Fragrances -Elizabeth Arden - Britney Spears Believe
MalibuMands 12/16/2007 3:03:00 PM
BELIEVE opens with a sweetly, fruity burst of guava pulp and tangerine. Sweet, but not sickly sweet. It’s not as overpowering in it’s sweetness as FANTASY, IN CONTROL or MIDNIGHT FANTASY. It’s the middle notes of honeysuckle and linden blossom that make BELIEVE stand out from the current tidal wave of ‘sweet shop’ fragrances that have been cropping up with alarming frequency. The middle notes lend a ‘grown up’ feel, as the sweetness in the scent calms down. The base notes of patchouli, amber and pink pralines lend comforting warmth, minus the sugar rush I was expecting. While BELIEVE may just be the latest in a long line of sweet fruity/floral, it knows where to draw the line between pleasantly ‘come closer’ sweet and ‘child’s first perfume’ syrupy sensory overload. BELIEVE is Britney’s most wearable fragrance that grown women can easily wear without embarrassment.
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Scrubs -Unlisted Brand - Soap and Glory - Flake Away
MalibuMands 11/25/2007 11:50:00 AM
I usually skip body scrubs as I have dry & sensitive skin, but I’ve just bought the ‘Travel Agent’ gift set so I’ve given it a go. It’s non-drying, non-irritating & it smells divine thanks to the ingredients including shea butter, peach seed & sugar. My skin is silky & smooth. I’m buying more of this pronto!!
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Fragrances -Elizabeth Arden - With Love by Hilary Duff
MalibuMands 11/23/2007 5:50:00 AM
I’d been avoiding this because I thought I was getting too old for these tween celebrities releasing fragrances. I don’t mean to sound snobbish, but queuing up to buy something by Hilary Duff? No, thank you. I just couldn’t resist it in the end though. I’m very pleased to say I was wrong. At first spay there is a pleasantly sweet fruit/floral top note of mangosteen fruit, mangosteen blossom & vanilla. Don’t be put of by this, admittedly these top notes doesn’t help peoples first opinions that WITH LOVE is a ‘younger’ scent. It’s the middle notes of exotic spices, chai latte, balsam, incense and wonderfully ‘creamy’ amber milk that make WITH LOVE stand out from the crowd. I’m not sure how to describe the effect other then ‘warm’. The spices & incense aren’t too heavy, but lend a wonderful scene of sophistication. Not something I expected!! The base of cocobolo wood and amber musk blends nicely with the middle notes, so the transition is very subtle. What can I say? I was really surprised by the depth of WITH LOVE, and think it should be marketed for people out of their teens. It’s perfect for any time of the year, and for everyday wear, and evening or special occasions.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lip Treatments -Soap and Glory - Sexy Motherpucker Lip Gloss
MalibuMands 11/22/2007 3:46:00 AM
Browsing in my local Boots, I did a double take after misreading the cheeky name of this product. I had to buy one, the name and packaging was begging me to empty out my wallet. Once I’d gotten home, I released I’d picked up an orangey gloss instead of the reddish one I’d wanted, but I couldn’t resist opening it & trying it out anyway. I’m glad I did! PERFECT PEACH looks intimidating & unwearable light orange in the tube, but fortunately it goes on naturally pink, with a slight peachy sheen. As the gloss is thick it’s long lasting & won’t ‘bleed’ outside your lip line. The gloss is scented with a lovely chocolate orange. But the main interest in this gloss is its plumping power. The gloss works in the same way as LipFusion (collagen micro spheres in the lip gloss are instantly absorbed by the lips, and seek out the body's natural moisture. They then hold onto the moisture they've collected, creating a mild "swelling" of the lip tissue), so there is no irritation and stinging. Instead the formula ‘fizzes’ like a Coke would. This fizzing effect isn’t instant; it will take a few minutes. YES, I did notice a difference after use. The fine lines in my lips were smoother & my lips did seem fuller then usual & I definitely felt pouty!! I will be sure to try out some of the other available colours. The price is roughly the same as Lip Venom & Lip Injection, but the results were much more noticeable.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Paris Hilton - Can Can
MalibuMands 11/14/2007 5:22:00 AM
Described as being a blend of clementine, cassis, nectarine, black current, orchid, orange blossom, soft musk, wood and amber. CAN CAN is a very light & sweet fragrance, but the sweetness is made more adult and sexier by being close to the skin; it whispers 'come closer'. The lasting power is good (although close to the skin), the price is very reasonable and I like the simple clear up-turned light bulb shaped bottle and clear juice. ** If you decide to test it in the store, apply it to your skin, rather then a strip. On the strip it smells like a PINK SUGAR clone. On skin you’ll be able to detect the subtle floral notes.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Paris Hilton - Just Me By Paris Hilton
MalibuMands 11/12/2007 2:10:00 PM
JUST ME is very easy to wear. It's not too sweet, not too fruity & it's not too floral - all of the notes are blended very well. It just is. Scent wise; the strongest note for me is the pink peppercorn - sharp & tangy. It contrasts nicely with the floral notes of lily, iris, rose & violet, so neither individual note overpowers me. The woody base wasn't very noticable to me. Overall `Just Me' can be worn anywhere during the day; work, shopping or lunch. For evening wear look elsewhere; 'Just Me' is a bit too casual. Scent notes: Raspberries, Bergamont, Pink Peppercorn, Violet, Lily of the Valley, Iris, Freesia Petals, White Rose, Climbing Ylang Ylang, Tahitian Vanilla, Egyptian Sandalwood, Multifaceted Skin Musk and Blonde Woods Accord.
