Tuesday, November 6, 2012

FOREVER RED BY BBW, IS IT THE "MOST LUXURIOUS" SCENT EVER?

Normally when BBW starts hyping up one of their scents, I always end up dissapointed because they just never live up to the hoopla. This is no different-all you hear is BBW talking about how "luxurious and unique" this scent is and how they used the "most expensive" ingridients.
I was in the store the other week and I saw they were selling little bottles of edt for $5 so of course, i got one. I also sprayed it once on the paper strip from the tester bottle.
According to BBW, the notes are:
  • Top Notes: Fiery Pomegranate, Rare French Peach, Luminous Apple
  • Mid Notes: Red Peony, Night Marigold, Red Osmanthus
  • Dry Notes: Rich Vanilla Rum, Velvety Marshmallow, Oak Wood
  • In some way, this reminded me of Japanese Cherry Blossom-I don't mean it smells the same but it has kind of the same floral oriental vibe-initial notes you can definately smell pomegranate and apple( I really don't get the peach which is too bad) and then it changes into light version of Japanese Cherry Blossom(slightly powdery vanilla and woods).
    My biggest problem with this, I heard many of their sale associates go on how long lasting it is and you only need one spray. Oh, please-the smell dissappeared from my test strip in minutes and when I sprayed it on my wrist, 2 sprays, and went to work, it was gone completely by the time I got there(1 hour). I noticed that this scent lays very close to your skin from the very start so expensive or not expensive ingridients, it doesn't last any longer than any of their other scents and is certainly not worth $44 price tag. If it lasts long time on you, its because of your chemistry not because the scents is actually long lasting.
    What ticked me off even more is their prices for Forever Red bodycare-$18-20 dollars for lotion or shower gel? Are you kidding me? This is premium designer pricing that you will pay at most department stores. And that brings me to my biggest complaint with BBW-their scents get weaker every year and prices keep going up. I recently  bought Vanilla Bean Noel body spray/lotion and also Dream Vanilla Woods(or whatever the name was) and body spray lasted probably 5 minutes. I spoke with other women on fragrance boards who had the same experience-its like spraying lightly scented water on yourself. And because of that, I won't be buying any more of BBW body sprays, its TOTAL waste of money. I recently bought several body sprays from Body Fantasies which costs $6, you can get it at most drugstores and it has lasting power of several hours. BBW should really be ashamed of themselves for ripping people off like that-I actually like Forever Red(although I don't think its THAT exceptional) but I won't be buying it because price is ridiculous for that it is. I wouldn't mind paying the price if the scent actually lasted. Sad.

    Friday, August 17, 2012

    Body Sprays from Hollister-so delicious!

    I can't even remember how I ended up at Hollister store because I don't really care for their clothes but anyhoo, I was wondering through and saw they also have bodysprays and perfume. Well, well, this is right up my valley;) Let me just say that I like Victoria Secret but lately everything they produce smells the same so I haven't bought anything there for a while but Hollister has only 6 body sprays and these all smell awesome!

    here are the two I liked best:

    Silver Strand Beach(yellow flower bottle)-notes of sparkling mandarin and peach blossom. This smells so delicious and fruity I felt burrowing my nose in my arm and taking a bite. Lasting power is about the same as any other bodysprays(which is short lived) but the scent is SO MUCH better than VS!

    And my other favorite-Malibu Beach(that's the one with red flowers on the bottle), notes of vanilla and almond. Yum, yum. This also smelled wondeful but in vanilla cake/little coconut way(even though coconut is not listed but that's what my nose smelled).

    and here are notes for the rest:
     Crystal Cove-kiwi and wild strawberries
    Solana Beach-apple, jasmine and white musk
    Laguna Beach-peach, freesia and coconut
    Crescent Bay-watermelon and poppy
     These are bit more expensive than VS-$16 each or 3 for $30 but I would pick these over VS lastest offerings any day. Try it for yourself

    Wednesday, August 15, 2012

    Chanel #5-the most overhyped scent in the history of humanity or the most wondeful? You decide

    I think I was 18 or so when I first smelled Chanel #5 and I thought it was God awful. I normally try not to say that it smells like "old lady" but at the time, I thought that only old women would wear this and it was disgusting.
    I am 40 now and have much greater appreciation of fragrance so I wanted to revisit this scent once again. The initial scent is rich and spicy-a mix of very spicy rose and jasmine with a bit of bergamot. That lasts for a while and if the scent stayed that way, I could probably see the appeal. However, within 30 minutes, the aldehydes come in full force and it starts smelling dusty and stale. The best way to describe it would be dusty books from the library.
    I never tested it on my skin because frankly I was afraid that I was going to hate it so I sprayed it on paper strip. I am glad I didn't because smelling like dust and stale closets is never my goal. Lasting power is quite amazing-I tried it two days ago and my paper strip still smells like like dusty books.

