Stop me if you think you smelled this one before: Houbigant Quelques Fleurs Royale

Somehow, I managed to live nearly 37 years and not come across a single bottle of any Houbigant perfume. It's quite an accomplishment, considering we're talking about one of the oldest houses, responsible for some classics, like the original Quelques Fleurs and a few others (see Sweet Diva's recent review). I'm guessing the newish (2004) fruity-floral addition to this line, Quelques Fleurs Royale is probably not the best introduction I could hope for.

It's been a while since I came across a scent with such three distinctive and separate stages. The fruity opening wasn't promising. Bergamot and grapefruit as top notes. Where have we smelled it before? (Answer: Everywhere). It could be a lot worse, though. We could have gotten peach with a side of some berries, so I'm not complaining. The heart notes are as floral as they get. Jasmine, rose and tuberose, rounded by honey. What I got was mostly jasmine, aggressive enough to swallow most of the other notes but not skanky or Glade-ish. The floral mix was too floral for me. Nice, but I don't do white gloves and Junior League. My biggest complaint, though, was not so much the lacy handkerchief as much as the total lack of originality. I've smelled this one before, and so did you.

Some of the jasmine stays behind (my skin has always been a jasmine amplifier), but the drydown is mostly amber-sandalwood, and surprisingly, quite gorgeous. I really liked it after the first few hours, enough to give it a couple of chances, but it's just not worth it to sit through the lengthy floral stage.

Stop me if you think you smelled this one before: Houbigant Quelques Fleurs Royale

Somehow, I managed to live nearly 37 years and not come across a single bottle of any Houbigant perfume. It's quite an accomplishment, considering we're talking about one of the oldest houses, responsible for some classics, like the original Quelques Fleurs and a few others (see Sweet Diva's recent review). I'm guessing the newish (2004) fruity-floral addition to this line, Quelques Fleurs Royale is probably not the best introduction I could hope for.

It's been a while since I came across a scent with such three distinctive and separate stages. The fruity opening wasn't promising. Bergamot and grapefruit as top notes. Where have we smelled it before? (Answer: Everywhere). It could be a lot worse, though. We could have gotten peach with a side of some berries, so I'm not complaining. The heart notes are as floral as they get. Jasmine, rose and tuberose, rounded by honey. What I got was mostly jasmine, aggressive enough to swallow most of the other notes but not skanky or Glade-ish. The floral mix was too floral for me. Nice, but I don't do white gloves and Junior League. My biggest complaint, though, was not so much the lacy handkerchief as much as the total lack of originality. I've smelled this one before, and so did you.

Some of the jasmine stays behind (my skin has always been a jasmine amplifier), but the drydown is mostly amber-sandalwood, and surprisingly, quite gorgeous. I really liked it after the first few hours, enough to give it a couple of chances, but it's just not worth it to sit through the lengthy floral stage.

Stop me if you think you smelled this one before: Houbigant Quelques Fleurs Royale

Somehow, I managed to live nearly 37 years and not come across a single bottle of any Houbigant perfume. It's quite an accomplishment, considering we're talking about one of the oldest houses, responsible for some classics, like the original Quelques Fleurs and a few others (see Sweet Diva's recent review). I'm guessing the newish (2004) fruity-floral addition to this line, Quelques Fleurs Royale is probably not the best introduction I could hope for.

It's been a while since I came across a scent with such three distinctive and separate stages. The fruity opening wasn't promising. Bergamot and grapefruit as top notes. Where have we smelled it before? (Answer: Everywhere). It could be a lot worse, though. We could have gotten peach with a side of some berries, so I'm not complaining. The heart notes are as floral as they get. Jasmine, rose and tuberose, rounded by honey. What I got was mostly jasmine, aggressive enough to swallow most of the other notes but not skanky or Glade-ish. The floral mix was too floral for me. Nice, but I don't do white gloves and Junior League. My biggest complaint, though, was not so much the lacy handkerchief as much as the total lack of originality. I've smelled this one before, and so did you.

Some of the jasmine stays behind (my skin has always been a jasmine amplifier), but the drydown is mostly amber-sandalwood, and surprisingly, quite gorgeous. I really liked it after the first few hours, enough to give it a couple of chances, but it's just not worth it to sit through the lengthy floral stage.

