Spring Fragrance Quest continues this weekend with Elizabeth Arden’s new Mediterranean Breeze perfume.
I spent most of last night with my nose buried in my forearm, breathing in its fresh, citrusy, floral scent. I was watching Wesley Snipes slay vampires in the cinematic masterpiece that is Blade II (LOL), periodically sniffing my arm like a crazy person. Seriously, this stuff is fragrance ecstasy and made me lose control of my vocal chords a few times, causing me to scream at the TV: “Oh gawd!” “It’s just too good!” “Soo frickin’ good!” etc., etc.
Mediterranean Breeze is a lighter, more citrusy followup to Elizabeth Arden’s original Mediterranean perfume and evokes a similar beach-y, vacation-in-a-bottle feeling. The scent opens with a burst of white nectarine, bergamot and grapefruit. Then come the floral notes: Corsican violet, wild jasmine petals and sweet almond flower. Finally, it dries down to warmer cedarwood, sandalwood and musk.
The citrus here really takes Mediterranean Breeze to the next level. In general, I’m not the biggest fan of sweet fruit fragrances, but the bergamot and grapefruit add sophistication to Mediterranean Breeze. They’re citrusy, but not overly sweet.
Something about the fragrance reminds me of fresh, clean water (similar to Aqua di Gio Women and Cool Water Woman), like I’m sipping lemonade on the verandah of a fabulous Spanish villa overlooking the sea.
MBB field trip! (I wish!)
Mediterranean Breeze is the product of perfumer Olivier Gillotin, who trained at Paris’ legendary Givaudan Perfumery School. The school accepts just five new students every 18 months, yet, according to Givaudan, 30 percent of the world’s fragrances — including scents made for Calvin Klein, Bijan, Tom Ford, Marc Jacobs and Ralph Lauren — were created by Givaudan-trained perfumers.
Mediterranean Breeze lacks all-day staying power (only lasts a few hours), but considering how much I love the scent, I don’t mind at all. I’m thinking I’ve got to share this love, so for Mother’s Day next month, Mom’s getting the $50 gift set, which contains both a 1.7 oz bottle of the perfume and a 3.3 oz body lotion.
Product: Elizabeth Arden’s Mediterranean Breeze Perfume
Price: $47.50 for a 1.7 fl. oz bottle
Use: As a fresh perfume for spring and summer
Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: A+
Purchase Mediterranean Breeze at your favorite Elizabeth Arden counter, from your nearest EA vending kiosk (there’s one in the Westfield Shopping Center in SF’s Union Square) or online.
Hope you had a great Sunday, ya’ll!
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
P.S. Your weekend ain’t over, yet. Here are some of this week’s best posts from around the beauty blogosphere, courtesy of the lovely ladies of Splendicity and the Beauty Blog Network!
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There are 22 comments on this post. Leave yours.
cant wait to check this out the next time i hit the mall
i♥makeup’s last blog post..Interview with Make-up Artist Clint Fernandes
Sounds lovely! I’m not a huge perfume person but if it’s going to cause me to get all Tourettes (sp?) on the smell, I think it just may be something worth looking into. Yay, another mall trip! Hah.
Mrs. Lynne, MakeupFix.net’s last blog post..Product Tip: Paint Pots Deserve The Spa Treatment Also!
Karen,
You should come whenever you want to Spain 🙂 You´d be my personal guest!
Oh! And if you feel like getting something from here let me know! It´s not like laying at the beach but it can kill your lemmings a bit, hehe.
Eru :3
Eru’s last blog post..Turn off the lights EOTD
I’m not usually an Elizabeth Arden perfume fan. I find them usually too heavy. I tested this one at the counter this weekend and really liked it also. It was fresher and cleaner than most of her scents.
Love that picture!!!
Cathy’s last blog post..Juice Beauty Green Apple Cleansing Gel
Just the way you describe scents makes me want to go out and test them all… This sounds like the perfect summer scent for my mum so I’ll be getting that gift set as well 😉
Karen B’s last blog post..Tadaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!
Aah, another addition on my “to sniff” list!
the bottle is cuter than the Mediterranean one for sure. I’m not sure if I like the citrusy part or not since I’m not into Cool Water that much and find it quite annoying. Definitely will spray it on my next trip to the mall.
Fragrance has such a high turnover from department store to Walmart. If you can wait til Christmas, I bet you’ll see this and maybe the new Hillary Duff fragrance there as well for a lot cheaper.
Hi Iheartmakeup,
It smell so good! I hope you like it. 🙂
Hi Mrs. Lynne,
Elizabeth Arden isn’t always the easiest brand to find so I hope they have it there on the island. Enjoy your Monday!
