Beautyholics Anonymous » Fragrance

The Scent I Share With My Man

Tine — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 21:30:00 +0000

I’m not usually a fan of unisex fragrances, and I stay away from them as much as I can. I remembered very well; back in the day when the original CK One was immensely popular, plenty of men and women would soak themselves in it. A lot of my schoolmates had the fragrance, and on the schoolbus, the boys from a nearby high school would spray themselves like mosquito spray with CK One as well, and the whole bus absolutely reeked. *cough*

Anyway. Unisex fragrances? Nope, not a fan.

A few months ago, I purchased the Marc Jacobs Splash Curacao. I love citrusy scents, and the Curacao has been my favourite fragrance for months.

Inspired by the first sip of a cool, sweet cocktail on a sun-soaked summer day, Marc Jacobs introduces three new Limited Edition Splash scents in Cranberry, Ginger, and Curacao. These refreshing new fragrances are vibrant in color, and crisp to the sense. They entice us to indulge in the simple pleasures of summer.
Topnote – Blood Oranges, Bitter Orange Bigrade, Lime, Mandarin
Midnote – Violet, Pear, Apricot
Drydown – White Moss, Amber, Musk, Sandalwood

One day, I realised that the amount of the MJ Curacao I had remaining did not really tally with the amount I use on an almost daily basis. It was less than what I recalled. Little did I know, Tim was nicking the Curacao for his daily use! Yes, this was from the man who complained that I have too many perfumes when I bought the MJ Curacao. His excuse was “It smells good, and there’s so much. Let’s share“. Harumph.

It’s not a strong scent, and it does fade quite quickly. Truth be told, I think he smells damn good with it on. I’ll forgive him by getting myself a Chanel fragrance, perhaps?

Do you share any fragrances with your man? Father? Brother? The bloke from Human Resource?

Demeter Does the Funniest Scents

Tine — Fri, 24 Sep 2010 20:42:31 +0000

I salute the people of Demeter who could come up with all sorts of scents and fragrances. Just how the heck do you capture the smell of rain? Or mildew?!

I’m very tempted to get some Demeter scents, but to have to pay US$40 worldwide shipping fee for a bottle of mildew stink … really got to think about it.

Still, here are some of the ones which tickled my fancy. Some literally gave me the giggles. The smell of a thunderstorm in a bottle, anyone?

PS: No, I did NOT make these scents up. Demeter really does make them!

Perfumes, Perfumes, Perfumes

Tine — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 20:46:47 +0000

I saw this perfume tag on Miss Prissypants, and I just couldn’t resist.

1. Fragrance with the most memories attached?

Perfumes, on the whole, hold quite powerful memories for me. After each business trip, my father would gift my mother a bottle of the latest perfume there is out there. She now has drawers-ful of perfumes which I’m most envious of. As I grew older, my father did the same for me. The first perfume he ever gave me was a set of Elizabeth Arden True Love perfume and body lotion.

A few fragrances that evoke some powerful memories:

Elizabeth Arden’s Fifth Avenue – A classic. A gift from my father to my mother. I loved it so much, that I would sneak into her room every morning and squirt on my pinafore before I left for school.

Cristalle by Chanel – My father was on a business trip to Japan when he bought this for me. Incidentally, I was also in Japan at that time. He walked into my office (we work for the same company at that time), and handed me the duty-free paper bag with the perfume in it. My female Japanese colleagues were green with envy that day. One of them even told “you have such a good father. My father has never given me anything like that, much less a Chanel perfume!”.

Davidoff Cool Water – The first fragrance for me I ever bought, and it was for my first boyfriend.

My Givenchy by Givenchy – The first bottle of fragrance (that isn’t the usual el-cheapo stuff I’d buy) I bought at Narita Airport, Japan. I had one hell of a time of training then, and this was a gift to myself for enduring the time of loneliness in Japan.

2. Your most-loved perfume bottle?

I don’t have the ONE perfume bottle that I love, but there are a few that are my favourite.

Estee Lauder’s Beyond Paradise. Another gift from daddy dearest. Don’t really fancy the scent, but loved the shimmery bottle.
Chanel No.5. A classic apothecary bottle. LOVE it.
Van Cleef & Arpels’ Féerie. What a delightful bottle.

3. Which perfume do you wish was still produced?

Chris 1947 by Dior. I was 17 when my aunt gave this to me. I absolutely adored the scent back then, and bugged my mum for one for Christmas. In the end, my aunt (her sister) gave me one for Christmas. ‘Tis a pity they don’t make this anymore. I read this on Paris‘ blog, and it brought back a wave of Form Five memories.

