Fragrance

Two Ways to Win Your Bath and Body Works Signature Scent

August 18th, 2009 by Karen 186 Comments

The giveaway is now closed to new entries, and the winners are being contacted. 🙂 Good luck!

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Are you on the hunt for a signature scent? If you are, take a look at the new online fragrance finder by Bath and Body Works.

Riddle me this

It asks you a few questions about your mood, tastes and dislikes, and then matches you up with a Bath and Body Works scent. I’ve seen things like this before, but I like the way this one’s done.

Last week it helped me find Sweet Pea ($27). 🙂

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Looking for a new fragrance for fall; need a boost to get through a challenging week (hello!) — take a minute to try out the Fragrance Finder, and enter to win today’s giveaway.

The prize

Bath and Body Works is sponsoring the prize. Five lucky ladies will take home one bottle of their signature Bath and Body Works Eau de Toilette scent (a $30 value).

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. Use the Bath and Body Works Fragrance finder to find your signature scent, and then reveal the name of your fragrance in the comments. 🙂

My scent is Sweet Pea!

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

RT @karenmbb: RT to Win Your Bath and Body Works Signature Scent. http://bit.ly/KTxlH

Recap…

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.
Follow me on Twitter and retweet the following message:

RT @karenmbb: RT to Win Your Bath and Body Works Signature Scent. http://bit.ly/KTxlH

I’ll pick five winners at random from among the people who enter by 11:59 PM PST on Thursday, August 20.

Vidimo se!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

The giveaway is now closed to new entries, and the winners are being contacted. 🙂 Good luck!

Stick ‘Em Up! Crazylibellule and the Poppies Solid Perfumes

August 15th, 2009 by Karen 30 Comments

crazylibellule and the poppies review

Happy Saturday, gals. How’s it going? What do ya think of these solid perfume sticks by Crazylibellule and the Poppies ($18)?

I should have stuck my hand or something in the picture to give them some perspective, but they kinda look like chubby little lipstick tubes. 🙂

Diverse fragrances

Developed by Sephora co-founder Isabelle Masson-Mandonnaud, each of the 29 unusual fragrances contains a mix of notes like dark chocolate, Tiare flower and ginger. Because they’re generally light, like eau de toilettes, they’re designed to work alone or layered with each other (or other scents).

I’ve tried four of them — Chere Louise, Jeanne Voyage, Josephine Jonquille and 26 Juin Ile d’Yeu — and love ’em all!

Fragrance profiles…

Chere Louise: rose, pepper seed, iris, hyacinth, storax (a plant used for making incense), patchouli, guaiacum wood (a tropical shrub)

Jeanne Voyage: Silician bergamot, amberwood, Spanish mandarin, heliotrope, violet leaves, rose sap, musk, nutmeg, iris

Josephine Jonquille: Tiare flowers, patchouli, black chocolate, jasmine, lemon, ginger, cardamon (an herb from the ginger family)

26 Juin Ile d’Yeu: orange, vanilla, jasmine, plum, black pepper, lily of the valley, peach, musk, wood, rose orange blossom, cardamom, orange

Light and subtle

These are the kinds of perfumes that work great when I just want a lil’ something-something, like for those times when El Hub leans in to snuggle.

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The tube makes them kinda fun to apply. I’ve been swiping the sticks (which deposit a thin, slightly waxy film) on my wrists, neck and between “the girls,” taking a minute afterward to thoroughly massage the film into my skin.

The scents seem to last about half the day, but the sticks travel well and they’re a blast to apply. So far I’ve spotted them online at Sephora, Beauty Habit and Crazylibellule.com (LOVE the music that plays on the site), but I haven’t seen them in any stores yet. Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: A

Friday night alien antics, etc.

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District 9 took a lot out of me last night…
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De-Stress for Less with Origins $10 Sensory Therapy Peace of Mind

August 5th, 2009 by Karen 26 Comments

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Stress relief doesn’t always come cheap (hello, Bliss spa!), and some of the ways I like to unwind are viewed as socially unacceptable (going apesh*t on an annoying coworker, for instance).

Thank goodness for affordable stress-relieving miracles like Origins Sensory Therapy Peace of Mind ($10) …

It may not replace a trip to the spa (or beating the crap out of my pillow until I foam at the mouth), but it helps to bring my heart rate down when something has me seeing red.

Soothing scent

Like aromatherapy, Peace of Mind’s light, non-greasy lotion radiates a soothing peppermint, eucalyptus and basil fragrance when I (or El Hub) massage a few drops into the back of my neck and shoulders, where I hold a lot of my tension.
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Two Ways to Win $55 DKNY Be Delicious Eau de Parfum in the Limited Edition Pop-Art Bottle

August 5th, 2009 by Karen 236 Comments

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Comics are an art form that light my imagination on fire, and when I heard that DKNY planned to release a limited edition pop art/comic-inspired bottle of their famous Be Delicious fragrance, my spider sense tingled.

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DKNY Be Delicious combines notes of American apple, cucumber, grapefruit, magnolia, tuberose, white muguet, rose, violet, sandalwood, blonde wood and white amber.

If you’re a fan of pop art/comics and dig flirty, floral, citrus scents, enter today’s giveaway for a chance to win this limited edition bottle.

The prize

One lucky lady will rescue a bottle of DKNY Be Delicious Eau de Parfum spray in its limited edition Delicious Art bottle (1.7-oz bottle; a $55 value).

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 three things you find d e l i c i o u s.

This one’s easy for me. 🙂 Haagen Dazs dulce de leche ice cream, good books and makeup.

