· Blog Home
· Profile
· FAQ/TOS
On This Page
· Beauty Notes: the ever-elusive signature scent, part 2
· Beauty Notes: the ever-elusive signature scent
· Beauty Notes: Perfume recap
· Beauty Notes: Perfume
· Beauty Notes: perfumes part 6
· Diptyque Tam Dao
· Beauty Notes: perfumes part 5
· Beauty Notes: perfumes part 4
· Beauty Notes: perfumes
· Some rambles about fragrance layering
· Etro Heliotrope
· Etro and more on natural hair products
· Etro Vicolo Fiori and Shaal Nur
· Etro Heliotrope and Vicolo Fiori
· Etro Heliotrope
· Etro Pavillon, Sandalo and the story so far
· Etro Royal Pavillon
· Etro Gomma and Royal Pavillon
· Etro Gomma & Lemon Sorbet #3
· Etro Gomma & Lemon Sorbet #2
· Etro Gomma & Lemon Sorbet #1, Annick Goutal Eau d'Hadrien
· Etro Gomma & Lemon Sorbet
· Etro Gomma eau de cologne
· Aedes samples arrived...
· Closing in...
Comments
· September 12, 2007 1:29 AM by
Dain
· September 12, 2007 4:03 AM by
Colleen Shirazi
· September 9, 2007 2:38 PM by
Joy
· September 9, 2007 2:56 PM by
Colleen Shirazi
· August 19, 2007 1:49 PM by
Dain
· August 20, 2007 2:11 AM by
Colleen Shirazi
· October 11, 2006 7:45 PM by
Dain
· October 27, 2006 3:56 PM by
Colleen Shirazi
Archives
· Beauty Blog (2003-2004)
· Fashion Blog (archive)
· New Releases Blog (archive)
· Beauty Articles (archive)
· April 2005
· May 2005
· June 2005
· July 2005
· August 2005
· September 2005
· October 2005
· November 2005
· December 2005
· January 2006
· February 2006
· March 2006
· April 2006
· May 2006
· June 2006
· July 2006
· August 2006
· September 2006
· October 2006
· November 2006
· December 2006
· January 2007
· February 2007
· March 2007
· April 2007
· May 2007
· June 2007
· July 2007
· August 2007
· September 2007
· October 2007
· November 2007
· December 2007
· January 2008
· February 2008
· March 2008
· April 2008
· May 2008
· June 2008
· July 2008
· August 2008
Recent blog posts:
Links
Barneys
refinery29
The Sartorialist
Jargol
Perfume Shrine
Ambre Gris
Polyvore
The Fashioniste
The Powder Group
LA-Story.com
Dain's Literary Attempts
Colleen's Beading Blog
Colleen's Adult Acne Blog
Eponym Blog Directory.
TBF Project:Blog
The Lipstick Page Forums Beauty & Fashion Blog
Beauty Notes: the ever-elusive signature scent, part 2
Posted by Colleen Shirazi, Friday, December 14, 2007 4:55 PM (Eastern)
(see Beauty Notes: the ever-elusive signature scent)
I haven't smelled Sublime in ages, hence the small representation. I own the perfumes listed in red text, have the ones printed in purple on my some-day wish list (although I'm not planning to buy Sublime unsniffed).
Intense Tiaré, I've been wearing the most lately. It's amazingly warming and soothing. If anything will take you down to Kokomo, this is it...
...yet the coconut here is silky and subtle, woven into the fresh tiare flower (which even has a minute bitterness to it, like an actual bloom). It's floated to the top of my wishlist in fact. I feel I can live without Jasmin Full or Sublime, but Intense Tiaré plays like a Bob Marley song.
Labels: annick goutal, beauty notes, etro, jean patou, montale, music, perfume
0 comment(s)
Post a comment (NO SPAM)
Permalink
. del.icio.us
. Stumble
Permalink
. del.icio.us
. Stumble
Beauty Notes: the ever-elusive signature scent
Posted by Colleen Shirazi, Friday, September 28, 2007 2:25 AM (Eastern)
I'm anxiously anticipating my Montale samples.Was tempted to go ahead and request the other Montales I wanted to try, since different places carry different Montales (there are a whole bunch of them). But that would be a bit silly. Who knows, by the time I get this batch, there might be a new Montale out. So, what's the rush?
I began this perfume quest a bit over a year ago, starting with some Annick Goutal samples (Eau d'Hadrien, Mandragore and Ce Soir Ou Jamais) and some Etro (Lemon Sorbet, Sandalo, Messe de Minuit, Royal Pavillon, Shaal Nur, Heliotrope, Vicolo Fiori, Gomma).
