Bvlgari Jasmin Noir: Eau de Pricey Parfum July 25, 2008

There’s a new trend in the fragrance world and that is expensive. Sure fragrance of any kind has always been a market about luxury but now the luxury market is trying to be even more luxuroius. Sure, there are more annoying trends out there such as celeb perfumes or “celeb” perfumes of people you’ve never ever heard of. But making cosmetics more expensive during a Reccession is kind of a silly and obnoxious thing to do. David Yurman has launched a luxury fragrance, every day there is a new niche variety with a big price sticker and now we have Bvlgari jumping in on the “luxury” market even though they already create luxury goods.

I am a big fan of Bvlgari scents. They are typically very simple and wear nicely. I love Omnia despite what the critics may say. It is very warm and I wear it, it doesn’t wear me. My husband wears Aqva which comes across as a fresher Dior Fahrenheit. Bvlgari’s floral fragrances are ultra feminine without piercing you through the sinuses with tuberose. The tea scents are so fresh and easy to wear. Well, Bvlgari thought that their market needed something special, something expensive for the “woman that desires the finer things in life.” Not that Pour Femme was the finer at $125 for a 3.4 oz EDP.  Bvlgari used to sell their fragrances only at their jewelry boutiques that is exclusive and finer. But, why not pull the fragrances from department stores and do that again? Duh, it’s not about prestige it’s about the benjamins. Jasmin Noir retails for $95 for the 1.7 oz and $140 for the 3.4 oz.

I sniffed Jasmin Noir at Nordstrom as soon as the tester hit the shelves. The bottle is stunning and looks well, fancy. It’s the same shape as the others but the glass is dark and mysterious. It appears to be housing the strongest and most potent jasmine on the planet. Well, you’re wrong if you think that. There is nothing ‘noir” about Jasmin Noir. It is not dark or mysterious or heavy. It is very light for the money. Jasmin Noir is marketed to an older crowd which in this industry means 25 to 40 years old which I find silly. If that is their idea of older then I am shocked. Anyways, it faintly smells of jasmine at first but mainly of gardenia. However, even the gardenia isn’t as strong as one would expect from a “luxury” floral marketed to older people. The floral mixture seemed to vanish from skin fairly quickly. Also, the top notes were strangely sweet and not as “fresh” as flowers should be.  I was left with the woody base. The base is supposed to be “masculine dark woods” but is more of soft feminine woods that are the dry down for everything else that has been launched this year. I could smell the warmth of the tonka bean and the vague ghost of licorice for about a few minutes. The fragrance did last a long time on my skin but it was the base notes that stayed forever getting a little more distorted and vaguely generic with each hour. The notes that stayed were the sweetness of vanilla/tonka bean and the milky reminder of crisp almond. Overall, the fragrance isn’t bad. It didn’t cause me to gag or scream “Dear God what is this?”. It is very unoffensive and wears close to the skin. I was just very dissappointed. It did not live up to the price point and seemed like they did not even try to reproduce a better product. It was like they had this juice around and instead of labeling it as a $60-$80 product they decided to use this as their luxurious line. I think I would really like this fragrance if it was stronger or in a more concentrated form. But, I shouldn’t be asking for that. This should of delivered and instead it didn’t. I’ve smelled $25 perfume roll-ons more luxurious than this.

La Fille aux yeux d’or: The Golden Age of Makeup July 10, 2008

It seems that like summer makeup trends, fall makeup isn’t ready to let go of the 24K gold and lapis lazuli look. Every summer collection this year was centered around gold and aqua. Chanel’s fall makeup collection, The New Opulence, is all about warm gold decadence and smoky teals. Which is great, I love metallic makeup and nothing is more luxe and appropriate for any season than gold. Gold manages to be flattering on all shades of skin. Here’s a list of some of my fav cosmetics blessed by the Midas touch.

1. Guerlain L’or Radiance Concetrate with Pure Gold Makeup Base - One of the most amazing bases on thte market. It is infused with 24K gold and has a lightweight feel and provides a cooling sensation. Retails for $68.

