The Prince of Monaco (er, Royal Prince of Monaco, who is not the same person as the Unroyal Prince of Monaco, who lives in the attic and wears rainbow stripes and eye makeup and is represented by a symbol that looks sort of like a lavender yield sign) commissioned this fragrance for Grace Kelly to wear on her wedding day. I must say I find it a little strange that most descriptions of this perfume reference the wedding in just this way: her wedding day, as though the Prince himself were not involved.
The notes in Fleurissimo are tuberose, Bulgarian rose, violet, and Florentine iris. When I left the house this morning, Bob, again unprompted, commented that he liked my perfume “better” and that it smelled pretty and “not sticky.” After further questioning, I determined that “better” meant he liked it better than what I wore yesterday (Iris Nobile…although he assured me he liked that one, too, just not as much), and a thousand times better than what I wore on Wednesday (Ormonde Woman. I know. I’m sad. But at least he likes Frangipani!). Apparently Ormonde Woman was “too sticky.” I thought it had turned subtle and beautiful, but he informed me later that he was worried I might bother the people in our Chinese class because I smelled so strong. Well.
But he likes this one. I have a feeling it’s the tuberose. I didn’t think he would be so fond of florals. I’ll have to wear Fracas soon and see what happens.
As for me, here’s how I see it, literally: It’s pink, then pale yellow, then all “Hello Kitty” pink and purple, then pale yellow again, and then cream. When I first put this on, I instantly thought of pink snapdragons, not because it smells that way, but because that’s the visual for me. And then it went to lemon sugar, not unlike something from Fresh, with a soft hint of floral (which is why it’s pale yellow, as opposed to the daffodil yellow of a bright Ormonde Jayne). And then, for a really awful thirty minutes or so, it was the inside of a gift shop where they sell sock rabbits wearing gingham dresses and straw hats. The funny thing was, it only smelled like that in the wafting sense. If I put my wrist up to my nose, it actually smelled much softer, closer to the pale yellow it eventually moved back into. And now it’s cream, heavy, sandwashed silk, embroidered with pearls. A wedding dress. But like a wedding dress, not for every day. At least not for me.
I couldn’t find a review of this at any of my usual haunts. If you find one, please let me know!
*photos from Yahoo and NeimanMarcus.com
This morning I was thinking about yesterday’s sample. I said I knew nothing about black hemlock or its scent. The black hemlock, according Ormonde Jayne’s site, is the scent around which she built Ormonde Woman. I started to think, with all the information out there on the Internet, and with my own background in research, it’s inexcusable for me to not to look these things up. For today’s sample, I decided to look up anything I didn’t recognize.
LusciousCargo lists the notes for Iris Nobile as follows:
Top: Star anise, iris petals, Sicilian tangerine, bergamot from Calabria
Heart: Cedar flower, concrete d’iris, orange blossom water
Base: Ambrette crystal, iris rhizomes, and infusion of vanilla from Madagascar
Before I get to the little bit of research I did, let me just say that I’m starting to find it maddening when I apply a fragrance and it reminds me of something I’ve worn in the past. Nothing is ever exact (although I’d say the Je t’aime was awfully darn close to Victoria), but sometimes the similarities are unnerving. On the one hand, if our sense of smell is the sense that most affects the memory center of our brain, then I am tempted to think I cannot be wrong. When I apply and sniff and am catapulted back to another place and time so vividly, how can the fragrances not be similar? Whatever their singular compositions, on my skin they react the same way—or in my nose they react the same way. Could it be true?
Of course, memory is fallible, and our brains work hard to make the unfamiliar familiar. Who knows what sort of association game my head is playing? Synapses fire and are redirected based on what my brain thinks the scent is. Does it think hyacinth and iris are the same? Does it somehow confuse vanilla and raspberry together with rose? What on earth is going on up there?
I had a friend long ago who insisted that every person she met was just like someone else, either an actor or a friend. Everyone reminded her of someone. It was compulsive. Immediately after she met someone, she would begin speculating: “Who does she remind me of?” and she would not let go of the question until she had figured it out. Often, to other people, her associations were so far off the mark it was bewildering. How had she even come up with that? But she would insist it was true, whatever the association.
I don’t want every perfume to remind me of some other perfume. But I don’t think I could be a purist, never comparing one scent to another. Forgive me for using the term "postmodern,” but as Barthes declared the death of the author years ago, I think what he said was true for many of the creative arts: Once a person has created a thing, even if he intends it to be unique, singular, when it enters the world, inevitably it belongs to the public. As humans (as Westerners especially), we must compare and classify. The minute a “nose” creates a scent called, let’s say, “Osmanthus,” is that not an invitation to compare it (or better, to compare in order to differentiate it) to other scents called “Osmanthus?” Certainly the creator understands this and even welcomes it. I think of it as of certain types of poetry, both universal and singular.
Or if a perfumer creates a scent for a specific house, say Chanel or Guerlain: he or she is essentially agreeing to create a unique perfume in the style associated with said house, no? People interested in perfume may know the nose, may understand that person’s quirks and obsessions, but to the public, they are buying brands, brands that to each person evoke a certain something, something again individual and unique to the person who buys it. Perhaps we go from the unique to the general and back to the unique. At least this is how I like to think of it.
And so why all this? Surely by now you’ve realized that Iris Nobile reminds me of something I used to wear: Cacharel’s Anais Anais. I already listed the notes for Iris Nobile; here are the notes for Anais Anais:
Top: Orange blossom, hyacinth
Heart: Sweet rose, white lily, jasmine
Base: amber, sandalwood, frankincense
Take a look at each of these fragrance notes. They have only orange blossom in common, unless you can associate “ambrette crystal” with amber. I was unable to find any information about ambrette crystal other than the fact that it’s an ingredient in Iris Nobile.
This is turn leads me to another puzzling fact about the notes in Iris Nobile: notes are listed for iris petals (easy enough), iris rhizomes (hm?), and concrete d’iris (um, okay). According to Wikipedia, rhizomes are “underground, horizontal stems of a plant…also referred to as creeping rootstalks.” Potatoes and ginger root are both rhizomes. But interestingly, although rhizomes are listed as an ingredient, another Web site, thegoodscentcompany.com, explains that fresh iris rhizomes have no odor. They are washed, dried, and aged for at least three years, and then steam distilled to create concrete d’iris, also known as beurre d’iris, which is used to make fragrances. So I ask: are they using the aged rhizomes, before they are distilled? I found no information on whether the aged rhizomes have a scent, or whether the only way the scent is released is through steam distilling.
Of course none of this explains why the two fragrances are similar to my nose. Iris Nobile is not as sweet or floral, but it has the same warmth as Anais Anais. I wonder, could it be the simple lovely orange blossom, mixed in one fragrance with vanilla, and in another with the heady spices of sandalwood and frankincense? Or do these compositions simply yield something that with my chemistry is surprisingly similar? No matter, I love the scent. It’s a dry, sweet, woody powder, with no green. I do not have Anais Anais and so cannot smell it to check my memory, but I remember it as more heavily floral, with the close feel of the heady scent of flowers in late summer.
Thegoodscentcompany site describes the scent of distilled rhizomes as “woody, fatty [I love that for a fragrance term], violet, fruity, sweet, floral, warm.” Iris Nobile is more woody than Anais Anais, a fresh and sweet presentation of iris. Where Hermes Hiris is fragile, only the simple note of the iris flower, Iris Nobile is substantial and rich…fatty!
I also learned that iris is the Greek word for rainbow. Wikipedia describes the rainbow as “an optical phenomenon whose apparent position depends on the observer’s location.” And so then I could describe Iris Nobile, perhaps, as an olfactory phenomenon whose apparent scent depends on the wearer’s memory and experience. *photos from LusciousCargo, perfume.com, and Wikipedia
He may not be to everyone's taste and he's a bit of an odd duck, but I think Jack White is probably a genius. Get thee to Napster.*photo from Yahoo! Music
This morning I had a 7:00 A.M. meeting. I sprayed today’s sample on not long before leaving the house, and it only takes me about 10 minutes to get to work. Like the other Ormonde fragrances, this one has a very bright opening, perhaps a bit too bright for a 7:00 A.M. meeting. As this meeting will be an ongoing thing through the fall, I guess I’ll need to be careful about what I wear on Wednesdays.