All Fragrances, Great and Small

Despite the lack of fragrance posts lately, I've been sampling and testing quite a bit, and adding several new ones to my ever-growing wish list.

L'Artisan Perfumeur- Premier Figuier Extreme: I love it, and it's no big surprise, as fig (or fig leaf) is one of my favorite notes. I've always been a fan of the Fig Leaf and Cassis line from The Thymes, but their cologne is exactly that- a very weak and flat juice and not an EdP. They really disappointed me when they discontinued their environmental oil, which I used in my lamp rings almost daily. But here, at last, is the real thing: deep, warm, rich but keeps its green freshness. It's both comforting and sexy, has a dark edge to it but very wearable. The gorgeous limited edition bottle in the picture can be found at Aedes. The regular bottle is available from Luckyscents, and I also spotted it at my local C.O. Bigelow in Paramus.

L'artisan Perfumeur-Dzonkha: This could be described as Premier Figuier's complete opposite. But I still love it. There's nothing comforting about its serious presence. It's a calm, confident, stony-faced scent, aware of its beauty and accomplishments. For me, it doesn't evoke a Bhutanese fortress (not really surprising, as I've never been there or seen one), but it makes me think of Midtown Manhattan on a cloudy grey day. Steel, skyscrapers and the concrete pavements. Either way, it's complex, cold and very unisex. Like many scents of this kind, I liked it better on my husband than on myself. However, he has found it a bit too bitter to wear comfortably.
A far better review of Dzonkha by Greeneyes can be found here.

Yosh- Winter Rose: This isn't a masterpiece. The reason I feel it needs to be stated is the fact that an 8 ml bottle of this perfume oil is sold for $200, which puts it right there with the most expensive of the JAR line (about $800 for 30 ml for Bolt of Lightning). However, this isn't a JAR creation. It's not as complex, interesting and well-blended and it doesn't give you the otherworldly impression that Mr. Rosenthal's work does. Don't get me wrong: It's a really nice one. It's rosy and spicy, and on my skin the cardamon was very dominant (I think I also detected a hint of saffron, though it's not a listed note). I like cardamon in chai, in rice, and apparently, I also like wearing it. But I don't adore it that much. It's a limited edition, only 250 bottles are available at Luckyscent.

Il Profumo- Encens Epice: I really loved this one. Not all incense fragrances work this well for me (I can't stand CdG's Zagorsk or the original Regina Harris). But this one has a lot to offer when it comes to spice and wood. Coriander seeds, cypress and a drydown of blond tobacco are making it smell rich and honeyed, cozy but with enough character to keep things interesting. It's a great cold weather scent, in my opinion, and can probably be worn by both men and women, though I used every drop of my sample without testing it on my husband. I tested the EdP, but when I get a full bottle I'll probably go with the oil.

Tocca Perfume- Florence, Stella and Touch: Tocca's famous candles had many people eagerly waiting for the personal fragrance version. I don't use candles (a result of allergies and a house full of cats), so I wasn't familiar with the scents, only with their reputation. I was especially curious about Stella and its orange flowery goodness. I sniffed the bottle a couple of months ago and nearly bought it based on that. I'm very glad that I didn't. On the skin it becomes a very sweet orange confection. March from Perfume Posse described it as an upscale nouvelle cuisine orange creamsicle, and I agree. It's dessert-like until the drydown that is all musk and reminds me a lot of Valentino V Absolu. Nice enough, but doesn't rock my world.
Neither did Touch, with its fruity-floral boring composition that turned into a heady white floral and not in a good way. But the worst was Florence. March blames it on the cabbage rose note, but what made it into a horrible scrubber as far as I'm concerned, was the bathroom-worthy jasmine. It was horrible and hard to wash off. Florence has clung to my skin like nothing else in my memory and required lots of hot water, soap and hand cream until it was finally gone. I kept sniffing my wrist in panic that a trace of it might still be there.
If you must, both Sephora and Bergdorf sell them, as well as Luckyscents (link above).

