Lipstick -Illamasqua - Drench 
blueelm 12/18/2012 11:46:00 AM
I'm glad this was the other lipstick in the "Alter Ego" collection. I really like this one. Drench is a deep bold berry that is fairly matte yet creamy in texture. The color really pops, though it is a little hard to pull off for me because my lips are not particularly full. Drench is very opaque and heavily pigmented, which is nice. While this isn't my favorite berry-red (Givenchy's Illicit Raspberry is) I definitely like this color and find it a nice near-red for a contemporary bold lip. I have also found that this pairs nicely with gloss for a very long lasting berry stain.
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Lipstick -Illamasqua - Fable
blueelm 12/17/2012 10:51:00 AM
Wow! I rarely have such a negative opinion, but this lipstick is one of the worst I have ever encountered. I am so glad that it was a part of the alter ego package because everything else in that was actually wonderful. This is literally the worst lipstick I own now though. The color: histrionic pink. (Urban Decay, if that isn't a color name already it should be.) This could be acceptable. It's retro, crazy but fun. It definitely would work for a ganguro girl if you pair it with some self tanner. On my skin it actually looks somewhat orange, and perhaps because I'm pale, it actually almost seems like a nude lipstick gone wrong. That could be different on some one else's skin though. Really, it is the texture I can not believe. Yes, this is matte and that means it has to be somewhat dry. This does not mean that it has to have the consistency of an oil pastel, or be so chalky that it balls up on the lips like spoiled milk curdling in coffee. You will need gloss on this, and let me ask you something: If you need gloss, then why did you buy a matte lipstick? Let me recommend YSL's pinks for retro fun. They are not even that much more expensive, just as pigmented, and actually are creamy on the lips without creating clumps.
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Fragrances -Tom Ford - Black Orchid EDP
blueelm 10/7/2012 7:20:00 AM
What an unusual and refreshingly sophisticated scent. I got a sample of this with a sephora order, and am completely mystified by the sweet, creamy vanilla and toothpaste accords here. This has so much patchouli and vetiver underneath the opening notes. I don't think I've ever smelled a fragrance with quite so much patchouli that isn't a single note. It manages to be sweet and herbaceous at once, and almost reminds me of some kind of gilded age cocktail.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Givenchy - Dahlia Noir
blueelm 10/7/2012 6:57:00 AM
I really love this scent, a nod to old classic oriental scents, but albeit a little tamed and nostalgic. This is a weirdly gothic fragrance from a house like Givenchy. Personally, I love the scent, which is unabashedly musky and powdery with plenty of dried rose and jasmine in there somewhere. I will buy a bottle, but it is a throwback to something even it doesn't seem to quite understand, like fresh flowers on an old tombstone placed by some one who never knew the deceased. Somewhere in time, buried for ages now, there was a marvelous old powdery oriental so majestic that we can only stand beside the stone and wonder. *Note: The bottle is terrible. This is a review for the EDP only, which smells completely different than the EDT
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Lolita Lempicka - Forbidden Flower/Fleur Defendue
blueelm 9/8/2012 9:33:00 AM
Cute scent. I bought this because it was on sale and I've actually never disliked a scent from this line. Of all the absinthe fragrances I've tried this one actually smells the most like absinthe to me-- though not the romantic *ideal* of absinthe, but rather like it ought to be poured over the back of a spoon. The violet and anise notes of the original Lempicka are there with the addition of some piercing cherry and lots of almond. Why do I like it? After years of hating very sweet scents I'm getting strangely attracted to them. I bought a bottle of Miss Dior Cherie, for instance, which also has the strawberries-on-meth appeal. Forbidden Flower actually lacks the menthol notes and medicinal qualities of the original scent, and just goes for broke with the gourmand. Surprisingly though, this works out very well. Drydown is all marzipan. Did I mention how much I love marzipan?
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Fragrances -Lolita Lempicka - Si Lolita de Lolita Lempicka
blueelm 9/8/2012 9:08:00 AM
Oh I like this nostalgic fragrance. I bought it totally untested because it was on sale for under $25 and I generally like LL scents. This just doesn't smell like anything else in the lineup though. This is like a gentle, toned down, version of the old fashioned woody orientals of the past. This is somewhere between pearls-with-a-sweater and a mohair vest. It has a strange almost unisex quality which the packaging belies, and a bit of surprising peppery note. Then it gets some soft breezy musk and incense notes after a while, which makes it very pretty. The dry down is definitely something you end up wanting to get up close to the skin to smell.
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Fragrances -Bulgari - Omnia Coral
blueelm 7/1/2012 10:24:00 AM
Fresh, peppery, and tart. This would make a good cocktail. Pepper vodka, gin, grapefruit, chile syrup, 151 and a big hibiscus on top. It's nice, very beachy, but it honestly I find something in it a little harsh and easy to overdo. It seemed like such a good idea until the morning after :(
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Paco Rabanne - Lady Million
blueelm 7/1/2012 10:06:00 AM
Oh dear. Pear Glace Glacé anyone? Bring the chaise longue around, this may cause a headache. Extremely heavy, sweet, powdery synthetic pear scent. I seriously could not wear this all day. A million just isn't what it once was in this economy I guess.
