Fragrances -Yves Saint Laurent - In Love Again
livadia 12/23/2006 1:30:00 AM
*I am reviewing the Jasmin Etoile" version of YSL's In Love Again, the limited edition In Love Again for 2006 Notes include: Tangerine, grapefruit, jasmine* This is a scent that is so fruity (no doubt due to the tangerine and grapefruit) but somehow manages to avoid being cloying, unlike Babydoll or Ralph by Ralph Lauren. The jasmine becomes apparent rather early in the fragrance, but I'm not complaining as I love Jasmine as well. The lingering scent is that of a mild musk, nothing too over-powering. A very pleasant fragrance. But I still prefer the original In Love Again, and 2005's Fleur de Passion. Wonder what they will come up next year.
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Cleansers -Origins - Get Down [DISCONTINUED]
livadia 12/19/2006 9:05:00 PM
I am on the fence for this one. On one hand, this cleanser, when used together with Oil Refiner and Matte Scientist, did give skin a flawless, oil-free appearance. But it did cause breakouts on my breakout-prone skin. I must say that I only ever get pimples when I use scrubs of any kind, and since this cleanser is gritty, it did irritate my skin, causing the dreaded pimples. Since then, I have been using Mint Wash (alternated with Neutrogena Oil-Free Acne Wash) with the Origins toner and moisturiser and the results are good. This cleanser will work well for someone with oily, but not skins that are prone to breakouts when stimulated with manual exfoliation. For that reason, I did not 'bash' this product and I am giving it 3 stars.
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Fragrances -Bulgari - OMNIA Crystalline edt
livadia 12/17/2006 6:53:00 PM
This fragrance, when I first tried it, reminded me of L'eau Par Kenzo, the ethereal, aquatic scent from the 1990s. It has the lightness, and the same sweet floral dry-down. But somehow, Omnia Crystalline has more of an exotic touch to interest me more, and less of that dreaded watery notes which just end up giving a feeling of sea-sickness. However, it doesn't last well at all. Since Bvlgari fragrances are amongst the most expensive in the department stores, I will say that it may not be worth the money to re-purchase. (EDIT: This fragrance is deceptive. It starts off so fresh and green and light that you can't help but spray a lot. Then after some hours, the full woody-ness of it comes through and it becomes unbearable. Therefore, it is either too light or too nauseating for me, depending on which part of the life of the scent I am experiencing. So, I'm taking off lippies)
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Fragrances -Calvin Klein - Escape For Women
livadia 12/16/2006 4:58:00 AM
This was one I wore rather frequently when I was 21 three years ago. To me, it evokes the feeling of a beach wedding, just before the guests arrive. I know it is weird, but because of the watery notes, it reminds me of the beach, and the florals add a romantic touch, and the scent is wonderfully warm, so I get the sense of anticipation with this one. This is the only aquatic fragrance I can take. The others, Issey Miyake and Ralph Cool and RL Blue, and the likes, only give me a seasick feel. On me, it is noticeable, but not overwhelming, which is a great indicator of a perfume's versatility. I also like the fact that while Issey and Davidoff Cool Water and the likes are so common where I live (aquatic scents are popular in tropical climates), this one is less likely to be detected on 24 year-old as Escape came out so long ago. I am so sad that it is going to get discontinued, when Eternity (which I admire much less) is still going to be around.
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Fragrances -Clinique - Happy Heart
livadia 12/16/2006 4:51:00 AM
This fragrance is right up my alley as it is mostly spring flowers mixed with some citrus top notes. It feels clean and young, a celebration of being alive. But beware- the top notes can be overwhelming, and if you have sprayed too much, the floral middle notes can also be just a tinny bit 'choking'. It is a lovely, mood-altering fragrance, but for the fact that it is not perfectly-blended, I will give this 4 lippies. But for the price, it is worth re-purchasing and spraying when I feel like something cheerful, rather than melancholy, albeit beautiful, like my usual Diorissimo or Cristalle.