    Ok, don't kill me now-I know that fragrance is highly subjective and everyone likes different thing but this scent has been overhyped from here to Sunday. It really has-everytime you open a fashion magazine, there is always something about how classy, iconic, sexy and as Fragrantica says"a symbol of good taste". Now, I love Fragrantica but calling it a symbol of good taste is a bit of a stretch.
    I think one of the reasons it remained popular because media is always harping on how great it is, also it IS Chanel(and if it was from Coty, I am sure it wouldn't cause such frenzy and devotion), and of course, because Marylin Monroe wore this.
    At the time, it was created, using aldehydes was rather revolutionary because noone has used it before but nowdays, its common place and there is nothing exciting in that alone. If you like it, more power to you, but unlike the fashion magazines, I definately don't think its the best fragrance ever made.

    Paris Amour from BBW-the new limited edition trio

    I like Paris Amour so I was curious to try the three new scents. So, to the best of my recollection, here goes:
    Paris in Bloom-if Love, Love, Love(I really can't stand this name) and Paris Amour had a baby, it would be Paris in Bloom. This is the most "meh" out of all three scents. Notes listed:
  • Top Notes: Sparkling Grapefruit, Crisp Apple, Dewy Pear, Wild Red Berries
  • Mid Notes: Lily of the Valley, Peony Petals
  • Dry Notes: Vanilla Orchid, Cashmere Woods, Velvety Musk

  • Paris Nights-this is deeper, darker and muskier version of Paris Amour. I liked it. This one has potential. Notes listed:
  • Top Notes: Bergamot Italian, Camellia, Fresh Dewberry, Clementine, Waterlily
  • Mid Notes: Quince, Red Rose, Wild Orchid, Night Blooming Jasmine, Blueberry Blossom, Purple Freesia
  • Dry Notes: Patchouli Leaf, Sandalwood, Amber, Vanilla, Mahogany Wood

  • Sweet on Paris-this one is a lot sweeter and candy like than original. Out of all three, Sweet on Paris was my favorite. The interesting part is that drydown smelled just like Pink Sugar. I was considering buying that one but it doesn't come in ear de toilette, only in body sprays(which I usually avoid because of poor lasting power) so I didn't get it. Notes listed:
  • Top Notes: Sparkling Tangerine, Raspberry Kir, Luscious Blackberry, Lemon Meringue
  • Mid Notes: Jasmine Macaroon, Apricot, Pink Peony, Juicy Nectarine
  • Dry Notes: Sugared musk, Pink Marshmallow, Creamy Sandalwood, Vanilla Infusion

  • Incidentally, they also released limited edition Paris Amour bottle which is SO cute and girly. I already have Paris Amour edt so I didn't want to get another bottle but its so MUCH cuter than the original! Click on this link to view http://www.bathandbodyworks.com/product/index.jsp?productId=12963820&cp=4090262.12982860.13299906
    Paris Amour Eau de Toilette - Signature Collection - Bath & Body WorksParis Amour Eau de Toilette - Signature Collection - Bath & Body Works
    Paris Amour Eau de Toilette - Signature Collection - Bath & Body Works
    By the way, speaking of smelling like cotton candy scents-I like smelling like cotton candy but I don't wear Pink Sugar(I am sure EVERYONE knows what that smells like). I wear something called Delicious Cotton Candy by Gayle Hayman which I got for $12 at TJ Maxx. If you check fragrance boards, you will see that LOT of ladies like this one because its smells more like cotton candy than Pink Sugar, lasts longer and cheap as dirt. Try it!

    Monday, July 9, 2012

    Review for Love, Love, Love-new scent from Bath and Body Works

    This weekend I wanted to stop by BBW and check out their sale but suprise, suprise, they had the full line of Love, Love, Love out. Of course, I sampled it and my verdict is ..as I predicted, not "love".

