Meg here! I know, easy title. It's important I give you as much information as possible because mark my words. This is a line your going to be seeing everywhere. Crazylibellule And The Poppies make crazy sticks solid perfume. They have cult-like status in Paris and now they're making their way to the states! They are luxury at a very affordable price ($18-tres chic!) Like any good Parisian-or woman-they admire Coco Chanel. They love her, they know I love her, it makes perfect sense that they sent over their crazy stick titled "Hommage A Gabrielle." The perfume is named in honor of Coco. In case you didn't know-Gabrielle is Coco's real name.

Eleni and MissRo saw the "Hommage A Gabrielle" packages come in and along with myself, we loved them. They look almost like an old fashioned case that a tube of stick matches would come in. It is the coolest presentation. Once you pull off the lid, the tube twists like a lipstick and the neatest solid perfume stick appears. I mean neat. The solid perfume even has a cap within the cap to keep the fragrance intact and fresh. It is really a great design concept. I hate sprays and sometimes the roll-on ball can leak. That will not be an issue with this. Packaging A+ Price A+

Hey there, my lovely ladies! Vexy here, your Friday fragrance fiend, bringing you the best in scintillating scents and sexy smells- and today, a way to save. 

I was unfortunate enough to have to move out of my dorm alone, with no help. My parents were out of town and the dear boyfriend couldn't get off of work (he showed up later, though,  to save the day with a vacuum!). This meant packing, hauling, and cleaning an entire dorm room and a dorm kitchen in the span of six hours. It was a miserable day to say the least- things went wrong all over. First, the box I was putting my clothes in broke, so I had to run and get a new one from WalMart. Then, I went to get my cart (which had an hour waiting list!), got the thing up to the second floor, packed everything on it, then return to find that the elevator has broken. (And, of course, as soon as I hauled everything down two flights of stairs, the elevator repairman steps out on the first floor and says 'Oh, the elevator's fixed now.' Grrr!) 

Now, I had brought my new train case with me. It's a pretty big case- I'm not sure of the exact dimensions, but it's a good size. I was thinking it would fit all my cosmetics and fragrances just fine, since I couldn't possibly have that many things laying around, now could I? I'm young and poor! Why would I have more cosmetics than could fit in a big ol' train case?

Oh, how wrong I was. The train case was filled before I was even half through my stash of stuff. 

Two overstuffed grocery bags later, I managed to have everything packed away, and I came to a revelation: This is where all my money was going! All that cash I'd been wondering about, saying 'where did it disappear to?'- this was where it had all gone! Into my all-too-ridiculous stash of cosmetics and fragrances, almost all of which was bought! I mean, who needs three bottles of Pink Sugar, or two eyeshadows that are virtually the same color? Half the things, I had no idea why I had gotten at all, and here I am trying to scrape together enough to pay for my laptop. 

I was browsing a few websites and youtube videos, searching for a solution to my unfortunate spending problem, but they were mostly strict 'no-buy' plans. I know myself a little too well- I could never get away with a no-buy plan. I need to have some sort of reward beyond saving money, otherwise it would be "oh, I'll start after I buy this thing or that thing!" 

Then I stumbled across a youtuber named lollipop26, who came up with a brilliant idea:

Project 10 Pan.

Hello out there! Vexy here, your Friday fragrance fiend, bringing you the best in sexy scents and scintillating smells! You know what I hate? Trying to find a deodorant that matches a certain perfume I'm going to wear. I mean, it's fine to wear the classic "spring fresh" deodorant or what have you if you're wearing a similar perfume, but do you really want that floral-fresh scent clashing with your oriental or spicy scents? Of course you don't! You'd smell like a fragrance train-wreck! For the longest time, I just tried to find scented deodorants that went along with certain fragrances (i.e.; Secret Vanilla Sparkle for Pink Sugar, etc.).

Leave it to the geniuses at Degree to address this problem! Not only have they put out three gorgeously scented deodorants, they've also put out a coordinating body mist for each of them! And let me tell you ladies, these aren't your normal drugstore one-note body mists: these are REAL FRAGRANCES with top notes, middle notes, and base notes- perfect for the recessionista who wants to smell fancy on a budget. Who wants to smell like your garden-variety deodorant when you can smell like Delicious Bliss, Sexy Intrigue, or Classic Romance?

Meg here! I don't know where Vexy is off to! Sometimes it is hard trying to figure out who is writing what when but I had Shiseido send some of their newly revamped Zen off to Vexy and one for a give-away. I had to open the give-away to write this review but know that we have 1 more on the way and YOU CAN WIN IT!! Please just let me know your best fragrance story and the bottle is yours!

