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Archive for the ‘Perfume’ Category
Tuesday, February 9th, 2010
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The people at Liz Earle were kind enough to send me some products to try out a couple of weeks ago (a Dollface care package, if you will), and I’ve been working my way through them ever since: it’s a hard life, but, you know, someone has to do it…
One product I can give you an opinion on right away, however, is the Botanical Essence Eau De Parfum. This was released last year, and although it’s Liz Earle’s first foray into the world of fragrance, it’s already won an award, from a Grazia Magazine. The fragrance is over 98% derived from natural ingredients, and contains top notes of bergamot, mandarin, orange, bigarade, lemon and cardamom, mid notes of floral rose absolute, lavender, geranium, coriander and nutmeg and base notes of naturally woody cedar wood, vetiver, tonka bean absolute and patchouli.
Of course, if you’re anything like me, all of that probably means absolutely nothing to you at all, and you’re just thinking, “OK, but how’s the SMELL?” Quick answer: it’s gorgeous. Slightly longer answer: when I first applied it, the scent was very fresh, and very citrusy. Now, citrus scents aren’t my favourite, but this very quickly tones down and starts to smell warmer and more floral, which I really like. There’s still something very “natural” about it, though, if that makes sense, and it’s not too heavy, making it a nice everyday kind of fragrance.
This costs £39.50 for 50ml, and is available from Liz Earle direct. Anyone tried it?
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Friday, October 16th, 2009
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In a change to our regularly scheduled Friday Face feature, I thought I’d be nosey in a different way this week, and as you all what perfume you’re wearing instead!
Today I’m wearing my absolute favourite fragrance: Jean Paul Gaultier’s ‘Fragile’. Well, I say “today” – it’s what I wear EVERY DAY, because as soon as I got this, I relegated all of my other perfumes to the big box o’ products under my desk, and promised to remain faithful to it forevermore. Or until I find something I like better, whatever comes first. I’m a one-fragrance woman like that.
Anyway! I have the Eau de Parfum version of this, which comes in the snow-globe bottle shown above, which I absolutely love. Fragile is on the expensive side, and can be hard to get hold of (I was lucky, and Mr Dollface bought it for me as a gift), but I think it’s worth it: its a tuberose-based scent, and is sweet, but not too sweet (or not for me, anyway), and every time I wear it, it cheers me up instantly.
Tell me then: what perfume are you wearing today, and
why?
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Wednesday, September 23rd, 2009
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 As far as solid perfumes go, I think this has to be one of the more striking versions I’ve seen! It may look like an ornament, but it’s actually a compact, containing a solid version of Estee Lauder’s ‘Beautiful’. And if you think that’s unusual, then look at this one:
(more…)
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Wednesday, August 26th, 2009
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 I’ll be honest: an Ed Hardy fragrance probably isn’t something I’d have gone out and bought for myself, because I’m just not an Ed Hardy kinda girl. That would’ve been my loss, though, because this fragrance isn’t anything like I expected it to be: I tend to think of Ed Hardy as a bit of a “rock chick” kind of brand, but as the pink bottle possibly suggests, this is a very girlie kind of fragrance. It goes on smelling super-sweet, but mellows to a softer, although still sweet scent, which has an impressive amount of staying power: I applied this at lunchtime yesterday, but could still smell it at bedtime.
A whole lot of fruit has gone into this fragrance: it has top notes of apple souffle, tropical mango, wild strawberry and ruby red grapefruit, so you won’t be surprised to hear that it’s fruity as well as sweet. I suspect it’ll be a little too sweet for some people, but I was pleasantly surprised by it.
This has been available in the States for a year now, but has now made its way to the UK, where it will be sold through outlets like Debehams, Superdrug and Harrods, with prices starting from £27.50 for the 30ml Eau De Parfum.
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Thursday, August 20th, 2009
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Solid perfume. We saw a whole lot of versions of it stuck inside pendants and other necklaces last year, but now Michael Kors has gone and made one into a ring. What WILL those crazy kids think of next?
I jest, of course: I’m pretty sure solid fragrance rings have been around since long before Michael Kors ‘Very Hollywood’ came along, but here it is, anyway. Neiman Marcus describes this as “discreet”, which is kinda funny given that it’s a whopping great ring, but hey. (I wonder what you do if the ring doesn’t fit? I have tiny little fingers, you see: not much DOES fit.)
The fragrance itself features mandarin, iced bergamot, wet jasmine, ylang-ylang, raspberry, gardenia, orris, creamy amber, soft white moss and vetiver, which sounds lovely. It is, of course, available in various different formats, but this one costs $40 and is available at Neiman Marcus and other outlets.
