True Reflection…Patchouli With The Earth, Sun & Moon…Why Do People Buy and Wear Those Things?

True Reflection.

I love this perfume! Patchouli reigns supreme in True Reflections for me and stays throughout the duration of the fragrance. It’s a sweet patchouli, a juicy and warm leaf that’s quite enjoyable for patchouli lovers. Wrapped in a cloak of musk and woods, there’s a fruity presence that’s not overwhelming at all. Bergamot lays low but keeps its presence throughout the perfume.

Peach and plum are two notes that are listed in this fragrance, and trying to discern if either take precedence over each other is difficult. They are there and both seem to appear working with each other in a sweet/sour appearance. The fruits definitely give this fragrance a juicy component and keep it well-hydrated and juicy. Both work together to keep True Reflection from being either too sweet or too sour and well-balanced as a too fruity perfume.

There is a sweetness here that is very pleasing. It can come from a variety of things, the patch or the fruits, I’m not sure. But it lingers throughout, and makes True Reflection very pleasing. It’s not a cloying sweetness, but a rather a laid-back sweetness that sits in the background to keep the fragrance from going sour and keeps it grounded. It’s as if just enough sugar was added to the mix to keep it at an even level for a more mature audience, rather than add too much for the younger crowd to call it a sweet gourmand.

With initial spraying, it radiates well. Unfortunately, it doesn’t last  as a strong perfume for more than about two hours without another application. It becomes a skin scent that lasts at least a good four hours. Either way, you can re-apply for strength or keep it low-key. This is still a gorgeous patchouli that’s warm and inviting.

If you don’t absolutely love and adore patchouli, don’t even touch this perfume. Run away from it. Don’t even pick it up. But if you’re a fan, a true fan of patchouli in all its glory, then by all mean, look for it and give it a sample run. You won’t be sorry.

So where does True Reflection take me? This is a season-less perfume. I know I can wear this year-round.  It doesn’t remind me of the old patchoulis that I remember, but it does make me smile. I reach for it often. I enjoy wearing it. Purchasing it was a happy one. I didn’t waste my money.  And that counts for a lot in today’s market of perfumes.  True Reflection can take you where you want to go. It is one with the Earth, Sun and Moon.

So many people buy perfume based on who the face is supposedly hawking the bottle. In this case, Kim Kardashian is the one selling True Reflection. I could care less. I don’t watch her show, I don’t wear her clothes, I don’t follow her escapades. In other words, I’m not a follower of the Kardashians so that’s not why I bought this fragrance. I bought True Reflection because I knew patchouli was the high note in this perfume and I’m a patch lover and a boxed set including a body lotion along with a full-size bottle of the Eau de Parfum and a mini-bottle of the Eau de Parfum was half-price at a local outlet discount department store. This is a fragrance I’ve had my eye on and frankly, for $12.50 for the set, I grabbed it and ran. So glad I did. This floral-fruity was introduced in 2012.

Top Notes: Bergamot, Peach, Plum.

Middle Notes: Gardenia, Lotus, Orchid.

Base Notes: Woodsy Notes, Patchouli, Musk.

Peace.

Sorceress

All works past, present and future are protected under a CCC. Creative Common License, Kaarie Blake Musings by Kaarie Blake is licensed under a Creative Common Attribution-Noncommercial-Noderivs-3.0-Unported License.

 

 

Juicy Couture Juicy Couture…Have A Bowl Of Buttered Popcorn…Why Do People Buy and Wear Those Things?

Juicy Couture.

I’d always avoided any of the Juicy Couture line, assuming they were too young, frivolous and frankly, the background behind the name was off-putting to me. Well, you know the old saying when you assume. I’ll admit it on this first perfume that was produced in 2006 by  Juicy Couture…I like this one, and this one only. It has substance. It’s good. It’s damn good and well worth the money.

I happened upon some reviews where others talked of it reminding them of buttered popcorn. Hmmm. Buttered popcorn? I like that. I like quirky. So I figured I’d give this one a test drive and if indeed it turned into movie-house quality butter popcorn on me then it was worth buying a bottle.

Lo and behold, the next week, I’m doing a perfume run around local stores searching for good buys, and I find one at an incredible price waiting for me. So I went ahead, plunged in and bought it. Ok, I spritzed it on at the store first. The ladies that work there don’t mind, they know me and allowed me to get a whiff of Juicy Couture 2006 first. Since it was non-returnable, (I’ve talked about store policy before in a previous post), I didn’t want to waste my money, even if it was $1.00.  If I bought it, I owned it, so I better like it.

Hot Buttered Popcorn Time At The Movies! I could not believe my nose. Sure, there are some light florals mixed with this wonderful composition, but the main gist of it is truly a salted buttered popcorn with a caramel flair. A dirtier patchouli sits low in the base underneath it all hugging tightly. The creme brulee is stirred throughout to ensure this mix is creamy and not sharp in any way.