Don’t get me wrong, though. I love Ormonde Jayne. I would own all of these fragrances in a heartbeat, finances permitting. Like Champaca, Ormonde Woman has a very bright opening. (An interesting note, in the insert she includes with her sample pack, she suggests applying her perfumes as soon as you leave the shower. If you’re like me, there are several layers of lotions and potions to contend with that might muck up the scent, not to mention I’ve heard that applying fragrance fresh out of the shower is not a great idea, as it evaporates.)
The Ormonde Jayne site lists the notes as follows:
Top: Cardamom, coriander, and grass oil
Heart: Black hemlock, violet, and jasmine absolute
Base: Vetivert, cedar wood, amber, and sandalwood
What I love about her fragrances is how they unfold so slowly. Unlike other perfumes that open brightly and then quickly fade to simple florals (or else just stay harsh), this one stays bright for quite some time. I realize “bright” is a visual term. I associate this smell with intensely bright morning sun. But as the sun moves higher into the sky, the intensity mellows a bit, as does this fragrance. It becomes a sweet and intensely sexy (I think) scent. The sweetness is not a candy or cloying floral. It’s delicate spice and amber, along with violet. But it's not lush like Frangipani, the headiness of it wafting up at you every now and again and making you swoon. It's a desert scent, a clear bright hot day with a painfully blue sky, but not scorching. It's close like that kind of desert heat that settles close and fools you into thinking you aren't really hot, don't need any water. It's comfortable, part of the skin. It becomes personal in a lot of ways other scents I've tried do not.
My nose is immature, and so I am afraid I can’t do it justice. Is the hemlock there? I’m sure it is, but sadly, I don’t know what black hemlock smells like. Honestly, I’m going to have to find a class. There must be one in Atlanta! Remember folks, you’re on this journey with me. I discuss my thoughts about each sample without consulting any source other than the perfumer’s site, for the notes.
But I feel it’s my duty, when I finish getting my amateurish thoughts down, to point you to a real review when I can, and you can read a wonderful review of Ormonde Woman at Peppermint Patty.
And if you’re a beginner like me, you should also check out Peppermint Patty’s post for today, which is a primer for perfume beginners. Unfortunately, she didn’t post this before I ordered a gajillion samples, or I would have tried to follow her suggestions. But I am sort of out in the middle of the ocean now, so I’ll keep swimming.
Every year, I come up with a summer reading list for myself. I’ve been out of school forever, so I am not sure why I continue with the illusion that I somehow have more time in summer than at any other time of year, but I do. The New York Times hasn’t done a summer reading list yet, and I usually pick one or two off that, but here are the books on my agenda so far:
My Life in France, by Julia Child. For Julia Child to go to France, a country where she knew no one (other than her husband) and didn’t even speak the language, and to find a new career—or a new passion, I guess…it’s inspiring. I expect it to be highly entertaining and a fairly easy read.
From Paris to the Moon, by Adam Gopnik. I’ve heard so many good things about this book, and I missed the series in The New Yorker, so I picked it up at the bookstore yesterday. I think I have France on the brain this summer, because I just finished A Moveable Feast. I expect that this book will be a less romanticized, but still very entertaining, view of Paris.
The Rabbit Angstrom Novels (Rabbit, Run; Rabbit Redux; Rabbit Is Rich; Rabbit at Rest), by John Updike. I read half of Rabbit, Run about seven years ago. I’m pretty sure the bookmark is where I left it. But I was reading the discussion in the NYT about the best books of the last 25 years, and Michael Cunningham (The Hours) said these books were a great influence for him, so I decided to give them a shot. The only other Updike I’ve read are his short stories in The New Yorker.
French Women Don’t Get Fat, by Mireille Guiliano. Hm…another book about France and food! I just think this would be fun to read. If I remember correctly, Rabbit, Run is a rather grim book, so I’ll need something to lighten the mood.
The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, by Haruki Murakami. A friend told me she was going to buy this for me for my birthday, which is smack in the middle of summer, and I’m looking forward to reading it. I can cross it off my “to buy” list. This novel tells the story of a man looking for his wife, who has disappeared, and the people he encounters as he tries to find her.
If you’re looking for books for your own summer reading list, I’d recommend these:
Prep, by Curtis Sittenfeld. If you missed this book last year, you really should pick it up and read it. I’m not much for chick lit, but I don’t think this book really falls into that category. I’m not sure what drove me to buy it (in hardcover, no less), except that I was probably trying to break out of whatever reading rut I was in. I bought this along with Meghan Daum’s The Quality of Life Report (which I hated, by the way). Lee Fiora is such a well-drawn character. You may not like her (the author said she was shocked to learn how many readers hated Lee), but she’s so believable, and the world she wants to inhabit is vivid. (I don’t think Sittenfeld’s second novel is faring well with the critics…why do writers feel the need to turn books around so quickly? It’s a shame…how are they really supposed to develop? Not everyone can be Joyce Carol Oates.)
Strapless: Madame X and the Scandal that Shocked Belle Epoque Paris, by Deborah Davis. This book takes an in-depth look at Parisian culture during the belle époque through the scandal surrounding Madame X, discussing how these two lives intersected and were changed forever by a simple painting. A quick, absorbing read.
All My Friends Are Going to Be Strangers, by Larry McMurtry. Really, any book by Larry McMurtry makes a great summer read, but this is one of my favorites. The main character, Danny Deck, is a writer whose book has just been published, and he’s at loose ends. This book is a little bit coming-of-age, a little bit road trip, a little of everything. Danny is also featured in Terms of Endearment and Some Can Whistle.
The Pleasure of My Company, by Steve Martin. If you don’t love Steve Martin, you can leave now. Go on…just go. This novel is funny and quirky, as well as completely heart-wrenching. It tells the story of an agoraphobic who’s looking for love. It’s a small, sweet book.
You Remind Me of Me, by Dan Chaon. This book is more serious than the others I’ve listed, but so engaging. It’s about fate, and about the possibility of becoming something more than who we think we are, and it’s amazingly well-written.
For Memorial Day weekend, Bob and I went to Dallas to visit my family. I’m not the most efficient packer (although I try, I really do), but one thing that made my bag a little lighter was the fact that I got to throw in little sample vials, instead of lugging an entire bottle of something-or-other along with me. Dallas is both hot and humid (no “dry heat”), so I wanted to be sure not to take anything too heavy or too spicy. I spent part of Wednesday night sniffing through all of my samples, trying to decide what to take with me. I finally settled on these three: Des Filles a La Vanille Je t’aime, Fifi Chachnil EDT, Pecksniff’s Green Chypre EDP.
I’ll start with the Pecksniff’s. I wore this on Sunday, the last day we were in Dallas, and frankly, I had a horrible allergy attack and was unable to smell anything, let alone this sample. According to the information on LusciousCargo, the notes are as follows:
Top: pink grapefruit, mandarin, lemon, orange, galbanum, and bergamot
Heart: freesia, water lily, orchid, pink pepper, geranium, violet, and rose
Base: musk and sandalwood
I got as far as the beginning of the heart notes. This scent was sweeter than I expected, but also very refreshing. The pepper is very distinct, and it’s surprisingly un-citrusy given the top is almost all citrus. I couldn’t pick out any of the floral notes in the heart (I love freesia, and it’s one floral I can pretty consistently identify, along with rose) but I think that was mainly because my sense of smell was already somewhat impaired.
By late evening my nose had cleared up a bit, and I could still smell the scent on my wrist, although it was softer. I mainly sniffed just to check the lasting power of the scent because I knew I wouldn’t be able to pick anything out. The following morning, though, I could smell a faint trace of the sandalwood. I’m looking forward to trying this one again, as I think I might really like it, and it didn’t get a fair shot the first time.