2. Nars Creme Blush in Gold Member - A pure gold, creamy highlighter that is Goldfinger appropriate. Retails for $24.

3. Benefit 24K Sexy Gold Lip Gloss - A burnished gold shimmery lip gloss that looks amazing alone or layered. Retails for $20.

4. NYX Liquid Eyeliner in Gold - A metallic pure gold liquid liner that comes with a super fine brush. A steal at $3.

5. Chanel Limited Edition Nail Colour in Gold Fiction - A gilded gold nail color that costs a fortune and probably wears off in an hour. Nordstrom says it is $30 but I just talked to a friend that works for the counter who I could of swore just said that it is $20 now.

6. Milani Shadow Wear Eye Shadow Quad - This high quality/ low price set contains four super shimmery and pigmented shades: pale beige, rustic gold, deep bronze and a dark emerald green. Sells for $5.99.

7. Prescriptives Magic Liquid Powder Red Neutalizer - This cooling shimmery powder neutralizes red, but I use mine to add an etheral glow to my complexion. Retails for $35.

8. Guerlain Kiss Kiss Lipstick in Very Gold 500 - An intense shimmery gold that looks great alone or layered to warm up other lipsticks. Sells for $28 and worth every cent.

9. Michael Kors Leg Shine in Gold - A heavenly ultra feminine scented, ultra glamorous use for a deodarant stick. Has gold flecks to add some wow to your legs. Retails for $32.

10. Urban Decay Baked Bronzer in Gilded - This  is their newest bronzer that is a shimmery bronze laced with golden veins. This stuff lasts forever. Retails for $24.

I am still looking for a perfect eyeliner in pencil form of a pure shimmery gold. I am begging for any suggestions. I’ve spent numurous hours searching in drugstores, department stores and Sephora. I’m trying to replace something I bought from Avon ages ago. And for all of you that love I’m Gonna Get You Sucka, I gotta have this so I can O.G.

Beachy Babes: The Look of Ursula Andress, Honey Ryder July 9, 2008

We’ve had a few pretty warm days here and it had me thinking of beachy fragrances and bronzers again. I was thinking of these things before in Tennessee when it was like 90 degrees, but when we moved here it was like 50. So today I’m wearing bronzer, gold lipstick and heavy eyeliner to hold onto summer even though all the hot fall makeup collections are out and about. I was looking at surf rock record art and had this desire to cut my hair shorter which I always regret later on. I decided to think more of Honey Ryder in Dr. No to make me appreciate my long hair. Typically, not a Bond fan because he is a bit of a chauvinist, but I’ve always loved the chicks in the flicks. You can’t go wrong with the look of a Bond Girl.  So this is what I would use to recreate the look.

First, I could never be as tan as Ursula without getting mega freckley (how did a Swede get so dark anyways?). use a tinted moisturizer such as Lancome Bienfait Multi-Vital Teinte. Tinted moisturizers are great because you can cheat and buy a shade darker to add color without looking weird. I’d bronze with Guerlain Light Sheer Bronzing Powder in Brunette. Seriously, if you have not used this product you are missing out. It is amazingly natural and anyone can wear it. Brush it on with Sephora Bronzing Brush which is another must if you do not own one. I use mine daily. Fill in eyebrows with Lancome Le Crayon Poudre in Natural Blonde and set with Amazing Cosmetics Brow Gel. Since you’ll be frolicking on the beach with this look, use an eyeshadow base such as Lancome Aquatique Waterproof Eyeshadow Base. This is a great product. Remember to close the lid tightly after each use so that it doesn’t dry out. I’ve had one of these get all grotty before because of my hectic mornings and not paying attention. Use L’Oreal Hip Eyeshadow Duo in Dynamic. Dust the lighter shade from all over the lid. Apply the darker shade in the crease and blend with a fluffy brush. Use MAC Eyeshadow in Bisque under the brow. Line top and bottom of eyes with black eyeliner like Dior Waterproof Crayon in Trinidad Black and smudge MAC Eyeshadow in Typographic around the lashline. Coat lashes with lots and lots of Maybelline Full and Soft Waterproof Mascara in Very Black. Pat Nars The Multiple in Palm Beach onto cheeks. All you need for lips is CARGO Plant Love Botanical Lipstick in Mariska (named for my favorite Law and Order actress and lovely daughter of Jayne Mansfield), a light neutral taupe. Plus, the packaging for the lipstick is so appropriate for the era of Ursula Andress. I’d wear Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess as a fragrance. A look like this is so timelessly sexy despite if your name is Ursula or not.