In some ways I feel further away from having a signature scent, than I did a year ago. Not really though. I don't feel it has to be a linear path; my life has seldom been linear anyway. I've learned to start at one point and just keep on going.
I've drained some of my samples...Annick Goutal Eau d'Hadrien, Ce Soir Ou Jamais, Heure Exquise (there's one more go of Passion left). Also Diptyque Do Son, Montale Jasmin Full.
I anticipate using up more...Montale Aoud Roses Petals and Crystal Flowers, the other Diptyques (except Philosykos, which smelled terrible on me, and possibly Ofrésia, which smelled bitter at first sniff), the other Annick Goutals, maybe...I didn't like Songes (too simple and sweet, though admirably strong and long-lasting), Gardénia Passion (also too simple and sweet).
As far as Etro...most of the scents were love or hate. I anticipate using up Heliotrope (I have a full bottle of this as well), Shaal Nur, Vicolo Fiori, Royal Pavillon...that might be it.
As far as Creed, eh...I like Montale better. The two Creed scents I tried, Fleurissimo and Jasmin Imperatrice Eugenie, were both singular, more traditional perfumes, but neither were "me."
Fracas, you've got to like. It's not "me" either though.
If the perfume fairy appeared right now and granted me however many perfumes I so desired...while we're dreaming, these perfumes keep perfectly and never turn...I could easily go for several of the ones I've tried. That's the appeal of "splits" and decants, the idea of being able to own relatively many fragrances, without otherwise living in penury, or, far worse, having your perfumes go bad.
I'm not there yet though; still attached to the idea of two or three bottles.
Labels: annick goutal, beauty notes, diptyque, etro, montale, perfume
Beauty Notes: Perfume recap
Posted by Colleen Shirazi, Tuesday, September 11, 2007 2:14 PM (Eastern)
It all started with an Etro sample...about a year ago.
I still haven't bought a bottle of perfume. Still contemplating. I had considered buying Annick Goutal's Passion, a beautiful dusky tuberose, almost a "skin scent," then I started getting into Montale. And I still haven't decided.
At first I was sure one scent would jump out of the sea of samples, screaming, "Buy me in full size!" but that's a bit silly and old-fashioned. That happens only if you buy perfume from a department store. Because most of the scents there have to have an immediate effect, otherwise you wouldn't buy them.
With the samples, you get something like Etro or Montale, something that takes an inordinate amount of time to either grow on you (Etro) or develop in the first place (Montale). It's rather the opposite of everything else in modern living--it's actually become a slower process.
Anyhow, here is my current virtual perfume stash (the only real one is Heliotrope):
This doesn't include all the fragrances I like, by any means. It's just the narrowest interpretation of what I might begin to consider buying.
I found the Etro scents overall masculine. Even Vicolo Fiori, which in my department-store days I would have considered...is almost purely floral, smells like a good quality soap from an obscure shop, yet still has a masculine edge. Hard to describe, but you know it immediately when you smell it.
I found Annick Goutal overall feminine. Even Eau d'Hadrien, which is unisex, smelled distinctly feminine to me in its spare, almost mathematical construction. Néroli got bumped off the list for its lack of staying power.
Diptyque...is a weird house. None of the scents lasted well on me, save Eau de Lierre. I put Do Son up for its sheer luscious authentic reconstruction of a garden, complete with sunshine and running water.
Fracas is something I'm pondering as a layering scent. It's lovely as is, don't get me wrong, but I think it's more versatile than that.
Montale is the obvious choice for me. Of the houses I've tried, it's easily the closest to what I'm looking for.
Nope, I haven't tried the bazillion other houses out there. I suppose I could. I'm not persuaded it's necessary.
I suppose it's more of a philosophy. When I find something I like, I tend to stick with it. I realize it's something of an anachronism now, since we have that many more choices, but I've always been like that. I don't feel I need to continuously "upgrade" or be off in search of the newest and latest, except as a sort of experimental phase.
As much as I don't actually espouse retail therapy as a way of life, I do think women around the world should have their bit of fun, at least before settling down. :) It doesn't have to be a wallet-draining experience; it can be a creative one.If I really wanted to sit down and make another collage, it would be of the following:
- Nancy Kwan's "I Enjoy Being a Girl" scene in Flower Drum Song
- Cyndi Lauper's "Girls Just Want to Have Fun"
- A Streetcar Named Desire: "Aw, let the girls have their music."
