Fragrances -Guerlain - Nahema
suzi2qs 5/15/2010 11:51:00 PM
Good God this was a total disaster on me. My skin turns this into overly sweet flowers rotting in vinegar. Cloying and rancidly sweet, positively stomach turning with an instant headache thrown in for good measure. I am not a fan of florals, though I generally can do rose. Not this one. There is a very bad jasmine fairy in this somewhere and its wants me to gag. I have not had much success with Guerlains, in fact of their many offerings there are only 2 I can wear. This falls in with the many I cannot. Thankfully, I tested from a friend's full bottle (it smells decent on her BTW) rather than investing in a decant. The 30 minute ride home from her house was nothing short of torture.
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Fragrances -Serge Lutens - Muscs Koublai Khan
suzi2qs 5/15/2010 10:08:00 PM
I am not so surprised by the negative reviews here. This is a very compelling scent and some may find it very "skanky" or animalic, in a way I do too. However this is the best musky scent I have ever tried and well worth the lofty price. For me, this fragrance is a man (and chick) magnet, I have gotten more compliments on this than any other fragrance I have worn (barring Obsession which for some reason smells particularly good on me). It is seductive and it pleases me to wear it. Would I wear this to work? On a date? To church? Staff meeting? You bet I would. This is very sexy in an "in your face" way. I can handle that. Spray it on and spray it on some more, I love this. If it repells others I couldn't care less. This in no way smells like poo, or BO, or anything overtly nasty on me. Take into consideration that I tend to go for strange, over-the-top, often disliked fragrances. This is a Holy Grail scent for this lioness.
9 out of 9 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Guerlain - Spiritueuse Double Vanille
suzi2qs 5/12/2010 10:13:00 PM
Ah. Guerlain, you either love or hate me. So much that you have only allowed 2 of your offerings a fixed spot on my dresser. Iris Ganache is one, SDV the other. But these compensate for the prior disasters like Shalimar and Jicky. Being a lady in love with sillage, SDV has woo'd me. It is boozy, yes, top shelf boozy. The vanilla is sharp and dark, gourmand yet not cloying or run of the mill like so many vanillas out there. There is a tickle in there, undefined, but no less present. The mention from prior reviewers of vanilla extract is not unsubstantiated, however, I love the smell of extract. It is pure, slightly bitter and mixed with the right ingredients, a dish to be savored. And savor I do, every time I wear it I know I smell great, it make me the dish. This scent did not have me at first sniff, yet my nose ached for it. My body chemistry clicks right into place with SDV. Sweetness is really not my thing, but I am hooked. One cannot wear Muscs Koublai Khan every day of her life now can she? My animalics say "I'm ready, let's go" while SDV says "You wish you could have me, but I'm ever so slightly out of your reach, your gonna have to work". Bravo Guerlain, you made one that loves me. Wish you weren't such a damned expensive date.
5 out of 6 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Guerlain - Bois d Armenie
suzi2qs 5/4/2010 10:13:00 PM
This is a very thoughful fragrance from Guerlain, very pricey too. I love incense/smoke notes in my perfumes but this one just did not do it for me. It is a very restrained composition, unmistakeably Guerlain in all ways but for the sillage and lasting power. The lovely waft of sweet incense disappears on my skin within 15 minutes even after 8 generous spritzes. If this were kicked up to have more oomph I would have bought a full bottle for certain. Classic and beautiful as it is, it would be a profound waste of money for me. What's the point of making a great scent that doesn't stick around. Guerlain dropped the ball on this one.
