Burberry Body Eau de parfum

I know that perfume aficiandos such as The Non-Blonde and Katie Puckrik (not to mention, the Daisy-obsessed M) do not approve of this scent. Their criticism is understandable: mainstream, simple, generic, overly soapy-clean, and geared towards olfactorally (yes, my word-creation) inexperienced teenagers. But gosh darn it, I like it.

Stella by Stella McCartney Eau de Parfum (The Print Collection)

I had heard of Stella aplenty from my subscription of UK youtubers, but never really got around to giving it a whiff.

When I saw the limited edition Print Collection packaging, I had to give it a shot.

There are three versions (Meg's post shows all three).
As you can see, I chose the purple and yellow one.

Jo Malone Nectarine Blossom and Honey

I was first introduced to the brand by no other than the biggest enabler, R.  See her post on how she evolved to JM English Pear and Freesia.

I had gone to the Jo Malone counter in Nordstrom thinking that I would spray some scents onto papers for my bag (I like opening up to good scents).

I decided not to even spray Orange Blossom, since R says that Marc Jacobs Oh, Lola! smells like it when it's mixed into with my body's natural scent/chemicals.  Though, now, my curiosity is killing me.

I saw that there was an individual stand just containing Earl Grey and Cucumber.  I recalled a huge buzz around it as it was previously released through a limited edition collection of tea scents.  As an avid tea drinker and a big fan of earl grey, I had high hopes for the fragrance.  Unfortunately, I was left super disappointed.  The scent was heavily based on the tea's spicy notes.  I felt like the cucumber was misleading as it didn't seem to add any notes of freshness or lightness--Frankly, I didn't even recognize any cucumber notes.

Mostly, I played around in the fruity to floral part of JM's scent spectrum--I love how they have such a nice range, and their general philosophy of personalization through mixing.  Wild Bluebell and Nectarine Blossom and Honey were my favourites.  I love Wild Bluebell because it is so delicate--When I smell it, it actually gives me the stereotypical image of endless bluebell fields.  I love Nectarine Blossom and Honey, because it is the perfect marriage of citrus and floral.  Every other fragrance line seems to either go full on citrus or full on floral.  And, I happen to be that asshole wanting floral with a citrus kick, haha.

After eons of ooo-ing and ahhh-ing at the simplistic and cozy displays of the Jo Malone counter, I was quick to realize that I was definitely going to be making a purchase right there.  After all, why not finally get a 30 mL bottle of what I've been stalking in Canada, at a discount?  Of course, by discount, I'm only referring to the Canadian to US price difference and the lack of sales tax in Portland:

Canada:  $70 CAD + tax for 30 mL

Portland, Oregon, United States:  $60 USD for 30 mL

If you have read my most recent haul post, then you would already know that I ended up picking Nectarine Blossom and Honey over Wild Bluebell.  Wild Bluebell is amazing, but it is way too delicate for any lasting power on my skin.

Since I was making a purchase, I felt more in the right to request for a sample.  I asked for Wild Bluebell, and was informed by the saleslady that she had already put in a sample of it.  She said that Wild Bluebell's scent was complementary to Nectarine Blossom and Honey.  Then, the saleslady asked if I also wanted a sample of Earl Grey and Cucumber.  *Cue tally addition to why American customer service is so much better*  This is why I would much rather drop my money south of the border.

- M

December 2012 Topbox (Version 21)

I skipped doing a post on the November 2012 one, since I was away and it was already well into December by the time I had returned from my trip.  Please note that I was very pleased with the November box, which could have lead to overly high expectations for the December 2012 one.  There's also the whole holidays hype thing, too.  Am I so wrong to expect red glitter fireworks to come out of this December 2012 one?

Anyway... here it is:

solid effort - too bad it's the only festive thing

everything's white or a shade... lol

pretty excited about this

apparently a salon exclusive brand/product

Overall, not a bad box, and I like how all of the products were well tailored to my beauty profile (I'm a mask and exfoliant hoarder, who heat-styles way too much).
I know I said I like musky scents, but had I known the super cute Chloe mini bottle was an option in this box, I would've selected sweet-floral.  Plus, it made me think of the cute Balenciaga swag I missed out on in the September 2012 box (see Petite Pear Style's post here).

P.S. I'm hoping this a-perfume-a-box isn't sticking around... (I received a 4 ml Vera Wang Lovestruck Floral Rush in my November 2012 box).

P.P.S. Topbox has increased their subscription price from $10+tax to $12+tax.

- M

M's Summer 2012 Scent (Marc Jacobs OH, LOLA!)

My parents bought this for me when they passed by Duty Free in Hawaii in April, and as you can see from my picture below, I've already made quite the dip within my 3.4 oz bottle!  I just cannot get enough of this scent.

It's meh when I smell it directly from the bottle, but it's amazing when it mixes with my body chemistry and I guess, whatever is my natural scent.  Meshed with my skin, it's the perfect concoction of light floral and fruit, with a kinda hint of my beloved musk.

Sephora describes it to be flirtatious, lighthearted, and vibrant, with notes of raspberry, vanilla, peony, pear,  and cyclaman.  Normally, I hate vanilla, but it's not noticeable in the scent.  I didn't even know it contained vanilla notes until searching the Sephora website.

What's great about this perfume is that the scent lasts FOREVER.  As you may know, it's best to apply perfume to your heat spots - I spritz twice on my left wrist and rub my wrists together, and then spritz once on my chest.  The scent will linger on me until my next shower.  Sometimes, I'll spritz a sweater instead, and it would last until the next laundry load.

It's a super easy and fuss-free scent to wear.  I feel like it's what a young woman of my age should smell like.

I believe my parents got it for just under $80 USD, but you can get it at Sephora for $88 USD (for the 3.4 oz).

