Victoria’s Secret Vanilla Lace fragrance products Tuesday, Jan 1 2008

Pro; Beautiful scent, usually good deals on multiples of this fragrance at Victoria’s Secret

Con; For me it’s a little *too* light, but I still love it!

Victoria’s Secret Vanilla Lace scent is yet another fragrance that I fell in love with back in the early/mid 90’s, right along with their stronger fragrances, Rapture and Encounter. Having always been a vanilla fragrance lover, “Vanilla Lace” drew me right in, and I was sold from the moment I first tried it!

Back in the day, the EDP fragrance came in an awkward shaped glass bottle with an arched top and a flat bottom, kind of like a ‘half-circle’ shape. Nowadays, the EDP comes in a small, simple palm sized 1 oz. spray bottle.

The Vanilla Lace fragrance contains vanilla and orchid with hints of amber and musk. The scent is light but beautiful! As Victoria’s Secret describes it, the scent really *is* sensual, not too sweet smelling for those of you who don’t prefer the ‘sweetness’ some vanilla fragrances tend to be dominated by.

Personally, this feminine scent has been perfect for me for everyday use, as well as at night, though this scent is pretty light and I like my perfume to have a little more kick than that, however I love this scent so much that I still use it anyway! There is nothing else like it, in my opinion. If you want a little stronger scent, I suggest layering the Vanilla lace lotion, body mist, and the perfume for a longer lasting effect. I keep the 1 oz. EDP in my purse for re applications whenever I think necessary.

The old body mist, which came in an 8 oz bottle, was perfect for everyday, practical use. Of course you have to remember that *usually* body sprays, for the most part, are lighter by default. I’ve always associated the body mists with “subtle, light and airy”. I never considered the EDP to be too powerful, either.

As for the newer Vanilla Lace body mist VS. the older, the ONLY difference I found was the bottle style, design, and the old 8 oz. is now the 8.4 oz! I was VERY pleased to find that the only thing that changed about my favorite Vanilla Lace fragrance was the bottle/packaging! The fragrance has remained the same; beautiful, classic, and sexy! For me, that’s the perfect combination! For anyone who is too sensitive to many perfumes and stronger scents, body mists are the best way to go, and Victoria’s Secret has MANY different fragrances to choose from, depending on your taste in scents. For me, as long as Victoria’s Secret makes “Vanilla Lace”, I’ll be a loyal and adoring customer. ❤

1-10 rating (1 bad, 10 outstanding) Packaging; 8++, Performance; 10+++

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Victoria’s Secret Encounter perfume Tuesday, Dec 25 2007

Pro; This is a beautiful fragrance, excellent for vanilla lovers

Con; Victoria’s Secret discontinued it : (

Encounter is another perfume that I fell inlove with in the 90’s, following my newfound affair with “Rapture”.  I first purchased this scent in a tiny purse-size bottle that came in a velvet ‘boot’ for gift giving, and fell in love with this fragrance so much that I went back a while later for the larger 1.7 oz.

To this day, I still have a small bottle that came in a set, unused, which I set aside for some special occasions, and eventually I will be trying to find a good deal on a larger bottle again somewhere online. The only CON of this perfume is that is no longer available for purchase in the stores. I MISS having this fragrance for everyday use!!

Encounter is now listed as a rare, discontinued fragrance from VS. This perfume has base notes of vanilla, which are strong but, much like “Rapture,” it is not at all overpowering to me. This scent is not sweet, but it is beautiful. It’s hard to explain it, as this is one you’d have to truly test to experience. To me, it is pure heaven. It is a very unique and beautiful scent that lasts all day or night with no need to re apply. This perfume, in my opinion, can also go for day or night wear.

Unfortunately, because of it’s inavailability in stores now, many sellers are trying to profit *bigtime* by charging absolutely outrageous prices for a single bottle. What was once a bottle of perfume that went for under $50 is now being sold by many for over $100.. Be sure and check around for the best deal if you’re looking to buy this fragrance.

I absolutely loved this fragrance and am sad that for whatever reason VS discontinued it, I certainly can’t understand why! That perfume was prettier than many I come across in the department stores today, to be honest.

1-10 rating (1 bad, 10 outstanding) packaging; 9++, performance; 10+++++

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Victorias Secret Rapture perfume Tuesday, Dec 25 2007

pro; It’s a beautiful, long lasting, sexy scent

Con;  N/A

Rapture perfume was first perfume I fell in love with and began wearing, way back in the 90’s. Since then I have fallen in love with sweeter, lighter scents as my favorites, but you can bet your bottom dollar there is always a bottle of rapture on my dresser for those extra special evenings.

