Fragrance

• The giveaway is now closed. Congrats to the winner, Jan! Before you go, check the home page for ongoing giveaways.

Good morning, glory. 🙂 I hope you’re ready for hump day, but just in case you aren’t, maybe the light and fresh star of today’s giveaway can help.

Have you been looking for a new scent for the season? If the answer’s “Hell, yes, woman!” then…

The prize

One lucky lady will win a 1.7-oz bottle of Balenciaga Paris Eau de Parfum (a $95 value).

Long-time Creative Director Nicolas Ghesquiere of the Balenciaga fashion house says a wide range of everyday scents, among them wax and flowers, inspired Balenciaga Paris.

Perfumer Oliver Polge, winner of the coveted 2009 International Fragrance Prize and the nose behind Burberry The Beat, Viktor & Rolf Flowerbomb and Clinique Happy Heart, infused the fragrance with violet, pepper and mossy wood, dressing it in a beautiful glass bottle with simply elegant, smooth curves.

How to enter…

Entering is easy. There are two different ways, and you can do both of them for two chances to win.

First, you can enter by leaving a comment at the bottom of this post. In it, tell me your favorite thing about spring.

Finally! The longer days! I love that El Hub still has some sunlight left when he gets home from work in the evenings. And then there’s all of the blooming flowers, of course (thank goodness for allergy medicine!).

Second, enter by following me on Twitter and retweeting (RT) the following message:

RT @karenmbb: RT to win Balenciaga Paris Perfume (a $95 Value) http://bit.ly/dzBdGE

Recap…

1. Enter by leaving a comment at the bottom of this post, and don’t forget to use a valid email address so I can reach you if you win.
2. Follow me on Twitter and retweet the following message:
   
   RT @karenmbb: RT to win Balenciaga Paris Perfume (a $95 Value) http://bit.ly/dzBdGE

I’ll pick the winner at random from among the people who enter by 11:59 p.m. PST on Friday, April 9.

Успех!!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. You also have until 11:59 PM tonight to enter the MAC Prep For Colour giveaway, so head over and mention your favorite color if you haven’t already. 🙂

• The giveaway is now closed. Congrats to the winner, Jan! Before you go, check the home page for ongoing giveaways.

You guys probably already know this, but I’m a huge, HUGE Gwen Stefani fan.

The first time I saw her was in the “Just a Girl” video back before No Doubt really hit it big… It was on MTV at about 2 in the morning, and I remember thinking, “Um, this girl’s gonna be a star.”

I grew up listening to a lotta hip hop, but No Doubt’s spin on ska/punk (and Gwen’s style and energy) opened a door to a whole new world of music for me.

So when I got an email from the folks behind Harajuku Lovers offering to give one Makeup and Beauty Blog reader an autographed (by Gwen herself) set of the new Harajuku Lovers Sunshine Cuties fragrances (a $150 value), I (to put it mildly) LOST MY SH*T!

The five limited-edition bottles are almost too cute for words. Love, Angel, Music, Baby and G look like they’re ready for summer in their cutie-pie bikini beach wear (they even got their nails did, aww!).

Making scents…

• G: A blend of coconut, apple, mandarin, freesia and sandalwood
• Love: A sensual floral with bergamot (a citrus fruit), peach, jasmine and musk
• Lil’ Angel: A fruity floral with raspberry, pineapple rose and amber
• Music: A delicate floral with clementine, pear, sweet pea and vanilla
• Baby: A powdery scent with freesia, rose, musk and violet

And, HOLLA! Gwen will have touched them. 🙂

The MBB Gwen Stefani Makeup Challenge

I hope you’re ready, because today’s prize involves a challenge.
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Top o’ the mornin’ to ya, ladies!

Well, top o’ the late mornin’/early afternoon. 🙂

It’s almost spring, and soon we’ll bid bon voyage to the blizzards still buffeting the Northeast and elsewhere, and the seasons WILL change, which for me means packing away the heavier perfumes like Stella, Coco Mademoiselle and Givenchy Irresistible and busting out some lighter, fresher scents for a time.

A few of my warm weather standbys? — Prescriptives Sheer Calyx Exhileration, Kenzo Eau de Fleur de The Tea and Bath and Body Works Rainkissed Leaves, but I also plan on adding a few new fragrances to the rotation like CK One Summer and Eternity Summer (the pics above).

• CK One Summer ($44): A citrusy unisex scent with notes of watermelon, pear, mandarin, lime, violet leaves, marigold, verbena, water lily, musk and vetiver
• Eternity Summer for Women ($54): A watery floral with notes of grapefruit, ginger, passion flower, peony, freesia and musk

Do the seasons influence your fragrance choices, and are there any scents you come back to year after year?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. Have a wonderfully lucky St. Patrick’s Day, gals. 🙂 Are you wearing green?