Posted by Robin
on
7 February 2012
They like jasmine over at Lush. Whenever I’m feeling particularly wealthy (a rare, and entirely delusional state) I pick up some of their Jasmine & Henna Fluff Ease hair pre-treatment (about $22 for 220g). My hair most certainly needs some pre-treatment, followed by some treatment and then perhaps some post-treatment, but I buy it for the (massive) wallop of jasmine, which lasts right through a shampoo (or two). Once, and only once, I bought a very small travel size of their Flying Fox shower gel ($10 for 100 ml, which mind you doesn’t look like nearly so much product in shower gel as it does in perfume) — another decent wallop of jasmine. And then there’s the Lust fragrance, which arguably out-jasmines both the Fluff Ease and the Flying Fox, and adds a hefty dose of candy to boot.
But their best known jasmine product is probably the Silky Underwear dusting powder. I love the smell,1 but I’m not a big user of dusting powder so I’ve never bought it. I was tempted when they released the same fragrance in a solid perfume,2 but I still didn’t bite…
Read the rest of this article »
Posted by Robin
on
24 January 2012
Once again, I am lacking a theme, unless you call “fragrances I tried recently” a theme. So without further introduction, here are quick reviews of Diptyque’s Eau Particulière & Eau Mage, Dear John by Lush, Meow! by Katy Perry and Soivohle’ Jasmine Summer.
Diptyque Eau Particulière & Eau Mage
Both of these fragrances are part of the limited edition Les Invités du Trente-Quatre collection celebrating Diptyque’s 50th anniversary. Eau Particulière (shown above center) is a “multi-use” fragrance from perfumer Olivier Pescheux — you can use it on your body, as a room or linen spray, whatever. It features rose, musk and mint, and it’s pleasant, but it suffers from the tendency of mint-heavy fragrances to smell like toothpaste, or in this case, mouthwash. It’s subtle (and fresh) enough that it doesn’t smell like much of anything for very long. Unisex, in 240 ml Body & Home Spray, $135.
Eau Mage (above left) is a conventional (i.e., personal) fragrance from perfumer Fabrice Pellegrin…
Read the rest of this article »
Posted by Jessica
on
13 January 2012
I’m a city-loving, sun-averse individual who doesn’t even own a bathing suit, and I can’t remember my last visit to a beach. (Oh, wait, there was that weekend in Montauk. In April 2006.) Despite, or perhaps for, this very reason, I find myself testing beach-themed and tropics-themed perfumes more often than you might expect. The latest such fragrance to cross my desk was a sample of Sarah Horowitz Coconut Milk, a recent release from this California-based independent perfumer.
Coconut Milk, the latest addition to Sarah Horowitz’s “Perfect” line, includes top notes of coconut and almond, heart notes of orange blossom and gardenia, and base notes of tonka bean, vanilla, and Egyptian musk. It’s a fragrance that accomplishes exactly what it sets out to do. Its coconut accord is milky with a hint of green, and it doesn’t remind me at all of the suntan lotions of my youth, thank goodness. The coconut, which lasts throughout the fragrance’s development on skin, is followed by just a hint of creamy gardenia…
Read the rest of this article »
Posted by Jessica
on
18 December 2011
Considering the wave of celebrity perfumes that has submerged us over the past decade, it’s interesting that so few famous names have appeared on the labels of fragranced body products. The only examples that come to my mind are Jo Wood Organics, a high-priced niche line created by the ex-wife of a Rolling Stone, and Lisa Hoffman Beauty, a body/fragrance spa brand founded by Dustin Hoffman’s wife, but neither of these women is exactly a household name.
Now, however, we have Nuance, a full collection of cosmetics, skincare, haircare, and body products launched by actress Salma Hayek. Hayek herself is probably no stranger to fancy fragrances and indulgent self-care products, since she’s married to François-Henri Pinault, the CEO of a multinational luxury goods business. Yet her new Nuance brand is sold at CVS drugstores; as Hayek says in one of her promotional videos for the line, “I wanted to make sure that every woman could afford it.” (She also mentions the inspiration of her grandmother, who concocted homemade beauty products in her kitchen, and the long history of natural ingredients in traditional Mexican remedies.)
I picked up two Nuance body products at CVS on a whim…
Read the rest of this article »
Posted by Robin
on
18 December 2011
The 8th and last of our 2011 series of holiday gift posts. Today’s focus: budget gifts and stocking stuffers, listed in order of price (low to high).
If you missed them, here are links to part 1 (scented body products), part 2 (travel sizes & coffrets), part 3 (more travel sizes & coffrets), part 4 (home fragrance), part 5 (men’s fragrance), part 6 (solid perfumes) and part 7 (luxury).
If you know of a fabulous (scented) gift item that we missed, do post it in the comments!
From Bath & Body Works, the Signature Cello: “Your favorite pampering pair is wrapped in gingham and ready to give. Set includes Shower Gel and Body Lotion, 3 oz. each.” In Paris Amour, Twilight Woods, Sweet Pea, Moonlight Path and Japanese Cherry Blossom. $5 a pop…
Read the rest of this article »