Rapture contains a blend of exotic florals mixed with amber and wood. The scent is warm and sensual, deep and has a lot of lasting power. One or two sprays is all you need to get you through a night. It is a scent that packs a nice kick, I wouldn’t consider it light, but it is not TOO strong, either, in my opinion.

At last check, the purse size spray was about $20 and the 1.7 oz. bottle was about $35 at Victoria’s Secret. A bit pricey if you’re on a budget, but I have to admit it’s a great buy if you’re looking for something sensual and warm for a sexy evening out or something of that nature. I have always seen this as a night/night out type of perfume, but to each their own. Some will or do love it for day! Either way, it’s absolutely beautiful and has been one of my favorites for over a decade, was in fact my first favorite ever.

It comes in the same signature heart-shaped gold bottle with burgandy cap that it was in when I first bought it so long ago, held in a pretty gold and burgandy trimmed box.

I highly recommend this perfume, despite it’s price range at Victoria’s Secret, you can surely find a better deal online if you check around.. This is one of the sexiest perfumes I have ever smelled!

 1-10 rating (1 bad, 10 outstanding) packaging; 10+++++, performance; 10++++++++

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Baby Phat Golden Goddess perfume Saturday, Dec 22 2007

Pro; ?

Con; (In my opinion) it smells cheap

Tonight while roaming through the mall in search of something new, fragrance-wise, I tried Baby Phat’s newest fragrance, EDP “Golden Goddess” on both arms and wrists. At first smell I wasn’t sure *what* to think of it. It smelled kind of strong and musky during the dry down.

Once it had been on a while I noticed a flat, slightly sweet smell that lingered. And after some time all I smelled was what reminded me of cheap champagne. That would be the best way I could describe how it lingered on me. The bottle is pretty but to me that’s about it for appeal, the presentation. The fragrance itself fell flat for me and on me.

This fragrance is noted as being “a mixture of bubbling champagne and an intoxicating floral boquet.” Nothing about this EDP intoxicated me, however. As I always say, though, to each their own! From what I’ve read, many people absolutely love this perfume, and in favor of those who DO prefer “golden goddess”, I can say that I did *not* notice the fragrance wearing down and disappearing after hours, as I’ve read many others complain about. I sprayed a little on hours ago at the mall, and I can still smell it on me as I am sitting here typing this now. In my opinion, it seems to have lasting power.

All I smell, though, is champagne. And not in a good way for me, either… My boyfriend also wasn’t particular to it. Though he smelled the original pink Baby Phat EDP on a card and liked that scent much better. I thought it was Ok, though can’t have a real opoinion of the original Baby Phat perfume unless or until I’ve worn it for myself, really.

1-10 rating (1 bad, 10 outstanding) packaging; 10, performance; 1 (I’ll give it some credit for it’s staying power, which I hadn’t been expecting)

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Curious by Britney Spears- Perfume stick Friday, Dec 21 2007

Pro; Pretty packaging and it was on clearance..

Con; The stick fragrance is kind of strong.. a little too sweet smelling for me.

I tried Britney Spears “Curious” perfume while in a department store, and while I wasn’t revolted, I wasn’t entirely impressed enough, either, to go find it at Wal Mart or Target for cheaper.. Honestly, I was more impressed with “Fantasy”, which is more my speed, and even with that, I did not go searching for the best deal on it in order to purchase it (not to say that I don’t want it, it just didn’t rate up there with me with some of my current favorites, so I haven’t gotten it yet).

The fragrance itslelf  (Eau de parfum) includes notes of magnolia, golden Anjou pear, white florals, pink cyclamen, and undertones of vanilla infused musk and sandalwood.  

I found two of the “Curious” perfume sticks in cute little boxes for a couple of dollars each on a clearance shelf earlier this year and I got them for the heck of it. I figured since I thought the scent was  OK, it would be worth the couple of dollars. I still don’t entirely regret getting them, they’re in super cute packaging and the pearlescent shimmer is nice, as well. The strength of the dominating sweetness in the fragrance on the sticks, however, don’t fit well with me.

