CHANEL Goes Grellow

By Melanie Parker

I’ve been on a break from my typical dark nails this autumn. There’s a bevy of beautiful new colors out by OPI, Orly, and China Glaze, but I’ve been playing it demure with pale pinks and and occasional mid-toned plum. I got engaged last month and it’s been all about the diamond ring. I’ve named her Juliette. My beau bought her for me and bought himself a Chromebook at the same time, so we named his purchases Chromeo and Juliette. We are dorks like that. This is just further proof that there really is someone out there for everyone, girls! And, yes, I’m pretty sure my Juliette is French, so I tarted up the spelling. But it wouldn’t be Halloween without a fun and flashy color like Chanel Peridot, no matter how much her golden metallic clashes with Juliette.

I have to admit that when I hear CHANEL is doing a duochrome or a green, I have to snap it up — sight unseen. They become so rare and hard to find, and I like to encourage the company to keep producing avant-garde colors.

Despite the name, this color isn’t the traditional lime green of the August birthstone. It’s got that iridescence that makes it flash yellow, green, and blue depending on the way the light hits it. Nail lacquer lovers refer to these flashy colors as duochromes. The metallic finish is always tricky to apply without showing brushstrokes, but this formula was easy for me to apply in thin coats. It is a big formula improvements from the Chanel polishes released last year, which were thicker and left drag marks along my cuticle line.

In the bottle, Peridot shows an acid green hue, which is why I think it is a good choice for Halloween. However, on the nail, it goes on more grellow (a golden yellow with just a hint of green). Disappointing. I wanted a heavier blue flash with Peridot to soothe my cool-toned skin. But if you have a dark, olive, or warm golden skin tone, I think you cold totally rock this with black or olive clothes and the green would really pop in the most fabulous of ways.

Chanel already has a chameleon polish with Kaleidoscope, which transitions from a golden beige to green, and I think it is better suited to my coloring. Here are some comparison pictures of the two polishes together.

What’s your go-to color for Halloween? I lean toward greens and black creme, but OPI Music Hall Curtain Call is a lovely pumpkin foil finished polish.

Disclaimer: This product was purchased for the reviewer
Photos by Melanie Parker

Wishful Thinking

By Melanie Parker

When the MAC Bloggers’ Obsession Collection launched this month, I was excited. It is always good when a company embraces the opinions of those who truly love products, colors, and are tuned into what is missing from the market place. We've already seen great things when bloggers partner with nail polish manufacturers like Zoya, Rescue Beauty Lounge, and Barielle.

None of the Lipglass shades grabbed me, but I had high hopes for a couple of the shadows. Jealousy Wakes is a fantastic green that I am going to covet and use sparingly. It’s like the biggest, clearest, sparkliest emerald that could possibly be captured in a pot. Kudos to Christine Mielke of Temptalia for developing a true green shadow that isn’t too gold or too blue. It should work well on all skin types. It is the shadow that will eclipse Parrot for makeup collectors.

But I was even more excited about the possibilities of Hocus Pocus. Billed as a sooty charcoal gray, I had heard some buzz that it had a khaki cast and the sparkle in the early swatches gave me high hopes that Hocus Pocus was going to be Lancome’s Erika F. coming stateside after all of these years.

I am lucky to have a Lancome Erika F. shadow that little Miss Blogdorf brought me back from Paris. I wore it every day for a month straight, which is unheard of for me because I often like to keep it simple with a light vanilla shadow for work. But Erika F. has a smokey, sagey wisdom to it paired with the fun of a antique golden microglitter.

So, my hopes that the new MAC Hocus Pocus would wow me like Erika F. weren’t dashed when I opened the box. I thought it had potential. But when I put it on, and it is darker, grayer, and it loses its sparkle. It was wishful thinking on my part that the greatness of Erika F could be duplicated. I like the Lancome formula better, and the color is really something special. I'm going to have to continue to use it sparingly. Damn it!

That said, Hocus Pocus is probably a more wearable shadow because it doesn’t have as much shimmer and sparkle to it. It’s dark and smokey, and when used wet it makes a great liner. And no offense to Ms. F., but I like the bewitching name better. Thank you to Lianne Farbes of The Makeup Girl for providing us with the most versatile shadow in the MAC Bloggers' Obsession collection.

Disclaimer: These products were purchased by the reviewer online @ http://www.maccosmetics.com/whats_new/6311/index.tmpl
All Photos by Melanie Parker
The photos feature Lancome's Erika F eyeshadow and MAC Hocus Pocus only.
Lancome's Erika F is not available in the United States.  It can be found at Lancome Boutiques across Europe and Asia. Just look at the most used eye shadow in the tester unit.....that will be Erika F!!!!!!!!!!!

