L'Instant de Guerlain L'Instant d'Un Eté

I have to admit that I have have a thing for Guerlain perfumes. While I think that one of their recent fragrances is completely useless ( I won't point fingers in its direction) and the whole Aqua Allegoria line is not even worth mentioning, the rest of Guerlain fragrances are just freaking masterpieces.

Here I have a little collection of my Guerlain lovelies. Some of the scents I had are not here, like Mitsouko, L'Heure Bleue, and Jicky. While I think these three are outstanding, they are just not my cup of tea. I would assume, not YET my cup of tea. And I am not referring to my age or that these fragrances suit more grown-up ladies, of course not. It is just that I enjoy lighter scents at this particular period of my life. I have tried them, loved them and decided to come back to them some time in future.

Now, I adore the whole L'Instant de Guerlain line. Some scents I love more, some just a little less, but overall, the line is awesome! I particularly enjoy L'Instant de Guerlain L'Instant d'Un Eté. It was a limited edition, and is not available anymore. This one is my second bottle and I treasure it! I won't be purchasing limited and discontinued fragrances on the net due to the reasons I have already discussed in my earlier posts, so once it is gone- it is gone... It was a 2006 limited edition and for me, it is a great sweet yet luscious and erotic scent. It is just great! It is sweet without being tacky or overwhelming, it is sexy but not in your face sexy like some other fragrances. It is unique and very wearable. Please, Guerlan, please, bring it back! Re-promote it, even if again as a limited edition! Just in case- the perfume I am going to talk about is the tallest on the picture.

L'Instant de Guerlain L'Instant d'Un Eté is a 80 ml edt, quite a generous size, I should say. It is never enough, though. It is one of these fragrances that you spray on and immediately you get into a very happy place. Whenever you feel a bit down- this fragrance will cheer you up immediately! The opening accord of this fragrance is a bitter orange and grapefruit. Now, for me the bitter orange all along, nothing more. It is a bit unexpected since the perfume overall is a sweet one. This bitter orange accent does not create any dissonance, don't worry! The mid notes are jasmine, ylang-ylang and magnolia. I can feel all three of them blended in a most beautiful and subtle way! The sweetness is not overwhelming, no headache will come along with this perfume, nor you'll feel like the sweetness takes over you. I mean, it does take over you, or more likely, it wraps around you and warms you. 

In summer, when it is hot- this fragrance will not suffocate you. We have musk, vanilla and benzoin as base notes. To me, vanilla goes solo here, I feel no other component on a dry down. Overall, after a 20-30 minutes of wear you should remain with a mix of wonderful ylang-ylang, magnolia, vanilla and jasmine. It might seem like a plain sweet fragrance- I assure you, it is not. If you will be lucky to get hold of this beauty in a bottle- do it. It is worth it! The sillage is very strong and persistent thoughout the day. I usually make 4-5 spritzes of this perfume. Should you  prefer lighter scents- just keep it on a 1-2 spritzes per time level.

I get a lot of compliments whenever I wear this or any other fragrance from L'Instant line.

I should also mention that the glass bottle is super sturdy. I mean, I dropped it (unintentionally- I thought my heart will stop once I realized it is actually flying towards the floor :)). It is fine, though. The bottle is made of a very thick glass. Thanks once again, Guerlain!

These are my thoughts on L'Instant de Guerlain L'Instant d'Un Eté, for you, guys:

In terms of price, I am not able to tell anything cause it is not available anymore. Price/quality relation- I give it a 5 on a multiple rating scale from 1 to 5 ( where 1 equals poor, 2 is fair, 3 is average, 4 is good, 5 is excellent). Totally worth it!

In terms of age,this perfume can be worn by women of all ages. I guess,the girls under 20 might not full appreciate this fragrance.

The perfume has a good staying power, no need to refresh it during the day!

My thoughts on MAC Paint Pots

I have to admit that Mac Paint Pots were the first cream eye shadows I have decided to test after a long break of a good 6-7 years after testing and buying cream eye shadows. I will explain myself. The cream eye shadows that were on the market say 10 or 8 years ago were outrageous. They would crease like crazy, they wouldn't stay in place, they would travel all around your eye area and even behind it. I won't name the specific brands, just because these product are not on the market anymore anyway, but seriously, I had a sort of cosmetic trauma after testing these. Other were not any better, I have to admit. I don't know what had changed in these years, but definitely now cosmetic brands know how to make a proper  cream eye shadow and I am happy that more and more brands come out with cream shadows.

In a way, MAC had restored my faith in cream eye shadows. I don't owe many of Paint Pots, really. But I am pleased with the ones I have. Some please me more, some less, but overall, it is a good no-brainer product. They stay put for hours. This is a product you don't have to worry about. Slap it on, finish with a coat or two of mascara and you are good to go. 8 or even 10 hours of wear this will give you. Should you put and eye shadow primer underneath, this combo will last even longer. 

So, the first one I bought was a Bare Study Paint Pot. It is  Permanent collection, thus no rush to buy this one. I bought it when the MAC counter was not readily available in my city, so I had to buy it without a prior testing. It is a light beige-golden color, very pearly. While I like how well it performs and everything. I don't find this shade to be particularly flattering on me. I use it of course, it does double duty going as a highlighter for me was well. Well, the shade is not 100 % mine, but that's mea culpa.

The next one is called Let's Skate! and was a part of a limited edition winter collection. I believe it was re-promoted and now is a part of a permanent range. This one is absolutely stunning! It is a pale powdery pink shade with myriad of pink, golden and pale violet shimmer in it. Love it love it love it. This shade is excellent for a night out all over the lid. You just don't need anything else, really. Just this shade and eyeliner and mascara. It is more suitable for evening time or maybe for summer days. 

The third one came from the same limited edition collection as Let's Skate!. It is called Morning Frost. It is a pale metallic rosy taupe color, amazing for everyday. In fact, I will be hitting pan on it pretty soon! I believe it is just such a universal color, I love it very much. I take it with me when I travel, it is super easy and chic, it brightens your eyes and really just adds a little bit of extra something. I am really willing to find a perfect dupe for this one. No luck as of today.

The forth one, Genuine Treasure, is mainly a miss for me. While it is stunning deep bronze color with amazing shimmer- the texture is an absolute nightmare. Forget about slapping it on in a moment. Just forget it. Not gonna happen. Even if you want to use this color solo ( not recommended), it is going to be difficult to get an even finish. You will have to keep layering on and on, and maybe after 3-4-5 coats of color you will get the desired effect. MAYBE. But probably not. I have used this color in conjunction with dark green shimmery color ( dark green acting as a base), after 10 minutes of work, well, the effect was what I was aiming for. But still, it requires too much work. Not suitable for contact lenses wearers of for sensitive eyes, as it is prone to falling out. Not liking it.

Here are my Paint Pots and swatches, photos taken on a sunny day. No primer underneath, and one coat.