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Fragrances -Caron - Yatagan
suzi2qs 4/29/2010 9:34:00 PM
This one slaps you in the face....hard. It is considered a classic and truly, I have never smelled anything like it. The official notes I found are as follows: Top Notes Lavender, Wormwood, Petitgrain, Artemisia. Middle Notes Geranium, Pine Needles, Vetiver, Patchouli. Base Notes Leather, Castoreum, Styrax. My first impression was "EEEEEYOOO" Celery! Vegetable stock! Then after that, marijuana. Like I had just walked into a Bowie concert at MSG in the 70's. Thought, Jeez, if I get pulled over for a traffic violation wearing this, the police will toss my car for sure. I scrubbed and put it on my dresser and tried to pretend it wasn't there. No big loss, 20 something dollars for a huge bottle. But, it called for me to try it again and I found it was not such a monster. I honestly am not getting any of the above stated notes, but it has a rather insence-like air about it, a little skank thrown in for good measure (probably the Castoreum). It dries down to a more mellow, smokiness on my skin, challenging at first, but worth the wait. As mentioned by a prior reviewer, a bit reminiscent of a cult like ceremony. On clothes however, this remains, pure, sticky, unsmoked marijuana. I will wear this, yes, probably would not need to purchase again because the bottle I have is huge and little is needed. But if I ran out, I would pick up another bottle. I will apply to my skin and make sure it is dry before dressing. Would wear it to the office only on a day when I was feeling arrogant and bitchy, it would be a good fit. Probably will scare the guys something awful, the way Elvira would, they would run away from her, still want to boink her, but stay clear for fear of being overwhelmed, out performed and dragged by the hair to hell. I would recommend trying this just for the perverse experience. Like an over the top haunted hayride on Halloween, you gotta do it once.
6 out of 6 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Chanel - Sycomore
suzi2qs 4/22/2010 9:38:00 PM
Sycomore is a soft, woody vetiver which I really do like. It is green and uplifting, a very thoughtful scent. However, I have known Serge Lutens Vetiver Oriental and find this to be a far more complex, longer lasting scent. Sycomore is similar to VO only in that it is a smoky rendition of vetiver, it is softer, more approachable and lasts all of ten minutes on my perfume sucking skin. For the money, I want to smell and be smelled, gotta go the the Serge. It is still a very nice scent; if you like vetiver and your skin doesn't devour perfume as mine does, this could be the one. Worth a sample.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Frederic Malle - French Lover
suzi2qs 4/19/2010 2:33:00 PM
This is the second Malle Fragrance I have sampled, I have several to go and hope they will fare better than the first two. I just don’t get any of the notes mentioned on the website or by prior reviewers. This smells like grass and celery on me, this is during the first few minutes after application. No woods, no raunch, just crisp green celery. I waited for the drydown but it never happened. After 10 minutes all evidence that I had applied a fragrance was gone, even with my nose pressed to my wrist. Believe me, when I apply fragrance, I do it with a heavy hand: wrists, arms, ankles, behind the ears, between the girls, hair and even on my abdomen. After all of that, nothing. This has no lasting power and zero sillage and that makes it a zero for me.
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Fragrances -Montale - Patchouli Leaves
suzi2qs 4/18/2010 5:30:00 PM
Sampling this today which is a Sunday, I have done my normal cooking, cleaning and working out and throughout the day I get wafts of this lovely scent. I am nice and sweaty and still can sense this on my skin. It is a wonderful Patchouli, a little bit of sweetness and a distinct note of fresh, rich soil, dirt to be more simplistic, but rich dirt. This is earthy but I would not hesitate to wear it all year long. I layered some Gucci by Gucci over it toward the end of the day and wow! Nice combo. I think this would be a great layering scent. It has pretty good lasting power and soft sillage, generally I like sillage monsters because I love smells. Considering a full bottle purchase as Patch is one of my favorite notes. I you like Patch too, you will probably enjoy this. As with all scent purchases, I would recommend sampling first.
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Fragrances -Guerlain - Gourmand Coquin
suzi2qs 4/17/2010 10:30:00 PM
Instant seduction for me. It reminds me of those frothy, sweet cocktails that taste so much like decadant milkshakes you don't realize until the 4th round that you are completely intoxicated. This is boozy ice cream but with complexity, as a little spice and rose are thrown in. The peppercorn note keeps it from being too sweet and there is something earthy about it too. Just got a sample today and wow, I have never jumped onto the internet so quickly to buy a full bottle of a new sample. My husband says I smell good enough to eat and I feel impossibly edible! Since I work in a male dominated field, I guess I better think twice about spritzing this on before hopping in a car with 3 fellow agents to field work because for a gourmand, this is very sexy. This is liquid Lolita comehitherness (is that a word?) I'm loving it.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Palettes -Chantecaille - Syvlie Personal Palette (2009)
suzi2qs 2/28/2010 2:05:00 PM
This is my 2nd Chantecaille Palette, my first was the Bengali Palette from last year. Chantecaille makes beautiful eyeshadows and blushes. I can't speak for their other products because I generally buy Chanel and L'Oreal Lipsticks, mascaras and foundations. I use both of the palettes often, the colors are basic, blend well and would likely compliment any skin tone. This palette has 3 eyeshadows and a blush. Perfect for travel. Good quality, thumbs up on all accounts.