    I tried ear de toilette and sprayed a couple of good sized sprayes on my hand. At first sniff, I was thinking "hmm, this is nice" because the plum note is very prominent and it smelled like fresh plums not sweet, just lovely. However, within few seconds that dissappeared and you were left with something very simular to Pink Chiffon. The only difference was that Love, Love, Love had a slight powdery note in the base. But that's it. If you looking for something different, Love, Love, Love is not. And lasting power blows-these two sprays of edt didn't even last an hour.

     I feel like BBW keep "recycling" the same fragrances over and over again and some of the more "different ones"-Forever Sunshine, Dark Kiss and Dark Amethyst, to name a few are being discountinued and you are left with bunch of very generic stuff.
    I haven't been happy with BBW for at least 6 months because their creativity took a major nosedive and it seem to continue. Whoever is creating their fragrances needs some new ideas, pronto

    Monday, July 2, 2012

    New scent from Bath and Body Works called-Love, Love, Love

    I just heard that this is their new and latest scent that will be coming out this month. Not sure when because noone at my store seem to know the release date. I will be of course, sniffing it as I do all their scents but I don't think its going to be "Love, Love, Love". I was really dissapointed with BBW  lately because after few years producing good and distictive scents that were as good as many department stores offerings, they backslid into forgettable and generic territory.
    Love, Love, Love has a notes of:  berries, white plum, juicy pear mid notes: peony petals, lily of the valley, freesia bottom notes: blonde woods, glittering vanilla musk.

    I am withholding judgement at this point but their latest and much hyped up offerings were extremely bland and generic so I guess I am not holding my breath.

    And on the subject of Malibu Beach-I was looking very much forward to trying this scent because it was supposed to be "beachy" with fruit and coconut notes but despite trying this scent half a dozen times since its arrival, this is very meh. Anyone remember limited edition Vanillatini scent from few months ago? I still have a bottle and Malibu Heat is its slightly fruitier twin.  This is not the first time BBW had repackaged almost identical fragrance and I am sure it won't be the last. I remain their customer because I do LOVE a lot of their products but I really wish they would be a bit more creative with their offerings.

    And on another note-as you all know, I am a fragrance fanatic but just recently I made a resolution to myself. Because I have so many fragrances, I will NOT buy anything anymore unless I am madly in love with it and can't stop smelling it. Its going to be hard..

    Tuesday, June 12, 2012

    Valentina by Valentino and how to avoid being captured by salespeople in a frangrance department

    I like to sample new fragrances but I can't stand when SA would try to pounce on you and not give you a chance to even look around before starting to push the newest whatever. That is probably true of most department stores but my local Macy's takes the cake. I usually avoid it like the plague but unfortunately, some scents are only available at Macy's so the other day I ventured in, hoping to sample a scent. Before doing it, I had to conduct a plan simular to a military raid-travel in stealth(by the way of the other deparments), circle the target while keeping an eye out for the enemy(salespeople) and when the coast is clear, make a beeline for your target, spray and make a quick getaway.  I succeeded this time but last time, when I wanted to sample Truth or Dare, which is exclusive to Macy's, I was captured by the enemy and had to endure 15 minutes of torture(listening to her salespitch about why I should buy the gift set of Truth or Dare, never mind the fact that I haven't even sampled it yet). Ugh...
    I do like Nordstrom's because even though SA will approach  you, they will leave you in peace if you ask them to, and always give you samples as well(we all know that its easier to find a Holy Grail than to get samples from Neiman Marcus or Macys).

    Valentina Valentino for women
    This weekend I sampled Valentina by Valentino and well...I am not impressed. Notes according to Fragrantica are: bergamot, orange blossom, jasmine, strawberries, wild tuberose, cedar, vanilla and amber. Sounds good, right? I smell orange blossom fairly strongly in this and in my opinion, it overpowers all the other notes other than vanilla and amber.
    It really doesn't smell like anything new or different. Lasting power is terrible-30 minutes later, I couldn't smell a thing. What is with all the perfumers lately, giving us watered down stuff that doesn't even last?!  This is a "meh" kind of scent for me..oh, well, on to the next

