SCENT FOCUS: JO MALONE NECTARINE BLOSSOM AND HONEY COLOGNE 100ML

Here's an initial review on JO MALONE NECTARINE BLOSSOM AND HONEY COLOGNE 100ML

PRICE: 5K++

PLACE BOUGHT: BANGKOK, THAILAND

OTHER LOCATIONS: RUSTAN'S (LOCALLY)

DESCRIPTION (TAKEN FROM jomalone.co.uk)

Created after a morning visit to London's Covent Garden Flower Market, a sweetly scented oasis in the heart of the city, Nectarine Blossom & Honey is a delicious, youthful fragrance full of succulent fruits- nectarine, peach, cassis- and delicate spring flowers, wrapped in the warmth of acacia honey.

THE VERDICT:

Jo Malone's love for fragrance has led her to amazing heights from the comforts of her kitchen to the world of luxury. And since the brand's inception in 1994, Jo Malone has always been considered as a brand of class and great taste.

Jo Malone's scents are characterized as natural and clean. Inspired by the wonders of nature and its gifts, every Jo Malone scent is handcrafted to a beautiful and unique scent encased in a classy bottle.

The names of the scents tell you what they're exactly made of. No fancy names whatsoever. The particular scent I got is one of her latest creations: NECTARINE BLOSSOM AND HONEY

NB&H is a lively and youthful scent. Imagine a young girl in a peach chiffon dress, running on the field, and her hair flowing freely in the wind. She's carefree, playful, joyful, and vibrant. She exudes a charming air of freedom and beauty. She laughs and plays like youth is forever on her side. Nature is her playground, and its bounty are her friends.

At first whiff, it's all fruit. It might be too strong to some, but after a few seconds, the acacia honey starts dripping on the fruity top notes, giving it some warmth, and keeping the heady fruit notes at bay. And it dries down to a lovely candy scent that's not too strong nor too light.

For a cologne, the staying power is surprisingly great. I sprayed some of it on my tee. I had it washed because I had to use it the next day. And to my surprise, I can still faintly smell the fragrance! It's staying power is even better than some of the EDPS and EDTS I own! No regrets of shelling out cash on a perfume!

One word to describe this scent: SUCCULENT. It's a perfect scent for summer, and a scent to be enjoyed both by the young and aged. This sweet scent just reminds you how sweet and good life can get-- and you can get it all in one bottle.

SCENT FOCUS: LANVIN MARRY ME! EDP 75ML

Here's an initial review on LANVIN MARRY ME! EDP 75ML

PRICE: 2200PHP

PLACE BOUGHT: http://leperfumerie.multiply.com

OTHER LOCATIONS: MALLS

DESCRIPTION (taken from fragrantica.com):

Marry Me is presented with a floral composition as optimistic as a cheerful smile. Combination of good humour and femininity intertwines with lovable, gentle dreams about love, similar to an embrace by a person you love. Perfumer who managed to pour dreams of love into a fragrant collage is Antoine Maisondieu. He lines floral notes like a romantic wreath of flowers.

The composition is based on luminous tonic mixed of bitter Tunisian orange and sensual essences of Sambac jasmine. This surprising combination is wrapped in sweet zest of peach and sophisticated jasmine tea aromas. A sensual heart is painted with jasmine enhanced with magnolia blossom and romantic, non-chalant rose petals. Union of white flowers and fruit zest melts in juiciness and warmth of powerful hot amber and musky trail.

THE VERDICT:

I am quite vocal in person and in my blog how much I adore Lanvin's line of scents. Whether I'm looking for anything girly/feminine, light, or romantic, Lanvin has a perfect scent to match my need. Eclat is my go- to perfume if I want something light, Jeanne if I want something girly/feminine, and Marry me! if I want something romantic.

And this brings me now to a review. As the name implies, Marry me! is a scent inspired by romance and love. Inspired by a wreath of flowers, it is a scent to celebrate love, marriage, and harmony.