- Shania Twain's "Man! I Feel Like a Woman!"
images courtesy parfumsraffy.com, aedes.com, parfums-montale.com, Wikimedia Commons
Labels: annick goutal, beauty notes, diptyque, etro, montale, perfume, robert piguet
2 comment(s)
Post a comment (NO SPAM)
Permalink
. del.icio.us
. Stumble
|
September 12, 2007 1:29 AM, Dain said...
Hm, I'm not one for samples. The whole process drives me nuts for some reason. The faceless wee things, and I've been burned by samples before. Something I really loved turns out to be real disappointing full size. September 12, 2007 4:03 AM, Colleen Shirazi said...
Eh...one thing I've found with samples is that you have to apply a lot of the stuff, to replicate spraying it on from a regular bottle. Those little plastic wands are next to useless. |
Permalink
. del.icio.us
. Stumble
Beauty Notes: Perfume
Posted by Colleen Shirazi, Saturday, September 08, 2007 12:15 PM (Eastern)
I'm wondering now how many samples you need try before you attain full-bottle nirvana.
I know that sounds vapid. It's just that I went through a fair amount of cosmetics experimentation, back in the 60's rotfl... Okay back in the late 90's and at the turn of the century. And I found it wise to pace yourself. It takes half an hour to buy a lipstick, but one year to use one up. Ten lipsticks = ten years.
Perfumes have the edge of the sample/decent phenomenon. It's been necessary: perfumes are too costly done any other way.
Here is my current list of favorites:
- GF Ferre Lei (not new for me)
- Annick Goutal Eau d'Hadrien and Passion (not sure about Heure Exquise)
- Etro Heliotrope and Shaal Nur
- Diptyque Do Son (not sure about Jardin Clos and Tam Dao)
- Montale Aoud Roses Petals and Jasmin Full
- not sure about Fracas...I think I might like Jasmin Full better
There's no way I could buy all of those fragrances. It isn't the cost that would bother me. It's the thought that some of them would end up sitting at the back of my closet. I believe perfumes are like jewelry--they're not happy unless you wear them. You should choose them carefully.
Here is a cool article on Etro fragrances: indieperfumes: Etro. This illustrates the layering concept, which is something I like, the idea of "tuning" perfumes by applying one to one part of the body, and another somewhere else. I don't need any one perfume to...necessarily encapsulate everything, all the time. To me, the components can be as important as the whole (and you need not combine them the same way each time).
Labels: beauty notes, etro, perfume
2 comment(s)
Post a comment (NO SPAM)
Permalink
. del.icio.us
. Stumble
|
September 9, 2007 2:38 PM, Joy said...
I adore Fracas, but it takes some getting used to! :> September 9, 2007 2:56 PM, Colleen Shirazi said...
Yup, I hear that! :) |
Permalink
. del.icio.us
. Stumble
Beauty Notes: perfumes part 6
Posted by Colleen Shirazi, Sunday, August 19, 2007 1:18 PM (Eastern)
(see part 5)
I'm now thinking in terms of buying an actual bottle of perfume. I feel, as long I'm using samples, I'm getting...soft. It's easy to like something in its (relatively inexpensive) sample form. The moment of truth arrives when you buy the bottle.
So, over the next few days, I'll retry the few perfumes I'm thinking of buying. Etro Shaal Nur would have been one of them, but it strikes me as more of a cold-weather, soothing scent; something I don't really need right now.
It's more a tie among Annick Goutal Passion, Heure Exquise and Eau d'Hadrien (all eau de parfum). I'm not considering Diptyque yet. I like it but it's too new to me, where I've been wearing the Etro's and Annick Goutal's over the past year.
I used up my sample of Eau d'Hadrien long ago... Wouldn't it be nice to find a gift set of Eau d'Hadrien, Heure Exquise and Passion edp's? (Of course I have this recurring dream that I open my front door and people throw money at me...lol) Actually it's not that easy even to find Annick Goutal eau de parfums. A lot of places I checked last night carried only the eau de toilette form, and Annick Goutal edt's tend to be light.
Labels: annick goutal, beauty notes, diptyque, etro, perfume
2 comment(s)
Post a comment (NO SPAM)
Permalink
. del.icio.us
. Stumble
|
August 19, 2007 1:49 PM, Dain said...
I'm thinking of getting a new perfume too. But I've only just started. August 20, 2007 2:11 AM, Colleen Shirazi said...
I wore AG Passion all day today...mmmmm. |
Permalink
. del.icio.us
. Stumble
Diptyque Tam Dao
Posted by Colleen Shirazi, Saturday, August 18, 2007 1:10 PM (Eastern)
This is nice. From the Diptyque site: Rosewood, cypress and ambergris, in the heart note the sandalwood from GoaI'm getting mostly sandalwood from this, although it does start out with a small burst of cypress. When I first put it on, the cypress note was a bit distracting. What I was expecting was next to pure sandalwood; soft, dry sandalwood...but Tam Dao actually does become that, once the small cypress note softens.