Overall, I like this product.  They did not dry out on me, I store them upside down, they perform well and I always can rely on them. Not you, Genuine Treasure! Will I buy more? Well, at a price tag of 21 € the color has to be truly stunning. I f I could go back, I would not buy the Genuine Treasure and Bare Study ones. Plus, there are many brands that come out with great quality cream eye shadows.Will I recommend this product? Yes, it is a great make up item. I would recommend it, while mentioning that cheaper alternatives are available on the market. And in this case cheaper does not mean worse. There are shadows that perform as well as MAC ones but cost even 4-5 times less. I think, it all got down to colors now, since texture and staying power wise MAC and cheaper brands are not that different. So if the color will be amazing or unique- I will get it for sure.

Guerlain By Emilio Pucci Terra Azzurra Bronzing Powder& Blush

This was a limited edition item for Summer 2012 that was launched by Guerlain in collaboration with Emilio Pucci in April 2012. 

This item comes in a satiny pouch with Pucci's signature pattern. The case itself is quite bulky. A good bulky, the one that is pleasant to hold in hand. The one that will definitely turn heads and make people wonder that was that item in your hand. The case is made of black wood or wood like material, of that I am not sure. It has a good-sized mirror inside. The lid comes off completely, but no worries- it has 3 magnets to tightly hold the lid closed when not in use. The name of the item is engraved on the lid ( like you could mistake this one for some other make-up item in your collection).

I have to admit that I love Guerlain, especially their powders and Meteorites finishing powders. I am very cool when it comes to bronzing powders, I just do not use them, but this one is wonderful.  It has 16 gr, a fair amount of product if you ask me, especially for a summer product you will use throughout the whole warm season. The product has a light scent to it, very sweet one, reminds me of tiare flowers. But the scent does not transfer onto the skin when you apply the powder. Here are some close-up pictures of the item.

 I have a light complexion so I tend to be cautious when it comes to bronzing powders. The good thing about this one is that the powder suits for medium to light complexions! It is of course buildable. There are four shades in this powder- the bronze shade a warm light brown shade with golden micro shimmer in it; the orange shade with pink micro shimmer in it; the pink shade with pinky-golden shimmer in it, and finally the ivory shade with golden shimmer. The shimmer is finely milled, not at all chunky or the one that will potentially make you look like 80's Disco babe.

I guess the idea behind this is that you swirl all colors together and apply it on your face with a large powder brush. I personally find the color that I get after the "swirl" to be too pinky and to dark for me. Therefore, I solely apply the bronzer lightly on higher points of my face, the one that usually get exposed to the sun, like the forehead, the chin, the cheekbones, and the back of my nose. After that, I swirl the colors and apply the pinky bronze color to the cheeks. Here is how I get the sun-kissed look. I have used this product only twice up until now, because the weather is just not collaborating at all. I will be using it this coming summer for sure. Here are some swatches for you, guys. It was quite difficult to swatch the ivory shade because it is close to pink, so some pink color got in when I swatches the ivory shade. Overall, the pink, orande and ivory stripes are very tiny, in case if you wish to use any of these colors individually as eye shadows, for instance- use smaller brush or sponge.

Overall, I feel like this bronzing powder is made for lighter complexions. As I have said previously, the color can be built up, but honestly- what if you have a deeper shade of skin? I mean, is it worth to pay 79 € for the product that might have to be applied over and over again to get a  desirable color? I would say that it might not be the ideal product for the deeper skin tones, but I find it to be a great item!

My Nars Blushes

I don't have a large Nars blush collection, just three pieces. The ones I have are Torrid, Deep Throat and Exhibit A. The good thing is Nars blushes is the wide variety of shades plus they come out with limited edition shades very often.  With sucha  selection every woman regardless on her complexion is able to find the shade she likes. A shade or two :) or even three :)

So, on to blushes. There are so many reviews written on these blushes that I feel like there is nothing more I can add.I will try, however. There is 4,8 gr of product in some blushes, like in my Exhibit A and 4,5 in my Deep Throat and my Torrid blush. I personally do not know why is that so, but it is good they decided to increase the volume of the product when usually companies tend to decrease the volume and increase the price. Also the country of manufacture varies- USA or Canada for my bushes.  The blush comes in an elegant black rubberized packaging, it is very sleek and easy to store. There is no brush or anything coming with this item, which is ok, since the majority of  "come along" brushes are just useless. There is a mirror in the packaging as well, which is nice, although it is quite small to aid you in blush application. The fingerprints are not visible on the packaging due to its finish, which is good. Here are my blushes from left to right:  Deep Throat, Exhibit A and Torrid.

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The blushes have no scent, just a "normal"powdery one. It is very neutral and you don't feel it unless you decide to stick your nose inside the box and sniff it.

Torrid is a warm coral with golden shimmer n it. Deep Throat is a peachy pink with subtle golden shimmer and Exhibit A is rigorous red matte blush. The Deep Throat and Torrid are alike, although Torrid is deeper. I feel like if I could go back I would not purchase Torrid. Not because I don't like it, but because it is similar to Deep Throat. I bought these two blushes without prior testing because there is no Nars counter in Finland.

The Exhibit A was a blush I wanted to buy for a long time, and I got it as a present. I am happy with it! It looks scary in a pot, but really you don't have to apply a lot to get a healthy-looking blushed cheeks. Use a lighter hand, and  I assure you that even lighter complexions like myself are able to be  great friends with this product. 

Hera are swatches of these blushes, applied with  dry finger to my skin, no primer underneath. One coat application. From left to right Exhibit A, Torrid, Deep Throat.

Now, are these blushes unique? I don't think so, although I would like to buy several other shades, Angelika, Desire and Douceur and maybe  a shade or two more.  I feel like the pigmentation, the application and the staying power here a very good. These are just the blushes you can rely on. You just know that no matter what they will stay, they won't fade and won't go patchy. The price tag on these is around 30 €. Not cheap. Are there cheaper alternatives? Yes, there are. Lots of companies make decent quality blushes nowadays. Overall, I would recommend these blushes to a friend, yes. Just keep in mind that almost to every cosmetic item the cheaper alternative can be found. Cheaper does not mean worse, by the way. Not always, at least. And keep in mind to go easy on the blush, you can always add more in you decide to do so. If you go overboard, it is very problematic to take the excess away!

P.S.I feel like I HAVE to say about the elephant in the room- the iconic Orgasm blush. I don't  find it particularly interesting or unique. At first I was choosing between Orgasm and Torrid and Torrid won unconditionally. I purchased one blush to test the quality of these blushes, texture and ease of application. After I tested it and loved it, I got another one. Still deliberating between Orgasm and Deep Throat, Deep Throat won for me and was purchased.

I wonder if women tend to buy Orgasm because of its name rather than because of the actual shade? What do you think?  There is a wide selection of shades at Nars, but why Orgasm got so much attention?