Maybelline Color Sensational Lip Color in #140 Fuchsia Fever

I have been in the throes of a fuchsia fever. This current obsession reached a frenzied pitch with a blurb on fuchsia lippies in Allure. I just can not get enough of the cheerfulness of a bright pink. You just can not wallow in the doldrums of life with a lippie built on happiness and good cheer.  This Maybelline is all kinds of resplendent neon. Full of optimism.

The brightness is very similar to the great MAC Show Orchid and MAC Candy Yum Yum. I will have to issue my readers a rain check on a comparison photograph.  The texture is fairly creamy with a satin finish. There is no shimmer or glitter. The pigment power is very high end. One swipe is a color fest. I have had no issue with dryness or clunking. It is all kinds of prettiness.

I purchased my tube at my new Ulta store. Let us know what drugstore you spot it in! There are 48 shades in a wide range of shades from crisp reds to rose infused nudes. Visit http://www.maybelline.com/ for a peek. I highly recommend following Maybelline's twitter account. We are Gossip Girl buddies!
http://twitter.com/#!/Maybelline
The price varies from drugstore to drugstore. The best estimate I can give you is around $5!

Credits: Blogdorf Goodman

Disclosure: I purchased this lippie from my local Ulta store.  We FINALLY got one in the ytown.

40 Days and 40 Night of Fragrance Notes: Tea

I got nasty habits, I take tea at three



I have a fascination with tea based fragrances. Tea smells like comfort, leaves, chestnuts and smoke.

My favorite tea scent is Takashimaya's T. It is all kinds of smoke and a thick black tea. It is a hot piping cup of sinister and mystery. It would be the perfect fragrance to wear on the Orient Express or in a Poirot novel.
L'Artisan's Tea For Two is a a whole vat of honey with just a spot of tea. I think the brash honey note scares people off. It is a slightly difficult fragrance to wear.

Susanne Lang's Exotic Tea is a smoldering tea bag. This is a great fall scent. Full of dry leaves and the beginnings of a bonfire.

Barney's Route Du The is a green tea that borders on a cleaning solution. Not a fan.

The new Jo Malone Tea series are pretty fabulous.
The fragrances are Assam & Grapefruit, Earl Grey & Cucumber, Fresh Mint Leaf, Sweet Lemon and Sweet Milk. Sweet milk is my early favorite. It has a toasty almond note with anise and creamy milk.

Other Tea Fragrances:

Elizabeth Arden Green Tea
L'Occitane Green Tea and Jasmine
CB I Hate Perfume Russian Caravan Tea
Elizabeth W Sweet Tea
Comme des Garcons Series 1: Leaves Tea
Comme des Garcons Series 7: Nomad Tea
Amouage Epic Woman
Creed Fleur de Thé Rose Bulgare
Diptyque Eau Duelle

Tell us about your favorite tea fragrances in the comments.
Also if you are a tea fan...dish about your new tea discoveries. I am looking for something new!

Reviewer: Annie
Graphic Credit: Melanie Parker
Disclosure: All products reviewed were purchased by the reviewer.
Title: Rolling Stones

40 Days and 40 Nights of Fragrance Notes: Bergamot

Something About The Sunshine
by Patti F

The lovely, light bergamot note in perfumes is not usually seen on its own. Unless you take a little trip to Sicily, where you can find a bottle of Bergamotta from a street vendor for about $5 USD. This citrus fruit is grown in the south of Italy in the Calabria region and also in Sicily. From what I've been reading about bergamot, the fruit is grown mostly for perfumery purposes and it is not eaten at all. The scent of bergamot is used to treat depression! And its essence is used as a cure for malaria! On the tree it might more resemble an orange, and is actually categorized as an orange, but the scent of bergamot brings forth a freshly squeezed lemon, peel and all. In the little bottle of Bergamotta, I smell lemon tree flowers. Bergamot notes in fragrances can smell like fresh lemon juice or lemon peel, or sometimes like lemon leaves or lemon tree blossoms. But it is different from a regular lemon note, which can tend to smell sometimes like household cleaning products




In perfumery, bergamot takes its place along with oakmoss and patchouli, the Holy Trinity of notes that make a fragrance a classic chypre. I've loved chypre scents even before I knew the word chypre. Back then we called them woodsy-mossy. My first chypre was the original formula of Cachet by Prince Matchabelli, still absolutely beautiful if you can find it, but stay away from the reformulation that bears no resemblance to the original. My Mom bought me a bottle of Chanel No. 19 when I was a teen, and we both still love and wear it. Chanel also uses bergamot in its lovely, fresh Cristalle. I have a bottle of Cristalle, which I purchased when I found out that Chris Noth (Mister Big) once said that this fragrance can bring him to his knees. Just in case I ever run into him, I'm tucking a vial of Cristalle in my purse.

