¡Ombligo!

Floris Seasonal Spice


It's still so warm out here but I can't get my mind out of cooler weather fragrance, I can't wait to my fragrances that are heavy in woods and spices. While shopping the other day at Marshalls I found a bottle of Floris' Seasonal Spice Room Spray for $5.99 so I bought it in the hope that it would be a nice scent to smell not only in the air but possibly on me. I expected this to smell like the cloved oranges that some people decorate their homes with in the winter.

Seasonal Spice is described on the Floris website as a warm, welcoming seasonal winter fragrance to create a festive atmosphere, banish those chilly days and dark nights - spicy orange, cloves and cinnamon blended together with a hint of brandy.

The notes in Seasonal Spice are:
Top: Citrus- Fruity, Orange, Lemon
Middle: Spicy - Cinnamon, Clove, Nutmeg
Bottom: Woody, Musky, Sweet, Vanilla

I did a spot application to make sure it wouldn't irritate my skin. It starts off with a lot of orange, cinnamon is the most predominant spice and I would have preferred more spices than anything else in this fragrance. There is a slight hint of vanilla in here but that's about it. This is a really nice scent as both a room fragrance or one to wear.

I'd love to layer this with a fragrance that enhances the notes in here. The staying power is fairly good given the fact that this was a spot application, i'd be more likely to apply this to my clothes than the skin because my skin did react to the cinnamon as it always does - sometimes I suffer to smell fabulous!

Seasonal Spice Room Spray retails for $25/3.4 oz. and is sold through Floris.

The most common thing that people ask me is "Have you won anything lately?" Especially in the last two years that I've entered contests religiously. A lot of people who enter contests do keep a running track of their prizes or how much ARV (Actual Retail Value) they win each year but I don't.

My sister asked me once "Do you worry that people thing you are giving them contest prizes as gifts instead of buying them?" I don't worry because I've only done this twice, I won The Man Show Season 1 DVD set once. I had never seen the show before but was told by several friends it was something that I wouldn't enjoy. One of my friends mentioned that her husband would love to receive it as a gift so I wrapped it up and gave it to him one Christmas.

The other time was when I was invited to a last minute birthday party of a friend of a friend. I had just received a huge CD holder in the mail and it seemed like the perfect gift, turned out the recipient had a huge CD collection so it was the perfect gift.

There are a lot of people who sell their prizes on Ebay but I keep the majority of my prizes and give away whatever isn't suited for me. In entering contests there are what is known as the "3 C's" (Car, Cruise - or trip and Cash). I've so far won all three but was only able to make use of one of the three.

Car: The biggest prize I won was the 2005 Chrysler Town & Country Car which was a movie tie in contest to Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers. I gave that prize to my Mom. (ARV $33,000

Cruise or trip: I won a trip to the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs from Daisy Guns for the U.S. Olympic Shooting Team. Unfortunately, I had to pass on this prize because the team was competing at the Olympics at the time the contact person for the prize was a bit of a flake. (ARV $2,225).

Cash: Nothing big on the cash front. I've won a few gift certificates: $125 worth of Starbucks gift cards (bought the Starbucks Barista coffee maker with the majority of it,) $100 Visa gift (I bought Boheme with this one and spent the rest on a gift), $50 Buckle gift card, $50 Circuit City gift card, $25 Best Buy gift card, $20 Visa gift card and a $10 Marshalls gift card.

Other major prizes that I've won have been:

Star Magazine - FiFi Awards Gift Bag Sweepstakes

Prize: Gift bag including items from Bumble & Bumble, Clarins, and more (ARV $2,134.85). The ARV on this gift bag was incredibly inflated as it was not worth that much, I'd guesstimate it as probably 1/3 of that. I wasn't notified of this win and it came as a surprise at my door.

Buckle - Out of Control Sweepstakes

First Prizes: Customized hoobastank surf board, signed copy of hoobastank's The Reason CD and a $50 Buckle Gift Card (ARV $540). It took forever for this prize to arrive, like six months after I was notified and I didn't get the gift card or CD until nine months later.

Trading Spaces Improve Your Space Sweepstakes

(Roomba robot vacuum cleaner; professional steam cleaner; and a variety of Trading Spaces branded merchandise including: the Trading Spaces Behind-the-Scenes book, "Best of Trading Spaces" DVD, an official Trading Spaces smock and a Trading Spaces mug, hat and lunch bag) (ARV $500).

Seventeen - Daily Freebies

Hewlett Packard Digital Camera and Phot Printer (ARV $500). I hadn't been notified of this prize and there wasn't a letter stating where the prize was from so I had to track down the origin of this prize.

FUSE Watch and Win with Korn Sweepstakes

Grand Prize: Sony Network Walkman Digital Music Player and copy of the Take a Look in the Mirror limited edition audio CD/DVD by Korn (ARV $319).

Target Studio Red - Leann Rimes Sweepstakes

Second Prize: Audiovox 7" Slimline portable DVD player (ARV $199.98).

The majority of most wins are under $100 and the majority of the ones that I win are beauty products, t-shirts, caps, dvd's, cd's, books, coupons for free things but they really add up over time. There are also times where I don't receive the prize that I've won which kind of sucks! If I can't make use of a prize, I just give it away.

The most fun are the prizes that are somehow related to other hobbies I have:

Fragrance: In addition to the Fifi award gift bag I won two bottles of Celine Dion's first fragrance (gave one to my sister), JLo's Still (which I swapped for Guerlain's With Love), Calgon's Hawaiian Ginger fragrance and FCUK Her's shimmer stick (which I gave to my Mom who loves the scent.)

Soccer: RadioShack - Magic Minute Sweepstakes. My name was called out during the Magic Minute time where I had chosen Goose (Jeff Agoos) to score a goal - had he scored I would have won $30,000 or so but he didn't so instead I won (MLS T-shirt and $50 RadioShack gift card) and was shafted again when the t-shirt came but the RadioShack gift card did not! :*(

With bigger contests I'm usually sent an e-mail that contains an affidavit which has to notarizedzed but there are some that just arrive assurpriseise and those are the most fun receiveeve!

Most people don't realize that entering contests is such a tedious hobby. I usually enter them before going to bed because it's very mundane so mundane in fact that I've been entering contest less frequently but once a prize arrives, that makes me want to enter more!

Caron Tabac Blond


I decided to test fragrances today testing one vial, then another until I stopped at Caron's Tabac Blond which sounded like it wouldn't be my type of fragrance but I'm always willing to try something new, especially given the fact that it's such a loved fragrance.

On the Caron website they list the following on Tabac Blond:

The Story
When the US arrived on the world’s political stage in 1918, Europe stared with eyes wide open: freshly arrived in France to find their husbands, American women proudly showed the old, astounded continent that cigarettes were no longer the privilege of men, and that the difference between smoking room and boudoir had been erased…

Negligently to place those long ivory and mother-of-pearl cigarette-holders to their lips and swathing their femininity in a typically masculine veil, became the height of Parisian elegance.To mark the dawn of female liberation, in 1919 CARON dared to dedicate the deliberately provocative Tabac Blond to these beautiful androgynes.

