end up being my favorite because I love the warm nude color of it, the formula is so smooth (unlike strawberry which is grainy) and I absolutely love the scent of it, creamy caramel coffee, just divine. The vanilla is a nice sheer shimmer, and has a nice vanilla smell that has a cocoa-butter quality to it. (It even has sandalwood extract listed on the ingredients.) In fact, all the scents are quite nice and not overly simplistic or cheap smelling, as one might expect of a drugstore product from a company that caters to very young girls. In fact, the strawberry gelato smells so good that I bought another one anyway despite it's graininess. Even my co-workers asked what smelled so good. It seems to moisturize well and one unit has lasted me ages with daily use. For three dollars and change, this stuff delivers and is a delight. One half-lip off for the previously mentioned graininess. Give these a try - grab one for work! EDIT: I just realized that the smell of the caramel latte one is similar to a coffee crisp bar. I'm totally addicted to it and I've started to buy and hoard this one particular flavor whenever I find it. I think this product has been disco'd.
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Lip Gloss -Rimmel - Lasting Finish Kiss & Stay Lipgloss in Hot Flash
CecileCecile 1/10/2010 2:10:00 PM
I have Kiss & Stay in this color and also in #200 Enduring Love. I had previously sworn to myself that I would never again use another 2-step lipcolor after constantly misplacing one or the other of the tubes, enduring the thick, cakey feel of the color base, let alone the horrible granular chunks and messy look when some of them started to wear off. This product is none of that. I like to apply step 1 with just a few little dabs on my lips and quickly smooth it out with a fingertip to create a nice thin sheer-color base, it ends up almost like a stain because of its thin consistency. It does dry a bit sticky, but it's not meant to be worn alone. Finished with the gloss, it creates a smooth, full and luminous look. I love the thickly smooth texture of the gloss topcoat and find it lasts a good while. I find the glitter to be flattering since it is very fine and subtle but also sparkly and shimmery when the light hits it just right. The lasting power is reasonable and it wears away smoothly as well. It did not seem to be drying at all. Overall I am surprised and impressed with this lipgloss and would definitely recommend and repurchase.
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Fragrances -Revlon - Norell
CecileCecile 12/20/2009 5:47:00 PM
I suspect I sampled the new formulation - I don't know if the lettering was vertical or horizontal but it was at a retail store and the bottle looked quite new... Anyhow, the opening phase of Norell to me was very similar to those of L'air du Temps or Wind Song, which on me are dry green florals. It dried down to a not-unpleasant though barely-detectbable base on me in about an hour. I'll take a pass on this one and just wear my L'air or Wind Song when I'm in the mood for such a scent. No Sale on the reformulation, but will update if I come across the vintage in my travels.
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Fragrances -Guerlain - Idylle
CecileCecile 12/9/2009 8:58:00 PM
Saw a tester at an airport duty-free shop. Not a terrible scent - but I agree with those who expected something a little more outstanding from Guerlain. Anyone could have made this, it seems to lack the spirit of Guerlain. If I'd sniffed it blind, I'd have thought it was one of Elizabeth Arden's summer releases. Generic fruit and floral. No sale or rec.
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Fragrances -Unlisted Brand - La Senza Beauty - Sweet Embrace EDT
CecileCecile 11/15/2009 7:30:00 PM
La Senza is a chain of lingerie boutiques in Canada, very much like Victoria's Secret in the US. I was shopping there today and discovered that they had launched a line of scents. I tried on two scents - this one and another in a green bottle that I think was called Love Charm. The other one was fruity and turned weird on my skin. But this one was quite interesting. At first spritz, I briefly smelled a soft musk, and then a light amber settled in. It smelled warm and sweet like the amber scent from BBW and I forgot about it for a while because I have that one. However unlike the BBW scent, this one evolved further so that it became sort of powdery but not too much and it was so lovely that I could not stop smelling my wrist. Sweet Embrace smells like an amber oriental classic in the old style, but modernized. Hours later I can still detect a pleasant skin scent lingering softly. This is nice stuff IMO and demands further investigating. I would have bought it today but it didn't fully bloom until after I'd already left the mall. Was glad to find it and will purchase next time I go back. I don't really need another amber scent but a small bottle only cost $9.50 so why not. You must try this one if you are in Canada and like Amber scents! UPDATE: It's not actually an amber scent, the notes listed on the box are Vanilla, Orchid and Mandarin, I think. To me it comes off like an amber though.
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Fragrances -J. Lo - My Glow 2009
CecileCecile 11/12/2009 5:04:00 PM
Today I sampled J. Lo's new scent, My Glow. My honest impression is that all the effort went into designing an appealing bottle and practically none went into the actual scent. It is so blah, and I was rather disappointed. It smells like a million other cheap, light, one-dimensional floral scents and is definitely no hidden gem. No sale, no recommendation. Not even to try it.