But it’s not a childish gourmand, either. This is truly a well-blended fragrance that encompasses such a variety of under-lying notes, I’ve found myself reaching for it over and over again quite regularly.

The tuberose in it does not appear as tuberose normally does on me when it’s stands linear. This times it’s mixed with the other florals to create a low-lying base that doesn’t intimidate but instead generates a feeling that there are flowers nearby, but not in your face as a floral perfume, which is wonderful for me. I’m not a floral perfume lover.

There is also a hint of underbrush woods in Juicy Couture to balance this out. I’ve worn it now through three seasons and I’ve liked it best in the cooler weather, but I’ve liked wearing it all through the three seasons. I truly love that there is such a mix of notes in this juice that swirl around yet come together so magnificently.

For me, it transcends the weather. It’s one of my few perfumes that stays on until I take it off and has incredible lasting power, another plus in my book of powerful perfumes for the money. It radiates well and I’ve received many compliments on this one.

As a kick, I’ve layered it with True Religion’s Love Hope & Denim, an oriental vanilla with high notes of caramel, vanilla and sugar for me, which when combined brought out more saltiness, vanilla and more caramel.

This fume is encased in a very heavy, chunky bottle with two lions facing each other as far as I’m concerned, isn’t sweet and bubblegum delicious as the other perfumes from the Juicy Couture line. It’s a perfume well-blended that despite its’ naysayers deserves a trial sniff for those who have never tried it. Suitable for daytime wear, evening wear, anytime wear for any age.

Juicy Couture Juicy Couture was the first introduced and hold its place as Number One. Harry Fremont is the nose behind this juice. This perfume is considered a floral-fruity and won the FiFi Fragrance Of The Year in 2007.

FiFi Award.

This award is known as “The FiFi Awards which are an annual event sponsored by The Fragrance Foundation which honor the fragrance industry’s creative achievements and is the most prominent and prestigious celebratory event of the fragrance industry. These awards have been held annually in New York City since 1973 and are attended by around 1,000 members of the international fragrance community, designers and celebrities from the fashion, theatre, film, or television industries.”-from Wikipedia. For more information and other fragrances that have worn awards through the years see here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FiFi_Awards.

Top Notes: Passionfruit, Mandarin Orange, Green Apple, Hyacinth, Watermelon, Marigold, Green Leaves.

Middle Notes: Tuberose, Lily, Rose Hip.

Base Notes: Patchouli, Vanilla, Caramel, Precious Woods, Creme Brulee.

Juicy Couture Juicy Couture can be purchased at major department stores, at discount department stores such as TJMaxx, Marshalls, Ross, at drug stores and online.

Peace.

Sorceress.

All works past, present and future are protected under a CCC. Creative Common License, Kaarie Blake Musings by Kaarie Blake is licensed under a Creative Common Attribution-Noncommercial-Noderivs-3.0-Unported License.

 

Fabulous…Smell Like A Honey Of A Peach Pie…Why Do People Buy and Wear Those Things?

Fabulous by Isaac Mizrahi.

So what’s in a name? Does “Fabulous” really mean fabulous? For some maybe, but this rendition of perfume by Isaac Mizrahi just isn’t so  perfectly pleasing after all. Perhaps it’s a tad too fabulously peachy.

Fabulous is an awfully sweet peachy scent. I like smelling it but I could never own it nor could I ever wear it again after taking this one for a test drive around the block a few days. Each time I’ve worn it, its scent overwhelms me. It’s cloyingly sweet and it hugs me with an artificial sweetness that I don’t mind if I’m alone (for the test drive), but I seriously wondered if it would be annoying to others that would smell it on me.

It’s a perfume that smacks you in the face with its fruit pie overload.  I feel as if I’m sitting in the pie tent at a summer church carnival, the temperatures have risen at mid-day to high humidity over 105 degrees, they’ve closed the flaps of the tents and the flies are buzzing. It’s sweltering and all I can smell are the hundreds of fresh-baked peach and assorted fruit pies around me. Which is ok, it’s a good smell, it’s just a sensory overload for more than an hour. and unfortunately, Fabulous last for six hours straight. My luck.

Adorable pink fluid, pink polka dots and pink atomizer set the tone for this overly delicious cutesy just fab concoction. Buttery popcorn does make an entrance and dance around mid-way but does not truly introduce itself as a finer tuberose.  As a floral-fruity, I’d say without a doubt, you’re definitely in an orchard rather than at a flower show.

Best worn lightly and any time of the year you want to be a honey of a peach.

Top Notes: Bergamot, Mandarin Orange, Nectarine.

Middle Notes: Tuberose, Peony, Freesia, Jasmine.

Base Notes: Sandalwood, Cedar, Vanilla.

Fabulous was introduced in the fall of 2012 and can be found in discount outlets and through online suppliers such as Ebay.

Peace.

Sorceress.

All works past, present and future are protected under a CCC. Creative Common License, Kaarie Blake Musings by Kaarie Blake is licensed under a Creative Common Attribution-Noncommercial-Noderivs-3.0-Unported License.