On Saturday I wore Fifi Chachnil EDT. LusciousCargo lists the notes as follows: vanilla, rose, orange, coriander, tobacco, and amber. I’ve read so much about this scent on the other perfume sites—it’s made a lot of “Best of” lists—and I was anxious to try it. I was not disappointed. This is a lovely, spicy floral scent. However, I’ve tried so many distinctive fragrances lately, this one actually seemed quite tame. If I were to buy it, I would consider it a staple scent, rather than something really special. The orange, coriander, and tobacco stayed the longest on me, so that the fragrance was actually more interesting later in the day. I didn’t catch much vanilla, but the rose was definitely there, especially at the opening. This made the fragrance seem less distinctive to me at first than it really is. Although I like rose, I like it best presented in unexpected ways, as in L’Ombre dans L’Eau. Finally, I realize this is the EDT and not the EDP, which is no doubt wonderful. I hope to try it soon.
The first two days of the trip, though, I wore the one that turned out to be my favorite of the three, Des Filles a La Vanille Je t’aime. LuckyScent lists the notes as blackcurrant, raspberry, and hints of vanilla. I received this sample as a part of their Hot Pack. I loved this scent the minute I put it on, probably for one reason: At least on my skin, this smells almost exactly like Victoria by Victoria’s Secret, which is no longer in production. I bought that fragrance when I was almost 21 (so about 16 years ago), back when Victoria’s Secret still sold decent lingerie and played classical music in all their stores, before they turned into…well, what they are now. I don’t know why they discontinued the fragrance, but it was very distinctive, very different, especially at a time when everyone drowned themselves in Paris and Poison and Fendi (all lovely scents, mind you, but they were everywhere). I never knew anyone else who wore it, and I don’t know what the notes were (from what I read on basenotes, apparently it had rose, but there’s no rose in Je t’aime as far as I know). It pops up at places like perfumebay, but it’s a little pricey (1.7 oz EDC for $125).
I generally shy away from vanilla fragrances. They are either too tropical or too sweet to me. But this scent is a very soft hint of vanilla, with fruit that’s more flowery than foodie. Don’t be afraid you will smell like something you would eat with afternoon tea. It’s a luscious, sexy scent, to my nose, but without being heavy. I reapplied this before we went out to dinner on Thursday night, and we sat outside in the evening heat and it smelled wonderful. I was in my favorite place (Dallas) with my favorite person (Bob), eating tapas and drinking sangria, and the world seemed full of possibilities. That’s just how I remember Victoria, wearing it the summer I turned 21.
I'm in Dallas this weekend, visiting family. I hope everyone has a safe and happy holiday.
Carnal Flower was one of the samples I bought off eBay. On Sunday I went through my little basket o’ samples to decide what to try this week, and I pulled this one. I was somewhat apprehensive. Although I liked it at first sniff, I worried that A) Bob might think it was too strong; B) the people at the office might think it was too strong; and C) it might be too much in the sudden heat wave we’re having.
But despite my reservations, I went ahead and applied it this morning. When I went downstairs to leave for work, Bob told me I smelled good. This isn’t unusual, because he thinks most things smell good on me (except Mitsuoko, which he thinks smells like household cleanser, and Hermes Un Jardin sur Le Nil, which on my skin actually becomes something more like Un Jardin sur Le PEW).
Our morning conversation about fragrance usually goes something like this:
Me: What do you think? Holds wrist up for Bob to sniff.
Bob: That smells nice.
Me: Really? Do you like it? What do you like about it? Whips out notepad and begins to take notes.
Bob: Well, it just smells nice. Everything smells nice on you. Let me smell it again. Moves in closer, sniffs neck.
Bob: It’s nice, but it’s…well…
Me: What? What? Taps pen impatiently against notebook like journalist waiting for mad alleged serial killer to finally admit he’s guilty.
Bob: Flowery. But it’s nice. You know, just flowery.
Me: Flowery? What’s that supposed to mean? Slams pad on table.
Bob: Flowery. Um, you know, like flowers. Backs slowly away.
Me: Do you like it better than what I wore yesterday? Shines flashlight directly into Bob’s eyes.
Bob: I don’t remember. Please don’t hurt me. Crawls under kitchen table.
But this morning’s conversation went like this:
Bob: That smells good. Sniffs air nearby.
Me: Thanks. It’s not too much?
Bob: No, I mean, that smells really good. I like that. Just the right amount. Blocks doorway to garage in order to keep me from leaving so he can continue to sniff.
Me: Really? Thanks.
Bob: I really like that. Is that the lily of the…the one with the lily you wore the other day? (He tries, he does.)
Me: Iris. It was Iris. No, this is called Carnal Flower.
Bob: I like it. That’s my favorite. That’s the best.
Me: SPEECHLESS
He’s never said that about anything I’ve tried, not even the scents I used to wear before I started all this sampling mania. For him to say that something is his favorite is akin to…akin to…akin to Bush or Cheney admitting that they are wrong about anything. (Woops, did I say that out loud?) The only other fragrance he’s been this enthusiastic about is Nanette Lepore.
Although there are other notes in Carnal Flower, the main note is tuberose. You can read wonderful reviews of this fragrance at Bois de Jasmin or Now Smell This. To be quite honest, this is the first tuberose fragrance I’ve tried.
I do love this fragrance, and it reminds me of my grandmother. I associate Ormonde Jayne’s Osmanthus with the scent of her character, but I associate Carnal Flower—or rather, tuberose—with the scent of her physical being. Before getting my sample of Carnal Flower, I received a sample of Fracas. When I sniffed Fracas, I identified that scent as the smell of the inside of a perfume decanter that sat on her dresser. There was no juice inside the bottle, but the scent was still strong, though a little dusty. I had to ask my mom if my grandmother ever wore Fracas, and she told me no, but that the decanter had originally belonged to my grandmother’s sister, and so it was possible that she wore that scent. We don’t know. Maybe they both did, maybe long ago?
I do know my grandmother wore White Shoulders, Youth Dew, Chloe, Private Collection, and Jungle Gardenia, because she received them all as Christmas presents for me or my mom over the years. But still, tuberose is the scent I associate with her. When I sniff my wrist, I am instantly transported back in time to West Texas, to my grandmother’s house, and it’s summer. Strangely vivid.
Sorry to ramble! This is a beautiful fragrance. I do think this will hold up against the heat, because the tuberose is much calmer than I expected. And nobody at work has said, “What are you wearing?” (which in the group I work with means “You have on too much perfume.”) And Bob has declared this his favorite! Would it be worth a bottle?*
*My birthday is at the end of July, and I plan to buy myself a bottle of my favorite, if I can figure out what that is!
Graphic created by Katie at Scentzilla! One of my longtime close friends is a MAC freak. When I got married in 2001, she took me to the MAC counter for a makeover. I bought everything the MAC SA used on me, save for the foundation (that was back when I moved between Prescriptives Traceless and StudioFix) and the mascara, because at the time, I was fiercely loyal to the brand I was wearing. It was some of the best mascara I’ve ever used. Lashes like you wouldn’t believe. In fact it was so good that not long after the wedding these two men showed up at my house and wanted to take a picture of my lashes. Nice looking fellows in black suits and designer sunglasses. I think they were fashion photographers from Europe. They had the tiniest camera, with a really bright flash. And that mascara, it was…it was…Why can’t I remember the name?
What was I talking about again?
Anyway, the makeover. I didn’t buy the MAC mascara. But just about a week ago I was having my picture taken for something here at work, and for some reason when the flash went off I thought: MAC ProLash!
Gloss.com says this about ProLash: “Lengthening, thickening, non-flaking, non-smudging…totally hard-wearing. Sassy and lush. Works on the catwalk, soups up the sidewalk.” Soups up the sidewalk? You mean, like when I’m hanging out waiting for customers to drive by? They are using Pamela Anderson in their ad campaigns, after all. I was a little worried that I might end up with a look that said not, “Don’t I have lush, beautiful eyelashes?” but more, “Just leave the money on the dresser, mister, and then we can get started.”