The bottle is cute, but quite a pain to use. The bottle is shaped like a ribbon, and the atomizer part is crowned with a purple- colored ribbon (which snaps off easily). the bottle itself adds a feminine touch to any dresser!

Marry me! opens up to a warm bitter orange scent laced with jasmine. One of the main reasons why I love this is because, it is a cheaper alternative to Annick Goutal's Un Matin D'Orage, which I absolutely adore (due to the unique scent) and hate (due to the price) at the same time.

The middle notes are composed of peach with a hint of rose. I can't quite detect the magnolia in the scent. And finally, it dries down to a warm, musky scent with a hint of amber.

As always for any Lanvin scent, staying is power is not good. Staying power of Marry Me! is better compared to Eclat and Jeanne. But for an EDP, 3 hours is not quite good.

If you're fond of fruity musky scents, or if you're forever dreaming of Un Matin D' Orage, then I suggest you grab this perfume.

**Lanvin Marry Me EDP comes in 30, 50 and 75ML bottles

PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT: CLEAN SHOWER FRESH EDP 30ML

Here's an initial review on CLEAN SHOWER FRESH 30ML EDP

PRICE: AROUND 35SGD (APPROXIMATELY 1000PHP+)

PLACE BOUGHT: SEPHORA, SINGAPORE

OTHER LOCATIONS: MALLS; http://leperfumerie.multiply.com

DESCRIPTION (TAKEN FROM FRAGRANTICA.COM)

Clean Shower Fresh by Clean is a floral fragrance for women. Clean Shower Fresh is a new fragrance and it was introduced in 2007. The fragrance features orange, orange blossom, mandarin orange, musk, jasmine, woodsy notes, lily-of-the-valley and lemon.

THE VERDICT:

The time when I fell in love with Clean's Warm Cotton, I was sure that I am going to try more of Clean's fragrances. So when mom was in Singapore and asked me what I wanted as a pasalubong, I asked for a Clean perfume. I wanted to surprise myself so I told her that it's up to her on what Clean scent it's going to be. And Shower Fresh is what she got me.

Warm Cotton smells great, but Shower Fresh is love! I am a fan of anything fresh and clean- scented stuff. And that's what Shower Fresh is all about.

Shower Fresh resembles that I-just-stepped-out-of-the-shower feel and smell. The soapy aroma just revitalizes my mood so much, and it also makes me feel fresh all over. I spray this on if I feel sticky or icky at any time of the day because the smell is reminiscent of my daily bath moments. And the staying power is absolutely wonderful! The scent lingers for more than 3 hours.

What made me love this perfume more is because it reminds me of my favorite blue- colored Rugrats foaming bath soap. It was my most favorite body wash when I was young. I was so sad when it was pulled out from the local Duty Free market. I tried asking my uncle to get me some of the Rugrats soap from the USA. But apparently, my well- loved body wash was nowhere to be found there.

I am so glad that mom got me Shower Fresh as a pasalubong. It's perfect to wear on days when I want to smell anything but perfume. And best of all, it smells like my fave body wash! Lusted by friends. Approved by the boyfriend. A must- try according to The Beauty Junkee.

MY PERFUME COLLECTION

Coco Chanel said that a woman should wear perfume if she wants to make a lasting impression. And this quote just warrants my obsession for perfumes! Seriously, I am into perfumes right now. I've realized that my stash is overflowing with lippies, and it's time to turn my attention to one of my loves: PERFUME.

My collection is growing, though it might be incomparable to some. But I am so proud and happy with my babies!

Here's a panoramic view of my collection. I would be needing more storage space for my babies in our new house!

I've categorized the perfumes based on "What I feel like wearing" and "What I'm feeling" categories. As we all know, we would always describe the perfumes we want to try in vague descriptions like "Something that doesn't smell like perfume" or "Something Sexy, but simple", and etcetera. And I hope this entry will help!

WHEN I DON'T WANT TO SMELL LIKE PERFUME...