Robert Piguet- Fracas: This fragrance doesn't really belong on the list, as it's a classic one from 1948. Also, I've sniffed it a couple of times in the past, so it wasn't really new to me. However, last week I decided to test it, so it is worth talking about.
The reason I avoided it for so long was my original impression that it smelled just like Chloe, my mom's favorite fragrance of all time. Through all the years of living in the same house as countless Chloe bottles, I've never once actually tried it. It was my mother's signature scent and so identified with her that I couldn't (and still can't) even think of giving it a try. However, two things have happened in recent years. My mother started to venture out of this tuberose comfort zone and Chloe had been demoted and degraded into a drugstore EdT (the original EdP in the milky glass bottle has been discontinued).
This is why my wrist has found itself sprayed with Fracas. And, I was right, It does smell just like the old Chloe, only with more depth and richness. It's a similar white floral combination (the infamous tuberose, orange, lily of the valley, jasmine, gardenia and a musky finish. It's pretty, but I can't be objective or adequately describe it. Also, I can't wear it. It smells like my mother.

Anat Fritz-Anat Fritz: This is a new one, created by a knitwear designer who is based in Berlin. As far as I know, here in the U.S. the fragrance is a Luckyscent exclusive. It's a typical cold-weather scent that starts with a distinct lavender note that doesn't completely go away even as the scent wears on. It is joined by vetiver and woods to create a very clean and dry experience. It can be easily worn by men as to my nose it lacks any of the traditional feminine notes and it isn't seductive or flirty in any way. But it is very pleasant, interesting and caused me to bring my wrist to my nose many times during the EdP long wear. But, it's true beauty is revealed when it's lightly sprayed on sweaters and coats. I think I need a bottle just to keep in my closet and make my clothes smell divine. The fact that I also like wearing it is simply a bonus.

All Fragrances, Great and Small

Despite the lack of fragrance posts lately, I've been sampling and testing quite a bit, and adding several new ones to my ever-growing wish list.

L'Artisan Perfumeur- Premier Figuier Extreme: I love it, and it's no big surprise, as fig (or fig leaf) is one of my favorite notes. I've always been a fan of the Fig Leaf and Cassis line from The Thymes, but their cologne is exactly that- a very weak and flat juice and not an EdP. They really disappointed me when they discontinued their environmental oil, which I used in my lamp rings almost daily. But here, at last, is the real thing: deep, warm, rich but keeps its green freshness. It's both comforting and sexy, has a dark edge to it but very wearable. The gorgeous limited edition bottle in the picture can be found at Aedes. The regular bottle is available from Luckyscents, and I also spotted it at my local C.O. Bigelow in Paramus.

L'artisan Perfumeur-Dzonkha: This could be described as Premier Figuier's complete opposite. But I still love it. There's nothing comforting about its serious presence. It's a calm, confident, stony-faced scent, aware of its beauty and accomplishments. For me, it doesn't evoke a Bhutanese fortress (not really surprising, as I've never been there or seen one), but it makes me think of Midtown Manhattan on a cloudy grey day. Steel, skyscrapers and the concrete pavements. Either way, it's complex, cold and very unisex. Like many scents of this kind, I liked it better on my husband than on myself. However, he has found it a bit too bitter to wear comfortably.
A far better review of Dzonkha by Greeneyes can be found here.

Yosh- Winter Rose: This isn't a masterpiece. The reason I feel it needs to be stated is the fact that an 8 ml bottle of this perfume oil is sold for $200, which puts it right there with the most expensive of the JAR line (about $800 for 30 ml for Bolt of Lightning). However, this isn't a JAR creation. It's not as complex, interesting and well-blended and it doesn't give you the otherworldly impression that Mr. Rosenthal's work does. Don't get me wrong: It's a really nice one. It's rosy and spicy, and on my skin the cardamon was very dominant (I think I also detected a hint of saffron, though it's not a listed note). I like cardamon in chai, in rice, and apparently, I also like wearing it. But I don't adore it that much. It's a limited edition, only 250 bottles are available at Luckyscent.

Il Profumo- Encens Epice: I really loved this one. Not all incense fragrances work this well for me (I can't stand CdG's Zagorsk or the original Regina Harris). But this one has a lot to offer when it comes to spice and wood. Coriander seeds, cypress and a drydown of blond tobacco are making it smell rich and honeyed, cozy but with enough character to keep things interesting. It's a great cold weather scent, in my opinion, and can probably be worn by both men and women, though I used every drop of my sample without testing it on my husband. I tested the EdP, but when I get a full bottle I'll probably go with the oil.

