Fragrances -Giorgio Beverly Hills - Giorgio
awesomeness2 2/20/2012 11:36:00 PM
OMG, I can not believe I am about to say this. Giorgio is wonderful & so much better than I remember her. She's pretty heavy on the white florals, but she's not girlie-girlie. She's a spry, yet refined, California woman with a backbone. I already own Giorgio Red and Giorgio Blue, both of which I wear frequently. I'm not sure why it took me so long to test the original again. OK, maybe not-so-original, but the not-so-new formulation by P&G Prestige Beaute. (Now the GBH brand is owned by Elizabeth Arden.) However, I do remember the intensity & sillage of the original, & the P&G version is a WHIMPER in comparison.
3 out of 4 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Chloe - Love, Chloé
awesomeness2 2/18/2012 11:07:00 PM
This is quite lovely, lady-like and sophisticated without being a floral-bomb. It's a beautiful, powdery floral fragrance, that comes off as a rose although it does not contain rose in the listed notes. I especially like the lotion and just wish I could find more of it at a good price. Love Chloe is simultaneously classic and contemporary. It's an ageless fragrance that could stretch from age 20 to 60 with ease. Highly recommend sampling for rose fans and powder & soaps lovers.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Unlisted Brand - Renee Snow Peach
awesomeness2 2/16/2012 4:08:00 PM
Snowpeach is a pleasant fruity-floral, but it's an unremarkable scent. Overall, it's a bit too synthetic for my taste and reminds me of L lamb by Gwen Stefani. I did a side-by-side with Fresh Sake, since both fragrances play on the same playground. There's no doubt about it - Fresh Sake is more wearable and better quality than Renee Snowpeach. At this price point, I expect much more. Lovers of peach fragrances can safely pass on this scent.
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Blush -BeneFit Cosmetics - Sugarbomb
awesomeness2 1/29/2012 10:05:00 AM
Sugarbomb is da bomb! This is one of the few Benefit products that I really like, and I'm on my second tin. The included brush is very good. This is one of the few products in which I don't use my own brush. The colors are neutral, even the coral-orange color, which I usually avoid with application. I usually keep my cheeks very soft & light, and go with a bit more drama on the lips & eyes. Sugarbomb allows me to do this, and I really don't have to think much about color - it's all there and it always seems to work. Regardless, like most Benefit products, there is too much packaging - more packaging than product. The make-up pan itself is thin with a false bottom. I was disappointed when I quickly got to the bottom and realized it really wasn't the bottom. Leaves the impression that Benefit is more about marketing than product.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Ormonde Jayne - Ormonde Woman parfum
awesomeness2 12/29/2011 10:45:00 AM
Based on all the reviews here and elsewhere, I thought OW would be right up my alley ... it's not. For me, OW is irritating to wear. I am sensitive to some formulations of jasmine, and OW *might* contain one of them. But I think the real problem here is grass oil, and I am allergic to grass. The spices aren't helping any - only compounding the problem. OW smells wonderful, unique, unisex, but I can't wear it. My ears are aching & my skin is itching. Urgh!!!! If you're like me, and you're sensitive and/or allergic to some things, definitely try this one before you buy this one! * Sampled from 10ml travel purse spray EdP
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Fragrances -Unlisted Brand - Roberto Cavalli Oro EdP
awesomeness2 12/11/2011 11:08:00 AM
Oro is a wonderfully warm, well-composed & classic-style oriental, although not very spicy in my book. Strong & long-lasting without any cloying jasmine!! Sweet but at an adult level, not a juvenile confection! There is something a bit astringent (cedar?) to my nose, and I wish there was more vanilla for my taste. Also, the magnolia note in this is a bit plasticky (or, is it the amber that is plasticky?), but not as dominant, as in other Roucel-composed fragrances such as L'Instant. Actually, Oro smells alot like L'Instant ... but I digress. In the summer, Oro is good but not great. In the summer, the cedar in the heart just didn't play nice on my skin. However, in the depths of winter, it is outstanding & gorgeous. Overall, Oro is best in cooler weather - Fall & Winter. The bottle is tall, slender & fragile - not a bottle that I'd keep in a bathroom with marble or tile. The plastic snake on the neck of the bottle is the height of campy tack. I do like Oro, and I have been tempted multiple times with insanely low prices at Marshalls. However, thinking about the possibility of another broken bottle that's partly due to an instable design was enough to push my purchase decision from "maybe" to "no way."
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Liz Claiborne - Spark
awesomeness2 11/26/2011 6:06:00 PM
Spark? What Spark? I was expecting much more excitement & electricity out of a perfume called Spark. Instead, I got something that is appropriate for grocery shopping & baking. Ho hum. I like the cinnamon in this, but it is a very mild mannered, close to the skin fragrance that doesn't last long. Spark's first spray is all alcohol, very cheap smelling, like dime store cologne. Then cinnamon - a flicker of spunk on top. After that, a mellow cinnamon, not perky or sharp. Spark is dark, and it develops an incense quality on me. It's not at all sweet, relative to current frags. Overall, Spark is nice, mild & understated but synthetic. Not long lasting, imo. Wears close to the skin. Spark has been compared to CK Obsession and Givenchy Organza Indecence. Maybe in the parfum version, but certainly not in EDP imo. Not at all. I picked up a mini EDP. I was very close to blind buying the 1/2 oz parfum at $30. So glad that I didn't.