ACCA KAPPA MUSCHO BIANCO- Its crisp, clean scent will remind you of the light, and fragrant aroma of white flowers in bloom. It brings you back to the moment where you get the first whiff of spring. It smells fresh and relaxing. It's good for hubby's use too!

PTISENBON GIVENCHY TARTINE ET CHOCOLAT- When I'm feeling playful, I spritz this on. It just reminds me of my childhood days where I used to frolic and play, and at the end of the day, I'd smell this particular scent on my bathed body. Oh how I miss my childhood!

CLEAN WARM COTTON- Ah, the delicate and warm scent of freshly pressed blankets reminds me of home. When I'm away from home, this scent makes me miss my room so much, therefore making me long for my house more. And you never thought that detergent and fabric conditioner would make lovely music together as a perfume!

CLEAN SHOWER FRESH EDP- Definitely, this is the Clean scent that tops my list! Soap was reintroduced in a whole new level. It smells sudsy, fresh, and CLEAN! It reminds me of my favorite foaming bath soap by Rugrats. :)

WHEN I WANT TO BE SWEET, FLIRTY, AND JOYFUL...

JEANNE BY LANVIN EDP- My go- to scent because it fits my standards for perfumes. Sweet, light, and fresh. Not too overpowering, but still leaves a lasting impression.

ANNA SUI SECRET WISH EDT- Though it smells like D&G, Secret Wish has an allure of its own. It smells sweeter and less acidic than D&G. And it settles to a light- hearted floral that smells refreshing, according to those who got a whiff of this scent on me.

WHEN I WANT TO BE IN A ROMANTIC MOOD...

HUGO BOSS XX EDT- Hugo Boss, for me, has some of the best- smelling strong floral perfumes. The notes are strong, yet they are not irritating and are very wearable. XX puts me in a more grown up mood whenever I'm wearing this scent.

RALPH LAUREN ALWAYS YOURS EDP- It definitely puts you in a romantic mood. Thanks to the lingering fresh rose note. FYI, Rose- scented perfumes puts you in a romantic and sensual mood.

JO MALONE NECTARINE BLOSSOM HONEY COLOGNE- I have yet to review this one. Just a gist of my review: This unique- smelling scent suits a woman! It smells light, and the honey note gives this a bit sweetness, which makes the entire scent great.

WHEN I'M FEELING SEDUCTIVE, WOMANLY, AND SEXY...

HELENE RANCE- One of the rarest perfumes that I have. A bit of history. Helene Rance Parfums Paris used to manufacture perfumes for the family of Napoleon Bonaparte. And this classic scent has a classic- looking bottle to complete the vintage allure of this perfume! Review for this one coming up as well.

LOLITA LEMPICKA EDP- The seductive, mysterious, yet simple muse that is Lolita. Whenever the Lolita in me wants to be unleashed, I reach for this.

CHANEL N5 EDP- The classic all- time favorite. It is one of the perfumes that defined elegance and style. It's good to own a statement piece. If I were to describe this scent, it would only be in one word: ELEGANT.

THERE GOES MY POST! HOW ABOUT YOU GUYS? WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE SCENTS?

PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT: GIVENCHY TARTINE ET CHOCOLAT EDT 100ML

Here's an initial review on GIVENCHY TARTINE ET CHOCOLAT EDT

PRICE: AROUND 2-3K (LOCALLY)

PLACE BOUGHT: TAIPEI

OTHER LOCATIONS: RUSTAN'S; THE PERFUMERIE (POWERPLANT MALL)

THE VERDICT:

Tartine Et Chocolat brings you back to your childhood. It's a delicate scent that doesn't smell like perfume at all. I would describe the scent as a warm summer day in the garden where you used to frolic and wander around when you were a child.

TEC is a breezy scent. It was introduced in 1987 by the House of Givenchy as a unisex scent for children. It was once in a tall, square bottle, and has evolved in the 1990's into this shapely bottle. It was well- loved by parents for their children and themselves as well. Tartine Et Chocolat has become a signature vintage scent ever since.