Dior loves to use bergamot in its fragrances. The Escale series started with Portofino, a breezy, clean scent you might want to try if you wish to capture the feeling of standing on a balcony in the fresh air of that Italian port city. Dior is famous for its green Diorella, a classic chypre with beautiful florals. Guerlain's timeless Jicky starts with bergamot before it brings forth the lavender that is loved by its wearers. One of Guerlain's oldest scents, it still seems totally modern. You'll find bergamot in the hauntingly lovely Apres L'Ondee, too. That is, if you can even find Apres L'Ondee at all.

Bergamot tames the heaviness of the rose notes in Fragonard's Baroque. It adds a lemony-peppery feeling to Acqua Di Parma Profumo, which contains three types of bergamot (source: Barney's website.) Profumo is a fascinating scent that delivers so many levels and layers, starting with the light lemony fizz, and moving through rich florals, ending in satisfying woods. Be careful, though, I've read that there is now a reformulation. I hope it's not true. From Italy you will find many scents with bergamot, including Aqua Di Genova Lady (with a sad wave goodbye to Takashimaya, where I found this gem.) From the markdown tables at TJMaxx, Borsari's Il Mio Sogno was a happy discovery, with light white florals and oakmoss. You'll find bergamot in many Italian perfumes, since it's grown right there in Italy.

The lemony bergamot note dominates the opening of my beautiful Zen by Shiseido. Hard to find, to say the least, Shiseido has lent this name to at least two new fragrances, both of which have nothing at all to do with the original in the gorgeous black bottle. This white floral blend has been a favorite of mine ever since my college roommate insisted that I borrow it from her for a first date with a new beau. She was so worldly and glamourous, of course I took her advice! I dated that young man for a year and purchased my own bottle of Zen. Chinatown by Bond No. 9 begins with bergamot before it gives you its heart of beautiful florals.

Bergamot in fragrances gives an initial appeal, but is not too fruity or clinging. It is not meant to linger, but just to entice. Chances are that many of the perfumes on your own fragrance tray have bergamot in them. From the first known perfumery blends to the latest launch, bergamot is a very important ingredient in perfumery and well-respected as a fragrance note in perfumes all over the world.

Do you have a favorite perfume that contains bergamot?

Disclaimer: All bottles in these photographs were purchased by the writer, with the exception of Jicky and Diorama, which were gifts.
Reviewer: Patti F aka Cavewoman
Photo Credits: Patti F aka Cavewoman
Graphic Credit: Melanie Parker
Title: Ann Margaret's Something About The Sunshine

40 Days and 40 Nights of Fragrance Notes: Carnation

Simply Divine
By Jessica M

Sometimes I feel sorry for the carnation. It’s often considered a commonplace flower, even a cheap one, and it doesn’t get much respect. It was the flower that we never wanted to see in the corsages that boys gave us at school dances, and it’s a flower that we really don’t send to friends or relatives on special occasions.


That’s a shame, because the carnation wasn’t always treated so shabbily. The Greek name for its botanical genus is “dianthus,” often translated as “divine flower.” The species that we usually associate with the carnation is Dianthus caryophyllus, although this genus also includes “pinks” and “Sweet Williams.” Shakespeare wrote in The Winter’s Tale, “Of trembling winter, the fairest flowers o' the season are our carnations.” I agree with him, and not just during the winter; I love wearing carnation fragrances all year long.

Carnation is a very identifiable note in fragrance, but it’s also a note with different shades to its personality. Sometimes it’s soft and powdery; sometimes it’s just a bit creamy, with a honeyed edge; and it can also be quite peppery and even spicy, like cloves. (In fact, I’ve heard that perfumers often imitate this flower’s scent with a skillful blend of clove and ylang-ylang or vanilla notes, since carnation absolute is so costly.) Carnation combines beautifully with rose, and it sits nicely on a base of woody notes.

I’m still not sure why this “divine flower” has a reputation for being tawdry; I even love the way it looks, with its fringed petals and its range of reds, pinks, and white. If you’re looking for a floral fragrance note that’s spicy-sweet, not too dainty and not too heady, a carnation perfume might be worth your time.

Here are a few carnation-inspired fragrances to try...

Carnation soliflores:
Lorenzo Villoresi Garofano
Santa Maria Novella Garofano
Comme des Garçons Series 2 Red: Carnation
Dawn Spencer Hurwitz Oeillets Rouges
Ava-Luxe Oeillet (new; haven’t tried it yet!)