    Thursday, May 3, 2012

    Wishes & Dreams by BEBE


    Wishes & Dreams Bebe for women

    Notes from Fragrantica:  opening bursts with juicy notes of bergamot, coral freesia and French pear. Voluptuous flowers in the heart include jasmine, wild violet and osmanthus. Opulent notes of exotic woods, musk and patchouli form a trail in the base.
    I sampled it yesterday at Bebe's store-bottle is gorgeous but I was underwhelmed by this scent. When I first sprayed it, the initial notes of bergamot, freesia and pear produced this nice citrusy yet musky floral scent. However, as few minutes went by it started turning into rather warm citrusy floral that bears more than a passing resemblence to Sexual by Michel Germain. I really can't smell patchouli in this at all which is unusual because my nose seem to be finely tuned to it normally. I guess patchouli accounts for its lasting power on my skin because even after I took a shower I could still smell it on my hand. Its a nice scent but if you have Sexual, I wouldn't bother with Wishes and Dreams

    Tuesday, May 1, 2012

    Rosewood by Banana Republic and Curve Crush by Liz Claiborne


    ROSEWOOD BY BANANA REPUBLICRosewood Banana Republic for women
    I smelled this couple of years ago for the first time on my brother-in-law's girfriend and had to try it for myself. Yes, it was nice but powdery scents are not my thing so I never bought it. Fast forward to this weekend when I was at BR and saw some travel sizes of their fragrances and there were few Rosewood left. Sold!
    Bergamot, tea and amber? I would have never guessed. I thought vanilla had to be in the notes but I guess not. Essentially it smells like powdery vanilla with woodsy undertones. There is a hint of bergamot on the top but honestly, if I didn't see it in the notes, I don't think I would have detected it. This is very cozy and comforting scent, kind of like wrapping a plush blanket around yourself on a cold winter day. Someone mentioned it reminds them of Cashmere Mist and I can see that-its the same kind of cosy, soft, powdery scent. I was surprised to find out that its rather long lasting since most of fragrances nowdays end up dissappearing very quickly but Rosewood has great lasting power and siliage(while its not overpowering, it did last 4-5 hours on me). Incidentally, it also reminds me of Curve Crush bY Liz Claiborne except Rosewood is more sophisticated and elegant smelling. Its a really nice scent and I certainly wasn't expecting it coming out of Banana Republic.



    CURVE CRUSH BY LIZ CLAIBORNE

    Curve Crush Liz Claiborne for women
    Unfortunately, I couldn't find out what the notes were in this but this scent can be described in two words-baby powder. This is soft and clean baby powder scent that is not overwhelming but it has a decent siliage and lasts much longer than I expected. Its a perfect scent for work because its not loud and in your face and scent of baby powder is hardly likely to bother any sensetive people out there. Not to mention that you can find it at incredibly cheap prices at places like Walmart, CVS and Target. I got my small bottle at Walmart for just over $10 which is a pretty good bargain especially if you are on a budget

    Monday, April 30, 2012

    DREAMS UNLIMITED AND LOVE ETC FROM THE BODY SHOP

    I don't normall shop at The Body Shop but I was passing by when I saw they were having a deal-buy one full size perfume and get lotion free. So I went in and tried these two scents.
    DREAMS UNLIMITED FROM THE BODY SHOP
    Notes listed: Currant, iris, cedar
    Dreams Unlimited The Body Shop for women

    I am really suprised that so many people disliking it-this is fresh floral that has a slightly aquatic feeling. I think its perfect for summer. Now discountinued Aqua Lily did bear some simularities to Dreams Unlimited but I think I like Dreams Unlimited better. Someone mentioned Cool Water as well-I have small bottle of Cool Water and Cool Water is much more unisex, citrusy and zesty to my nose. When I purchased my bottle of edp, I was given matching lotion for free. However, even layered, it doesn't last more than 1.5 hour. I find also that it doesn't project much or have much siliage. I like it but don't love it.


    LOVE ETC
    Love ETC The Body Shop for women
    Notes listed: Notes listed:
    Neroli, pear, bergamot, jasmine, heliotrope, lily-of-the-valley, vanilla, sandalwood, musk

    I tried it this weekend along with Love Unlimited. I don't know why but I was feeling kind of meh about this scent. Unlike the other reviewers I couldn't smell vanilla at all. I get sort of warm citrusy top notes, and then musky slightly peppery floral. The end. This just didn't wow me

    Tuesday, April 24, 2012

    Aimez-Moi by Caron-oh, yes, its divine!

