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Some Lovely Spring Scents!

Now that spring has sprung for the better part of the country (at least it seems according to my Facebook feed filled with people outside enjoying fresh air and sunshine), I thought it appropriate to do a little reviewing of a few new-ish scents just perfect for embracing the warmer weather.

First up is cerisier aux papillons (Spring Cherry), a new fragrance by L'Occitane that I loved so much I ran out to buy the hand cream.  It's super-floral-y (Cherry Blossom and Magnolia) but smells modern-floral if there is such a thing?  I usually don't find myself drawn to a fragrance like this one, but it's so clean and refreshing it's hard not to feel uplifted when I wear it!  It's very delicate and light and even when I wear the fragrance and the hand cream at the same time, it's not overpowering.  Retails for $42.00 and it's limited-edition, so act now or forever regret it!

Another fragrance I have to share is the new Temple Tree Jasmine cologne by Thymes.  While I, myself, am not a Jasmine-perfume-wearing person, this is a definite must-have for any jasmine fan.  It smells actually really pretty and the bottle is stunning!  Aside from jasmine, the fragrance features notes of honeysuckle, ylang ylang and damask rose as well as coconut milk.  The mix is very delicate to wear and I even used it to spritz my bath towels (yeah yeah, not it's intended use) but it was pretty brilliant to do, if I do say so myself!  Retails for $33.00 and would make a fantastic Mothers' Day present - well, if your mom's into florals.  If she's not into florals, than getting her a floral fragrance would probably not be the smart way to go on May 12.

Note:  Samples of the above were sent to me by PR representatives working with L'Occitane and Thymes.

Guess Girl

Guess Girl, the new fragrance by Guess, really surprised me with how delightfully girly it is!  First of all, the bottle is absolutely adorable with its lovely pink flower top and petal-shaped base (yeah, yeah, I'm a sucker for packaging).  Once I gave it the first spritz, I instantly caught the fruity floral and fell in love with the very clean-smelling, feminine scent. It's perfect for Spring and I'm actually picking one up for my Mom for Mother's Day... you know, because I'm the best daughter ever!  In case you love to know the notes in a fragrance, enjoy:

• Top Notes: Raspberry Nectar, Melon and Bergamot Mist
• Mid Notes: Brazilian Paradise Orchid, Acacia Flower and Lily
• Dry down: Skin Musk, Natural Australian Sandalwood, Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla

Note:  A sample of this perfume was sent to me by a PR representative working with Guess

Forever Red

I was shopping at the massive semi-annual sale at Bath and Body Works this past weekend (of which I purchased a ton of stuff at some awesome prices) and I couldn't help but scoop up the Forever Red Rollerball & Lip Wand Duo.  First of all, the fragrance is the best one BBW has released yet - super sexy mixture of pomegranate and vanilla rum (weird, I know) and it has crazy staying power which I adore. Second, the lipgloss is fantastic - a sultry red with light gold shimmer to it (perfect for a night out paired with some smokey eyes).  The duo is handbag-sized (which means if some hot guy decides on a whim to whisk you away to Paris for a long weekend, you can just grab this badboy and be all set with your perfume and gloss in one- side note: Not sure why I always use Paris when I would rather be whisked away to Italy).  Anyway, whatever the case may be, this is a great product at a somewhat reasonable price (rollerballs are usually 10.00 alone). 

Big Pink Bow

Okay, I used to be a crazy Sanrio fan when I was a kid and every time I see anything with the beloved cat on it,  I still get a bit giddy (can't really explain it).  Side note:  I used to spend my entire allowance on those little pencil cases and do-dads at the Sanrio store.  Anyway, this perfume is beyond adorable and, again, not my usually go-to for perfumes (pretty girly/tropical) but I adore it.  Smells great, bottle is adorable and I get to re-live my childhood with an adult fragrance.  Awesome! 

Sign On The Dot-ted Line

You guys, DOT might have the cutest perfume bottle ever.  Ever!  I seriously love it.  It reminds me of ladybugs - I HATE bugs, but ladybugs are the only ones that I ever actually pick up and carefully take outside because, come on, ladybugs are adorable.  The perfume inside is equally fabulous, as befits a Marc Jacobs creation.  It's fruity and fun, the kind of scent I'd feel comfortable spritzing on both day and night, so it'd be a great choice to take on a trip when you don't want to pack a lot.  (Although admittedly, it isn't the easiest bottle in the world to pack..)  It has notes of Red Berries, Dragonfruit, Honeysuckle, Jasmine, Coconut Water, Orange Blossom, Vanilla, Driftwood, Musk, which is such an intriguing list.  When I saw that list before even smelling it, I knew that it would be my kind of scent, so I'm glad I was right.  I love that it mixes fruity notes with floral ones, and I'm always a sucker for a scent with musk in it (which is weird, because it doesn't sound like something I would like, but somehow, I always do).  Also, the bottle makes me smile every time I look at it on top of my dresser in the morning, which if you could see how angry I get when my alarm goes off after only four hours of sleep because I am somehow incapable of making myself go to bed early even though I'm an adult and should know better and don't need to watch "House Hunters" at 3am, you would know is quite an achievement.  (As was that run on sentence!)  Now if only I could somehow afford that Marc Jacobs tote I've been visiting at Bloomingdales every weekend...       

Note:  A sample of this product was sent by a PR representative working with Marc Jacobs

Dot!

I was reading Marie Claire the other day and I came up on a fragrance tester for Dot, the new perfume by Marc Jacobs, and was captivated by the cutest bottle ever!  Seriously the ladybug-esque bottle and the intoxicating scent make for the perfect new fragrance for me.  Definitely floral but has some spice to it (I am not a fan of straight-up florals and I adore this one so clearly, not 100% floral).  Anyway, I ripped out the card and then proceeded to go through my other mags pulling out the Dot testers in all of them.  I managed to find enough magazine pages to rub on myself for the week until I can find the time to get to Sephora to buy the real stuff (sort of a sad indication of the amount of subscriptions I have).  I can't believe how ridiculous I am, but I couldn't bear to not be wearing it!  Definitely worth a check-out.

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!      

Dreaming in Portofino

Ooh, what is this limited edition fragrance from Dolce and Gabbana??  Light Blue Dreaming in Portofino sounds like it will be my fave new perfume, I can't wait to run to Sephora to check it out!  I am such a huge fan of Light Blue so I just know I will be a fan of this.  And since it's Limited Edition for summer, I need to get to the mall stat.

Go on a sensual journey through dream locations of the Mediterranean. Named for the picturesque fishing village and resort of the rich and famous on the Italian Rivera, this spellbinding fragrance, Dreaming in Portofino, bursts with an utter feeling of summer, precious pastimes, and true delight. Notes of sweet litchi and musky ambrette seed join with rich floral tones of soft iris and exhilarating osmanthus, bringing to mind summers filled of relaxing getaways and vivacious voyages. 

Notes:
Citrus Accord, Pink Pepper, Crisp Aquatic, Geranium, Amber, Patchouli. 
Style:
Sensual. Adventurous. Fresh.