Carnations with other notes:
Caron Bellodgia
Fragonard Billet Doux
Carthusia Fiori di Capri
Nina Ricci L’Air du Temps
Possets Perfume Silver Carnations

Discontinued, but not forgotten:
Floris Malmaison
L’Artisan Parfumeur Oeillet Sauvage

Disclosure: The perfumes mentioned in this post were purchased (or sampled in stores) by the reviewer.
Reviewer: Jessica M
Photo Credits: Decorative soap label, c. 1900, via Getty Images. Red Carnation Flowers by Takuya Uroki, via Corbis.
Graphic Credit: Melanie Parker

40 Days and 40 Nights of Fragrance Notes: Rose

Everything's Is Coming Up Roses
by Patti F

My relationship with the rose had a rocky start. My next-door neighbor, many years ago, had asked me to come to dinner with her and a few other ladies, and I accepted gladly. That is, until I got in the car with her. I asked her what fragrance she was wearing, and she happily said "Ombre Rose." I was nauseous before we even got to the restaurant. I figured I hated rose scents and that was that.

Fast-forward about twelve years. My sister was in New York City with 40 of her fashion merchandising students from Indiana University. She asked me to meet her there, and I was privileged to tag along to some of their scheduled events. We headed to Bloomingdales one afternoon to meet Mary McFadden in the lingerie department where she was launching her new line of sleepwear. On our way to the escalators, a fragrance SA asked if she could spray my wrists with their newest scent, and I said yes, it seemed so chic to me and I was so caught up in the whole experience that I did not even stop to ask what it was.
We met Mary (charming! Bloomingdales would not allow us to take photos, even though Mary had given her approval) and ooh'd and ahhh'd over her pretty designs. When our event was finished, we headed back down to the beauty floor. And I headed to the SA to purchase whatever she had sprayed on me, I smelled divine. That scent was Paris by Yves Saint Laurent, and I had no idea what was in it, but I had to have it.


I was now a rose scent lover. And for the last 28 years, I've worn and loved Paris. I have used up more bottles of Paris than any other scent I've ever had. I continue to love it so much that it delights me now as much as it did that first day. I wear the Springtime editions too, and I especially love the pretty bottles. Nuit De Fete is what you see in the photo, my favorite of all.

Of course, being a fragrance lover, I wanted to try other rose scents. The failures were many. Nahema by Guerlain, Lutece by Houbigant, and Tea Rose by The Perfumers Workshop were all too pungent and bitter for me, as was Guerlain's Rose Barbare. Others were too green, like MAC Dejarose, Jo Malone Red Roses, and Creed's Fleurs De The Rose Bulgare. Some were more of a floral blend than a real rose scent, like Quelques Roses (another Houbigant) and a few of the Rosines. I liked Caron's Rose but not enough to have it in my collection. I was thinking maybe Paris was the only rose scent I would ever really love. And then, in 2000, at the Lancome counter at our local department store, my SA showed me a pretty teardrop-shaped bottle and insisted that she try this fragrance on me. She said she'd never smelled anything like it and that it was a rose scent. I bought the bottle that day. The next day I went back and bought a second one. That scent was 2000 Et Une Rose, and was a limited edition to commemorate the end of the 90s and the beginning of a new century. (Yes, I know, technically it was the end of the century.)

2000 Et Une Rose is a magnificent, full-bodied, luscious rose scent with a peppery note that has never been duplicated. Nothing else smells like this scent. It is spicy and mysterious, memorable and incredibly satisfying. And gone from the counters within a week. I rationed myself with my two bottles, only an ounce each, and treasured them as long as I could. And then, in 2006, Lancome relaunched the fragrance with the new name, Mille Et Une Rose, and offered it for a too-short time in a beautiful 1.7oz Eau De Parfum along with several other older Lancome scents. Of course you know I repurchased. More than one and that's all I'm saying about that. The love affair continues.

Now, in my pursuit of rose scents, I've discovered so many more, that my friends now consider me to be "the one who loves rose perfumes." They send me sample vials of rose scents and tell me about new launches. I'm happy to show you a few that I love right now. Bond No. 9 has three of my favorites, West Side (a sophisticated rose blended with sandalwood and peony,) Harrods Rose (with a touch of narcissus and tuberose) and Saks-En-Rose (voluptuous rose with spices, woods, and amber.) I discovered the fabulous limited edition Givenchy Harvest 2006 Very Irresistible Rosa Centifolia at Nordstroms and have loved its unusual balance of soft rose petals and deep woods. That one came and went so quickly that it is almost impossible to find any more. And subsequent rose "harvests" have never made it to the perfume counters in our area.

Lately, some perfumers are blending the rare oud note with roses. They balance well with one another. Bond offers their Signature Perfume and the new New York Oud, and from Kilian, the gorgeous Rose Oud that captivated me so instantly that my wrists were barely dry with the sample vial dabs that I was already on the computer, making my purchase!
I'm always on the lookout (or is it sniff-out?) for new rose scents. Of course, not all of them are going to end up on my dresser tray, but after my Paris encounter at Bloomingdales, I know I'll try every rose scent that I can. Maybe some day I'll fall that fast in love again with another rose. In the meantime, I'm happy to wear the beautiful rose scents in my collection.

Tell us which rose scent is your favorite!