    Aimez-Moi came out back in 1996 and it wasn’t a love at first sight, more like a love after a second sniff. I remember sampling it at Nordstrom’s and thinking “wow, this is not good”. Now I know what notes are in this, I realized that it was the initial notes of cardamom, star anise and mint that almost knocked me off my feet and led to my negative reaction. I went home not giving it another thought, not realizing that some of the Aimez-Moi gotten on the sleeve of my winter coat I was wearing. Next morning I was putting on my coat and I realized that something smelled wonderful-warm, rich and slightly green but what was it? I realized that this was the only scent I sampled that day and figured if it smelled this good later, I had to try it again. I did and this time I let it mellow out on my hand and yes, there it was, that wonderful scent. I bought it, used it all up and went through several bottles of it until one sad day I couldn’t find it anymore.
    Few years later, I managed to find it online and not only it had a different bottle, I heard that it was reformulated. I just bought another bottle online and it seemed like the same scent.
    I find it hard to describe because it’s a floral and yet, its not like any other floral that I smelled before-its lightly green, warm, rich with a hint of woods and had just enough sweetness to stop it venturing into bitter territory. The best word to describe this scent is “golden”-its rich, elegant, and classy. For me, this is the most elegant scent I have ever smelled. I am not a floral lover, usually preferring sweet candy, fruity and gourmand fragrances but this scent have captured my heart.
    Notes from Fragrantica-star anise, mint, violet, cardamom, bergamot
    Iris, jasmine, magnolia, rose, wood, amber, musk
    this is what Aimez-Moi bottle looked like back in 1996
    Aimez - Moi Caron for women
    Unfortunately, now its in plain clear glass bottle that most Caron perfumes are now housed. This bottle was beautiful, the new one is just plain

    Monday, April 23, 2012

    Weekend sniffings-New Garden Collection from Bath and Body Works and Love is Heavenly from Victoria Secret

    This weekend I finally sampled the new Garden Collection from Bath and Body Works which include Wild Berry Tulips, Wild Apple Daffodil and Wild Citrus Sunflower. The verdict? All three are nice fresh floral scents with slight variation-Wild Citrus Sunflower has more citrusy notes, Wild Berry Tulips has berry notes as well as floral and Wild Apple Daffodil is a combination of fruity and fresh floral. I think these scents are great for the summer. Will I be buying any of these? No. Does it smell good? Sure. Is it anything unique? No. I still liked Wild Poppy from Bodycology much better for the simple reason that it was a fresh floral as well but not as generic as BBW latest offerings.
    Unfortunately, the one scent I really wanted to try in a body spray, Malibu Heat, still wasn’t available at my store even though they were supposed to have it on the 20th. I was told by SA that because we are in HI, its taking longer to get to our store but once again, no one seemed to know exactly when it going to be here. “sign”
    I also had the opportunity to try new Victoria Secret scent, Love is Heavenly. Now, before we go any further, I want to say that Victoria Secret is one of my favorite stores and I own tons of their stuff. However, I was really disappointed with their fragrance offerings lately. Everything new lately seems to be generic clones of each other. That’s what happened with Love is Heavenly-notes supposed to include waterlily, mandarin flower and musk. As soon as I sprayed it on, I realized that it smells very similar to Bombshell even though notes are different. Common, Victoria Secret, can we have something different already? I can understand that they want the scents generic enough so they would sell but at least can they do something different from the scent they already have? Because if I had to do blind smell test, I wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between the two. Yes, it smells nice but if you already have Bombshell, do not bother with this.

    Tuesday, April 17, 2012

    White Musk Libertine and White Gardenia from The Body Shop

    White Musk Libertine The Body Shop for women
    I was killing some time yesterday so I stepped into The Body Shop to check out their fragrances. I normally stick with Victoria Secret and Bath and Body Works because they have so much more variety of scents. But I heard about White Musk Libertine on Fragrantica and notes sounded so appealing that I wanted to try it. Notes listed: musk, rose, almond, honey, whipped cream. Sounds divine, right?
    I thought I would love this based on the notes. Lord no!

