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Browsing by author: Jessica

Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse & Caudalie Divine Oil ~ scented body product reviews

Posted by Jessica on 3 May 2013 22 Comments

Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse

After I wrote my review of i Profumi di Firenze Frangipane e Cocco last week, I started craving a fragrance that actually smelled like frangipani. I couldn’t find anything fitting that description in my sample drawer, and then I remembered the sample packets of Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse that I had tucked into the bathroom cupboard a month or two ago. Voilà! Just the kind of thing I’d had in mind, even if it came in the form of a body product.

Nuxe is celebrating Huile Prodigieuse’s twentieth anniversary this year with a limited edition bottle and a bit of fanfare over its “multi-usage dry oil.” This product can be used to moisturize the body, hair and face; it’s a blend of “six precious oils” (borage, St. John’s wort, sweet almond, camellia, hazelnut and macadamia) as well as other botanical extracts and synthetic ingredients. To my nose, and my imagination, Huile Prodigieuse has a “fancy French suntan oil” smell: a breath of neroli, a drizzle of coconut milk, a shimmer of musk. And, yes, it features a creamy note of frangipane (or tiare) flower petals…

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I Profumi di Firenze Frangipane e Cocco ~ fragrance review

Posted by Jessica on 26 April 2013 19 Comments

coconut

I remember being a big fan of the Italian niche line i Profumi di Firenze a number of years ago, but I have to confess that I’ve lost track of their recent activity. I don’t blame the brand; my ignorance is mostly a result of the fact that the line isn’t as widely available in New York as it once was, and I don’t always get around to placing online sample orders of new releases. I have fond memories of i Profumi’s Florentia 22, Violetta di Bosco, and Caterina de Medici, so when a sample vial of the Frangipane e Cocco came my way, I decided to give it a try.

Frangipane e Cocco has notes of coconut, blood orange, frangipani and frankincense and is billed as a feminine fragrance. After trying it a few times, I like it, although it wasn’t quite what I expected: it’s less floral and feminine than it sounds. Its opening phase is even a touch animalic, with some kind of musky note that has a dirty-hair effect. This bit of “skank” surprised me, especially since it shows up at the top of the fragrance. However, the rest of the fragrance is milder and more of a light gourmand. Its coconut accord is creamy, without any greenness or earthiness. There’s definitely some nutty, milky vanilla in the middle and base; i Profumi di Firenze has always done a nice job with vanilla scents, and they carry on that tradition in Frangipane e Cocco…

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Lostmarc’h Iroaz ~ fragrance review

Posted by Jessica on 19 April 2013 11 Comments

Dune roses

When I was recently compiling my list of Top 10 Spring Fragrances 2013 (a very subjective guide to what I’m wearing right now and will be wearing for next month or two), I realized that we’ve never posted a review of Lostmarc’h Iroaz; so, better late than never. Iroaz was released in 2008, and its name comes from the Breton word for “rose.” Lostmarc’h describes the fragrance as “a delicate yet wild marine rose. Rose absolute refreshed by marine aromas and red berries. The subtle and profound aroma of orris forges the link and harmonises the whole.”

Iroaz is one of those fragrances that appealed to me when I first heard about it, and I have no idea why I took four years or more to try it out and then purchase a bottle. Iroaz has never had the fan following of Lostmarc’h’s Lann Ael, which puzzles me, because it’s a well-crafted fragrance that should appeal to a range of tastes. When I sniff Iroaz from the bottle, I notice a lemony citrus note. But when I spray it on my skin, it’s an interesting blend of aquatic and peppery notes…

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Lavanila Fresh Vanilla Lemon Deodorant ~ scented body product review

Posted by Jessica on 12 April 2013 26 Comments

Lavanila Fresh Vanilla Lemon DeodorantLavanila Fresh Vanilla Lemon DeodorantLavanila Fresh Vanilla Lemon Deodorant

I don’t think I’ve ever reviewed a deodorant here before, but there’s a first time for everything. This happens to be a brand of deodorant that I particularly like — and, before I begin, you’ll want to note the basic difference between an anti-perspirant, which prevents perspiration by plugging up the sweat ducts, and deodorant, which allows perspiration but neutralizes it with odor-absorbing ingredients and a (hopefully) pleasant scent.

Of course, everyone’s body chemistry is unique, and what works for one person may not for another, but I’ve been using Lavanila for over a year and it’s my favorite deodorant. It works for me on all but the very hottest days of the year, and it happens to be available in a range of appealing fragrances. The newest fragrance is Fresh Vanilla Lemon, which features notes of “crisp lemon, pure bamboo and powdery vanilla.” Its ingredients do include actual lemon peel oil, as well as a mysterious “botanical fragrance blend.”

Don’t let this product’s namesake vanilla scare you off…

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Top 10 Spring Fragrances 2013

Posted by Jessica on 5 April 2013 84 Comments

Springtime Landscape, Béla Iványi-Grünwald

I can’t believe it’s been five years since my last Top Ten Spring Fragrances list, but yes, a look back confirms that fact. My tastes haven’t shifted much since then, yet I can somehow come up with plenty of new favorites. Of course, there are the fragrances that I consider part of my springtime “hall of fame”: Guerlain Apres l’Ondée and Chamade, Frederic Malle En Passant. These come into rotation every March or April, come rain or come shine (and lately, it’s been mostly rain). But, beyond these classics, I’m easily able to compile a list of other fragrances I’ve been wearing or will be wearing over the next month or two.

What to wear when the calendar says Spring, but the weather is still chilly and damp and dreary? I love to don Frederic Malle L’Eau d’Hiver during that indecisive kind of weather, perhaps because it walks a fine line between warm and cool, soft and crisp…

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