The Perfume
Mild and powerful, coppery overtones combined with a floral heart note. True to type.
Oriental leather

The Personality
Troubling sensuality of a woman in a dinner jacket…A touch of masculine nonchalance.

The notes in Tabac Blond according to a review on Makeupalley are:
Top: leather, carnation and linden.
Middle: iris vetiver, ylang ylang and lime-tree leaf
Bottom: cedar patchouli, vanilla amber and musk.

It started off powdery on me and then the leather comes out. The carnation along with the leather are what are mopredominantent on my skin. The carnation is slightly spicy and dry and there are hints of amber. This is a beautiful fragrance that seems more suited for me toward colder weather as a going out fragrance but could certainly be worn year round in a more casual environment. The staying power is incredible on me, it really clung to my skin and stayed there.

Why do I fall in love the unobtainable fragrances? *sobs* I read once how much Tabac Blond retailed for but I forget the price. If money were no object I'd cave, this will no doubt go on my list of fragrances that need to be included in my collection....someday!

eHarmony


I hate the eHarmony commercials! I swear they play them all the time just to annoy me! What really creeps me out is Dr. Neil Clark Warren, I know he's got an incredibly torrid past that the tabloids haven't uncovered yet!

My sister was telling me last week how Denver County now has a ban on pit bulls. They have rounded up almost four hundred of the animals and have euthanized the majority of them. Clearly there has been a rise on human attacks by pit bulls but I don't know if that is really the answer. I was attacked once by a dog while walking to school years ago, but I don't have a personal vendetta against pit bulls myself. I do have a personal vendetta against roosters however.

Years ago someone in my neighborhood decided to get a rooster. There has to be a law against this somewhere as I always believed that you had to live in a rural area to have farm animals. Afterall, isn't a rooster a farm animal? I mean what use is a rooster in the city anyhow?

Anyhow, this fucking rooster every morning with it's fucking cock-a-doodle-doo over and over before the sun even rises. I once couldn't sleep and counted the seconds that it took before he started up again, before I knew it two hours passed by and still he didn't stop!

You'd think after the sun is out the rooster would stop! Oh no, fucking rooster keeps at it over and over again all fucking day long! I have no idea who owns the freaking animal but if I catch that stupid ass rooster I'm going to pluck the shit out of it!

Monchichi stationary $8


I had a Monchichi doll as a child but mine was naked.

Monchichi Stationary

Chris 1947


I picked this up last week while shopping at Marshalls, it wasn't sold in local stores when it was released but I did happen to nab a sample a while back and had once been on my long list of possible purchases if I ever ran across it at a discount.

Chris 1947 (which is the year of the Dior’s first couture collection,) by Christian Dior was released in 2003 as a limited edition and was bottled in the traditional Dior bottle which was produced in pink for this fragrance.

Chris 1947 was designed especially for women with a rock n roll attitude, who's always optimistic about life, this sparkling floral is a sexy combination of fresh, exotic floral notes and spicy fruits soothed with driftwood, musk and sweet Amyris wood.

The notes in Chris 1947 include Paradise Seed, Cranberry, Reed, Freesia, Cactus Flower, Water Violet, Sweet Pea, Driftwood, Musk, Amyris Wood.

Like the majority of fragrances on the market this is a run of the mill fruity floral fragrance so it doesn't score any points on originality. The sweet pea is oddly the first note that appears on my skin, then the freesia and cranberry that's slightly musky. Today was probably the most humid day this summer so it was a perfect day to wear this fragrance. This is a warm weather fragrance which is more of a daytime scent. The staying power is lousy on this fragrance and couldn't smell much of it after two hours, for longer application I'd spray my clothes rather than my skin. In all it's still a nice fragrance but probably one I wouldn't purchase again.

Chris 1947 retailed for $50/1.7 oz. when it was released on the market but it can be currently found at TJ Maxx or Marshalls for $19.99.

Update: I layered this with Bella Luccè Japanese Yuzu lotion and sprayed more of the fragrance (six sprays) and the it smelled even better and much fruitier! I ended up liking this fragrance even more and the lasting power was much better this time around! Yay!

MPG Vocalise


Maitre Parfumeur et Gantier "MPG" is one line I never really hear enough of. I think seeing pictures of the individual bottles and the color of juice adds more the the personality of the fragrance. As pictures of each individual fragrance in the MPG line aren't plentiful I feel that the entire line is frequently overlooked.

I did a bit of research and wanted to test another fragrance that had berries and vanilla in it as I loved both of those notes in my favorite MPG fragrance Fleurs des Comores and settled on Vocalise.

Inspired from the Bel canto divas who voice extreme passions bordering on insanity,Maitre Parfumeur et Gantier created Vocalise, a romantic red fruit and vanilla symphony. Said to be the fragrance for those who are in love.

The notes in Vocalise are:

Top: Red fruits, Blackcurrant, green notes
Middle: Ylang-ylang, angelica, rose
Base: Musk, sandalwood, ambergris.

It smells like warm strawberry jam on me, along with a mature rose, slight musk and a little bit of wood. It's very pretty and could easily be worn year round as an all day fragrance. I would have liked the woods to have been slightly stronger but I'm sure layering this with a sandalwood lotion would no doubt alter this fragrance to what I'd like it to be. The lasting power of this fragrance is really good as are most fragrances in the MPG line.

It retails for $105/3.3 oz and is sold at Aedes, Beauty Cafe, Beautyhabit, B-glowing and Luscious Cargo.

Both Beauty Cafe and B-glowing have 10% off with code: MUA.

Prescriptives Super Line Preventor



For the last two weeks I've been using Prescriptives Super Line Preventor under my moisturizer to see if it would have any effect on my skin. Prescriptives write on their site about Super Line Preventor that it works day and night to prevent the appearance of lines and wrinkles caused by the environment by up to 51% - results that you can see.

By day: Px E-zomes protect skin against internal and environmental stresses including smoke, pollution and ozone.

At night: Px exclusive Skin Recharging Complex speeds the repair process to improve skin tone, clarity and diminish the appearance of lines and wrinkles.

On the instructions sheet it says the following: Super Line Preventor promises results that you can see:

immediately:
Boosts skin's moisture level by up to 68%
Softens the skin b y up to 53%
Amplifies vitality and destressed skin's appearance
Helps foundation go on better and last longer

Within 4 weeks:
Diminishes the appearance of line's and wrinkles by up to 40%
Improves firmness by up to 23%
Soothes skin by up to 37%
Increases smoothness by up to 35%

Within 8 weeks:
Diminishes the appearance of lines and wrinkles by up to 51%
Improves firmness by up to 33%
Increases smoothness by up to 43%

While I don't really have many wrinkles at my age, my skin does have an overall smoother appearance but the texture of my skin isn't any softer. I'll continue with this treatment and see if it makes any difference over time but at this point, I wouldn't repurchase this item.

Prescriptives Super Line Preventor retails for $47.50/1 oz. or $75/1.7 oz. and is sold at most major department stores or through Prescriptives.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince


I'd hate to ruin the book for anyone so I'm going to put my comments on Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince in the comments so please if you haven't read the book, don't click on comments!