I gave it the "Does it last on a really hot day?" test yesterday. The weather has been super hot lately (dry heat), so I've been trying out various perfumes in it. Tam Dao did fairly well...not as good as Eau de Lierre (which clung on valiantly through miles and hours of next to scorching heat), but I could still smell it faintly and pleasantly on myself after I-880 in Friday rush hour traffic, in the previously mentioned, un-air-conditioned car. (Here you are talking about several hours of heat.) And the following day, a ghost of sandalwood remained on my clothes.
Out of the houses I've tried lately...Etro, Annick Goutal and Diptyque...I can admit I like Diptyque the best. Not all of the Diptyque samples...Philosykos ended up smelling Youth Dew-y on me (a pity, as its opening smell of fresh figs, fig leaves and fig tree itself is quite authentic); Olène, as much as I liked it initially, now falls behind Do Son and Jardin Clos; Ofrésia, which smelled bitter on me, although of course I will try it again. But Tam Dao, Eau de Lierre, Do Son and Jardin Clos are still on my possible bottle-worthy list.
My sole gripe with the Diptyques is the lasting power. Overall they seem a bit better than the Annick Goutal eau de toilettes, perhaps not quite as good as the Annick Goutal eau de parfums; overall not as good as Etro. Of the group, as mentioned, Eau de Lierre wins the staying power prize.
And, they could have a bit more sillage too. Jardin Clos has the best sillage of the group.
That's why I layer perfumes though; I always have at least one long-lasting perfume on. Lasting power is more important to me than sillage. I like to be able to smell the perfume myself, and be smell-able if the other person is fairly close, but I don't every day have to wear a strong perfume.
Overall...if you like sandalwood, you'll like Tam Dao. Imo it's better than Etro Sandalo. Sandalo struck me as too sharp-smelling. Tam Dao is smoother, softer, mellower. It is truly unisex; doesn't smell "perfume sweet." Rather it has a beautiful naturally sweetish smell of sandalwood.
image courtesy aedes.com
Labels: diptyque, etro, perfume, perfume reviews
Beauty Notes: perfumes part 5
Posted by Colleen Shirazi, Friday, August 10, 2007 1:36 PM (Eastern)
(see part 4)A definite "nay" to Annick Goutal Songes. I tried it again a few days ago. This is the eau de parfum form; it has the strength, no doubt about it. A few good dabs were good to go all day.
Still, in its genre--tropical white floral--their Passion scent is subtler and more complex (Songes kind of hits you over the head, and is potentially headache-y toward the end of the day).
Recap thus far:
Etro
Yay: Shaal Nur, Heliotrope (already own this)
Nay: Lemon Sorbet, Gomma
?: Royal Pavillon (on me this is less a perfume, more a hothouse replica :D)
Retry: Messe de Minuit (I never got past the "head shop phase" here, but that's hardly fair), Vicolo Fiori, Sandalo
Annick Goutal
Yay: Eau d'Hadrien EDP, Heure Exquise, Passion
Nay: Les Nuits d'Hadrien (EDT form, too faint), Songes, Gardénia Passion, Rose Absolue, Mandragore, Ce Soir Ou Jamais (pretty, but too young for me)
?: Néroli (smells terrific, doesn't last on)
Retry: Eau du Ciel
Diptyque
Yay: Do Son
Nay: Philosykos, Olène (lovely but too similar to Do Son)
Retry: Eau de Lierre, Jardin Clos, Tam Dao--I liked these at first sniff; Ofrésia (this smelled bitter on me)
Diptyque shop image courtesy www.diptyque.tm.fr
Labels: annick goutal, beauty notes, diptyque, etro, perfume
Beauty Notes: perfumes part 4
Posted by Colleen Shirazi, Sunday, August 05, 2007 2:46 PM (Eastern)
(see part 3)
You know, a part of me is wondering if I'm turning into a perfume sample junkie. It's so much...cheaper...to buy samples, then you have a lot of samples, so it's not as if you don't have any perfume to wear. On perfume sites, they talk about a scent being "bottle worthy."
Sorry, couldn't help it... If Seinfeld were still being made, Elaine would be a perfume sample junkie, struggling to commit to a full sized bottle...lol
So, on my "bottle worthy" list thus far: EDP's from Annick Goutal--Eau d'Hadrien, Passion, Heure Exquise...Néroli is made only in EDT form. I'm on the fence about Néroli, anyway, wondering if there isn't a longer-lasting neroli scent around.