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Fragrances -J. Lo - Live
MalibuMands 10/25/2007 7:54:00 AM
LIVE is the third permanent entry in Jennifer Lopez’s fragrance wardrobe. LIVE is fruity-floral, and is a more traditional celebrity fragrance. - - - - - - - - - - The fragrance - - - - - - - - - - Notes of lemon and orange give LIVE a refreshing and energetic burst that lives' up to the scent's name. Pineapple and redcurrant are combined with the citrus notes to prevent LIVE from being tart. The middle notes of spicy violet and peony do little to distract from the fruit notes. The violet is indeed spicy, giving the senses a kick. The fragrance is prevented from being to sickly by these subtle notes. The base of musk and sandalwood is hard for me to separate from the faint floral notes. A very good job on the selection on the base. - - - - - - - - The bottle - - - - - - - - Once again the designers have given a classic shape a modern edge. The bottle has a raised lattice pattern and is stained purple, green and yellow. - - - - - - - - My opinion - - - - - - - - I think LIVE is perfect for spring/summer. Thanks to the spicy, floral notes you can carry this fragrance through autumn/winter if you are fond of citrus centred fragrances. * I personally think that LIVE's flanker fragrances Live Luxe and Live Platinum are both better fragrances and are both easier to wear. If you like this then you'll love them.
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Fragrances -J. Lo - Still
MalibuMands 10/24/2007 9:16:00 AM
- - - - - - - - - - - The Fragrance - - - - - - - - - - - STILL was targeted at the older woman, but due to the 'celeb' tag the intended audience passed it over & the younger generation zeroed in on it. The problem was that the younger customer didn't always appreciate STILL's qualities. The main note here is Earl Grey. Not something I'd normally go for, but is it invigorating & clean. The white pepper, combined with the sake notes is nice & sharp, different but intriguing. To prevent STILL from being sour & bitter soft floral notes of freesia, honeysuckle, orange flower, rose & mild jasmine are combined in the middle notes. The sandalwood base naturally blends with all of the other notes & is subtle. - - - - - - - - The bottle - - - - - - - - While the bottle itself is simple and classic, they've 'blinged' it up by giving the glass a fascasted look, like cut diamonds. The ring arround the neck is removable and can be worn as jewellery. - - - - - - - - My opinion - - - - - - - - I personally found STILL to be stronger then Jennifer Lopez's other fragrances & would recommend it for the autumn/winter months, or for evening in the spring/summer. A lovely alternative to today's usual fragrance market that I've not come across before or since. - - - - - - Price - - - - - - STILL has been discontinued, but a few high street and online retailers still stock it in 50ml bottles for under £20.
5 out of 5 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Elizabeth Arden - Curious by Britney Spears
MalibuMands 10/23/2007 7:51:00 AM
I was very surprised by CURIOUS. I usually dislike white florals; they just don’t work with my body chemistry. But CURIOUS has a sweet/sour combination that will keep me coming back for more. The top notes give a sharp, tangy first impression on me. After 10 minutes or so the floral heart of CURIOUS develops. I’d describe the heart as being ultra-feminine, not particularly sweet. The dreamy vanilla infused base calms the florals down as is lovely and delicate. I just love the transparent blue bottle. It has a diamante detailed, pink heart charm hanging from the neck, and while the 30ml and 50ml bottles have a regular spray nozzle, the 100ml bottle has an old fashioned atomizer. It looks so lovely on my dressing table. There are nearly always offers on CURIOUS in the shops, so you won’t have to part with a lot of cash. Always a bonus On the minus side: CURIOUS is heavy in warmer weather, so spray lightly. Plus, being such a popular fragrance (650 million bottles sold so far), I regularly smell it on other people. This doesn’t bother me, but it may put some people off. Scent notes: Magnolia, pear, lotus, tuberose, cyclamen, jasmine, sandalwood, musk, white woods and vanilla.