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince retails for $29.99 at most bookstores but it can be purchased for much less while it's still on the New York Times best seller list.

WW: Buttercream Coma


This is the first time I weighed myself since my birthday as I was a bit afraid to do so last week. The weekend of my birthday I chose to not workout or eat healthy and binged on buttercream birthday cake and Ben & Jerry's Coffee Heath Bar Crunch, I am weak when it comes to sugar. I ended up feeling so sick what I refer to now as the buttercream coma.

As much as people tell you that calories don't count on your birthday, they really do. I actually think they count double because on your birthday you are given the chance to start anew and have the opportunity to eat healthy so if you binge like I did then you pay for it even more.

I didn't even want to know how many pounds I packed on but it wasn't pretty. I weighed in this week and the bad news that I'm at the same weight as two weeks ago but the good news is I burned off whatever was gained during the buttercream coma.

To make matters worse when I logged in my weight online, Weight Watchers didn't give me a funky little quote so I am quoteless for the week! *sobs*

The good news from last week, I finished Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and today Details magazine came in with David Beckham on the cover!

Becks in Details

Nanadebary Bronze

I don't hide the fact that I adore Nanadebary (now known as Nanadebary Pink), I've also posted reviews on Nanadebary Cosmic Mist and Nanadebary Green in the past but had never reviewed Nanadebary Bronze. I tried this last fall and felt incredibly mixed about it mainly because I felt it could be better and had all but written it off until I decided to re-test it today.

The notes in Nanadebary Bronze according to Beautyhabit are:

Top: Bergamot, Mandarin, Ylang-ylang
Middle: Rose, Jasmine, Tuberose
Bottom: Iris, Sandalwood, Cedar, Cinnamon

Aedes, Lucky Scent and Luscious Cargo add notes of amber, vanilla, musk and Aedes and Luscious Cargo also list patchouli.

I don't get any citrus from this fragrance, nor much floral from it either unless the weather is really hot like it is today and then you get a slight hint of it. On me, it's more amber than anything else on me with hints of woods, cinnamon and vanilla.

While this certainly couldn't take the place of my beloved Nanadebary Pink, I have really fallen in love with this fragrance. The cinnamon made an even bigger appearance today than it has in the past. I was limiting this to a colder weather fragrance but it smelled wonderful today, such a great all day fragrance in any kind of weather! The lasting power like the rest of the Nanadebary line isn't the best but for the time that it lasts on my skin, I am in heaven!

Nanadebary Bronze retails for$70/1.7 oz pr $130/3.3 oz. and is sold at Aedes, Beauty Habit, LuckyScent and Luscious Cargo.

The Thin Man Series

The Gods of DVD dreams have fulfilled my wishes, first Dinner at Eight, then Libeled Lady and now The Thin Man Series!!!!

$41.94 at Amazon.

Temperare 03



I was looking forward to testing Temperare 03 the most out of the three Temper Chocolates fragrances with the notes of chocolate, fig, vanilla and honey all calling my name.

Temperare 03

Inspiration: The Bordeaux of the three chocolate fragrances Bold, sensual, robust, full, smooth, with a clean finish

Key Notes: Oak moss, chocolate, fig, vanilla, kukui nut, honey, sage dalmation

Description:Immediately, your head fills with intensity, richness. Painted by Italian masters on ceilings in buildings older than the America - yet this fragrance has a modern edge. It's the feeling of refurbishing something antiquated to its original splendor. The vanilla, fig, honey and chocolate are the old and the sage, and kukui are the modern twists. The oak moss is the velvet lining these treasures are lying on. This fragrance is confident, deliberate, and sensual. It's also very urban smelling - like cocktails in a late night dance club.

This is a rich fragrance that really smells incredible, it at first reminded me of this chocolate wine I tasted last year at a wine fest but after it warmed to my skin the fig was the most predominant note. It's not overly sweet as the moss makes it's mark in this fragrance, yet it doesn't have a really dry feel to it either.

You know that fragrance you get when you slow cook fruits where they still a bit sweet but are really more flavorful after the cooking process? That's what I smell, like slow cooked figs that have been cooked in a sauce made of wine, vanilla and honey and are drizzled with the tiniest touch of chocolate sauce.

This could easily be a year round fragrance that is worn from morning to evening but I think this would be a gorgeous autumn fragrance. This is by far my favorite fragrance of the Temperare line and is in serious contention of being my autumn fragrance.

Temperare 03 retails for $100/15 ml. at La Creme Beauty, LuckyScent and Luscious Cargo

Temperare 02


After having tested Mandy Aftel's Cacao which features both jasmine and chocolate (notes also found in this fragrance) I have to admit I was a bit afraid to test Temperare 02. I wondered why anyone would anyone attempt to mix those two notes into one fragrance after the Cacao fiasco.

Temperare 02

Inspiration: Secret stash of goodies

Key Notes: Jasmin sambac, chocolate, china lily, helichrysum, artemesia

Fragrance family: floral, green

Description:The effect of this fragrance is a dark chocolate with a jasmine ganache center. With beautiful silk screened floral decoration on top with teal / gold shimmer effect. In other words, luxurious like a heavy silk. The most gorgeous tapestry with detailed embroidery without pretense - sheer elegance.

The chocolate in here is subtle and faded much too soon on my skin! This is a primarily jasmine and lilies mix on my skin, like a bouquet that's been given time to age a bit. After a while the lilies disappeared and I was left with jasmine with a soft powdery finish. I happened to have been wearing Serge Lutens A La Nuit and this complimented it very well.

While this is a green fragrance, I think this fragrance could easily be worn year round because it's not too green more earthy than anything else. The staying power of this fragrance could have been better, after about two hours I couldn't even detect it on my arm.

Temperare 02 retails for $120/15 ml. at La Creme Beauty, Lucky Scent and Luscious Cargo.

POTL Luctor et Emergo Perfumed Body Cream


Look what I got for my birthday! Which is hands down the best gift I received this year as I love and adore People of the Labyrinths' Luctor et Emergo "POTL" which is one of my holy grail fragrances! The perfumed body cream comes packaged in the same familiar red box as the Eau de Toilette and Parfum.

I was told to skip the parfum or EdT because the cream is so heavily concentrated and indeed it is. It comes sealed with foil liner on the top but I could smell the familiar fragrance before removing that seal. It is an incredibly thick cream and is filled all the way to the top. A little goes a long way with this cream, I applied it while my skin was still damp from my shower and it glided so well on my skin. Not sticky at all and leaves your skin well moisturized. Having very dry skin, I at times feel that some perfumed lotions don't provide enough moisture and have to apply an unscented lotion under the scented one.

Where I don't get a lot of incense in either the EdT or Parfum, I get a lot of incense in this fragrance after the initial application. After a while the rest of the fragrance comes into play which is just incredible, this is more of the parfum strength of the fragrance over the EdT. As it's been very hot and humid out this was the best way to apply the fragrance as I'd found both the parfum and Eau de Toilette far too heavy. One could certainly mix this with a bit of unscented lotion to make the strength of the fragrance weaker or layer it with the fragrance to make it stronger.