TEC is a citrus-y musk scent. At first spray, the sunny citrus accord hits your nostrils. It's not too sharp, and not too light either. After a few seconds, the musk starts enveloping the citrus scent, which gives the scent a warmer touch. Sillage is quite low, but the perfume doesn't stay for long.

It's a great scent for the young and the young at heart. Whenever I feel like smelling fresh, clean, and young, I would reach for TEC. A whiff of this perfume is like a pleasant reminder of all the happy, sunny, and simple days of my childhood.

**Tartine Et Chocolat now comes in a pink version

PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT: CLEAN WARM COTTON EDP 60ML

Here's an initial review on CLEAN WARM COTTON EDP

PRICE: AROUND 48-50SGD (APPROXIMATELY AROUND 1500PHP)

PLACE BOUGHT: SEPHORA, ION MALL, SINGAPORE

OTHER LOCATIONS: RUSTANS, http://leperfumerie.multiply.com

DESCRIPTION (TAKEN FROM http://beauty.hsn.com):

a fragrance so pure, so fresh, it captures the feeling of a fluffy, warm towel just pulled from the dryer, or slipping into your favorite T-shirt line-dried in the balmy summer sun. You can smell this good all the time with CLEAN's comforting, just-laundered scent

• Notes of citrus, lilac and jasmine over a subtle, yet oh-so-sexy blend of amber and musk.
• Formulated in small quantities to ensure all ingredients are fresh and high quality.

THE VERDICT:

If you want to smell good, but wouldn't want to smell anything like perfume, Clean is perfect for you.

Mom brought me home one of Clean's most famous scent, which is Warm Cotton.

Warm Cotton is reminiscent of freshly pressed blankets and towels from the laundry. Whenever I'm out, then I feel the need to spritz this perfume on, it nostalgically transports me to my warm and cozy room.

Warm Cotton is a bit overpowering upon first spray. I would always back off at first spray because the sillage is quite high. But it dries down to a warm, soft, and powdery floral scent. I couldn't classify the notes at all because it's purely warm cotton for me!

Interestingly, the scent is long lasting, though the sillage is high.

Clean boasts of other specialized scents that will keep you smelling good, sans the perfume- y scent.

Lather- one of my favorites. Will definitely get this one. It smells like fresh, bath soap.

Provence- reminiscent of those big hand- milled french soap that leaves a soft and lovely scent after every wash

Shower Fresh- for that I-just-stepped-out-of-the-shower smell all day

Clean (Pink)- the original. It just smells... clean. You'll love the soapy, fresh, and light scent of this perfume

Clean is definitely worth trying if you want to break away from the traditional scents. Who would've thought that laundry, hand, and bath soaps would smell sooo good?!

**Get the 60ml Clean perfume for 2350php only at Le Perfumerie. We have tons of Clean scents namely: Warm Cotton, Lather, Ultimate, Clean Original (Blue and Pink), Warm Cotton, Wellness Harmony, Wellness Purity, Ultimate, Shower Fresh, Provence, and Clean Men

PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT: JEANNE BY LANVIN EDP

Here's an initial review on JEANNE BY LANVIN EDP

PRICE: GIVEN TO ME AS A GIFT (PROBABLY AROUND 4K IN MALLS)

PLACE BOUGHT: N/A

OTHER LOCATIONS: http://leperfumerie.multiply.com; malls

DESCRIPTION (taken from fragrantica.com)

Jeanne Lanvin by Lanvin is a floral fruity fragrance for women. Jeanne Lanvin is a new fragrance and it was introduced in 2008. The nose behind this fragrance is Anne Flipo. Top notes are blackberry, citruses and pear; middle notes are peony, freesia and raspberry; base notes are sandalwood, amber and musk.

THE VERDICT:

Lanvin's Eclat D' Arpege is my HG scent. Since last year, it's the only perfume that I've been using. And since my Eclat is finished, it's time for me to get a new perfume, and a new one.

It's been a while since my last perfume haul. I've tried a lot of perfumes for a week prior to purchasing. There are a lot of great smelling perfumes, but it's so hard to choose.

