Fragrances -Guerlain - Shalimar Ode a la Vanille
willowpost 11/21/2010 9:47:00 PM
Well I am smitten! I am a fan of Shalimar, of Light/Legere and to Eau... So I had to try this one. At first without comparing, it seemed this was identical to reg Shalimar, but the vanilla nuance is there. Those who never liked Shalimar will probably not like this as they are very similar but where reg Shalimar has that waxy/gas note early on (which I love) but sometimes find it too serious for weekends, Ode skips over that note altogether. There is also the standard Shalimar powder notes missing and instead a slightly sweet low boozy (think diet SDV lol) tucked in Ode. Have had it now for a month and just loving Ode - easily wearing it to the office and on weekends and the drydown is sooo delicious much sweeter vanilla. But not petite fille or cupcake vanilla in any way. Will be getting a backup of this one for sure. Did I mention the bottle and box are gorgeous?
8 out of 9 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Serge Lutens - rahat loukoum
willowpost 5/6/2010 8:30:00 PM
okay I won't go into describing the notes..... done many times before. So here's a practical comparison: Sampling both Serge Lutens Rahat Loukoum and Keiko Mecheri's Loukhoum and I am trying to figure out which is either FB worthy or worth getting a larger decant of. I've had both on for 2 hours and the main difference in the drydown seems to that Keiko Mecheri's Loukhoum is much stronger than SL and is way more powdery. No powder with the Rahat Loukoum in it's drydown. Tough call.... I am preferring the SL but hey, at the price I want to be able to smell it at little more 2 hours later.
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Fragrances -Donna Karan - Iris EDP
willowpost 4/25/2010 4:34:00 PM
What a letdown. I swear I am THE DK fragrance lover.... own and love Black Cashmere, Cashmere Mist EDT/ETP/Luxe, DK Signature, Wenge, Labdanum.... but Iris..... boohooo not for me. It's a pretty green floral that I will admit is perfect for spring and summer. It's light and definitely a day or office frag. I'd even spritz it on my four-year twins if they wanted it's that delicate and transparent. No powder at all, although that iris softness is coming out more in the drydown, it was much leafier and greener in it's top notes. It actually kind of reminds me of a beautiful green floral shampoo or soap (not like savon de marseille at all). But really... if I want a green subtle frag, I'd probably try one the Guerlain Aqua Allegoria first.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Trussardi - Inside
willowpost 4/25/2010 1:22:00 PM
Sunny autumn Sunday morning eating a brioche au beurre and dipping pieces in a bowl of cafe au lait in Montreal. Instant memories! Inside is that delicious gourmand that is requires some nuzzling, not a pushy or saccharine gourmand at all. The sweetness is soft and is not too foody. It does have a pastry and cafe feel to it but it's delicate a is more a skin scent. The bottle is lovely as well, I may have to pick up a backup of this one.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Liquid -Bobbi Brown - Moisture Rich foundation
willowpost 4/8/2010 10:40:00 AM
I have been using Skin foundation along with the BB Hydrating Cream but was finding that my pore were showing up with the winter dryness. So I got a sample of this foundation (same shade as my skin fntdn) and LOVE!!! no more pores. I am still layering it on top of a good amount of my BB BB Hydrating Cream. The look is not heavy at all and looks dewy for the first hour only, then it blends with my skin and it's unoticeable. Good coverage too without looking like mu on. I don't use setting powder at all. The texture is very creamy and thicker feeling that the Skin. And I love that it's un-scented - feels nice and clean on. My only gripe is that the bottle (glass which I love too) does not have a pump like the Skin fntdn. This makes it a PITA to use since my hands are usually slipery from the face cream as I try to unsrew the cap. Frustrating. If BB made a pump I'd be in heaven. Still wondering if I'll use this in the summer or go back to Skin. We'll see. oh and I love the small tester formats - wish we could buy this size. Because it's smaller I doesn't bother me as much that I have to stick my finger or palm on the opening (and you do since it doesn't quite pour out due to the thickness) since it's not like I would have it foerever like the FB.
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Fragrances -Kenzo - Jungle L'Elephant EDP
willowpost 3/22/2010 11:09:00 PM
I need to admit I bought this unsniffed! That cute bottle with elephant was calling my name. And good thing I bought a 5ml mini because I can't imagine ever buying a larger bottle of this stuff. It's been on my arms for about an hour and the crazy cinamon nose-tingling sensation is finally dying down a tad. I don't think I can say much more than I feel like a walking Christmas dollar store dried pot-pourri package, the kind with that background floral thing happening amidst the heaps of spices. And this stuff is potent! Actually I would recommend it as a cost saving way to air freshen you home during the holidays. I still love the bottle. Sigh.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Guerlain - Spiritueuse Double Vanille
willowpost 1/8/2010 10:56:00 AM
So first let me start off by saying, I noted as Buy Again... but really what I will be doing is purshasing another decant to tie me over until I can buy the real thing. :) What a lovely vanilla for those who don't what the angel food / cupcake type of vanilla scent. Guerlain's SDV starts off with a burst of dark vanilla extract and bourbon! This mellows out over the next hour into a warm non-sweet vanilla, little bit of dark rhum undertones and that same rich scent you get from dried tobacco aroma in a humidor. And it's definitely a feminine scent! I am saving up for this beauty - just perfect for fall and winter. As for the packaging.... blah.... for such a warm and rich smelling frag, the font and bottle just don't seem to match.
