L'Occitane Cherry Blossom Perfume Review

Growing up in beautiful Quetta valley, I remember cherry blossoms meant another new school year, and an end to long icy winters. There was nothing  more pleasurable than sitting under an umbrella of fluffy, pale pink cherry blossoms, and reading your favorite book. Boughs heavy, laden with fragrant blossoms, pink petals covering the ground like snowflakes, Wafts of scented air all around you, and wishing if only cherry blossom season could last forever. It was like being in Dr. Seuss world, pink trees and all.

I wasn't too excited when I first saw this perfume. I'm sure you'll agree with me here that cherry blossom fragrance has been done to death. Pick up any brand and you will find some kind of product featuring this scent. Be it candles, body mists, lotions, shampoos or soaps. I have been lucky enough to grow up with the scents of apple, almond and cherry blossoms around me, and know their distinctive fragrance quite well. Sadly, most of these cherry blossom scented products do NOT smell like real cherry blossom at all.
It's not an easy scent to capture, it's quite abstract, and no, it does not smell of sugary sweet cherries that most brands have us believe with their never ending lines of generic smelling products.
Cherry blossoms have a green smell, with a touch of soft fresh floral which is hard to describe. I think L' Occitane did a very good job at capturing that scent.

A fresh and floral fragrance that celebrates the beauty of the cherry blossoms during the first days of spring. 

 Cherry Blossom (Fleurs de Cerisier) eau de toilet was launched in spring of 2007.Cherry blossom is an evitable part of the spring South France landscape, so this perfume represents the scent of an early spring. Cherry note is accompanied by freesia, black currant, lily-of-the-valley, rose tree, amber and musk. It is available as 100 ml EDT, 10 gr solid perfume and additional body care line, as well as scented candles. (source)

In Provence, cherry tree blossoms create a magical landscape of light pink flowers. L'OCCITANE's best selling fresh and floral fragrance range celebrates the poetic beauty of Cherry Blossom and its delicate flowers during the first days of spring. 

L' Occitane's cherry blossom starts off green and airy, reminiscent of a mild, fresh spring day. After a while, delicate soft florals make an appearance, freesia being most prominent. Thankfully, none of the fruity notes appeared on my skin, which I think would have made the scent too sweet.

 It's a beautiful skinscent that stays green and clean with the lightest touch of musk. Delicate and easy to wear throughout the hottest of weathers. The lasting power of the solid perfume is amazing. The best cherry blossom in my opinion.

CATEGORY: FLORAL

TOP NOTES: Cherry, Freesia, Lily-of-the-valley, Black Currant, Brazilian Rosewood

BASE NOTES: Amber, Musk, Cherry blossom 

GOOD FOR: Spring/Summer. Day/Casual.

Available at L'Occitane's website for $12 for the solid perfume

All Images by Google

Benefit Crescent Row: Laugh With Me Lee Lee Perfume Review

Benefit Cosmetics is undoubtedly one of the quirkiest brands around. With witty names and fun packaging, their products never fail to attract attention. These ingenious ideas extend beyond makeup – their fragrances are equally cleverly designed.
The Crescent row collection comes on their own little mini houses, with interiors to match the owners unique personalities.

Benefit founders Jean's daughters (and Jane's nieces) Maggie and Annie were inspired to bring the concept of Crescent Row when they stumbled upon the incredible Royal Crescent whilst on a trip to Bath, England.
The perfumes were entrusted to perfumer François Demachy of LVMH and developed by Jean and Jane Ford over two years with fragrance companiesRobertet and Firmenich. The scents are housed in flacons inspired by a cocktail shaker Jean and Jane found in their grandmother's belongings from the 1920s in their home state of Indiana. The design was modernized and recreated by Ateliers Dinand. Each is packaged in a mini dollhouse-esque townhouse complete with interior design reflecting the furnishing and decorations of the corresponding fictional gal's eponymous fragrance. (Source)

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Today, we are taking a stroll down to lee lee's place.
What a beautiful Georgian style front door! She has a bottle of milk and today's newspaper waiting on her doorstep. Is she even home? Let's knock and find out...

 Lee lee comes out all dressed in blue. Fresh, with an innocent smile. Oh my! she has invited us inside to have tea in her beautiful garden.

 The entryway has a cute little pond and a path leading inside.

Just like lee lee, the inside of her home has an airy, whimsical feel to it.

What a beautiful summer's afternoon, and you have lovely Gazebo. The garden smells heavenly. Is that jasmine and lilies I smell?