Shiseido launched its third incarnation of its Zen fragrance (prior versions were launched in 1964 and 2000). The new fragrance was developed by perfumer Michel Almairac, and is described as a “fresh, floral woody scent” with notes of grapefruit, bergamot, peach, pineapple, blue rose, freesia, gardenia, red apple, violet, lily of the valley, hyacinth, rose, lotus flower, patchouli, cedar, musk, white musk, amber, incense and marine plant.

The “blue rose” springs from the marriage of a rose and violet, according to Almairac, who explained, “It has a very particular odor — a lemony note.”

The bottle, by Taisuke Kikuchi, was inspired by a Japanese tearoom. It looks amazing in my Mae West inspired bedroom. All glass and square, picture Art Deco meets todays minimalist modern.

It's nothing like the previous formula so if you're a big fan of that that then beware. It's a completely new scent that I am a fan of. Because I wasn't sure if men would like it (Megken is brutal on his scent tastes) I did the unthinkable. I woke up Megken at midnight, out of a sound sleep because I needed his review on this. I had to make sure I wasn't the only one that thought wearing this was super sexy.

I took out the gorgeous bottle, he said "Oh, yeah, that is really nice looking."  PACKAGING-A

Meg: Ken, wake-up, sorry but smell this. Do you like it? Does it smell good (I put my wrist under his nose) I need to know for the review. It's OK, if you hate it. Just tell me so I can go write it.

Vexy here, your Friday Fragrance fiend, saying "I'm back"!  Yes, ladies (and gents!) I know I've been away for a while because of medical stuff, but I can assure you that I am back for the long haul, but first I have to share with you something that occurred to me over my medical leave.

TOO MANY PEOPLE WEAR WAY TOO MUCH FRAGRANCE!

I had a period where I had intense migraines daily, and yet I still had to go to doctors' appointments and such. Inevitably, there was always one or two ladies wearing about five or six spritzes of a very strong eau d'parfum- or, alternately, a guy who splashed on ten liters of cologne. Now, I'm lucky in that scents do not give me migraines- however, they do make them worse. I can't tell you how many times in those doctors' lobbies I had to step outside just to deal with the nausea too much scent was causing!

Now, I'm not going to say I've never made that mistake! My freshman year in college, I got my first bottle of strong, strong perfume. Thinking it was like any other mild body splash, I spritzed quite a few times in quite a few places. I think my tip-off was when my roommate nearly had an asthma attack when I walked out of the room! I immediately washed off the scent and went back to just one spray.

So here, I've compiled a few little tips I've picked up over the past year or so on wearing perfume:

Vexy here! your Friday Fragrance fiend starting off with, first of all, an apology for my lack of activity as of late. It's been a hectic winter break that started off with food poisoning and ended with my poor boy having pneumonia- bless his heart! But the good news is, while I was away, I definitely had time to play- with fragrances!

So I'll start off with something that came up over Christmas while I was having a conversation with my mother about perfumes. (Actually, I think the particular conversation I was having with my mom stemmed from a conversation I'd had earlier with my boyfriend.) Anyway, we were talking about signature fragrances, and, out of curiosity, I asked her if there were any fragrances she wore before her current selection of Clinique's Happy (which is what she wears now).

"Oh! When I was younger," she replied, "I wore a lot of Chanel #5. I almost got a bottle of it for you for Christmas this year."

Now, here is where I blaspheme the entire religion of perfume, since #5, Dior's Poison, and Thierry Mugler's Angel seem to be the holy trinity (just by popularity). I had to explain to my mother that I, in fact, do not like Chanel #5. For my tastes, at least, it is far too strong and synthetic-smelling; plus, my experiences with it have mostly been with older ladies putting it on themselves in clouds. This is no offense to anyone who likes or wears Chanel #5, but I have to be honest here. Sorry, Marilyn, but I'd rather wear Meg's Makeup perfume in bed. ;)

Goddess Granny here with a special edition of Fragrant Fridays!

To my way of thinking,the sense of smell is probably the one I enjoy the most! Yes,the others have their strong points but when I sit and think about how a moment changes my life,why someone won't leave my thoughts, or the fact that in my family, food is love, I am constantly reminded how how something or someone smells and it makes me stand up and notice!

I tend to categorize smells too...I know,there's a bit of freak in me too although it does wear red lipstick...men that are hot, women who are not,rooms that are right, and the electricity of preparation for one of "those" moments in life: I wore "White Shoulders" perfume to my first prom and "Miss Dior" when I married. My grandma smelled of "Arpege" and my Dad of whiskey and sunshine...they are gone now but I have their scent with me always to remember!