With the EDP fragrance I tested in the dept. store, it seemed to lighten up quickly and not be too overpowering over time, but the sticks just seem to be a strong, very sweet aroma. When left on, the stick fragrance lightens up just a bit after it’s applied, but if you get close enough you can still smell how dominatingly sweet it is. The pearlescent shimmer holds up, though it does ‘fade’ just a little bit, that I noticed, after a little while. To me, though, it’s not something I would ever call my signature fragrance (EDP or otherwise), it’s just not really my style. But it’s not an unattractive scent as a matter of personal opinion! And also since everyone’s body chemistry is different, this fragrance would of course react differently on different people. My advice is always to test scents first and see what works best for *you*. : )

If you’re a collecter of Britey’s products, this is definitely a cute collectible item, and if you love “Curious”, maybe you’ll actually love the shimmer fragrance stick, too! For those out there who like and prefer the fragrance, the pearlescent glow this stick offers is great for highlighting skin in areas where clothing is not covering, for instance if you’re going out for a night on the town, it’s a pretty irridescence and would look exceptionally pretty on the chest if you’re wearing a dress.

Personally, I found the eau de parfum “Curious” fragrance would be a better option to actually wear than the stick, if I had to choose, the perfume is lighter and doesn’t seem as *unbearably* sweet (though to some it will, everyone is different, of course!)..

You can most likely find this stick fragrance on Ebay or any other related site(s) selling these types of products that might not be as easily found in stores nowadays.. Shop around for the best deals!

1-10 rating (1 bad, 10 outstanding) Product packaging; 9, Product performance; 2 (for the stick fragrance)

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Victoria’s Secret “Dream Angels- Divine” perfume Thursday, Dec 20 2007

Pro; It’s a GREAT and LONG lasting scent! A little goes a long way!

Con; It’s pricey, averaging $40 to $50 a bottle (1 oz.) for the eau de parfum

I first tried Victoria’s Secret Dream Angels Divine perfume while passing by the store in the mall waaayyy back in 2001. I was instantly impressed with the scent the moment I put it on, and even hours later as I could still smell it on my skin, and it smelled JUST as good! I never had a single complaint from anyone of the opposite sex, either, when wearing this scent, and I wouldn’t exactly consider it an extremely light or ‘weak’ scent. It holds some pretty strong notes, just not at all overpowering. This fragrance has never, ever given me a headache.

It also does not require numerous re sprays throughout a day or evening, to keep the scent alive. One or two sprays and I’m good to go for an entire day/evening.

Not only does it come in a beautiful bottle with impressive packaging, but there’s a gorgeous heart shaped cap that tops it off, and it looks so pretty on any dresser or vanity as an added little perk. : )

The only real drawback to this perfume is the price, which ranges from about $38 to well over $50 depending on size and what comes with it, if anything. But the body mist, which is a lighter spray version of the same fragrance, is much more reasonable, in the $20+ dollar range.

This perfume is worth the price, however. It has top notes of lotus blossom, rose followed by milder notes of lilly of the valley and waterlilly, with undertones of warmer sandalwood and amber that create a lasting ‘warmth’ to the fragrance. This is truly a beautiful fragrance, which is why I still use it on many occasions almost 7 years later! And yes, this means it doesn’t get “bug spray-ish” after it’s been sitting for a while, either!

I also recommend trying other scents in the VS “Dream Angels” line, as I tested “Heavenly” once before and was also just as impressed with it!

1-10 rating (1 bad, 10 outstanding) Product packaging; 10+++, Product performance; 10+++

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Estee Lauder “Pleasures Intense” fragrance Thursday, Dec 20 2007

Pro; Long lasting and a pretty scent

Con; VERY strong (it’s called ‘INTENSE’ for a reason) scent, not a good choice if you’re sensitive to scents or get sick from strong smells easily

Estee Lauder “Pleasures Intense” holds up to it’s name VERY well! Personally, I love this scent, HOWEVER at the same time I do have drawbacks with this scent as well. I suppose you could call it a bittersweet affair.

Just as with the original “Pleasures” fragrance, I absolutely loved this more intense scent when my friend was wearing it around me for the first time. Yet again, I was drawn into trying something new for myself, hoping it would be as good on me. Yeah, back to the whole body chemistry issue. : ( It never seems to fall in my favor with stronger scents! With “Pleasures Intense” I started off my trial with a newer bottle, which was pricey enough at $49 for the 1 oz bottle I purchased at a perfume gallery. When I first put it on, I instantly knew I wouldn’t need more than ONE spritz. This scent has an instant KICK, and boy is it HARD!

A warmer, spicier version of the original “Pleasures” fragrance, “Pleasures Intense” has the strong floral overtones with additional notes of vanilla and maple. My observation was to note that the floral overtones tended to linger on my friend, where as the maple undertone seemed to dominate on ME. After a while, the heaviness of that spicy warmth began to give me a headache. Sure, this fragrance has loooooonnng lasting power, you will still smell hints of it 24 hours later, but it doesn’t benefit you if you’re feeling ill from it.