No matter my fears, I went for the Coal Black. The tube is standard, no frills MAC. The brush is a little shorter than on the other mascaras I’ve tried for these reviews, maybe a little over three-quarters of an inch long. The bristles form a widely spaced spiral, and the mascara itself is thick and somewhat dry. Usual routine: comb, curl, comb, apply mascara. The MAC went on beautifully, and I only needed one coat. (On Gloss, it recommends applying this mascara to the top of your lashes first, for volume. I did not try this, but I know this works well with…with…what the heck is the name of that mascara? This trick can also help hold curl with curling mascaras.) My lashes looked dark and quite lush. Because the formula is so dry, my left eye wonkiness did not have time to occur. The final effect was a little sooty, but all in all quite pleasing.
Quite pleasing until after lunch when I went to the restroom to check my mascara and discovered the black smudges beneath both eyes. Hrm. And no allergy eyes for me yesterday, either. I wiped off as much of it as I could (it wasn’t easy) and went back to my desk. By the time I went home last night, I had even worse smudges under my eyes. I looked sort of strung out, like I had big circles under my eyes. I looked, you know, like I had been working hard, souping up the sidewalk.
And after all of the mascara that had worn off onto my face, and even though I had applied only one coat, it took me two-and-a-half cotton balls full of Neutrogena remover to get this stuff off my eyelashes. And when I woke up this morning, I had a little smudge right in the corner of my right eye! Where did it come from? Ppffffftt.
I’m so disappointed. Really, I love MAC’s stuff. I think their eye shadows are just about the best, I love their powder blush (so silky, really nice), I love their lipsticks and glosses. But today, I’m wearing the Sonia Kashuk again. I just love how this black looks on my lashes, and I had no trouble with application this morning at all. My lashes look so pretty…
I’m sorry. I have to go now. Some men are here, and they want to take my picture!
Product Rating: 4*photo from gloss.com
I took a wine class several years ago, and the sommelier said something that stuck with me: There are wines to appreciate as a connoisseur, and there are wines to enjoy with friends. I’m not sure why, but I remembered this comment today as I was thinking about Eau de Lierre.
Diptyque’s site lists the notes in this fragrance as ivy leaves, cyclamen, geranium, green pepper, ambergris, palisander wood, and musks.
This is my third Diptyque fragrance to try (the others were Philosykos and L’Ombre dans L’Eau). I felt a little shy about it. These fragrances are quite a departure from your everyday department store spritz. They can be a bit jarring, although not in a bad way—in fact, next to the Ormonde Jayne fragrances, they are my favorite “niche” so far. But with Ormonde Jayne, I feel more comfortable going with my instincts, even if I am not always right (see “Frangipani as summer fragrance”). With Diptyque, I feel a little bit outside my comfort zone, and so I cheat.
I read the reviews to see what I think.
Or rather, I read the reviews to see what I should think, and the reviews mostly tell me this is a watery letdown, that it doesn’t pack the punch of their past fragrances, that they seem to be maybe selling out a little and making fragrances that appeal to the mass market types. *Shyly raises hand.*
As with Philosykos, I loved this as soon as I put it on, and it only got better for me throughout the day. It’s hot today, and I am wearing my first summer dress of the season, and this scent fits perfectly. Looking at the notes, to me, this is exactly as it should be. Nothing in the list is grand, nothing should stand up, call out, wave. It’s a cool quiet place in the woods, and not much else. The pepper to me is a quick flash, the floral aspects don’t make this fragrance sweet, and the green is somewhat watery, but it evokes to me that unexpected, final, cool, wet feel of late spring that I get when I go out onto the deck to water the flowers in the evening, just past the heat of the day. That same soft humidity is there for me in this fragrance. It has nothing of the grandeur of L’Ombre, which is a bracing scent that makes me think of roses in an early spring cold rain.
I’ve been sniffing my wrist all day, but then this has been the case with all three Diptyque fragrances I have tried. Unlike the Ormonde Jayne fragrances where I have definite favorites (Champaca, Frangipani) of those I've sampled, I have no favorite here. I hope to try all of their scents (I have Do Son and Tam Dao at home), and I wouldn’t be surprised if I end up with a bottle of something, maybe even Eau de Lierre.
Eau de Lierre is a fragrance to wear enjoying wine with friends. To me it is no disappointment because I don’t know enough to be disappointed. I sort of like it that way.
After weeks and weeks of mostly cool and rainy weather, spring finally hit Atlanta this weekend. Actually, it was more like summer hit Atlanta this weekend. Highs were in the low 90s. Because temperatures have mostly been in the upper 60s or low 70s, this was refreshing. I was ready for skirts and shorts.
A few things about this weekend:
Yesterday I got the new Allure with Audrey Tautou on the cover. Gamine! Finally, after months of actresses with flat-ironed hair and smoky eyes, we get this lovely, refreshing face! Her hair is so adorable, it makes me want to chop all mine off tout de suite. Alas, I approach 37 in July, so I think my gamine days are firmly behind me. Still, if I were 27, I wouldn’t be writing this, because I’d be sitting in my stylist’s chair getting that cute crop. Er, except it’s Monday and my stylist doesn’t work on Mondays. But you get the picture. Her makeup is also very nice and fresh for summer. And all Chanel. I would post a picture of the cover, but they still have flat-ironed, smoky-eyed Meg Ryan up on their Web site.
Because it was so hot this weekend, I didn’t sample any new fragrances. When I first started my fragrance adventure a couple of months ago, I spent a lot of time just reading the perfume blogs, and I came across this post on Scentzilla. Katie was “traipsing through Target” and looking for old and new drugstore favorites, looking for a fragrance I wore back in high school, Coty Exclamation. I had an aunt and uncle I saw only a couple of times a year, but they were very sweet and always got me something for Christmas, and one year they bought me a bottle. (I think it was the first “grown up” gift they ever gave me—you know how older relatives continue to think you are still eleven years old even when you are about to enter college.)
I decided to head over to Target and see if I could find some. I couldn’t even remember what it smelled like, but I had to have it! Target didn’t carry it, but I did nab the Sonia Kashuk Gardenia & Black Vetiver perfume palette for my mom (Katie mentioned a Gardenia spray, but I haven’t been able to find it). By then I was on a mission, so I headed over to Eckerds, where I found not only Coty Exclamation, but also Jovan’s Pink Musk, another scent Katie mentioned. Pink Musk is sweet and refreshing, not cloying, not fancy. It’s a perfect scent to wear on a hot day when you’re running errands, in and out of a hot car. I wore it all weekend, and it’s just a pretty, soft scent. And it’s super cheap—I think I paid $9 for my bottle.
And today’s fragrance news:
Today I am wearing Hermes Hiris. I love this scent, but it fades so quickly. I am not one to carry fragrance around with me, so I can’t refresh. *Sigh* Fading iris. I went to TJ Maxx on my lunch break. I was supposed to be going to the pet store to get a snail to keep my office Betta fish, Napoleon, company. But TJ Maxx is just right there, so I thought I would drop in for just a second, and of course I ended up spending my entire lunch break ogling stuff. The TJ Maxx here is nothing like the magical fairyland TJ Maxx where Annie and Cavewoman from Blogdorf Goodman shop. Instead, we generally get fairyland’s final clearance items. Only once have I had good luck in a TJ Maxx store in Atlanta, when I scored a pair of flats for $35 that I had almost bought at Nordstrom for $85. The TJ Maxx stores in Dallas are much, much better.
Enough bellyaching. Today I actually had a little luck. I bought a small EDT spray of Guerlain Mitsuoko. I know it’s not quite as good as the EDP, but it was $20, and still smells quite nice. I also found a gift for my mom, but I can’t say what it is in case she reads this. Ha! I also got some cute blank notebooks for $3 apiece. I love blank books. I love paper. It’s going to make me crazy trying to decide which one to use first.
Enough rambling. I hope to return tomorrow with a review of MAC’s ProLash mascara, and also maybe a line or two about Diptyque’s Eau de Lierre.
Graphic by Katie at Scentzilla!
When I was at Target the other day, after I put back the Almay One Coat mascara and traded it for Neutrogena’s Weightless Volume, I decided I would also put back the Maybelline Full & Soft (another old favorite) I was going to review and get something else, something new that I hadn’t tried. After walking around a bit and looking at the standard stuff, I remembered the Sonia Kashuk line. I have a couple of her eye shadow palettes, and I’ve been impressed with the quality. She has a great shadow base for no creasing, and the colors are lovely. Her Sweet Nothings palette has soft shimmery highlighters that are great for summer, with other shadows or on their own.
