ProductWhores

Guilt Free Desserts

I am all about the sweet smelling fragrances - they're pretty much all I wear if I'm not spritzing on one of the CLEAN scents.  And Laura Mercier has some of the best dessert-y scents around.  I'm OBSESSED with their Creme Brulee body products - I use them myself and buy them as presents all the time because I am a good gift giver and like to watch people open things I'm crazy about myself.  If you're also a fan of those kinds of scents, you MUST pick up Laura Mercier's new La Petite Patisserie Eau Gourmande Fragrance Coffret.  (I know - what's up with all these super long product names lately?)  It's three deluxe travel-sized Eau de Toilettes in Vanille, Fresh Fig and Almond Coconut Milk - you can use them individually or layer them over each other or any of the scents you already own.  And seriously, I cannot get enough of the Almond Coconut Milk scent.  It's amazing.  Smelling it makes me immediately want to run out to the fabulous bakery in my neighborhood and buy pastries, but it also reminds me of a tropical vacation because it's such a warm, comforting scent.  I want to like, bathe in it.  (Do you think that would bother people who have to stand next to me on a daily basis?  Eh.  They'd get used to it).  The bottles are also a good size - big enough to get you plenty of the fragrance, but small enough to tuck into your bag and take with you. And at $45, the set is an affordable splurge.  (I mean, we could pretend that you're going to buy it for someone else, but let's be realistic, this one's coming home with you.  And it should!)

Note:  A sample of this item was sent to me by a PR representative working with Laura Mercier 

Vanilla Lemon Goodness

Ooh, you guys - I have found my new summer fragrance. Continuing in my tradition of only really becoming obsessed with either fresh or sweet scents, I've totally fallen in love with LAVANILA's new Fresh Vanilla Lemon Fragrance.  It basically smells exactly how it sounds - with notes of juicy lemon, lush watery fruits, fresh bamboo and pure Madagascar vanilla, it's sort of a mix of both fresh AND clean (genius!) and smells sweet without making it seem like you rolled around in cake batter for awhile before you left the house.  It's just really, really pretty, sort of soft and sexy. Perfect for the summer, but you could definitely still wear it in cooler weather if you wanted.  LAVANILA is also known for infusing essential oils with vitamin-rich antioxidants into their fragrances, which, I mean - who knows how much all the chemicals in other fragrances are affecting us, but it's nice to know that they're not in this one since I've been using it every day since I got it.  (And as a bonus, THREE separate people have asked me what perfume I'm wearing and two of them were men, so score!)  It's a limited-edition though, so you know the drill on that - move quickly if you don't want to accidentally miss it.  That would just be tragic.

Take The Beach In Your Bag

So I think we've established that even though I kinda, sorta hate the beach, I love fragrances that smell like the beach.  (I'm a complicated woman.  What can I say?)  So I was probably predisposed to fall in love with the A Perfect Touch Rollerball Oil from Charlotte Ronson, but I almost didn't buy it even after I saw the scent description because I never really carry perfume with me.  (Which is weird because I wear it every day).  The scent is almost exactly the same as the one in her A Perfect Mess Beach Hair spray - it smells sort of warm and salty and just like what you breathe in when you're walking along the beach.  (The actual notes in it are fresh citrus, blossoming florals, vanilla, and creamy musk).  The rollerball is super convenient to carry around too - I threw it in my bag last month and I've used it a few times a week since then when I go out after work and want to refresh my scent.  It mixes well with the clean fragrances I usually like, but since I wear a lot of Bobbi Brown's Beach during the summer anyway, that makes this even more perfect because it's so similar, it'll almost be like taking that big bottle with me to touch up whenever I want.  (And without adding 2 pounds to my already way overstuffed bag.  I don't even want to think about how hunched over I'm going to be when I'm eighty because I absolutely had to carry around 27 lipsticks at all times).  So yeah, if you like beachy scents, pick this up for only $20, throw it in your purse and you'll be set all summer.  You never even have to set foot on the sand if you don't want to!  

I Love New York

How did I miss this until now?  Apparently, Sephora has a new line of fragrances from Bond No. 9 called I LOVE NEW YORK.  There's a bunch of different scents and I love all the names - I LOVE NEW YORK for Marriage Equality, I LOVE NEW YORK for Mothers, I LOVE NEW YORK for Earth Day... just to name a few.  All their descriptions sound fabulous and since I've pretty much loved every Bond No. 9 scent I've tried before, I'm sure I'll covet most of these (if not all).  They're Eau de Parfums, but that's okay because they're also only $105 a bottle for 1.7 ounces.  (Not that that's cheap, but it's still way better than their normal price tags, which are the only things I don't like about Bond No. 9).  Has anyone smelled any of these yet?  What did you think? 

