Bond No 9 Chinatown

Friday afternoon, a very exciting package appeared on my doorstep and I have been in love with the contents of the little box ever since.  Earlier this year, I promised myself that if I survive my spring semester (and the 175 page paper that I had to write) that I would purchase a special perfume for myself and I set the money aside from my tax return as soon as it came.  After the semester was over, it took my about three weeks to decide what fragrance that I wanted and what one would be a special purchase for me.  I decided on a fragrance from the line Bond No 9 very quickly, I have to order these fragrances from Nordstrom or Saks Fifth Avenue's websites and throughout the spring, I ordered small samples of the fragrances from Amazon so that I could try several of them out and learn which ones were worthy of the full bottle purchase.  The leaders for me were Chinatown and Madison Square Park, fragrances that had both been suggested to me on the Makeup Alley Fragrance Board.  In fact, they were both recommended to me, one to wear in the warm weather and then the other to wear in the cold weather.  It was a hard decision but I ordered the bottle of Chinatown as the weather will be getting colder by the time that I have the open space on my bureau for the bottle itself.

Chinatown is one of the older Bond No 9 fragrances and came out right as the brand earning its place in the niche fragrance market.  This fragrance is one of the top rated fragrances and it considered to be one of the iconic Bond No 9 fragrances.  I first read a rave review of this fragrance in "Perfumes: The Guide" by Luca Turin and Tania Sanchez and this is one of the very few fragrances that earned 5 out of 5 stars by the authors.  Another factor that tipped the scales in Chinatown's favor...

We will start with the fragrance description from the Nordstrom website and then go into the comments from "Perfumes: The Guide".  The Nordstrom website states, "Superpower meets Supercity. The emerging superpower energy with the avant-garde cachet of downtown New York. A sultry, mouth-watering, equal-opportunity East-meets-West bouquet."  The notes of the fragrance are: Peach Blossoms, Gardenia, Tuberose, Patchouli, Cardamom.

Onto the review from Luca Turin and Tania Sanchez.  "The endearingly plucky firm of Bond No 9 has produced its first and so far only masterpiece.  Composed by the young Aurelien Guichard (son of the great Jean of Roure, now Givaudan), it is one of those fragrances that smells so immediately, compellingly, irresistibly great that the only sane response is love at first sniff.  Chinatown is at once oddly familiar and very surprising, as if the lyrics in a favorite love song had been rearranged to make a new poem, just as affecting but unplanned by the original author.  On the one hand, Chinatown harks back to classic, haughty green chypres like Cabochard, Givenchy III, and the first Scherrer.  On the other hand, it has an odd, almost medicinal note reminiscent of the mouthwatering dried-fruit smell of Prunol, a base original composed by Edmond Roudnitska for the defunct firm of De Laire.  The combination strikes a precarious but totally convincing balance between remoteness and affability that suggests a personality at once full of charm and dangerous to know.  Some people find it too sweet.  To my nose it smells liked a corner of a small French grocery in summer, in the exact spot where the smell of floor wax meets that of ripe peaches.  A treasure in a beautiful bottle."

This is a very complex fragrance and I can't give any better review than the one that was included in "Perfumes: The Guide", I have never smelled this fragrance on anyone else that I have come into contact with and doubt that I will find many ladies in my area that wear it.  On me, this fragrance has a peach note that is evident right when it is applied and then softens down into the white floral notes.  I normally don't love white floral fragrance but this scent is unique and there is something special about the blend that makes me love it more and more.  The Patchouli note is very light on my skin and more serves to keep the florals alive throughout the day.  This fragrance lasts all day on my skin and wears well into the night, I can smell the quality difference between the fragrances in this line and some of the ones that I buy at Sephora.

Chinatown has a cult following for a good reason...it is very unique and a beautiful fragrance.  I will be counting this fragrance among my favorites for years to come.  I find this fragrance is more appropriate for fall and winter as the white floral notes are stronger on me then I like to wear in the warm weather.  I get many compliments on this fragrance and I will continue to use it and try more fragrances from this niche perfume house.

photo courtesy of Nordstrom

Glossybox!