Not altogether sure about getting more Etro. Will have to retry some samples there, but Shaal Nur and Royal Pavillon were the standouts; not sure about Vicolo Fiori.
Labels: annick goutal, beauty notes, etro, perfume, tv
Beauty Notes: perfumes
Posted by Colleen Shirazi, Monday, July 30, 2007 5:07 PM (Eastern)
Okay... I have narrowed things down a bit in my perfume search.
Group 1: my Nordies samples: Annick Goutal Eau d'Hadrien, Ce Soir ou Jamais and Mandragore.Mandragore is out for me. It's not bad...a rather earthy tea scent...just not me.
Ce Soir ou Jamais is pleasant, a rose scent with enough other flowers and plants to make it "not just a rose scent."
Eau d'Hadrien is to die for. It's a spectacular, almost geometrical perfume; a perfect balance between lemon and herb, sweet and unsweet, light and dark...amazing.
Eau d'Hadrien goes on the short list.
Group 2: my Etro samples: Lemon Sorbet, Gomma, Shaal Nur, Royal Pavillon, Heliotrope, Messe de Minuit, Sandalo and Vicolo Fiori.I have a bottle of Heliotrope...it's ideal for layering. It's primarily almond and vanilla, and you're thinking, what's to layer with that...but it's not particularly sweet, rather it's dry and almost powdery. As a layer, it's a "your skin but better" scent.
Of the rest, several can be ruled out...Gomma (which had a rather dank edge on me, like the smell of an old concrete building), Sandalo (not bad, but sharper than Diptyque's Tam Dao, were I in the market for a sandalwood scent), Lemon Sorbet (again not bad, a bright sparkly lemon, yet pales compared to Eau d'Hadrien), Messe de Minuit (thanks, I lived through half the 60's and the entire 70's already).
So add to the short list:
* Shaal Nur, which manages to make patchouli soft.
* Royal Pavillon, which captures almost the exact smell of the Conservatory of Flowers in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park.
* Vicolo Fiori has a slight sharpness, but then mellows out to smell like a bar of soap from an old, dusty, obscure shop.
To come: groups 3 & 4.
images courtesy annickgoutal.nl, www.etro.it
Labels: annick goutal, beauty notes, etro, perfume
Some rambles about fragrance layering
Posted by Colleen Shirazi, Friday, November 10, 2006 10:45 PM (Eastern)
I never saw myself doing this, even though other women have been doing it for years. Generally speaking, I'm lazy. I prefer spray bottles of fragrance to splashes or "dab bottles," being too lethargic to splash or dab. I keep all of my perfumes with my socks. If they were stored separately from the items I need day by day, they would never get worn.
I used a tinted sunscreen: no need for two layers. I pay $18 for a compact of MAC Blot pressed powder, because it works, meaning I need not touch up my powder during the day, and it lasts, meaning I need not journey to the mall to replace it until a year has passed. I won't wear gloss because lipstick lasts longer on. Eyeshadows must be fade-proof since I can't be bothered with an eyeshadow base.
I could go on (and on) but, ah, fragrance layering. I've just begun to do this.
Of course, more closely examined, there probably is a "lazybones factor" in fragrance layering itself, particularly if it means less frequent reapplying of either scent...but anyway...
My combination of choice these days is Etro Heliotrope and...get this...Armani Code.
Code is the stronger of the two (and I have the eau de parfum), so I usually do only one, or two little, spritzes of this. Heliotrope is an eau de cologne so I'll go for five or six spritzes here. It sounds like a lot but Heliotrope doesn't have much sillage. Putting on a lot of it makes it last longer, but doesn't make it smell that much stronger.
Code wears better, so, as both fragrances fade, I still smell good.
Another odd note...this doesn't work if you apply the Code too high up. I tried spraying some on the back of my neck and it ruined the entire effect. Code has sharper, "higher" notes than Heliotrope (which lacks either kind of note), so spraying it lower down makes it waft pleasantly up to meet the Heliotrope (which tends to linger in the middle of the range).
It all sounds somewhat eccentric, but experimentation in beauty is good. (I tried out several perfumes with Heliotrope before settling on Code.) If you can find a few scents in your stash that complement each other, you will not only expand the use of your stash, you will also produce next-to-custom scents.
beauty, perfume, fragrance, armani, etro
Labels: beauty notes, etro, giorgio armani, perfume
Etro Heliotrope
Posted by Colleen Shirazi, Thursday, October 19, 2006 2:03 PM (Eastern)
Finally, a scent equally beloved by men and women.