By the way, I am not scandalized by the names of these blushes, I like them.

Clarins Palette Eclat Poudre Teint & Blush and Clarins Graphic Expression Face& Blush Powder

I feel like Clarins comes out with same ideas over and over again, they have pretty face palettes that seems to be and feel the same on the skin. The only thing that changes is the pattern on the actual powder. Having said this, I don't think this is a bad product. Quite on the contrary. I enjoy it. Please. see for yourself the palettes from spring collections of years 2012 and 2014. To me. they all look kinda same. Well, more or less so.

Now onto my Spring 2013 palette. The packaging is sleek and stylish, although I notices that it catches the fingerprints like crazy. There is a red velvety pocket sleeve along with this palette to store it in. There is a generous 10 gr of product in this Face and Blush Palette, which is a good amount. The palette houses a good-sized mirror. I have to warn those of you, guys, who a re overly sensitive to scented make-up products. This palette is lightly scented. The scent is ever so light, but however can be a no-go for some of you.

There are 3 distinctive shades in this palette: the warmer beige as a "base" and two blush shades-  a vivid pink and a peach. The powder is finely milled, the texture is amazing. I feel like it is possible to apply two or more layers without resulting cakey.

I guess the idea behind making such tiny stripes of color was that all colors were supposed to be picked up using a wide powder brush and just swirled and then applied to the face. Good idea, but not for the ligher skin tones might be not a great one. Might be too pinky, and there is no way you can pick up just the pink color to apply it to your cheeks since color stripes are very small. The powder has a great pigmentation and a nice beige color. I guess, it is universal, and flatters most skin tones except for the deep ones. I find this shade a bit too dark for me, I mean, nothing tragic but I will keep it for summer when I am a bit darker.

Overall, I enjoy this product and this will be my to-to palette in summer!

This is an addition to the post, I have now bought the Graphic Expression Palette, which is a Autumn 2013 Limited Edition item. Here again, the design of the palette itself is identical. The same signature red box and the red velvet pouch, and sleek golden packaging and same subtle scent of violets. The pattern of the powder is different,of course. I feel like although this item was launched in Autumn collection, it is more suitable for Summer collection. For me, this can go as a bronzing powder due to multi-colored stripes and rather intense summery light brownish color. The stripes on this powder vary from dusty muted pink to medium brown to pink-brown shade.

Here again it might seem like the palette is similar to the one I own and the two I posted pictures of. With it I more or less agree, to be honest. I feel like there is a little difference between colors of these palettes after all, but it is not very pronounced. Both my palettes will go well for summer, both can go occasionally for colder period of the year to refresh the complexion. The texture of these palettes permits to apply a necessary amount of product, and there is no risk to look overdone or "baked".

I should point out that it is not practical to use a particular shade from this palette separately, like for example to apply a particular color as an eyeshadow, or as proposed by Clarins "coral pink  applied as as a blush".. The sections are rather small. Just like in the previous palette, it is more logical and easy to swirl all colors together and apply them to the face or a bit more intensively to the cheeks. And yes, the golden shade next to the tiny pink is just a gold overspray.

Overall, this is a pleasant palette to have in a make-up stash. A sort of no-brainer for summer or for a weekend away.

Rimmel London Lasting Finish Color Rush Long Lasting Intense Color Balm

I have found these two darlings unintentionally. I was just browsing an online store and these caught my eye. This product is unavailable in Finland, therefore I had to trust my gut feeling and just buy them not knowing whether I will like them or not.  And I love them!

This is a product that is positioned like a long lasting intense color balm. It has 2,5 gr of product and comes in a pencil form. Does not require sharpening, just twist and apply! The product is made in Italy.

The shades I have are # 100 Give Me A Cuddle and # 500 The Redder The Better ( I love the name by the way!). Rimmel promises us the lightweight formula, intense color and moisturized lips.  I can say that for me these products do exactly what they promise to do. I am happy to have them in my lip product stash.

These balms feel really nice on lips, they don't dry out the lips and color really stays for hours. If you decide to have a meal while wearing this on your lips, you will have to refresh it after the meal in case you want this glossy shine or just leave it like that- there will be a nice stain on your lips. It fades nicely on your lips leaving an even stain, not a patchy one.

I personally apply these without a brush. It is very hassle-free in terms of application. The red one stays for a good 4 hours on the lips, the pink one tends to go away a bit quicker. 

The good thing here is that you can play with the intensity of the application. You use the lighter hand and just blot the product to get a stain or apply it right from a pencil to get a bold result on your lips.

Here are the swatches on the hand and on the lips. These are one coat swatches on  my hand  and two coats for better visibility on my lips.

Overall, I enjoy this product very much! The price is approx. 7.50 € per piece.

P.S. As of April, 2014 these are on sale in Finland, at around 9 € depending on a store. But it seems that shade selection is limited. I have seen only 4 so far.

CK One Summer 2013 Limited Edition

I am a big fan of Summer editions of perfumes Calvin Klein comes out every spring. I have been collecting those for about 8 years now. I enjoy CK Be and CK One as well. In fact, CK One for me is the go-to fragrance when I do not know what to wear. Anyway, so far my favorite of CK One Summer editions is CK One Electric. I don't have it anymore, and I don't find it anymore. It was an amazing scent of 2006. In case you have a bottle- let me know! 

Now onto CK One Summer 2013 edition. I love this bottle! It is patterned, looks like water drops all over the bottle surface. Great! It makes this bottle quite easy to keep in hand, it won't slip out easily. The pyramid is very simple, I'd say. There are watery notes and citrus at the top of fragrance, cucumber, watermelon and water lily at the heart and musk and moss at the base. This scent, along with other CK One Summer scents, and CK One and CK be are meant for both men and women. In fact, I share these scents with my special one.

This scent opens up with a strong water and citrus notes. And then they just go on and on. I mean, the scent does not change much for me. It is a water lily, cucumber, watermelon and water notes all the way. It is definitely having a hint of citrus in it, which makes this fragrance refreshing and wearable during summer hot days. A fizzy watery refreshing scent- yes, that is right.

In terms of price, it is in the mid-lower side of the price range, since this is a summer fragrance and they tend to retail at a cheaper price. I got mine for 34 € per 100 ml of edt. Price/quality relation- I give it a 4 on a multiple rating scale from 1 to 5 ( where 1 equals poor, 2 is fair, 3 is average, 4 is good, 5 is excellent). I give it a 4 because I always compare these summer scents to CK One Electric, which was my fave. It is not a bad fragrance, it just not as great as was Electric. But otherwise, this is a great item for its price, and 100 ml will last and last ( through all summer, be sure!) even if you are a heavy perfume user. In terms of age, CK One 2013 can be worn by women and men who like this type of scent. 