This is a must have item if you love POTL and is suitable as an all day fragrance any time of the year. They staying power of this is incredible, It's been on my skin for twelve hours and I can still smell it on my skin. As the day goes on, the strength of the fragrance slowly dissipates but you are still left with enough of the scent.

POTL Perfumed Body Creme retails for $95/200 ml at both Beautyhabit and Luscious Cargo.

For a limited time if you order the POTL Parfum from Luscious Cargo you get a free t-shirt (a $35 value) and they have free shipping with code: EASYCODE on any order over $30 through 7/23

However, if you are swayed by a discount rather than free clothing you can order the parfum at La Creme Beauty for 10% off until tomorrow (7/22) with code: summer

Temperare 01



I couldn't wait to try the Temperare line of fragrances as I like most people love chocolate! Chocolate fragrances on me can smell divine like Dawn Spencer Hurwitz's Piment et Chocolat or smell just awful on me like Mandy Aftel's Cacao which was created with Scharfenberger Chocolate.

This is what Temper Chocolates has written about the Temperare fragrances on their site:

Temperare by Temper Chocolates

In conjunction with San Francisco-based perfumer Yosh Han, Temper Chocolates has created its own line of customized perfumes. This unique collection of three perfumes features distinctive and enticing scents that are unified by the common ingredient of cocoa. But unlike other chocolate perfumes, cocoa is only one component of these fine fragrances and does not overwhelm the subtle notes of the perfumes.

Temperare 01

Inspiration: Asian pear dipped in chocolate with crystallized ginger nuggets

Key Notes: White Ginger, Pear, Chocolate, Cardamom, Litsea cubeba, blood orange, pink grapefruit, and fresh ginger

Fragrance family: fruity, citrus

Description:Finding the off road winery that specializes in sparkling wines is like finding that sparkle of diamond amidst the dirt. This fragrance has the effervescence of both those experiences plus hidden treasures that delight the senses. The cardamom unearths a deep spice that dances the tango with the dark chocolate. Joined in heated passion, the energy between all the ingredients is lively and charismatic. The blood orange and pink grapefruit and pear add the innocence and sweet purity of young school girls screaming with sheer delight and giddiness. As they say in Japan, "Kawa-ii" This fragrance is edible.

Temperare 01 opens up with a citrus burst which dies down incredibly fast on me, the next note that opens up is the pear. Pear is a not I'm mixed about and for the most part can do without it in fragrances. Then comes the ginger which is very bold on my skin, if you've tested Yosh Stargazer 7.71 this is the same ginger that's in that fragrance. The entire fragrance is more pear and ginger than anything else to me.

While a lovely fragrance it isn't one that I feel the need to include in my collection. It's a fragrance that can easily be worn as an all day fragrance year round but I'd prefer to wear it more in the autumn. They staying power of this fragrance is very good as as are all the Yosh fragrances that I've tested.

Temperare 01 retails for $100/15 ml and is sold at La Creme Beauty, Lucky Scent and Luscious Cargo.

The Forgotten


My sister had watched The Forgotten while it was in the theaters and told me that the movie really sucked but you think ah come on how much can Julianne Moore suck in this movie. So I saw it and half an hour into the movie I was thinking it was a great movie and my sister sucks for telling me that this sucks.

Oh yeah but then I continue watching it and find out for myself just how much Julianne Moore can suck! This movie wasn't just bad, this is suckfest 2005 in the worst way. It started off with so much potential which makes it suck even more!

With bad movies, you expect them to be bad - bad actors and bad director you've got a sucky movie on your hands but when good actors go bad you're left broken. Like you can never trust that actor again! How dare they make such a sucky movie! Did they read the script before they signed on?

Please for your sanity never see this movie! I'd like to forget The Forgotten which is even worse than Cabin Fever! Even hardcore Julianne Moore fans need to skip this movie for their own sanity!

The Manchurian Candidate

I've never seen the original version of The Manchurian Candidate but was really excited about last year's remake of it. There was an awesome movie tie in contest where your phone would ring every day on a specified hour for three weeks and you were supposed to play the role of Sergeant Ben Marco (Denzel Washington's role) where your mission was to find out the truth without being caught or killed. You were given clues everyday and were asked what course of action you wanted to take. If you finished the game you were entered into the contest. I finished the game but never won anything from it.

It's a shame that the game was more interesting than the movie was! Oh Denzel, are you trying to commit career suicide? I have to mention that I did see Man on Fire and I think this one was even worse and that movie had Marc Anthony "Rat Boy."

You'd think with three Academy Award winners in Manchurian Candidate this movie would be halfway decent but it's not! Skip it unless you love the stars a lot, and by a lot I mean you should be the offspring of one of the stars who is on speaking terms with your kid. You better believe Angelina Jolie skipped this movie, as I should have!

Hitch

I love Will Smith but in all honestly, I didn't have high expectations for this movie so I was surprised that I liked it. The only thing I didn't like about this movie was Eva Mendes. I find her lacking in personality, had they replaced her with a different actress I would have liked this movie even more. You also get a chance to see model turned actress Amber Valletta in this move, even she was better than Eva Mendes!

Eva Mendes is a Revlon model so I guess I can call her model turned actress as well. Another Revlon model is Aishwarya Rai who's the star of Bride & Prejudice.

Even though Eva Mendes was in this movie, I still found it cute. Don't have high expectations as this movie isn't the best but also not the worst!

Bride & Prejudice

Bollywood meets Hollywood, um not exactly as this is a British movie directed by Gurinder Chadha of Bend It Like Beckham fame. Bride & Prejudice is a musical version of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. This is Bollywood star Aishwarya Rai's introduction to western audiences a former Miss. World who's incredibly stunning. I really liked her in this movie, who I didn't like was uberhottie Martin Henderson.

I fell in love with Martin Henderson when I saw him in The Ring and while he's lovely to look at, he can't act so if you're going to watch this movie press the mute button any time he opens his mouth.

This movie is incredibly cheesy but cute, Ashanti makes a special appearance in this movie. I don't like Ashanti for some reason. Not that she ever did anything to me but I find her annoying for some reason, she really bugs me.

Anyhow, going back to the cheese factor there is a scene where Aishwarya Rai's character of Lalitha Bakshi is singing on the beach and out of nowhere pops up a gospel choir, the surfers come in from the water to sing and two life guards leave their post to join in. That part was incredibly hysterical! I secretly think that any song is just a little bit better when a gospel choir sings in the background which is why I should hire one the next time I sing karaoke!

If you're looking for a cheesy movie (I'm talking nachos made with Doritos cheesy, this is exactly what you want!

Tipton Charles Sandalwood




I wanted to wear a sandalwood fragrance today but didn't want it to be too heavy as it's been so humid lately so I settled on Tipton Charles Sandalwood. It's not a traditional sandalwood fragrance, far more floral than anything else.

I was able to find the notes on MUA which were listed as:
Top: jasmine, lime, rose, clove
Middle: pine needle, heliotrope, lavender
Base: musk (synthetic), vanilla, sandalwood

All of those are notes that I like but somehow the entire fragrance smells just awful on me for about five minutes after initial application. The top and middle notes last for a long time in this fragrance and for some reason the lime seems to be the heaviest note on my skin followed by the lavender. However, after wearing this fragrance for a while the sandalwood seems to get stronger.

