Bobbi Brown Bath Perfume- Good Clean Fun

I'm nothing if not a woman of broad tastes. I can appreciate vintage Guerlain Aprés L'Ondee parfum, swoon over it's heartbreaking beauty while weeping over it's unavailability while I watch bottles as rare as gems sell for many thousands on ebay. But, I am not a perfume snob, and I can appreciate something that makes my skin smell lovely, no matter what the price tag says. Which is both a good and a bad thing....

One of my favourite, easy, cheap and cheerful perfume is Bobbi Brown's Bath. It is meant to evoke that squeaky clean feeling one has after the bath- obviously- and does a good of it. It's chock full of soapy and wonderful orange blossom and neroli that blooms on the skin, with a gentle note of water hyacinth that adds a watery aspect. It is uncomplicated, like a simple cologne, and as easy to wear as a white t shirt. It is definitely a soapy perfume, and an unapologetic one at that. I would say this is pretty much Ivory soap, and I have always loved the scent of Ivory. Wet and warm freshly scrubbed skin, good clean fun...

This perfume is particularly lovely in extreme heat, as you have that just jumped out of the bath (or shower) feeling. And for a soapy cologne scent that does not cost the moon, I get amazing longevity from Bobbi Brown Bath- maybe 3-4 hours, even in the heat. It is perfect for daytime, and also lovely for a night out, maybe on a patio with a nice cool drink. This sweet little perfume has garnered me so many compliments when I wear it, one wonders if we really might be over thinking our perfumes. I've been stopped by strangers asking me what perfume I'm wearing. It makes me think of a line from one of my favourite movies, Amadeus, when Emperor Joseph II tells Mozart that his music "is quality work....there are simply too many notes". 

       


I got mine at Murale  (it is available on their website) in Canada, and I have seen at the Bobbi Brown cosmetic counter recently as well. But I see that it is no longer on her website, and is "unavailable" on the Nordstrom site. Hm. Maybe it's going to be discontinued? For the bargain $48 I paid, I may go buy another bottle as back up.

My Skin And Hair Are Soft & Smell Like Flowers

My favourite season is upon us. The sun is shining, the air is shimmering in the humidity, and we have no choice but to slow down and enjoy it. And, what could be easier than dressing for summer? A fresh mani-pedi, hair pulled up, lots of sunscreen and soft skin...all you need is a simple sundress, a few dabs of your favourite perfume and you are ready to go. Ok, maybe a little more than that...

So I will share one of my most treasured skincare secrets...I've mentioned it in passing here before but it is so lovely and luxurious I just had to share it again. So you've done everything you need to do, right? Exfoliated to get rid of dry, ashy skin- check. Used a simple & gentle soap ( Dove! ) or a moisturizing shower gel ( L'Occitane Shea Butter Ultra Rich Shower Cream! ) - check. Applied your daily moisturizer? Make sure your feet are sandal ready ( do I really need to remind you again? ) & your hands have clean, bare nails or a fresh mani. No chips please! Have you had your summer trim & deep conditioning treatment? Because that is a good thing to do before spending time in the sun & humidity, not to mention swimming. 

Now that you have done these things, you need to do one more thing before slipping into that lovely sundress. Get some Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse Multi Use Dry Oil and get it now. There is almost nothing that cannot be made better with a bit of this miraculous multi-tasking nectar. It really is multi use- I use it on my skin and my hair, and it's so effective and incredible it *almost* makes me a better person. It is like pure silk on your skin, and being comprised of 98.1% natural ingredients, there no overly greasy feeling left behind. Your skin drinks it up. And, when applied sparingly to wet hair, it smooths & softens. Now. Can we talk about how it smells please? Nuxe doesn't discuss the scent on their website but here is what I think. Jasmine, orange blossom and honey- otherwise known as heaven.

So. Get some. You're welcome.

Nuxe is available at Shoppers Drug Mart and Murale in Canada. US shopping information is available here. And, how beautiful is this 20th Anniversary edition bottle?

