Photographed in one post by request: my fragrance collection. All 15 fragrances I own (minus one from Tocca which I gifted away and not including the little tiny samples I have accumulated). Where reviews are applicable I will link them. All photos were taken with my iPhone 4S Hipstamatic App.
I rotate my fragrances more frequently than I rotate my foundations. My nose is fickle and tires quickly of the same scent when I wear them. I’ll alternate depending on mood. The longest I’ve worn a single fragrance is 4 days in a row (Jo Malone Wild Bluebell which I consider magical b/c I use it quite liberally and have barely made a dent in usage). I find the Jo Malone fragrances to be the most simple/pure which allows for easy layering. Out of all of these, my Jo Malone Tea Fragrances are my most worn. Have I used up any yet? No … but I’m more than 1/2 way finished with some of my limited edition Jo Malone tea fragrances.
What fragrances do you own? Or have owned/used up? I feel like my fragrance collection grew overnight and I completely blame my friend LJ along with other fragrance bloggers. Can I count some of my Jo Malones as 1/2 a fragrance because of the size? I know my L’Artisan Holiday Trio is getting used up very fast (each are in the miniature sizes which I will count as 1/3 of a full-sized one). I almost always purchase the smaller option for fragrances even though the larger sizes are often a much better buy. I’m curious to know how many fragrances do you own?
Jo Malone has introduced a new fragrance collection called Wild Bluebell available in four different pieces: cologne, body & hand wash, body creme and home candle. The collection has arrived at Neiman Marcus and I have fallen in love with every piece in the line. It’s a light and fresh floral that smells like a spring garden with top notes of fresh bluebell (engineered equivalent) and clove combined with hints of lily of the valley, eglantine, jasmine, white amber and musk. The theme is more whimsical and fairy-tale like with the focus on a nymph-like character and white rabbits rather than the actual product.
My local Neimans Jo Malone rep called me the minute it arrived. I asked for her thoughts over the phone and she felt it was a nice light scent but very different for Jo Malone. Her impression was that it would be a wonderful layering piece. A few customers who came in reported they smelled watermelon before it dried down. Although some have not been thrilled with departure of recent releases (Tea Collection & Cherry Blossom) from traditional Jo Malone scents, I have been ecstatic with all recent collections this year These are lighter, fresher, less complex scents that are great for the no-perfume kind of woman like myself. To me, the recent releases feel more youthful and energizing. I love the variety and feel the new releases this year layer well with the other scents in the line.
I went with an open mind not knowing what to expect. I cannot put my nose exactly on what it is I smell except that it’s refreshing and light, just like spring. It’s clearly floral, but the hints of clove and musk prevent it from being overly floral. When I first sprayed it on my wrist, I smelled a slight hint of watermelon, but not in the fruity sense. At first spritz I noticed a fresh wave of fragrance similar to a fresh watermelon but this dries down to a floral. Best Things in Beauty has a wonderful detailed review and Lipglossipping has more information and beautiful preview photos from an event earlier this year. I highly recommend you read their reviews to learn more.
I splurged on the cologne & candle online and the body wash instore. Over the past week I’ve found everything very calming and refreshing. I don’t recommend ordering the candles online during the summer – the heat can be damaging as it will melt the product causing a mess. Mine, thankfully, arrived in perfect condition due to a rush shipment.
The lasting power on the cologne and shower gel is light to medium. I find most fragrances tend to fade quickly on me but I am one that prefers lighter scents that aren’t overpowering. The candles are to die for and Wild Bluebell has been burning in my home the past week. I can easily see myself stocking up on a few during September’s Beauty Event. I love everything about this fragrance and am testing out the body creme right now.
Neiman Marcus Beverly Hills has all the items except the candle which they expect to be receiving soon. The official release is scheduled for September and they are expecting new displays in the Wild Bluebell theme with blue ribbons and little bells for their bags. They have one of the most beautiful Jo Malone displays I’ve ever seen (front and in the corner of the store). If you happen to be in LA, I highly recommend you visit them. This past weekend I met the team at Neiman Marcus Beverly Hills for the first time: Navid, Bryan and Henga. All extremely knowledgeable, helpful and wonderful. I highly recommend you visit their store to experience Jo Malone first hand.