It's not the best fragrance on the market and certainly not the best sandalwood fragrance but for the price it really can't be beat. Perfect to wear year round but I really like it as an all day fragrance on a warm day. Lasting power of this fragrance is really high on my skin.

Tipton Charles Sandalwood retails for $26/4 oz. and is available through Tipton Charles.

Bella Luccè Japanese Yuzu lotion



It's been incredibly humid out here and didn't feel much like wearing any fragrance so instead of applying fragrance I just substituted Bella Luccè Japanese Yuzu Silk and Honey Lotion for my regular unscented lotion.

There lotion is described on the site as rich, creamy lotion which is full of skin-loving indulgences: passionfruit and rice bran oils, mango butter, raw organic honey, silk proteins and a select blend of six nourishing botanical extracts. This exclusive formula absorbs quickly, yet the softness lasts for hours.

I've never smelled an actual yuzu so I have no idea how much like a yuzu this smells like but this lotion has a very vibrant citrusy fragrance, think orange, tangerine or kumquat scent over lemon, lime or grapefruit. The lotion left my skin silky soft and not at all sticky or slippery. It's not a strong enough fragrance to wear on it's own if you really want to smell like it but woul definitely layer well with a similar type fragrance. The scent lingered on my clothes longer than it did on my skin.

Bella Luccè Japanese Yuzu Lotion retails for $12.80/8 oz. at Bella Luccè.

I also bought this for myself yesterday for $14.99 at Marshalls, it was the only one because fate wanted me to buy it in case Bobby Fischer happens to sneak back into the states for the sole purpose of playing an illegal chess game against me.

In my mind it'll go like this:

Bobby Fischer: "Ah, you are a worthy opponent and I have traveled miles just to play against you. Do you happen to have a rare and unique chess set on hand so we can determine who is the best chess player in the world?"

And I can say "Why yes I do!"

I triple dog dare you Bobby Fischer to sneak into the states to play chess against me! TRIPLE DOG DARE!!!

Lulu Guinness

I went to the two Marshalls in town yesterday hoping to find Urban Decay Powders, eyeshadows or Collection by Escada. The only thing I was able to find were the Urban Decay eyeshadows which were not just tested but crushed - I'm talking nothing but powder!! Stupid ass savages who shop at Marshalls! The only new fragrances I spotted were Trump the fragrance which surprised me as it was released fall of 2004, Dolce and Gabanna's Light Blue which I already have and Lulu Guinness which I had wanted so I caved on the bottle of Lulu Guinness to mark my birthday!

Lulu Guinness the fragrance was released by Lulu Guinness the famous handbag designer and was released in Spring of 2003. The notes in Lulu Guinness are:

Top: Clementine, Cassis Flower, Apple Blossom, Pink Sweet Pea
Middle: Lily of the Valley, white Easter Lilies, Amaryllis, Bluebell Lilies
Bottom: Sandalwood, Heliotrope, Egyptian Jasmine Absolute, Rose Absolute, Wild Jonquil Absolute.

Of the top notes, the sweet pea is the strongest note but that soon falls short to the lily of the valley and lilies which are very fresh and vibrant. The sandalwood clings to my clothes more than it does to my skin but I could smell it's presence. When it dries down, the jasmine comes out stronger than any of the other bottom notes on my skin there is a sweetness to this fragrance but it isn't a sweet fragrance if that makes any sense.

It's not an incredibly unique fragrance but one that is a beautiful accessory for a hot and humid day like today. The staying power is average with two sprays each time. I did the first application at six this morning, the second application at noon and just sprayed the last for the evening.

Lulu Guinness retails for $60/1.7 oz. or $80/3.4 oz. at Sephora however, I purchased the 1.7 oz. bottle at Marshalls for $19.99.

Lush Bare Naked Lady

Nanadebary was of course my fragrance choice for the day but I dusted myself with Lush's Bare Naked Lady before applying any scent.

Bare Naked Lady named after the Canadian rock band Bare Naked Ladies. It doesn't leave the skin as soft as Silky Underwear but it's still a fine powder that leaves the skin soft with calamine powder. It smells of roses and has a little bit of fine gold glitter mixed in.

I apply this with the powder puff I bought from Caswell Massey. It was the perfect powder to wear on a hot summer day for this birthday girl who likes to shine, just a little bit!

Bare Naked Lady retails for $7.95/3.5 oz. and is sold through Lush which also sells through Amazon.

Today is my 29th birthday, last night I found this cool site:

Things Other People Accomplished When They Were Your Age.

At age 29:

The Buddha decided to renounce the world and abandon family and possessions. Seven years later, he realized this brought him no closer to the wisdom he sought.

Scottish-born inventor Alexander Graham Bell transmitted the first complete sentence by telephone.

Agatha Christie, the most translated writer in the world, published her first book.

Michael Faraday demonstrated electromagnetic rotation, leading the way to the invention of the electric motor.

Blacksmith Kirkpatrick MacMillan invented the first real bicycle.

English novelist Emily Jane Bronte wrote the romance Wuthering Heights .

Singer-songwriter Carole King released her best-selling album Tapestry.

French naturalist George Dagobert founded the science of comparative anatomy.

By all accounts I at 29 am a failure but for the first time in my life I am comfortable with the position I am in my life because instead of seeing myself as a failure I see myself as a work in progress. I believe that this year is my transitional year, I will enter my thirties as a much different person than I was in my twenties. My twenties have sustained me but they haven't really been good to me. A year ago I was a different person than who I am now and a year from now I will be a different person, a better person that who I am now.

Last year was by far the best and worst birthday I had ever celebrated. As I was leaving town the day before my birthday I had a birthday party a week earlier in which all my friends except for two were in attendance. Earlier last year those two friends deeply offended me, not being one to maintain silence, I spoke up.

They were angered that I chose to speak up and decided to hurt me giving me the silent treatment. I don't play games like that and continued to act civil to them the rest of the year, inviting them over frequently yet when I saw them both acted as if nothing was wrong.

I assumed that everything was fine as I was the one who was offended in the first place and invited them both to my birthday party. I had heard through the grapevine that they weren't going to attend but I felt hopeful. Come the day of the party where I called them several times and both ignored my calls. I called the day after the party and another day after that and still they continued to ignore me. I then contacted them letting them know I wasn't quite sure why they were treating me like that after all we had been friends for almost a decade!

I finally got a reply in which they explained that they were angered by the fact that I was offended in the first place. I then explained back exactly why I was offended in the first place and why I was even more offended that they let it escalate to that point! Finally, they understood and I was met with the response that all was fine with them, we can be friends again.
No, we can't be friends again! That's not how friends treat each other! I was given the opportunity a few weeks ago to renew the friendship once again. No, thank you, I've moved on. I don't want their definition of a friend now or ever! As the year has progressed I have withdrawn from my core group of friends more and more chosing instead to focus on myself.

The good part about my birthday last year was I spent a week with my sister. My sister and I were once close, had no contact for a few years and are now closer than ever. Now I usually talk to her several times a week. On my birthday last year I woke up and found Mr. Max (her cat laying on my chest) and we spent the day last year coloring my hair blue/black and spend the evening shopping! The entire week was fabulous and I'm sad that she isn't here to spend the day with me.