CLEAN Rain

There is nothing more exciting than a new CLEAN fragrance. I've been obsessed with all of their scents since the very first one I tried (I seriously guard my stash with my life).  So I got ridiculously happy tonight when I was playing around on Sephora's website (as you do) and stumbled across a new scent they have for fall, Rain.  (It's kind of hilarious that that's its name because one of my other favorite scents is also Rain, the Marc Jacobs Splash version, and I just had to part with my very last bottle of it when my mom was visiting and fell in love with it.  I had to send it home with her because it made her so happy and she doesn't like a ton of scents!)  So Rain (the CLEAN version) has come into my life at just the right time.  With notes of Dewy Melon, Daffodil, Watermint, Spring Daisy, Water Lily, Violet Leaves, Fluid Musks and Sleek Woods, it sounds right up my alley. (Although... Sleek Woods kind of sounds like a hilariously bad cover bad or something).  The description says that it "brings to mind the bright scent of rain" and since I never get sick of fresh scents, I'm dying to try it.  I hope it's in stores this weekend because after finally getting over my lash tint debaucle, I'm so ready to treat myself to a bottle. (Also, since we're talking about rain, can the Los Angeles weather gods bring some of it here?  It hit 106 degrees today where I was and it's October.  October!  That's just wrong).  

Fame

So Lady Gaga has a new fragrance out called Fame.  I haven't smelled it yet, but I kind of love the bottle. It's super cool, right?  It also sounds like it could potential be really pretty with notes of Belladonna, Incense, Apricot, Honey Drops, Tiger Orchidea and Jasmin Sambac (although for some reason, whenever I read the words "Honey Drops," my mind converts them to "Cough Drops" and I keep thinking, who would want their perfume to smell like cough drops?  I really need to smell it to pass judgement on it first though because while the notes sound pretty, doesn't a Lady Gaga perfume kind of seem like it would smell like stale cigarettes and like, death?  And I like her!  I know she's really girly and loves fashion, but I'm just having a hard time picturing what a fragrance of hers would smell like.  I guess I've got a good excuse to go to the mall now because I'm intrigued.  (Like I ever need an excuse to go to the mall...)

Vintage Bloom

Okay, I'll admit it, I kind of like Jessica Simpson.  I mean, she's not my favorite celebrity or anything, but the girl makes a damn fine shoe and I feel like if we hung out together we'd probably get along really well because of our mutual love for makeup.  I might even be holding on to one random chocolate scrub from her now defunct Dessert line because it smells SO good and I just can't bring myself to use it and not have any left.  Sad, I know.  I also own most of her perfumes, so of course I was going to want to get my hands on the new one, Vintage Bloom, even though I'm not normally in love with floral scents.

I have to say though, after smelling it, I almost think the name is a little misleading because it definitely doesn't seem like a true floral to me.  It opens with notes of Calabrese lemon and Caipirinha lime zest and since that's exactly up my fragrance alley, I kind of loved it at first sniff.  The mid notes include raspberry bloom, a floral accord and stardust peony, and the base notes are crisp cotton musk and Indian sandalwood.  I have to be honest, I kind of thought I would hate this one based on the name and it's turned out to actually be my favorite Jessica Simpson scent so far.  It's really light and fruity, but it does have a hint of freshness and warmth to it too.  (Also, on a totally shallow note, the bottle's really cute, right?)  I would definitely wear this one a lot - it's a nice change from the purely fresh scents I usually wear without being too strong or flowery.  Nice work, Jess!   

Note:  A sample of this product was sent to me by a PR representative working with Vintage Blooms

An Angel Of My Own

True story - one of my best friends in college wore Angel, back when it first came out and you could only get it at a few stores, and the first time I smelled it on her, I instantly fell in love with the scent.  But we hung out all the time and not only didn't I want to copy her, I'm sure she really didn't want me to hop on her fabulous fragrance bandwagon.  But once we were out of college and not seeing each other every day, I got right on board and wore it all the time.  For years.  I loved, loved, loved it.  Even when I stopped wearing it every day, I didn't do it because I got sick of it, it was really just that there were so many other scents I liked too, I wanted to wear them sometimes. But I still love it just as much as I ever did, which is why I got way too excited when I just saw that there's a new, slightly different Angel scent out called Angel Aqua Chic. The name is kinda weird because, uh, what exactly is "aqua chic" anyway?  But the description of the scent totally intrigues me.  Apparently, it's the first scent ever to be infused with aromatic waters.  I have no idea what aromatic waters actually smell like, but since I love fresh, clean fragrances, it sounds like something I would be all over. And these are the notes in it - Bergamot, Hedione, Helional, Honey, Dewberry, Red Berries, Vanilla, Caramel, Patchouli, Chocolate, Coumarin.  Sounds amazing, right?  It's apparently a lighter version of the original scent, which is great because a obsessed as I am with it, Angel is a little heavy.  It doesn't always fit when it's hot out, but this one sounds like it would be perfect for the summer months.  I'm going to make it my mission this weekend to hunt down a bottle and smell it so I can hopefully find my next fragrance obsession.  Don't let me down, Sephora!      