Earlier this spring, I read an article in In Style about the beauty subscription services and how they work.  I have not every used one of these services but I have several friends that subscribe to Birchbox.  I think that Birchbox is the most widely used of all of the boxes and contains all kinds of beauty product samples and then lifestyle items like tea singles and fitness books.  The article described the Glossybox as the highest end beauty box and is one of the few that contains full sized products along with the samples.  This sounded like the perfect box subscription for me and I decided to check out the Glossybox website earlier today...and now I have started my subscription.

Each month, I will receive five new products from this company, some will be large samples and some will be full sized.  From what I understand, there will be one full sized product in the box each month and this is how the box will basically pay for itself.  I know that I am taking a risk and might be selling money out for products that I might never use one month and then falling in love with the box the next month.  I will be reviewing as many products as I can from my boxes each month and I will have overall comments on how much the products in each box are worth and where they can be bought.

It also appears that each box has a theme and this lends credit to my theory that I will either love or hate the boxes and I can only hope that I will love more boxes than I will hate!  I will get the June box before the end of the month and I will start my reviews with those products!

photo courtesy of Facebook

Urban Decay B6 Vitamin-Infused Complexion Prep Spray

I have been using a primer from Smashbox for the past few weeks and I have been very happy with the light gel formula and wasn't really looking for new formula when I was shopping at Sephora the other week.  I have been a fan of Urban Decay for many years now and so I stop at their counter in Sephora every single time that I visit, whether or not I am looking to add anything from this line to my shopping bag.  One of the Sales Associates at Sephora recognizes me (actually many of them recognize me) and knows about my love of Urban Decay and wanted to show me a newer product that she had been using on herself.  When she said that is was a lightweight face primer, I was immediately interested because I need a lighter weight product in the warm weather and Urban Decay's Eye Shadow Primer Potion is one of the best eye shadow primers that I have ever used and I am always looking to see what other primers this company brings out.

The product that she used on me is the B6 Vitamin-Infused Complexion Prep Spray, a light spray face primer that contains great ingredients for the skin.  If I am going to wear a primer all day long to keep my makeup in place and if it contains great ingredients to help my skin out then that is an added bonus for me.  I had seen this product on the Urban Decay website but I had been under the impression that this was a treatment product and not a face primer.  Guess that I was proved wrong that day at Sephora...

"A soothing prep spray that features the first stabilized form of vitamin B6, which absorbs oil, minimizes pores, and reduces redness.  Spritz on this soothing spray any time of day to hydrate, prep, and soften your skin with vitamins and antioxidants. Use it in the morning to prep and wake up your skin, during the day to refresh your skin (without messing up your makeup), or at night before your treatment. Versatile enough for people of all ages and skin types, this energizing formula is great for your skin and it feels amazing.  This oil- and paraben-free spray comes in a sleek, soft-touch bottle that emits a calibrated, microfine mist. It goes on so light, you’ll hardly feel it. Vitamin B6 normalizes overactive cell-signaling proteins (called cytokines) to help control sebum production, vitamin E provides antioxidants, and willow bark (rich in natural salicylic acid) aids cell turnover."

The Sephora website provides some of the results that were obtained during the clinical trials...

"In a clinical study, after 8 weeks of use:
-Over 81% of participants had a measurable reduction in oil and surface shine.
-Over 78% had more radiant skin with less redness and fewer blemishes.
-A majority of participants had a measurable improvement in pore size.
-Over 72% had a measurable improvement in their skin’s overall appearance."