Tocca Perfume- Florence, Stella and Touch: Tocca's famous candles had many people eagerly waiting for the personal fragrance version. I don't use candles (a result of allergies and a house full of cats), so I wasn't familiar with the scents, only with their reputation. I was especially curious about Stella and its orange flowery goodness. I sniffed the bottle a couple of months ago and nearly bought it based on that. I'm very glad that I didn't. On the skin it becomes a very sweet orange confection. March from Perfume Posse described it as an upscale nouvelle cuisine orange creamsicle, and I agree. It's dessert-like until the drydown that is all musk and reminds me a lot of Valentino V Absolu. Nice enough, but doesn't rock my world.
Neither did Touch, with its fruity-floral boring composition that turned into a heady white floral and not in a good way. But the worst was Florence. March blames it on the cabbage rose note, but what made it into a horrible scrubber as far as I'm concerned, was the bathroom-worthy jasmine. It was horrible and hard to wash off. Florence has clung to my skin like nothing else in my memory and required lots of hot water, soap and hand cream until it was finally gone. I kept sniffing my wrist in panic that a trace of it might still be there.
If you must, both Sephora and Bergdorf sell them, as well as Luckyscents (link above).

Robert Piguet- Fracas: This fragrance doesn't really belong on the list, as it's a classic one from 1948. Also, I've sniffed it a couple of times in the past, so it wasn't really new to me. However, last week I decided to test it, so it is worth talking about.
The reason I avoided it for so long was my original impression that it smelled just like Chloe, my mom's favorite fragrance of all time. Through all the years of living in the same house as countless Chloe bottles, I've never once actually tried it. It was my mother's signature scent and so identified with her that I couldn't (and still can't) even think of giving it a try. However, two things have happened in recent years. My mother started to venture out of this tuberose comfort zone and Chloe had been demoted and degraded into a drugstore EdT (the original EdP in the milky glass bottle has been discontinued).
This is why my wrist has found itself sprayed with Fracas. And, I was right, It does smell just like the old Chloe, only with more depth and richness. It's a similar white floral combination (the infamous tuberose, orange, lily of the valley, jasmine, gardenia and a musky finish. It's pretty, but I can't be objective or adequately describe it. Also, I can't wear it. It smells like my mother.

Anat Fritz-Anat Fritz: This is a new one, created by a knitwear designer who is based in Berlin. As far as I know, here in the U.S. the fragrance is a Luckyscent exclusive. It's a typical cold-weather scent that starts with a distinct lavender note that doesn't completely go away even as the scent wears on. It is joined by vetiver and woods to create a very clean and dry experience. It can be easily worn by men as to my nose it lacks any of the traditional feminine notes and it isn't seductive or flirty in any way. But it is very pleasant, interesting and caused me to bring my wrist to my nose many times during the EdP long wear. But, it's true beauty is revealed when it's lightly sprayed on sweaters and coats. I think I need a bottle just to keep in my closet and make my clothes smell divine. The fact that I also like wearing it is simply a bonus.

All Fragrances, Great and Small

Despite the lack of fragrance posts lately, I've been sampling and testing quite a bit, and adding several new ones to my ever-growing wish list.

L'Artisan Perfumeur- Premier Figuier Extreme: I love it, and it's no big surprise, as fig (or fig leaf) is one of my favorite notes. I've always been a fan of the Fig Leaf and Cassis line from The Thymes, but their cologne is exactly that- a very weak and flat juice and not an EdP. They really disappointed me when they discontinued their environmental oil, which I used in my lamp rings almost daily. But here, at last, is the real thing: deep, warm, rich but keeps its green freshness. It's both comforting and sexy, has a dark edge to it but very wearable. The gorgeous limited edition bottle in the picture can be found at Aedes. The regular bottle is available from Luckyscents, and I also spotted it at my local C.O. Bigelow in Paramus.

