Stash SJP by Laurent Le Gurney + Clement Gavarry for Sarah Jessica Parker 2016

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Post by Portia

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Hey there Fragrance Family,

There is usually a buzz around any Sarah Jessica Parker release. Her story told by Chandler Burr in his Frag-Umentary caused me to fall even more in love with the actress and now 4 of her fragrances are in my collection. Now if you’ve read the story you’ll know that SJP had a 3 fragrance layering daily routine that she really wanted to emulate in her first fragrance but Coty wouldn’t let her so they made Lovely.

9780312425777Book Depository $13

To be perfectly honest I was not expecting much from this new release because over the last few scents I have noticed a definite diminution in the SJP brands artistic merit and presentation. This though is her first departure from the Coty brand and moving across to Ulta in the USA (info from Colgnoisseur). So it was with mildly nervous steps, even though it had been getting raves all round, I made my way to Chemist Warehouse in Parramatta to check it out.

Stash SJP by Sarah Jessica Parker 2016

Stash SJP by Laurent Le Gurney + Clement Gavarry

stash-sjp-sarah-jessica-parker-fragranticaFragrantica

Parfumo gives these featured accords:
Top: Grapefruit zest, Black pepper, Sage
Heart: Atlas cedar, Patchouli, Ginger lily, Pistachio
Base: Frankincense, Massoia wood, Vetiver, Musk

Straight into black pepper that has it’s dryness cut through with some sweetness that I place as mildly citrus and does not feel as outrageous as grapefruit, maybe the green sage and spicy ginger are giving it a broader appeal. Woods, yes plenty. Pistachio? Um nope, not yet. I have respritzed after 5 minutes and interestingly the sage is the most prominent top not before the pepper comes through and then we go smooth. The whole fragrance smooths out beautifully. Still very noticeable but calmer and a sweet, non hippy patchouli tangos with the ginger and the herbs.

stash-sjp-sarah-jessica-parker-ginger_lily-wikicommonsWikiCommons

Then I become anosmic to Stash, it disappears for me. I know I’m still fragrant because Jin says I still have a heavy perfume but I can smell almost nothing. A ghost of Stash, a faint woody nothing that lingers softly. BUM. OK, so that’s not 100% accurate, if I go do something like make a coffee or take the dogs for a walk I do get flashes of fragrance. Little huffs of something very nice, dry, a little bit like a dry sauna but not.

Stash smells like the woodsy, scratchy, peppered “niche” that annoys Val but softer and more lighthearted. It’s easier, quite masculine but will be gorgeous on the girls who are unafraid of scentorially standing out.

Interestingly, when I put my top back on to walk the dogs first thing in the morning all I can smell is an oily vetiver and incense. Really good.

Further reading: Now Smell This and Colgnoisseur
Chemist Warehouse has $29/30ml

PERFECT fragrant gift for either sex, wearable, comfortable and really, really good.
Will you be wearing STASH?
Portia xxx

Queen Of Hearts by Steve DeMercado for Queen Latifah 2010

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Post by Portia

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Hi there Fragrance Family,

Strong women have always attracted me. My family was full of strong women, Mum’s nursing buddies are all strong women and I gravitate to that type of woman in my daily life too. Strong women have been strengthened by some of lifes shit but I think they have the steel inside even before the world forges them. Being strong doesn’t mean they are hard either, though they do have to be sometimes for self protection. Queen Latifah has always struck me as a strong woman, whenever I see her on TV, singing, acting, interviewing or just being her cool self I always want more. There is something completely captivating about her.

Queen Of Hearts by Queen Latifah 2010

Queen Of Hearts by Steve DeMercado

Queen of Hearts Queen Latifah FragranticaFragrantica

Parfumo gives these featured accords:
Top: Bergamot, Green notes, Plum, Cinnamon, Citruses
Heart: Jasmine, Red fruits, White blossoms
Base: Amber, Musk, Patchouli, Vanilla bean, Frankincense

The first thing you notice is the fun bottle. Like a heart being pushed out of a nail tray. It fits well in my hand, has good heft and looks very swish with its turquoise-topped gold lid.

Citrus, jasmine and resins open up Queen of Hearts and the fruits are there in a waxy/radiant whoosh that feels warm, sensual and lavish. It’s hard to believe you can buy this baby for under $20 because it smells really good.