This fragrance can be worn in summer with jeans shorts for a beach day or an evening walk by the sea. It is summery, and it all that matters! The sillage depends on how heavily handed you are when applying it. I usually apply quite a lot of it. Up to 6 spritzes, really. The lasting power is quite OK for this kind of scent. You will get a good 4-5 hours of stay with 3-4 spritzes. 

I always urge people to test fragrances prior to purchasing. I guess there is no need to test it before you buy it if you are familiar with at least one or two CK One Summer fragrances. They are all sort of same-themed aquatic refreshing citrus scents.

Overall, this one did not impress me much. Nonetheless, I will keep using it in summer or for a gym workout. Moreover, I will keep buying religiously these summer editions every single year and hope that some day they will re-promote One Electric or blend something similar.

Place Vendôme by Boucheron edp

I got this perfume quite a while ago, right after it was launched, around September 2013. I just wasn't using it up until a week ago. I am glad I did not open this scent before- it would have been gone now.  It is wonderfully warm and comfortable to be in fragrance.

The nose behind this scent are Olivier Cresp and Nathalie Lorson. Both of them have given this world so many outstanding fragrances, including one of my two favorites: Gloria by Cacharel  and Weekend by Burberry.

I feel like I have to say some words about the  bottle of this fragrance. A usual, I do not care about bottles and how they look like. I just care about what is inside. Not this time. It is rather compact although mine is 50 ml bottle. The pattern on the bottle is adorable-reminds me of stitching on leather bags. It is very grasp-friendly as well.

The pyramid of this fragrance is interesting: pink pepper, orange blossom, rose and tangerine at the top. Honey, white peony, praline and jasmine are in the heart of fragrance and the bottom is formed by two notes-benzoin and cedar. This is the official composition, and below is how I see it.

At first spritz, the pink pepper and the orange blossom come forward. This scent evolves over time, and in around 20-30 minutes more notes emerge. The distinctive sweetness of honey kicks in, along with jasmine. At the dry down I just feel cedar and some citrus-like scent, might it be tangerine from the top notes?

Overall, again my nose is not able to fully grasp the pyramid. Nonetheless, this fragrance is amazing. It is universal, to my mind- suits multiple occasions and styles. A big plus for me personally is that I did not feel any rose in it. Nor I found any pralines here. I think, this is for good- with pralines for me this would become just another confectionery scent. The honey, even being one of the main ingredient, is just a shading to the whole picture, not the main color.

To be honest, right after I saw he pyramid I was expecting it to be sweet: honey, praline and jasmine in one bottle is not a joke. Nothing wrong with sweet, by the way. I love sweet. I was deliberating for quite a time before opening it because I have many sweet scents in my collection. Luckily, this one is not overpowering sweet, not the one to give you headache or knock you off your feet. It is very elegant and discreet in its sweetness. It is very modest, but very classy. Modest, again, in a good way. This scent will help you to stand out, while it won't hurt olfactive feelings of people around you. 

In terms of price, this perfume was bought in Italy, therefore prices are different from those in Finland. As far as I can remember, it was not very pricey, around 50 € for 50 ml of edp. There might have been an ongoing offer or a discount of some sort, I do not remember. Price/quality relation- I give it a 5 on a multiple rating scale from 1 to 5 ( where 1 equals poor, 2 is fair, 3 is average, 4 is good, 5 is excellent). Totally worth it!

In terms of age, Place Vendôme can be worn by women of all ages, although I think it will appeal more to women 25-40 years of age.

The perfume has a good staying power, no need to refresh it during the day! I usually make 3-4 spritz and still refresh it after 5 hours or so. But it is just because I like sillage and in general I like my perfume to be out and loud.
Usually I am advocating for testing, but here I think this fragrance can be bought even without prior testing.

Dix Parfums set by Fragonard Parfumeur

Today I am going to tell you about one  of my favorite fragrance sets. This one is by Fragonard. Fragonard is old French perfume house, founded back in 1926 in Grasse, the perfume capital of the world.

What I particularly like about Fragonard is the vast selection of body and face care products to choose from. They also offer home fragrances and cutest soap selections.You can even find the soap shaped as a duck! Sort of a rubber ducky for grown-up girls :)

The fact that Fragonard has quite a substantial selection of fragrances for men and shower gels to complement these fragrances, makes me particularly happy. I feel like often times men are not taken in consideration that much, and their needs are not catered to the extend they can be.  Now onto review, shall we?

This is cutie's name is Dix Parfumes ( Ten Perfumes in English). It comes in a sturdy cardboard box. There are ten miniature bottles in the box. Each bottle contains 2 ml of perfume. All scents come in "parfum" concentration, and this fact makes me extra happy! Bottles are simple and linear, made of glass, and the cap is simple white plastic cap. I like the fact that each bottle bears the name of the fragrance it contains.

This can be a fantastic gift for those who want to get acquainted with Fragonard. Or just for those who travel a lot, this set is small in dimension, thus can be just tossed into your suit case and off you go! It has fragrances to satisfy all needs, really. Day-time, night-out or a working bee fragrance can be found in this set. The fragrances are beautiful. Some I like more than I do others, but otherwise- a great set indeed!

Fragonard is the fragrance that reminds me of my childhood. My mom used to have something really similar. Could it be Ellipse by Jacques Fath? At times Fragonard reminds me of Cabotine by Gres. The pyramid is straightforward: honeysuckle, bergamot, amber, lily, and jasmin. For my nose it is a pure green watery lily with a hint of woodiness in it. The wood and the honeysuckle come forward on a dry down. There is still this freshness to the scent, but amber gives a certain depth to it and honeysuckle gives a  certain sweetness. To my mind, this is a perfect companion when you go out in the foggy spring morning. It is clean and sparkling fragrance that develops into something sunny and sweet. It is a lasting fragrance, which is a big plus  for me!

Next on is Eclat. To be honest, not impressed by it. It has an interesting pyramid, but on me it is just a one big sweetness. Almost palpable sweetness. It can be interesting for some women. For me- not so much. It is a better version of sweet tacky body sprays that so many brands come out these days. The pyramid includes orange blossom, saffron, bergamot, freesia, lemon frangipani as top notes;  gardenia, and marshmallow and amber as the base. The top notes escape from me completely. I do not feel any of the citrus-y goodness. It feels like my perfume is "incomplete", like top notes were not added. It just starts with frangipani for me, and goes straight to marshmallow. The scent is long-lasting. Great for a teenager girl, indeed. Me no likey :)

The third in the box is Juste un Baiser ( Just a kiss!!!!!). This scent I like more than  I do Eclat, even though it is still simple sweet fragrance for me. It does not have a wow factor. I feel strawberries and blackberries right after I put the fragrance on. As time passes by it becomes even more sweet. After around 10-15 minutes of wear I feel musky notes coming through. That's it. Still better than Eclat for me. It is a light summer playful fragrance. Not very long-lasting, but a good 3 hours of wear you'll get of it! In case you're interested, the pyramid of Juste un Baiser is like so: mandarin orange, violet and pear at the top, the mid notes are floral notes, blackberry, wild strawberry and there is musk, amber and vanilla at the bottom.