• Top notes: cassis, melon, citrus
• Middle notes: black violet, lily, jasmine
• Bottom notes: blonde wood, amber, santol (a tropical Asian fruit tree with a scent often used in incense)

A poem on the back of the box describes the girly and carefree LeeLee:

her playful wink
and mischievous smile

the flirtatious side
of her innocent style

no thought or worry
of what’s meant to be

first laughter, then love
“…along came leelee”

 Lee lee open fresh and breezy on my skin with a slight hint of floral and fruits. Lee Lee is inspired by the aromas of an English garden, and holds that airy, fresh feeling in it's opening for quite sometime. 

The strongest flower that I can detect is definitely jasmine. It manages to stay right till the end. But the jasmine here doesn't have that typical heady aroma that it's famous for. Mixed in with citrus and melon, it's soft as a whisper.

The amber/woods take a while to develop but even when they take the stage, they are still softened by the flowers. 

CATEGORY: Floral/Woody

GOOD FOR: Spring, Summer, Daytime, Casual.

Overall, a nice, safe, pleasant scent that smells more expensive than a $36 fragrance, and the scent lasts all day long. 

Fancy by Jessica Simpson perfume review

Fancy by Jessica Simpson. Launched in 2008, this oriental/vanilla fragrance is a sexy, luscious gourmand that is as alluring as it is feminine. Perfumer alexis dadier whips up a delectable scent, with top notes of pear, apricot and red berries; middle notes of gardenia, jasmine, almond and caramel; with sensuous base notes of sandalwood, vanilla and amber. 

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To be honest, when I first tested this perfume a few years back, I wasn't too excited. Sniffed it at a store, rolled my eyes, and thought to myself, another toothache in a bottle. Didn't even spray it on my skin. It took a second sniffing for me to change my mind. A few months after, I was at a friends's place and we decided to go out for dinner. I borrowed her scarf as it had gotten quite chilly. The entire night I couldn't help nuzzling my nose in that scarf. It just smelled heavenly. I was so surprised when my friend told me it was fancy. It wasn't a bit like how I remembered it. Another reason to always test perfume on the skin so it can bloom.

The very next day, I got me a full sized bottle. It's just gorgeous for cold winter days. Fancy opens fruity with strong hints of berries and apricot. I must admit, I don't particularly enjoy the opening hence the hate at first sniff at the store earlier. The fruits are too syrupy sweet for my liking. But be patient. Give it time and the scent develops into a warm sensual blend of toasted almonds and creamy buttery caramel with hints of soft vanilla. The Jasmine and Gardenia never appear on my skin. I wish they did.

 The bottle just reminds me of a wedding cake waiting to be cut. It's foody, sweet and fun. Not to be taken seriously. I find it a tad heavy to wear in summers, but it's deliciously thick and warm  for colder months. The price is just right. I just wish it had a better name."Fancy" just doesn't sound right. The dry-down is quite similar to Burberry Brit.

Category: Oriental/ Vanilla/Gourmand

Top Notes: Pear, Apricot, Red berries

Middle Notes: Gardenia, Jasmine, Caramel, toasted almonds

Base Notes: Amber, sandalwood and Vanilla.

Good For: Daytime/casual/ Fall/Winter

Available at most departmental stores for: $26-$28 for 3.4

Flankers L to R: Fancy Love, Fancy, Fancy Nights, I Fancy You. Google image

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Lush Lips

Hi everyone. I'm here in the beautiful valley of Bhurban surrounded by snow! I think winter is a magical time to visit this place.
 I brought three of my favorite lush lip products with me, and thought I'll review these for all you lush heads out there.

I know you're probably tired of  me raving about this brand in every lush post, but I loove lush. I really do. Have loved it since I was introduced to it a million years ago when my mom's friend brought some of their hand made soaps for me. It was love at first sniff. They weren't even that well known back then and were only located in the UK . I have been a loyal customer for years and years now, and for a very good reason. Their products really deliver what they say.
LUSH: When were were inventing our lip balms, we wanted to make sure they all tasted fabulous (they are meant for lips after all), so Simon Constantine and Helen Ambrosen volunteered to taste them all just to be sure (but not on each other).
 There are more to LUSH Lip Balms than flavor; some are for shine, some are for softness and some will restore sore lips to their natural state of beauty. Choose one or choose a few. Most handbags have space for a selection.

Although easy to carry around, I'm really not a fan of tin packaging where you have to dip your finger in each time to grab product. Don't get deceived by it's size, this little tin really does go a long way.

HONEY TRAP LIP BALM $6.95

This has got to be my favorite. I cannot recommend this enough, especially for anyone living in a cold dry climate. It is their most sold lip product and gosh it is addictive! I cannot stop reapplying it every opportunity I get. Very smooth and not at all waxy. It has oat milk, almond oil, beesewax, olive oil, honey, peppermint and white chocolate. Smells absoulutely yummy. White chocolate with a drzzling of honey and peppermint candycane. The scent is quite similar to their MANGE TOO massage bar.
Goes on clear.