    While I didn't think it was a complete scrubber, I would never wear this. I wonder if my nose can't smell certain notes or something because what I smelled bears no resemblance to the perfume reviewers on Fragrantica raving about. Rose, almond, honey, whipped cream?! Where are all these wondeful notes? Perhaps I am especially sensitive to musk because that's all I could smell-musk with a hint of rose, which ended up smelling sort of very musty floral, sort of "grandma's closet" type of smell. (no offense to anyone's grandmas).
     I sprayed it on a paperstrip so I know its not my skin chemistry but I can't imagine how it smells so different from the notes listed. I actually liked the regular White Musk well enough but this I would never wear. I would try before you buy it blindly because you may end up being dissappointed.
    White Gardenia The Body Shop for women
    I always wanted to try the White Gardenia but as my bad luck would have it, they were out of everything but body mist which is superlight. I still sprayed it on my hand and its quite delightful, slightly fruity gardenia that bears some resemblance to Marc Jacobs. Notes listed-lotus, gardenia, bergamot and musk. Very light, young and almost innocent scent. My store should be getting more of edt which i hope to smell and see if its worth buying because body mist dissapeared from my skin in less than 15 minutes. Not worth it.

    Monday, April 16, 2012

    If you liked Butterfly Flower from Bath and Body Works, try Wild Poppy, new scent from Bodycology line

    I was at Walmart today and of course, I had to check their body sprays. It appears that Bodycology line was being repackaged and their new packaging looked very nice, I have to say. They also added several new scents(and I can't remember all the names) that are copies of Japanese Cherry Blossom, Twilight Woods, Love Spell, Pure Seduction(these two are Victoria Secret scents) and Butterfly Flower.
    For anyone who liked now discontinued Butterfly Flower-I owned a bottle and gave it away, not because I didn't like it but I have too much perfume and I figured I could always get another bottle. Wrong! Bath and Body Works have discontinued it shortly after and I have been kicking myself ever since. Well, Bodycology has what appears to be its twin-called Wild Poppy, lovely fresh floral that bears uncanny resemblance to Butterfly Flower. I couldn't resist getting body cream and small spray!

    Also, they have 3 new "tropical" scents-I was in a rush to get to work so I didn't even smell them all but I picked up one body spray called "Tropical Escape". I LOVE this! It  smells like tropical fruit-pineapple, mangoes, papayas with a little floral note mixed it. If Malibu Heat smelled like this, I would have loved it(well, still withholding judgement on that one...). If you like tropical scents, you got to try it-I will stop by again when I have time so I can smell the other two. If you want to try alternative to BBW, this line can't be beat

    Bath and Body Works Malibu Heat, Wild Apple Daffodil, Wild Citrus Sunflower, Wild Berry Tulips and other weekend samplings

    I was eagerly anticipating trying out these four new scents from Bath and Body works so I made my way to my local store shortly after opening. And surprise, none of their employees even knew what I was talking about. Dude, are you serious?! Company has four new scents coming out but you don't have a clue? Finally, one of the salespeople had to go ask a manager and told me that they just received the new lotions(full line comes out on 20th). They let me smell it and I wasn't too impressed. Malibu Heat smelled like several other fragrances they already have, at least in a lotion form.  I will definately try the body spray because I am hoping I will like it better.  Sorry, gals, I couldn't smell the other 3 floral ones because they haven't even unpacked it yet...Grrr..I guess I will just have to wait until the 20th..

    I also sampled Diane Von Furstenburg new fragrance. She is the designer who pretty much pioneered the printed wrap dresses in the 70s. Anyways, I got sample with my recent Sephora order and well, I can't stand it. Its doesn't smell good to my nose at all. The notes from Fragrantica list musk, patchouli, myrhh, violet and frangipani. I love frangipani but I can't smell it in this scent at all. This is very 70s scent to me-my mom used to wear Fendi and Anne Klein for years, which are both chypre scents, and while I always thought it smelled nice on her, I can't stand either one on myself or smelling it on other people. Diane Von Furstenburg smells just like Fendi to my nose-its not a "young" scent by any stretch of imagination and because I associate it with my mom( and several older female relatives who wore same kind of scents also), this smells "older woman" to me. Sorry, Diane, I like your dresses but can't stand your perfume.

