Showing posts with label Fragrances. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Fragrances. Show all posts

Tuesday, 1 October 2013

The Forgotten Wonder - Fruit & Passion Apple Illusion Quenching Butter


Fruit & Passion Logo

Sometimes a product just seems to get lost in the sea of the colorful beauty that is my bathroom and I don't end up talking about it or using it no matter how much I liked it during the initial excitement of "ownership". The neglect is not a reflection of the items quality or usefulness, it's simply a product of my own forgetfulness and the mere fact that I absolutely need a better beauty organization system.

Fruit & Passion StoreOne such forgotten wonder is the  for the body, which was gifted to me this summer by a thoughtful friend who understands my deep appreciation for cosmetics and beauty in general. She is also aware of my goldfish attention span so she gently reminded me about Fruit & Passion Illusion Pomme (Apple Illusion) Quenching Body Butter ($18.50 for 200 ml) this lovely butter upon seeing it on my bathroom shelf. All I can say is "my bad" girlie!
Hopefully this post can rectify my own mistake!
Fruit & Passion is a Canadian cosmetics company created by a master perfumer that makes scented body & home care products using natural ingredients and is committed to high quality, high-performance results with an emphasis on environmental consciences. Basically they make stuff that pleases both your senses and our fragile ecosystems. 
Fruit & Passion Apple Illusion Body ButterThat's a message I can certainly get behind!

Official Description;
Our Quenching Butter for the body, made with shea butter and vegetable oils, has a smooth, creamy texture and penetrates skin fully to deliver nutrients. Enriched with apple extract from Provence, its biodegradable formula leaves skin lightly scented and feeling fresh.

Ingredients;
Aqua (Water), Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter), Glycerin, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Seed Oil, Hydroxyethyl Urea, Sodium Polyacrylate, Polysorbate 60, Pyrus Malus (Apple) Fruit Extract, Parfum (Fragrance), Tocopherol, Phenoxyethanol, Citric Acid, Methylparaben, Benzyl Benzoate, Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone, Hexyl Cinnamal, Butylphenyl Methylpropional, Limonene.
#34-199Ca


I have had the pleasure of using many of their products and I am certainly a fan of their signature scents, with the Illusion Pomme (Apple Illusion) line being no exception to this. A lot of their fragrance lines are limited edition so if I find one I absolutely adore I know fully well to stock up before it disappears. I find their prices are reasonable and on par with their competitor The Body Shop so I have no huge qualms about them but it's always nice to hit their annual sale events.

The Quenching Butter formula is available in various scent profiles and it's pretty consistent across the board, never losing its luxe ultra-nourishing appeal. The texture is lighter than the traditional The Body Shop Body Butters but no less moisturizing. I like the silky consistency because it's easy to work with, sinks in quickly and the non-greasy hydration factor can be felt for hours after application. My skin is left softly scented, feeling comfortable, softened and simply fresh. 

The butter base formula contains Shea Butter and Grape Seed Oil which are known for their powerful emollient properties. The creaminess along with your chosen fragrance can really elevate your daily moisturization to a more spa-like, pampering experience! What's not to love :-)

Fruit & Passion Apple Illusion Scent

Scent Description;
A joyful, subtle perfume where the aroma of apple blossoms into a sweet illusion.
A light wisp of flowers quickly fuses with the essence of apple.
A hint of ginger heightens apple’s mouthwatering appeal without overpowering and adds a joyful, spicy twist.
Mild amber and acacia wood add character and longevity while keeping the fragrance light and cheerful.

The Illusion Pomme (Apple Illusion) fragrance is definitively on heavy-duty fruity side of the spectrum but the flowery notes are definitively present as well. Despite the name I can't really describe this scent as "apple" in nature however I suspect the fruit essence is simply over powered by the fresh blossom notes with some ginger in the mix. That being said i feel like the "apple" undertones is what keep this fragrance fresh, light and just plain cheerful!
Ultimately I love Fruit & Passion products and their innovative scent combinations certainly pay homage to their master perfumer origins. Their Body Lotions and Quenching Butters are the brand's stand-out's and I will continue to use them year round, especially when I need some aromatherapy in my day!