I see that this product can be used as a primer or a treatment product as needed.  So far I have been using this as a primer, I prefer the Caudalie Grape Water or Beauty Elixir and I don't plan to switch from either of these products any time soon.  I use two sprays of this product to cover my entire face.  The Sales Associate preferred to spray the product on and then let it dry by itself, I tried that approach but felt that it took too long to dry fully and completely.  I found that I get the best results from spraying it on and then patting it into my skin to make it dry quickly and more evenly.  I don't think that I have to best control over the product when I only spray it and let it dry, some areas of my face soak up too much product and then others don't get enough.

This is one of the lighter primers that I have used but it still keep my makeup in place for a full eight hours.  It doesn't get sticky or tacky when makeup is applied over it even when the weather heats up as it has been so far this week and it keeps my makeup looking fresh throughout the whole day.  I do see a reduction in surface shine, especially in my T Zone area but I see that any time that I use a primer.  My skin is in the dry side so surface oil is not my primary concern and I would be interested to see how ladies with oily skin used and liked this product, it is light enough that I could see it working very well for every single skin type.  The same thoughts apply for the reduction in pore size.  The redness in my cheeks is somewhat reduced, my skin looks better without makeup but this product also helps my makeup go on better and smoother which also helps the appearance of my skin.

This primer could become a new favorite of mine from Urban Decay, it primes my skin very well and then helps to treat it at the same time.  I like the spray container but I have to blend it myself to makeup sure that it absorbs evenly in all areas.  I wasn't in the market for a new primer when I bought this but I have now decided that this Sales Associate knows more about what I need than I do!

photo courtesy of Sephora

Guerlain La Petite Robe Noire

We are in that lull period between the end of the summer collections and the beginning of the fall collections, this is the time of the year that I spend most of my time trying new fragrances and skincare items out.  I have all the makeup and nail polish that I could possibly need until after Labor Day and now I will begin to save up my beauty product money for new items for fall.  The fragrances that I will be trying out this time of the year often become ones that I will want to set aside for the fall, I am working my way through my huge fragrance sample collection and looking for fragrances that I will want for the fall and winter.  For beauty product shopping purposes only...I am basically done and over with summer.

Yesterday, I reviewed a new Chloe fragrance and found a fragrance that I could wear all year long.  I have a very hard time finding fragrances that I find work well in all seasons and this one is a new gem.  I have more than one huge samples of that scent so I will revisit once I have actually managed to use both of them up.  But I have a feeling that this one is a winner for me and now we will see if I have another winner today.  Today we are looking at a fragrance from the legendary House of Guerlain and one that will be set aside for the fall and winter months (if it is a winner). 

When buying French perfumes, I tend to head right to the House of Chanel and have not given many of the fragrances from Guerlain the proper test drives.  When I started thinking about why, I stumbled one root cause...many of the famous fragrances from Guerlain are harder to find in my area and would require online ordering without smelling or picking up a new fragrance when I head up to New York City.  I read such lovely reviews about them and The Perfume Guide loves many of their fragrances but they are on harder side to find for me.

Today's fragrance is La Petite Robe Noire, a fragrance that I read about in Vogue or Allure several years ago and never realized that it was only released in Europe.  I remember freaking out that it had a rose note in it and looking high and low for it every time that I went to Sephora.  I eventually forgot about it until I saw it last fall at Sephora (as a "new" release) and I was able to find a sample of it with one of my orders.  I think my expectations may have been too high after how long I waited for this fragrance...

"An absolutely essential and utterly irresistible perfumed creation. The legendary heart-shaped bottle has been boldly reinterpreted with a modern touch. Its crystalline transparency, fading from black to powdery pink, reveals the silhouette of the little, black dress.  Its simple signature enhances and romances several exceptional materials in a bold overdose—black cherry blinks the first wink. It is illustrated by a clever blend that extends exquisite almond and delicious berries. The second wink takes place as rose enters the stage. Finally, the shadowy temptations of licorice and smoky black tea are ever-so-revealing and lead to irresistible seduction. For the ultimate temptation, the entire creation is wrapped in Guerlinade—fresh, enigmatic, and exhilarating, mischievous and captivating.", states the Sephora website.