And when I am already ready to buy, mom gave me this swell gift. A Jeanne perfume by Lanvin. She knows how much I love Lanvin. So she got me a Lanvin perfume again.

This is actually a blind buy, according to her. It looked more simple as compared to the other Lanvin perfumes, yet its simplicity is inviting. It seemed to her that this perfume smells good.

And mom, you're damn right. :))))

A bit of info: Jeanne is created as a tribute to Jeanne Lanvin, the creator of the fashion line. According to Anne Flipo, the perfumer behind this scent, said that this is how she would "perfume- ize" Jeanne's personality: fun, spontaneous, and sophisticated.

Let's now review the product.

The iconic mother and daughter insignia of Lanvin. Here's a trivia. The mother and daughter icon has been the traditional image of Lanvin because the creator, Jeanne Lanvin, became famous in France in the 1800's for designing complementing clothes for mothers and their children.

The bottle might be too big to bring in your bag. And it's quite heavy too. You might also find the ribbon tied around the bottle quite annoying because it keeps on falling. So I just removed mine, though it adds up to the sweet charm of the perfume.

The style of the bottle is classic, clean, and simple. And I love it.

At first spray, the berries are prominent, which gives me this happy vibe whenever I put this on. Shortly, the florals starts settling in. The dry down is a lovely light floral scent with a hint of fruit, and enveloped in musk, which gives this scent a sophisticated allure.

The staying power of Lanvin's perfumes suck. But this one lingered. Not that long, but longer when compared with my Eclat's staying power. It stays for an hour or two. Technically, it's not great, considering that this is an EDP, and the sillage of this perfume is high. But when compared with the Rumeur and Eclat, Jeanne's staying power is great!

I love that this scent can go from day to night. On gloomy and rainy days, a spritz of Jeanne perks up my mood. This is also a great summer scent because of the fruit- iness of it.

Hubby loves this perfume so much. He said that it smells sweet, simple, and non- complex. It's feminine, but not overly sweet or too floral, which can be a case for "feminine" perfumes. This is perfect for young adults, or for people who love delicate scents.

And another great thing, it's guy approved. My guy friends love it. Here are some of their comments when I had them smell Jeanne:

"It smells simple. I like it."

"It smells fresh. It reminds me the beautiful things that I find in a girl that I like."

"Oh finally, a fruity scent that does not make me feel light- headed."

"It smells young. I love it."

Another great perfume from Lanvin. And another HG for me!

**Interested with this perfume? You can order from me. Guaranteed authentic, and 50% cheaper than mall costs Click HERE to view my store. :)

PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT: KENZO FLOWER EDP 100ML

Here's an initial review on KENZO FLOWER EDP 100ML

PRICE: GIVEN AS A GIFT (APPROXIMATELY 4000PHP+ IN MALLS)
PLACE BOUGHT: GIFT (CAN BE BOUGHT FROM MALLS AND http://leperfumerie.multiply.com)
OTHER LOCATIONS: ONLINE RETAILERS, BEAUTY BOUTIQUES, MALLS, Le Perfumerie: House of Scents


DESCRIPTION (taken from fragrancex.com)

Kenzo Flower perfume by Kenzo, Flower is a contemporary fragrance for the modern, city woman who looks to nature for inspiration and renewal. Flower by kenzo. A flower in the city. Wild hawthorne, bulgarian rose, parma violet, cassia, hedione, cyclosal, opoponax, white musk, vanilla.

THE VERDICT:

Kenzo Flower is part of the roster of my favorite perfumes. I love floral- scented perfumes that's why it's in my list. It's perfect for night occasions due to its strong scent. It can be a bit too overwhelming if you put too much, but it smells beautiful if you put just the right amount.

Flower by Kenzo is indeed, a floral scent. No fruity, spicy, or tangy hints involved. It is a fusion of flowers that you can associate with romance, which makes this perfume smell romantic. It's not a summer scent though because there's a certain warmth with the fragrance.