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Fragrances -Guerlain - Iris Ganache
suzi2qs 2/28/2010 12:08:00 AM
I received this lovely fragrance from my Mum. She is terminally ill with cancer and thought a small spree on NM would make her feel better. After adding her caftans to her bag, she asked if I wanted anything. I laughed, told her sure, but I didn't want to be a knucklehead and tell her anything specific. She said she knew I wanted Guerlain Iris Ganache, so she got me a FB of this gem. I had bought a sample a few months back and hated it. Yes, hated as in gag, choke, puke. But for some reason, I kept using the sample. Could not understand why I was drawn to a scent I did not like, then it hit me, I am so used to wearing dark, woody, tobacco based frags that I was not admitting to the fact that I really like this. Sweet is not my thing and this juice is sweet, make no mistake. My first impression was believe it or not, pure grape soda. Being so unused to the sweeter frags, I could not pick up any of the notes listed. After using the sample so many times and now having a FB, I can!! I do get chocolate, I can smell the iris, I can even detect the slightest bit of spice!! And of course some patch, I love patch, always have. This goes through many stages of drydown and has great sillage. The longer I have it on, the better it smells. The packaging is really beautiful as it should be for the lofty price tag. The bottle is pretty big and should last me for a very long time. I will always love this.
6 out of 6 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Moisturizers -La Mer - Creme de la mer moisturizer
suzi2qs 2/27/2010 4:29:00 PM
First off let me say, I have considered buying this for a few years now. Many mixed reviews here but I finally caved. I don't think anyone under the age of 45 would reap the benefits I am getting from La Mer unless she/he has excessively dry skin. It is a very rich product and up until now I know this would have clogged the sh*t out of my pores. I must say, this is doing some pretty amazing things for my skin. It is plumped, soft and looks juicy. My dear mother is bedridden and it has been a blessing for her bed sores, nothing else really helped. It is pricey but so little is needed for an application I believe the 1 oz. jar will last me well into the summer. I really don't know what to think of the "miracle broth" concept, the only miracle my face knows is Restylane. However this makes my skin look great. Don't know why, the ingredients seem rather simple, but hey, it works.
5 out of 5 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Molinard - Habanita
suzi2qs 2/21/2010 8:32:00 PM
This is the least expensive fragrance I have purchased in years, hence, I was not expecting much as I bought it unsniffed. Damn! This is one hot number, to be worn by a ballsy bitch who knows her worth and doesn't care if her sillage knocks innocent people to the ground. The brave one will follow her to her bedroom door where she may or may not slam it so hard in his face he departs with a broken nose. I love tobacco scents and this has a tobacco feeling, but a bit more complicated. There is peach and there is rose, neither note I would seek out in a perfume. As a rule, I don't do florals (there are a few exceptions) and fresh and fruity isn't me either. I like my perfume to be down and dirty, almost screaming "lets get it on!" This is Habanita. The powdery drydown seems to cling to all of the individual notes and the lasting power & sillage are epic. Never knew this juice existed until venturing on to the fragrance board. Ladies: Thank you. I shall wear this to work on days when I am at my most arrogent.
20 out of 22 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Frederic Malle - Vetiver Extraordinaire
suzi2qs 2/21/2010 2:03:00 AM
This opens with a green but dry woody blast. A very non-offensive, pure wood, maybe smouldering because it was not quite dry enough yet for the fireplace. The drydown is smoky, almost like embers from a dying campfire. No sweet notes, no cloying notes, just smoky wood with the slightest bit of skank, again, non-offensive. This is a great presentation of vetiver. Sadly, the staying power is minimal and the sillage non-existant. Enjoyed wearing my decant, but would not purchase a full bottle.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Serge Lutens - Arabie
suzi2qs 2/13/2010 10:03:00 PM
Wow, this is a very spiced potion. As the notes have been mentioned in previous reviews, I won't go through them again. This is a very thoughtful fragrance as are most from Serge. I can't wear this. The top is pure cumin on my skin, drying down to a very strong, medicinal cloud that just won't quit. Rather like a muscle rub. Not what I want to smell like. I must have odd body chemistry because this seems well loved by many. As with any high $$ scent, test before investing.
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