The Big Pony Collection

Ralph Lauren is launching a fun new initiative called The Big Pony Collection for Women.  It's a 4-piece fragrance wardrobe that consists of a collection of scents, each designed to match different moods, personalities or occasions.  The bottles are bright and eye-catching with their neon shades - perfect for summer!

Here are descriptions of the four shades:

The Sporty Fragrance - Bottle #1 - This Flora Citrus scent features Grapefruit & Blue Lotus for a vibrant energetic fragrance that evokes confidence and energy while awakening the sense.  Confident and fearless, the sporty woman is a natural born leader and ready to take on the world. 

The Sensual Fragrance - Bottle #2 - A Floriental Fruity with the key ingredients of Cranberry & Tonka Mousse, this fragrance is for an alluring flirt with a romantic spirit. Playful and irresistible, this modern woman follows her heart…and she just might break yours.

The Free-Spirited Fragrance – Bottle #3 - Eccentric, rebellious and independent, this Floral Green fragrance highlights Pear & Mimosa.  The crisp, bright scent represents ultimate optimism and natural feminine radiance for a woman who dances to the beat of her own drum. 

The Stylish Fragrance – Bottle #4 - Edgy and refined, with a flair of the exotic, this Oriental Floral contains key ingredients of Wild Cherry & Purple Amber.  Designed for the stylish woman, she catches the eye and imagination of anyone who crosses her path. 

They all sound really pretty, don't they?  I can't even decide which one I like the best from those descriptions.  I kind of want them all!

To celebrate the launch of The Big Pony Collection for Women, Ralph Lauren created the “Life in Color Quiz,” a short, simple interactive online quiz to define your personal fragrance style.  You can take the quiz here.    

Each scent retails for $70.  They're available exclusively at Bloomingdales, RalphLauren.com and Ralph Lauren retail locations right now, and will be at most fine department stores later this month.

Great Gifts (To Maybe Keep For Yourself)

So before I decided to get my mom a day out together instead of a gift, I did a lot of looking around for the perfect gift for her.  She's a hard one to buy for and I wanted to pick up something special for her.  One of my top choices was a gift set from Pacifica, mainly because I'm a huge Pacifica fan and I like to get my mom as excited about brands I love as I am.  I got a chance to try out two of the different gift sets in my favorite two scents and for those of you who still have time to shop before you see your mom in person, they're great choices.  

The Tuscan Wanderlust Gift Set is chock full of products in my all-time favorite Pacifica scent, Tuscan Blood Orange.  All fans of orange-scented products need to pick this one up immediately because the fragrance is so, so great.  It's so juicy and fresh and energizing - I love using it in the shower in the morning to get my day going.  The gift set is a great value at $28 because you get over twice that in products - a Color Quench Natural Moisture Lip Tint in Blood Orange, a Body Butter, a Body Wash and a bottle of Spray Perfume.  You can layer it all together to give yourself a scent that lasts all day.  My mom actually was with me when I was playing around with the products and she immediately claimed the Body Butter as her own.  (What could I say?  It was almost Mother's Day!)

The other gift set I got my hands on is the Indian Coconut Nectar Wanderlust Collection.  Indian Coconut Nectar is one Of Pacifica's newest scents and it's rapidly become one of my favorites.  Using coconut products always instantly transports me to a tropical vacation instead of, you know, my same old bathroom in Los Angeles and this one smells fabulous, all exotic and delicious.  It makes me seriously crave a big blended drink and a beach (and I don't even like the beach!)  For $34, you get a Body Butter, a huge 17 ounce Body Wash and a Perfume Roll-On, which is perfect to slip into your purse when you're on the go.  I particularly love them on days when I'm going straight from work to something fun and don't have time to stop home to respritz my earlier scent.  My mom also grabbed the Body Butter from this set and made off with it because she couldn't resist this one either and I'm a bad daughter and wouldn't hand over the Body Wash (I know, I know, but I love it too much).  Well, thanks to Pacifica, she'll definitely be well moisturized and smell fabulous.  You're welcome, Dad!       

Note:  Samples of these products were sent to me by a PR representative working with Pacifica