At first spray, I can smell the fusion of flowers (I don't want to sound assuming so I just collectively addressed the floral extracts used in this perfume. I don't even know what hedione, opoponax, and cassia smell and look like! :D) The bulgarian rose is the dominating floral scent. Then shortly, the musk starts settling so as to tame down the florals. I can't quite smell the vanilla in it because it's floral. Period.

Interestingly, though the sillage of this perfume is high, it managed to stay the whole day, at least on me. Maybe it works with my body chemistry as well. Whenever I am wearing this scent, I only need to spray again once. Or twice, if I feel like it.

The bottle is pretty. It gives you an imagery of a plain ol' vase with a dainty flower in it. But unfortunately, this is quite a pain in the a$$ to bring because the bottle is as big as a vase! No kidding! If you could only see this bottle in actual, you'd really say that "Boy, that's a H-U-G-E bottle!". Methinks that this is a special edition size. As far as I can remember, the 100ml is not as ginormous as this one!

If you love floral scents, I suggest you try Kenzo Flower. It smells feminine, beautiful, and sophisticated. It doesn't smell like your average floral perfume with cheap- smelling flowers in it. So far, it's one of the unique- smelling floral perfumes I've ever owned.

SCENTSATIONAL: FRAGRANCES THAT I LOVE

Let's move forward to a positive post! Here is a list of the perfumes that I would buy over and over again.

KENZO FLOWER
- A sophisticated floral perfume. Doesn't smell like your average cheap- smelling floral perfumes

ECLAT D' ARPEGE BY LANVIN
- Though the sillage of this perfume is high, I still love this scent! It's a perfect light, simple, and refreshing scent. It never fails to receive compliments whenever I am wearing this perfume. And most importantly, hubby loves it too.

JEANNE BY LANVIN
- Smells light, sophisticated, and pretty. Definitely a scent that would go with my personality. :)

BATH AND BODY WORKS WARM VANILLA SUGAR
- The best- smelling vanilla scent that I've come across. It's totally wearable, and it smells warm and sexy.

VICTORIA'S SECRET MERRY VANILLA TWIRL
- Reminds me of my most favorite time of the year, Christmas. It smells like freshly- baked gingerbread man cookies!

GUCCI ENVY ME
- A classy scent that's perfect for special occasions. It's another floral- scented favorite perfume of mine. Doesn't smell cheap and common too.

DAVIDOFF COOL WATER FOR WOMEN
- A timeless scent. It's a rejuvenating and uplifting scent that smells beautiful and fun.

BATH AND BODY WORKS JAPANESE CHERRY BLOSSOM
- This fruity and fun scent gives you this I-just-stepped-out-of-the-shower smell and feeling

THE BODY SHOP MOONFLOWER
- Unfortunately, this wonderful scent has been pulled out. It smells magical, and it smells sexy. I hope that The Body Shop brings it back

PHILOSOPHY'S FALLING IN LOVE
- The sweet scent is not overpowering. And it smells like candy! Definitely a light and cool romantic scent.


HOW ABOUT YOU? WHAT ARE YOUR WELL- LOVED FRAGRANCES?

UNSCENTED: FRAGRANCES THAT I DISLIKE

Here's a list of the fragrances that I don't like. Well, I don't necessarily hate them, but they are the last thing that I'll buy. No bashing or offensive comments please. This is based on my sole preference and opinion. :)

ELIZABETH ARDEN GREEN TEA
- It smells just like your average green tea scent. Nothing special with it.

VICTORIA'S SECRET LOVE SPELL
- It reminds me of the smell of taxis that would always give me a migraine.

VICTORIA'S SECRET ENDLESS LOVE
- It smells like Tempra, the fever medicine.

TOVA SIGNATURE
- It smells good, but it smells like Avon's Sweet Honesty cologne. Totally dupe- able.

VICTORIA'S SECRET VANILLA LACE
- Tooooooo sweeeeetttttt.

CHANEL N5
- Maybe if I'm a little older, I'll learn to appreciate this scent. It's just too mature for me, I guess.