Yes, men are...strange. Out of the blue, they will adore a certain scent on you. Typically, this is a scent that you yourself barely noticed, or liked well enough but hardly considered extraordinary. And, so often, it is not your most expensive, nor your most esoteric, perfume. It's just something you spritzed on for the day and basically forgot about.
Etro Heliotrope is one such perfume. I tried it out; it smelled beautifully of soft, not-too-sweet vanilla with a touch of almond and some ethereal floral notes. Nice!
But then I noticed the men in my life seemed to like it too. And that's when it went on my "must own" list.
Moreover, Heliotrope is a scent that grew on me. From its "nice, but not bottle-worthy" beginnings, I came to crave it slightly more each time I wore it.
Here are the notes of Heliotrope, from the Etro site:
Head notes: fresh floral (bergamot, petit grain, almond)
Heart notes: floral (ylang-ylang, rose, jasmine, iris)
Base notes: floriental (tonka bean, vanilla, Tolu balsam, Peru balsam, musk)
The vanilla stands out most on me, but it's blended so nicely with the other notes. Unlike some tonka bean scents, also, the smell of vanilla here is quite pure. It's not "1990's bug spray vanilla" (and I have been disappointed in some such scents), but rather a soft, natural, different sort of vanilla: gourmand, foody, yet not sticky.
Reviewed in Online Beauty Reviews
Available at beauty.com:
beauty, perfume, etro
Labels: etro, perfume, perfume reviews
Etro and more on natural hair products
Posted by Colleen Shirazi, Monday, September 11, 2006 2:31 AM (Eastern)
As far as Etro...I've knocked Heliotrope off my "potentially bottle-worthy" list. It's a lovely scent, but too "foody" for me...on me it's a bit floral atop a tremendous base of vanilla. i.e., if you were looking for a vanilla scent, you might well want to investigate this one.
I retried Royal Pavillon and loved it more...it remains on the PBW list.
My favorite of the group is still Sandalo. Actually I'd like to try Sandalo layered with something else Etro; Shaal Nur is the obvious choice but I'd like to try it with others as well.
Messe de Minuit, I think it's well to either dab a small amount on your wrist, or else try it out on a day when you're not planning to go anywhere. It's an eccentric scent. I tried a little bit and got the "oranges and head shop" part, but didn't wear it long enough to get the, ah, "wet basement" aspect. :D
Oh well. About the hair care...I did some shopping at my local health food store, plus a couple of Longs Drugs. Here are my thoughts and what I got.
Health food store: a biotin supplement and Dain's Nature's Gate Herbal Daily Hair Conditioner.
Biotin has a tremendous beauty board buzz as the supplement to take if you want healthier, thicker hair. At least that's what I got out of it. As usual, since the FDA does not regulate supplements, you're pretty much on your own as to how much to take. I looked on the Net and decided to go with a smaller dose, at least to start out with. I'll write here if it works.
Nature's Gate Herbal...they have reformulated this. Or...? I tried its shampoo twin some years ago and didn't like it. The scent was far too powerful; back then it was like spraying Ambush on your hair.
This conditioner though, has a much gentler scent. So I don't know if the shampoo fragrance is still as strong or if they've muted them both, but so far I'm quite happy with the conditioner. I've used it once--so far, it's quite moisturizing without being heavy.
To fill you in on my hair...it's fine and on the thin side (hence the biotin supplement), basically straight with a slight wave, naturally oily scalp, and colored. I use a deep conditioner the first few days post coloring (the L'Oreal Feria deep conditioner). My daily conditioner, therefore, has to work with both oily scalp and dry, colored ends.
I really must mention this, I used to use Pantene. I still have some and intend to use it all up. The idea of trying a new conditioner has to do with my Pantene Smooth & Sleek building up on me, similar to shampoo build-up.
But I would like to say for the record, that I never experienced the dramatic "Pantene horror story" I've seen circulating the Net. The gist is that, if you use Pantene, the silicones in it build up on your hair, enveloping the strands and slowly killing them off. One day your hair looks fine; the next, poof! Your hair suddenly breaks off, having been gradually strangled by this buildup of silicones.
That never happened, in the almost two years I used Pantene hair products daily.
What did happen, is that I felt the need to switch hair products. I felt the Pantene was no longer doing what I wanted it to do. Also...more inchoately, if you will...I felt I would like to move toward more natural hair care products. There are a lot more of them now. If a more natural product...I realize "natural" is next to meaningless as a technical term, bear with me...a product without the sodium lauryl sulfate that has long been regarded as a harsh ingredient, or at least without so much or it...possibly a product without parabens or with less parabens (Nature's Gate Herbal does contain a paraben ingredient)...if this type of product performs better than a mainstream product, particularly regarding stripping hair or irritating scalp, then why not? It doesn't cost that much more.