But I am not here to review eye shadow, so on with the show. Sonia Kashuk offers several versions of her Lashify mascara: black and brown, in regular and waterproof formulas. The black comes with either a lash comb or a matching eyeliner in the lid; the brown comes with a lash comb only (or at least, I couldn’t find one with a liner, and I didn’t see a tag indicating one existed). I nabbed the black with the lash comb; I have plenty of black eyeliner at home. Of course, I also have a lash comb, so…I’m not sure about the benefit of offering either. It’s a little gimmicky, but for travel, I suppose either one could come in handy.
One thing I liked about this mascara was the minimal packaging. I hate those stiff plastic things a lot of drugstore mascaras come in--if you aren’t careful, you are bound to cut off a finger trying to get the thing open. And while I love some of the pretty packaging other companies have, I feel guilty throwing away the boxes. The Sonia Kashuk mascara tube was wrapped in cellophane only. One quick pull, and you’re in. Not much to throw away, either.
The “tube” is square, but not difficult to hold as I apply the mascara. The brush is a nice marriage between the brushes on the last two mascaras I reviewed: about an inch long and tapered at the end, the bristles are more separate and spiral down the brush like they do on the Bobbi Brown wand, but these bristles are fuller, like the Neutrogena wand. The mascara seemed to collect a bit between layers, but a quick swipe of tissue removed the excess.
I decided to try two coats, like I did with the Neutrogena. I followed the routine: comb, curl, comb again, apply mascara one eye at a time (thanks Neutrogena!). The first coat went on beautifully. I didn’t even need to comb. I went about my business for a few minutes, and then I went back in for a second coat.
This is where things got ugly. On the second coat, my lashes started to clump together. I had waited about three minutes between coats--possibly not enough time? In the middle of the left eye (cliquey, mean girl lashes), it looked like I had glued on one giant false eyelash. Down at the end, on the outside, it looked as though I had applied the mascara and then stuck my finger in there and rubbed my eye. Even on my right eye, my pretty, well-behaved lashes started to stick together. Combing only made things worse.
And so I had to resort to the oldest trick in the book: the safety pin. I know, I know. You’ll poke your eye out! Not to worry, folks. I am a professional accupuncturist. (Lie.)
I used the safety pin to straighten out the muddled mess (To be clear, you understand I’m using the pin part, right? Not the little hook part. Ahem.) and separate everybody, get them back in order. I waited a minute or so, and then I combed my lashes one final time.
And I was astounded. First, the back of this mascara is one of the prettiest blacks I have seen. My lashes looked neither sooty nor spidery. They were long, long. I don’t think they were volumized or thickened, necessarily. (Oh, another aside. No packaging means nothing to write any claims on: “Thickens! Lengthens! Makes you thinner!” There was a little sign posted at Target, but I didn’t write down what it said, because I thought I could look it up on the Internet, but the mascara is for sale in stores only…hence, no claims here and no graphic, either!)
But they sort of fanned out. They really popped, and my eyes looked great. I would say they were on the dramatic end of natural, but not moving into Va-Va-Va-Voom! territory. AND (drum roll please): My lashes held their curl. Now how often does that happen? I also had no flaking, and even after all the trouble, my lashes did not migrate back to their usual wonky positions. I experienced the tiniest bit of smudging by evening (nothing like with the Bobbi Brown), but to be fair, my allergies had kicked in, so it was to be expected since I wasn’t wearing the waterproof version.
This mascara came off very easily, only one cotton ball and my Neutrogena remover.
It’s a tough call. I found this mascara difficult to apply, but the look of it was so great, it almost makes up for it. And, of course, user error was probably part of the problem. Between my nutty lashes and the fact that I may have not waited long enough (or too long?) to apply the second coat…well…You may have better luck with it than I did, if you’re an expert, with normal lashes! At $8 a tube for really pretty lashes, I say give it a shot.
Product Rating: 9 (It’s all about looks with me. *sigh*)
Graphic created by Katie at Scentzilla
I love Neutrogena products. I’m rarely disappointed in anything they make, from skin care to cosmetics to shampoo. When I signed up to do these reviews, I thought I might go back and visit old drugstore favorites like Almay One Coat. But when I went to buy a tube, I found not one but three formulations of One Coat: Thickening, Lengthening, and “Triple Effect,” which lengthens, thickens, and gets you that promotion you’vealways wanted. Kidding. It lengthens, thickens, and gives you “curvier” lashes. But which one of these was closest to the original formula? While I stood in the aisle at Target and tried to determine which would be closest (I had just about settled on “thickening”), I looked across the way and saw the Neutrogena stuff.
I use the Neutrogena Lash Tint on weekends when I don’t feel like putting on full makeup. So, ahem, most weekends. I like it well enough, and you can’t really have major expectations for a lash tint anyway. I put the Almay package I had in my hands back on its hook and went over to the Neutrogena display. Neutrogena offers two mascaras, Full Volume and Weightless Volume. I picked up the Weightless Volume because it’s wax free, which is supposed to keep it from clumping, and anti-clumping is what I need. I also made sure to buy black (Rich Black, incidentally).
Here’s what the package says:
“Breakthrough wax-free formula eliminates traditional mascara wax clumping, smudging and smearing.
-Lashes look healthy, natural, and feel weightless, not heavy, stiff or brittle.
-Patent-pending, long-wearing formula goes on cleanly, feels weightless and washes off easily.
-Lash building brush builds and separates lashes with no clumps or smudges.”
The full-bristled brush is about an inch long and tapered at the end. I admit, I bristled and the bristles. Usually this means automatic clumpage. I went through the usual routine: comb, curl, comb again, apply mascara, comb again if necessary. Thank goodness the package had these helpful instructions: “Apply to one eye and then the other.” I’ve been doing it wrong all these years, going back and forth between individual lashes on each eye. This cut my morning routine time by at least an hour.
Oh, the mascara. I applied the first coat. Nice lengthening and no clumping! I waited a minute or so and then applied the second coat. This went on as well almost as well as the first--just a little bit of “dotting,” not really clumping, which was easy to fix with a quick swipe of the lash comb. My lashes looked long and somewhat full. Overall, the effect was noticeable, but still quite natural.
But the best part: my wonky lashes did not migrate at all during the day. This mascara held the chaos at bay. My lashes also felt very soft and natural. I would have assumed that it was the wax in mascara that kept lashes from getting brittle, but apparently I am wrong. (Not unusual!)
And the next best part: no smudges, no flakes, no smears, after fifteen hours of wear.
It was very easy to remove, much easier than my Bobbi Brown. I usually use two cotton balls taking off one coat of the Bobbi Brown, but I only needed one for two coats of this. It came off in little dots--not as odd as Kiss Me’s little squiggles, but still different. Of course, I was using the Neutrogena remover, so maybe that had something to do with it.
And it’s only $6! Also, I just noticed this morning that drugstore.com is having 30% all Neutrogena products through tomorrow, along with free shipping on orders of $25 or more. Happy shopping!
Product Rating: 9
*photo from Neutrogena.com
This morning I tucked my Frangipani away. As promised, I am wearing Ormonde Jayne’s (OJ) Osmanthus today, in order to compare it to the Keiko Mecheri (KM) Osmanthus (formerly known as Fleurs d’Osmanthus) I wore last week. I have the OJ on all my usual perfume points, save my right wrist, where I am wearing the KM.
This is not my first time to wear Osmanthus. In fact, it was the first OJ fragrance I tried, and also the first niche fragrance I ever tried. When I received my first sets of samples, I decided I would do mini-reviews for myself, so I could keep track of my impressions. Bob had given me a lovely fountain pen and journal for Christmas, so I decided to use the journal to keep track of fragrances. Funny, I work at a computer all day, and I generally come home and get on the computer there for one reason or another, but I love to write. I love the physical act of writing, the pen and the paper, all of it. Now that I’ve started this project, I generally type these impressions out in Word. I miss the book.