Hi Eru,
That’s so sweet of you, girl! Thanks. 🙂 I hope I get to go back there soon because some of the best food I had when I went to Europe was in Spain. Have a great Monday!
Hi Cathy,
It does smell very fresh and clean! I love spraying it on right after taking a shower. 🙂
Hi Karen B.,
Awww, you are a very sweet daughter. 🙂 If she likes light scents then she’ll really enjoy this one (I hope!). Hope your week is off to a good start!
Hi Glosslizard,
Yup, yup! I was very surprised by how much I liked this. It’ll be great when our summer kicks in…
Hi Dao,
It doesn’t smell exactly like Cool Water, but it has fresh, aquatic notes. The citrus element is not overwhelming either; it’s a very subtle mix. And I agree, the bottle is way cuter!
K… So I bought my mom the original blue mediterranean last mothers day. I was just talking to my sister about that. I’m going to visit soon and I was thinking we might be able to get a group photo taken – we did it before, like 5 years ago though and there are two new kids who didn’t make that picture. Unfortunately I think my Brother will be out of town when I’m visiting… so it looks like that may be a Christmas present. I’m thinking I’m going to buy her cosmetics again. I just wish I could convince her to be consistent. I bought her the bare minerals starter kit…which she asked for. She likes it…but told me she wears it on special occasions…last time I went to see her I colored and highlighted her hair for her. Yes I am multi-talented…LOL. Anyway she was going to dinner with one of her girlfriends so I got out my makeup bag and did her makeup for her. She called me like a week later saying how her friend raved about her makeup and asking me what I used on her. I think she bought the Elizabeth Arden Ceramide mascara based on that…but I think that’s it.
BTW I have to report… My face has been looking freakishly flawless. Between the bliss steep mask, the prescriptives concealer and the pearls of light from estee lauder…I’ve been radiant. To the point that I looked in the mirror yesterday before going to the grocery store and thought…wow…I look like an airbrushed photo and not like a real face… LOL… It’s good… I’m just wondering if everyone else thinks I look too perfect.
Oh and I used the Borghese nail polish over the weekend. I LOVE LOVE the color I got. I did two coats and didn’t have time for Seche vite because I had to get ready for the circus. I was amazed at the amount of shine it has on it’s own, and haven’t found time for a top coat still. Thus far all is holding up well, but i’ll let you know about the staying power and any chips that may come. 🙂
Thanks. I try to be. I’m hoping she’ll like it, she deserves it.
Karen B’s last blog post..Tadaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!
Hi Megan,
Girl, seriously! You can do it all. Manis & pedis, hair color, makeup, COOKIE BAKING! You rule… and that’s super cute you did your mom’s hair, awww!
You are lucky your mom at least uses the makeup you give her. I give mine stuff all the time and she only ends up using face creams and none of the lipsticks, perfumes, etc. I send her way. My mom isn’t exactly a girly chick though, so it’s no real surprise (the apple fell very far from the tree).
I am so super happy for your stellar face report! Seriously, don’t you love when your skin looks all dewey, fresh and clear? I am going to Sephora on Friday and I have that mask on my “to investigate” list. My t-zone is breaking out like crazy and I need some serious help.
Thanks for your report on the Borghese nail polish. I read today that the line is going to be available at Costco, which is very handy for me (it’s right next to my Target, woot). I hope it’s there when I go there next to buy a big ole box of toilet paper, LOL.
Hi Karen B.,
I’m sure she will. She must feel very lucky to have such a sweet daughter. It sounds like you two are close!
Hope you had a good day today!
Oooh! I better try this! ^_^
msnotty’s last blog post..Initial Review: Cetaphil
Seriously K… I think it all boils down to the whole perfectionist/attention to detail thing. If you make an effort to do things well…a lot of times you will succeed 🙂 but yeah my mom loves when I do her hair because she always get compliments and loves to tell people that her doughter did it at home… she loves to tell stylists this because they are always impressed. LOL I guess it’s the little things that make you happy huh?
I do love when my skin looks great… I’m seriously in love with the bliss steep. Every day I am more impressed.
So last night I put on a coat of seche vite because i felt like the shine factor had diminshed (after 3 days)… but it’s still holding up well.
Hi Msnotty,
You should! It smells divine. 🙂
Hi Megan,
True! Those little things are so important to happiness. That’s cute that you and your mom can spend time together while you’re doing her hair, too!
I have a killer zit and need some bliss mask ASAP. I hope I can snag some samples…
The shine factor is a big thing for me, too. That was one thing I have to hand to the Laura Mercier polish – it was pretty shiny, and held up well for most of the week against the chips. Do you remember life before Seche Vite? Honestly, I don’t know how I went on for years doing my own manicures without it.