Martin Denny’s Babes: Volume 2 Romantica July 3, 2008

Add an “a” to the ending of any word and you’ll have a swank Martin Denny album name. Romantica, the 1961 release that manages to have either love or romance in every song title.

Anyways, this look is “romantica” so it is softer and less vicious than the “exotica” look on the prowl. Netherless, it is still beautiful and really modern. First fill in the brows with a powder and wax like Urban Decay Brow Box in Beige Betty. Use a concealer such as Benefit Cosmetics Boi-ing and a soft finish foundation like Shiseido The Makeup Dual Balancing Foundation (one that I love). Lightly dust with Givenchy Prisme Libre Loose Powder Quartet Air Sensation in Delicate Beige. Use L’Oreal Eyeshadow Quad in Wood Rose, using the lightest shadow as a base, the second to darkest shade in the crease and the darkest smudged near the lashline. Line eyes with a soft eyeliner pencil like Bourjois  Khol and Contour Eyeliner Pencil in Noir Expert. Smudge this liner again with the sponge applicator in the eyeshadow compact with a little of the “rich” shade. False eyelashes are a must for a pin-up worthy look. Use Andrea Mod Strip Lashes and coat with Neutrogena Healthy Volume Mascara in Black. Lightly coat bottom lashes. For blush use a sheer formula like L’Oreal Light Softening Blush in Rustica (oh, it’s Martin Denny’s rustic album!) The soft lips really make this look. Line lips with Rimmel 1000 Kisses Stay On Lip Pencil in Wild Clover, a natural pink that I use almost everyday. Use Lancome Color Design Sensational Hold Lipcolor in Love It!, a super natural midtone pink. Coat lips with Lancome Juicy Tubes Smoothie in Dreamsicle, once again one of my favorites. A romantic fragrance is a must . When I see this cover I think of Yves Saint Laurent Paris EDT. So this is the end to “A Fine Romance.”

10 Steamy Special Edition Summer ‘08 Fragrances June 30, 2008

Well, it’s that time of year again. (For the rest of the country it has been that time of the year again). It’s the time of the year when all of the cosmetic companies offer a new summer fragrance that is supposed to coat our tan beach bodies or at least trick us into thinking we are having a vacation. It’s a time when many companies can water down a best-selling juice hoping that the fragrance fans will purchase it. Netherless, it’s a time that I love. These are my ten recommendations for this year so far (and ok not all of them are special edition):

1. Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess : This was my first purchase of the season and it sold out fast. I bought it the day it hit the streets and by the time I decided I wanted the body lotion, I couldn’t find it anywhere. Not even online. The company describes it as “A sensuous, sun-drenched blend of Bergamot and Mandarin, cooled with Tahitian Gardenia Petals and Coconut, warmed with Amber, Sandalwood and Vetiver.” Of course, there is a ton of other notes listed, but in the long run it just smells “beachy”. It seriously smells like salt water and sand drying on a warm monoi oil body. I bought the body oil and it is to die for. This line is very similar to last year’s Tom Ford inspired, Azuree Soleil.

2. Guerlain Aqua Allegoria Figue-Iris: I’ve already posted a review of this fragrance. I bought it the day it came out, unsniffed, which is typically a stupid thing to do. It wasn’t a stupid thing to do this time. I love this floraly fig fragrance. Some of the notes listed on Sephora’s site include fig, vanilla, iris, vetiver, bergamot and pink grapefruit. It is still available and is $50 for 2.5 ounces.