The price points and offerings for the Wild Bluebell Collection:
Cologne 30 ml $55
Cologne 100 ml $110
Body & Handwash 250 ml $50
Body Creme 175 ml $75
Home Candle 200g/45 hours burn time $65
PS – On an unrelated note, Edward Bess will be in-store at Neiman Marcus Beverly Hills until Wednesday!
Have you tried this? What are your thoughts? What are your favorite Jo Malone items?
I tend to carry a lot with me in my purse. I accumulate things over the week so by Thursday, the purse of the week is typically chock-full of way too much. So for the woman who carries too much, what’s the best way to carry the just essentials? Find a smaller purse. Today’s feature will be on what’s inside my Vert Fonce (Dark Green) Quilted Caviar Wallet On Chain (I believe this style/color combination is exclusive to Saks).
For those new to Chanel, the Wallet On Chain is exactly that. A larger sized wallet/clutch styled bag put on a chain to be worn over the shoulder. It has a few slots for your id and credit cards plus extra pockets and 2 zippered compartments. It’s just the right size for just the essentials: keys, phone, id, money and a lipstick.
Inside mine: Edward Bess Lip Gloss, Chanel Rouge Allure Laque, mini Jo Malone purse spray (received as a GWP from previous beauty event), iPhone, keys, gum + id/cards, cash in the zippered front pocket
The little black case is a leather Jo Malone cologne holder, it came with 2 mini sprays and just so happens to be the perfect size for 1 mini cologne + 1 mini lipstick, I wish more brands did cute GWPs like this with useable cases/bags:
I don’t know the last time I carried this little. Even with my pouchettes, I tend to pack them. You can check out these resources for more information on pricing, dimensions, styles, colors, seasons styling ideas here:
Green isn’t really a “me” color but the moment I saw it I had to have it. That said, after having this for less than a week – I’ve found green is new to me for my wardrobe, I have quite a few kelly greens, no army greens yet. I will have to experiment in the upcoming weeks trying to coordinate green with the rest of my wardrobe. It matches the Khaki Vert nail polish perfectly (previously reviewed here), but as mentioned the other day, matching green nails with a green purse = too green. Overall a great going-out bag, perfect for biking on the weekends around the beach, nice for running quick errands, but for everyday – not so practical since I tend to carry a lot more than just the essentials. I’m still in love with the quilted texture.
I took the day off work to go to South Coast Plaza. Two-day weekends simply don’t allow enough time to goof off and have fun. I just finished a series of presentations at work so I decided a day off was in order. There were so many beautiful window displays. How fun would it be to have a job in visuals? Unfortunately I didn’t get pictures of all the pretty ones because my iPhone died while I was there. Most of these are from today’s mini shopping trip. There are a couple that are from earlier in the year.
Miu Miu
Tiffany & Co.
Tod’s
Madewell
Louis Vuitton (from earlier this year, can’t believe it’s already mid-May)
Jo Malone – lovely Cherry Blossom displays
Chanel Boutique {swoon}
I missed out on Dior which always has beautiful displays, but you can see Dior’s reflection:
SpaceNK inside Bloomingdales (in the back corner of the beauty department) featuring Rococo Nail Apparel
Have a happy Friday! It appears Blogger is still working out a few kinks with their maintenance. I noticed a number of comments have mysteriously disappeared. If they aren’t restored in the next day or two, I will restore them myself from my emails.
For those wondering, all pics in this particular post were taken with my iPhone which I believe is the very first generation of iPhones. I’m one you would call a “late adopter” of technology and rarely upgrade on new gadgets unless pushed (my regular Sony camera is after all more than 5 years old). Although, when I do, I have to say, I love to oooh and aahhh at all the fancy features and often wonder why I didn’t change sooner.
Back on topic – who makes your favorite window displays?
Jo Malone Tea Fragrances – layering these together creates the most lovely uplifting scents. I find them simple, pure and refreshing! (each scent reviewed here)
Chanel Ombres Perleés de Chanel, perfect for a lovely glow and easy to apply with fingers (reviewed and swatched here)
NARS Kalahari Duo & Fez Single Eyeshadow – I’ve been using my depotted Kalahari and it was about time for a replacement so I bought a new one. It’s one of my holy-grail neutrals. Fez is a beautiful bronzey copper (swatched here).