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Fragrances -Burberry - Burberry Tender Touch
livadia 12/10/2006 7:44:00 PM
This is my new HG! Finally, I have found a white floral scent that is luxurious, yet good to wear everyday. I agree with an earlier reviewer that this smells a lot like Crabtree & Evelyn's Wisteria. But while the C&E gave me a headache on the dry-down, this one does not as it fades away softly, leaving a barely detectable trail that only those close to you can sniff it. I also like the fact that it is not so in-your-face as the Michael Kors one. I can really detect the Jasmine in this one, but strangely, Jasmine is not even one of the pre-dominant notes listed on the write-up on the Sephora website. Love the packaging and the bottle as well. Lovely. Thank goodness Burberry finally decided to come up with a scent that is not gourmand or spicy. An aberration from the Burberry norm, but a nice one. I get lots of compliments wearing this one. Think this will be my new signature, as well as Diorissimo, a perenial fave.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Christian Dior - Christian Dior-Dune EDP
livadia 12/1/2006 8:32:00 AM
I don't wear this as it is not very "Me". But it is nostalgic as my mother used to wear this, along with other great classics like Coco Chanel and Bvlgari Eau Parfumee. To me, it evokes an image of a desolated, deserted beach and it is just beautifully haunting in that way. My classmate from college (someone who undeniably has the most X-factor in my class) loves this. She wears Issey Miyake on an everyday basis, but for a special ocassion, she only wears Dune. She is a bit of an enigma, a mysterious and intense Scorpio. This is the kind of person I expect to wear Dune well.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Christian Dior - Dior Addict 2
livadia 12/1/2006 8:26:00 AM
This is such a nonchalent fragrance to me that I am not going to say a lot about this, suffice to say that it smells just like everything out there. The other day when my 23 year-old friend decided to buy a real fragrance (i.e. something which is not from The Body Shop), I recommended her this as I know this is non-offensive to the nose and easy to wear. In my opinion, Dior has given up making beautiful, poetic scents with personality and decided to go the commercial way and just make anything that will sell with the young girls out there. At least Miss Dior Cherie has personality.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Ralph Lauren - Pure Turquoise
livadia 11/4/2006 2:14:00 AM
I didn't actually buy this but I have tested this on a few occasions at the department store. I must say that I admire but also hate it. It deserves admiration because this is a new direction that RL fragrances are going ever since it Romance. To me, this is a more complex fragrance, unlike Romance, Blue, Lauren Style and the like. But it isn't for me. The opening notes (where one can strongly smell the Cassis) are perfect for me. But after a while, it turns musty and the freshness disappears. I suppose it is the Patchouli, which I hate in general. It is okay. Unique even, as there are few new strongly woody female perfumes in the market recently, but I just can't identify with it. So it is back to Ralph during weekends, and Romance for work.
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Fragrances -Ralph Lauren - RALPH COOL [DISCONTINUED]
livadia 10/31/2006 1:38:00 AM
While I can imagine lots of people to like this (as it is easy on the nose), it is really unoriginal. It smells just like every other fragrance out there in the 1990s when this genre of fragrance (ozonic) became really popular. I bought a 1 fl. oz bottle of this and seeing that I finished it all up within couple of months, and I usually can't finish my perfume, I will say that it is easy to wear but that is about it. The only thing I like about this is that it was an improvement over RL Blue. RL Blue, to me, is a less inspiring version of Ralph Cool. They are both the same "watery" fragrances and involve the same florals i.e. lotus, lily of the valley. But at least Ralph Cool has more "bite"- the wet fruits like watermelon and cucumber make it more interesting. Still, my attitude towards that is nonchalence. My friends loved it when I wore this but I won't be re-purchasing.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Ralph Lauren - Ralph HOT
livadia 10/22/2006 9:31:00 PM
I really don't see why so many people hate this perfume and think that the low ratings are not justifiable. After all, anybody who buys this perfume has to do so in mind that this is a gourmand scent, which not everyone can take to. To me, even though this is not my favourite genre of scent, I can wear this on some occasions and it is really good in its category. The Maple is really pronounced on me but then a warm, vanilla mingled with some hints of coconut peeks through. The dry-down, interestingly, is floral. This is a nice, comforting scent without being sickly. Overall, this has to be the smoothest gourmand fragrance I have ever tried.