Longs Drugs: Kiss My Face "Whenever" shampoo and Jason Mango Satin Shower Body Wash.
About the Mango, Longs had only three scents to choose from. It was either this, Chamomile (which smelled a tad perfumy, in a pleasant way) or Tea Tree (which admittedly I didn't even bother smelling; tea tree oil smells medicinal to me). Mango actually smells a lot like their Citrus body wash. Sort of a pleasant meld of fruitiness and perfume.
Whenever Shampoo, for being a non-SLS shampoo, lathers beautifully. Even better than Avalon Organics, which also lathers well. It smells nicely of real lime. It's supposed to be green tea and lime but I'm not getting much green tea here.
It's too soon to judge about the shampoo, I'd like to use it more before saying, but Whenever on its first use is mild, not at all stripping. Actually it's similar to Avalon Organics Lemon Clarifying.
That's about it!
beauty, perfume, etro, hair care, natural beauty products
Labels: etro, hair, jason, kiss my face, natural beauty, nature's gate, perfume
Etro Vicolo Fiori and Shaal Nur
Posted by Colleen Shirazi, Friday, September 08, 2006 2:26 PM (Eastern)
Shaal Nur today...I can admit I was expecting this:
...based on the spritz I tried of this at a department store. That is, a late 60's type of scent, very "come up to my pad and burn some incense some time." I got a fairly heavy dose of patchouli and sandalwood (keep in mind I was trying Etro Patchouly at the same time though), with what smelled like real late 60's incense (yes, I am old enough to remember some of this stuff). Visions of East Indian bedspreads, sandals, Peter Sellers, bouffant hairdos, wacky tobaccy, et cetera.
Trying it on now from a sample though, is entirely different. Here I'm getting more of this:
Just something soft and ladylike, feminine without being overly sugarly or simplistic. It's strong, but not overpowering. It smells somehow natural and different.
Yesterday's Vicolo Fiori wore pretty well actually. I can see I probably did not put on enough of some previous Etro's, and will retry all those I thought had faded too quickly.
Here are the notes for Vicolo Fiori, from the Etro site:
Head notes: citrus floral (tangerine, campanula)
Heart notes: fruity floral (water lily, lotus, cyclamen, wild rose, ylang-ylang, white peach, cantaloupe)
Base notes: woody, amber (musk, iris, sandalwood, vanilla, amber)
Vicolo Fiori is densely floral, again--and this is something I revere about the Etro scents thus far--without being overly sweet. Just a clean, lovely soapy fragrance, suitable for young and old alike.
The Party image courtesy www.petersellersappreciationsociety.com
beauty, perfume, etro
Labels: etro, perfume, perfume reviews
Etro Heliotrope and Vicolo Fiori
Posted by Colleen Shirazi, Thursday, September 07, 2006 4:08 PM (Eastern)
Ah...I think I'm finally getting the hang of these samples. The aedes.com ones have that little plastic doohickey in them...you have to use it about three times in the same spot to replicate the experience of using the perfume, or at least come close to it. Good! I'll get to retry my samples all over again (except Gomma, which in memory I've come to avoid, but the rest are downright addictive).
Here are the notes of Heliotrope, from the Etro site:
Head notes: fresh floral (bergamot, petit grain, almond)
Heart notes: floral (ylang-ylang, rose, jasmine, iris)
Base notes: floriental (tonka bean, vanilla, Tolu balsam, Peru balsam, musk)
What I got yesterday was mainly the tonka bean/vanilla vibe, with a sweet top layer of the florals. Soft and innocent, like a fragile white dress.
Today I'm wearing Vicolo Fiori. So far it smells like a very elegant bar of soap. This could be what you're looking for, if you're looking for a "clean, soapy scent." It's not exactly eau de Dial Soap, it smells more along the lines of a good floral soap, something you'd find in a small shop, but there's a definite cleanliness to the composition (can't help thinking off the bat, that this would be good in an office setting).
beauty, perfume, etro
Labels: etro, perfume, perfume reviews
Etro Heliotrope
Posted by Colleen Shirazi, Wednesday, September 06, 2006 1:58 PM (Eastern)
I put some of this on this morning. It's quite interesting...I'm getting a lot of vanilla. A little bit of floral over a lot of vanilla.
I was madly tempted to layer this with either Royal Pavillon or Lemon Sorbet, but refrained, if only to give Heliotrope a chance on its own.