I like this fragrance very much but it is not the unique creation that it was hyped up to be.  If you like Chanel No.5 or any type of fragrance like this, you will like this scent.  There is a Rose heart note and Tea notes make it muskier as it settles on my skin.  Maybe my skin is unique but I get none of the Cherry top note and the fragrance goes right into the musky floral territory on me.  The Almond scent is also very faint on me and is barely perceptible unless you are smelling it and trying to find it.  The lack of those two notes isn't a issue for me but it makes the fragrance much less unique than if those were in the mix on my skin.  The fragrance lasts all day on my skin and I will enjoy wearing it in the cooler weather months, I will be putting the rest of this sample aside until October and then finish it up.

This fragrance would work well for getting dressed up and going out or for a professional environment, I would wear this fragrance in any circumstance that I would wear Chanel No. 5 or Coco Mademoiselle.  I have a feeling that I will buy this fragrance in the full sized bottle once the cold weather is upon us but I can't say that it is unique enough for me run out and buy right away.  There are very few rose fragrances that I wouldn't buy and I know that I will get use from this fragrance several times a week once the fall starts.

photo courtesy of Sephora

Chloe See by Chloe

I am currently sampling and trying a fragrance that is intriguing me, See by Chloe is a fragrance that I originally hated the first time that I smelled it but grew to love it over the past few weeks.  I tried this scent for the first time in Sephora at the very end of winter, I put it on and immediately it reminded me of something that I had either owned or smelled many years ago.  I don't know if there was a similar scent that was out when I was in high school and other girls in school wore it or it is how a certain lip gloss used to smell but I have never placed the scent or have been able to narrow it down at all.  I guess this is why our scent of smell is the strongest, it is linked somewhere in my memory and I have yet to remember where I once smelled.  If this rings a bell for anyone else, please comment so I will stop driving myself crazy with this...

I love fragrances by Chloe and I am beginning to collect them the way that I collect Chanel fragrances.  As soon as I hear about a new one being released, I make sure that I stop in at Sephora as soon as I can to smell it and see how it works with my skin chemistry.  Normally I love every fragrance that I try from this company but there was something that I found repellent about See the first time that I tried it.  As much as I thought that I hated it, I tried it again a few weeks later because it was bothering me so much that I couldn't place where I had first smelled the similar scent.  I then jumped at the chance to get a sample of it with a Sephora order and kept using on days that I wasn't going anywhere.  And then in the middle of testing...my feelings changed and I kept liking this fragrance more every single time that I put it on.  Now I want to order a full bottle from Sephora and add it my massive perfume and Chloe fragrance collection.

I have only seen this fragrance at Sephora (at least in the area that I live in), "See By Chloé embodies femininity while blending masculine codes in an urban-chic way. This fragrance captures the audaciousness and strong personality of the Chloé woman.  An addictive floral fruity fragrance, it captures the irresistible and playful personality of a young woman fully embracing life. The fusing top of juicy bergamot and apple translate her energy and her urban edginess. Her natural femininity is conveyed through a beautiful floral bouquet of jasmine and ylang ylang that grows into a sexy veil of vanilla and addictive musks.  A strong and feminine bottle that revisits the Chloé codes combining high-end perfumery with modern details. Its refined faceted glass catches the light to give a real luxury feel. Its uniqueness also comes from its three lovely feet beneath the bottle, elevating it to create the appearance of floating. The shiny silver cap is decorated with a delicate ring to catch the bottle. "

The notes of this fragrance are: Jasmine, Ylang-Ylang, Vanilla, Musk.

When I first applied this fragrance, the Apple notes come right out. The top notes of the fragrance are more tart than I thought that they would be and this might have been why I initially hated the fragrance.  Within less than an hour, the apple note calms down and the soft floral notes begin to develop and then this fragrance becomes much easier to wear.  This is a softer floral than I normally wear and it smells like nothing else that I currently own or have owned recently.  It then becomes a mixture of soft florals with the vanilla and musk notes developing and then staying on my skin for the rest of the day.