Describing L'Artisan Parfumeur La Chasse aux Papillons Perfume is like Chasing Butterflies

One of my most favourite gentle floral perfumes for warmer days is L'Artisan Parfumeur La Chasse aux Papillons (Chasing Butterflies). It was launched in 1999, and is to me, a perfect representation of the perfume house of L'Artisan Parfumeur. Sheer, delicate and elegant, La Chasse is a summer day in a garden of tuberose, orange blossom, jasmine and lime blossom. It's tuberose for those who find Fracas just  Too Much and who find Jo Malone Orange Blossom just Too Little. The floral notes are beautifully balanced and never ever ever offend. It is delicate and gauzy, just like a butterfly, and if I close my eyes and sniff, I am in a garden on a hot sunny day. Maybe I love La Chasse because it reminds me of my most favourite kind of weather in the whole world? I swear I can even see blue skies when I wear it. There is the tiniest hint of soap in the dry down but nowhere near the soapy levels in, say, Prada Infusion Fleur d'Oranger, which I love, but in a OMG Soap! kind of way. There is no weird musk dry down and when La Chasse goes away it gently flutters away making you wish it would hang around a little longer. That is the one complaint most have with this perfume- that it is too fleeting. I don't have a problem with that, as I simply apply more. I'd rather miss a perfume than wish I could get. It. Off. Now.

It is one of L'Artisan's best sellers, and when I wear it I see why. I want to cover myself in it. I like that it simply smells pretty. It doesn't try to impress with weird trendy notes (oud- I am looking at you) or blow away the competition with killer sillage that fills the room. It just makes you smell pretty. When I wear this, I always get asked what perfume am I wearing. But, only by people who get close enough to smell it.  Which is the way it should be, in my opinion. I know it is unpopular in most perfume circles but honestly. If we all wore monster perfumes we would all be competing for air space and no one could enjoy anything. Don't wear perfume like yours is the only one that matters. Even strong perfumes can be judiciously applied. Share the air. Please.

This is a scent I'd love in my hair. Oscar Blandi has a jasmine shampoo but it is nowhere as pretty as La Chasse. For some reason the thought of a sitting in a butterfly garden, with a breeze blowing through my hair, wafting gentle, transparent and "sparkling" flower notes around me is just so romantic... I would like to go to there please. So today I will spritz some La Chasse aux Papillons, and walk in the sunshine. I am feeling pretty blessed these days. 

By Kilian Sweet Redemption

I adore perfumes with orange blossom. There is a simplicity and innocence to that scent that evokes soap, babies and even sweet desserts. You can be transported to a romantic garden with intoxicating blossoms surrounding you. But therein lies the issue with this flower. We don’t always want to smell like sweet gentle babies in the garden. Leave it to By Kilian to amp up the sensuous quality of orange blossom while keeping the true to gorgeous nature of the flower.  Love & Tears, Surrender, has been a favorite of mine since first sniff, so I couldn’t wait for this latest release.

                                 

Sweet Redemption, The End, is the last of the L’Oeuvre Noire collection. The notes from the By Kilian website include bitter orange leaf, vanilla, orange blossom and myrrh, oppononax and incense. Where the average orange blossom scent sits prim, pretty & freshly scrubbed, Sweet Redemption melts into the skin. The vanilla wraps around the resins and warm on the skin beautifully as the scent dries down. These sweet mysterious notes add a sexy factor to orange blossom that is unexpected and seductive, making you want to lean in closer. As I wear it I’m sniffing my wrist & thinking how perfect this will be in cooler weather. Sweet Redemption may be The End of the series, but it will likely be the beginning of many other wonderful things...

...is that the end up ahead?

The By Killian Collection is available at Holt Renfrew in Canada. This review was originally posted on The Kit.

Gently Beautiful- Etro Heliotrope

Etro’s Heliotrope, with notes of heliotrope, sweet almond, vanilla, orange blossom, ylang-ylang, and petit grain, is the perfect scent to wear to when you want to feel cozy. It’s sweet without being cloying and candy-ish and warm without being redolent with spices.

Heliotrope is slightly powdery but in a good way. The scent of almond adds to the powdery softness of the heliotrope, and the vanilla makes it slightly sweeter and maybe a tiny bit alcoholic- maybe it reminds me a bit of Amaretto. Heliotrope is an interesting flower that is often talked about as having a “cherry pie” scent. I sometimes find cherry and almond share a similar scent so maybe that is what gives it that Amaretto/marzipan scent. 

Petit grain adds just enough sharpness in the dry down to keep this scent from turning into your baby powder, giving it a decidedly grown up and modern edge. The orange blossom and ylang ylang come through in the dry down as gentle delicate clean flowers.

This is a perfect perfume for the crisp days of fall.  Those clear days with fiery leaves and bright-blue skies and the cloudy grey days when the leaves are the only light around.

Funny, I wore Heliotrope in the summer and it was much more floral, with the vanillic sweetness taking a back seat. It is chameleonic that way so perhaps it will only get better as the weather gets colder. I also think this would be a wonderful scent to wear after a long day full of stress and headaches. It’s so calming and sweet, comforting, the perfume equivalent of a hug. How beautiful.