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!

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.