I hope this was helpful to someone!

Have you tried Fruit & Passion products? Any favorites I should know about?

XOXO

ANJA

Tuesday, 17 September 2013

Enjoying The Little Things In Life - The September Edition

Everyone has "things" that make their lives a little sweeter - favorites that give that extra "kick" to the day and make reality a bit more bearable and worth waking up to.
As a beauty blogger and a girly girl these "life perks" obviously include a lot of pretty cosmetics and sparkly products that I like to talk about but believe it or not there are a few other things that make my world go round.
Today I am very excited to share the "little things" that have been making me happy in the past little while and hopefully you can introduce some of your own treasures in the comments. I am always looking for inspiration from my fellow beauty aficionados :)

French Macaroons

I already know that fancy packaging is very important to me and French Macaroons prove this preference without a doubt. Just looking at these tasty little morsels makes me smile. The infinite beautiful colors, flavor combinations and chic French beginnings are all reasons why I think macaroons are the perfect treat for every girl that appreciates the finer things in life. Pairing these "melt-in-your mouth" sugary bites with a lovely cup of tea has the ability to elevate any afternoon to a dreamy, sophisticated spectacle and perhaps reveals my affinity to pine for the Maria Antoinette "Let Them Eat Cake" era.

Cooking and all other Kitchen Escapades are definitively not something I partake in very often and after watching the many attempts of various "domestic divas" on YouTube and the Food Network, I am hesitant to even try my luck but seeing how these are hard to come by in my area I am likely to recruit someone with more experience to help me very soon!



Love's Baby Soft Fragrance 


Does anyone remember these soft little wonders? More importantly, does anyone still use this beautiful nostalgic scent? I re-discovered this small, cute bottle from my perfume collection a few weeks ago and haven't stopped using it ever since! I know its not the most sophisticated scent ever made but there is something so sweet and effortless about its wear that feels so comforting and beautiful to me and at the end of the day isn't all that matters?
Maybe its nostalgia but I really can't deny the attraction so I was thrilled to see that its still available and probably one of the most affordable choices I have!


Global Table Adventure

This is a really odd choice for me, seeing how I don't cook one bit but the appeal of "Eat Our Way Around the World" concept has become completely irresistible to me. I love looking up different countries on their Interactive Map, exploring menu options and discovering deliciously unique flavor combinations that can inspire anyone whose palate is even a little bit adventurous.
Being from the Balkans my favorite pages are obviously Bosnia and HercegovinaSerbiaMontenegro and Macedonia BUT the Coconut Curd Jam recipe from Asia has had me obsessed for weeks now. Its definitively on my to-do list!


The Short Game Movie

I am a big-big movie lover and even though I am not a movie critic in any shape or form, I can be pretty vocal when I love or hate something that is buzzed about. 



The Short Game movie gives a very unique, real-life glimpse into the lives of eight 7-year old professional golfers, training and competing in the World Championship of Junior Golf held in Pinehurst, North Carolina. These little boys and girls at a very young age are suppose to represent the next-big things in the competitive and rather overwhelming sport sub-culture, all the while maintaining somewhat normal family and childhood dynamics everyone else has to deal with. I am fascinated with real-life stories and any sport athletes dedication is always very inspiring to me BUT the fact that these are little kids make this movie even more amazing and compelling to watch. At 7 years old these little marvels of energy are doing more than I could ever dream about so given the chance to see how this is all balanced with their "regular life" is bound to be both entertaining and interesting to watch.
Take a look at the trailer and don't forget - this is coming to theaters on September 20th!


Fall TV Lineups 

After a rather disappointing summer of overplayed and rather appalling television choices (Big Brother 15 anyone?) I am finding myself very excited about what the Fall season might have to offer! I am a huge Walking Dead fan so the anticipation for Season 4 has been building up for a very long time now and I am currently engaged in a rather pathetic countdown to the premiere on October 13 on AMC.
The Teaser Trailer is now out and I am once again completely enthralled.



See what I mean?