Belle de Nuit is an example of a fragrance that contains rose ( and I hate roses!) that I manage to like and wear and that does not repel me. The pyramid is simple: plum, rose, musk, violet and geranium. I manage to feel everything except for geranium. All at once, but the blend is delicious! It is a long-lasting fragrance. For just-like-me-rose-haters: the rose note is noticeable but it is artfully intertwined with plum, violets and musk that it is not intoxicating and not unpleasant. I like it.  It is sexy and sometimes smells skin-like on me. I don't love it because of the rose, because even though it is not overwhelming, it is still there. It should't have been put there. FYI, not arguing with the Nose behind this fragrance, just complaining. 

Diamant is one of the best scents in the scent. Complex and beautiful pyramid. Mandarin orange, orange and pepper at the head, rose, jasmine and plum in the middle and the bottom notes are patchouli, vanilla, musk and caramel. This scent that guarantees compliments to its wearer. Bravo, Fragonard! It evolves wonderfully- patchouli comes forward immediately after you put the fragrance on after just 5 minutes pepper joins it. I feel the sparkly notes of orange along with patchouli and pepper. Then I feel plum and jasmine and patchouli all over again. I can smell caramel and vanilla notes as well. And some musk. I really feel that the star ingredient here is patchouli. You can feel it right after you apply and it never fades away. 

The scent has a good staying power, but of course it depends on how much of the product you apply. It is sexy and somehow classic. Can be worn any time any where.

Ile d'Amour is a beautiful watery scent. It is floral, fruity and clearly aquatic scent. These kinds of scents tend to give me a headache. (Davidoff Cool Water. uhhh!!!!!!!!) Not this one. Probably because it is more floral and fruity than it is aquatic. Here is the pyramid of this beautiful scent: there is osmanthus, rose, jasmine, lilac, lily-of-the-Valley, musk, amber and sea water. It seems that I skip the osmanthus and rose part here. I just don't feel them here. The outstanding here are the first notes that rush out on you the moment you apply  this scent to the skin: sea water, lilac and the lily-of the-Valley. These three guys alone manage to make this scent very light, playful, youthful, fresh and overall wonderful for warmer time of the year. It can be quite refreshing in hot summer. It is a delightful fragrance, indeed. Staying power is surprisingly good!

Belle Cherie. As soon as you spritz it on you are like: wow! Let's first check the pyramid: orange ad star fruit as top, jasmine, heliotrope and lily-of-the Valley are in the middle; sandalwood, tonka bean and vanilla are at the base. It is a punch of orange right to your nose. Fresh and beautiful with a twist. Or, rather, twists. There are four of them: they are named tonka bean, vanilla, jasmine and sandalwood. Wonderful fragrance. Opens up for me as a simple citrus and in matter or minutes you  feel its warmth thanks to vanilla, jasmine, tonka bean and sandalwood. They all rush on you at the same time. It is a multi-dimensional fragrance. Suitable for many occasions. My only complain is moderate staying power and quite average sillage. This scent should follow you everywhere! Well, it can, if you pour 2 ml at once on your skin :)

Etoile reminds me of my love named Eau De Cartier. It is the same type of fragrance. At times it feels like Dolce& Gabbana Light Blue ( such a big love of mine!) due to bergamot. It has bergamot, ginger and red apple as top notes. Lily-of-the Valley, jasmine and gardenia as middle notes on amber-musky-cedary base. The lasting power and sillage to this one is amazing. It is fresh, crisp and just flattering. Totally love it!

Emilie is wonderful ( I guess) scent for someone who loves roses. I don't. It has violet, roses. lily-of-the-valley, jasmine, amber, range blossom and sandalwood. The scent has strong rose accords that last all the time. I can distinguish violet and sandalwood. I was not able to estimate the staying power because I just washed away the perfume. The rose turned out to be the exact rose I don't like- oily, rosy rose that gives me headache. I will be passing this one to someone who can give it love it deserves.

Frivole is the last but not least in this set. It is fresh summery sunny scent. Reminds me of I Love Love by Moschino. Probably because of top notes that include green tangerine, orange, lemon, bergamot- those typical components that can be found in nearly 90 % of summer-destined fragrances. The middle notes are lily-of-the-Valley, peony and jasmine, and the base is composed of patchouli and iris. Jasmine keeps this scent from being mainstream summer fragrance. While patchouli and iris really lift this scent to a whole new lever of summer fragrances for me. It lasts up to 5 hours and has a significant sillage, although I would want it to last longer and to leave heavier sillage.

I hope this review was helpful! My final thoughts on this set is that it is worth giving it a try! You will be able to grasp the message and history standing behind these perfumes by sampling just these ten, be sure. The set will show help you to decide whether you will buy something from Fragonard or not. I will definitely purchase some of the fragrances I found in sample sizes in tis set. Plus I would love to try their body and face care lines as well.

Pure White Linen Light Breeze by Estée Lauder edp

As a prologue to this post, I have to say something on Estee Lauder. It is just a wonderful brand, in terms of make-up and fragrances alike. There are several brands that I can count on in terms of fragrance. Not one of  these several  brands came out with a fragrance I disliked. It is like when you go to the local perfume counter and see a new fragrance of one of these brands and you know, even prior to testing the new arrival, that it will not be a miss. It is one of the brands I tend to recommend, along with several others,  as a sure shot. They just steadily come out with good fragrances. Sometimes they do with great ones.

This is a fragrance I consider to be my "go-to" summer  scent. It is fresh, easy scent.  That is the one that you'd pick when you want something light, fresh, sparking, and delicate.

On a particularly hot summer days this can be your 24H long fragrance- it is suitable in the morning and will be a great companion for you in the evening time when going out.  I love this one, I really do. I don't usually go for these fresh scents, but this one is different. I have two 100 ml bottles, I use them simultaneously. Sometimes I wear Light Breeze for my workout, it gives me extra kick and energy. Honest! During summer time I often carry this fragrance with me in my bag. To refresh it, but it is not really necessary because the scent is long-lasting, surprisingly enough for it being a green-watery citrus scent.

This darling was created in 2007. This is a great addition to the White Linen family! I have to admit I love it more than the White Linen itself, although so often the variations of the original scents tend to be of a lower quality. Light Breeze is a wonderful exception. See it for yourself- there is bergamot, orange, grapefruit and tea as top notes. In the middle we have freesia, osmanthus, lime blossom, neroli and rose. There is a teak wood, cedar and honey at the base.

It is usual for me not to feel the whole pyramid of the scent, therefore here I feel just a burst of fresh-cut oranges and limes. Bergamot comes forward only after, in around five minutes after I spray it on.