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Fragrances -Ralph Lauren - Ralph
livadia 10/20/2006 6:52:00 AM
This is my fave Ralph in the series of 3. It has "colourful" notes like green apple leaves, orange mandarin, blue musk and purple freesia among others. Other than it being nostalgic, I imagine it to be a classic in its category i.e. fruity-floral. But go easy on it, it can get heavy and sickly-floral. Otehr than that, it fits into most of my activities, other than for work purposes when I want to appear more authoritative, otherwise I can practically live in this. *Incidentally, check out the ralph hot website- there is a personality quiz to fit every girl to one of the three ralphs. My answers are mostly As and the description for this category is uncannily true for me. Needless of say, the Ralph most suitable for me is this one!*
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Fragrances -Burberry - Burberry London
livadia 10/19/2006 12:35:00 AM
After having used Chanel Cristalle and CD's Diorissimo for a few years now, I'm on the look-out for a more trendy, yet elegant fragrance in the market and bought this in a whim. Actually my usual taste would be citrus or fruity or green, and sometimes I like white florals too. Generally fragrances more suitable for spring/summer. This Burberry is a bit of an aberration and I must say that I usually hate musks and excessively woody notes. But I fell in love with the Honeysuckle in the scent and bought this, wondering if I will like the middle and base notes. It turns out that the musks and patchouli and sandalwood is nicely-balanced with other florals (all of which I love such as peony, jasmine, tiare flower) so it doesn't get too heavy. The men around me can't seem to get enough of this either, and my boyfriend says it smells elegant and feminine, unlike the teeny-bopper fragrance, it smells like an older woman (mid 20s to late 20s) that he will love to date.
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Fragrances -Donna Karan - Red Be Delicious EDT
livadia 10/11/2006 2:03:00 AM
After wearing those classic fragrances for a couple of years (ie. Diorissimo and Cristalle), I have decided to get myself a more "trendy" perfume and I bought Red Delicious by DKNY. This fragrance combines uniqueness with a mass-appeal quality- I have never encountered a fragrance that combines fruity elemnts with very sensual accords. The first few seconds, I sniff a juicy red apple soaked in vodka (has got to the champagne accord) and after about 30 minutes, the sensual patchouli appears. I usually hate patchouli, but this is tempered with the raspberry notes so it remains fresh. Wonderful. Not HG yet as I want to give myself time to grow into this first but I can see myself wearing it for some time.
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Fragrances -Christian Dior - Diorissimo
livadia 10/9/2006 9:00:00 PM
My HG! Honestly, I must have tried about 50 to 60 fragrances since I was 13 and I'm 24 now. And this is one of the only 2 fragrances I have ever re-purchased. Prior to finding this piece of gem, I have been looking for a good lily-of-the-valley fragrance for the longest time. Crabtree & Evelyn did not entice me with theirs as it was too sharp in the opening (too much citrus) and has an overdose of Jasmine as it dries down. This is different. The lily-of-the-valley is warmed with some Ylang Ylang which gives this a rosier, sweeter touch and an overall smoother experience. The effect is a simple yet classy scent, elegant but still youthful, like something a 17 year-old in the 1950s will wear. Although it has a few other notes, it remains a true lily-of-the-valley scent. I imagine that wearinig this with a pastel coloured skirt suit and hat, though I personally wear it for all ocassions, and it think it is going to be especially suitable for a garden wedding that I'm attending this weekend. Packaging wise, it is simple and classic, yet not as in-your-face ugly as *ahem* some of the Chanels. It is not the most lasting scent but I loathe fragrances that use tons of amber and woods for their longlasting power. I prefer something that fades away after a few hours and then I can spray more and enjoy it all over again. For this purpose, I have several sizes of this scent. I keep the 100ml at home and carry the 30ml in my bag so I can have this all the time.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No