3. Prescriptives Calyx Shimmering Fragrance Mist: OK, so this is available all year long but it is so refreshing for the summer. The website describes this classic citrus floral as ” The top note is a profusion of grapefruit and mandarin with a tropical blend of passion fruit, mango, papaya and guava. The refreshing middle note is a bouquet of freesia, muguet, neroli, rose, lily, jasmin and marigold. The deep sensual base note is a luscious weaving of oakmoss, orris, sandalwood and vetiver.” Plus, the shimmer is lots of fun. It is $45 for 1.7 ounces.

4. Burberry Summer: This is a limited edition, meaning that you can only purchase it during the summer, but so far it keeps coming back evreytime it heats up. I really like the orginal and I like this summer take on the orginal. It is a citrusy-floral with enough wood to keep it from getting too cool. It contains citrus, green apple, water lily, freesia, rose, woods, white musk and moss. It costs $47 for 1.7 ounces.

5. Elizabeth Arden Mediterranean Breeze: I remember when the orginal came out and what a hit it was for Elizabeth Arden. The new one has a beautiful bottle that is very Georgia O’Keiffe. The website describes it as “Sparkling. Warm. Captivating. Sweet, sparkling fruits and delicate florals unique to the Mediterranean combine with sensual woods and addictive musks to create a scent reminiscent of a warm breeze on a summer day.” Personally, I haven’t had this experience to compare this fragrance to, I just know it smells nice. It is $47.50 for 1.7 ounces.

6. Kenzo FlowerbyKenzo Summer: I love this woody summer fragrance. Many summer fragrances want to be aquatic and citrusy. This one does a great job being very true to itself. It contains ylang-ylang, parma violet, ginger, mandarin, litchi sorbet, incense, and musk. It retails for $52 for 1.7 ounces.

7. Avon Tahitian Holiday: This one was just launched and I really like it for the price. It is a great alternative to Bronze Goddess for the money. It is a tropical floral with Tahitian tiare flower, musk and coconut. Currently it is $9.99 for 1.7 ounces but it will be $15. There is a hair refresher, shimmery body lotion and a body oil available too.

8. L’Occitane Green Tea with Mint: This unisex, herbacious fragrance is available all year but is so refreshing when it is humid. It contains bitter orange, spearmint, cedar, and thyme. It retails for $44 for 3.4 ounces.

9. Demeter Fuzzy Naval: Demeter has tons of fragrances that are great for summer. It just depends on what summer means for you. Personally, I love Fuzzy Naval. It is my summer fruity guilty pleasure (in more than one way). It is orange and peach and smells just like the real thing. The humongous minis cost $5 for .5 ounces. The .5 spray is $12.50 and the full-size 1 ounce spray is $20.

10. Yves Rocher Pur Desir de Fleur d’Oranger, Orange Blossom: This is a nice refreshing citrus that reminds me of those cool arab drinks. It smells like its namesake. It is usually $19.50 for 2.0 ounces but is on sale all the time. Currently it is $11. It also has a deodorant stick, lotion and shower gel available with this fragrance.

There are many more. But, these are my favs. It’s finally getting warm enough here to think about these things. Yesterday, we were bombarded by 85 degree weather in the house and my lipsticks started to melt and we thought something was wrong with the central air, then we found out there is no central air here. Nobody has it. It was 90 degrees and nobody has air. So we had to go out and buy lots of fans. Everyone was buying lots of fans. It was so weird. This is the kind of bikini you have to wear in cold Pacific Northwest ocean water.

Benefit helps prudes find their B Spot: A fragrance review June 28, 2008

I typically like Benefit cosmetics for their kitschy take on things but when I saw b spot perfume for the first time I didn’t laugh. I don’t know why, I guess I felt like the company was being really desperate. It seems that it lost any of the sexiness that it was trying to provide and went all Hustler or even worse Victoria’s Secret on me. It is kind of creepy thinking about those two twins making jokes of  ladies’ g spots and wanting to make a buck or two off of this erogenous zone; however, Cosmo has been doing this for years, issue after issue, so what does it matter?