I am a perfume/scentaholic of the first degree! I love products,makeup,and all that stuff but if you asked me what I enjoy MOST about being a girl,I'd tell you perfume and high heels without batting a false eyelash!

I wore "Angel" for 15 years:I was in Hong Kong when it launched, that was in the day of the supermodel and glam-hype. There was a BIG fuss made at the Thierry Mugler store. I was given a large crystal bottle of the beautiful blue scent as a gift. It became "me" everyone knew me when I entered a room because of the luscious scent! I love it still but a couple of years ago,my husband actually whined he could "no longer smell it on me" I couldn't smell it either so I shed my skin yet again and stopped wearing it.I have since then been dabbling in the esoteric, the cult, the funky, the indy, and the unusual scents out there with no earthly intension of ever allowing one scent to define me again. Life is simply too short

I received a beautiful square-red box in my package from Meg today: it was carefully wrapped in tissue but I just knew it was something amazing by the scent...OMG...even on a cold,dreary-day it smelled of ripe fruits, seductive flowers, and that rare "thing" that happens when you are warm and totally satisfied...catching my breath here!

Vexy your Friday Fragrance Fiend, bringing you the best in sexy scents and scintillating smells! And do I have a neato one for you ladies today!

I will be the first to admit- I have big thighs. like, monster thighs. The thighs that ate Tokyo in one fell swoop. So wearing dresses and skirts is always kind of a self-conscious area for me, not only because of my thigh-zillas, but because the rubbing together of my legs causes maaaajor chafing. It's itchy, painful, and I can't stand it. Not only do my thighs chafe, but so do my arms if I'm wearing sleeveless shirts, and the underside of my hoo-has, if you know what I mean.

I'd avoided using baby powder because, honestly, I hate the smell of talc. It's too sweet and powdery and it reminds me of bad experiences when babysitting my nieces and nephews (I dislike diapers, too). I've gotten it up my nose too many times to even consider putting it anywhere on my body. In short, I abhor talcum powder.

So here I was, sad and lonely, thinking I was doomed to wearing shorts under my skirts forever, or to not wearing girly things and living forever in pants. I've come to deal with the chafing under my ya-yas with a bit of deodorant, but even that's been wearing out a bit with my dry winter skin. I actually had to take a day off from my bras! I was talking to one of my co-workers about these woes (since we're all pretty open about stuff) and she suggested one of the dusting powders.

I thanked her for her recommendation and then promptly tossed it out the window, thinking that any sort of "dusting powder" would be stinky and talc-like. The next week, we had a meeting in which we played a game. My team won, and we each got to pull one item out of a bag. Lucky for me, I got Silky Underwear Dusting Powder.

It sat on my shelf for a few days, staring at my woefully, but I did not want an icky talcum smell to interfere with my beloved perfume. But finally, I gave in, and was pleasantly surprised.

Rather than an icky, powdery smell, it smelled like jasmine- which you all have probably read is one of my favorite scents, with a bit of an undertone of vetivert. It was light and fresh and perfect for reminding me of spring days during the approaching winter months. I even wore a skirt to work the next day, and sure enough, Silky Underwear had done it's job.

To compliment the fresh scent I had in my no-no bits (thighs, pits, and under the melons), I even picked up the solid perfume in this scent. It's an amazing light jasmine scent with a hint of green- it smells like springtime. It's just the thing to warm me up with thoughts of spring and summer!

What about you ladies? Ever tried a "dusting powder"? Does it keep you lightly fragranced and, ahem, fancy free?

Y IT HERE!

Vexy here! love jasmine. I really do. My tastes usually aren't as... floral, to be honest, but something about jasmine really gets my nose going, even more than my beloved fresh green and citrus scents. It's just got that little bit of a fresh "something" that I absolutely love, with a refreshing sweetness and a little pinch of spiciness underneath it all. I first fell in love with it the first time I ever went into a LUSH store and I picked up a Youki-Hi bath bomb. As soon as I got home and dropped that little ball into my bath, the scent of jasmine enthralled and enchanted me, and I forever fell in love with LUSH.

So, in honor of my new job, I decided to review what is, by far, my favorite jasmine fragrance ever!

Bvlgari is a fantastic fragrance house and I have loved almost all the scents I have tried by them, but Voile Jasmin is by far my favorite. If there's one drawback to the wonderful scent of jasmine, it's that it can be slightly overpowering and can almost have that "choking" effect to those around you. I've had friends that think it's almost old-lady, but never with Voile Jasmin.