OJ’s site lists the notes in Osmanthus as follows:
Top: Pomello, davana (sweet Egyptian herb), pimento
Middle/Heart: Osmanthus absolute, water lily and sambac (Indian Jasmine)
Base: Cedarwood, labdanum resin, musk, and vetivert
Here’s part of what I wrote as my first impressions of this fragrance: “It’s almost masculine to me, but not unfeminine, like a woman who is handsome rather than pretty,” and “It’s sharp, but the smoke tempers it a bit.” I had also written “hairspray.”
To me, this is indeed a very sharp, smoky fragrance. If I were to take the analogy of the handsome woman further, OJ’s Osmanthus is a woman in the 1950’s, dressed to the nines at a cocktail party, with a cigarette in one hand and a gin martini in the other. Jazz—something experimental and discordant—plays in the background.
I think I wrote “hairspray” because this scent evokes for me all those scents that made up a woman of that era. When I smell this, I see pictures of my grandmother from that time, tan, made-up, well-coiffed. The scent of hairspray mixed in with the scents of perfume, lipstick, smoke and gin. The citrus hangs on to the end in this fragrance, but it does mellow.
The KM is a much prettier scent. The fragrance is soft but confident, elegant. It’s a woman (not a girl, mind you—it is not OJ’s younger sister, the way Anthousa Fig & Vetiver was to Diptyque Philosykos) in pale pink silk, sipping fine champagne at a late morning wedding in the summertime. A string quartet plays.
OJ’s fragrance is one I can definitely appreciate, but I wouldn’t want to wear it. Or maybe couldn’t wear it—I don’t think I can pull this off. But I would like to be friends with someone who could wear this fragrance with confidence. That person would have to have a big personality, or else this fragrance could end up wearing her, and then she’d just be the lady with too much perfume that you roll your eyes at in the elevator. For myself, I prefer the quiet subtlety of the KM, although I’m not quite sure it's really me either.
I’m Frangipani! (You knew I would have to bring it up again, didn’t you?)
Graphic created by Katie at ScentzillaI bought this mascara as an impulse purchase several months ago, along with the Pink Shimmer Brick Compact and the Pot Rouge for Lips and Cheeks in Flushed Pink. I was feeling ready for spring (mind you, it’s taking its time getting here this year, too), so I thought these purchases might freshen things up a bit. The few things I’ve bought from that line, I have mostly enjoyed, although I am not really a fan of the lipstick. Her makeup doesn’t draw me in the way MAC or Chanel does (I own lots of MAC, no Chanel, but I love to look and dream), but she does make good basics, and what’s more basic than mascara?
And besides, this mascara does EVERYTHING! Not only will it lengthen, thicken, and condition your lashes, but it will pick up your dry cleaning, vacuum your living room, and cook you dinner at night!
No.
Here’s what Gloss.com says about Everything Mascara: “Formulated to lengthen, thicken, and define for maximum fullness. Conditions and strengthens soft lashes. The formula won’t flake, smudge, or clump.” Hm, like it says—everything. Wait: except curling. It says nothing about curling, so get out the old eyelash curler if that’s part of the “everything’ you want from your mascara.
As far as color, I tested the dark brown. I think it’s important to note this because I honestly believe that the color makes a difference. Brown and black mascaras behave the differently. Brown mascaras tend to feel thinner, not coat lashes as well, and not hold lashes in place as well. (The only exception to this: Maybelline’s Full & Soft mascara, in any color, both regular and waterproof.)
This mascara comes in a basic black tube. The brush is about an inch long and slightly tapered at the end. It seems to be designed so that all the extra mascara ends up in a little blob at the end of the brush, so it’s easy to remove with a tissue. The brush itself has evenly spaced bristles that spiral down the brush, instead of being layered separately, like branches on an artificial Christmas tree. (I don’t know why, but most mascara brushes make me think of Christmas trees.)
My general routine, because of the wonky left eyelashes, is to comb my lashes, then curl them, and then comb again, and then apply mascara. The Everything Mascara goes on very smoothly. I rarely have problems with dots or clumps as I apply. It definitely defines my lashes very nicely, but I would not say it thickens them much. Again, this could be because I am using the brown, which may be a thinner formula than the black. It does give nice, even coverage. My lashes are long, so I can’t say whether the lengthening claim works or not.
As to the “conditions and strengthens,” I ask you: How would you really know? I mean, when you use bad mascara, you know it. But when you wear a good mascara, how do you know if it is doing anything? I personally believe that the condition of your lashes has much more to do with the remover that you use (and whether you remove your makeup at all!) than with the mascara you wear. I have yet to find one I could definitely say improved my lashes. If you know of one, please tell me!
This formula definitely does not flake at all. However, its claims about no smudging or clumping don’t fare so well. By mid-day, I can usually see little smudges under my eyes—and I generally do not wear mascara on my lower lashes (which are very long, fine and sparse. Remember those adds “Hey spider eyes?!”—that was me they were talking to…). This means the mascara is wearing off a little bit every time I blink, I suppose. As for the clumping, the lashes on my left eye have generally migrated back to their usual positions (lash clique in the middle, chaos on the outside lashes, etc.) by mid-morning. In my book, this is on par with “clumping.” It’s important to me that mascara be able to hold my lashes in place, more or less, and this one doesn’t do that.
I use Neutrogena Oil-Free Eye Makeup Remover and a cotton ball to remove my mascara at night (although like Cavewoman, I prefer Almay pads). This mascara comes off very cleanly, and I see no residue in the morning. Again, my lashes don’t seem to be conditioned or strengthened in any way.
Considering that this is $20 a tube, I would say buy L’Oreal Voluminous, or if you want something softer, Maybelline Full & Soft instead. They are both much better for much less money. But if you are loyal to Bobbi Brown and want to give the black version a try, it may fare better. Happy hunting!
Product Rating: 6*photo from Gloss.com
Graphic created by Katie at Scentzilla
I’ve joined up with Blogdorf Goodman’s Mascara Hunters (Get it? Hunting? Ted Nugent? Guns? What a cheeseball. Scary, gun-toting cheeseball. Him. Not me.) for May’s Mascara Madness. Tomorrow’s post will feature my first review, Bobbi Brown’s Everything Mascara. Coming this weekend, look for reviews of Sonia Kashuk‘s Lashify Mascara and Neutrogena‘s Weightless Volume Mascara, and hopefully next week sometime, a review of MAC’s Pro Lash.
But for now, a little background:
Right up front I think you should know: I am unbelievably fickle when it comes to mascara. I have about four tubes of it in my drawer at any given time, and usually I’m none too crazy about any of them. But I do have a little bit of a practical side, so I try to use most or all of the ones I buy. Sometimes I just can’t, though, so into the trash they go. It’s a pity you can’t swap mascara, it really is.
Part of the problem is not the mascara; it’s my lashes. They are very long (they hit my eyebrows, and when I wear a lot of mascara, I can feel them), but they are very fine and only medium thickness. And then there’s my left eye. (Oooh, name for autobiography: My Left Eye) The lashes on that eye are a little wonky. For example, I have a little clique of lashes right in the middle of my eyelid—they tend to want to stick together. And on the outside lashes, it’s simply complete chaos. Eyelash anarchy. One lash grows out stick-straight and refuses to curl. If I pull it out, another grows back in, just as stubborn and defiant as the last. The others are just a tangled, muddled mess.
But mascara helps! Mascara!
My favorite mascara:
L’Oreal’s Voluminous Mascara. Hands down, this is the best mascara I’ve ever used. Every time I buy a tube of this stuff, I swear I’m never going to even look at another tube of mascara, but then I read about something in a magazine or see an advertisement and think, “What if I’m missing out on something? What if department store mascaras really are better? What if Great Lash really is great and I just forgot how great I thought it was?”
My other favorites throughout the years:
L’Oreal Lash Out; Almay One Coat; Clinique’s old mascara they don’t make anymore—was it just called Different Mascara? I can’t remember the name; Clinique’s High Impact; Lancome Definicils; and Maybelline Full & Soft.