This year I decided not to plan anything big for my birthday. This year my goal is to be the best person I know how to be. I am trying to build a foundation that will sustain me for the rest of my life. The possibilities are endless for me! I can do anything! A year from now I will be a different person, a better person that who I am now!

Bond No. 9's Eau de Noho


This is the final wrapped Bond sample left in my fragrance. I'm a bit disappointed and underwhelmed by the collection - perhaps in time the collection will get better?

Eau de Noho is described on Saks.com as reflecting the ambiguity of Noho, a serene historic district with raw edges and ultra-modern spareness, is a fragrance created for a dreamy, elusive yet warm seductress. Fresh mandarin in a bed of honey-woody linden is blended with a sumptuous green floral bouquet, violet and lingering notes of green moss, cashmere wood and amber.

This is a nice fragrance that reminds me of laundry detergent at first but after drying down it smells like that scent in the air when you do the first planting of the spring and then water everything at night.

The linden in here is present but softer than I would have liked it to be. Not an incredibly green fragrance but not too earthy either. This is a fragrance that would layer perfectly with BPAL's Flower Moon which was part of the lunacy moon collection and was a limited edition sold in April of this year.

It's a subtle fragrance that I feel would work best in warm weather. The staying power isn't the best with this fragrance. I find that with the floral fragrances on the Bond No. 9 line, the staying power is fairly poor on me.

Eau de Noho retails for $168/3.3 oz at Saks.

I got a Budweiser Growler retro beer vessel (ARV $9.95) from the Budweiser 5-Day Test Sweepstakes. The note says: We hope you enjoy the enclosed prize for many years and I will, it's going to be a piggy bank! Decided to size it up next to the CiBoy.

Physician's Formula Light Bronzer


I decided to try Physician's Formula Light Bronzer which is supposed to give the skin a light tan look. As I have vitiligo and have lost the majority of pigment in my skin I was hoping this would give my skin a little bit of color.

So, I brushed the bronzer lightly on my face, neck and decloté. Light tan my ass, I ended up looking like an Oompa Loompa! The 1970's Oompa Loompa, not the modern one which is the same person - that really bums me out!

I thought the old Oompa Loompas were already creepy but the same person as an Oompa Loompa is even creepier and don't even get me started on how Johnny Depp looks as Wonka!

Bond No. 9's Gramercy Park


This is the second to the last Bond No. 9 fragrance that I'm going to test as I've run through all of my wrapped testers, tomorrow will be Eau de Noho but today's fragrance is Gramercy Park.

Described on Saks.com as New York's Gramercy Park, a gated, private residential square, has inspired this fragrance, preferred by the city man or woman who seeks out simplicity and cultivates dressed-down good tastes. Experience the fresh green leaves of ivy blended with lily of the valley for vibrancy, and sheer woods for gentle depth.

It opens up with heavy ivy and wood but dries down to lily of the valley. There is some type of citrus in here, that isn't heavy but is still evident. I had higher expectations for this fragrance than what I smell on my skin. Perhaps it smells better on others including men as this isn't a gender specific fragrance. This is the type of fragrance that is perfect for warm weather but the staying power isn't as good as the rest of the line.

Gramercy Park retails for $105/1.7 oz. or $168/3.3 oz. at Saks.

Tyra Banks


Two nights ago started the series of my funky ass dreams. I had a dream that I was back in high school and I saw a bunch of familiar faces but didn't remember any of the names. Then I was running into people I didn't meet until college. It was a very strange dream and the building I was in was built like an indoor underground labyrinth with long winding staircases and everything was very dark and gray. I finally found my friend's dorm room and I was talking to her about something and then I left and found my way out of the labyrinth and sunlight. When I woke up it was so bright.

Cut to the night before last where I'm at this huge house and rolling down the grassy hills on the outside lawn with several friends and my boyfriend in my dream is this guy I went to college with who is waiting for me by the gate of this house. This guy was creepy, skeevy and annoying as hell. If you put together Tom Cruise, Nicholas Cage, Nick Nolte, Burt Reynolds and KFed you'd get this guy! Anyhow, in this dream or rather nightmare I kept making out with him, sloppy saliva filled kisses! This is a guy I'd hate to be stuck in an elevator with for more than a few seconds and it still disturbs me to even recall the memory of that dream.

Then last night I had a dream I was somehow involved in fashion week in New York where Shanna Moakler challenged Tyra Banks to a model face off where they were doing different poses in front of me and I had to choose the winner. After my sister and I watched Shanna Moakler on the series "Meet the Barkers" and incorporated the term "Shanna" to mark when one is lazy and/or obsessed with the man she's with. Anyhow, Shanna lost and I woke up as I was about to down a glass of wine.

Bond No. 9's Chelsea Flowers


I was excited to test this fragrance as the name said flowers and I was hoping to test something floral today!

Chelsea Flowers is described on Saks.com as named after New York's hottest gallery district, where fresh food and flowers abound, Chelsea Flowers is for the energetic ingenue with an outrageous mixture of styles. It's an exuberant bouquet of peonies, tulips, hyacinth, magnolia and rose surrounded by musk, sandalwood, vetiver and tree moss.

Upon initial application it reminds me a bit of Antonia's Flower's Floret but after a minute that goes away. It's not a heavy floral scent at all, quite subtle and somewhat green. It seems a bit aquatic with a slight fruity undertones and a hint of soft vanilla. It's a very pretty fragrance but isn't one that really stands out from other fragrances. This is one that I would want a decant of but not enough to where I want an entire bottle. Without a doubt a fragrance that is perfect for warm weather and easily one that can be worn all day. I would have liked the staying power to be better in this fragrance.

Chelsea Flowers retails for $105/1.7 oz. at Luscious Cargo or $168/3.3 oz. at Saks.

Wedding Crashers

They made a movie on how my parents met, Wedding Crashers! I won't bother seeing it as I already know how it ends, they've been married for 32 years.

WW: Again the scale won't move!


Man, I did everything this week and the scale didn't budge! Going to try to change things up a bit this week and see how that goes. I notice I'm not as angry and hostile when I find out my weight hasn't changed, perhaps I should be? I don't want to get too disappointed when the scale won't budge but at the same time I don't want to feel too comfortable with it not moving. I'm going to try to limit my consumption of meat this week and see how effective that is.

Bond No. 9's West Broadway


I didn't wear any fragrance yesterday as I had a pretty bad migrane and decided to go to bed early - I slept for almost twelve hours. Decided to get back to testing Bond No. 9 fragrances today so today's choice of fragrance was West Broadway.

WEst Broadway is described on Saks.com as a fragrance inspired by West Broadway, a hipper, cooler, downtown Madison Avenue, especially for the free-wheeling man or woman with eclectic taste. It's a smart little lime gimlet, laced with crisp greens, maté (a stimulating Brazilian tea), and sheer musk for a jolt of sensuality.