The secret to Voile Jasmin is it's delicate blend of other scents. Orange Blossom and Italian Bergamot add a little bit of tangy punch to the top notes, where as mimosa, ylang ylang, and rose balance out the middle so the jasmine isn't entirely overpowering. Instead, it is fresh and light and not at all "old lady" or "choking". The dry down is pretty and subtle, and rather than drying down to something different. It lasts a good while and smells pretty throughout it's stages.

So if you're looking for a fantastic floral, perhaps for a wedding or just for lighter evenings, this is a great choice!

What about you ladies? Have you all fallen under the spell of Voile Jasmin?

BUY IT HERE!

Vexy here! HAPPY HALLOWEEN! your Friday Fragrance fiend, bringing you something a little different this Friday: some spooky scents and scary smells! Okay, so they're not /that/ scary, but in honor of Halloween, I figured I'd bring you some fall-oriented scented goodies!

Lush The Great Pumpkin Soap- Okay, this one doesn't smell exactly like pumpkin, but I love it anyway! It's got sort of a pumpkin-cinnamon-citrusy scent that reminds me, oddly enough, of Lucy from Charlie Brown. To quote Lush: "You'll want a whole brick but be warned, it's even heavier than real pumpkin. Probably best to get yourself a manageable slice or two. This new, limited edition soap is a creamy, pumpkin-colored affair with a scent borrowed from our gorgeous Almond Buttercream: sweet orange, mandarin, lime and cinnamon leaf." It just seems like the kind of scent she'd use- sweet with a little kick, just like her! Whenever I use it, I remember watching The Great Pumpkin as a kid with my mom and dad.

Demeter Fragrance Library Sweet Delights Caramel- This delightful little cologne is something I came across entirely by accident. And by "accident", I mean I'm not responsible for this find at all. Blame it on a good friend and choir-mate of mine who ran up to me last week, raving about this little bottle and demanding that I review it. I figured, what better time than Halloween, the night of sweet treats? But on to the scent. Demeter fragrances are a little different in that most of them don't have descernable top notes and base notes (at least to me!) but this one does smell /exactly/ like chewy caramels! I have to be wary about wearing this around the boyfriend- it always makes him hungry and I wind up cooking instead of cuddling!

Philosophy's The Haunted House- It's a gift set for all-hallows eve, and it's FULL of delicious. I think the boy is getting irritated with me because I don't have a bathtub in my dorm room- woe- and I am over his house every other night to take a bath with one of these. My favorite of the three is the caramel apple. It reminds me of childhood halloween parties! My momma got me this as a late housewarming gift, since I have the biggest sweet tooth on the planet (plus, I got her a Philosophy set last Christmas and proceeded to use half of the things myself). One thing I will say about Philosophy is their scents are always dead-on. I'm always wary of licorice smells because often they smell... well... gross and fake. This one, however, is a scream! Pun intended. The caramel one is a great compliment to the Caramel Cologne I mentioned above, though none of the scents linger that much after your bath (unless you use them as a shampoo- then they cling like crazy!). Still, great for bath time!

Aquolina Blue Sugar- This first came to my attention as a potential female scent by one of the ladies at Meg's- the wonderful papoose! It's retained it's signature sweetness I fell for in Pink Sugar, but it has this undercurrent of tartness (from the bergamot and tangerine leaves) and almost a swirl of spicy darkness (from the licorice, the ginger, and the coriander, I reckon) that makes it far less girly than Pink Sugar. While I can't imagine the manly, manly men going for this, it's a great cycle-breaker for us gals! Says Aquolina: "Aquolina's first foray into men's fragrance opens with a delightful harmony of caramelized sugar and vanilla blended with heady notes of cedar and tonka bean. The heart of the fragrance is rich with energetic notes of licorice, patchouli, lavender, and coriander, freshened with crisp bergamot and mandarin, and finished with soothing notes of anise. Blue Sugar is a fragrance of contrasts - fun and effervescent, yet supremely masculine." Supremely masculine- maybe not, but definitely something to try!

And, to finish up this exciting holiday post, some exciting news! Vexy's gone and gotten herself a job! Not just any job- a job at LUSH! I'm hanging around with some of the most beauty-savvy gals in my city (at least I think) so I'm excited to broaden my fragrance horizons with what they can show me!

Happy haunting and safe spooking, ladies! Remember, be FRIGHTFULLY fabulous, and share with me some of your most tricksy-treats!

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