L'artisan Perfumeur-Dzonkha: This could be described as Premier Figuier's complete opposite. But I still love it. There's nothing comforting about its serious presence. It's a calm, confident, stony-faced scent, aware of its beauty and accomplishments. For me, it doesn't evoke a Bhutanese fortress (not really surprising, as I've never been there or seen one), but it makes me think of Midtown Manhattan on a cloudy grey day. Steel, skyscrapers and the concrete pavements. Either way, it's complex, cold and very unisex. Like many scents of this kind, I liked it better on my husband than on myself. However, he has found it a bit too bitter to wear comfortably.
A far better review of Dzonkha by Greeneyes can be found here.

Yosh- Winter Rose: This isn't a masterpiece. The reason I feel it needs to be stated is the fact that an 8 ml bottle of this perfume oil is sold for $200, which puts it right there with the most expensive of the JAR line (about $800 for 30 ml for Bolt of Lightning). However, this isn't a JAR creation. It's not as complex, interesting and well-blended and it doesn't give you the otherworldly impression that Mr. Rosenthal's work does. Don't get me wrong: It's a really nice one. It's rosy and spicy, and on my skin the cardamon was very dominant (I think I also detected a hint of saffron, though it's not a listed note). I like cardamon in chai, in rice, and apparently, I also like wearing it. But I don't adore it that much. It's a limited edition, only 250 bottles are available at Luckyscent.

Il Profumo- Encens Epice: I really loved this one. Not all incense fragrances work this well for me (I can't stand CdG's Zagorsk or the original Regina Harris). But this one has a lot to offer when it comes to spice and wood. Coriander seeds, cypress and a drydown of blond tobacco are making it smell rich and honeyed, cozy but with enough character to keep things interesting. It's a great cold weather scent, in my opinion, and can probably be worn by both men and women, though I used every drop of my sample without testing it on my husband. I tested the EdP, but when I get a full bottle I'll probably go with the oil.

Tocca Perfume- Florence, Stella and Touch: Tocca's famous candles had many people eagerly waiting for the personal fragrance version. I don't use candles (a result of allergies and a house full of cats), so I wasn't familiar with the scents, only with their reputation. I was especially curious about Stella and its orange flowery goodness. I sniffed the bottle a couple of months ago and nearly bought it based on that. I'm very glad that I didn't. On the skin it becomes a very sweet orange confection. March from Perfume Posse described it as an upscale nouvelle cuisine orange creamsicle, and I agree. It's dessert-like until the drydown that is all musk and reminds me a lot of Valentino V Absolu. Nice enough, but doesn't rock my world.
Neither did Touch, with its fruity-floral boring composition that turned into a heady white floral and not in a good way. But the worst was Florence. March blames it on the cabbage rose note, but what made it into a horrible scrubber as far as I'm concerned, was the bathroom-worthy jasmine. It was horrible and hard to wash off. Florence has clung to my skin like nothing else in my memory and required lots of hot water, soap and hand cream until it was finally gone. I kept sniffing my wrist in panic that a trace of it might still be there.
If you must, both Sephora and Bergdorf sell them, as well as Luckyscents (link above).

Robert Piguet- Fracas: This fragrance doesn't really belong on the list, as it's a classic one from 1948. Also, I've sniffed it a couple of times in the past, so it wasn't really new to me. However, last week I decided to test it, so it is worth talking about.
The reason I avoided it for so long was my original impression that it smelled just like Chloe, my mom's favorite fragrance of all time. Through all the years of living in the same house as countless Chloe bottles, I've never once actually tried it. It was my mother's signature scent and so identified with her that I couldn't (and still can't) even think of giving it a try. However, two things have happened in recent years. My mother started to venture out of this tuberose comfort zone and Chloe had been demoted and degraded into a drugstore EdT (the original EdP in the milky glass bottle has been discontinued).
This is why my wrist has found itself sprayed with Fracas. And, I was right, It does smell just like the old Chloe, only with more depth and richness. It's a similar white floral combination (the infamous tuberose, orange, lily of the valley, jasmine, gardenia and a musky finish. It's pretty, but I can't be objective or adequately describe it. Also, I can't wear it. It smells like my mother.

