On a Rose-Scented Kick

I've been on a rose kick since January. Rose foods, rose teas, rose scents, rose colors...rose everything. I find rose scents and products restoring of my inner balance, and incredibly feminine. I apparently am in need of more of both these characteristics lately.

I'm not usually into feminine things, but rose and lavender are two scents I deeply associate with femininity and centered, inner balance. So I sometimes make exceptions on occasion and jump on the girly bandwagon.

Back in January I had my first taste of rose water as a tea with hot water and a spoonful of honey (Bois de Jasmin blog posts here and here).

From there, I kept an eye out online and in stores. I discovered rosebud tea, rose marmalade tea, and rose water tea. I thought "wow, what a great idea!" Edibles to help extend our enjoyment of favorite scents and perfumes. I can pick out the note within a favorite perfume that calls out to me the most, and pursue that scent in a variety of products.

So, back to my rose kick. To broaden my rose-scented horizon--I hadn't bought a rose perfume since high school--I began looking at rose perfumes, body products, and other related products while I was out and about at Ulta and Sephora, or even online.

My first purchase was Cortas rose water from Amazon, and some dried rosebuds form Whole Foods to use in teas. Several weeks later I purchased Weleda's wild rose deodorant because I ran out of my favorite deodorant and I had a mammogram scare. So I went with a top of the line natural deodorant. It's a really great scent with a strong alcohol base that lingers all day for me.

Around that same time, I realized that one of my already favorite perfumes, Ferragamo Incanto Bloom, features rose noticeably. It's a great, vibrant rose and blossom scent that can work for day or night.

My first official rose perfume purchase, in February, was Tresor Midnight Rose--a spinoff from Lancome's famous Tresor line featuring Emma Watson as its model. It's a complex perfume a sexy, mysterious rose scent. This perfume is my favorite pick as I'm heading out on weekend nights.

I later discovered Bvlgari Rose Essentielle as I was perusing Ulta. This has now become one of my very favorite fragrances, next to Ferragamo's. It's delightful and it develops quickly on my skin but doesn't last long.

On a recent trip away from home I passed a Crabtree and Evelyn shop. It suddenly brought back memories of, years ago, when I used to save up my allowance to purchase rose and lavender soaps to use in my lingerie drawers. I remember their Rosewater glycerin soaps, but today discovered their Evelyn Rose scented items as well. There are innumerable products to choose from: lingerie hangers, lingerie drawer sachets, room aerosols, stick room diffusers, candles, soaps, hand creams, body washes, and more.

Another great place to try out rose scented items is Lush. Although it sometimes seems like a cacophony of scents in their shops, they have some great, rose-specific products that are worth a look, if not a sample. I am trying out their rose jam bubbleroon, imogen rose solid perfume (think baby powder and rose), a sample of ro's argan body conditioner, and a sample of turkish delight.

I'm liking my little obsession du jour and it's a great way to cut out some of the not-so-great product scents out there by specializing in a classic, long-lasting favorite.

The Structure of Perfume

Spectacularly useful video to introduce how perfumes come together: top notes, middle notes, and dry down notes. Thanks to the Bois de Jasmin author, who posted this great link on her blog today (How Perfume is Made).

Learning About Perfumes

I have two favorite perfume-related resources that I'd like to share with you:

• Fragantica's Designers Page
• Bois de Jasmin Blog

I've happened on these two websites at different times in recent history and was completely thrilled to find such wonderful resources.

On Fragantica's website, you can search by designer to learn more about your perfume. You'll find out when the perfume came out, a description of the fragrance, what the top/middle/base notes are, and how the sillage/longevity rank.

On Bois de Jasmin, you have a professional post about new perfumes or perfume best practices. Her search tool on the right-hand side or search bar at the top right will help you locate information quickly. I often get lost in her posts enjoying not only her writing style and tips, but the expert yet not condescending reviews and reactions. She's very honest, very approachable, and makes learning more about new perfumes fun.

