40 Days and 40 Nights Of Beauty Brand Reviews

Day 37, Versace

Cavewoman: Gianni Versace cosmetics came and went very fast in the USA and I hear they are coming back. I couldn't be more delighted. What gorgeous, elegant packaging, from the powder compacts to the jars of skincare! I'll talk about the fragrances in a bit, but I want to rave here for a moment or two on the skincare line.
I found my first Versace items at the SoHo Sephora store, but in my daze of a first-time-ever-at-a-Sephora, I could barely focus, it was all overwhelming to me. One of the first displays I saw was Versace, with the Greek Key design surrounding the signature head of Medusa. I bought foundation and powder that day, not even noticing that there was skincare to be had!

Last year, in our local TJMaxx store, the Versace skincare started to appear, and I bought everything I could find. I was needing something more moisturizing and definitely needing an eye cream. I fell in love with the eye cream, which has the lightest texture and feels so smooth on the skin. It sinks right in and leaves my under-eye skin feeling hydrated but not sticky or oily in the least. Concealer goes on smoothly over top and stays where it is supposed to stay. The tiniest amount of the eye cream is enough for both eyes, and even after a year, I still have plenty remaining in the adorable little jar.
But my favorite item in the skincare line is the Hydra-Effective Gel. This super-lightweight, pale pale aqua cream-gel has the loveliest fresh scent to it, and is the perfect moisturizer for someone who doesn't require a heavy duty product. For warmer days here in Ohio, it is all I need under my primer. The gel has a very soft texture that turns liquidy when touched and smoothed onto my skin, it dries almost instantly, without grabbing or pulling. It's just the lightest moisturizer I've ever found, and I am hoarding my jar until the Versace line re-appears in the USA. If you know where I can find it, please tell!

On to Versace fragrances. There have been many over the years, and you might even have one of the Jeans series in your stash of fragrances. But my favorite will always be Gianni Versace For Woman, the sultry juice in the angular, faceted bottle. I remember the first time I wore it when Annie and I were going shopping. She couldn't stop commenting on it. Notes that I have found are spice notes, fruit note, bergamot, aldehydes, jasmine, narcissus, orris, tuberose, moss, benzoin, and leather. Gianni Versace For Women starts out with a touch of soapiness that I have found in many other Italian-made fragrances, and I love it. There is a richness to this scent, launched in 1981, that was just my style of fragrance. The bergamot is more flowery than juicy, flowers are lush and deep, and I don't know what the spices are, but I detect some church-incense spices. I am sure that it was the moss that had me buying within twenty minutes of spraying the tester, back in the year it launched, on a shopping trip to Saks in Pittsburgh, with my Mother and her best friend. This fragrance is not for the timid. But I'm not very timid. I'm pretty sure it is no longer available, but if I am going to review Versace, this perfume belongs in the review.


What are your favorite Versace products?

Please list them in the comments.

Bonus for the perfume junkies: List as many fragrances as you can spot in the Donatella photo. There is no prize...but just the envy of your peers.

Photos: Allure, Cavewoman and Corbis.

Disclosure: All the products featured in this post were purchased by the reviewer, Cavewoman.