Fragrances -Donna Karan - Cashmere Mist
Nilo 8/6/2010 1:56:00 AM
Oh Cashmere Mist, how did you fall out of my rotation? Somehow my head was turned by all those sweeter and flashier gourmand scents in recent years and I neglected you shamefully. But as I wandered through Sephora last month, there you were, and in EDP??? Suddenly, my gourmand-phase seemed cheap, trite and overblown. I was tired of smelling like everyone else around. And you, Cashmere Mist, welcomed me back with open arms. Seriously, I am so happy right now, basking in my rediscovered Cashmere Mist adoration. I used to wear Cashmere Mist, for years, back in the mid-1990s - when it first came out. Then I moved into a much sweeter phase and have been wearing primarily Angel, Insolence, and L de Lolita in recent years. I still love those scents, but they are very strong and somewhat cloying (particularly the Angel). Cashmere Mist is not at all this way. Cashmere Mist does not announce its presence; rather, it says, "Come closer". It does have a vanilla component to it, but it's not at all a gourmand scent. It does have jasmine and lily of the valley in it, but it's not a floral scent. It does have sandalwood in it, but it's not a woody scent - even though Sephora has it listed as a "Dry Woods" scent. Most reviews have mentioned a powdery impression from it - and that's my memory of it too. I'm not getting that from it now, though. However, I'm wearing the EDP now and not the EDT, so I'm wondering if maybe that is the difference? Another difference is definitely the addition (at least to me in the several years since I stopped wearing the scent) of the deodorant. The deodorant is amazing and helps greatly with the layering of the scent. A few spritzes on my pulse points in the morning, a few swipes of the deodorant and I'm good to go all day; but I usually apply a bit more on my wrists at night, simply because I love to cuddle into the scent as I drift off to sleep at night. I feel wrapped in the fragrance all day, but because the scent itself is subtle, it's a lovely, light cloud in which to be enveloped. I love the fact that the fragrance is perfectly suited to the office, but it's still sexy enough for my boyfriend to enjoy nuzzling into. I haven't gotten compliments on my other perfumes in quite some time. But since I started back with the Cashmere Mist, I've been complimented all over the place - by my kids, my parents, my boyfriend, people in the grocery store, my doctor, and my mailman, and the man waiting behind me in the library. Cashmere Mist and I are well pleased with each other.
8 out of 8 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Styling Products -Aveda - Air Control hairspray
Nilo 4/24/2009 2:58:00 PM
Best hairspray for me ever. I have very coarse curly hair. I usually leave it alone to be curly because that's what it really, really wants to be. But every week or so, I attempt to beat it into submission and give it a blow-out. I don't have a thyroid anymore, so I am incapable of regulating my body temperature. So there I am, drying my shoulder-length, very-thick, coarse, curly hair. It takes forever. Which makes me sweat. When I sweat, my hair curls. When there's a hint of moisture in the air, my hair curls. I live in Seattle. But for one brief moment in time, there's about a 10-second window when it all comes together - hair is perfect, I'm not sweaty, and fog is not actually condensing inside the house. Then I blast myself with hairspray. Every other hairspray is primarily water. And there go the curls. Air Control doesn't do this. If I can get to my hair before the moisture of my body or climate, Air Control will keep my hair straightened for most of the day. I love this stuff and have requested to be buried with a can in each hand.
8 out of 9 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Guerlain - Champs Elysees
Nilo 4/24/2009 2:43:00 PM
I love Guerlain. And I had such high hopes that this would be a floral I could wear. But I can't. On me, it's a cold, cloying, green scent. I was hoping the almond and trademarked-Guerlain vanilla-y-goodness would help offset that. But alas, it did not. I believe, however, that I was at fault here, though, rather than Guerlain. This is a floral that smells like a floral. If you want a floral that smells like a floral, this is probably good for you. I was hoping for more of a creamy floral - like a Flowerbomb. (This might explain my two divorces - I keep getting married expecting something different than what those men happened to be. Good god, perfume as a psychological exercise!!!!)
8 out of 15 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eye Shadow -MAC - Pigment in Pink Opal
Nilo 4/24/2009 2:35:00 PM
Best. pigment. ever. It blends like a dream. I love to use this as a base or a highlight. In the pot, it looks like a creamy-white. But on, you get the reflected pink and, sometimes, the blue. (With Love Knot Lustre Glass, it's OMG!amazing!) I think the price is fabulous because I've used this 3-4 times a week for the last 4 years or so and am still less than halfway through the pot.