I am a big fan of Maybe Baby. It got me through a few good years of college and the early years of my marriage. It smells absolutely feminine and is very reasonably priced. It is about time Benefit launched a new liquid. The description of b spot on the website is so lame that you’ll laugh out loud.

“Every gal’s got one (a few, actually)… b spots, that is. Awaken your most seductive pulse points with this new fragrance from Benefit. It’s a sexy combo of lush mango; faster, faster, freesia; provocative peony & steamy sandalwood… and don’t forget to shake, shake, shake your amber, baby!”

Lame it is, but not so terrible, but not so great. It’s a pretty typical fruity-floral, but wait it has aquatic notes! The top note and initial spritz a nose numbing mango accord that manages to smell good but almost ammonia-ish too. It is followed by aquatic and floral notes giving it a nice “it just rained in the flower garden” feel. I didn’t smell a real peony, just a synthetic “girl” peony that conjures up everything pink. This all happens very fast (maybe that is where the faster, faster line comes in). It does dry down to an earthy, powdery sandalwood and amber that will linger on the skin. For some reason my husband really liked this fragrance. Maybe it is because the blotter card resembles those nudey truck flap babes. I didn’t dislike the fragrance, nor did I love it.  I wouldn’t buy it for myself, but if my husband bought it I would wear it. The price isn’t bad either at $38 for 1.7 ounces.

The packaging is a weak stab at burlesque and could of been better. If you’re trying to be raunchy just add some tassles. I do like the packaging better than Maybe Baby’s because it is easier to hold. The box matches the bottle and has chicks kicking up and swinging body parts everywhere. Also, the company includes a “body map” to help you find your b spot in case you’re such a prude you don’t know where to spritz your perfume…

Oh and if anybody wants to know, the website says my b spot is on the back of my neck.

Another color collection: MAC’S Cool Heat Collection June 23, 2008

Wow, moving is really hard and doesn’t give me the luxury of keeping up with all the frivolous, superficial things in my life such as fragrance and cosmetics. But, I did take some time out about two weeks ago to investigate this Cool Heat collection. As always MAC sends me an email to announce that they have once more threw together (at the last minute it seems) a color collection of sorts.   While viewing the colors online I thought they were OK but the collection concept by itself is really lame.”Blues are cool, oranges are warm”, isn’t really that creative and most people aren’t going to wear a dark teal eyeshadow with bright coral lipstick. But, seriously does anyone pair any of these things together that come in the collections. Anyways, fast-forward to real life where I have to navigate a crappy mall in a new town and yes, they do have a MAC counter that was actually hopping with people buying boring ass mauve lipstick and black mascara. The colors that I thought looked interesting online were really boring but there were some nice ones. The best eyeshadow in my opinion is Climate Blue. Rich blues may turn a sour greenish shade on me (yes, I’m talking to you Electric Eel), but this shade with its pink pearl and slight violet tinge stayed a true blue on me. Another pretty one was Gulf Stream which is really as the site describes “a frosty mid-tone blue-green with green pearl”. Yes, they try this shade in a collection each summer. Now lets move on to lipsticks. I really loved them. Slimshine is a great formula for summer because it provides a fresh fruit kissed shade to lips. It makes lips look plumpy and nice. My favorite colors are High 90S which is a vivid coraly pink and Swelter, a wearable sheer red made for everyone. The fragrances are not so hot or cool. Turquatic is exactly what you would expect from a cheap aquatic fragrance: a manufactured lotus. The site lists orris as a note but I couldn’t catch it. The new Turquatic Heat is has none of the “sultry Mediterranean allure” that it claims to have. It is exactly like Turquatic but infused with a sickly vanilla and powdery amber and that is just wrong and stays on the skin too long. I didn’t buy anything from the collection because at the time I was stressed about finding a place to live but I do want to go back and pick up some Slimshines. Now I’m getting a tad homesick. When I went to the MAC counter everything was deadly boring. The people where fretting over two shades of mauve lipstick that were almost identical, buy them both bitch and leave. The girl working wasn’t even sporting fun stuff. I miss my MAC store with the guy working there with shaved eyebrows and they were drawn up on his forehead and as a clone of a young Divine. And all of the other over the top people that worked there. I wear too much makeup to live here.