With the exception of the uniqueness of this fragrance, I am not sure why it pulled me in the way that it did.  I love the floral mixture and how it has creamy undertones that last on the skin.  I first thought that I would wear this fragrance only in the fall and winter months and then I decided that it would be a spring fragrance.  I now think that I would wear this fragrance all year long with the exception of the hottest days of the summer, I think it might be overpowering in the heat of the summer but I will have to test that theory out in a few weeks and make my final decision.

Now I have another love from Chloe and I have found a fragrance that I went from hating to loving in a matter of a few short weeks...

photo courtesy of Sephora

NARS Sheer Lipstick

NARS has been one of my top five favorite brands for several years now and I have been collecting their products quite steadily over the past two or three years.  One of the products that I buy the most of from them are lip products, I have been buying and trying each of their Lipstick finishes for the past few months and today I will be looking at the last formula of NARS Lipstick and giving my thoughts on how well it worked.  I have looked at the Semi Matte and Satin Lipsticks, as well as the Velvet Matte Lip Pencil and now we are going to the other end of the spectrum by looking at the Sheer formula from this company.  I have loved lipsticks from this company for their full pigmentation and this formula will not have the high pigment level that I look for from NARS.  I don't think that this will be my favorite formula from this company though I am sure that they are still among the best sheer lipstick line in the world.

"A beautifully sheer formula infused with ingredients to improve the condition of the lips. Sheer, long lasting color pigments have been suspended in this translucent formula to provide a sophisticated shine.  Lightweight formula glides on smoothly.  Lush shade range.  Patented blend of conditioners and antioxidants hydrate, nourish and protect lips." 

This is more of a day lipstick formula for me, it is much more sheer than any of the other formulas from NARS and I can wear these shades easily in a professional environment or for a casual lunch date with a friend.  The Semi Matte and Satin formulas have a very distinct range of colors and no two of them are similar, each one has its own personality.  Unlike these two formulas, the Sheer formula has several shades in each hue that look very similar and I found that I didn't need as many shades as I thought that I would.  The first shade that I bought is the best selling Dolce Vita and I was so happy with this this shade that I wanted to buy others in the line, however as I was swatching them at Sephora, I soon realized that most of the shades look so similar on the lips that I only needed Dolce Vita and nothing else.

The formula is very creamy and gives a little hint of color to my lips, this is a very nice sheer lipstick formula but it has the same positives and negatives of most other sheer lipstick formulas.  It is very hydrating and light on the lips however it wears off much faster than any other formula from NARS.  I lose most of this product off my lips after eating or drinking and I reapply this shade much more often than I do the shades in the other formulas.

Here are the shades in the NARS Sheer Lipstick line!

- Autumn Leaves - shimmering warm brandy
- Barbarella - sheer pretty peach
- Belle de Jour - sheer beige
- Cruising - nude pink
- Damage - sheer muted grape
- Dolce Vita - sheer dusty rose
- Falbala - shimmering rose
- Fast Ride - sheer mulberry
- Flair - burnished berry
- Gipsy - warm berry
- Love Devotion - sheer guava
- Manhunt - sheer poppy red
- Mayflower - sheer shimmering raspberry
- Mindgame - sheer brandy
- Mitzi - sheer muted strawberry pink with soft shimmer
- Napoli - cool natural beige with a hint of pink
- Outsider - shimmering burnished coral
- Pago Pago - shimmering pink
- Roman Holiday - pretty pastel with the most delicate hint of pink
- Senorita - sheer shimmering cherry blossom
- Sexual Healing - shimmering pink blossom
- Shrinagar - metallic raspberry
- Tanganyka - sheer neutral plum brown
- Tzigane - pink brandy
- Vendanges - sheer grape