The next half an hour of wear give me a distinctive woody accent to this perfume. It is not overpowering, the wood here stays in a shadow, it just helps to bring out the citrus-y soul of this scent.  I feel neroli ( I love neroli!!!) and oranges and wood at the dry-down. The scent is really great, you should give it a try! It clearly stands out for me. There are hundreds of those green fresh scents that pop out like mushrooms just before the summer period. Only few of those could live up to this scent for me.

I guess this one you could describe as an elegant green scent. Usually green citrus scents are for younger girls, but I am sure that a woman in her fifties or why not even more?? will feel herself comfortable wearing this scent. My only concern is that older ladies might find this scent rather simple for their tastes.

The scent has a distinctive sillage to it, which sometimes can be irritating. Seems that there are people who dislike green watery scents.

I tend to use this fragrance in summer. That being said,  I can sometimes spray it on in winter time. In case I need the sparkling lightness Light  Breeze can give me.

Just came to my mind that sometimes this scent can feel a little bit soapy. Or rather like a washing detergent. I happened to me several times. I do not know why it happened. It just did. No problems this detergent-like notes fade away almost instantly.

What I have to point out is that at times when you spray the green scent, first moments you can feel the smell of alcohol. This never happened to Light Breeze. I get many compliments on this scent. Men and women alike. Maybe it has to do with it blending my natural scent? Who knows...

To wrap it up, here are some thoughts on this beautiful scent.

In terms of price, I was not able to find a 100 ml bottle price. 50 ml costs around 75 €. Pricier side, for sure. Worth is? Hell, yes! It lasts and lasts, quite unusual for a light summery fragrance. I usually put 4-5 sprays, and refresh it only in the evening, with 1-2 sprays, should I choose to keep it for the whole day.

The age is not an issue here, women of all ages can wear it.  It is just a matter of preference.

The season: even though I tend NOT do divide fragrances to the summery-winter-y, this is definitely a summer scent. Not even spring-y. Straightforward summer perfume. Would you like to wear it during the -20 and snow? Who can stop you?! I just think that wearing it with lighter clothes, something floating, something long is the best way to compliment this fragrance. I just would be cautious about wearing it on the beach. It has alcohol in it, thus, be careful under the sun, please!

Price/quality relation- I give it a 4 on a multiple rating scale from 1 to 5 ( where 1 equals poor, 2 is fair, 3 is average, 4 is good, 5 is excellent). I would prefer it to be a tiny bit cheaper, so more people would be eager to buy it for summer.

Yohji By Yohji Yamamoto

This post is dedicated to the one and only Yohji by Yohji Yamamoto. I treasure this perfume and wear it on special occasions of whenever I feel like wearing a strong statement scent as a final touch to my outfit.

Unfortunately this gem of a fragrance is discontinued. Here is the right place to start ranting about why they always discontinue amazing, beautiful, unique fragrances and launch echelons of simple fruity scents?? Oh, why??

Ok, I collected myself. On to writing! Yohji was created in 1996 by Jean Kerleo. It is an outstanding example of fruity chypre scent. The top notes of Yohji are bergamot, galbanum and green notes. Raspberry and blackberry are in the middle, while the base is composed of vanilla, sandalwood ad good old musk. Pretty simple, eh? But the end result is truly  outstanding! 
I have to admit that this fragrance might not be appreciated by those who are not loving strong enwrapping scents. This one is exactly like that. It will capture you, wrap you up,  get inside your nostrils and and make its way to every cell of your body. It seems to be able able to blend with your DNA and after a while you start to radiate this scent.

This exquisite perfume is presented in a sleek simple cylindrical bottle made of thick glass with a black cap. 

As soon as I spray it on, I feel the warmth and sweetness around me, I feel  vanilla and just a hint of crisp citrus. On the dry down vanilla persists and evolves into even more rich and intoxicating sweetness ( headache is possible at this point!! I never had one, but just a friendly warning!). At the same time sandalwood and musk come forward, and they are there to stay!  And believe me, they do! The staying power of this perfume is so great! It lasts on me the whole day. I have to say that I am extra cautious with this darling: 1-2 sprays are enough for me. I have to say more- I try not to wear it if I know that I have to be around many people on this particular day. It is just so potent! While I usually do not care if someone likes my perfume or hates it, this one might be unpleasant to way too many people. And as much as I don't care if the person likes the way I am, I do care if people will avoid me cause of the perfume I wear.

This perfume is not your ordinary vanilla-musky-sandalwoody smell. It is super extraordinary! It is magical. Heavy and light at the same due to the citrus accords in the beginning. It is very festive but can be worn on an ordinary day as well. Suitable for day to night wear, really. As I discussed above, the question of whether this scent is suitable for your everyday routine stays open. You just have to smell it to understand if this is going to be your friend or foe. We are friends. Great ones! Almost family :) 

The thing that upsets me is that this beauty is discontinued. I would buy a bottle or two to stock up if I only could. There is a re-launched version of this perfume and I have to admit it that while it is very interesting and particular, it is not the same. Not to me t least. I might be buying the 2013 version of this fragrance at some point but just because there is no way I can get hold of this "older" version. 

This is the edt, the bottle I have is 50 ml. I am not sure whether it as launched in any other volume or concentration. But nevertheless, being a edt this one has an amazing staying power. Incredible sillage. The scent does not fade, it does not go soapy during the wear time.

I recommend the lightest hand with this perfume. 1 spray is enough. ONE. If you like it to be heavier, still spray one time and then just wait for 10 minutes. Decide after it sets down.

I am not able to discuss the price at this point because the perfume is not readily available. You might find it on ebay, for instance, but I personally would not risk to pay a significant amount of money for a perfume that might be not in a great condition. I trust myself, I know how I treat my perfumes and how I store them. I can not be sure how the seller stores the perfume. So I prefer not to risk.

Lastly, if you managed somehow to get this liquid gold- then test it before deciding whether to keep it or not. In case you decide to get rid of it- contact me :)

Jessica Custom Nail Color in #723 Soar

Finding a right nude nail polish was very difficult for me.Time consuming and exasperating. It was a long trial and error period. My motto when it comes to nude nail polishes is that red is a right shade of nude. I find red nail polishes super easy to wear. I have an Invincible Armada of red nail polishes, they are fun to wear! They are always in, always trendy, always desirable, by me at least. They make your hands look polished, sophisticated and can go with every outfit you'd pick.

Usually when I was having a nude nail polish on my nails- I could stand 1 day at most wearing it. Or not even that. Couple of hours and I would take if off my nails for good and get rid of the bottle altogether. It is because some were too pink, others too warm. Or just were unflattering on my skin tone. I even thought that I will give up on the whole "finding the right nude shade journey". Whenever I had to wear a nude shade I would stick to lighter muddy tones or mushroom or taupe, or light grey. (I opt for cool toned polishes and make-up in general since I have a fair complexion, blond hair and blue-grey eyes). It took me about 3 years ( not even kidding) to find one that pleases me.