Anat Fritz-Anat Fritz: This is a new one, created by a knitwear designer who is based in Berlin. As far as I know, here in the U.S. the fragrance is a Luckyscent exclusive. It's a typical cold-weather scent that starts with a distinct lavender note that doesn't completely go away even as the scent wears on. It is joined by vetiver and woods to create a very clean and dry experience. It can be easily worn by men as to my nose it lacks any of the traditional feminine notes and it isn't seductive or flirty in any way. But it is very pleasant, interesting and caused me to bring my wrist to my nose many times during the EdP long wear. But, it's true beauty is revealed when it's lightly sprayed on sweaters and coats. I think I need a bottle just to keep in my closet and make my clothes smell divine. The fact that I also like wearing it is simply a bonus.

Loveliness

I can't claim this as my discovery, because I found Anna Sofia's Designs through the lovely GreenEyes from Sweet Diva, who in turn discovered her through Modish, my favorite obsession right now. But I already own the lovely hand-crafted necklace in the picture and I just bought two others. The concept is original: Jewelry made of vintage paper (laminated, of course). It doesn't look like anything else, and the colors are adorable.

Loveliness

I can't claim this as my discovery, because I found Anna Sofia's Designs through the lovely GreenEyes from Sweet Diva, who in turn discovered her through Modish, my favorite obsession right now. But I already own the lovely hand-crafted necklace in the picture and I just bought two others. The concept is original: Jewelry made of vintage paper (laminated, of course). It doesn't look like anything else, and the colors are adorable.

Loveliness

I can't claim this as my discovery, because I found Anna Sofia's Designs through the lovely GreenEyes from Sweet Diva, who in turn discovered her through Modish, my favorite obsession right now. But I already own the lovely hand-crafted necklace in the picture and I just bought two others. The concept is original: Jewelry made of vintage paper (laminated, of course). It doesn't look like anything else, and the colors are adorable.

Honey- Serge Lutens Miel de Bois

I could write a full review of Serge Lutens' Miel de Bois, the latest fragrance to join my collection. However, Sweet Diva has already said it here. This is another much-maligned perfume that doesn't seem to work on many people, but I find it to be nothing but loveliness.

The first in-bottle whiff was honey. When it touched my skin there was a lot of sweet woody goodness, and the dry-down is back to deep, spiced honey. It holds well on my skin and feels very sexy and satisfying.

The only problem? Together with my bottle and a bunch of other samples, there was one of Douce Amere, and now I'm smitten. Again.

Honey- Serge Lutens Miel de Bois

I could write a full review of Serge Lutens' Miel de Bois, the latest fragrance to join my collection. However, Sweet Diva has already said it here. This is another much-maligned perfume that doesn't seem to work on many people, but I find it to be nothing but loveliness.

The first in-bottle whiff was honey. When it touched my skin there was a lot of sweet woody goodness, and the dry-down is back to deep, spiced honey. It holds well on my skin and feels very sexy and satisfying.

The only problem? Together with my bottle and a bunch of other samples, there was one of Douce Amere, and now I'm smitten. Again.

Honey- Serge Lutens Miel de Bois

I could write a full review of Serge Lutens' Miel de Bois, the latest fragrance to join my collection. However, Sweet Diva has already said it here. This is another much-maligned perfume that doesn't seem to work on many people, but I find it to be nothing but loveliness.

The first in-bottle whiff was honey. When it touched my skin there was a lot of sweet woody goodness, and the dry-down is back to deep, spiced honey. It holds well on my skin and feels very sexy and satisfying.

The only problem? Together with my bottle and a bunch of other samples, there was one of Douce Amere, and now I'm smitten. Again.

Sephora's Fall Looks

While waiting for my September magazines to arrive, I've been browsing the fall offerings of the various stores and sites. Sweet Diva has already went over the looks from Neiman Marcus, so my contribution will be an overview of Sephora's Four decades-Four looks.
'60s Mod Girl
I love looking at this picture and I love 60s fashion. It's romantically glamorous to me, probably because I wasn't even born then. There are two major principles to this look: The exagarated lashes and the very pale mouth. The first isn't very practical. You can't go like that to work, and it would look weird for many evening outings. My very dark eyes are large enough that adding so much milage to the lashes would look comical, not pretty. As for very pale mouth, I'm not sure I can pull it off. I can do a clear gloss over my naturally not very pale lips or I can do nude as in very close to my natural color, but anything lighter than that looks weird on my olive skin.
'70 Earth Angel
Bronzed skin and Stila's Silver Maple shadow trio is actually something I can pull off. I've had my eye on Stila's shadows for a while. In the picture, the lighting makes the colors seem more brown than silver/slate, which makes the blonde, fair colored model look like she was doing what Sweet Diva called the "mud-munching zombie" thing. In both cases, I think this look is much more flattering on the non-blonde crowd. Very dark brown and charcoal grey look too harsh on very fair skin.
'80s Rock Diva
I almost love this look. Once again, what we have here is silver and very dark metallic grey shadows, just with a stronger mouth. The colors are lovely on the model. I think I might be able to pull off something similar, though being of a very different coloring I'd probably tone it down a bit- less shimmer and smokiness to go with the lips, and a little more neutral lipcolor when going all glam on the eyes. But this is something I'd really like to try.
'90s Grunge Gamine
The "I'm not wearing any makeup look". Are you kidding me?