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Eye Shadow -MAC - Vex
Nilo 4/24/2009 2:31:00 PM
Oh MAC, I love how you play games. This is such an easy one to pass. I had friends rave about this shade and, when I went to check it out, I thought they were crazy. It looks like nothing in the pan. But on? The colors just start popping. Seedy Pearl and Vex are the two MAC eyeshadows I'm never without. They blend so very well with different shadows. More than that, though, they're perfect for those days when I'm just dashing to the store or don't want to be bothered with blending or layering and just want to put on a wash of color. Vex works extremely well with golds, browns, pinks, and greens.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eye Shadow -MAC - Seedy Pearl Eyeshadow
Nilo 4/24/2009 2:29:00 PM
Seedy Pearl and Vex are the two MAC eyeshadows I'm never without. They blend so very well with different shadows. More than that, though, they're perfect for those days when I'm just dashing to the store or don't want to be bothered with blending or layering and just want to put on a wash of color. Seedy Pearl works so well with pinks, purples, blues, and creams.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lip Gloss -MAC - Nymphette lipglass
Nilo 4/24/2009 2:25:00 PM
My HG lip coloring. It's all perfect. The lovely, shimmering, golden, pinkish color is fabulous on my skin with almost everything I wear. And, of course, being a MAC 'glass, it's got the fabulous vanilla marshmallow goodness scent.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Shampoo -TiGi - Catwalk Curls Rock Shampoo
Nilo 4/24/2009 2:16:00 PM
CurlsRock Shampoo + Conditioner + Leave-In Conditioner + Booster = Great product line for my thick (but fine) shoulder-length tight ringlets. Can't use a heavy-hand. But used sparingly, my curls don't frizz, are bouncy, well-defined, shiny, and full of fabulous body. People have commented on how great this line smells. Here, I beg to disagree. I really don't like how this smells - I get furniture polish. But hey, if it works on my hair, I'll don't mind loading up on body lotion and perfume.
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Conditioner -TiGi - Catwalk Curls Rock Conditioner
Nilo 4/24/2009 2:13:00 PM
CurlsRock Shampoo + Conditioner + Leave-In Conditioner + Booster = Great product line for my thick (but fine) shoulder-length tight ringlets. Can't use a heavy-hand. But used sparingly, my curls don't frizz, are bouncy, well-defined, shiny, and full of fabulous body. People have commented on how great this line smells. Here, I beg to disagree. I really don't like how this smells - I get furniture polish. But hey, if it works on my hair, I'll don't mind loading up on body lotion and perfume.
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Styling Products -TiGi - Curls Rock Curl Booster
Nilo 4/24/2009 2:12:00 PM
CurlsRock Shampoo + Conditioner + Leave-In Conditioner + Booster = Great product line for my thick (but fine) shoulder-length tight ringlets. Can't use a heavy-hand. But used sparingly, my curls don't frizz, are bouncy, well-defined, shiny, and full of fabulous body. People have commented on how great this line smells. Here, I beg to disagree. I really don't like how this smells - I get furniture polish. But hey, if it works on my hair, I'll don't mind loading up on body lotion and perfume.
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Conditioner -TiGi - Catwalk Honey & Oatmeal conditioner [DISCONTINUED]
Nilo 4/24/2009 2:05:00 PM
OMG - this smells so amazing. I can't use this shampoo/conditioner every day, but I alternate it with the curly product line by Tigi. It makes my hair shiny, bouncy, and manageable. And did I mention the awesome smell????
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Shampoo -TiGi - Catwalk Honey & Oatmeal shampoo
Nilo 4/24/2009 2:01:00 PM
OMG - this smells so amazing. I can't use this shampoo/conditioner every day, but I alternate it with the curly product line by Tigi. It makes my hair shiny, bouncy, and manageable. And did I mention the awesome smell????
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Fragrances -Lolita Lempicka - L de Lolita Lempicka
Nilo 4/24/2009 1:55:00 PM
My 2nd favorite - only to Corail. I love the orangey/cedary/smokey/salty blend of this. To me, this is an evening on the beach, in front of a bonfire, after a long day on a boat. Sitting curled up with a sexy man's arms around you. And someone playing good guitar. It's casual and approachable and effortlessly sexy. It doesn't scream out "SEXY". But it does say, "Hey, wanna roll around in the sand dune over there?" Since I'm more of a Mary Anne than a Ginger, this suits me perfectly.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Lolita Lempicka - Fleur De Corail
Nilo 4/24/2009 1:52:00 PM
Oh my - I think this is my new HG. I tested this on my lunch and then went back to work. I'm a teacher. The rest of the afternoon, my students and I were all sniffing the air around my wrists. I had to stop back at the mall on my way home and buy the bottle right then. I love it. There are definite similarities to L. Since I love L, this is not a bad thing. But it's a little bit more complex on me. I'm not getting the "synthetic"ness at all. It's warm and rich and beautiful. It's got more of a hinting of the sea -unlike L where the salt is more assertive. When I got to the airport later that night, to pick up a friend I hadn't seen in a while, the first thing he did was bury his head in my neck, under my hair, and say, "My god, you smell amazing." He repeated variations of this comment throughout the night. Yes, this is a keeper...
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Guerlain - Insolence
Nilo 11/10/2008 7:21:00 AM
I've had this perfume for a year now. When I first got it, I wasn't terribly impressed. But over time, it's snuck its way into my heart. This is my go-to perfume for ME. It's not what I wear when I want to be sexy. Or when I want to be professional. But when I want to curl up with a good book, or just before bed, this is my perfume of choice. It's soft and warm and tender. There's something terribly comforting about it. I will definitely purchase this again.
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