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Category Archives: Perfume
Thierry Mugler Womanity Eau de Parfum
This bottle of Thierry Mugler’s ‘Womanity’ dropped through my door a couple of weeks ago, and I’ve been trying to work out what I think of it ever since.
As regular readers will know, describing scents is not my strong point, but this one is a particularly unusual: it contains notes of citrus, woods, fig and caviar, which means that it somehow manages to be super-citrusy and fresh, and very musky, all at the same time.
My own preference is for musky/powdery scents, so I find the blast of citrus, which is the first thing to reach your nose, a little overpowering. Leave it a few seconds, however, and I’m left with a really interesting, musky scent, which I really like. The citrus notes are still detectable, even once it’s had a chance to absorb for a while, but it becomes much less “fresh”, for want of a better word.
I probably wouldn’t have picked this up myself – the name alone is would normally be enough to put me off – but having had the opportunity to try it, I’d say it’s definitely one of the more interesting scents I’ve tried this year, and it’s gone into my regular rotation. I Also LOVE the bottle : definitely different!
If you want to try this for yourself, the price starts at £19, and you can click here to visit the Womanity website!
Dollface Reviews: Balenciaga Paris perfume
The arrival of a package from Balenciaga was definitely one of the high points of last week for me (mind you, last week was the week I decided it would be an awesome idea to cut my own hair, so it wasn’t exactly up against a lot of competition…), and my dissapointment that it didn’t contain a handbag (a girl can dream) quickly turned to pleasure when I started spraying the Balenciaga Paris tester I found inside.
Now, this scent wasn’t AT ALL what I was expecting from Balenciaga. The brand, after all, has a reputation for being very edgy, but actually this is a very traditional, feminine kind of fragrance, with top notes of violet (kinda reminds me of those Parma Violet sweets I used to eat when I was younger…), and a bit of a powdery undertone. It’s also very light and fresh, whereas I’d somehow expected Balenciaga to come up with something strong, musky and distinctive.
None of this is intended as criticism, however: in fact, I really like it, and have been wearing it daily since it arrived. I’m actually a bit of a fan of fragrances that have a hint of powder about them, and this is light enough to be worn all day. I think it’ll be particulalry nice during the summer, as it has that “wear me with summer dresses” feel to it, but it’s also a refreshing chance now, too. The brand have said they intend the scent to become a classic, and I can definitely see that happening, as it’s a very timeless kind of fragrance, if that makes sense.
I also rather like the lid:
Want to try it? It’s currently £44 at House of Fraser: click here to buy it.
(Disclosure: I received this as a PR sample)
Michael Kors Very Hollywood scented ink pen
Do not adjust your sets, readers: I know this is a pen you’re looking at, but there is a connection to the world of beauty products, and I’m not just referring to the ones you can see in the photo, I’m referring to the pen itself. This, you see, is a scented ink pen, which you can use to send scented love letters, or anything else that strikes your fancy. (I rarely ever use pen and paper these days, thanks to the Internet, so I’m drawing a bit of a blank here. Scented Christmas cards, perhaps?)
It’s by Michael Kors, the scent is Very Hollywood, and I can confirm that the ink is, indeed scented, although I can only detect it if I sniff the paper, which I’m guessing not a lot of people would think to do. (You may need to add a postscript saying, “Please smell this letter!”) That aside, the scent itself is absolutely gorgeous, and I’ve now made a mental note to try out the perfume when I get the chance, to see if it smells as nice as the ink in the pen suggests.
This is a limited edition, it costs £20 or $25, and you can read more about it here.
[Disclosure: this was sent to me as a press sample]
Dollface Reviews: Marc Jacobs Daisy Eau de Parfum
As my regular readers may recall, although I’ve admired the design of Marc Jacobs’ ‘Daisy’ for a while now, I hadn’t actually sampled what was inside, so when this gorgeous red bottle dropped through the door, courtesy of Coty, which is the company behind this scent, I couldn’t open it up fast enough.
Before I tell you about the scent, though, I think the bottle deserves a little more investigation:
This is the Pop Art edition of the perfume, which, as you can see, comes in a bright red bottle topped with three glossy black daisies. It’s the kind of scent that looks fantastic sitting on your dressing table, and that, naturally, makes it an excellent gift choice, especially for people like me, who’re easily drawn in by pretty packaging.
Luckily, however, the scent inside is very pretty too. Now, I’m not great as describing fragrances, unfortunately: I just don’t seem to have the “nose” to be able to pick out the various notes, so the best I can do here is to tell you that this is a very light, fresh smell, which is floral and a bit fruity, and which is really a breath of fresh air at this time of year, when it’s still so dark and claustrophobic indoors, and something light and fresh is exactly what you need to keep your spirits up. For those of you with a better nose than me, however, you should be able to detect top notes of wild strawberry, heart notes of violet, jasmine and gardenia and base notes of vanilla infusion, musks and white woods. Yum.
My one criticism of this is that the scent is very light and seems to fade a little quicker than my regular perfume, although that could just be because I’m wearing it so often at the moment that I’ve gotten used to it and stopped being aware of it (I hate it when that happens). It gets an enthusiastic thumbs-up from Mr. Dollface, too, however, so that’s good.
For more info on this one, here’s the Marc Jacobs website: enjoy!
Marc Jacobs ‘Daisy’ solid perfume ring
You know Christmas is coming when Marc Jacobs releases a solid perfume, cocktail ring shaped version of his popular ‘Daisy’ perfume, don’t you?
This is the latest incarnation of the aforementioned ring, and is slightly more subtle than previous incarnations (if a giant cocktail ring can ever be called “subtle”, that is), with a black domed shape covered in white daisies. I’ve always thought putting a solid perfume into a ring was a great idea – the perfect way to top up your scent without lugging a glass bottle around with you – so I love this, and think it would make a great gift for a ‘Daisy’ loving girl. It looks pretty cute, too…
(Click here to buy it)
Crabtree & Evelyn ‘Iris’ Eau de Toilette
Earlier this week I was sent a bottle of Crabtree and Evelyn’s new ‘Iris’ eau de toilette to try out, and I’ve been wearing it every day since it arrived. This is actually my first experience of Crabtree and Evelyn, and so far, so good: the fragrance arrived in a nice, satisfyingly chunky 100ml bottle, which I was surprised to discover costs only £24: great value.
Unsurprisingly, this scent is based around the fragrance of the iris. It contains top notes of Italian bergamot and cassis with base notes of sandalwood, patchouli, cedarwood and creamy musk, and just from reading that list, you’ll know that it has a musky, rather than a cloyingly sweet scent. I’m a fan of musky scents in general, but they can often be too heavy: this one isn’t – in fact, it seems to strike just the right balance between floral and musky, and is subtle enough for daytime use.
If you like this, there’s also a matching shower gel and body lotion, and you can click here to buy them from the Crabtree and Evelyn website.
Dollface Reviews: Liz Earle Botanical Essence Eau De Parfum No.1
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?
Friday Fragrance: What perfume are you wearing today?
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?
Tiger & Takeout: Estee Lauder solid perfume collectibles
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:
Dollface Reviews: Ed Hardy by Christian Audigier fragrance for women
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.