Sephora's Fall Looks

While waiting for my September magazines to arrive, I've been browsing the fall offerings of the various stores and sites. Sweet Diva has already went over the looks from Neiman Marcus, so my contribution will be an overview of Sephora's Four decades-Four looks.
'60s Mod Girl
I love looking at this picture and I love 60s fashion. It's romantically glamorous to me, probably because I wasn't even born then. There are two major principles to this look: The exagarated lashes and the very pale mouth. The first isn't very practical. You can't go like that to work, and it would look weird for many evening outings. My very dark eyes are large enough that adding so much milage to the lashes would look comical, not pretty. As for very pale mouth, I'm not sure I can pull it off. I can do a clear gloss over my naturally not very pale lips or I can do nude as in very close to my natural color, but anything lighter than that looks weird on my olive skin.
'70 Earth Angel
Bronzed skin and Stila's Silver Maple shadow trio is actually something I can pull off. I've had my eye on Stila's shadows for a while. In the picture, the lighting makes the colors seem more brown than silver/slate, which makes the blonde, fair colored model look like she was doing what Sweet Diva called the "mud-munching zombie" thing. In both cases, I think this look is much more flattering on the non-blonde crowd. Very dark brown and charcoal grey look too harsh on very fair skin.
'80s Rock Diva
I almost love this look. Once again, what we have here is silver and very dark metallic grey shadows, just with a stronger mouth. The colors are lovely on the model. I think I might be able to pull off something similar, though being of a very different coloring I'd probably tone it down a bit- less shimmer and smokiness to go with the lips, and a little more neutral lipcolor when going all glam on the eyes. But this is something I'd really like to try.
'90s Grunge Gamine
The "I'm not wearing any makeup look". Are you kidding me?

Sephora's Fall Looks

While waiting for my September magazines to arrive, I've been browsing the fall offerings of the various stores and sites. Sweet Diva has already went over the looks from Neiman Marcus, so my contribution will be an overview of Sephora's Four decades-Four looks.
'60s Mod Girl
I love looking at this picture and I love 60s fashion. It's romantically glamorous to me, probably because I wasn't even born then. There are two major principles to this look: The exagarated lashes and the very pale mouth. The first isn't very practical. You can't go like that to work, and it would look weird for many evening outings. My very dark eyes are large enough that adding so much milage to the lashes would look comical, not pretty. As for very pale mouth, I'm not sure I can pull it off. I can do a clear gloss over my naturally not very pale lips or I can do nude as in very close to my natural color, but anything lighter than that looks weird on my olive skin.
'70 Earth Angel
Bronzed skin and Stila's Silver Maple shadow trio is actually something I can pull off. I've had my eye on Stila's shadows for a while. In the picture, the lighting makes the colors seem more brown than silver/slate, which makes the blonde, fair colored model look like she was doing what Sweet Diva called the "mud-munching zombie" thing. In both cases, I think this look is much more flattering on the non-blonde crowd. Very dark brown and charcoal grey look too harsh on very fair skin.
'80s Rock Diva
I almost love this look. Once again, what we have here is silver and very dark metallic grey shadows, just with a stronger mouth. The colors are lovely on the model. I think I might be able to pull off something similar, though being of a very different coloring I'd probably tone it down a bit- less shimmer and smokiness to go with the lips, and a little more neutral lipcolor when going all glam on the eyes. But this is something I'd really like to try.
'90s Grunge Gamine
The "I'm not wearing any makeup look". Are you kidding me?