I was able to get my hot little hands on a bottle of Narciso Rodriguez's highly anticipated new fragrance, Essence. I have to admit that it was very hard for me to smell Essence and not compare it to the wildly popular Narciso Rodriguez For Her. For Her is my all time favorite fragrance, and I think many consider For Her to be the gold standard for any fragrance Mr. Rodriguez makes. That being said, Essence is no For Her.
I don't dislike Essence, per say. I just didn't fall head over heals in love with it, and I'm a little disappointed that I didn't. While Essence had the musky quality that I have come to love (and expect) from a Narciso Rodriguez fragrance, it was missing the ultra sexy, sensuous and feminine qualities that I've come to love and expect from NR.
At first spritz, the fragrance had a floral quality. I do not care for florals, but I stuck with it, as the floral notes mingled with the aforementioned musk. Over time, the floral notes gave way to the musk, and a crispness emerged. While the ending was better than the beginning, I can't help but feel that I've smelled this before, maybe even in a men's fragrance. This is definitely a better option for spring than NR for Her, but I'm not so sure that this will be in regular rotation. Sigh.
Update: So, I've had several weeks to get used to Essence, and I have to say I like it a lot more now than I did before. This fragrance has definitely grown on me. It has a very crisp, sophisticated, "grown up" scent, that is more subtle than I guess I'm used to from Narciso. While visiting the other day, my best friend friend spritzed a little and fell in love. In fact, she loved it so much that she proceeded to walk around my around my apartment, holding the bottle, while going on and on about how much she liked it. Crazy girl.
I guess great minds think alike, because I think I've fallen for Essense, too. But, fans of For Her, I am warning you. This is not like For Her. I only warn you because if you compare the two, Essence is sure to disappoint, and you'll miss out on this fabulous fragrance. Enjoy!
Fragrance Review: Essence by Narciso Rodriguez
Beauty Supply Shout Out
When most people relocate to another city they consider things like transportation, cost of living, proximity to friends and family, etc. Not this beauty junkie. When I was considering moving from NYC back to my hometown of Kansas City, MO, I was trying to figure out where I was going to buy my favorite beauty products. The idea of living without a Sephora was so non-negotiable, that I triple confirmed that we had one (thankfully, we have 3 with a rumored fourth on the way), then called the closest store to make sure they carried my favorite products. Yeah, it was that serious.
Since I've been back I've made do with trips to Sephora and Beauty Brands, and have resigned to ordering products online that I can't get in town . After deciding to go natural recently, I wanted to give the legendary Miss Jessie's hair care products a try. I balked at the idea of buying before trying, and paying extra to ship things I used to be able to walk into a store and buy in New York irked me to no end (Pay shipping and handling? No, thanks.). So I was excited and relieved to find Beautiful Madame Beauty Supply.
Beautiful Madame is an African American woman owned beauty supply store (so incredibly rare) here in Kansas City, that carries authentic products from your favorite drugstore brands like Soft Sheen-Carson and Nexxus, to cult favorite boutique brands like Miss Jessie's and Mixed Chicks. They also carry innovative products from local beauty mavens and cute tees and accessories from Sable Dame. Owner Monica Roberts (that's her on the far right) is super informed about the products she carries and customer service is paramount. Not in the Kansas City area? Not a problem! Visit their site and order online.
Fragrance Review: Halle by Halle Berry
I decided to pop into Kohls last night to check out Halle Berry's new fragrance, and I am sooo glad I did. Truth be told, I was probably going to buy Halle's perfume regardless of whether I loooved it or not (I strongly support brown beauties with big beauty deals). I figured, even if its not so great, how bad could it be? It was on sale, so I decided I could support my girl Halle for 20 bucks.
After spritzing some on my wrists, I wandered around the store a bit to let it settle in. And let me tell you, I could not stop smelling my wrists. This stuff is that good. I can only imagine what I looked like on the store security cameras, walking around smelling myself.
This fragrance is an interesting mix of sweet and sultry. At first smell, Halle is sweet and slightly fruity, feminine and summery. As the scent lingers, spicier, more musky notes begin to come out, and the fragrance takes on a sultrier, sexier scent. Mmmm. Sexy and sweet. I love it!
I'm not one to wear fragrance every day, but the first thing I did this morning was spritz some of this on. And, yes, I'm still smelling my wrists.
Halle did a bang up job on her fragrance debut, and this is one celebrity scent you should definitely check out!
DIY Beauty! Part I: Custom Nail Polish
With the economy in limbo, it can seem pretty frivolous dropping loads of cash on beauty treatments. But you can't let your looks go, can you? No! So, I've searched high and low for some Do-It-Yourself alternatives to those pricey treatments you get in salons and spas, and I'll be posting them here for the next week. Here we go!
Nails
Who needs $23 Chanel nail polish when you can create your own custom nail polish at home? After all, custom cosmetics are the ultimate beauty luxury. There's just something about knowing that no one else is wearing the same shade as you! Well, you can treat your nails this exclusivity by creating your own nail polish on the cheap with this recipe I found over at Spa Girls Guide. Here's what you'll need:
- 1 paper envelope
- 1 bottle of white nail polish. Try N.Y.C. Quick Dry Nail Polish in Little Italy, $2.
- Eyeshadow (try a cheap brand from the drugstore or an old shade you don't wear anymore)
- Crumble some or all of the eyeshadow into the envelope. Make sure there are no lumps!
- Snip a corner off the envelope to make a tiny funnel.
- Slowly pour the powdered eyeshadow into the nail and stir until you reach your desired color.
- Though I'm normally against shaking polish (It creates bubbles, so its better to roll the bottle between your palms), you may want to shake in this case to make sure the color is distributed evenly.
- Paint your nails as usual!
Germ-Free Beauty
While washing my makeup brushes the other day, I realized that I've been sort of lax lately. There were so many colors in my bathroom sink, I could have tie-dyed a t-shirt. It was a little out of control. I kept thinking about all the germs I had been brushing all over my face. Ughh!!
Granted, you should wash your brushes regularly to keep germs off of your face and out out your makeup, but I can't help but think that the Sephora Deluxe Antibacterial Brush Set, $60 would be a big help. The bristles in these brushes are treated to fight bacteria, so germs don't stand a chance on your gorgeous skin! And it comes in a cute little case to boot.