ANAIS ANAIS BY CACHAREL
- It smells like jasmine. Might as well buy the essential oil, but only at a fraction of its cost.

GUCCI RUSH
- It gives me a migraine.

BURBERRY TENDER TOUCH
- Doesn't smell tender at all! The smell is overpowering!

BVLGARI PETIT ET MAMANS
- Buy Johnson's baby powder instead. It's cheaper.

ANY MANGO- SCENTED FRAGRANCES
- It gives me a migraine as well.

BATH AND BODY WORKS CUCUMBER MELON
- This scent doesn't really appeal to me at all

HOW ABOUT YOU? WHAT ARE THE FRAGRANCES THAT YOU DISLIKE?

PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT: LOLITA LEMPICKA EAU DE PARFUM 30ML

Here's an initial review of LOLITA LEMPICKA EAU DE PARFUM

PRICE: 490HKD (?) (APPROXIMATELY 3K+PHP)
PLACE BOUGHT: CHINA
OTHER LOCATIONS: SEPHORA ONLINE

DESCRIPTION: (taken from fragrancex.com)
Lolita Lempicka Perfume by Lolita Lempicka, Launched by the design house of lolita lempicka in 1997, lolita lempicka is classified as a refreshing, oriental, woody fragrance. This feminine scent possesses a blend of exotic licorice and vanilla combined with light greens, florals and musk. It is recommended for daytime wear.

THE VERDICT:

When mom came back from her China trip, she gave me a very sentimental surprise.

She has always known how I would talk about Lolita Lempicka and how much I've wanted one for the last 2 years. Unfortunately, we are not able to see one locally or even in some of the recent countries that mom has visited.

And when she got back she handed me a Lolita Lempicka paper bag and lo and behold, it contained my much- coveted perfume! I was in cloud 9 during that time! Mom really knows best. :)

This is the new Lolita Lempicka packaging.

Let me give you a brief history of Lolita Lempicka's iconic scent.

This scent was launched by the design house of Lolita Lempicka in 1997, It won as Best Women's Fragrance by the Fragrance Foundation and American FIFI awards in 1998.

And it has hit the local perfume scene at around '99- 2000. I got mine as a birthday present around the year 2000.

This was priced at around 5k for a 100ml bottle.

But as far as I can remember, Rustans is not carrying this perfume anymore.

The 100ml bottle came in this dreamy and beautiful stand. Due to budgetary constraints, I wasn't able to sustain Lolita Lempicka as a perfume. But now that I have enough moolah to buy myself one once in a blue moon, it's nowhere to be found locally anymore.

I still kept this stand in my cabinet. It's so pretty and it's such a wonderful dresser piece. The flower with a ceramic girl in a swing can be used as a brooch as well. But it's quite heavy though 'cos of the ceramic girl mold.

And voila! This stand now houses my Lolita Lempicka perfume. I give the packaging 20 stars out of 10! :)

Let us now review the product.

The bottle is elegantly and uniquely designed. It really stands out amongst my perfume bottles. The bottle's characteristics symbolize that of little Lolita: sweet, young, fun, yet mystical.

I really like the bottle design, and I am glad that the design house of Lolita Lempicka maintained this classic and iconic design.

Let's now review the scent.

This perfume reminded me of Vladimir Nabokov's novel, "Lolita". It occured to me right after smelling this, that if Nabokov's Lolita would smell like one thing, this would definitely be it.

Lolita is often used to describe a beautiful and alluring youth. A young girl with a vibrant personality, a warm smile, soulful eyes, and a mysterious charm.

Lolita Lempicka is a musky, sweet, and woody fragrance. At first spritz, it smells like vanilla with a hint of pepper. Then the heart notes are chocolate- y and musky. Then it dries down to a decadent and warm musky vanilla scent. Staying power is not bad. Scent lingers for 3- 4 hours.