Juicy Couture

Much has been said about Juicy Couture and their branding practices. I completely understand the reviewers labeling their accessory and apparel offerings as juvenile, loud, tacky and perhaps too trendy for fashionistas behind the big-name fashion blogs. I get it and agree with a lot of their points too! However Juicy Couture is just way too fun for me to turn away - I absolutely love their beautiful colors, numerous texture options, in your face graphics and the in your-face, glamorous notice-me advertorials. I have never been trendy a day-in my life but I have always tried to be fun so Juicy definitively caters to my girly side! Just take a look at one of my lust objects from a few seasons past!

A completely girly, pink, sparkly disaster that I wanted very badly! 

I hope you enjoyed this little post! Please share your favorites too, I am always looking for more things to obsess over :-)

XOXO 

ANJA


Saturday, 10 August 2013

Marc Jacobs Honey Eau de Parfum


Every girl has a signature scent or at least a fragrance she wears the most, that makes her feel confident, uplifted and beautiful. For me PRADA Candy and PRADA Candy L'eau, to a lesser extent fit the bill perfectly, which means that I rarely find myself wanting to switch things up. However being the girly girl I am, it shouldn't be a surprise that I have a well developed fragrance library, that is stocked with various scents I either use less often or they might be a seasonal favorite.
I am a big fan of sweet gourmand scents and even though there was a time when I purchased perfumes based on the "celebrity factor" and bottle design, today I tend to be a lot more selective and pragmatic when making a choice.

Marc Jacobs is a designer or a "brand" I haven't really associated too much with the beauty or fragrance industry and for me his label mostly corresponds with fashion and accessory designs. I have a mini  Daisy EDP bottle on my dresser that I used once or twice but I can't say I am too enamored with it so chances are it will most likely be gifted to one of my friends in due time.

The newest release by Marc Jacobs is the perfectly whimsical  Honey Eau de Parfum Spray so its been in my collection for a very short time but long enough for me to conclude that even though its very different from my usual pics, it contains just enough "sweetness" for me to like it and actually wear it too.

Official Description;

You can get more information and purchase the Honey EDP at our trusty SephoraAmazon, Shoppers Drug Mart and other well-stocked fragrance counters. 

What do you think about Marc Jacobs Honey EDP? What is your favorite fragrance?

XOXO

ANJA

P.S. If you enjoyed this post and want some more Princeza Beauty Musings, please consider following me through GFC, Bloglovin, Pinterest or Twitter! Insert "happy dance" here :-) 

Monday, 5 August 2013

More PRADA Candy - The New PRADA Candy L'Eau

Prada Candy L'eau

I have already written about my signature fragrance - PRADA Candy, which had been my all-time favorite scent and something I never leave the house without. I have been completely smitten with Candy since its launch, back in 2011, so much so that the rest of my fragrance wardrobe has stayed largely untouched for a very long time now.
The sweet, feminine and playful notes dominating the Candy formula fit my personality and look perfectly and for the first time in my scented life, others started commenting about it as well. PRADA Candy might not be as "sophisticated" as some of other the other offerings by the iconic fashion powerhouse but its that exact playful feature that makes this fragrance so unique.
Prada Candy L'eau
My devotion to the original PRADA Candy didn't falter my enthusiasm and excitement one bit when I heard about the new PRADA Candy L'eau perfume. 
Like its predecessor PRADA Candy L’Eau is the brain child of Daniela Roche-Andrier, a talented perfumer whose genius has been behind all PRADA fragrances so far. 

Unfortunately PRADA critics and even fans once again had a lot of negative things to say about both the original Candy and its "sister scent", Candy L'eau. Apparently nobody likes a sequel!

Description;
Prada’s latest fragrance plays on freshness and joie de vivre and brings to life a fictional young female character, Candy. Evoking new expressions of Prada femininity, Candy is alluring, unexpected, pleasure-seeking and enigmatic.

The many facets of Candy’s personality reflect the range of notes that come together to form Prada Candy L’Eau. Playful, elegant and indulgent, the fragrance’s spirit lies in Candy’s optimistic world view as she declares there’s no better time than now to be alive.

Blended by Daniela Andrier, the fresh, joyful sensation of Prada Candy L’Eau lies in its mix of zestful, sweetly addictive notes. High-quality ingredients combine to form the modern and sophisticated fragrance. A trinity of white musks, benzoin and caramel are heightened by the presence of citrus and oriental floral notes to create a vibrant ensemble.