This starts off a green fragrance with hints of lime to me, not as fresh as I expected the notes to be. It becomes an incredibly dry woody fragrance right away which reminds me of a fragrance I've tried before but one I can't pinpoint which one. There is a spiciness to this fragrance but it isn't heavy. The musk is light butnoticeablee in this fragrance.

I think this fragrance would be perfect for late summer fading into autumn anabsolutelyy perfect for either sex. The staying power is really good in this fragrance but I feel there is something lacking, as though it's missing something or isn't complete. I think this would smell even better layered with Origins Ginger Essence! This is by far among the best of the Bond No. 9 fragrances that I've tested.

West Broadway retails for $110/1.7 ozz or $178/3.3 oz. at Saks.

Bond No. 9's New Haarlem


Testing yet another Bond No. 9 fragrance to find one that would work best on me. As I opened the vial of New Haarlem it smelled incredibly masculine to me.

Described on the Saks.com as: Take the northbound A-train in a bottle for Bond No.9's newest, timeliest, most androgynous scent--to be worn by men and the kind of women who specialize in chic brazenness. Experience the lush, lingering, intoxicating brew of bergamot, cedarwood, coffee, vanilla, patchouli and lavender.

This scent reminded me of the time my friends and I woke up early to go shopping the day after Thanksgiving. We stopped off to get coffee and my friend who was driving asked me to grab his cup while he drove. Not knowing my own strength, I grabbed it a little too hard and the top popped off and the hot coffee exploded all over his hand, my leg and all over the car.

This is a vanilla caramel latte fragrance with a subtle hint of wood, very subtle! I get nothing else from this fragrance, it's a total gourmand fragrance on me. I think this would be a gorgeous fragrance in cooler months but do I really want to smell like I spilled a latte all over myself again? The staying power is really good on this fragrance which is fantastic given the fact that this is by far the best of the Bond No. 9 fragrances I've tested so far. I will without a doubt test this fragrance in colder weather.

New Haarlem retails for $110/1.7 oz. at Luscious Cargo or $178/3.4 oz. at Saks.

Bond No. 9 Fashion Avenue


In my attempt to find a Bond No. 9 fragrance that I could like I decided to continue to sample the line so today's fragrance pick is Bond No. 9's Fashion Avenue.

Described at Saks.com as epitomizing the spirit of Fashion Avenue, where creative energy is everywhere, is this style-right fragrance, designed for the iconoclast, a high-energy, go-getter with an eye on the future. Sparkling mimosa, in a bed of dewy greens is blended with ylang-ylang and cashmere musk. The result is a fresh, sexy, sultry scent.

Luscious Cargo lists the additional note of black currant in this fragrance.

I'm not really crazy for mimosa heavy fragrances so I didn't have high hopes for this fragrance but Eau de Charlotte has both mimosa and black currant and I adore that fragrance! Alas, this doesn't really smell like mimosa on me or anything else listed in the notes. It smells like the generic smelling pink soap they put in soap dispensers in public restrooms along with a subtle hint of basil. I put my arm above the heat of the candle I was burning and I was able to detect the ylang ylang which is very pretty! It's a shame that isn't what I smell on my skin. The staying power is very good in this fragrance.

I'm afraid I'm going to have to list this as yet another Bond No. 9 fragrance that's a thumbs down for me. Given the notes, it would easily be a nice year round all day fragrance that would no doubt wear better in warmer weather.

Fashion Avenue retails for $105/1.7 oz at Luscious Cargo or $168/3.3 oz at Saks.

Wayne Newton Spiral Notebook


I've spent the last three minutes laughing my ass off over the Wayne Newton Spiral Notebook which is one of a kind and sells for $4!



The All In The Family spiral notebook is not as funny but still quite creepy! Also $4.

WonkaCakes


*In a Veruca Salt voice* "But Daddy, I want a WonkaCake now!"

I seriously do but I have no self control and would want to eat all eight in one sitting! *sobs*

Bond No. 9 So New York


When I declared that I was going to test Bond No. 9's So New York I was warned by my friend Barbara the Pirate who described this fragrance as "sooo very New York City in the middle of a summer garbage strike."

So New York is described on Saks.com as uptown or downtown, New Yorkers have always loved chocolate. This scent is ideal for the chocoholic who loves her rich dessert to have bite and spice. Bergamot and plum are blended with bittersweet espresso and seductive warm milk accord. Patchouli, lily of the valley, peony, musk and precious wood notes add flavor.

Sounds like it would be interesting! It opens up with chocolate, coffee and pineapple - where does this pineapple come from? Perhaps they were trying to make something similar to Thierry Mugler's Angel. I don't know where the pineapple comes from but it's bad! I mean awful! It starts to dry down and the patchouli takes some of the fragrance. Sometimes patchouli kills a fragrance but this is a nice patchouli and reminds me a lot of Viktor and Rolf's Flowerbomb.

Now, it's not like I don't like fragrance with notes of chocolate or coffee. And I do like fragrances that have patchouli but on me, this fragrance really doesn't work at all. Perhaps I tested this fragrance the wrong time of year, save it for colder weather?

For those who can wear this fragrance it would probably be best worn in colder weather as an all day fragrance for some and an evening fragrance for most as some people over apply patchouli heavy fragrances during the day.

So New York retails for $110/1.7 oz. at Luscious Cargo and $178/3.4 oz. at Saks.

Unilever Basket


I won the Unilever basket twice now and twice it arrived ruined. The first time the basket arrived, the Snuggle liquid fabric softener exploded all over the contents of the basket. It soaked through the Snuggle fabric softener sheets which had to be thrown out. Certain things in the basket were covered in plastic in case anything were to leak but the Snuggle liquid fabric softener was not.

This week when the second basket arrived, I had hoped that they took my advice and wrapped the Snuggle liquid fabric softener in plastic but as I lifted the box I could smell the familiar scent of Snuggle! Opened it up and yep, it had also exploded! Again, all over the box of Snuggle fabric softener sheets, the sheets however survived this time. The only casualty this time around was the Lipton Rice Kit which was saturated with Snuggle.

This basket had a theme to it where the other one did not. This basket had a Ragu pasta night theme to it and included a tin to hold pasta (which arrived bashed in), two bottles of Ragu, a Ragu recipe book and a $25 Best Buy gift card!

I also three shades of Orly nail polish from the Play Summer 2005 Color Collection: Fore!, Total Knockout and 15 Love. Fore is a peachy orange color, Total Knockout is a reddish fuschia color and 15 Love is a bright hot pink color.

And today I received Nick Frost's Danger! 50,000 Volts which says it's a British comedy television series where survival is not assured and Danger is always just around the next corner!

I love British comedy, with Coupling being my favorite show! I don't think it's back for a 5th season which leaves me quite sad but things were never quite the same once Jeff left the show!

Origins Ginger Essence


When I woke up yesterday I turned on the news as I headed to make myself a cup of coffee. The t.v. had been on few a few seconds before they cut to the news of the terrorist attack in London. I was filled with so much anger and sorrow all day. Needless to say I didn't feel much like wearing fragrance all day and didn't apply any until I went to bed. I found myself reaching for my comfort scent, Origins Ginger Essence which always makes me feel better.