After the initial fireworks die down Queen of Hearts becomes a modern resinous patchouli sweetened by lingering fruits and breathy white flowers drizzled with caramel. Not a gourmand. Not edible. Smooth patchouli with the rest in harmonious background accord. This is no loud, in your face event, people don’t really notice your fragrance after an hour until you hug them, then it’s compliment time.

Queen Of Hearts by Queen Latifah Boswellia_sacra WikipediaWikipedia

The nearest fragrance I have in character to Queen of Hearts is Mona di Orio’s Eau Absolue. They are not dupes but the wonderful uplifting resinous patchouli vibe is similar.

Further reading: Perfume Posse (Yes, I wrote about it before in 2014)
FragranceNet has AU$20/100ml Before Coupon

Are you a fan of Queen Latifah? Have you tried her fragrances?
Portia xx

Adam Levine for Women by Yann Vasnier 2013

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Post by Poodle

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Yes, I’m back with another celebrity scent this time by Adam Levine. I found it at a discounter so took a chance on a blind buy. I couldn’t name a Maroon 5 song if my life depended on it but I now know Adam Levine is the lead singer. I respect him for putting his name on a pretty good fragrance.

Adam Levine for Women by Yann Vasnier 2013

Adam Levine for Women FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Saffron, citruses, marigold, spices
Heart: Indian jasmine, Australian sandalwood, rose petals
Base: Benzoin, vanilla

Before we even talk scent, how fabulous is the bottle? It’s inspired by a microphone. It’s young and fun and I wish I had it when I was 14. I am completely honest when I say if I had this back then I’d be dancing around my room singing into the darn thing. (I might even do that after I finish writing this.)

Adam Levine for Women Maroon_5_Live_in_Hong_Kong WikipediaPhoto Stolen Wikipedia

At first spritz I smell sandalwood and for a moment I think 10 Corso Como. It’s a fast burst and then other notes come into play. The note list makes me think warmer, spicy, heavy perfume, but on my skin this is not heavy at all but bear in mind not much is. I don’t smell marigolds (which smell a bit skunky to me) but rather a touch of saffron and I’m not sure what. I keep thinking coconut. I’m not a huge fan of coconut in perfume but I do like this suggestion of it. It could just be my nose distorting things. There is a brightness to the perfume but I never think “citrus” at any point during the development. Whatever the spices are in here they’re not dominant at all.

Sandalwood is always humming in the background and the jasmine, roses, and base notes are blended beautifully. No sour roses here. It’s not a beachy perfume yet somehow it makes me think of the beach on a cool summer evening. The jasmine is a little dirty. Maybe it’s the saffron and spice but there’s the smell of warm skin which is surprising to me. It’s not sweaty or skanky just a little sexy. I have to admit this is much better than I thought it would be. It’s not overpowering or long lasting on my skin but where it does get mileage is on clothing. Whatever I’ve been wearing while wearing Adam Levine for Her smells fabulous the next time I pull it out of the closet. The sandalwood and vanilla are really nice in this perfume. They’re probably completely synthetic but no matter, they smell great.

Adam Levine for Women TwitterPhoto Stolen Twitter

Further reading: Ca Fleure Bon
FragranceNet has $18/50ml before coupon
Surrender To Chance has samples starting at $3/ml

Adam Levine for Her is easy to wear and I could also see this as a cuddle up scent. I’m pleasantly surprised by this perfume and find myself reaching for it when I want something that just smells good. Or when I want to sing into the microphone bottle.

Are you an Adam Levine fan?

Hugs
Poodle

Katy Perry Killer Queen: Oh So Sheer By Laurent LaGuernec 2014

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Post by Poodle

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Two things I need to admit here. I am not a Katy Perry fan and I’m a bit judgmental when it comes to celebrity perfumes. My niece gave me a bottle of this so I’m trying to be as fair as possible.