What has been your go-to scent this Summer?

- M

Sniff me--Jo Malone English Pear & Freesia

This is an ode to my signature fragrance.

Looking at the receipt right now, I can't believe that I've only had it for three months.  But, before I get into it I'd like to briefly take you through my perfume history.

The first perfume I'd ever purchased as a young'un was this:

Not my picture.

Remember this ad in magazines way back when?  There were the foldy flap things on the sides with the perfume enclosed.  I was inexplicably drawn to it.  An attraction that I can only liken to the seductive fumes of fried chicken. 

Not my picture either.

I was the typical teenager who had a proclivity for fresh, fruity fragrances.  I went through a phase of collecting Anna Sui perfumes, the majority of which were housed in mini bottles.  Granted, some of them were far from "fresh," but how could any teenager pass on the ridiculously cutesy bottles?  Gotta say though, even as a hormonal tween, I was "practical" enough to know that I would never finish a bottle of perfume to necessitate (or justify) the purchase of so many regular sized perfumes.

As my olfactory preferences continue to change, however, I find myself wanting a fuller, rounder scent.  I don't know if that makes sense.  Fresh fragrances are now, to me, too light--lacking the earthier, muskier notes to pull it down and make it more rounded.  Much like elementary grammar classes, there are flat characters and round characters.  I find the majority of mainstream fresh fragrances to be too flat, lacking dimension.  I want it to surprise me throughout the day, as it mingles with my body chemistry.

When I first got a whiff of MJ's famed Daisy, I thought it smelled like an old lady.  I thought it was way too pungent for my taste.  (I remember one time, I got into M's car--for a shopping extravaganza, what else--and thought, HOLY PERFUME! THAT IS STRONG.)  But as I made my trips into Sephora more often, and smelled a few more times, I decided that I liked how it smelled as it wears down after the intial spritz.  It took on a softer, sweeter (but not gross candy sweet) scent and just had a good time with my skin.

THE POINT?  I thought I had one.

I think the point of my long-winded story is that while many people perceive Daisy to be very fresh and light, it was the gateway into muskier scents for me.  It's funny how that works. This evolution of disgust to love for a fragrance was also true of my relationship with the Chloé perfume.  The problem with these perfumes, however, is that everyone has them.  Like, everyone.  The girl beside you, the girl behind you, the guy in front of you, and the transgender diagonal to you.  And the dog.  And more importantly, they were pleasant enough when I wore them, but they weren't "me" per se.

Oh hi there.

Then I met Jo Malone's English Pear and Freesia and it was love at first whiff.  I didn't take it home with me when we first met because it was such an expensive date.  I believe a 30mL bottle retails for around $70 CAD.  But then I found myself unable to think about anything else.  It balances fresh and musky so well that I really couldn't ask for more in a fragrance: English Pear & Freesia was me.  I was English Pear & Freesia. 

So I returned to Holt Renfrew (it's the only place I know of where I live that sells JM) and the saleslady was incredibly helpful and patient.  I tested out several other fragrances, including Wild Bluebell, which I think is one of their most popular fragrances.  Pleasant as it is, I find it a bit too light, needing a bottom note to ground it.  Then again, you cannot fault any of JM's fragrance for being one-dimensional because their whole philosophy is to encourage people to personalize and individualize their fragrances by mixing and matching different colognes.  That being said, executing this philosophy would take time: not only to put some thought into coordinating fragrances, but to save up enough money to do so!  I appreciated that English Pear & Freesia, while friendly enough to complement other perfumes, it is also independent enough to hold its own:  i.e. it's low-maintenance.

The only decision left to make was which size to get.  I knew I wasn't getting the larger bottle for over a hundred dollars.  A fellow shopper who was in a similarly mulling state told me that the small bottle lasted her forever.  Cool.  30 mL it was.

Then the clever saleslady showed me the fragrance set.  It featured the actual 30 mL bottle of English Pear & Freesia as well as three 9 mL bottles of the main notes, namely King William Pear, Freesia, and Patchouli.  The idea is that you could enhance any of the notes in the fragrance to your liking/mood.  Oh, and of course it was limited edition.  Fuck.  This motherfucker was $125 CAD (not including tax). 

I had to get it.

And I have no regrets.

No buyer's remorse from me.  I love it.  I love how it smells against my skin.  I love the wear of it.  I love that it doesn't smell like alcohol upon spritzing (which tends to be the case for most fragrances, no matter how cheap or expensive they are.)  I love its clean, simple design.  I love the versatility of the set. I love that it's low-maintenance. 

I've returned to Holt Renfrew several times to check out some of their other colognes from the permanent line, with special attention to the Spring, Summer, and Limited Edition collections.  Last week, I beelined to the JM counter to check out the newly released Plum Blossom.  If I did not have Chloé, I probably would have bought it.  When I told the saleslady that it reminded me of Chloé, she said that it was because both fragrances have rose water, albeit Plum Blossom is fruitier (because of the plum, duh).  I couldn't smell the difference, to be quite frank.  Who knows, maybe I will admit defeat and get it.  (Watch it get sold out by the time I make this decision.)

By the way, they've reintroduced their Tea Fragrance line from a year or so ago.  I've dreamt of this moment ever since this post from The Beauty Look Book.  I was especially lusting after Earl Grey as I love the smell of the tea itself when it steeps in a pot of hot water, perhaps more so than the taste itself.  However, it was not at all what I thought it would be--very spicy--almost masculine.  Sweet Lemon was very pretty, but didn't make my panties drop like English Pear & Freesia did.  It vaguely reminded me of Anna Sui's Secret Wish perfume.  Kind of.  Sort of.

And that's it.  Thank you for reading.

-R