So here we go, Jessica Custom Nail Color in shade Soar #723. It was a part of Spring 2012 collection named Spring Awakening. It is cool toned dusty  milky pink cream nail color. It is very faint pink with just a hint of mauve in it. On this photo I have applied it over Sally Hansen Double Duty Strengthening Base& Top Coat. Two coats of nail polish, no top coat applied.

There is the whole 14,8 ml of nail polish in a bottle. The brush is not large, and it is not flat like for instance, Rimmel Salon Pro nail polish has. Nevertheless, it was surprisingly easy to apply the color with it. Moreover, Jessica nail polishes are Formaldehyde, Toluene and DBP free. It dries pretty fast, in 20 minutes my nails were completely dry. Make it up to 25-30 and you can do you home chores :) without worrying that your manicure will suffer.

For now I quite enjoy this nail polish. It has a great texture, it is not super liquid, easy and pleasant to work with. It is the second time I wear this nail polish. Both times for about 2  days. It might be so that tomorrow I will wipe if off and give it away, but today I love it. It will be great for those of you, guys, who like calm neutral colors  that have a "little something extra". If you don't like to apply 2 coats, just 1 will do! The color is opaque and rich. I apply 2 coats just because I always do it that way, no other reason.

Overall, this nail polish is great. I will gladly try some other shades. Probably RED ones. The price for this one is around 13 €, which makes it a middle-priced item.

On a multiple rating scale from 1 to 5 ( where 1 equals poor, 2 is fair, 3 is average, 4 is good, 5 is excellent), I am rating the easiness of application as 5. I give it a 5 for how easy it was to take it off. Texture is a 4. Quality/price is a 4, since there are cheaper brands that perform equally well,  it is just I was not able to find the color I wanted.
I am not able to rate the staying power because I only wear nail polishes for 1-3 days. 3 days being maximum. But for the time being of this nail polish on my nails, it performed and stayed well. I am not rating the color as well since it is a very subjective matter.

Swarovski Edition Swarovski edt

Dear readers! My reviews are based on my own opinion, perception and experience of the product mentioned in this blog post. Your idea on the same product can be different, and it is fine, of course it is!

Today I am going to write about this  fragrance: Swarovski Edition by Swarovski. Not sure if I like (i don't, really) the name. But it is what it is, right?

It comes in 50 ml edt, not sure if there are other volumes available at all. At least, I haven't seen any other volumes and concentrations. The perfume is relatively new, was launched at the end of 2012, created by Sonia Constant. I personally got mine before Christmas 2013, and as far as I know it was never sold in Finland. I did not have a chance to test it before buying, so the scent did not really turned out to be the one I was expecting it to be. 

Even though I am not a fan of packaging, I just don't care whether the packaging is stunning, elaborated or slick and simple; I have to admit you won't be indifferent to this one. You might like it or not. I personally like it. It is embellished with Swarovski crystals. It is the only perfume I display, the rest of my babies are hidden from sunlight. I put it horizontally, just as it is in a picture and so far only one person guessed that this white-golden thingy is indeed a perfume. It looks like a mini clutch, the packaging was inspired by limited edition Swarovski clutches.

To the scent itself now. The pyramid is simple, has only 6 ingredients. Top notes are clementine and red currant, middle notes are gardenia and Japanese rose, and the base notes are white musk and cedar. 

As soon as I spray it I can feel clementine and gardenia. Red currant? Hello! No red currant here, nope. In thirty minutes of so I can feel more gardenia and white musk and cedar. A teeny bit of citrus crisp as well.  The dry-down for me is even more simple- musk and gardenias. That's it, folks! Ordinary and modest scent.  It is very generic. Boring!  

The staying power is rather week. I have to make 4 sprays when I first wear it for then refresh it once or twice during the day (e.g. 4-5 additional sprays). The sillage. What sillage?? There is a weak sillage, if hardly any. Taking into consideration all I have written above, I think it is best suitable for younger ladies. Even a girl of 14 years old is old enough to rock it.

Overall, I am so not impressed with it.  I sometimes wear it when I am at home doing nothing. Just for the sake of wearing it, using it up.

In terms of price, it is in the middle, though it leans towards the cheaper side of  this "middle". See for yourself: 50 ml of product costs more or less 45 €. Price/quality relation I would rate as 2 on a multiple rating scale from 1 to 5 ( where 1 equals poor, 2 is fair, 3 is average, 4 is good, 5 is excellent), since I am sure  this perfume isn't worth the money you pay for it.

In terms of age, it is best for younger girls, or those ladies who prefer their fragrances to be light and floral fruity and vanish after 3-4 hours of wear.

Swarovski Edition  has a weak staying power, the crying need to refresh it during the day!

Testing, testing and testing is the key, as usual, though. Only this time I would urge you to test it and evaluate if it is a good value for your money or not. The scent won't give you headache, won't irritate you. But does this make it worth to occupy a place on your vanity table?
Will I repurchase it? No. Recommend it to a friend? No, not at all.

P.S. I am advocating for NOT dividing scents into groups like evening or day-time fragrances, winter-time or spring time appropriate ones, etc. I can easily wear a heavier fragrance in the morning and go for a lightest in my collection for an evening out. Moreover, it is common for me to wear fragrances that are marketed for men. After all, it is completely up to you to decide when and where you wish to wear a particular perfume! Having fun and enjoying the scent you wear is ALL that matters.

Jean Paul Gaultier Classique edt

Dear readers! My reviews are based on my own opinion, perception and experience of the product mentioned in this blog post. Your idea on the same product can be different, and it is fine, of course it is!

This one of my several must-have perfumes. I have been having it steadily since year 2000. I adore it. I can't say enough about this perfume. For me this scent is the epitome of cleanness and purity. This is a sweet powdery  and floral gorgeousness!

Classique was launched in 1993, developed by Jacques Cavallier for Firmenich.

The pyramid of Classique is rather complex and consists of orange blossom, mandarin orange, star anise, pear, bergamot and rose as top notes. The middle notes are as follows: tuberose, iris, ginger, plum, orchid, ylang-ylang. Base notes are amber, musk, vanilla, sandalwood and cinnamon.

One of the bottles I have comes with removable corset. Great detail, especially if you are displaying your perfumes. I don't. This is the fragrance that make me feel like a million dollars as soon as I wear it. It makes me feel like I.CAN.DO.ANYTHING. It is an essence of a woman in a bottle ( Gosh, I sound creepy like Jean-Baptiste Grenouille).

Let's start over. Catwoman. Wonder Woman. Ok, a girl next door with a trail of drop-dead-gorgeous perfume. Empowering, yes, it is a right word for it. It is like a red lipstick in a liquid form. An armor and a sword, and you are invincible! Can a perfume do it? What do you think? :) In terms of  longievity- it is long-lasting. It might give you a headache, though. It cocoons you right after the first spray, and then the components just jump on you one after another. Seriously! So, as usual, test it before buying it!