Dolce Vita is the iconic shade in this formula, it has won many awards in the beauty industry and is a consistent best seller for this company.  This was the first lipstick that I bought from this formula and it turned out to be the only one that I really needed, I initially loved it so much that I wanted to buy several similar shades when I went to Sephora.  I was ready to try several more when I started trying them on my hand however I quickly found out that both Gipsy and Love Devotion looked almost completely identical when applied and then I realized that I didn't need either of them.  I am currently waiting for Belle de Jour to come back in stock, this iconic shade was named after the Bridgette Bardot movie and I really want to add this shade to my nude lipstick collection.  Manhunt will be added to my red lipstick collection unless it ends up being the exact same shade as Ladybug from MAC (which is exactly what it looks like).  Senorita and Sexual Healing are the only other shades that  I want to add to my collection however both of them look very similar and I know that I will only need to buy one of them when I go to Sephora.  

This is one of the best sheer lipstick formulas that I have used however it is my least favorite of the lipsticks from NARS.  Many of the shades are very pretty but there is very little unique with them and many of them look very similar when applied.  This is a good way to introduce someone to NARS lipstick and I would recommend Dolce Vita to anyone, this is one of my favorite lipsticks and I wear it day and night, paired with all kinds of eye makeup looks.  This one is a classic for a reason but I feel that it is the only must have shade from this formula.

photo courtesy of NARS

Figs and Rouge Tinted Lip Balm Tubes

One of my favorite treats to reward myself for good grades is to splurge on issues of UK Cosmo and UK Vogue, I have to find them at Barnes and Noble and the extra cost of them fully qualifies as a special treat for good grades.  I have spent more time and energy on school in the past semester than every before and I feel that this will qualify me for quite a few issues to relax with this summer.  The one big drawback for me with buying magazines from the UK (other than not fully understanding the pound versus dollar calculation at any given time) is that I find designers and beauty product lines that I really want to try but are not available in the United States.  The only way for me to remedy this situation...order overseas and be very, very picky with the items that I absolutely must try (at least the ones that 100% cannot find in the United States).  One of the items that I could not get out of my head was the lip products in the Figs and Rouge lip product line and after thinking about it for months, I decided to reward myself and order the products from the United Kingdom (and hope some British flair came with them!)

Figs and Rouge is a lip product only line that I had never heard of until reading British fashion magazines and one that I wish was much more widely available than it is.  It is a skin and lip product line that prides itself on only making products that are 100% organic and natural and are used to boost the natural beauty of the wearer.  If you are going to wear organic makeup, the one item that you most want to wear is lip products because the average woman consumes about seven to eight pounds of lipstick in her lifetime.  Organic and natural products won't hurt you when you accidentally chew or lick it off your lips and is the one item that every women should consider trying an organic formula.

"Hydrating colour lip tint.  Delicious moisture protection.", is the item description from the company's website.  This is a very creamy formula lip balm with a slight tint of color, this formula is great for lazy days or wearing against dramatic eye makeup.  The formula is extra soft and hydrating and makes my lips feel 100% better after one application.  This formula could last much longer but then it would not be as hydrating as it is, it will come off very quickly after eating or drinking and I have found that I must carry the tube around with me on the days that I choose to use it.

This product is available in four very sheer shades, I have the Cherry Blossom shade and I am considering what others I would like to order on my next round.

- Cocoa Rose - blush pink
- Cherry Blossom - soft cherry
- Mocha Orange - nude shimmer
- French Vanilla - clear

The Cherry Blossom shade is the sheerest of red, it gives the "just ate a Popsicle" look and it is the perfect gateway for any woman who thinks that she cannot wear red.  Trust me, anyone can easily wear this shade and feel pretty and confident in it!  The only other shade that I want to try is the Cocoa Rose shade, this will be a pretty rose that will work with every single piece of eye makeup that I own.  With how sheer of a formula this is, I can skip over the nudes and clears because they will just appear on the lip as a clear balm.  I prefer to have a bit of pretty tint and am very happy with this company's products so far.  I will have to keep ordering from this line and see what else they carry!

photo courtesy of Figs and Rouge