The notes in Origins Ginger Essence are: Ginger, Bergamot, Lemon and Lime

While the ginger is quite evident in this fragrance, so is the lemon. If you like the scent of
Origins Ginger Souffle and are trying to find that scent in a fragrance, this isn't it. For that scent try Origins Ginger Gloss which has a much stronger ginger fragrance and the citrus is more subtle.

Other items in the ginger line at Origins feature the same scent including Ginger Burst which has a fabulous scent in the shower but my skin doesn't retain the scent. Ginger Body Scrub is a great salt scrub but I find leaves an oily film on my skin and Incredible Spreadable Scrub is a softer sugar predominate scrub which washes away cleaner. I however prefer Philosophy's Gingerbread Man which washes away very clean and is a softer but still a very effective scrub.

Ginger Essence is my comfort fragrance which is a perfect year round, all day fragrance. To change things up I'll layer it with Dragonfly Blue Amber.

Ginger Essence retails for $36/1.7 oz. or $47.50/3.4 oz. at Origins, during the holidays they come out with gift sets which include other products from the ginger line for around the same price at the fragrance alone - that is when I stock up on this scent!

Hamptons

Kudos and raves to Luscious Cargo, in my last order I requested a sample of Bond No. 9's Hamptons but it wasn't in stock so they substituted another fragrance for it instead. Imagine my surprise today when they sent a sample of not only Bond No. 9's Hamptons but also So New York! Fabulous customer service time and again!

The vision that comes to my mind when I hear Hamptons is Martha Stewart and P. Diddy at his party together - at least I think it was held in the Hamptons. I don't really read up much on either one to verify this. I do know that P. Diddy did a white party where he required the women to be waxed all over their bodies - how this was verified I really don't want to know!

According to Beauty Cafe the notes in Hamptons are:

Top notes: lime blossom, bigarrade oil (from the bittersweet orange flower) lemony lime bergamot, and balancing stimulating armoise oil, with overtones of cedar and sage.

Middle: magnolia, white jasmine and Turkish rose.

Bottom: Amber, sandalwood, and cashmere musk

It starts off with a strong hint of lime and sage but with a sweetness to it, perhaps that's the bigarrade oil? I can't really detect the middle notes in here. And the bottom notes are very subtle with the woods being the strongest. Easily unisex and I believe it's sold as such but not overly masculine as some unisex fragrances can sometimes be.

What I like the most about this fragrance is the initial application, it smells very fresh and true for a few seconds but after it's on the skin it dries down to a rather boring and ordinary fragrance. The staying power of this is really bad on me which I find rather disappointing and I had to reapply quite frequently.

If the top notes stuck around more this would have easily been added to my wish list. I think it's a nice fragrance that would be best suited on someone else. Like I said, the top notes were incredibly refreshing making it a perfect summer fragrance!

Hamptons retails for $110/1.7 oz at Luscious Cargo or $178/3.4 oz. at Saks.

Floris Malmaison


I wanted to wear a carnation fragrance today and settled on Floris' Malmaison to see if I liked it as much as I remembered. It's described on the site as rich, theatrical and noisy.

Created from the rare Malmaison carnation. The malmaison was Oscar Wilde's choice of buttonhole flower, which he would dye green daily. An unusual floral fragrance, with a hint of spicy cloves, it is warm and sensuous. Its appeal lies in the duality of its unconventional and reassuring nature, and those with an artistic or theatrical streak tend to fall under its spell.

The notes in this fragrance are:
Top: Malmaison Carnation
Middle: Spicy Clove, Woody
Bottom: Powdery Musk.

A beautiful spicy carnation that is has subtle powder undertones. It isn't woody on me at all. I really like this fragrance but if I were to have to choose just one carnation fragrance I'd probably go with Comme des Garcon's Carnation which has a lot more bite. This however is a much more flexible carnation that can be worn as an all day fragrance year round where CdG's may be too heavy in warmer months for some. The staying power is fair as I do have to reapply after a few hours because it does fade away on me.

Luscious Cargo sells Malmaison for $68/3.4 oz. year round but for the best bargain on this fragrance order it direct from Floris which has it on sale until July 16th for $30/3.4 oz.

Demeter Chocolate Chip Cookie


I chose to wear Demeter's Chocolate Chip cookie today because I wanted to wear an American fragrance plus the chocolate chip cookie was also invented in this country! This fragrance is so incredibly true to the scent that you think someone just pulled out a tray of cookies from the oven. It's primarily chocolate with a hint of butter, it smells more like baked cookies than raw cookie dough. A perfect year round comfort scent! The staying power is really good for it being a Demeter. While the majority of the chocolate fades after a while, I can subtly detect this fragrance hours later on my skin.

Demeter's Chocolate Chip Cookie retails for $18/1 oz. at Sephora but for a better bargain you can get a 4 oz. bottle at Scentiments for $16.89.

Chocolate chip cookie
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
(Redirected from Toll House cookie)

The chocolate chip cookie, also known as the Toll House Cookie, was accidentally developed by Ruth Graves Wakefield, owner of the Toll House Inn near Whitman, Massachusetts, in 1930. Wakefield was making chocolate cookies but ran out of regular baker's chocolate and substituted broken pieces of semi-sweet chocolate, assuming it would melt and mix into the batter. It did not, and the cookie with chips of chocolate was born. (The restaurant, housed in a former toll house built in 1709, burned down in 1984.)

Today, half the cookies baked in American homes are chocolate chip, with an estimated seven billion consumed annually.

While the Toll House recipe is considered the standard, the ingredients can be adjusted to give the cookies slightly different properties.

For a thin, crisp cookie, increase the baking soda by up to 50%, replace one of the eggs with milk, and raise the ratio of brown sugar to white.

For a soft, cakey cookie, use cake flour, substitute baking soda for baking powder, and use shortening instead of butter.

For a chewy cookie, use bread flour, omit one egg white, and melt the butter before incorporating it into the mix.

Original Nestlé Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 cups (12-ounce package) NESTLÉ TOLL HOUSE Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels
1 cup chopped nuts

Directions:PREHEAT oven to 375° F.COMBINE flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in morsels and nuts. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets. BAKE for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

PAN COOKIE VARIATION: Grease 15 x 10-inch jelly-roll pan. Prepare dough as above. Spread into prepared pan. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool in pan on wire rack. Makes 4 dozen bars.

SLICE AND BAKE COOKIE VARIATION: PREPARE dough as above. Divide in half; wrap in waxed paper. Refrigerate for 1 hour or until firm. Shape each half into 15-inch log; wrap in waxed paper. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.* Preheat oven to 375° F. Cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices; place on ungreased baking sheets. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely. Makes about 5 dozen cookies. * May be stored in refrigerator for up to 1 week or in freezer for up to 8 weeks.

FOR HIGH ALTITUDE BAKING (5,200 feet): Increase flour to 2 1/2 cups. Add 2 teaspoons water with flour and reduce both granulated sugar and brown sugar to 2/3 cup each. Bake drop cookies for 8 to 10 minutes and pan cookie for 17 to 19 minutes.

Estimated Times:Preparation - 15 min Cooking - 9 min Cooling Time - 15 min cooling Yields - 60