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Her multi-faceted bottle catches light like a gilded yellow diamond, but it’s her fragrance that sealed the deal for me. New Lady Million by Paco Rabanne Eau de Parfum ($88), available exclusively at Sephora starting September 20, understands how important a good first impression can be.
The official fragrance notes include…
- Top: bitter orange, raspberry and neroli (a plant oil with a spicy scent)
- Middle: jasmine, gardenia and orange flower
- Base : patchouli, amber and honey
Well, I guess you really do learn something new every day. I always assumed that when I was sniffing an iris flower, I was smelling the very same scent so often used in perfumes, but apparently that version, according to Prada, is actually an extract derived from the plant’s roots.
It’s also the main note in Prada’s pricey new Infusion d’Iris Eau de Toilette ($85 for a 100ml bottle), a fresher, lighter, just-stepped-out-of-the-shower take on their famously floral d’Iris Eau de Parfum, which launched back in 2007.
Keeping this iris company are also notes of neroli, lily of the valley, violet, heliotrope, ceder and galbanum (spicy, woody and reminiscent of pine).
Pacifica’s California Star Jasmine Body Butter ($18), the newest addition to the company’s line of fragrant moisturizers, makes me want to drop everything right now and drive down to Santa Cruz for dinner.
A warm mix of jasmine and orange set to a base of musky driftwood, the scent reminds me of leisurely walks along the Beach Boardwalk at night, and it feels cozier than the other Pacifica Body Butters I’ve been wearing lately (Brazilian Mango Grapefruit, Hawaiian Ruby Guava and Malibu Lemon Blossom).
If I leave the house now, I could be cycling through the seaside town in my knit sweater, shorts and flip flops before dusk, a cool summer breeze blowing through my hair…
Heya, ladies. 🙂 How was your hump day afternoon? We got home from Reno a few hours ago, and since then I’ve done a load of laundry, watered the plants, given Tabs his overdue lurvies and took some pictures (with a little help from Tabs) of Pacifica’s cute line of Roll-On Perfumes ($12 for a 10-ml bottle).
Available in eight classic Pacifica scents — Hawaiian Ruby Guava, Brazilian Mango Grapefruit, Malibu Lemon Blossom, Tahitian Gardenia, Mediterranean Fig, French Lilac, Lotus Garden and Tuscan Blood Orange — and one new fragrance called California Star Jasmine (shown at the top), they should easily slip into most makeup bags or purses; size-wise, they’re TSA-approved, so you can pop ’em into a carry-on bag for air travel.
I brought the California Star Jasmine Roll On with me to Reno, and whenever I needed a break from the casino air — a mix of recycled cigarette smoke, desperation and perspiration — I’d bust out the little tube, roll it on my wrists, and take a deep breath (it smells like oranges, jasmine flowers and white musk on my skin). Just like that, I’d feel instantly better — transported from the dusty Nevada desert to a sandy Southern California beach.
Next time you find yourself on the heels of one of *those* days (mine tend to happen when PMS and work deadlines collide, argh!) and need to relieve some pressure with a little beauty retail therapy, check out these $9 Pacifica Solid Perfumes. Each of the tiny tins houses an organic balm of soy and coconut waxes in one of 21 Pacifica scents. Great for dabbing on wrists or your neck for an affordably fragrant boost!
I think my favorite one, Blood Orange, not only smells like its namesake but also plays notes of mandarin, strawberry and raspberry…
Have I ever mentioned that El Hub and I never went on a honeymoon? It’s true, and our four-year anniversary is next week. He hasn’t said anything about it yet, but I think we’re a little overdue!
I would love to go on a romantic trip to Italy — not necessarily as a belated honeymoon, but just in general, ya know? I could eat and photograph my way up and down the Amalfi Coast with my best friend…and El Hub could tag along, too. 🙂
(Just kidding, babe!)
Tocca’s new Bianca ($68) fragrance put the idea in my head…
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Adding beauty fuel to my burning Pacifica obsession: Hawaiian Ruby Guava Body Wash ($18) and Body Butter ($18).
Both bits are part of Pacifica’s five-piece Hawaiian Ruby Guava collection of body care products scented with an island-y brew of guava, pomello (a citrus fruit, kinda like a grapefruit) and coconut.
The scent’s been around for a while, and I’m kicking myself for not trying it sooner. It smells authentic to me, and not overly sugary or artificial like so many of the Hawaiian-themed fragrances that are out there now. I catch a whiff on my skin and DING! DING! “This is the captain speaking. Flight attendants, prepare the cabin for landing. Welcome to Hawaii, folks, and mahalo for choosing to fly with us and Pacifica Hawaiian Ruby Guava…”
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Gawd bless the *great* men in our lives, but if I gotta stand around another dude in my circle who smells like beef jerky, charcoal or stinky gym socks, I’m gonna spray each and every one of them with Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue Pour Homme ($72). In my version of Utopia, every man would walk around smelling like this fresh, citrusy scent.
Designers Domenico Dolce and Steafno Gabbana released the fragrance back in 2007, mixing light, crisp notes of bergamaot, mandarin and grapefruit with invigorating juniper, rosemary, pepper, rosewood and musk. The result? A masculine scent, sunny and relaxed, like that hot guy with the accent you met on vacation in the Mediterranean — you remember — the one with the yacht and the chiseled abs who fed you peeled grapes. Wait — what were we talking about?
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
P.S. Good morning, m’lady. 🙂 Happy Saturday to ya. How did you sleep? I’m just settling down at my computer with my first cup of morning tea. What are you doing at this very moment?