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Fragrances -Unlisted Brand - Dana Classic Fragrances - Love's Baby Soft
willowpost 12/9/2009 4:16:00 PM
Okay first let me say, I tend to buy niche perfumes and am a tad of a frag snob. So why am I rating this as high and packaging as high... well, because I love the fact that the bottle hasn"t changed and this is an AMAZING frag for what it is.... retro to the late 70s and early 80s for me. And actually wearable.... I smell like I just stepped out of the shower and have a soft powdery scent close to my skin. Love the fact that I can share with my twin girls (4 year old) for fun too! Even thinking I should buy a backup for them as the SA told me it only sells at xmas time. So fun to have a young girl/tween frag that is fruity or vanilla gourmand based for a change. Simple, pretty, and so many amazing memories.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Treatments (Eye) -Bobbi Brown - EXTRA Eye Repair Cream
willowpost 12/5/2009 7:09:00 PM
Finally for everyone who loves BB's Hydrating Eye cream but wanted something just a little more moisturizing.... she now has it!!! It smells and feels like a cross between the the Cream and the Balm (which btw is much much thicker greenish balm) and makes me wonder if she didn't just toss the two together in the blender to come up with this..... but hey, so far I am LOVING it. I feels way richer than the regular hydrating cream. It has primer like the cream so I can still pat on some concealer or foundation under my eye area and it looks great and doesn't slipe off during the day. And my eye area feels super moisturized/plumper and I have had no reaction to it. No puffiness either in the morning when I've put it on at night. Not sure yet if I will be using it every day/night over the winter months or if I may alternate between this a and the reg hydrating eye cream based on how dry my skin feels that particular day. It's in a little glass jar like the BB balms which I like since glass does't leach like plastics. I know some prefer plastic since it won't break... but you could always spatula some out and add to a small plastic container I guess. I pat it on along my orbital bone up to my eyebrow and out a little towards my temple so that I get a that goodness when my eye crinkle when I smile. BW... I never go just to my lower lash line since it always melts and ends up in my eyes and make them water a bit. So far so good.... this may be my full time winter eye cream.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eye Shadow -Bobbi Brown - Chrome Eyeshadow in Pewter
willowpost 12/5/2009 7:01:00 PM
The most perfect metallic colour ever!!!! Pewter is not a cool icy silver nor a warm yellow gold..... it sits right in the middle as is the most versatile neutral metallic eyeshadow that works with any look. Layer over a shadow primer, it covers as a velvety metallic and is not sparkly or shimmery at all. Great colour payoff too! I have used it over all my lid and then I blend it with a crease/outer V in brown, blues, or green so far and it looks gorgeous. Totally wearable to the office too since it isn't sparkly. It's the most perfect colour to compliment a snugly grey sweater.
3 out of 4 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Cleansers -Bobbi Brown - Lathering Tube Soap
willowpost 12/4/2009 4:47:00 PM
Another HG for me. And my hubby as he steals it to shave! LOL Nice clean lavender frag tube soap that really foams a lot!!!! You only need to use a little so it lasts and lasts and lasts -- I've had mine for 1 year and 1/2 and just bought a replacement last week. Love the packaging as it's easy to tote from sink to tub and if it falls in the bath it won't break. Also love the chrome look of the tube -- slick and simple. It is a bit drying so I aways follow with a moisturizer but I personally like to have that squeakyy clean feeling when I wash my face.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eyeliner -Guerlain - terracotta kohl in Oriental Metal
willowpost 12/4/2009 4:32:00 PM
Oriental Metal is the most subtle of all the Guerlain Kohl. It's a softened dark grey colour and looks beautiful even for day at the office -- not too dramatic. Love the ways it melt and doesn't give you a harsh lined look and is perfect for a soft smocky look. This one seems to have the least fallout imo (I have Bleu, Brown, Black and Oriental Metal and Oriental Bronze). I wear it eastern and usually slide the stick along the top of my upper lashes too as this balances out my eyes. I love the wand application -- super easy and fast. The colour on my waterline lasts the whole day at the office for me too.
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Blush -MAC - Sheertone Blush in Blushbaby
willowpost 12/4/2009 4:26:00 PM
Nice natural colour blush that goes on easily... enough pigment to show up but not too much were you end up with a stripe that needs to be blended out. Easily on of my go-to blushes when I want somethign that isn't too cool or orangey. Huge amount of product!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Bronzers -NARS - Orgasm-Laguna Blush-Bronzer Duo
willowpost 12/4/2009 4:15:00 PM
5 lippies on this one for me. I only bought his because of all the hype here and must say it was a great call to buy it! Orgasm IS a lovely blush that gives a healthy warmth to my cheeks -- not too sparkly just some shimmer that helps highlight my cheekbones. I don't recoomend it when doing cool lipstick or gloss though. Laguna was a great surprise for me.... I worrks great to subtly contour cheek hollow and then I adda pop of blush on the apples. Or using it alone is beautiful too... nice bronzer that gives a sunkissed healthy look. Again it has shimmer but it's not over the top and totally wearable in a conservative office setting.
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Deodorants -Donna Karan - Cashmere Mist Deodorant
willowpost 12/4/2009 3:39:00 PM
Love this deodorant and have re-purshased it a least 10 times! I personally hate the smell of DS brand deodorants and when I realized that DK made a Cashmere Mist deodorant I was thrilled since I also wore the EDT. What I love is that the frag in it is still understated so I can still wear other frags wiithout this being too loud. I love the fact that it doesn't get gross and gummy either like some DS brands tend too around the edge. It's never broken on me or crumbled. But I did take on lippie off on packaging because I tend to have the cap crack sometimes -- and I don't think I have super human strength when I screw on the cap. I also love the fact that the packaging is simple and not crazy loud in design.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No