Disclosure: The reviewer has purchased the perfumes mentioned in this post. Some might have been gifts.

Day 3: Roses

Reviewer: Patti aka Cavewoman

Photo Credit: Patti F

Graphic Credit: Melanie Parker

Title Credit: Everything's Coming Up Roses" is a song from the 1959 Broadway musical Gypsy, with lyrics by Stephen Sondheimm and music by Jule Stynee.

The Wait is Over. I Do!

butter London's No More Waity, Katie
Review by Melanie Parker

When butter London announced a new nail lacquer named No More Waity, Katie that looked to be a demure princess pink base with lots of sparkle, I had to order. I say “had” with a little reluctance because I think butter London is hard to find locally, they have high shipping costs (which is ridiculous considering they actually ship from Washington state and not London as the name would imply), and in the past I have had problems securing the square caps that has caused the polish to get thick.

But, I’m happy to say that No More Waity, Katie, which started shipping at the beginning of March 2011, has exceeded my expectations. It’s actually not pink at all. It’s a smokey lilac that delivers an abundance of lavender glitter. The square cap now lifts off to reveal a cylindrical knob, which is much easier to take off, paint with, and put back on than the previous generation’s square cap. In fact, the packaging now aligns with how the high-end benchmark, Chanel nail lacquer, has the removable square cap.

Also, I prefer darker colors, as you can see in the Tramp Stamp and British Racing Green colors that completed my order. So, the fact that No More Waity, Katie is darker than the promotional shots on the Web site looked is fine with me.




The color was named after Kate Middleton, who is betrothed to England’s beloved Prince William. The purple hue fits with this royal theme, but it is not a color that I associate with her. It’s a little edgier. At first, I was ready to declare it Sephora by OPI Metro Chic’s sassy sister. But in comparing the two, Metro Chic is a dim bulb — just gray and beige. No More Waity, Katie is vibrant, but the smokiness gives it sophistication. The glitter gives it sparkle and a slight texture. I find filing the free edge of my nails lightly when the polish dries is necessary to smooth the glitter down, which is especially important if you wear contact lenses.

For those who are on the “one and done” bandwagon, you will not be satisfied with one coat of this color. It’s sheer and streaky. It looks like gray smoke with lavender sparkles. I built it up to opaque with 3 coats, which is what I expect to do with any polish I wear to be streak free on medium-length nails.

This polish was purchased directly from butter London’s Web site. Shipping price for 3 bottles from Seattle to Chicago was $8.50.

Disclosure: The nail polish was purchased by the reviewer
Credit: Melanie Parker

Because Of You by Jordin Sparks

Fragrance Review by MUA's Cavewoman

A few days ago, I was having a phone conversation with one of my pals, and we were talking about some new perfume launches. She's a fragrance lover, and we often shop together with a few of our other friends who also love fragrances. We sniff around the counters of lovely department stores and fragrance and cosmetic boutiques, waving blotter strips in front of our noses, chatting up notes, and admiring pretty bottles. My pal and I were talking about a new fragrance she had recently tried. We had a little chuckle together in this conversation when we both realized we were thinking "Hmm, it's under $100, that's not too bad."

I couldn't help but think that somewhere along the line, as a fragrance aficionada, that I had set the three-digit price tag as "not too bad." I wasn't even thinking in terms of how large the bottle was, or what the concentration was, but that number just seemed to be some sort of a mark in my mind.As we ended our conversation, I was a bit troubled. I love fragrance. It's one of my biggest passions. I've shared here on BlogdorfGoodman many times about how my Mother started me on my love of pretty perfumes. I'm fortunate to have a large collection of fragrances, and I choose a different one to wear every day. I read perfume blogs and perfume books. I belong to a fragrance chat board and I read it daily, learning about new scents, reading posts about how older fragrances are greatly appreciated and loved, and many posts about the price of this or that bottle. If someone starts a chat about a new Guerlain, there will surely be plenty of buzz. The same goes with the latest "celebrity" scent, and I've noticed that this category of scents is often regarded with skepticism, or even disdain. "Another celebrity fruity floral" or "why did that person launch a fragrance?" are some of the things I have read. Is a fragrance more worthy of praise if it has a chic or venerable name or house behind it? Should a "celebrity" scent be dismissed without even being tried, simply because it has a celebrity name on it? Are expensive scents really better, or finer in quality, than those with a smaller price tag?

I'd like to present to you one of those "celebrity" scents. Jordin Sparks, a beautiful young singer and the winner of American Idol Season 6, launched her perfume, named "Because Of You" in October 2010. You may not even know who she is, if you're not an Idol fan. I watched that season and was thrilled that she won. She is barely in her 20s now, but she has two albums of her music, a short run on Broadway in "In The Heights," and her charitable work for Ghana, Haiti, Save The Music, and childrens' hospitals is quite an impressive list. When I read that Sparks was launching her scent, at Dots stores nationwide, I stopped in at the local Dots store to take a sniff. Within two minutes of spraying the tester on my wrist, I plunked down a ten-dollar bill on the counter. Yes, dear reader, my 2.5oz Because Of You Eau De Parfum Spray was $9.50. I did not buy it because it was so inexpensive. I bought it because it is beautiful.