The new PRADA Candy L'eau is described as a lighter and more playful version of the original. The face of both Candy campaigns remains the same, and is fronted by a true French actress Léa Seydoux. I thought she was the perfect choice for the first perfume advertising campaign but she is even more impressive the second time around. 

Just take a look at the mini-film below! A masterpiece by Wes Anderson and Roman Coppola



The PRADA Candy L'eau opens with a surprising light citrus note that doesn't last very long, then transforms into a very light floral sweet pea scent which gives this stage a very girly-flirty vibe. The last stage of the perfume development features the benzoin whose presence creates a very strong resemblance of the Candy L'eau to the original Candy but definitively with less intensity. The caramel notes in the L'eau version are a little more subdued and I can almost detect slight milky vanilla traces, which at times gave me the impression that the new Candy was definitively sweeter than the original (i had expected the opposite). 


In terms of longevity, PRADA Candy L'Eau preformed just like its predecessor and was detectable clearly for about six hours with light application but in reality wear time was longer than that because it actually lingered very softly even later on. 
Surprisingly the last note of this fragrance wasn't even recognized until the very end when the dry-out was complete and a wave of milky honey popped up, seemingly out of nowhere. It evoked a sense of comfort , and calm, giving me even more reasons to love my new Candy L'eau perfume.

Prada Candy L'eau
I still adore my signature fragrance PRADA Candy and it will probably be my favorite scent for years to come, however the Candy L'eau has achieved a pretty good standing with me since I received my bottle. I would say that its definitively my second favorite.. for now anyways :-)

To get more information regarding both PRADA Candy & PRADA Candy L'Eau just visit the official website.

To purchase your very own bottle of PRADA Candy L'Eau just visit Amazon, or Nordstorm and Neiman Marcus.

PRADA Candy L'Eau retails for $74.08 for 1.7 fl.oz. and $95.87 for 2.7 fl.oz. (in Canadian dollars)

I hope this was helpful to someone

Have you tried either PRADA Candy scents? What is your signature fragrance?

XOXO

ANJA

P.S. If you enjoyed this post and want some more Princeza Beauty Musings, please consider following me through GFC, Bloglovin, Pinterest or Twitter! Insert "happy dance" here :-) 

Thursday, 1 August 2013

My Signature Scent - PRADA Candy

Prada Candy

I strongly believe that every girl should have her very own fragrance wardrobe as well as her very own signature scent. 
It could be my European roots or my own girly drive but for as long as i can remember I have found the world of perfume very fascinating, mysterious and ultimately deliciously memorable. 
It took me many years to get this right but I believe I have finally found a fragrance that ultimately fits who i am and describes my personality perfectly in a single spritz.


PRADA Candy's sweetness, maturity, complexity and  intoxicating charm is my signature scent and if there was a substance I could fuse with on a permanent basis then this would definitively be it.
The fact that its also the only fragrance I ever completely used up should say a lot too. 

General Description;
Prada CANDY is instantly seductive—pure pleasure wrapped in impulsive charm. In an explosion of shocking pink and gold, Prada CANDY takes us on a walk on the wild side, showing us a new facet of Prada femininity where more is more and excess is everything. Magnified by white musks, noble benzoin comes together with a modern caramel accord to give the fragrance a truly unique signature

Notes;
Caramel, Musk, Vanilla, Benjoin. 
Style; 
Careful, Sensual, Sophisticated 

PRADA Candy launched in August 2011 and was headed by the extremely talented Daniela (Roche) Andrier who unfortunately received a lot of criticism for this fragrance composition. A lot of the old-time PRADA fans felt that Candy was too juvenile, too simplistic and not worthy of the fashion giant brand.
I respectfully have to disagree with them!

Prada Candy

The main notes on me are definitively lightly musk-based, with sensual vanilla undertones and topped off by crisp caramel notes that seem to pop up in the end when the fragrance is completely developed.
While I will say that this is definitively a sweet, sugary type of a scent I completely disagree with the juvenile comments. PRADA Candy is a lot more complex and feminine than say the Aquolina Pink Sugar everyone is comparing it to. I own both fragrances and I can attest to the fact that while similar in terms of gourmand category the PRADA Candy is more sophisticated and musky than the Pink Sugar ever hopes to be. 