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Fragrances -Gianfranco Ferre - Essence d'eau Gianfranco Ferre eau de parfum 
awesomeness2 11/26/2011 5:45:00 PM
Essence d'eau is one of those little known beauties with a price tag that defies its quality. Signature scent worthy for the right wearer, Essence is an alternative to the overdone & highly recognizable celeb sugars du jour. Essence d'eau is a modern, warm, & creamy oriental, with an emphasis on floral, especially on the top. The orange blossom & jasmine open for me straight away - I don't catch fruit. The drydown is gorgeous, sweet & very sensual. Essence is very strong & somewhat heavy early on, but not very long lasting, imo. For me personally, Essence is a bit heavy on the jasmine (my skin amplifies jasmine) & bit tilted toward the feminine factor. It's SO not my thing, but it is SO beautiful and I DO appreciate it. It's perfect for date nights, which is why I have a bottle. The bottle is a phallic, down to the plastic top. (Seriously, you've gotta see the top, looking down upon it. It's also phallic.) In addition, my bottle leaks a little, which ironically seems appropriate. The box - really lovely, covered in fabric (?) & simply beautiful. Overall, the quality of the product & package defies its price . But the name? Essence of water? Water reduced to its essential character? It's far too sensual & sexy to be water. Both the juice and the falcon defy its name. This is a beautiful, sensual sweet fragrance that's only missing one thing ... a battery.
2 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Elizabeth Arden - Mariah Carey - 'M' 
awesomeness2 11/26/2011 5:41:00 PM
OVER-HYPED & OVER-PRICED M opens like sweet & sugary rice straight away. I so wanted to experience that sea water. Sadly, nada - no salt water taffy for me, just sugary rice. However, as a sugary scent, M is more well-rounded than many others that I've tried recently. I think it's the patch ... and the mystery rice. Unfortunately, M is not long lasting & has no projection. I'm at hour 3 after 6-8 sprays. My DH can only catch a whiff by nuzzling my neck, which he says smells like candy. The only thing more spent than M on me is my sample vial of EDP, which is now empty. M is certainly pretty enough, and I can see how it has appeal. Yet to me, M is no different than any other celeb sugary scent du jour. With Love, Halle, Fantasy, Fancy, etc. -- Pick one of these, they last longer.
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Fragrances -Gres - Cabotine
awesomeness2 11/26/2011 5:36:00 PM
Cabotine is pleasant enough to sniff on paper. However, some people can wear this, others can't. I'm in the latter group. To my palate & chemistry, this is a floral stinkbomb ... in a bad way. The bottle is even worse. Thankfully it was a super-cheap buy from the clearance bin at Marshall's. NOTES - blackcurrant, pear, plum, coriander, rose, tuberose, ylang-ylang, ginger lily, hyacinth, heliotrop, fresia, violet, iris, cedar, vanilla, tonka bean, cybet, musk and amber.
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Fragrances -Fresh - Lemon Sugar
awesomeness2 11/1/2011 11:12:00 PM
RockMom66 says Lemon Sugar reminds her of "Squirt," and I have to agree. It's a very apt description of this scent. Lemon Sugar is sweet, sugary, lemony & bright. Lemon Sugar was a blind buy and I'm glad I did so. I have been looking for a fragrance like this for a long time. I tried a number of Demeter fragrances (lemonade, ginger ale), plus a few classics (Roger & Gallett), and I despised each & every one. The Fresh fragrances are much better quality & more wearable. Lemon Sugar was my first Fresh purchase and Sake my second. I will definitely look more carefully at the house of Fresh.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Narciso Rodriguez - Narciso Rodriguez for her EDP
awesomeness2 11/1/2011 10:26:00 PM
NARCISO RODRIGUEZ FOR HER (NRFR) is a floral woody musk. I understand the comparisons to SJP LOVELY, but MRFR and LOVELY are quite different fragrances. NRFR is muskier & sweeter with a very noticeable vetiver note and white floral accord (orange blossom). LOVELY is more woody, softer, cleaner, powdery and easier to wear, imo. NRFR tends to the femme side, LOVELY leans a tad to the masculine. Both are quite good, but I prefer LOVELY. NRFH can simply be too sweet due to the orange blossom.
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Fragrances -Christian Dior - Christian Dior-Dune EDP
awesomeness2 11/1/2011 3:37:00 PM
This review is for the parfum, which can be found in mini bottles. I tried Dune long ago in EdP and despised it. I found it odd, cold, and too heavy on the white florals. On a whim, I purchase a mini in parfum on the cheap on ebay. What a difference formulation makes! Although I clearly sense the white florals, lily in particular, it does not dominate as much. Dune does not seem as cold as it once did, yet it still seems odd. Dune seems about right for a warm autumn day. It's unusual and high quality, yes. Yet it doesn't seem very affable, lovable. It seems distant and aloof. Dune's an odd one, it is.
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Fragrances -Nina Ricci - L'Air du Temps
awesomeness2 10/27/2011 9:57:00 PM
L'Air du Temps is a soapy floral like hundreds of others out there, such as Je Reviens. The only thing that makes this any bit interesting is the carnation, which I enjoy but comes off as old-fashioned. If L'Air du Temps was powdery rather than soapy, dark rather than bright, it would be outstanding. But as it is, it's just L'Air du Temps. Meh.
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Fragrances -Unlisted Brand - Aroma M Geisha Noire
awesomeness2 10/27/2011 9:51:00 PM
At the opening, it immediately reminded me of Youth Dew. However it tames quickly into a dark vanilla-ish, woody amber. It's OK and not without interest. However, at this price-point, I was expecting outstanding. ($44 for 1/4 ounce of oil)
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