The notes listed for Because Of You, from her website jordinsparksbeauty, are clementine, white imperial currant, orange blossom, nectarine, sharry baby orchid, coral charm peony, sheer musks, vanilla bean. The lush florals are balanced and the vanilla is present right from the start. The fruits dissipate softly, bringing on the depth of the floral blend. Sharry baby orchid, according to a google or two, gives a hint of a chocolate note. I'm not smelling chocolate, but I sense some beautiful woods blending with the vanilla and flowers, and I get the impression of a well-designed, sophisticated woody oriental. I detect something resinous, ambery, myserious, an unexpected maturity.

Dots is definitely a store for teens. There is not one thing in that store that I could wear without appearing to have raided my granddaughters' closets. Ms. Sparks is barely out of her own teenage years. And yet, I'm not picturing one of my teenage granddaughters to be comfortable in this fragrance. Or maybe I would be the one who would be uncomfortable if one of them were to wear it. It's a grown-up fragrance, it lingers on the skin, evolving and developing into a sensual, warm base that just somehow would seem wrong on a very young girl. I don't know how it's selling. I think I need to grab another one before it's gone.

I'd like to hear your thoughts, dear Blogdorf reader and perfume lover. Are you an equal-opportunity fragrance lover? Do you turn with disgust when you see yet another celebrity scent, or perhaps worse yet, a celebrity scent flanker or flanker-of-a-flanker? Do you wear or love a celebrity scent? Does price give you a before-I-even-sniff-it impression of quality? Would you admit to buying, loving, and wearing a ten-dollar teen-store fragrance?

I'm heading over to spend the day with my Mom. I'll bet she's wearing Elizabeth Taylor White Diamonds, one of the first celebrity scents. It's perfect on her (thank you, Sophia Grojsman!) and I'll be wearing Because Of You. I'll be back to read what you have to say!

Disclosure: This product was purchased by the reviewer.
Reviewer and Credit: Cavewoman

A women who doesn't wear perfume has no future

The Secret Of Chanel No. 5: The Intimate History Of The World's Most Famous Perfume
by Tilar J. Mazzeo

Book Review by MUA's Cavewoman

Mystery, intrigue, royalty, politics, art, fashion, world history, smuggling, illicit love affairs, science, secrecy, and one young woman's personal history and vision are poured into a simple glass bottle almost 90 years ago. The remarkable story of that young woman, and the perfume she envisioned at the dawn of modern 20th century, are intertwined in this fascinating book which is partly a biography of Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel, and partly a biography of the famous fragrance she created, Chanel No. 5. The two cannot be separated. This story is as much about the survival of an abandoned child and her struggle to find love and respectability as it is about the survival of her life's enduring masterpiece, the fragrance she spent years in creating. What we buy today in the Chanel No. 5 bottle is as close to the original formula as it could possibly be, according to Mazzeo and her sources. What happens between the idea of a revolutionary
new kind of fragrance, in the mind of Chanel, and your brand-new bottle of Chanel No. 5, is the Secret told in Mazzeo's book.

Coco Chanel set out from the orphanage where she was raised, at the age of 17, to take a position as a seamstress in a tailor's shop in pre-war France. She was pretty and attracted many men, who took her to the cabaret clubs where she eventually became a performer and chanteuse. She became a mistress to several wealthy men, but fell in love with the one who could never marry her, because of her risque past. This is Arthur "Boy" Capel, the love of her life, who eventually married a "respectable" woman, and died in a car crash shortly after that. It appears from the book that Chanel never recovered from this loss. She never married, and she never had children. She threw herself into the creation of what she wanted to be a modern perfume, unlike the soliflores that were worn by the socialites. She wanted it to smell clean, like Boy smelled to her. She was intrigued by the scents of the demi-mondaines, the young cabaret performers and less-respected women who wore sweet, heavy jasmine scents. Her perfume would bridge the two worlds of the risque and the respectable. After Boy's death, she took another lover, an exiled Russian prince, who helped her in her mission by telling her of a magical scent that he remembered from his younger days in the royal court. He introduced Chanel to the perfumer. And the creation began. The perfumer was Ernest Beaux.