Trying: New Perfume

I threw caution to the wind and purchased a bottle of new perfume on my most recent visit to Ulta. I sniffed a couple of perfumes:

• Marc Jacobs Daisy series: Daisy and Daisy Eau so Fresh. Both are pleasant and floral but not my kind of perfume.
• D&G L'Imperatrice #3 - this numbered series fascinated me, but L'imperatrice is the only one I would actually try. It was a fresh aroma with a little bit of mystery in the background.
• Burberrys The Beat, Burberry Brit, Burberry Brit Sheer - All three are wonderful perfumes. The Beat won me out with an apple/floral combo that was a good medium between Brit's smokier appeal and Sheer's fruitier/citrusy appeal.

I actually took advantage of the little pot of coffee beans to refresh my nose in-between sniffs of perfume, which helped me focus and not try too many perfumes on this visit.

I was incredibly lucky to take advantage of the special deal where you get an overnight bag with any Burberrys large-size fragrance. Also, there were no D&G bottles in the display ^^; oh well, their loss!

Service Review: Birchbox

Birchbox is a mail service. With a three, six, or twelve month subscription you will be receiving a box every month with large sample sizes of beauty products (and maybe edible treats) that have been tailored to your profile.

I signed up in mid-December for the twelve month subscription at around $120 dollars ($10 per box). Upon receiving your package, you can test out the samples and write your opinion on their website, through mostly drop-down menus and multiple choice answers.

As you fill out your opinion of the products you received, you receive bonus points that go towards discounts when you purchase full-sized products on their online store.

I received my first box in mid-January:

• Serge Lutens L'Eau Fragrance - great fresh, soapy smell
  
• myfaceworks 'i need to heal' Sheet Masks - spectacular hydrating face mask
  
• AHAVA Dermud Hand Cream - I got used to the smell now that I used it every evening before bed, excellent moisturizer, non-sticky and blends in very well
  
• Blow Up Daily Volumizing Conditioner - great conditioner, not too heavy
  
• Blow Up Daily Volumizing Shampoo - it's sulfate free! Leaves my hair in great condition

My second box arrived the week after Valentine's Day:

• NARS Orgasm Illuminator - my first entry into the Nars world, great little highlighter
  
• Pomega5 Green Tea Mattifying Moisturizer - very nice for oily skin, very light scent
  
• Befine Exfoliating Cleanser - amazing how it foams up as you apply it in circular motion
  
• bareMinerals Flawless Definition Volumizing Mascara - really great mascara, has not irritated my eyes, nor given me the dreaded spider leg syndrome. Am very much liking this!
  
• sweetriot Dark Chocolate Covered Cacao Nibs - delicious and addictive! If you love semi-sweet or unsweetened dark chocolate, this is for you!
  

New Products Rundown

I got to work on sucking dry the couple of Sephora gift cards I got for Christmas. ^_^;

I finally bit the bullet and bought the Murad T-Zone Pore Refining Gel, which is from their pomegranate line. It smells heavenly and ever so subtly. It doesn't leave a residue, it's a liquidy-gel consistency. So far so good. Will determine after a week's use whether I can continue using it and whether it's providing an improvement on the congestion.

Laura Mercier Lip Glace in meringue. Creamy petal pink? Really? It's more like a translucent baby pink. Oh boy was I a little disappointed when I got this out of its box. It's way too transparent and uber sticky. But it's a great everyday color for neutral work makeup. Subtlety does have it's good points. ;o)

I also got to pick a number of delectable freebies with my purchases:

• Prada L'eau Ambree eau de parfum - a subtle, very refined perfume. I'm no longer used to opening these little samples, so sadly, I spilled a few drops. But whenever I catch a whiff from my wrists I am almost transfixed, and moved to another time and another place. A likely new favorite.
• Kinerase Daily Defense Lotion SPF 30 - a must-try to see how my skin reacts. This brand bears high marks usually, and a 30 is rather high and beneficial for summers and outdoor activities.
• Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue Eau de Toilette Spray - I didn't realize this was a man's fragrance! So disappointed upon reading that on the sample folder. So I handed this over to the significant-other unit and said he should try it and that it's expensive. I think he'll consider it :oP I guess I can always sniff it when he's wearing it and see...
• 100-point Perk, Sephora Collection Perfecting Tinted Moisturizer SPF 20 Oil-Free in Medium 26 Peach - I haven't used many of the Sephora line of products (lipsticks, glosses, eye makeup remover, liquid eyeliner) with positive results. But since I'm a habitual user of clinique's similar product, I wanted to see how the Sephora one compared. Though I didn't' imagine they'd be sending me a medium color, when I am fair. Go figure why I spend so much time filling out profiles if they're going to override it. I will probably end up using this as an eyeshadow base.

I'll have follow-ups on these if any don't work out, though I believe all except the tinted moisturizer will, in the end, serve their purpose.

Trying on Perfumes

I happened to visit my local Ulta last night, to take a peek at a couple of eyeliners. Since I was there, I took the opportunity that presented itself to check out some perfumes.

My eyes happened to fall on Ferragamo's offerings, which surprised me because I dont' think I've noticed their perfumes before. The bottles were a little girly, in oval shapes. So I almost got turned off, but I wanted to take a whiff and find out what kind of notes these perfumes had.

I was very happy with what I saw--and sniffed! It was the Incanto collection. I tried on the Shine bottle first and really enjoyed the citrusy aroma (pineapple, passion fruit, peach, freesia, cedarwood, amber). The other two bottles were also very pleasant, but this one seemed to hit me in the right spot.

However, at around $43, I didn't feel like purchasing an entire bottle just then. I really like to let perfumes mature on my wrist to get a good feeling of whether I can actually live with it for several hours.

Just as I was turning dismayed at my decision to move on, I realized there were mini bottles of an assortment of perfumes. Luckily, this included a three-bottle collection of the Incanto line, including Shine. I grabbed it up, even though it was $43--the same price of a single bottle. But three is better than one you see...

This morning I wanted to try out the Bliss (yuzu, kumquat, apple, freesia, water lily, rose, musk, sandalwood, cedar) one, and it was lovely. It's been lovely all day.

This line is soft and comfortable. I can still whiff my wrist and smile in satisfaction. Even after a full day at work.

I guess tomorrow will be Bloom, with notes of grapefruit, freesia, tea rose, champaca flowers, musk, and cashmere wood. I can't wait! I'm a huge fan of grapefruit.

I'm really happy that I discovered this line. A surprise discovery. They're very soft and the layers of the perfumes are very harmonious--unlike many others that mostly tend to tend to jar me a little.

The little sample bottles came in a rectangular box, in each their own little branded box within. An Incanto matroyka. The bottles are adorable, rounded with cute stoppers which, however pretty, are a little difficult to pull straight out for clumsy, largish fingers as mine. Still, I've been successfully doing it a couple of times in a row without spilling. That should say something!

Tips for Sniffing Out a New Favorite Perfume:

• Make sure you don't have the sniffles
• Don't wear perfumed lotion or perfume on that day -- particularly near your face or on your arms
• Figure out if you're more of a powder/sweet/citrus/green/ocean type person and locate scents in the categories you prefer
• first sniff the sprayer to cut out a number of undesirable perfumes quickly
• once you have a handful of possible perfumes, you can spray on a paper tester, in the air, or on your wrist/arm
• once you spray on yourself: wave the body part to areate the perfume, sniff the first layer, then wait for it to warm up for several minutes to an hour and keep sniffing to identify each of the layers and how they evolve
• Take your time and whatever you do, don't make a rushed purchase
• Next, try miniature/roller versions of the perfume(s) you think you like to test drive it/them--without breaking the bank if it doesn't turn out like you thought it would

Happy perfume discoveries :)

Rediscovering: Laura Mercier

Today, my lunch break was intended to get a bite to eat at Yorktown's Mexican fast food restaurant in the food court and maybe take a look at some wallets at Von Maur.