Katy Perry Killer Queen: Oh So Sheer 2014

By Laurent LaGuernec

Killer Queen Oh So Sheer Katy Perry FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Mulberry, elderberry, black current, dark plum
Heart: Celosia, jasmine, freesia, plumeria
Base: Kashmir wood, liquid praline, caramel, patchouli

As you probably know, anything with the word “sheer” in the name is going to be problematic for me and my scent eating skin so your results may vary on this one. At first spritz you really need to give it a moment because there’s a sharp blast of what I can only describe as hair spray accord. Let’s let it dry a moment…

It’s sweet and juicy with plummy berries which is appropriate since the juice itself is purple. These seems to be the go-to top notes in mainstream scents lately and initially Katy Perry Killer Queen Oh So Sheer is similar to a lot of other perfumes out there. There’s the expected sweetness but since it’s a sheer scent it’s actually not too syrupy. I can’t pick out any individual berries and they seem more synthetic than natural to me. The flower notes are there but again, they don’t stand alone but rather blend together. I will say that I can smell the plumeria a bit more than anything else in the note list at this point. There’s a hint of caramel but it hasn’t quite bubbled to the surface yet.

Katy Perry Killer Queen Oh So Sheer Katy_Perry WikipediaPhoto Stolen Wikipedia

As the fruit and flowers fade and the base notes begin to take the stage there’s that sweet patchouli common to many perfumes. Definitely not an earthy patchouli, for any of you patch heads out there, and I don’t detect much wood. But Katy Perry Killer Queen Oh So Sheer is sheer and very wearable. The liquid praline/caramel notes are somewhat apparent throughout the life of the scent. I had a problem with Prada Candy smelling like a hot chemical mess on me so I was ready for chemical caramel here too. It kills me to say it but I was pleasantly surprised. The caramel on me was not too sweet and not too synthetic smelling. I was not expecting that.

The main shift in Katy Perry Killer Queen Oh So Sheer is from the fruity opening to the sugared caramel base. It’s easy to wear and the general public will think you smell good. Not something that you need to think about to enjoy. Longevity was an issue which I expected and sillage was not overwhelming.

Katy Perry Killer Queen Oh So Sheer Teenage dream Lawren FlickrPhoto Stolen Flickr

You could do much worse than Katy Perry Killer Queen Oh So Sheer in the sea of celebrity scents. Great for a tween or teen or an old lady like me who wants to feel young again.

Further reading: NJT Reviews and Shrinking Wallet
FragranceNet has $33/100ml before coupon

So have you tried this or any of the other Katy Perry perfumes? Do you think celebrity scents are getting better or worse lately?

Hugs
Poodle

Antonio Banderas Spirit for Woman 2005

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Post by Katrina

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As winter approaches we had our first cool day yesterday after what has seemed like a never-ending summer. Finally time to put away my summer scents. My summer fragrances are fresh, light and breezy. I like to wear fruity florals and aquatic style perfumes when the weather is hot. As the weather cools I prefer warm spicy perfumes. The perfume I reached for today is one I prefer to wear in cooler weather…….

Antonio Banderas Spirit for Woman 2005

Spirit for Woman Antonio Banderas FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives the following notes.
Top: Citrus, plum
Heart: Peony, freesia, orange blossom
Base: Sandalwood, musk

I love all the notes listed here and when I bought the perfume untested I was so happy to find that it was all that I hoped for and more. Antonio Banderas Spirit for women is warm, spicy, sensual and classy.

Spirit for Woman Antonio Banderas WikiPediaPhoto Stolen Wikipedia

Spirit opens with gorgeous rich deep plum and spicy sandalwood. These are strong notes but the perfume is not at all overpowering. The perfume develops with pretty floral notes that undertone the sandalwood. The floral notes add a touch of femininity to the perfume although they are quite subtle. I love sandalwood and this woody note dominates the fragrance for me. The perfume dries down to a warm spicy musk that lasts for hours. Spirit is just as sexy and classy as Antonio Banderas himself.

The sandalwood and spice make Spirit smell a bit masculine. Men could definitely wear Spirit for women despite the pink, curvy bottle. Spirit for women smells unisex but there is also a version of Antonio Banderas Spirit for men.

Spirit for Woman Antonio Banderas Evita FilmWebPhoto Stolen FilmWeb
(Problem using this image? Tell me, I’ll remove immediately)

Antonio Banderas Spirit for women is an award winning oriental perfume produced by Puig. Spirit won a US FiFi award in 2006 for Fragrance of the Year – Women’s Popular Appeal category.

FragranceNet has Antonio Banderas Spirit for Woman under $9/30ml

For more celebrity perfume news and reviews, check out my website Celebrity Perfume

Katrina xx

High Flying Adored: Antonio Banderas Live