From the launch of the finished formula for Chanel No. 5 to the present, this story carries the reader through two world wars, through two continents, and anchors itself in the most important geographical location that is essential to the fragrance itself, the jasmine fields of Grasse, France. It is astonishing that Chanel No. 5 survived through the years. Mlle Chanel signed away most of the rights to her fragrance, and spent over fifty years fighting to get it back. During World War II, the primary owners of the company fled to the United States, where they set up anufacturing Chanel No. 5 with jasmine concrete that they smuggled out of Grasse. In essence, they protected the fragrance, preserving it thoughout the most difficult of circumstances, until the end of the war, when manufacturing was restored to France.

As I began reading this book, I could not help but run upstairs to my perfume cabinet and take out my small bottle of Chanel No. 5 parfum.
I put it on the table in front of me as I was reading. I kept looking at it. I dabbed the fragrance on my wrists. I inhaled it as eagerly as I was inhaling page after page of this amazing history. I wanted to understand what Mlle Chanel was trying to convey with this liquid. I wanted to understand what she wanted and what she achieved. I've loved Chanel No. 5 ever since I borrowed a spray or two of it from my sister's bottle, when I was 14 years old. Back then, to me it was just a pretty scent, unusual, a bit metallic, and much more grown-up than the L'Air Du Temps that I was wearing at the time. I knew there was something incredibly special about it. I had no idea what I was smelling. And now, I do. To wear Chanel No. 5 is to experience the passion and emotion of its creation and its sparkling and enduring beauty. It is at once a true classic and utterly modern.

Pick up this book and go find your bottle or vial of Chanel No. 5, and read and smell the essence of a legend, both woman and scent, truly the world's most famous perfume.


Credit: Review was written by Patti aka Cavewoman
Photo Credit: Patti
Disclosure: This book was purchased by the reviewer.

Agent Provocateur L'Agent Review

Agent Provocateur L'Agent Fragrance
Review by MUA's Cavewoman

Lately, I've been doing lots of emailing back and forth with my friend Angie. We're constantly talking fashion and style,
we're glued to shows like Project Runway (we love Tim! We don't love Nina!) and What Not To Wear (we both love Stacy and Clinton!) and anything fashion related, especially the monthly magazines. We're both in transition right now
in our personal styles. We ponder about what really looks best on us, what suits our lives and our body types and
our age, and we both keep style books, scrapbook albums with clippings of things we love. We discuss purging our closets and then we actually do it.
It's a work in progress.
She's minimalist, she loves structure and shapes and angles, art deco jewelry, and strong powerful solid colors. I like flowy
dresses, feminine jewelry, soft fabrics, a defined waist, and blue nail polish.
Neither one of us is a femme fatale. We never were. We don't want to be. I've never even tried on an Herve Leger dress.
I have to ask Angie if she has one. I bet she's never tried one on, either. Too sexy for us.
There, I said the word. Sexy.

But in fragrances, give me some hot heady florals and rich, deep woodsy notes, and I'm captivated. They seem very "me"
and most of the scents I own are just like this. Roses as rich as they come, sensuous woods and deep incensey notes,
these are my scent preferences. They do not correspond very well to my fashion style, but they just feel right somehow.
I want to smell like a woman, not a teenage boy. Unisex is not a word in my style vocabulary.

I once visited an unabashedly sexy lingerie store in SoHo, NYC. The store is called Agent Provocateur. My shopping companion that day shall remain anonymous. Unless she decides to disclose her identity. This beautiful pink and black boudoir is full of the most exquisite lingerie I've ever seen. I felt like an alien on another planet. This store makes no apologies for its purpose. It's all about seduction.
And they do it perfectly. Lovely young women in red lipstick, pink shirtdress "uniforms" and stiletto heels shuttle you into the heavily-draperied fitting rooms, and before you know it, you're being laced into a black jeweled bustier. Men sit patiently on the tufted banquettes and wait
for their ladies to choose their pretty things. And there are fragrances. Agent Provocateur has its own brand of
fragrances, and as I was waiting for my shopping companion to have her purchases wrapped, I started sniffing the tester bottles
at the desk. The scents of Agent Provocateur fulfill everything you experience in this store. They're sultry, exciting,
womanly, self-assured, and sexy. I'm now the proud owner of all of them. I love the way wearing these scents makes me feel.
All of them are unusual, well-blended, and exude that sense of quality that is unmistakeable. These are fine scents from a fine company.

When I heard that Agent Provocateur was launching a new scent this month, I couldn't wait to try it. I wear all three of the other AP scents
and after reading the list of notes on the Agent website, I asked Angie to stop in at the SoHo store and take a sniff for me.
Her verdict: spicy! I sent her some money the very next day. Within three days, the bottle was at my doorstep.

L'Agent by Agent Provocateur is a lush, dark, mysterious rose-based scent with jasmine and tuberose, woods and amber, incense and musk.
It has the slight powdery quality of the rest of the Agent perfumes, but with more depth and a big attitude. You won't find any
whimsical fruits or lighthearted greenery in this one. L'Agent gets right down to business with the first spray, the first whiff.
L'Agent offers the entire Agent Provocateur philosophy and experience in its pink-fade-to-black teardrop bottle, and has succeeded once again
in capturing in scent the attitude of the company. They know who their customer is. She is a woman, not a girl. She is confident, worldly, smart, and
comfortable in her own skin. She isn't afraid to be totally feminine. She embraces her sexuality and yes, she likes pretty things!