4 out of 5 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lipstick -Yves Saint Laurent - Rouge Volupte Silky Sensual Radiant Lipstick SPF 15 #11 Rose Culte
blueelm 6/9/2012 7:54:00 AM
Beautiful pink. Some may quibble over whether this is truly fuschia, but I am just happy to have a bright intense pink that I can wear. This wears like a red, and lasts all day almost. True to YSL Rouge Volupte form it is very pigmented. I'm very happy with this one! If your coloring (like mine) tends to look very odd in blue pinks, or you're more of a coral/brown lipstick wearer this may be a pink worth trying.
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Eyeliner -Guerlain - Loose Kohl in Bleu - Blue
blueelm 6/9/2012 7:44:00 AM
I can not believe it. I was already a fan of this product in black so I took a risk on blue. I have light skin, dark green eyes, and light brown hair. Blue is one of those colors I can almost never pull off. This is a deep peacock hue though, and it is so amazingly flattering that I am stunned. This is the first time I've ever been able to wear a blue eyeliner! So not only is this product one of my favorites in general for creating a dramatic eye, it now has the distinction of allowing me to finally wear blue! I feel lucky because this does not bother my eyes at all, and this color seems to bother some people's.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eyeliner -Guerlain - Loose Kohl in Noir
blueelm 6/9/2012 7:33:00 AM
Oh wonderful. This is my new HG Kohl. I was curious about the powder, but a bit afraid to just buy an old powder because I have heard that some of the kohl/kajal you can pick up in an import store or market may contain lead. The only eyeliner I have ever been able to use on my waterline is Lancome's Kohl pencil, but that is slightly different and lighter than this. It does not have the intensity of the real deal. This product does exactly what it says it will. I do not find it any harder to apply than using cake liner to tightline, or applying a dark eye shadow. I use the eastern method, and then fill in any area that looks missed. If you have *never* applied makeup on your waterline, this may be tricky. The noir is very nicely black, but soft enough with my eye color not to look clownish. I can not believe how well this stays put. It is still on in the evening when I get home, and until I take it off. For me, this is perfect because it doesn't irritate my eyes at all. I use ponds to wash my face, which takes off almost any make up, but if you use a cleanser without oil you will probably need makeup-remover to get this off. For what you get in the bottle, and the sense of safety I get from knowing that Guerlain has to comply with regulations about what can be put in a human eye, I think this is the best kohl I know of.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lipstick -Givenchy - Rouge Interdit Satin #20 Illicit Raspberry
blueelm 5/31/2012 4:51:00 PM
Wow! Well this was not what I expected, because I purchased it online hoping for a fuschia or deep pink. Instead, Illicit Raspberry is an unbelievably flattering red. On my skin it seems very neutrally red and does not lean too much to the blue or orange side. This may be because my lips are quite pigmented and rather warm on their own. It has a soft satin finish, feels moisturizing on my lips, lasts for hours and hours without bleeding. I honestly can't believe I accidentally bought a red lipstick this good! The color is intense but without looking crazy, making this also a great day-to-evening color. Just nothing but good things to say about this. I think that Givenchy has won me away from YSL lipsticks at this point.
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Fragrances -Christian Dior - Miss Dior Cherie
blueelm 3/3/2012 5:17:00 PM
Well this scent surprised me. I got it as a GWP at Sephora and so figured I might as well try it on. I expected to hate it because you can tell just by looking at it that this will be a sweet fruity floral full of all things evil. Well it is and it isn't. I was completely surprised to find the scent opening with a spicy warm citrus note. The rose is a peppery dried rose, rather than a lush sweet one. There's a big whiff of vetiver, so much patchouli that it almost smells smoky, all underneath some kind of candied orange peel. All this calms down and leaves you with a sort of rosy marmalade that becomes increasingly creamy with white florals. This is much more a traditional but sweet oriental than a bright girly fruity-floral. I'm actually rather sold, because the strange balance between rosy sweetness, cream, and herbal complexity actually reminds me of eating rose jelly on fresh buttered bread with a cup of strong black tea.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Hermes - Un Jardin sur le Nil
blueelm 3/3/2012 4:45:00 PM
I spied this while waiting buying other things and decided to try a little on a fragrance card. Without wearing it myself I would have described it as a hesperidic aquatic with some vanilla thrown in. I liked it so much on the card that I had to try wearing it, despite knowing how hit or miss (mostly miss) citrus can be when I wear it. Well, on first spray all the worst things were there. This literally smells like my sweat. While some people's sweat apparently smells like MKK, mine instead smells like unripe mango, lemon peel, and salad greens that are just beginning to turn as they wilt in the sun. After feeling dirty in my "eau de compost" for a while and figuring I was glad I tried it on first I went on with my errands. The good news for me is that this opening note only lasted a short time. Within twenty minutes I was wondering what that difficult to pin down smell was, and what perfume I should have tried instead, and I realized that this perfume on my wrist had blossomed into the most tranquil and surreal aquatic. I will give this scent one thing, it is unique. I think I am definitely going to buy a full bottle, because so long as you apply this early enough to have moved past the overbearing opening, this is a very clean and unobtrusive scent. Now that I have thought about it, I don't have any non-soapy clean scents so this probably deserves a place in my collection just for being that.
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Lipstick -Givenchy - Rouge Interdit No.13 Tempting Coral
blueelm 3/3/2012 4:30:00 PM
This is a bright pale coral color, a shade lighter than my actual lips, just bordering on too bright. It has that nice-girl effect that makes it seem perfect for drinking tea in a garden while remarking on the roses. I love it though it does tend to show any dry spots on the lips so use on moisturized and exfoliated skin if you want it to stay pretty and shiny. This lipstick has a slight sheen, and the package is very sleek and pretty.
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