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

RT @karenmbb: RT to Win DKNY Be Delicious Eau de Parfum (Pop-Art Bottle) http://tinyurl.com/la88eg

Recap…

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.
Follow me on Twitter and retweet the following message:

RT @karenmbb: RT to Win DKNY Be Delicious Eau de Parfum (Pop-Art Bottle) http://tinyurl.com/la88eg

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I’ll pick the winner at random from among the people who enter by 11:59 PM PST on Friday, August 7.

Bonne chance!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. Tabs loves comic books so much that he signed on last year to star as a character in his own graphic novel…

The Benefit Crescent Row Fragrances: Laugh With Me, Lee Lee

July 26th, 2009 by Karen 6 Comments

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The more time I spend with the girls of Benefit Crescent Row ($36 each), the more I want to hang with them.

Each of the scents in this trio of fragrances represents a different personality.

Laugh With Me Lee Lee is the fun, flirty member of the group — the girl who loves long bubble baths and frilly lingerie.

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Light and delicate

Benefit categorizes her as a woody floral, but she’s the lightest of the three scents, both agreeable and easy to wear.

Crisp notes of melon and orange hit me as Lee Lee enters the room.

“Hello,” she says with an innocent smile, drawing me into her world of unselfconscious beauty.

After a few hours with her, I learn that she’s older than I thought. She reveals a gentle white floral mix of lily and jasmine, slowly evolving into a soft blend of amber and sandalwood.
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What Would a Vampire Think of Bliss Blood Orange and White Pepper Body Butter?

July 25th, 2009 by Karen 19 Comments

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What would a vampire think of Bliss Blood Orange and White Pepper Body Butter ($35)?

Would they scoff at the price and curse the Bliss marketing team’s misleading use of the word “blood”? More importantly, do the undead even moisturize?

Perhaps they should…

Unlike fangs, it’s subtle

I can’t speak for Vampire Bill, but I like a good body butter after scrubbing down with Bliss Blood Orange and White Pepper Sugar Scrub, and the two products combined make for a pleasant budget Bliss Spa experience at home.

As far as I can tell, the Bliss Blood Orange scent’s subtle mix of blood orange (surprise!), spicy white pepper, coriander and white musk doesn’t vary among the different products in the fragrance line, and the body butter smells just as divine as the scrub.

The scent is subtle (but still noticeable) — a nice break from heavily scented body lotions (aka Black Amethyst).

You notice it’s there, but it doesn’t make you smell like a walking glass of O.J., which also means it plays nicely with other fragrances.
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The Benefit Crescent Row Fragrances: My Place or Yours, Gina?

July 24th, 2009 by Karen 38 Comments

benefit my place or yours gina crescent row review

Have you seen the packaging for Benefit’s new trio of Crescent Row scents ($36 each)?

Benefit Crescent Row

Super cute, yah?

Each one (all eau de toilettes) represents a different fictional girl.

There’s Laugh With Me Lee Lee (the playful flirt), Something About Sofia (the dreamer) and My Place Or Yours Gina (the seductress).

This week I gave all three scents a try, at first assuming I’d be a Lee Lee girl.

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But I ended up liking My Place Or Yours Gina best.

Weird, because I’m not exactly seductress material. Hello — I wear yoga pants with holes in the booty. 🙂

My Place Or Yours Gina

Benefit describes Gina as a warm and woody oriental fragrance. On my skin she begins with a strong but feminine burst of peppery citrus and chocolate.

Maybe it’s Gina’s daring, sexy side. She’s not afraid to flaunt her shizz, ya know? And you’d better believe the hotties say “yes” when she offers to buy them a drink at the bar.

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But there’s more to Gina than first impressions. After about 20 minutes with her, the top notes mellow out, revealing soft, gentle notes of lily, white musk and vanilla.

That’s the side of Gina her family and closest friends know. Yes, she’s seductive and alluring in her man-eater outfits and sky-high killer heels, but she’s also sweet, devoted and loving, too.

Top notes: pink pepper, bergamot, tangerine

Middle notes: peony, wild raspberry, white lily

Bottom notes: patchouli, tonka bean, vanilla bean

For an eau de toilette, Gina lasts a surprisingly long time. A few spritzes in the morning are enough to last all day long.

Gina reminds me of a lighter, fresher (but with stronger citrus and pepper notes) version of the $65 Chanel Coco Mademoiselle.
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Frederic Malle Geranium Pour Monsieur Is for Ladies and Gentlemen

July 14th, 2009 by Karen 13 Comments

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Is it just me, or is it really hard to concentrate when the sun’s beaming outside? I couldn’t sit still today and wasn’t getting anywhere with my freelancing, so I hopped across the bridge to San Francisco under the guise of conducting “beauty research.” 🙂

I’ve been on a fragrance kick lately and was itching to find some new scents to break out of the fruity floral rut I tend to get stuck in.

As luck would have it, I found a scent unlike any I’d ever laid my nose on before.

Where? — At the Frederic Malle fragrance counter in Barney’s, San Francisco.

A full-bodied fragrance experience

Early last year I had my first run in with the Frederic Malle line. I was on vacation in Las Vegas and stopped by the Barney’s store.

Frederic Malle fragrance counters aren’t like the perfume counters I’m used to in department stores. They have walk-in scent chambers and climate-controlled refrigerators (similar to ones used to store bottles of wine). Very fancy. The instant you arrive, you know you’re in for something different.

New Frederic Malle summer scent

I was sniffing around for something unusual, and that’s what I found in Geranium Pour Monsieur ($135-200), Frederic Malle’s newest fragrance (released in June).

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It’s a men’s fragrance, but I think women might be able to pull it off, too, because of its soft floral quality, something most spicy/sporty men’s colognes lack.

Dude perfumes aren’t my thang, but I like Geranium, even though it’s nothing like the super-femme fragrances I’m usually drawn to.
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