Mascaras I want to try after reading other hunter’s reviews:
Urban Decay Big Fatty, reviewed by parisjasmal at Monkey Posh. Actually, she knows so much, I want to try all the mascaras and mascara-related tools she has reviewed!
DuWop Lash Lacquer in Plum Black, reviewed by the Beauty Addict. I have green eyes (guess you already knew that…heh), so I think the plum thing could really work.
Maybelline’s Lash Discovery Mini Brush in soft black, reviewed by Toya at Life of a Ladybug and Gigi at Beauty Jones.
Max Factor Lash Perfection in Deep Blue, reviewed by Patti and Patty at Blogdorf Goodman. I don’t know why I am so intrigued by the colored mascaras, but I don’t think they are the nightmare purples and blues of the 1980s, and they can do wonders to bring out the eyes. I don’t wear a lot of mascara, so a little oomph helps.
Come back tomorrow for my first review…maybe you’ll find something you want to try!
Like that title? I learned how to do that in graduate school. The opening title phrase, followed by what we affectionately referred to as the “post-colonic surge.” Sounds like something to tell the doctor about, don’t you think? Anyway, it was more interesting than “Product Review: Tinted Moisturizers.”
In their June issue, Real Simple reviews tinted moisturizers. For several years now, I’ve been using tinted moisturizers instead of foundation. Back in my 20s, I wore foundation (Prescriptives, Clinique, Lancome). After that, I started wearing Studio Fix, and I wore it for years, until my skin got too dry. I tried to go back to foundation, but I had a hard time finding one that spread evenly, didn’t highlight dry patches, or didn’t settle in my pores.
I thought I would review some of the tinted moisturizers I’ve used over the years, as Real Simple didn’t include any of them in their review.
Prescriptives Traceless Skin Tint
Years ago, I was walking through Bloomingdales (I remember this was the weekend after 9/11, and the mall was creepily quiet for a Saturday.), and I spotted something new: Prescriptives Traceless Skin Tint. I decided to stop and test, and went home not just with the tint but with the powder as well. For a few years I switched between that and the Studio Fix, depending on the weather and condition of my skin.
This tint works best applied with a brush. Many skin tints you can apply as you would a moisturizer, but this isn’t one of them (believe me, I tried). It comes in a tube with a screw-off top. The best way to apply it is to squeeze a relatively generous amount onto your fingers, dab the tint onto your forehead, cheeks, nose and chin, and then use the foundation brush to smooth it out over your face. A note about this tint: you have to smooth it out quickly, or it starts to get streaky.
Overall, it evens your skin tone and also provides a soft glow. It could have been the shade I was using (I am a Y/O), but I also felt it whitened my face just a bit. The powder (which they recommend, of course), enhances the glow and gives a very moisturized, dewy effect. As the day goes on, however, it does tend to move around a little and settle near drier spots or in fine lines. This is easy enough to correct with your finger, but really, you shouldn’t have to. I didn’t wear primer back then, but primer may help.
One drawback, though, is that if you have really bad rough or dry patches, this tint will highlight every one of them, especially if you use it with the powder.
MAC Select Tint SPF 15
I gave up both the Prescriptives Traceless and the Studio Fix because my skin was simply too dry. I love MAC, though, and I read about their Select Tint on MUA (where I have been lurking for years), so I decided to give it a try. I’m an NW20, and the SA recommended I stay with that shade for the tint. I noticed that it tended to separate a little in the bottle (must have been water, because this is a water-based tint), and I had to shake it well before applying.
I applied this tint with my fingers as I would a foundation. It went on well enough, but it immediately settled in my pores and clung to my dry patches. Also, it appeared to make my skin a sort of tannish-pink color. My NW20? Pink? I’m not sure if I was used to being pale and dewy after the Prescriptives, or if the SA simply gave me the wrong color. (Is anyone out there one level in Studio Fix and another level in something else?) I can’t comment on its staying power, because I think that every morning I wore it, I ended up wiping most of it off completely as I tried to get it out of my pores and even out the dry spots. My skin is much less dry now, so I am tempted to go back and see another SA and give it a go. I also like that it has an SPF, even though I wear a moisturizer with SPF 15.
Clinique Almost Makeup SPF 15
I love Clinique products because they are so easy. Clinique was the first “grown-up” makeup I ever owned, and I appreciate that they have continued to develop their line as their customer base ages.
My skin was a wreck when I ordered this a few years back, along with their 3-Step system and some other goodies. (I know, I know. Don’t use the 3-Step. See my entry on The Skin Type Solution if you want to know about my obsession with skin care products.) It was winter, and I wanted nothing of the strange color effect I’d gotten with the MAC, so to be safe I went with Fair as my color choice.
I applied this just like a moisturizer, squeezing it out onto my fingers and then swiping it all over my face. And I got what I expected: light, fresh, even coverage. Almost Makeup has a terrific moisturizing effect, and provides a bit more coverage than the other tinted moisturizers I’ve used. It also stays put, especially if you just dust on a little translucent powder. All in all, I would say this is my favorite…except that I can’t, because my favorite is:
Stila Sheer Color Tinted Moisturizer SPF 15
Before I start this part of the review, have you all noticed that Stila has been removed from Gloss.com? Could the rumor that EL is planning to stop (or sell) this line be true? If you know, please tell me, so I can stock up on this tint (and on my Convertible Color in Lillium). And while I’m at it, anyone tried the Sakura Collection? It looks so pretty…
Ahem. I read about this product everywhere. (Yes, Product Placement People, you got me. Good for you.) I’m pretty sure what convinced me was a good rating on MUA. But however it happened, I was out of Almost Makeup (AM), and I decided to try this. I bought it in Light.
Like the AM, I apply this as I would a moisturizer: squeeze some onto my fingers, swipe it over my face, and I’m done. So easy! I do put a little translucent powder over the top, just to even things out and feel “finished.” Honestly, though, I didn’t know how much I loved this product until I was almost out of it and I decided to go back to AM. But when I used the AM again, it seemed thicker, and also not quite the right color. The Stila blends perfectly with my skin. There’s no lightening effect at all. I may have always been using the wrong color for AM, but the texture also no longer felt so “natural” after the Stila.
My only complaint about the Stila is that it does wear off a little, and the AM does not. However, I started wearing the Smashbox primer after reading about it on the Beauty Addict’s site (and also Cavewoman’s review on Blogdorf Goodman). I picked up a sample tube of this at Sephora (I hate to commit if I don’t have to), and it’s lasting forever. Now the Stila pretty much stays put. On days when I don’t wear the primer (because I am too lazy or running late), I see a big difference. My nose is glowing by late afternoon (Um, Br. Baumann, why does a DSPW have a shiny nose?), and I have to powder.
Of course, I say I love it, but I’m so darn fickle…I’m almost out, and I’m thinking of trying DuWop’s Revolution Face, after reading Beauty Addict’s review. Real Simple recommended Cosmedicine’s tinted moisture for dry skin, so that’s a possibility as well. Or I could go the drugstore route with Neutrogena’s Healthy Skin Face Tint. Anyone out there tried these, or have a tinted moisturizer you think I should try? Let me know, and I will review it here.**photos of Prescriptives, MAC, and Clinique from Gloss.com; photo of Stila from StilaCosmetics.com
Frangipani, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways...I am wearing this wonderful scent again today. I could not help myself. And you know what else? I finally got the tropical thing around four o'clock yesterday afternoon. All the cedar and much of the amber seemed to wear away, and what was left was a soft vanilla floral. I could still smell it in class last night. (Bob and I are trying to learn Chinese...more on that another time!) I kept surreptitiously trying to smell my wrist. The instructor probably thought I was a nut.And so, Frangipani again today. Tomorrow I will wear Ormonde Jayne's Osmanthus and do a comparison to the Keiko Mecheri.I have more perfume related news, though: I went a little crazy with the Benevolent Blogging thing, clicking around and commenting to help the participants with their fundraising. Several of the sites were also doing drawings at the end of the day on Mother's Day, and by some very strange stroke of luck, I won not one but TWO of the drawings! Me, who never wins anything! Maybe I should buy a lottery ticket.The first drawing I learned that I had won was for Rochas Femme at Legerdenez, Cait Shortell's thoughtful and intelligent perfume blog. I'd read her review of this fragrance about a week before the drawing and was intrigued, but I never thought I'd get a chance to try it, much less own a full bottle!The second drawing I learned I'd won, thanks to Andy Tauer's shy post, was for one of his original perfumes from Tauer Perfumes. I chose L'Air du Desert Marocain, because it sounds wonderful and it's unisex, so I can share it with Bob. Luca Turin wrote a very flattering review of Andy's creations, and Cait Shortell conducted an informative interview with him for her blog. I was happy to learn that I had picked his favorite. Be sure to visit his blog, Perfumery, as well, to read his thoughts on perfume, flowers, and life. Thanks to you you both, and to all the Benevolent Bloggers out there.Will either of these scents be able to rival my current love for Frangipani? Tune in and see!
