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Browsing by author: Jessica

A handful of hand sanitizers ~ fragranced body product review

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I’ve never thought as much about hand sanitizer in my life as I’ve thought about it over the past five months. Sure, I typically had a half-used bottle of the stuff floating around in my tote bag, for moments when I want to clean my hands after touching an ATM or eating something messy on the go. Who ever thought hand sanitizer would become a hot commodity in Spring 2020?1

As I’m slowly inching towards my return to mass transit and the workplace (part-time, at least), I’m taking inventory of my hand sanitizer stash…

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Sol de Janeiro SOL Cheirosa ’62 & Francesca Bianchi Sex and the Sea ~ fragrance reviews

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As an intro to my list of Top Ten Summer Fragrances way back in 2014, I grumbled that I’ve never liked the question, “What are your plans for the summer?” I can safely say that no one has asked me that question this year…since so many plans have been canceled and most of us are just quietly staying safe at home.

I seem to be wearing beach-inspired perfumes (one of my favorite sub-genres!) even more than usual this summer, just because I can’t go to the seashore. I recently tried two more scents that evoke the beach in very different ways, and although neither of them will replace my favorites, they both gave me the sense of a brief olfactory vacation…

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Hiram Green Vivacious ~ fragrance review

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The violet may be a spring flower, but I seem to enjoy violet-scented products most in the summer. A few years ago I even wrote a round-up of violet-fraganced body products and Robin titled it “A summer of violets.” Now that time has become weirder and more fluid than ever in 2020, why not enjoy any flower whenever we choose — via perfume? Since violet fragrances often make me feel a little more serene and pulled-together than I really am, I’ve been wearing them often these days.

Netherlands-based indie perfumer Hiram Green has just launched a new natural fragrance named Vivacious…

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Atelier Cologne Love Osmanthus ~ fragrance review

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As Kevin has observed in past reviews, Atelier Cologne fragrances don’t push any boundaries; they often lean towards the fruity, the sheer, the casual. For those same reasons, I think Atelier is useful “gateway” brand to mention when I want to offer someone the first figurative step away from the Macy’s perfume counter. Atelier roll-ons are easy to find and reasonably priced, and even if the scents don’t inspire ecstasy in hardcore fragophiles, most of them are easy to like.

My own favorites from the Atelier Cologne line-up are Trèfle Pur and Vanille Insensée; neither of those is a floral, which is funny for a diehard flower-lover like myself. If I were to purchase an Atelier floral, though, it might be Love Osmanthus. This is Atelier Cologne’s latest launch, a fruity floral meant to put us “in the mood for love in a secret garden” with notes of osmanthus, lemon and cedar…

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Arielle Shoshana Sunday & Dawn Spencer Hurwitz Hot Masala ~ fragrance reviews

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Lately, when I pick my perfume for the day, I’ve been choosing comfort scents that soothe me just enough to get some necessary work done but not so much that I want to cocoon myself in bed. Over the past two weeks I’ve kept returning to two particular fragrances that fit that description, and both happen to be inspired by beverages: Sunday from Arielle Shoshana and Hot Masala by Dawn Spencer Hurwitz.1

Arielle Shoshana Sunday is a “sweet, green, undefinable” scent promising “Sunday serenity, any day of the week.” It was inspired by Ari’s favorite Sunday-morning beverage, matcha horchata, and was developed by perfumer Cécile Hua. It includes notes of matcha tea, rice milk, cinnamon, maté absolute, cardamom, coconut, amber, sandalwood and vanilla.

I’ve tasted matcha (a beverage made from Japanese powdered green tea) and horchata (a drink of sweetened rice milk with cinnamon) separately, but not together…

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