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Tuesday, August 11th, 2009
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 I have to say this for Marc Jacobs: he does a really nice perfume bottle, doesn’t he? Unfortunately, that’s about all I CAN say about his new ‘Lola’ fragrance, because I haven’t had an opportunity to actually try it. I love the floral lid on the bottle, though, and going by the description alone, it sounds like it’ll be well worth a sniff.
Created by Ann Gottlieb and Calice Becker, this contains top notes of pink pepper, pear and grapefruit, middle notes of peony, geranium and rose ad base notes ofvanilla, musk and tonka bea, which sounds very fruity/floral, which makes that bottle top seem even more appropriate. This is fairly expensive, with the 100ml version retailing for £72, but if you’d like to try it, you can buy it online at Colette.
[Marc Jacobs 'Lola' Eau de Parfum, £72.82]
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I love fragrances and I love chocolate, so a solid fragrance made by Hershey's should really be a Dream Team for me, but I'm just not sure about this one: quite apart from the fact that most people who've reviewed it say the scent doesn't hang around very long, I have a sneaky suspicion that the vanilla would be too sweet for me, too.
That said, I'm really into the idea of solid perfumes at the moment: they seem ideal for popping into your handbag without having to worry about spillages (I'm clumsy, so breaking a perfume bottle that was in my handbag at the time would be absolutely nothing to me), and the fact that this one only costs $8 makes it even more appealing, although the low cost is reflected in the relatively small size.
If you want to try it out, you'll find it at www.sephora.com .
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Wednesday, July 8th, 2009
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When my vacation ended last week, I was depressed. Very, very depressed. But the day I got back, this arrived:
I defy anyone not to be cheered up by the simple loveliness that is a Jo Malone box. So pretty! So reassuringly expensive looking, even although it's just a box, no?
And what was inside, I hear you ask? Why, this was:
It's Jo Malone's new Vanilla & Anise Cologne, and it's not released until this September, so I'm very lucky to be getting this sneak preview. I'm also lucky not to have succumbed to the lure of the airport duty free section this year, because this scent us just gorgeous.
In the brands own words, the fragrance "transports you to the floral valleys of Madagascar, and captures the extraordinary, fleeting moment when the rare vanilla orchid blossoms at day break. The fragile cream and white flowers found on the vanilla vine are a precious discovery: only one of two appear in the morning, and seemingly vanish in late afternoon."
Actually, "fragile" is a very good word for this scent: it's delicate and lovely, and my only complaint is that it fades rather too quickly for my liking, perhaps a little bit like the vanilla orchid blossoms themselves. While it lingers, though, you can expect top notes of Sicilian Bergamot, Tunisian Neroli and Star Anise, mid notes of oleander, tuberose, frangipani and purple vanilla orchid, and base notes of Madagascar Clove, White Amber, Vetiver Bourbon, Vanilla Bourbon Absolute and Tonka.
It's a fairly complex scent, which is floral but also just a little bit spicy, so definitely not too cloying. It's also the kind of fragrance that makes me want to keep sniffing my own wrist in public, which is the seal of Dollface perfume approval.
Available from September, this is priced from £32 for 30ml and will be available to purchase from Jo Malone.
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I still haven't got round to trying any of the Harajuku Lovers fragrances, but I already think I might love them, purely because of the cute little Harajuku doll packaging. Yes, I AM that easily swayed when it comes to products!
This set is $57 from Sephora and includes 1 oz Eau de Toilette Spray and a 0.04 oz Solid Perfume. According to te description, the scent itself is "romantic sensual", otherwise I'd have said this would make a great gift for a little girl/teenager. As it is, it would make a good gift for, well, me, because even if I didn't like the scent, I'd probably enjoy putting the little dolls on my dressing table. If I actually had a dressing table, that is. Note to self: get dressing table. Put pretty bottles of scent on it.
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Because I have a tendency to stick to what I like (to put it politely) with perfumes, Mr Dollface has become pretty much immune to my scent. All of them. Not this one, though. Because when I sprayed on Salvatre Ferragamo's 'Incanto Shine' today, Mr Dollface said it "made his nose twitch". Luckily he meant that it a good way.
Packaged in a pretty bottle that brings to mind a rainbow appearing after a heavy shower, this is a scent which seems particularly appropriate for this time of year, when we're finally emerging into warmth and sunshine after a long, cold winter. Its makers say:
"Inspired by sheer happiness, the pleasure of peace and harmony, and long walks at one with nature, this whimsical fragrance is a sunny blend of ripe fruits, fresh blossoms, warm woods, and soothing amber."
Which is a fairly good assessment of it, actually. It's sweet without being cloying, and although there are top notes of pineapple and passion fruit, it's not too fruity either. A nice summer fragrance, this is $28.99 from Perfume Centre.
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