Fragrances -Monyette Paris - Monyette Paris
DianeL 6/20/2003 12:13:00 AM
Monyette Paris is what I hoped it would be. I was expecting it to be like Child and hoping it would not be. What a lovely fragrance. I was forced to purchase the 1/8 roll on because they have been out of the larger sizes forever. Notes of gardenia, lily of the valley and nag champa & incense. The gardenia does not smell like a real gardenia to me, but it is not the headache inducing gardenia one might expect from an oil. I never smell any of the incense so it must be in a very minute quantity as a fixative. I really do not like lily of the valley and I wish it had a little less of it. The lily tends to increase the longer I have it on and this one really lasts a long time. I think this may have been even better had they used casablanca lily (a more tropical smelling lily) instead of lily of the valley. Monyette last all day and into the evening on me. It is a wonderful tropical scent that reminds me of Key West on a warm, summer night. A mixture of suntan lotions, beach, and tropical flowers in bloom. It just takes a tiny bit, don't over apply this one or it is overwhelmingly sweet. I do not like the roll on bottle. It's generic looking. However the pictures of the larger sizes look really pretty. When they get those back in I probably will get one. I do think it is a bit overpriced simply because it does not contain especially expensive fragrance notes but it does just take a minute amount and the stayiing power is fabulous. I can't say whether the oil changes as time passes as do some of Annick Goutal fragrances as I have not had it long enough. I gave this 4 lipsticks for one reason. Even though it is a lovely fragrance, it is not earth shattering in originality and that is one thing I always look for. I love to find fragrances that smell so unique that one would never confuse them with another. To me, that is truly one of the marks of a great fragrance.
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Fragrances -Clean - Clean
DianeL 6/12/2003 11:05:00 AM
I did not expect to like this from what I had heard and I was right. It reminds me of Annick Goutal Hadrien and Lemon Pledge. I consider Gendarme a clean fragrance, not this. After it dries down on me it smells like Pledge and a Coast bath soap, not something I really want to smell all day long. Way too expensive for a simple fragrance that smells like lemony Coast.
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Fragrances -Jo Malone - Orange Blossom
DianeL 5/31/2003 2:41:00 PM
I am no fan of Jo Malone's fragrances, in fact French Lime Blossom is the only one I can even wear. My long time mua friend NancyM sent me a decant of this as a surprise. She hated it and so did I. Lime blosson smells more like orange blossom than this medicinal smelling disaster does. For the first 2 minutes I thought maybe it was nice, after that it went to straight bitter bergamot and I later had to wash it off. I realize orange blossom is very elusive and hard to replicate, especially if you live in Florida and know what they really smell like, but this wasn't even close. It reminded me of Penhaligon's rendition of orange blossom which was equally as dreadful. I smelled not a drop of Jasmine, just bitter bergamot and sour stale orange left after the first 10 minutes. Don't waste yor money on this unless you try it first. If you really love real orange blossoms, add a little French Lime Blossom to La Chasse aux Papillon. That gets you relatively close. Also Guerlain Flora Neroli with a spritz of Papillon is relatively close to the real thing.
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Blush -BeneFit Cosmetics - Dandelion
DianeL 5/31/2003 1:58:00 PM
I love Benefit packaging and their catalog, a really cute concept but most of their products are very mediocre in my opinion. I do love the brow wax and Benetint, so after the raves I decided to try this. The box is adorable, the brush is cute, although doesn't work too well(I used my regular brush) and the blush very nice. A color that almost anyone could use.I am fair, but not a ppp and have a golden skin tone. The shade of pink was perfect. Like a combination of Cargo Catalina and Nars Orgasm. One strange thing that I noticed was that when I first applied it it was really Barbie pink and I thought another Benefit disatrous makeup product, but after about 5 minutes the color toned down and seemed to take on a different shade that was about as close to a natural blush as you can get. I like it, probably would repurchase it.
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Candles -Tocca - Candle in Stella
DianeL 5/31/2003 1:44:00 PM
Stella is the slightly sweet, never bitter and always fresh scent of blood orange, widely recognized as one of the finest gifts of nature. With its origins coming from 17th century Sicily, the blood orange is harmonious with Tocca Beauty's philosophy of combining the best of old world traditions with modern influences. The above is Tocca's description of this candle. Grace(casablanca lily) still remains my favorite Tocca candle, but the new Stella is wonderful. It is more fruity, not floral and never overpowering. It is a very fresh, clean, slightly bitter orange fragrance and will fill a room with it's wonderful fragrance in minutes. I still prefer Diptyque Choisya because it smells exactly like oranges and orange blossoms, but Stella is my second favorite orange scented candle. Illuminations also makes an orange scented candle that is very nice and very affordable. Tocca's candles burn so perfectly. Never smoke, always burn evenly, packaging is gorgeous, great for a gift item too. Price is 42.00.
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Bath Treatments -Kneipp - Herbal Bath
DianeL 5/24/2003 11:34:00 AM
I have used these for a couple of years now after Mayra told me about the orange linden. It is still my favorite. They are wonderful aromatherapy bath products. I also like the one that smells like spearmint, the pine and lavender are nice too, but I prefer the others. I use half as much as it calls for because using a full cap was irritating to my skin due the essential oils. They scent the entire bathroom, love them. These make a great gift item also. Everyone I have ever given them to has raved about them.
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Moisturizers -DDF - DDF Dramatic Radiance TRF Cream
DianeL 5/24/2003 11:28:00 AM
This is my favorite day moisturizer other than La Mer. It is really very good. It comes in a pump bottle which is very pretty. It absorbs right away and has a light citrus smell. Dramatic Radiance makes my skin very soft, maybe even softer than La Mer. It doesn't give my skin the glow that La Mer does so I alternate between the two. I had no irritation at all from this which was a big plus because my skin can be very sensitive to creams. There is no sunscreen in this but I wear Laura Mercier tinted moisturizer instead of foundation, so I wear it right over this. I suppose this could be used as a night lotion, but I prefer a heavier one for night like Sisley Global Anti Aging or La Mer and this one for day. One of the best ones out there, give it a try. 95.00 at beauty.com or there is a seller on Ebay that sells DDF at 25% off.