Chanel Stylo Yeux Waterproof in Ébène is a pure black and stays put all day and Urban Decay’s 24/7 Shadow Pencil Blending Brush is the perfect brush for blending smokey colors (not so great for blending lighter shades all over the lid, but for darker shades and detail areas or smudging it’s great)
Giorgio Armani Blush #2 – the original Armani products were the best in my opinion. Classic nude soft neutrals never go out of style. #2 is a soft luminous peachy pink.
Bobbi Brown Aruba Illuminating Bronzing Powder is a golden shimmer bronze (see it here too)
Chanel Joyeuse from the Le Blanc Asia Exclusive Collection is a beautiful bright pink (see it reviewed here as well)
More bright lips: Paul & Joe Lip Lacquer 02 Can-Can (here too), Dior Model Addict Lipstick (also here) and Chanel’s Rouge Coco Shine in Adventure (I used up the entire sample from the little card I received and went out to buy the full sized version)
Finding the best storage solutions to fit one’s room is always a challenge for makeup. Many have asked for advice on how I store everything. This is something I am always working on as my stash grows. If you click on the storage tag below you will see a few previous posts with ideas. For an update, click to see more. To recap:
I mainly store my items in the tall Ikea Alex Units. I have two of these side by side. These have shorter drawers and a few taller drawers ideal for storing things for easy viewing. I love these and can’t rave enough (even if it is a pain to put together). I’ve found a number of photos on Flickr featuring the Alex Units in put together rooms. Check out these links for ideas on how others use this unit: Ikea Alex Gallery 1, Gallery 2, Gallery 3, Gallery 4, Gallery 5, Google Images: Ikea Alex
For brushes and pencils, I use Stila Paint Cans (which can be hard to find), MUJI Acrylic Cylinders and Crate & Barrel Containers
To store lipglosses, MUJI has great acrylic solutions, high quality drawers with excellent craftsmanship. These are super sturdy and aesthetically pleasing (for acrylic). The price shown above reflects the price from 2009, I don’t know if the price is still current.
Today, I still utilize both Ikea Alex units and I have not added any more units, although ideally one more would be nice. You can see below the shallow shorter drawers are nice for storing things in short stacks for easy viewing. They are great for storing MAC Blushes, Bronzers and Mineralized Skinfinishes for easy access. Over the past year I’ve started using gift boxes as storage separators. I’m the type who will hold onto a pretty gift box for a while before tossing it. Jo Malone, Chanel and Dior make beautiful branded gift boxes. I’ve found some are the perfect height for lipsticks, multiples, glosses and such.
White box is from Dior, black box is the cap from a Chanel box – perfect size for lipsticks:
In the back is a MUJI cylinder, on the left a cute Paul & Joe tin, cream colored boxes on the right are the bottoms of Jo Malone candle boxes:
Another Jo Malone box (the base) to hold NARS Multiples and other skinny cream-liquid products:
Stacked MAC MSFs and Beauty Powders:
I’m still working on Nail Polish storage, but so far this is how they are stored in this post. The nail racks I’ve found are cheap and ugly, but they do the trick of storing them in an organized easy-to-see fashion. I don’t like storing them in boxes or drawers because those methods make it difficult to sort through the colors since all you see are the caps. If anyone has ideas on nail polish storage that you love, please share.
I’ve prepped for tomorrow (the night before) so I can get a few extra minutes of sleep in the morning. Here’s what I’m wearing on Tuesday plus what’s inside my Balenciaga First in Anthracite from S/S 2007 (everything except the Jo Malone Colognes fit):
Edward Bess Daydream Bronzer, Sunlight Highlighter
Bobbi Brown Pale Pink Blush (her original packaging), Python & Peony Palette, Lilac Rich Lip Color, Pale Peony Rich Color Gloss
Laura Mercier Lilac Lip Glace
Chanel Cassis Eyeliner, Star Glossimer, Tender Bisque Powder Foundation
Mini Brushes, iPhone, Wallet, Jo Malone Vitamin E Lip Balm sample
The items I’ll wear tomorrow
(look replicated from this past weekend):
Reviews on Bobbi Brown Python & Peony Palette along with the Pale Peony Rich Color Lip Gloss to come soon. Lilac has been previously swatched here.
