Fragrances -L'Artisan Fragrances - Passage d-Enfer

jungirl 8/16/2005 9:30:00 PM

This is a literary odour. This is what it is to sit on a stone wall in an 18th - 19th century graveyard on a grey day that sooths the eyes, reading Hesse's Demian, or Poe's Annabel Lee. Passage d'Enfer is the honest comfort of savoring only one's own quiet company and the company of dead poets and authors, dead inhabitants of the graveyard, abandoned library or wood that one silently drifts through on the kind of overcast day on which the air has the same temperature and humidity as one's own skin. Passage d'enfer crosses the dimension of time and allows every intellectual mind to exist in the same space so that Nabakov and Voltaire converse. This is what it smells like to be utterly solitary and content.

Passage d'Enfer's only distinguishable note is that of a dry lemon rind which fades after a short time. The rest is simply the essence of damp stone and muted light through grey mist. I can detect a vague sense of musk minus the cloying, sweet, prissiness I associate with musk - there's only enough musk to make it smell like the intimate smell of clean skin after a night of eerie, ghost inhabited, romantic dreams after which one doesn't quite wake up.

This scent is enough to drive me into a poetic fit. I dearly wish my favorite author, Angela Carter, were still alive, for this would have inspired her deeply. I may in fact have to write a novel based largely on the imagery this perfume invokes.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you?   Yes     No

Fragrances -Unlisted Brand - Attar Bazaar - Persian Shafayat

jungirl 7/9/2005 1:19:00 PM

"Originally produced by Dr. Chishti as his "Private Blend." This superior scent of six first quality oils enlivens the mind and promotes positive thoughts. Containing amber, sandalwood, frankincense and other oils, Shafayat ("The Healer") disperses a mood of appealing confidence and balance. Ruling planet: Sun." - Attar Bazaar website.
[p]Initially this scent opens with a somewhat too sweet, slightly sharp appley scent that I associate with poppy or opium scents, but after that fades (within two minutes) this oil becomes somewhat floral and resinous, which I attribute to the frankincense and sandalwood. I don't believe there are any actual floral notes in it, but frankincense can have a floral quality to it. Within a half hour, this blend begins to melt more and more into a very personal, cozy, resinous sweet (though more like a dark caramel type sweet than a frosting type sweet) smell that is reminiscent of a vanillic amber with sandalwood. Eventually the scent becomes so soft that you begin to think that's your skin naturally smells like.

Within the first two or three hours, the silage ring extends to about a foot or so from the body, but by the fifth hour, you find yourself burying your nose into your skin to detect it. Nothing about the scent is at all plastic or headshopy - this is an exquisitely blended oil which develops in just as sophisticated a way as the finest European style perfumes, though without the dry quality and unpredictable silage that alcohol based perfumes have.

I find this scent both undeniably sexy and yet soft and comfortable enough to wear in any situation. If I feel dissatisfied or depressed, I just open the bottle and my mood instantly elevates and my senses become sharper. Because of the limited silage, my boyfriend is the only person to compliment me on this scent so far - and I like it that way.

At eight dollars per dram, this is an unbelievable value. It is every bit as gorgeous as a European style perfume though it's a fraction of the cost and wears more pleasantly.

4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you?   Yes     No

Concealers -L'Oreal - True Match Super-Blendable Concealer

jungirl 5/15/2005 5:23:00 PM

My previous HG concealer was a very expensive Lancôme product which was very thin in consistancy but covered very well. This product covers just as well but has a thicker texture, and because of this it doesn't settle into lines at all. Aplied by dabbing on with a sponge, this concealer covers remarkably well - though if aplied with fingers it is pretty smudgy and uneven. I'm able to use this concealer over an SPF 45 and remarkably, it doesnt pool into poors or lines throughout the day, and it stays on far longer than my previous HG product. For far less money, this concealer has covered my broken capilaries and under-eye circles impecably without a made-up look. I didn't know it could be this good!

