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Browsing by author: Jessica

Scented Lip Balms: A Round-Up for Winter 2013

Posted by Jessica on 25 October 2013 46 Comments

burts bees blueberries dark chocolateatlantic farms hopshurraw ayurvedasun bum pink guavanoya-vanilla

We often discuss “niche perfumery,” but what about niche toiletries? Lip balm, for example. Who doesn’t own a lip balm of some kind? It might just be a basic ChapStick or Blistex picked up at the drugstore. On the other hand, it might be a lip-care item with a carefully honed image (and a matching scent), designed to appeal to a very specific user group. Here’s a selection of quirky lip balms that have caught my attention over the past few months.

For the traditionalist-with-a-twist: Burt’s Bees Revitalizing Lip Balm with Blueberry and Dark Chocolate. This new iteration has the same ideal consistency as the original Beeswax formula, with natural flavoring from extracts of antioxidant-rich (and tasty) blueberries and dark powdered cocoa…

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Lush Rose Jam Shower Gel ~ scented body product review

Posted by Jessica on 18 October 2013 30 Comments

rose petals with dew

It’s no secret that I’m a rose-lover, as well as a longtime Lush shopper, so there was little chance that I’d be able to ignore Lush’s limited edition Rose Jam Shower Gel. Rose Jam’s fragrance is an “indulgent blend of rose, vanilla and lemon leaves,” the same blend that shows up in Lush’s Ro’s Argan Body Conditioner (cleverly named for Rowena, one of Lush’s product inventors) and Rose Jam Bubbleroon (a solid, dissolvable bubble-bath treat). The ingredients for Rose Jam in its shower gel format include real rose absolute, Egyptian geranium oil, Sicilian lemon oil and vanilla pod infusion.

I’ve sampled Ro’s Argan Body Conditioner, but somehow never got around to purchasing a full tub — the “body conditioner” idea just doesn’t work for me, somehow. I’ve sniffed the Rose Jam Bubbleroon in stores, but never brought one home, because I don’t take baths all that often and anyway, the per-bath cost of Lush’s bubble bars is a bit prohibitive. On the other hand, I scooped up a medium-size bottle of Rose Jam Shower Gel and I’m trying to restrain myself from a return visit to Lush to grab more, more more…

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Greg Lauren for Barneys New York ~ fragrance review

Posted by Jessica on 11 October 2013 25 Comments

Barneys + Greg Lauren fragrance

Barneys New York has just launched its second fragrance collaboration with a designer; the first in the line was L’Wren Scott for Barneys New York, and now we have a new scent bearing the name of Greg Lauren. Like L’Wren Scott, Greg Lauren for Barneys New York was developed by perfumer Ralf Schwieger. Its composition includes tonka beans, vanilla, and marine notes that evoke “irresistible sensual emotions.” Each bottle is “hand-embellished” by Greg Lauren.

As I sit here with a spritz or two of Greg Lauren on my wrist, with a carded perfume vial and a copy of the Barneys catalogue sitting next to my laptop, I’m left wondering again how much the “image” of a fragrance should factor into a review. In this case, I don’t think we can avoid it: while not exactly a celebrity fragrance, Greg Lauren for Barneys New York is inextricably tied to its namesake’s identity: Lauren is a former actor, an artist-turned-designer, the husband of actress Elizabeth Berkeley (yes, she of Showgirls fame), and a nephew of Ralph Lauren, one of the most famous of all American designers with his own fragrance brand…

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Biehl Parfumkunstwerke PC02 ~ fragrance review

Posted by Jessica on 4 October 2013 12 Comments

turkish delight

I recently reviewed PC01 from Biehl Parfumkustwerke, since I felt I hadn’t been paying enough attention to this brand. It wasn’t quite “me,” but I went on to sample PC02, which has turned out to be more my style. Like PC01, it was developed by perfumer Patricia Choux, and its official description reads “circus and cotton candy. giggling butterflies in the belly. maximum high spirit.”

PC02 has “risky but delicious” top notes of bergamot, cardamom, and spices, a “powdery, spicy, and flowery” heart of peony, Turkish delight, and freesia, and a “very sensual, warm, and erotic” base of blonde wood, patchouli, tonka bean, honey, and musk. If you’re guessing that this is a sweet fragrance: yes, it is. If you really don’t care for gourmands, you probably won’t fall for PC02. If, on the other hand, you used to wear Keiko Mecheri Loukhoum, Hanae Mori Butterfly or Parfumerie Generale Brulure de Rose and now you’re looking for something just a little more subtle, PC02 should appeal to you…

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Jo Malone Peony & Blush Suede ~ fragrance review

Posted by Jessica on 20 September 2013 16 Comments

Jo Malone Peony & Blush Suede

The latest fragrance release from Jo Malone is Peony & Blush Suede, a fruity floral developed by perfumer Christine Nagel. Its official description reads: “Peonies in voluptuous bloom, exquisitely fragile. Flirtatious with the juicy bite of red apple and the opulence of jasmine, rose and gillyflower. Mingling with the sensuality of soft, blush suede. Luxurious and seductive.”

Peony & Blush Suede does open with apple, but it’s a pleasantly cider-y apple, not anything like the Jolly Rancher green apple note that shows up in so many mass-market perfumes. The rest of the fragrance is a soft floral with musky underpinnings. The peony is honeyed and a touch dusky, not the lemony-bright flower that some other peony fragrances have tried to evoke…

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