    I did like one scent I sampled this weekend at Sephora-Dolce and Gabbana L'Imperatrice. I saw several videos on YouTube with girls showing their fragrance collection and several of them had this scent.
    Wow, I was impressed and fell in love with it almost immediately. It has notes of watermelon, kiwi, pink cyclamen and musk. I think I smelled this scent on several women before and remember thinking "mmm, this girl smells good". Its a sophisticated fruity scent that smells like a beautiful woman. Sorry, can't explain it better than that but you got to try it! Its kind of pricey but I will getting a bottle of this in the future

    Friday, April 13, 2012

    Daisy by Marc Jacobs-not so fresh:(

    I got a sample of this with my Sephora order. I read the notes and thought I would like it so I sprayed it straight on my hand. Note to self-if you haven’t smelled perfume before, its not a good idea to just spray it on yourself. I was expecting light sort of girly floral. Nope. This reminded me of floral potpourri or floral room spray. I sprayed it on a card to make sure my nose wasn’t playing tricks-still the same dried flower smell. It actually smells like this floral scent that my grandma used to wear(God rest her soul) and it didn’t smell “young” to me at all.  I try not to call scents “old lady” but I have actually smelled something very similar on many older women so I think it’s a copy of an older scent that’s already in existence.
     There are actually very few fragrances that I don’t like-I may not wear some of them but I am not disgusted by it, but Daisy definitely falls into serious dislike category for me. Definitely try before you buy-I watched several YouTube videos where girls raved about this scent-just because they like it doesn’t mean you will.

    Thursday, April 12, 2012

    Do you wear mens cologne?

    I am a member of Fragrantica, online fragrance community, and its because of that site I heard that lot of women actually wear men's cologne. I was curious to try a few but keep in mind that I usually like sweeter perfumes so most mens cologne are too citrusy, fresh and too masculine smelling.
    I was recommended Spicebomb from Victor & Rolf(I am sure everyone is familiar with their female, version, Flowerbomb) and Le Male from Jean Paul Galtier. When I was at Nordstroms the other day I stopped in their men's fragrance department to try these. First, I tried Le Male-I was seriously amazed how sweet it was. I honestly can't imagine a guy wearing this. Its smells sweet, slightly powdery and woodsy with an incense note(although I didn't see incense listed in the notes). I asked my husband if this smelled like men's cologne and he said "not at all, its very feminine". Lasting power on Le Male was awesome-one spray lasted at least 4 hours on my hand. Me likey:)
    I also tested Spicebomb-it is spicy but its also sweet and woodsy with almost like a cigar note. Very nice also. I actually liked it better than Le Male but lasting power with Spicebomb is not that great(especially for a price). It burns itself out in less than 2 hours. All in all, it was a very interesting experience and I will definately try more mens scents in the future!

    Wednesday, April 11, 2012

    New fragrance from Bath and Body Works-Malibu Heat

    Well, ladies, looks like there is a new scent coming out, called Malibu Heat. Name reminds me of high school when  I wore a drugstore perfume with a simular name. I am certainly curious to try it especially after I saw someone on MakeupAlley post the notes:
    Top: fresh mandarin, California orange, crisp pear, succulent pineapple
    Mid: orange blossom, lily of the valley, coconut water
    Dry: coconut milk, creamy vanilla, sandalwood, sunny musk
    Doesn't that sound delicious? However, I have been dissapointed by BBW before when the notes sounded so great and fragrance itself turned to be rather mediocre. I will stop by this Saturday, during their fragrance event and see if I can get the lotion in this new scent.

    Empress by Sean John

    Empress Sean John for women
    Citrus Floral


    Notes are key lime pie accord, mandarin, star fruit and cranberry. The heart consists of raspberry, peony, passion flower, cardamom and ambrette seed, followed by notes of vanilla, sandalwood, crystallized caramel and second skin accord.

    I sampled this yesterday and to my surprise liked it quite a bit. Perhaps I should say that I wasn't impressed with Sean John's any other offerings for women so this was a pleasant surprise. Bottle, while nice looking, is rather masculine so I guess I was expecting something more masculine as well. It really isn't. I sprayed one pump on my hand and thought it was rather citrusy. After about a minute, zesty note went away and I was hit with key lime pie. Mmmm, nice. At that point, I was really liking it. It continued to develop into sweet lime pie scent with some caramel at the base notes.
    I would have never guessed that this has so many floral notes because it doesn't smell floral at all. I have people on Fragrantica describing it as masculine and to me its definately very feminine scent.  I also don't see this as unisex scent all(which is what I also read in internet reviews).
    Key Lime pie with some cream and mandarins on top is what I get. Lasting power was about an hour so I will have to sample it again to see whether the lasting power improves. Overall, its a nice scent and I was impressed!