    Was this review helpful to you?   Yes     No

Sunscreen -Neutrogena - Ultra Soft Hydrating Sunblock SPF 45 ] [DISCONTINUED]

jungirl 5/14/2005 1:50:00 PM

I wanted to like this product, but really, I find it pretty mediocre. Sad to say. It has a texture very similar to other sunscreens containing silica and copolymers - which means that it goes on feeling significantly less greasy than other sunscreens, but if you continue to rub it into your skin for even a split second too long, it will bead up in nasty little clumps that oxidize to a dirty greyish colour and won't be simply brushed off the skin without creating yet more clumps. If you manage to avoid the clumps, which means not rubbing it in too much, it will retain a soft, wet looking sheen for about a half hour and then it all but disappears. Unfortunately, the smell does not disappear. It's the cosmetic industry's idea of what "fresh" smells like, and while it's not a particularly offensive smell, it's certainly not what I consider pleasant, and it takes half a day to fade. I don't find the formula to be particularly moisturizing at all, and though the finish is far less greasy than a lot of older formulas of a similar SPF, I don't think it's worth the $13 something for 6 oz, especially when considering the smell and the risk of it beading up and getting really quite gross. A bunch of other companies have similar formulas for less mula and less fragrance/fragrance free. Just look for cross/copolymers and silica on the ingredient list.

    Was this review helpful to you?   Yes     No

Fragrances -Molinard - Habanita

jungirl 4/16/2005 2:36:00 AM

I'm on the verge of tears with joy. I have found you, my scent. My soul. I don't know what strength of fragrance I'm reviewing, though I can say, it's likely the EDP, for it's a miniature screw-top bottle that only says "Habanita de Molinard" and it is extremely unlike for me to purchase anything bellow eau de parfum in strength. You see, approximately one year ago, I bought this sample upon becoming deeply impressed by reviews. Well, for one reason or another, one year ago approximately, this perfume smelled just like the faux fur coat I snuggled up to the campfire with. I had to buy storage space to separate its smokey, reeking corpse from the rest of my belongings. So, needles to say, I set this poor vial away. Well, It's one year later, and I can't afford storage space any longer, but neither my coat nor the perfume I unearthed reek any longer of that hideous campfire, Gouda-like stench: Habanita has only as much of a smoke smell to me now as any given candle or stick of incense - that is, just enough to incite utter transcendence. You see, now it seems that Habanita is all I love in the world of perfume. A floral Myrrh-like top note - but without the telltale myrrhlike sharpness that turns me off so much. Vanilla and leather combine in this perfume in such a way as to cancel out everything bad about each note. There is nothing overly masculine about the leather note, and nothing sickly sweet about the vanilla, which, though apparent, speaks nothing of the girlishness so many vanilla notes do, but say simply, "eat me." I'll leave the implications up to your imagination. The powder notes are, on me, just subtle enough to hint at indecent reference to youth, thus heightening my desperate passion for Habanita. I haven't much more to say but for the fact that I want more, more, more. I want to douse myself in it. I could live in a cloud of the stuff, but for the fact that it's a private enough pleasure that I'm glad it doesn't have too much sillage, but all the lasting power I could hope for in a perfume. More than two thirds of a day. *shudder of delight* The images this perfume brings to mind includes such beautiful things as the more powerful ladies of the Arthurian legends. Oddly, this is the sort of perfume that makes me deeply proud to have dark hair, a dark mind, deep passion and great intellect. I think when I am queen I shall have a fountain flowing Molinard de Habanita and I will bathe in it morning, noon and night.

11 out of 11 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you?   Yes     No

Fragrances -Unlisted Brand - Niki de Saint Phalle

jungirl 12/26/2004 8:00:00 PM

A nightmare from my childhood. Mother, why did you wear this? I can smell none of the complexity in this fragrance that some of the other reviewers do: all I can smell is unsweetened Dimatap, boozy whisky hangover breath, and some ferril beast odor. This fragrance is so unrelenting that if you can detect the fragrance at all, it's already overwhealming and has likely caused a splitting headache. For years I associated *this* perfume with the name "Poison" because of it's intertwining snakes emblem, deep-purple glass bottle and toxic contents. It's a lovely bottle, but the smell is extremely datedly nineteen-eighties in the category of prestigeous neuvo riche scents, and unfortunately, even once this association is forgotten, it's still an olifactory sock in the stomache. I'll be a happy person when this scent is long forgotten.