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Treatments (Eye) -DDF - Nourishing Eye Cream
DianeL 5/24/2003 11:18:00 AM
This is a wonderful eye cream for the price. It is one of the few that I like to wear during the day that isn't too heavy. It absorbs fast and doesn't cause mascara to melt away. La Mer is the only other I have ever liked for day use. This really won't do much for dark circles or puffiness but it's very good if you just want to target dryness. The price is great around 35.00 so comared to others, a great value.
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Fragrances -Maitre Parfumeur et Gantier Perfumes - Jardin du Neroli
DianeL 5/19/2003 6:26:00 PM
MPG's newest fragrance Jardin du Neroli was eagerly anticipated and was a big let down. The notes are: bergamot, mint, sandalwood, and musk, neroli, jasmine, and verbena. I adore orange blossom but had a feeling I knew what this would smell like but it was even worse than I expected. There was none of the light, freshness of Papillon. It was bitter, acidic and smelled like sour fruit for the first hour. I was so tempted to wash it off. It is also, very strong and long lasting. After several hours the bitter citrus faded and it had a similarity to Lutens Oranger which is not a favorite of mine either. I can take a few drops of it layered with others. If you have ever smelled real orange blossoms, it is really hard to be pleased with all of these poor renditions of it. However, this one is really poor and at 130.00 a bottle, save your money if you are looking for a soft, floral orange blossom. If you like a strong, sharp citrus with a floral drydown, you may like this. It is not for me. Not one Gantier's better fragrances in my opinion.
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Fragrances -Diptyque - Jardin Clos
DianeL 5/19/2003 6:13:00 PM
Jardin Clos is Diptyque's newest fragrance. It contains the notes of hyacinth, white lilac, mimosa, water melon. One desription of it is a follows: Behind the mossy stones of the country vicarage, hundreds of Hyacinths, in a thick carpet of an amethyst hue, perfume the dewy dawn with their virginal fragrance. This was a huge disappointment from Diptyque. I had to actualy wash it off. It reminds me of Creed Spring Flowers which I can't stand either. Very floral, very strong, nothing unique. In fact it reminds me of a typical department store fragrance. However if you love Creed Spring Flowers or similar you may want to give this one a try.
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Candles -Tocca - Candle in Ydra
DianeL 4/24/2003 8:28:00 PM
The clean scent of Mediterranean fig blended with the refreshing aroma of cucumber reminds one of the bustling harbors and traditions of the picturesque Greek island of Ydra. This is the description from amenwardy.com where I buy many of my candles. It is $32.00. The only other fig candle that compares with this one is Votivo Morrocan fig. However, the Votivo has a burn problem as do many Votivos. Until is was almost half way burned, the wick required constant attention. It either smoked or went out on it's own. Toccas always burn perfectly and smoke free. If you love fig try this one. It is also similar to Diptyque's fig but Ydra has a lighter, fruity fragrance. This is my third favorite Tocca. Grace is my favorite. If you like casablanca lily, it is unsurpassed. My second favorite is Kyoto. If you like fruity figs fragrances, give this one a try.
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Candles -Tocca - Candle in Kyoto
DianeL 4/24/2003 8:03:00 PM
The ancient Buddhist temples of Kyoto, the cultural heart of Japan, are surrounded by fragrant Kinmokusei flowers. A delicate fruity-floral apricot aroma permeates from the plant's exquisite gold-orange petals. This is the description form amenwardy.com where I buy many of my candles. I really love this Tocca. It's my favorite after Grace which is just in a class of it's own. The above description fits it perfectly. It is an unusual fragrance and will scent a room for hours after it it snuffed. Tocca's always burn perfectly and never emit black soot. $32.00 but worth it.
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Candles -Tocca - Havana
DianeL 4/16/2003 2:43:00 PM
"Havana's constant salsa rhythm moves you as you enjoy the sweet yet spicey mix of Sugarcane and Rum. Let the excitement of this adventurous Caribbean city envelope your senses". This was the description for the site I order Tocca from. Save your money on this one. It smells plain, it will fill a room with scent, but in my opinion, it could be a big Yankee candle for a fraction ofthe cost, and I wouldn't know the difference. If you want a Tocca that's really worth the money, try Grace. Approximate burning time: 60 hours. 9.1 oz. $42.00
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Candles -Tocca - Candle in Cleopatra
DianeL 4/13/2003 10:25:00 PM
I am going to have to be the lone dissenter hee but I think Cleopatra is one Of Tocca's least impressive candles. A marine grapefuit fragrance that is very weak. I know a lot of you love this candle and maybe my nosejust can't detect much fragrance to it. I had to give it a one because of the lack of fragrance and the generic quality of the fragrance. A supermarket candle is more fragrance than Cleopatra. At 42.00 this one is waste of money IMO.
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Candles -Tocca - Candle in Grace
DianeL 4/13/2003 10:10:00 PM
I love Casablanca Lily. In fact it is one of the few lily fragrances I do like. The scent of this candle is so true to the flower and so incredibly beuatiful. The votive size will fill a room with the scent of lily without even being lit. This has to be one of right up there with the top 5 candles I have ever tried and I have tried so many it's embarrasing. This is my favrite Tocca candle. It burns fabulously and the scent lingers for hours even after it's snuffed out. If you have been wanting to try a Tocca but hesitated due to the price, this oneis worth the money.
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