Prada CandyFragrances and scents in general are such a personal thing, which is a big part of what makes them appealing in the first place so describing what something smells like is extremely subjective and can be terrible inaccurate. 

That being said I would encourage you to test PRADA Candy independently since chances are it will seem very different on you than it does on me. 

PRADA CANDY is available for purchase from our trusty Sephora store. It is one of the pricier fragrance options ($96 for 1.7 fl.oz.) but this is Prada after all so the price tag as usual reflects the brand. 
Most department stores have this is in stock as well however I have found that availability is limited so you might have to do some checking around. 
However if you love PRADA Candy then the hunt is certainly worth it!


I hope this was helpful :-)


Have you tried PRADA Candy? Do you have a signature scent? 


XOXO

ANJA

P.S. If you enjoyed this post and want some more Princeza Beauty Musings, please consider following me through GFC, Bloglovin, Pinterest or Twitter! Insert "happy dance" here :-) 


Wednesday, 31 July 2013

Review - Haus of Gloi Handmade Soap in Vice


I am no fan of solid bars of soap and i honestly don't remember the last time I used them without feeling "unclean" or at least un-rinsed if you know what I mean. No matter what brand I tried and regardless of their "no-residue" promises I always felt like my skin was either coated, irritated or dried out once i was out of the shower. The brick like shape was sadly too masculine for my girly ways too (i know, ridiculous!). For that reason I haven't really explored this new world of hand-made soaps, which are suppose to be gentler, moisturizing and made with natural ingredients, spiked with natural oils. I am very set in my ways when it comes to certain beauty habits.

If there ever was a company that had a chance to get me to explore the "soap world" then it would have to be Haus of Gloi. I absolutely love everything about them and the things they make (just check out the rest of my Haus of Gloi reviews here!) so it wasn't long till I stumbled upon their handmade soap section and got seduced once again.

Haus of Gloi soapSince I have been eager to try some more of their fragrance options the Vice Handmade Soap description was just too irresistible for my weak little mind.

Fragrance;
Steam billows rolling off a vessel of fresh made Turkish coffee, marshmallow goo tainted by graham cracker crumbs, toasted hazelnuts and blanketed in black chocolate

Ingredients;
Cocos nucifera (coconut) oil, olea europaea (olive) fruit Oil, (organic and sustainably harvested) elaeis guineensis (palm) oil, water, butyrospermum parkii (shea butter), sodium hydroxide, oryza sativa (rice) bran oil, fragrance and essential oil, ricinus communis (castor) seed oil, coconut milk, titanium dioxide.

First of all the Vice fragrance is ridiculously good and even though when I first smelled it the scent seemed too strong and chocolate dominated but now I cant get enough of it and I feel like carrying a slice with me every where as a little pick-me-up. There is nothing wrong with that, right?

Once I got over myself and actually used this soap in the shower my judgments and preconceptions melted right into the drain and just like that I was on board. The lather was creamy, silky, fragrant and plentiful, giving it a very spa-like performance and feel. It rinsed easily and left my skin feeling soft, silky and slightly fragranced. Paired with the glorious Vice Pumpkin Butter this is my favorite indulgence and the experience itself is pampering, luxurious, glamorous and very comforting.
How great is it that a soap can make such a difference!

The Haus of Gloi Handmade Soaps have such a great formulation that it feels a little unfair to compare them to regular soap bars because the quality is literally off the charts.

Its the only bar of soap I will ever use and I already have my eye on a few new scents that are just aching to be ordered.
My top picks for now are: Lavender Sugar, Peach Mama and Troika

Check out the Haus of Gloi Handmade Soaps and the other products this awesome vegan company makes here and let me know what your favorite choices are!