    Was this review helpful to you?   Yes     No

Eye Shadow -Bare Escentuals - Glimmer in Emotion

jungirl 12/12/2004 4:33:00 PM

This color has magenta shimmer in a blue-violet-black base which looks like a very vibrant violate in the pot, but goes on somewhat grey. It's a lovely color, but I wish it were more violet on the skin, and perhaps more shimmery. It can create a lovely smokey eye look because the base color goes on so dark, but the shimmer that's so apparant in the pot is dulled by the dark, though lovely, grey-violet base. It's a nice color, and I will use it, but it's not quite what I was looking for.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you?   Yes     No

Eye Shadow -Bare Escentuals - Celery

jungirl 12/12/2004 4:22:00 PM

I adore this color! I must protest the reviews below which described this color as having gold shimmer, as the reason I love this color so is precicely because it does NOT have gold shimmer. The shimmer in this color is a perfect pale green, not too yellow nor too blue. the base color matches the glimmer, yet is so light that it is hardly noticible, so the effect is a very shimmery wash of aqua, perfect for that mermaid scale look. this color goes well over other greens and especially over purples, and is great for anyone who can't pull off blues or yellows, as this is a perfect ballance between the two. I've never seen another color like this one, and it is now a staple color for me.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you?   Yes     No

Skincare - Body -Almay - Stay-Dry Hydro Solid (fragrance free)

jungirl 12/5/2004 4:08:00 PM

Almay makes the only true fragrance free anti-perspirants I have found to date. (most have masking fragrances or fragrant essential oils) this hydro-solid formula goes on clear and unlike gels, it's not freezing-cold and goopy; unlike powdery solids, it's not white or flakey. This works well against wetness and I highly recomend it.

    Was this review helpful to you?   Yes     No

Moisturizers -Olay - Complete Defense Daily UV Moisturizer SPF 30 - Sensitive Skin

jungirl 12/4/2004 11:45:00 PM

This product is wonderfull - it's not very shiny at all (less shiny than any other sunscreen product I've EVER used) and doesn't leave even the slightest trace of a white cast. It doesn't stink like most sunscreens - it smells actually quite pleasant, and it doesn't break me out at all. the down sides are the packaging and price. I use a LOT of sunscreen, so 16 something for four ounces is a whole lot for me, and I can't see the justification for that price concidering the spf 15 in this line is about 8 for 6 oz. the pump bottle is just fine until you get to the end of the container, and then it's hell getting the last of it out. so, if I ever become less of a cheepskate, I'll repurchace, but for now I'll stick with cheepo sunscreens.

    Was this review helpful to you?   Yes     No

Moisturizers -Olay - Complete Defense Daily UV Moisturizer SPF 30 - Sensitive Skin

jungirl 12/4/2004 11:43:00 PM

I love this stuff! non greasy (really! I know! hard to believe, but really!) and non-whitening. It's a little drying (as any mineral sunscreen is) but applied over another moisturizer, it's just fine. I love the packaging and the price ain't bad. It's sencerely non-stinky, too. (the only UVA sunscreen product I've ever found not to stink.) my only gripe is that I nead greater than SPF 15, and if you concider that the FDA conciders UVB damage to start at 280 nm and this product starts protecting at 290 nm, I worry about accumulated damage. that shouldn't matter for most people, but I'm rediculousely pail and prone to freckling.

    Was this review helpful to you?   Yes     No

Polishes -Essie - Berry Hard

jungirl 12/4/2004 11:07:00 PM

This is the second darkest Essie red shade next to Wicked, and it's almost the same red, just with a slightly bluer base. It's gorgeous, and unlike Wicked, it doesn't go brown as you layer it. It layers from a bright, deep blue-base red to a dark candy-apple red.

    Was this review helpful to you?   Yes     No

Polishes -Essie - Wicked

jungirl 12/4/2004 11:02:00 PM

This is their darkest, vampiest red to date, and I adore it, but I still wish I could find a red this dark that has a more black tinge than a brown one. This can be layered from a screaming dark red to a deep, dark, brown red. It's slighty bluer based than yellow, but not enough to read as a violate red.

    Was this review helpful to you?   Yes     No