Come to think of it, I might just be that woman.

Credit: Review and photo by Cavewoman
Disclosure: This product was purchased by the reviewer

Tinted Love

A review of five tinted lip balms
By Jessica M

There’s a new generation of tinted lip balms showing up in stores these days, and they have wearable colors, soothing moisture, and more natural ingredients than we’ve seen before. To mention just a few: Korres and Burt’s Bees have added new products to their already-adored lip offerings, Tarte has introduced new shades and improved its packaging, LUSH is just getting started with color cosmetics, and Clark’s Botanicals maintains its status as a beauty editors’ favorite.

Here’s how these lip tints stacked up in my own late-winter testing. (I tried to choose colors that work with my own fair, cool/neutral skintone.)

Korres Lip Butter Glaze
Shade: Raspberry
Pigmentation: medium
Texture: smooth and glossy
Flavor: berry-vanilla
Packaging: tube with slant-tip
Price: $14 at Korres.com and Sephora.com
Verdict: feels lush and almost curative on lips, delivers good color pay-off in a health-conscious formulation

Burt’s Bees Tinted Lip Balm
Shade: Pink Blossom
Pigmentation: sheer
Texture: very emollient
Flavor: fruit gum
Packaging: swivel-up stick in cardboard case
Price: $7 at drugstores and Burtsbees.com
Verdict: the most traditionally balm-like of the group, gives a dewy look with fresh, subtle color

Tarte Cosmetics 24.7 Natural Lip Sheer SPF 15
Shade: Tea Time
Pigmentation: semi-opaque
Texture: almost matte
Flavor: light mint
Packaging: swivel-up stick (with metal tube)
Price: $16 at Tartecosmetics.com and Sephora.com
Verdict: a pretty, polished effect, like a lightweight lipstick with the added benefits of moisture and sunscreen

Clarks’ Botanicals Ultra Rich Lip TintShade: Rachel Red
Pigmentation: medium
Texture: shiny
Flavor: vanilla ice cream
Packaging: tube with slant-tip
Price: $19 at Clarksbotanicals.com
Verdict: a bit streaky in its application, looks like a vibrant gloss but fades and slips away quickly; works best as a top coat over lipstick

LUSH It Started with a Kiss
Shade: one color available
Pigmentation: medium and buildable
Texture: semi-stain
Flavor: apple spice cake with buttercream frosting
Packaging: pot with screw-top lid
Price: $6.95 at Lush.com
Verdict: looks scarily bright in the pot, but applies as a flattering (and on-trend) coral-red... and lasts through a coffee break or an actual kiss!


Review by Jessica M
Disclaimer: The Tarte, Korres, and Clark’s balms were purchased by the author. The Burt’s Bees and Lush products were provided as press samples.
Review title is a homage to Soft Cell.
Images: Jessica M for Blogdorf Goodman

Nars Bento Box: A Gush and Review

I purchased the NARS Bento Box Set during a Saks beauty event. It was a mixture of destiny, a discount and a saks gift card.

It is a limited edition (but I still see it online!) set of "two Kabuki cups that were hand-poured with a new exclusive-to-NARS lipstick formula in highly pigmented shades".
The cups are engineered to fit perfectly in your hand. It triggers a crazy tactile response. You just enjoy handling them. Now some of you beauty addicts...with your thoughts in the gutter...might be giggling. The cups are just a glamorous addition to your makeup ritual. Your inner geisha girl is released!

The cups are "coated" with the lip product.
There will be a moment's panic that you paid $125 for very little product.
This feeling will pass.
The red lip shade is called Maiko. It is a vibrant geisha red. Maiko has no blue cast and is more warm blooded.
Sakura is a bright, yet cool fuchsia pink. My local Nars girl suggested pairing the lippies together. That was a magnificent combination. It was traffic stopping!

The texture is a lipstick-like formula.
Nothing revolutionary.
I expected something thicker with more pigment power. I was pleased that it did not create any lip issues. There was no dryness or flakes.

The handmade bento box houses a Kabuki lip brush, "designed for precise application by dipping the brush into the cup and blending until desired coverage is achieved". This was a tricky endeavor for my thumbs. The tip is pretty stiff. It took a lot of swishes and applications to get sufficient pigment. The brush is so lovely to look at. It is hand wrapped like the other Nars Kabuki brushes.

It retails for $125 and is available www.narscosmetics.com, Saks, and Neiman Marcus

Disclosure: I bought this!
Photo Credit: Blogdorf Goodman