XOXO

ANJA

P.S. If you enjoyed this post and want some more Princeza Beauty Musings, please consider following me through GFC, Bloglovin, Pinterest or Twitter! Insert "happy dance" here :-) 


DISNEY COLLECTION Kiss the Girl Eau de Parfum Rollerball



When I think about Disney I automatically think about the Little Mermaid as it was and still is my favorite movie of all time. I loved absolutely everything about and to this day I can pretty much recite the whole movie dialogue right on cue. I can't even tell you how many times I've tried singing under water. Red fire engine hair seemed extremely reasonable and was certainly an enviable beauty trait for many years. The Spice Girl and Ginger Spice renewed that fascination later on as well but luckily I was talked out of it by more enlightened beauty connoisseurs who recognized that I didn't have a prayer in pulling off such a bold look. 

The Little Mermaid had it all and as I was already ocean intrigued, Ariel and her friends were right up my alley. Plus how awesome was Ursula
The prince Eric love story was secondary to me as a little girl but I still really-really hoped for that fateful kiss, especially in that row boat. 

When Sephora announced and then subsequently released a Little Mermaid collection I was beyond excited and if it wasn't  for my recent organization mission I probably would have purchased the entire collection sight unseen.

I did however decide to give the Kiss the Kiss fragrance a try since my Fragrance Wardrobe could definitively use a boost and a little more variety.

Description;
Feel the passion of the moment with Ariel's Kiss the Girl fragrance and let it transform you. Invigorating bursts of bergamot and crisp, wet cucumber are brought to life by a refreshing spray of ozonic accord. Waves of watery notes splash over an alluring blend of wild lilac and starfruit. Cool white musk fuses with warm sandalwood and sensual velvet sensations of ambergris ensure you make the moment last

Notes;
Bergamot, Wet Cucumber, Ozonic Accord, Water Notes, Wild Lilac, Starfruit, White Musk, Sandalwood, Ambergris. 

Style;
Alluring. Romantic. Confident.

The entire Sephora Disney Princess Collection - Ariel is suppose to capture and represent the vibrant, ethereal, magic and beauty tones of the treasured Disney film. In my opinion the collection manages to do just that. 

Kiss the Girl EDP is a roller-ball, which appealed to me since if I didn't like the scent i wouldn't be stuck with yet another unloved bottle to dust and spritz once in a while. The full size fragrance bottles are also available but as pretty as the bottle is, I didn't want to risk it just yet. 

The Kiss the Girl scent formula sounded very different from what I usually like (think Prada Candy or Vera Wang Princess!) so I was apprehensive but still open minded to test this out. Please keep in mind that not only am I terrible at scent descriptions but also fragrance is all about your body chemistry meaning that it never smells the same from person to person. It changes once its worn so the transformation from the bottle to body can be quite dramatic. 
Each Sephora Disney Princess Ariel piece comes with an Ariel's inspired quote and the one on the roller-ball is "true love is beyond words", which is such a charming little detail that I actually felt a little giddy upon discovery. Things like this really bring out the girly-girl side of me. 

When I first smelled this and consulted the scent notes I discovered that this opens up strongly with bergamot and fresh cucumber notes, leading to the softer water lilac and starfruit middle and finishing subtly with sandalwood. The middle notes even though softer are a lot more prevalent to me which is great because I am no fan of sandalwood or cucumber for that matter. The wear time is excellent for this price point and I got at least 6 hour of subtle lingering, which is impressive as far as my fragrance experience goes.

Even though i really liked the Kiss the Girl and my love for all things Princess still remains, this particular fragrance was a little too out of my comfort zone. I love sweeter, floral scents so this crisp.modern fragrance is not going to get a lot of wear after the summer is over.
I am happy I had a chance to try it out so while not my favorite scent this definitively expands my fragrance wardrobe and could be a wonderful summery scent for both Disney and non-Disney lovers.

Just like the rest of the Disney Princess collections this EDP is limited edition so make sure to grab one at Sephora online while you still can. Most of the collection will also be available in Sephora stores in August 2013.

Have you tried Ariel's Kiss the Girls? What did you like from the Disney Princess collections?


XOXO

ANJA

P.S. If you enjoyed this post and want some more Princeza Beauty Musings, please consider following me through GFC, Bloglovin, Pinterest or Twitter! Insert "happy dance" here :-)