3 out of 4 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Tommy Hilfiger - Stunning by Katie Price
MalibuMands 9/26/2007 4:25:00 PM
STUNNING opened nicely; I love the long top note of mandarin. It didn’t smell plastic at all, just juicy and freshly sweet. Sadly it just went downhill from there. I love strawberry and violets, but couldn’t detect them thanks to the overwhelming jasmine note… and when the dreaded (cue scary music) patchouli note mingles with the jasmine my stomach turned. Overall I found STUNNING to be a flatter version of Miss Dior Cherie. I thought the bottle and pink juice – although gaudy – were fun and cute. The staying power is very impressive for the reasonable price. However; I really, really hate the name. Call me snobbish, but I'd really hate to have anything about me referred to as stunning... Scent notes; Mandarin, strawberry, violet, bergamot, jasmine, patchouli and vanilla.
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Fragrances -Elizabeth Arden - Mariah Carey - 'M'
MalibuMands 9/24/2007 2:37:00 PM
- - - - - - - - - - - The fragrance - - - - - - - - - - - The opening notes of marshmallow and sea breeze accord sounds like a total mis-match, but the sweetness and the slight saltyness work really well together, bringing back childhood memories of autumn holiday's by the sea, walking along near the fairs. The marshmallow notes are strong and it lasts well into the heart notes, where it mixes with the equally sweet tiare flower. The base is still slightly sweet, which must be the amber. The sweetness really warms up the spiciness of the incense, helping it to burn down slowly. - - - - - - - - - - Scent notes - - - - - - - - - - Marshmallow, fresh sea accord, Tiare flower, gardenia, amber, patchouli, Morocco incense. - - - - - - - - - The bottle - - - - - - - - - It's a Mariah Carey release, so it's of no surprise to see the butterfly shaped cap to the purple bottle. The pattern is actually burnt into the bottle, so it is very easy to grip and spray.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Blush -BeneFit Cosmetics - Dandelion
MalibuMands 9/10/2007 4:11:00 PM
I have very pale skin which often looks dull, yet finding a blusher which looked natural was hard. My search is over. DANDELION is my number 1 choice; it's so natural & is so easy to apply. I'm quite heavy handed first thing in the morning, yet DANDELION never looks artificial. I have no complaints about this product. A+
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Blush -BeneFit Cosmetics - Georgia ] ] [DISCONTINUED]
MalibuMands 9/10/2007 4:10:00 PM
I have very pale skin which often looks dull, but using a bronzer is out of the question as it just looks `fake'. For the autumn and winter I use DANDELION as a pick-me-up, but in the spring and summer I reach for GEORGIA. It gives you a sun kissed look that perks up the skin and looks 100% natural. And it has a lovely peach scent!!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Mascara -Christian Dior - Diorshow Mascara
MalibuMands 9/10/2007 4:07:00 PM
Well I've heard other people hype this up to heaven but remained somewhat sceptical. Thick, full lashes with one sweep? Are they for real? Yes is the short answer. One coat of this DIOR SHOW mascara is all you need for dramatic volume and length. As for two coats - whoa! The full on fake lashes effect takes hold for nights out. On the minus side; it is hard to remove, and the clogs up rather quickly (1 month). I love the results, but I wouldn't re-buy this; for the price I expect this mascara to last for longer.
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Blush -Givenchy - Prisme Again Blush in 01 Timid Rose
MalibuMands 9/10/2007 4:01:00 PM
Having very pale skin & a heavy hand I find blush a challenge to get right. I often end up looking like a reject from the Rocky Horror Picture Show. But a friend introduced me to Givenchy's Prisme range. I love it all! My sensitive, dry skin isn't irritated & the colours look so natural. Simply sweep the provided brush over all 4 colours, blow the excess blush off & sweep over the apples of your cheeks. You can use 1 or 2 colours mixed together for a more highlighting effect. I’ve also used the individual colour blocks as eyeshadow.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No