I am almost through the second week of the first phase of the South Beach Diet. My husband and I decided to do this because A) we can’t fit into any of our clothes, at least not comfortably, and B) we were developing atrocious eating habits, and by atrocious I mean varying between pizza, Chinese, Ben & Jerry’s, and these boxed Indian meals we bought at Whole Foods. We sort of needed something to jump start a little weight loss, but also better habits. Enter South Beach.
Overall, this diet is very balanced. (No, I am in no way affiliated with this program or the good doctor who developed it.) It’s only for Phase 1 (two weeks) that you are restricted from eating any carbs, but you can still eat things like beans, which are a no-no on Atkins. It’s a little more meat than I like, but lots of vegetables, which I love. And I can still eat cheese! I love cheese!
I thought for sure I would really miss pizza. Pizza and also spaghetti. And bread, specifically the naan we’d been eating with the Indian food. And tortillas. And bagels. And grapefruit juice. And bananas. And, of course, the Ben & Jerry’s.
But I have actually been doing very well. I don’t get hungry. I don’t have cravings. (Except for Diet Coke, which I can have but would like to give up because of the benzene. But I won’t give it up! Not yet! I love Diet Coke! Give me back some carbs first, and then we’ll see.) I no longer turn into a raving bitch if I go thirty minutes past my regularly scheduled meal time. And I am seeing results. My clothes are looser. (We hid the scale…no weighing!)
But I won’t lie. There are things I miss. Things maybe you wouldn’t expect. What do I miss? Cereal. And wine. Cereal and wine. And come next Monday, I get to have both! Please feel free to send in suggestions for cereal and wine pairings for me to try.
Seriously, though. The wine, I get. I generally don’t drink more than a glass a day, but it’s a nice ritual that we have to sit on the couch after dinner and have a glass and talk about the day or watch a little TV. (Watch my SATC reruns without a glass of wine? Sorry, Diet Coke, I still love you. And water, I love you, too. I’m with you all day long at work.) I miss the ritual of it more than the drink itself, but I do really love red wine (white, take it or leave it; champagne is my favorite).
But cereal? I want my Kashi Go Lean, dammit! I want some raisin bran. I want some of that Health Valley Granola stuff. Yum. This is the thing I miss the most. Cereal. If I can just have cereal, you can keep the bread and the ice cream and the pasta. Okay, maybe not the pasta—but you can keep the potatoes. Who needs potatoes?
Next week, starting Phase 2, I get oatmeal. First thing Monday morning. I love oatmeal. I do! (Despite the title, I’m not much for sugary cereal.) Phase 2 basically goes back to being a regular balanced diet, which is what I’m really after. (Well, that and to be able to wear clothes I bought last year…still can’t wear some of them. *Sighs*)
No, really, what wine goes with oatmeal?
Before I talk about today’s fragrance, I want to talk for a sec about yesterday’s post. I received a few comments that I have chosen not to publish, and I am afraid I gave some people the wrong impression. I have learned a great deal from the perfume blogs I read every day. In fact, if those blogs didn’t exist, I wouldn’t have started this one! I never begrudge people their expertise. When I made the comparison yesterday between the wine connoisseurs and the white zinfandel lady, I only meant to express that I sometimes feel overwhelmed at how much I don’t know. Everyone has an entry point. I know plenty of people, who know a lot about wine, who started off drinking white zinfandel. But because they enjoyed it, they started to try other things, and the years went by, and now they know a great deal. Learning is a great pleasure. I never feel small for trying to learn something—only for turning my back on things that seem too difficult to learn.
On with today’s sample! Once again, I am working without a net here folks. The Ormonde Jayne Web site lists the notes as follows:
Top: Linden blossom, magnolia flower, lime peel
Middle/Heart: White frangipani, jasmine, rose and tuberose absolutes, water lilies, plum, and green orchid oil
Base: Amber, musk, cedar, and French vanilla absolute
First, I’ll start with a question: With the magnolia, the white frangipani, and the tuberose, could this be considered a white floral, even if it doesn’t finally develop into anything remotely floral (at least on me)? I’ll look this up once I have posted, but I wonder. I’ve often noticed that perfumes are marketed as (or named after) scents that are often in the top notes that tend to fade away.
When I applied it this morning, I expected to walk around smelling like a bright flower all day. It was a light, sharp sweet citrus. In fact, it seemed so light, I put a little more on after breakfast, at Bob’s recommendation. (Bob is very sensitive to the over-perfumed thing, so I trust him.) The floral hung on all the way to work, although it was somewhat more subtle. The tartness (and I say that because really, it made my mouth water a little) had worn off, but it retained the brightness of what I would think of as a white floral. (From what I have read, “white floral” has a rather broad definition, at least to reviewers and lovers of perfumes. Maybe not so to the “Noses.”)
But then the most remarkable thing: I’m at my desk, and I can smell the cedar. (Mind you, I have not even looked the notes up at this point! But I can smell it!) And I wonder, where is that coming from? I kept getting whiffs of it every now and again, the softest incense. And lo and behold, when I looked up the notes, there it was: cedar, tempered with this lovely vanilla and amber. I usually find vanilla overpowering, but this is so soft, it’s truly lovely.
I am not sure yet if I think this might be a little heavy for summer in Atlanta, but I think this would be the perfect fall or winter fragrance. In fact, it makes me think of a bright late fall or early winter day, where the sun makes everything gleam and all the lines are crisp, and then the sun starts to go down and the sky stays bright even as it darkens, but then night ascends and it gets cold, and the air gets filled with smell of wood smoke from people’s chimneys. At least that’s how it works on me. I like it so much though, it may not matter.
I must say that I have yet to be disappointed by any of the Ormonde Jayne samples I’ve tried (Osmanthus, Champaca, Ta’if, Sampaquita, Frangipani). The Frangipani and the Champaca are my favorites so far. But I think I should try the Osmanthus again, maybe, to compare it to the Keiko Mecheri. I may do that tomorrow.
Find a review of Ormonde Jayne Frangipani Absolute at Now Smell This.**Okay, everywhere I look, it says this is a TROPICAL floral. A SUMMER fragrance. My excuse? I've never been to the tropics, people. Can someone pass me a glass of white zinfandel?
The Prince of Monaco (er, Royal Prince of Monaco, who is not the same person as the Unroyal Prince of Monaco, who lives in the attic and wears rainbow stripes and eye makeup and is represented by a symbol that looks sort of like a lavender yield sign) commissioned this fragrance for Grace Kelly to wear on her wedding day. I must say I find it a little strange that most descriptions of this perfume reference the wedding in just this way: her wedding day, as though the Prince himself were not involved.
The notes in Fleurissimo are tuberose, Bulgarian rose, violet, and Florentine iris. When I left the house this morning, Bob, again unprompted, commented that he liked my perfume “better” and that it smelled pretty and “not sticky.” After further questioning, I determined that “better” meant he liked it better than what I wore yesterday (Iris Nobile…although he assured me he liked that one, too, just not as much), and a thousand times better than what I wore on Wednesday (Ormonde Woman. I know. I’m sad. But at least he likes Frangipani!). Apparently Ormonde Woman was “too sticky.” I thought it had turned subtle and beautiful, but he informed me later that he was worried I might bother the people in our Chinese class because I smelled so strong. Well.