What actually happened is that I made a bee-line in Von Maur to Laura Mercier. The makeup area had been revamped in the latest reconstruction that's been taking over a month. I hadn't checked out the product line in a good long while and wanted to get reacquainted. I was not disappointed!

I first glanced the perfume line, which was several bottles larger than I last remember it in 2008-2009. I sniffed all the offerings and returned to take a second whiff of Neroli. I fell in love at second sniff! Although the lovely and very helpful attendant was pushing the almond coconut perfume--which I recall as well as the lovely creme brule--saying it is lovely for summer, I just couldn't shake the Neroli. It's extremely reminiscent of my Junes in Genoa, where the pitósforo blossom aroma pervades your hot days and breezy evenings. It's also got a lovely citrus underlayer that picks up the floral so it's not cloying--perfume description per the website:

• orange bigarade, lemon peel and freesia
• Heart of the fragrance contains notes of neroli, fresh jasmine and peony
• Dry down with musk, amber, sandalwood and vanilla

I put some on my wrist and waved at it to see what layers it had. I always hate it when something smells spectacular in the bottle, very nice on a paper strip, and terrible once on my wrist. This perfume actually stood its ground and the layers are all very true to the original, in-bottle scent. My chemistry seems to be working well with this one! Win!

I also wanted to take a look at the growing LM makeup line. I don't recall such a large display years ago.

I took a look at the lip glosses since I'm in need to replace my trusty Aveda raspberry tea lip glaze, and realized that Laura Mercier's rose flush lip plumper lip gloss. It's one of the stickier lip glosses (not stickiest mind you!), but I would urge you--if you're trying to find a nudey-pink lip color--to try some with a cotton tip on your hand before you discount it right off the bat.

They still have the classic primer and tinted moisturizer that are famous, but also some lovely summer-themed bronzed beachgoer items they're featuring this summer. I was going to ask the attendant whether any of their powder makeup is talc free, but I didn't have the heart to put her through the ringer like that--and besides, I was on my lunch hour and need to get back!

This was an awesome reacquainting experience with LM's line of wonderful products. I missed you LM!

Target Shopping!

As I dropped off my dog at the groomer's, I was wondering how to spend a spare hour and realized I needed to check some items out at Target.

I looked up their "organic and natural" aisle, as I like to refer to it. I discovered a new body spray by Kaori: Mandarin Body Mist. It's a lovely and gentle citrus body mist. Body sprays have come a long way since Jean Nate in high school -- my first major foray into this arena.

Several years ago I revisited this almost forgotten product type via Laura Mercier's astringent spray with geranium water--which is actually a facial spray and not a body spray. More recently, actually since 1999, I've been a HUGE fan of Gap's grass spray and eau de parfum. Very light and very fresh. I like simple aromas, not layered, complex, and often-times cacophonous aromas.

Hope to check out some more light and citrusy mists in the future! They can be a fun way to accessorize.

Nordstrom Specials

I ordered some items from Nordstrom.com to pick up at my local store (Oak Brook, Illinois) and was very pleasantly surprised at two extra items I did not expect, but that came complimentarily with my order:

• Clinique gift bonus, in a silver/metallic designer zippered bag (very nice size too!)
• Assorted free samples, including two Italian travel-sized bath items (the name escapes me) and two samples of perfume, one of which I'm considering acquiring (Ange ou Demon by Givenchy) and another which had unpleasant notes towards the end (Lancome Magnifique, for which Anne Hathaway is doing the promo)

In addition to these great deals in their beauty and fragrance area, I know they have special discounts on some of their fall apparel, as they're making room for new season items.

Make sure you start your holiday shopping early to beat the lines and take advantage of some of these great bonuses...it makes shopping that much more rewarding ;o)