Demeter Fragrance Reviews: Peach, Stringbean, and Leather May 9, 2008

Ok, I should get this out of the way. I love Demeter PMU Sprays. I’ve been purchasing from this company for over 12 years now. They’re fun. They’re cheap. they’re weird. I know that lasting power does not exist in Demeter’s dictionary. I know that you can get some real duds too. But, I don’t care. I keep buying and hoping for the best. I don’t want to smell like a paperback book all day anyways. So, I’m going to start reviewing some of these delicious (and not so delicious) accords.

Peach: I bought this one on a whim. I don’t even like to eat peaches. I have a thing about not eating food that is fuzzy. Anyways, at first the fragrance is fresh, soft and fruity. It smells like peach schnapps due to the alcohol content. It smells a wee bit artificial or saccharin. It doesn’t have that “fuzzy” smell, so you won’t smell a texture with this one. It doesn’t smell “succulent”, actually it smells weak. After drying down for a few seconds, it smells exactly like Clarins Water Comfort One-Step Cleansing Water for dry skin (it contains peach essential water.) It dries down to something almost unnoticeable. It’s a pretty odor but very, very faint and almost infantile. This cologne is not repulsive but I will not buy it again due to its lack of authenticity. Of course, this is coming from a Southern gal that does not like peaches. So should you trust me?

Stringbean: For me this fragrance was a bit of a disappointment because it was a bit too “pretty” and jazzed up. It is too much of an interpretation of a naturally pretty item. At first it smells floral and very green, almost “hissy”, almost smells like Pine-Sol laced with tuberose. It eventually dries down to a fresh citrus. Like Peach, it lacks texture and does not smell “fuzzy”. The website describes this as being the fragrance of what stringbeans leave on fingertips, so maybe that was why I was disappointed. I wanted the smell of stringbeans humidifying in hot summer air in a wicker basket hiding away in the shade: hot, dirty and green.

Leather: At first I disliked Leather, but it has grown on me. I wanted dirty, rugged leather and now I finally see this in this product. On first spritz, splash, whatever form you choose, it smells… new and… black. It doesn’t smell like a worn in brown leather bomber jacket, old boots, or a book. It smells crisp, masculine. For some reason it smells jock-ish to me. Probably because this note is so often found in popular men’s fragrance (Kenneth Cole Black, Vera Wang, Ralph Lauren Polo, etc.) It smells like leather car seats, but not in that “new car” kind of way. As it begins to dry down it becomes softer and warmer unlike the crisper and cooler initial spritz. It begins to resemble loose, perfectly worn leather gloves or a baseball mitt. It is a very unisex accord and has the ability to conjure many memories. If I mix mine with Dirt PMU then it reminds me of my dad’s work boots and putting those big things on as a child. Leather smells like my first biker jacket from my rebellious youth (ok, goth days) but turns into my favorite Via Spiga purse that I have lugged around for years.

Guerlain Aqua Allegoria Figue-Iris May 6, 2008

Yesterday, I ordered Guerlain’s Aqua Allegoria Fique-Iris for my birthday and I can’t wait to get it in. I’m buying it unsniffed, so it better be good. My local Sephora gets everything in months later than everyone else and I had to have this now. I love figs and I love iris. I’ve heard that the Iris used in this fragrance is “Guerlainish and violety”. I have no problem with this. I use Meteorites daily just because I love the soft greenish floral fragrance. When I finally get this in I will be sure to give everyone the full fragrance report.