4. Favourite perfume advertising campaign?

Unfortunately, I never did pay much attention to perfume advertising campaigns till recently. Most of the advertising campaigns these days involved fragrances by celebrities, and I was never keen on those. I did like the very expensive Chanel No 5 advertisement by Nicole Kidman though (Kiera Knightley’s, not so much).

5. Best perfume-related discovery?

Can’t think of any at the moment.

6. Perfume that you expected to love but didn’t?

Estee Lauder’s Pleasures. Heard such rave reviews from family and friends. My mum even gave me a bottle, and so did an ex-boyfriend. I just find it too cloying for my taste.

7. Perfume you would give your left arm for?

I don’t think there’s any perfume that I’d want to that extent, but if I have to name one, it would definitely be the Chanel No 5.

8. Top 5 favourite perfume notes?

Err, I’m afraid I don’t know enough about perfumes to actually derive favourite top notes, so I’d say, anything floral?

9. Perfume you wish would die a horrible death?

CK One by Calvin Klein. Obsession by Calvin Klein. Oh gawd, anything by Calvin Klein. Back in the day, every Tom, Dick and Harry was wearing CK. In crowds, the smell was revolting.

10. Next perfumes on your “to buy” list?

I wouldn’t let myself buy anything perfume because I have so many unfinished ones. But these are definitely on my wishlist – Chanel’s Chance Eue Tendre, Marc Jacobs Daisy (I’ve been wanting this for AGES!) and Marc Jacobs Cucumber. For Christmas, perhaps?

Yves Saint Laurent Parisienne Eau de Parfum

Tine — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 13:14:59 +0000

PARISIENNE is a scent that suits this eternal woman: she has personality, she is paradoxical, and she plays with convention. There is nothing obvious, only hints. This fragrance flows lovingly in a precious flacon, intricately carved like the labyrinth of Parisian streets, soft as the sheets she has just left behind, pink as the sky of a pale early morning, and as couture as the YSL label on black leather.

A beautiful presentation, just as Yves Saint Laurent dresses a PARISIENNE woman.

The top note adds the shine of vinyl, an ultra modern wink to gloss, varnish or the metal of a spike heel, before the tartness of cranberry adds a point of bitter sharpness – the evocation of a certain impertinence softened by sparkling, succulent, fruity blackberry, symbol of an epicurean PARISIENNE.
The floral heart beats wildly with the absolute femininity of the Damas rose, which harmonizes perfectly with the powdery violet, sensual and carnal like leather. In contrast, the peony gives a breath of PARISIENNE youth and a hint of morning freshness.
The base note brings tumult and intensity in its woody wake. First with patchouli, the ultimate in mystery. And when the masculinity of vetiver flirts with the feminine eroticism of musk and sandalwood, one knows that this PARISIENNE knew a “night of love”.

Personal thoughts:
My mother has been a loyal fan of YSL fragrances for over 20 years now. The amount of pretty bottles she has on her dresser is crazy. I, on the other hand, has never been much into YSL perfumes when I was younger as my perception of them were that they were strong, heady, and meant for mature women. Or at least, only to be used in the evenings.

Parisienne is a delightful change. It smells sweet, but not as strong, which makes it suitable for day wear. As for the packaging, it’s typical of YSL perfumes – classy, elegant, and never over-the-top.

Pre-SIMOS: A New Perfume

Tine — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 23:20:52 +0000

Thinking of what to write about when you haven’t been getting anything new of late is mighty depressing. Yep ladies, the reality of the recession has finally hit me. I haven’t bought any makeup (and this includes lipstick and lipgloss – what happened to the lipstick effect??) in over a month. There aren’t much out there to impress me with in the first place, and the ones that do, aren’t exactly worth me shelling out almost a hundred bucks a piece for. What’s a girl to do when new makeup no longer excites her?

Why, her own stash, of course!

I’m going to be following in the steps of Paris (who began it all), and Ollie, who had been shopping in her own stash for a while now. I too shall shop in my own stash (SIMOS) to rediscover old gems (and in the process, chuck the lemons).

Before I take you down memory lane with me in the coming posts, I shall show you something I bought yesterday (something remotely beauty-related I bought in a long time). Finally, after weeks of waiting, L’occitane’s Peach Blossom range is out!