I'll post later on how this wears...
beauty, perfume, etro
Labels: etro, perfume, perfume reviews
Etro Pavillon, Sandalo and the story so far
Posted by Colleen Shirazi, 12:31 AM (Eastern)
Hmmm...so I'm on my fourth Etro scent.
So far...Gomma turned a bit sour on me. Hard to put a finger on it...it had this gorgeousness to it, and when it faded out, it returned to gorgeousness. But my skin brought out this sour edge.
Gomma + Lemon Sorbet smelled better...more gorgeousness, less sour edge. Still, it took some hours to mellow out into something quite good.
Lemon Sorbet...I like this. But on me it's not very strong. I'm thinking of it now as a scent that might be ideal to combine with other scents. According to Audrey_H of our Perfumery, the theory is that any one Etro scent can be layered with any other. Lemon Sorbet on its own is this bright, sparkling, almost visually lemon yellow, scent to me.
Royal Pavillon is probably the best of all four. It's enchanting, like a magical forest. You can see the Etro perfume guy dabbling in this, and that, to get it to smell just right...it's green, it's watery, it has little exotic blooms here and there.... My gripe is that it's not strong on me and it fades too quickly. But I don't know how much stronger it would be, sprayed on properly from a bottle (my Armani Code is soft too, and it's one of the best perfumes also).
Pavillon, from the Etro site:
Head notes: green floral (rose, jasmine, ylang-ylang, mimosa, violet)
Heart notes: woody (sandalwood, vetiver, oak moss)
Base notes: aromatic vanilla (castoreum, civet)
Now Sandalo. This was love at first dab. I don't know why. I like stronger scents...and this is the strongest of the four, stronger than Gomma. It's almost too simple. It's plain sandalwood, a little bit sweet...that's all.
What makes it stand out is the quality of the sandalwood. I have to believe the blurb on the Etro site:
"Etro has chosen Mysore sandalwood from southern India, a valuable wood considered sacred because it has been used for millennia in the temples and during religious ceremonies."
It actually does smell like that description: very pure. I dabbed on just a bit this morning and I can still smell it distinctly (it's almost 10:00 pm over here). This scent, unlike others, did not seem to change at all from when I put it on to now.
beauty, perfume, etro
Labels: etro, perfume, perfume reviews
Etro Royal Pavillon
Posted by Colleen Shirazi, Monday, September 04, 2006 12:45 PM (Eastern)
I've worn this for a couple of days now. I'll have to say it's a bit faint on me. Today I'm going to try dabbing it from the sample rather than dabbling, if that makes any sense.
As promised, "This smells like a damp greenhouse filled with exotic plants." (JennyB, The Lipstick Page Forums Perfumery). Like the other Etro's I've tried so far, it has this persistent addictive quality. It's not apparent when you first try them on, if only because none of the compositions so far falls under any conventional perfume category, but there's something about them that makes you want to smell them again.
Oh yeah, and I finally noticed how to spell "Pavillon." :D
Royal Pavillon...has a very "green" smell, combined with a little water, and a little bit of sweet flowers. My sole criticism so far is that it could be stronger, but again, spraying it on from a bottle would no doubt make it stronger.
beauty, perfume, etro
Labels: etro, perfume, perfume reviews
Etro Gomma and Royal Pavillon
Posted by Colleen Shirazi, Saturday, September 02, 2006 1:26 PM (Eastern)
After considerable thought...I'll say no on the Gomma. Imo it's worth trying. If your body chemistry doesn't bring out that sourish note, it would be a fantastic scent. I can smell the fabulousness underneath it...what's not to like about jasmine, leather and some odd citrus fruits? For me though, it is not quite "it."
Lemon Sorbet goes on the "maybe" list.
Next up: JennyB's Royal Pavillon. This is something I've smelled only sprayed on a card. Even on a card though, it smelled rather heavenly. (Not unlike the new Givenchy scent, Ange Ou Demon, which I also have samples of and have also smelled only sprayed on a card).
beauty, perfume, etro
Labels: etro, perfume, perfume reviews
Etro Gomma & Lemon Sorbet #3
Posted by Colleen Shirazi, Friday, September 01, 2006 5:18 PM (Eastern)
This is so weird. I was just about to write an official nay for Etro Gomma. Too sour, too strong, too...goth. Sort of an eau de basement.
But now it smells good. The sour note wears off after a while. This is the combination I was smelling yesterday.
Gomma is a hard scent to rec based on all this. I think it depends heavily on your body chemistry. If you don't bring out the sour note, by all means...I can see it would become a nice, clean, dry scent.
Lemon Sorbet, on the other hand, is more universal.
beauty, perfume, etro
Labels: etro, perfume, perfume reviews