This perfume provokes the wearer to bring out their inner Lolita. Whenever I wear it, I feel refreshed, beautiful, and frisky. It is a captivating scent that never fails to receive compliments whenever I wear it. I really cannot tolerate sweet scents because it makes me feel light- headed. It reminds me of the air fresheners in taxis. Lolita Lempicka strikes the balance between the floral and sweet scent. It smells light, fresh, flirty, and young: some of the characteristics that I always look for in a perfume.

I highly recommend this perfume. It is worth giving a shot. But I strongly suggest that you get a whiff of this one because it is quite costly. Whatever works for me, may not work for you. It is available in the 30, 50 and 100ml bottles.

**The bottle stand was only available around the year it was first released. The modern Lolita Lempicka is packaged only in a box.

PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT: RALPH LAUREN ROMANCE ALWAYS YOURS 50ML

Here's an initial review on RALPH LAUREN ROMANCE ALWAYS YOURS 50ML

PRICE: AROUND 65SGD (APPROX. 2275PHP)

PLACE BOUGHT: CHANGI AIRPORT, SINGAPORE

OTHER LOCATIONS: MALLS NATIONWIDE; PX STORES; http://leperfumerie.multiply.com

SITE DESCRIPTION (TAKEN FROM http://www.nstperfume.com):

Celebrate falling in love. Introducing Ralph Lauren Romance Always Yours—the essence of eternal romance. Envelop yourself in this sophisticated floral chypre, touched with notes of the iconic sun goddess rose and sensual musk. This fragrance embodies refined elegance and the signature of true love and devotion—Always Yours.

NOTES (TAKEN FROM http://www.nstperfume.com):

The fragrance notes include freesia, ginger, sun goddess rose, lotus, day lily, white violet, musk, patchouli and oakmoss.

THE VERDICT:

I've always loved the first release of Ralph Lauren Romance. It love how it made me smell feminine, romantic, and sexy.

Romance has evolved into four versions btw, the newest one, RL Romance Summer, smells good too. But mom chose this among the rest so she could use it as well. This is originally for me, 'cos she knows I love RL Romance. But since she's already dreading her purchases in Singapore, and perfumes were forgotten to be included in the priority to-buy list, she picked this perfume because she thought that this will both suit our tastes. She saved moolah from buying two perfumes. And I'm glad she's learning how to tweak her being a spend-a-holic! :)

Anyway, let's move forward. I love RL Romance, but I despise the bottle. It's too heavy! Mom and I have the same preference and taste when it comes to perfume bottle qualities: uncomplicated, compact, and most especially, lightweight. I thought that she thought that the 100ml was too heavy, that's why she got the 50ml so we could bring it in our bags to anywhere we go.

The crystal cap is a nice touch. But it doesn't fit the bottle well. It's too loose! And one wrong move of grabbing the bottle by the cap, the bottle will break, and this will spill on the ground. Boohoo. :p

And the square bottle is nice. It's compact, doesn't require too much space in my bag, and most importantly, it's lightweight.

Let's now review the scent.

The ginger essence, which is dominant in the first spritz, is quite off because it gives the perfume a spoiled smell. After a few seconds, the florals, comprised of gardenia, freesia, white violet, and day lily start to take over, accompanied with a hint of patchouli. I can't say that I can smell the oakmoss. Because for one, I haven't smelled it in my existence. So I don't know what it smells like. :p Then it finally settles to a musky floral scent, where the sun goddess rose is dominant.

True to its name, it did smell romantic, which makes this a great evening scent, especially on special evening occasions. BUT-- it didn't smell quite original or unique, because it still smelt like the original Ralph Lauren Romance when it settles on your skin. The ginger is the spice that made it unique-- but not in a good way.

And staying power is quite good. Stayed on for 3 hours, then eventually faded. But I can still smell some of the rose scent if I try to smell closely the parts where I spritzed the perfume on.

I still haven't found another scent that will linger on me all- throughout the day, apart from Glow by J.Lo (which I used to love, but despised after having found out that she is an advocate of animal slaughter by carrying fur in her clothing line).

If I'm buying an RL Romance perfume, I'd get the original or Summer Romance.