After a long while of sniffing from hand to hand, deciding which item I wanted, the noteworthy ones were the perfume and the exfoliating wash. I ended up with just the perfume this time (might go back to snag me the exfoliating wash). I’m a fan of fruity and floral scents, so this attracted me. The body lotion’s a tad too peachy and sweet for my liking. As for the lipgloss, I’ve got too many to begin with, so that’s out.

So that’s probably the only new beauty-related item I’ll be having for a while. Until something new props up, or when I snag a good bargain, it’s back to my own stash for me!

Van Cleef & Arpels’ Féerie

Tine — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 13:10:25 +0000

If you are a fan of Van Cleef & Arpels’ fragrances, you might want to check out their latest perfume, Féerie.

And oh my goodness, check out the design of the bottle! Isn’t it simply gorgeous?

Description:

At the heart of Van Cleef & Arpels fine jewelry, the good fairy symbolizes the poetry of a luxury universe unlike any other. Now, with total enchantment, she enters the world of exceptional fragrance with a new eau de parfum: Féerie. A floral woody scent, Féerie captures her free and graceful femininity; for although she is fleeting, the fairy leaves behind a sparkling fragrance of velvet caresses and enchanting dreams. Metamorphosed into a splendid jewel of astral blue, the richly faceted Féerie bottle captures the night, reflecting its myriad reflections to infinity. Growing from its magnificent moon flower cabochon is a tall, slender branch providing a perch for the graceful, impish fairy in a moment of contemplation. She listens to the flowers grow while the scents that rise in the silence bring colors to the night.

Family: Floral Woody

Top Notes: In this paradise of exquisite scents, violet tantalizes with the delicate freshness of its green leaves. Buds of blackcurrant, rounded with sparkling Italian mandarin, whirl with whimsy around a cheerful note of refined poesy.

Heart Notes: Bulgarian Rose and rose essence bring warmth and festive radiance to Egyptian Jasmine, which exhales a soft, sensual sophistication.

Base Notes: Florentine Iris butter shines at the base long after the night has extinguished the stars. Its vibrant elegance blends with the majestic scent of Haitian vetiver, the most precious of woods.

I’ve only tried out one of their fragrances, Murmure, which was only in a sample vial. I haven’t seen this on sale here in Australia yet, but I so want to get one, just for the design of the bottle, which I thought was absolutely beautiful.

The eau de parfum is 100ml/USD150; 50ml/USD110, and is available exclusively at Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf Goodman, and Van Cleef & Arpels boutiques.

Perfume Lust

Tine — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 10:18:00 +0000

I’ve been lusting after Marc Jacobs’ Daisy ever since I set nose on it at Myer a few weeks ago. Yet at AUD80 for 50ml and AUD110 for 100ml, I can’t seem to part with my cash for the perfume. The husband suggested that I go to Myer every week and spray myself with the tester perfume just to satisfy myself, or to sneak in an atomiser to *ahem* sneak *ahem* some back home. That man. Tsk tsk.

So what I’ve been doing is spraying the perfume onto those perfume cards and storing the scented cards in my purse, just to satisfy that itch. Tell me if that’s not sad, because it is.

And if that’s not bad enough, I was simply checking out the perfumes on sale at David Jones yesterday, and since I was at the Estee Lauder counter, I thought I’d try out Estee Lauder’s Pure White Linen Light Breeze.

Big. Mistake.

It smells absolutely heavenly. It’s AUD95 for 50ml and AUD135 for 100ml. I want this. Real bad.
What is it with all this sudden lust for perfumes?! ARGH!

Review: L’occitane Cherry Blossom Solid Perfume

Tine — Tue, 03 Jul 2007 04:46:00 +0000

L’occitane came up with their Cherry Blossom range a few months ago, and I have to say, I was quite hooked. I recently bought the Cherry Blossom Solid Perfume; a first in the solid perfume range for me anyway.

To be honest, from the photographs I see in magazines regarding the product, I was expecting a bigger tub of perfume. I was a tad disappointed that the container was actually rather small (only 10ml; pretty much the size of a lipbalm). Still, the fragrance was lovely; it’s very soft and delicate. It’s rather light though; multiple touch-ups during the day would be necessary to ensure a lasting scent. It’s alcohol-free too.

I reckon that’s where the size of the solid perfume comes in. It’s very handy, which you can bring with you in your purse during the day and night.

It retails at RM41 for 10ml at all L’occitane outlets.

What I like about it: Lovely, delicate scent; easy to carry

What I did not like about it: Multiple application is needed as the scent wears off after 2 hours.