WHIPSTICK LIP BALM $6.95

This is a must for anyone who'se a fan of milk chocolate oranges. I'm emphisizing on the scents of these lip product because the scents are very strong in all of 'em. So if you dislike scented lip products, or are annoyed with any of the notes mentioned, then please steer clear of these as most of them are heavily scented and you will end up smelling it the whole time you have it on your lips. This is supposed to be great for people allergic to lanolin or coca butter as it contains none. Consists of wheatgerm and almond oils mixed in with chocolate vanilla absolute and orange oil. The only downside is that the texture is not as smooth as that of honey trap, and is a bit gritty because of all the natural ingredients accumulating together. It's exactly like putting on terry's chocolate orange on your lips.
Goes on clear.

IT STARTED WITH A KISS LIP TINT 8.95

This is not a lip balm, but a lip tint (kind of like a matte sheer lipstick) Again, a very gritty texture which melts away when applied. This lip tint contains fresh red apple infusion among other natural ingredients, and is said to be inspired by snow white :) This has a very strong delicious scent of white chocolate and cinnamon mixed in with apples. Having it on my lips almost makes me feel guilty of indulging in some rich sinful dessert :)  Leaves a natural looking pinkish red stain on the lips which can be built up. Can also be used as a subtle blush on the apples of your cheeks. As it's not a balm, the moisturizing factor is low, but wearing it over a lip balm solves that problem.

One swipe

three swipes

Gawwd! I'm sooo bad at swatching, why do I even bother. Below is a google swatch, so you can have a better idea.

Let's put on our woolies, and step outside for a stroll in beautiful Bhurban ....

As soon go kindle fire with snow, as seek to quench the fire of love with words.
William Shakespeare

Thank you God, for making the world so pretty to look at.

Have a beautiful day readers

Image courtesy: blogger's own, google and pc bhurban fb page

Vera Wang Princess Perfume Review

Princess by Vera Wang. I'm sure most of you either have it, sniffed it, or have heard about it. This is a very popular perfume, and the first one in Vera Wang's princess series. Princess  is supposedly geared towards 18-24 year olds, but I for one do not believe in fragrances having an age restriction. I say wear whatever scent makes you happy, and gels with your skin chemistry. 

Vera Wang: Radiant. Whimsical. Born to Rule!

Created for the modern day Princess, this sheer, fruity floral fragrance is definitely born to rule! The scent sparkles with the captivating, sweet, tart aroma of delicate lady apples and the coveted tahitian tiare flower and finishes with a tasty vanilla chiffon - a treat fit for royalty!

A few years back I fell in love with this fragrance which consists of Juicy guava, pink frosting and dark chocolate among other notes. I had purchased a small bottle, and had very quickly used it all up. I am sooo happy, when the other day, my cousin gave me a huge bottle in a gift set as an early birthday present.

  It comes with a huge tub of velvety body butter that smells just like the perfume...

 Love the bottle...

The cap comes studded with purple stones.
 You can wear it as a ring, or pair it with the cute little crown cap and wear it in a chain around your neck.

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I remember how surprised I was the very first time I smelt this perfume. I was expecting something very candy like, sweet and vibrant. But this princess is very soft spoken, somewhat shy and  probably likes  to adorn herself in gauzy sheer chiffons and delicate lace.
Princess to me is a little bit of powder, a little bit floral and a little bit gourmand.
Sweet fluffy frosting, with hints of dark chocolate that you want to stick your finger into and lick off. 
 If you are looking for a soft fruity/ floral gourmand, but the overpowering sweetness of most celebrity scents gives you a toothache, then give princess a whiff. You won't be disappointed. Lotus, tiare flower, guava and dark chocolate are most detectable on my skin. It is blended very well with the floral notes, hence preventing it from being too foody or vanillary. I don't find it fruity at all, just a watery light guava mingled with florals and chocolate.
The pretty lilac color matches this soft scent perfectly. Use it with a light hand, as it is very long lasting, and this princess can turn into it's evil, ugly sister if sprayed too much. 
Princess is what fairy tales are made of. Wearing this makes me feel like part of a fairytale, and everything seems to end happily ever after:)


Perfume Category: Oriental floral
Top Notes: Apricot, Mandarin Orange, Apple, Waterlily
Middle Notes: Tuberose, Guava, Dark chocolate, Tiare flower
Base Notes: Amber, Vanilla, Woodsy Notes.

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Flankers: Preppy princess, Rock princess, Flower princess, Glam princess.

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Coming soon.... Bored princess, crazy princess, emo princess ( kidding)


And the latest...PrincessNight

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Vera Wang

Princess is available worldwide at most department and perfume stores. Prices vary.

Images: Blogger's own and google images.