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Fragrances -Unlisted Brand - jessica simpson FANCY LOVE 2009
CecileCecile 11/11/2009 4:38:00 PM
Usually I will not knowingly acquire a scent that has poor longevity, but in this case I may (eventually) make an exception. As has been said before, Fancy Love is a pretty, soft and creamy floral, very pleasing to my nose. At first it is delicately sweet, with a slight tangy zing and then the florals come forth and the whole experience somehow becomes creamy, pretty and dainty. If this scent had a color, it would be soft mint green IMO. It's sweet and modern and pretty but not another walking pink cupcake scent, thank goodness because there are already enough of those! It's honestly one of those scents that once sampled, you sense it's going to garner a lot of compliments when you wear it. Unfortunately it dries right down very quickly - pretty as it is, I don't feel that Fancy Love is worth the amount they want for it at retail. I am going to wait until I see this on a clearance shelf - even if I have to wait a year or two - and then a bottle shall be mine. This one is most definitely worth a try.
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Mascara -Cover Girl - Lash Blast
CecileCecile 11/9/2009 2:28:00 PM
I used Lash Blast for well over a year because I loved how it made my lash fringe pop. I had been wearing only lengthening mascaras up to that point and fell in love with the fat lash look. I missed the length I was used to having but thought the dramatic thickening was a fair trade-off since I liked everything else about the product. I tried the waterproof version but did not repurchase because it was so hard to remove. I went back to the regular formula, then one day months later, I was horrified to notice how short and spindly my lashes had become! No other mascara I've used in all my life has ever damaged my lashes like Lash Blast. I gave my lashes a break from mascara for a while and pampered them until they returned to their former health. Lash Blast looks great on, but please take heed: you might want to think about the possible consequences of using this stuff daily like I did. I am determined to find an alternative volumizing mascara that won't damage my lashes like Lash Blast did. I won't ever repurchase again.
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Fragrances -Philosophy - The Fragrance
CecileCecile 11/8/2009 6:11:00 PM
Philosophy is dry, boring lemon for about ten minutes. Then it is no more. No sale.
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Fragrances -Liz Claiborne - Curve Vintage Soul for Women
CecileCecile 11/8/2009 6:05:00 PM
Very few Claiborne scents work on me - I discovered today that Curve Vintage Soul doesn't really work, either. It doesn't turn sour or vanish but it does not smell good IMO. Patchouli is one note that is in a lot of my favorite scents but I don't particularly like the patchouli in this one. The notes aren't quite harmonious. It's sweet but definitely *off*. No sale.
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Fragrances -Robert Piguet Fragrances - Baghari
CecileCecile 10/31/2009 8:23:00 AM
Recently I acquired a couple of sets of vintage parfum mini bottles and Baghari was among them. On my skin it opens as a clean, sweetish aldehydic floral but after a short while the aldehydes turn weird, thin - like soap gone bad. Quite unwearable for me, I'm afraid. Was glad to be able to try it but would not repurchase.
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Fragrances -Fendi - Fendi Theorema EDP
CecileCecile 10/26/2009 10:24:00 AM
Theorema is really lovely and rich and gourmandesque and well worth trying. On me it begins as a candied, deep and spicy orange which is soon joined by chocolate of the frosting variety (It smells like Creamy Deluxe, honestly). It remains intensely bright and sweet for a while - the sillage is intense. As it dries down, the sweetness retreats a little and some interesting floral and incense notes emerge. I get some similarities to YSL Nu EDP at this point.The spices turn sultry and it becomes a great skinscent but even this stage does not last long. Theorema only lasts about an hour on my skin, a little longer on clothing. After this it is completely undetectable. It seems odd, how rapidly and thoroughly this vanishes, considering how intense it is at the beginning. It burns brightly and leaves nothing at all behind. It would be so much better if it faded away slowly with those lovely spicy basenotes lingering on. I was able to find a large, barely-used bottle through the local internet classifieds and bought it unsniffed based on all the glowing reviews here - I am pleased to have this for the upcoming holiday season, which I am sure it will be perfect for. A great discovery, my thanks to the prior reviewers for their experiences.
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Fragrances -Elizabeth Arden - Mariah Carey FOREVER
CecileCecile 10/24/2009 1:11:00 PM
Not too impressed with the newest in the Mariah line. Just another fruity floral for the herd. Forever features IMHO one of the lowest quality tuberose notes I have encountered in any fragrance thus far. I mean, it's there. It's tuberose. But it's not nice. None of the notes really are, to me. No sale, no rec.
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