Sexy. It is undoubtedly sexy and captivating. Whatever you are wearing ( or nothing at all!) this is a perfume for you. The sillage is heavy, be sure you will be noticed! People will be enchanted by you. Sometimes when I wear it I hear something like "You smell nice!" I like this more than" I love your perfume!" Almost like if people get confused and mistake my Classique for my own natural scent.

Now to the ingredients and the pyramid. I personally can't tell apart all the ingredients listed above. But then, who does? Does it happen that one can smell all that is listed in the pyramid? Hmm.... I smell orange flowers blended with sweet vanilla right away after the application. Once it dries down I smell amber and tuberose blended with vanilla and oranges! Bitter oranges, gosh, I love them!! They stay with me all the day, along with beautiful tuberose and sweet vanilla. The bitterness of oranges does not make this perfume sweet and tacky, you don't risk to be overwhelmed with  vanilla, it is on leash! The scent I feel on myself the whole day has much less ingredients in it after all. I definitely smell bitter oranges, vanilla, amber, the powdery trail of my perfume, supposedly because of the musk. Then I feel tuberose and sandalwood. Just a teeny bit of sandalwood. No cinnamon, plum, orchid or star anise. Honest! Sometimes I can catch just a trace of ylang-ylang. Surprisingly enough it comes out in warm to hot weather. When I wear it in colder weather- ylang-ylang shows up never :)

The sillage is heavy, be prepared that you might be traced by it! I usually apply 4 sprays, lasts me the whole day. I would recommend a 1 to 2 sprays if you are just starting to get to know Classique.

In case you are wondering- the little tiny round thingy next to my two bottles is a Solid Perfume. I have to admit that it is rather useless. There is 0.9 gr of product in it,  it is firmly pressed  light beige scented powder. To my mind, the scent is way too weak to be a sound substitute for classic perfume. It is not even suitable for those people that are cautious with their perfumes and tend to apply the tiniest bit of it. Why keeping it? I use it after my shower or bath when I don't feel like applying a perfume or body spray, no other reason. It is also useless when you like to layer your perfume- it just does not do anything.

I feel like I have to mention the seasonal Limited Editions that come out in April-May, anyway before summer period starts. I believe they are called Classique L'Eau d' Ete, and then just the year it was launched.

I have sampled almost all of them, and I even had one, see the picture below, please. Mine was the Limited Edition of year 2009.

I personally dislike them. They all smell the same to me, contain 0 alcohol, which makes them super volatile- you have to refresh it nearly every hour!

But, to each his own, of course. I would stay away from those. In my defense, I should say that this was a gift. So I had to use it! Luckily it was gone in 1 month.As it has no alcohol in it,  it is safe to use it while sunbathing, which makes sense for summer fragrances, I suppose.  In case you like the Classique but find it strong, these ones can be a great alternative. But it is like eating cocoa powder when craving for Nutella. And I will stay away from these summer horrors, I will! So, correction- in case you want to use Classique but are afraid of its overpowering scent- go with a lighter application, spray it  in the air and step inside the perfume cloud. Limited Editions have little in common with Classique.

These are my final thoughts on Classique for you, guys:

In terms of price, it is in the middle, like most high-end perfumes. Not as pricey as some of the niche fragrances, but THE WOMAN :) is not cheap: 50 ml of product can cost up to 75 €. Same volume of edp costs  a bit more. Price/quality relation- I give it a 5 on a multiple rating scale from 1 to 5 ( where 1 equals poor, 2 is fair, 3 is average, 4 is good, 5 is excellent). Totally worth it!

In terms of age, Classique can be worn by women of all ages.

The perfume has a good staying power, no need to refresh it during the day!
I see it best paired with a floral dress, late spring, evening, high heels and a night out with girlfriends! Or why not as a great companion of a power suit. Typical working day in the office, hectic schedule... It it just I would recommend to use a lighter hand with it if you are not familiar with it. You can always add more!

Testing, testing and testing is the key. I would not recommend buying it without a prior test on the skin; ask for the sample from the sales assistant if possible. You might want to wear it for a day or two before committing.

P.S. I am advocating for NOT dividing scents into groups like evening or day-time fragrances, winter-time or spring time appropriate ones, etc. I can easily wear a heavier fragrance in the morning and go for a lightest in my collection for an evening out. Moreover, it is common for me to wear fragrances that are marketed for men. After all, it is completely up to you to decide when and where you wish to wear a particular perfume! Having fun and enjoying the scent you wear is ALL that matters.

IsaDora Eye Shadow Quartet Smoky Eyes 94 Gold & SIlver

Dear readers! My reviews are based on my own opinion, perception and experience of the product mentioned in this blog post. Your idea on the same product can be different, and it is fine, of course it is!

This eyeshadow quad is FANTASTIC! Let me start off by saying that I love IsaDora as a a brand. The produce good quality mid priced cosmetics. Steady good quality make-up all the way with the exception of eyeshadows that are wonderful! Every single quad I had or have currently are great in terms of quality, application, price, texture, color selection... I can not emphasize enough how much I love them.

The one this post is about is from Christmas 2013 Collection, thus Limited Edition one,  #94 Gold & Silver. You might still be able to find this baby at your local IsaDora counters. It is so worth it!!!!

The first photo is made under electric light during the night time; second in the direct sunlight in the morning. The swatches are made in a sunny day, with no primer underneath. Swatches are made with a fingertip and are a one coat.

This is a very basic yet versatile quad. It has four shades- two matte and two sparkling foil-like eyeshadows.

It is great for an everyday use. Matte black and matte warm brown make it easy peasy to create an everyday office look. Yes, you might need a separate matte beige color along with this quad for a complete day look, but you can't get all in one quad, don't you? :) Matte shades are great to liner your eyes or to make a heavy smoky eyes. Sparkling shades can be used alone for a foil-like sparkle, even in the day time ( why the hell not??). But according to the promo photos, these shades were meant to be used in conjunction with each other. First you make a matte smoky eyes and then just put accents with sparking shades.

Matte shadows are extremely creamy and buildable. They blend out like a dream! In terms of fallout- hardly any, really. Due to the warm brown in this palette this might seem like unsuitable for lighter skin tones. It just seems like it. I have alight skin tone with pink undertones, I just use light hand with this palette and it works for me! The sparkling shades are just a teensy bit harder to blend due do their texture, no fallout here.

My only remark would be about the packaging itself. It is okay, but nothing special. Just a plain plastic case, sleek and compact. Prone to scratches. The sponge that comes along is quite useless.

I will give my grade to this quad here on multiple rating scale from 1 to 5 ( where 1 equals poor, 2 is fair, 3 is average, 4 is good, 5 is excellent)

Presentation 4

Longevity 5

Ease of Application 5

Texture 5  for matte shades and 4 for sparking shades

Price/quality 5

Hope my review was helpful, guys!