 To add to the downfalls of wearing this very often, my boyfriend does not like the fragrance at all, and complains whenever I wear it that it’s too overpowering and makes HIS head hurt..

 *SIGH*

SO.. This is a fragrance that I wear on very rare occasions, never when I’m planning on being cooped up in a small space with anyone else, and never when I plan on spending a lot of time with my boyfriend cramped in a car, or anywhere else for that matter… And having to put so many restrictions on wearing a fragrance just flat out sucks, to be honest. I can tolerate this fragrance if I put very little on every now and then, and wear it out somewhere. Otherwise, if I wear it every day or spray too much on, it turns into overkill and then noone’s happy. : *(

I must reiterate, though, that even despite all of the con’s, I DO love this fragrance. I only wish I (and my boyfriend!) could tolerate it more often! If only it weren’t SO strong…

rating (1 bad, 10 outstanding).. Packaging; 7, Product Performance; 5

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Estee Lauder “pleasures” fragrance Thursday, Dec 20 2007

Pro; Long lasting fragrance, smells great when it’s a newer bottle!

Con; Storing bottles of this fragrance doesn’t seem to benefit the life or quality of the scent, it gets kind of skanky when it’s older!

I love Estee Lauders perfumes, for the most part. It’s just been hard for me to find any one of them tolerable enough to be called my ‘signature’ fragrance over time. With “Pleasures”, I absolutely adored the scent on my friend, whom has deemed the “Pleasures” line her signature fragrances. When I was given a bottle that was half used, to try for myself, I found the scent to be “different” from the pleasant lingering scent that I always smelled when she was around. I thought that was odd, but then scents are also different on everyone because of different body chemistry and such. Just smelling the bottles cap, the scent didn’t seem as pleasant, in fact it reminded me a little bit of bug spray. : (

However, when I sprayed a little on, it wasn’t half bad on, and the scent carried on throughout the day/evening without disappearing or needing to be re applied (a BIG plus with me). The “bug spray” undertone was still present when I first sprayed it on, but after the scent dried it seemed to be Ok. It was, however, different on me than it had been on my friend, which I chalk up to the whole body chemistry thing again. When I visited an Estee Lauder counter some time after receiving the older bottle, I tried a sample of one of their bottles and found that scent entirely different. It was fresher and smelled better, both on the bottle cap AND on me. So this leads me to believe that even fragrance has a shelf life of sorts! I have no way of knowing how old the bottle was that was given to me, but I think I can safely assume it was pretty old, and the amount of time it had been sitting around greatly affected and degraded the quality of the fragrance.

 Overall, my point is that “Pleasures” is a beautiful fragrance, just don’t buy a couple of them and leave one laying around for ages before using it! LOL

“Pleasures” is not overpowering, but it is not entirely light, either, so you only need a spray or two to get through the day (unless of course you like to pack it on, to each their own). I prefer to use “Pleasures” only on days when I’m planning some sort of outing or something of that nature, or maybe an occasional night out. If I make a habit of wearing this fragrance, it sometimes causes me to get a mild headache, as do many perfumes that I call kind of “heavy” scents. The ‘heaviness’ that I describe comes from the sandalwood undertones that are in the fragrance. But overall, the fragrance is a floral blend (violet, lilac, gardenia, & rose to name a few), and for me it seems like a great summer or late spring type of a fragrance, when you’re not wearing a lot of heavy clothes, and the weather is much warmer.

I wouldn’t suggest mixing this fragrance with any types of fragranced lotions, etc. because “pleasures” alone is a pretty distinctive scent. Try it in small doses if you’ve never tested “Pleasures” out before. But it really is a pretty scent.

1-10 rating (1 bad, 10 outstanding) Packaging; 6, product performance; 8

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Jessica Simpson Dessert Beauty/Sweet Kisses line (Fragrance & cosmetics) Thursday, Dec 20 2007

Jessica Simpsons “Dessert Beauty” and “Sweet Kisses” line.

 Pro; Light fragrances smell great, taste as good as they smell. Lip glosses taste great, pretty on.

Con; The fragrances have no lasting power, so they’re not really that great for all-day or all-night wear. Lip gloss is average, doesn’t last that long on.

Because I am a big Jessica Simpson fan and I love her fashion sense, I have followed her product lines over time and collected a good number of her “Dessert Beauty” and “Sweet Kisses” lines. Many of the items I have not opened, and don’t intend to, I’m keeping them for collecting only. The one’s that I have opened, however, I can comment on from my personal experience. I love the fragrances and the packaging, for one. The Dessert treats “Cupcake” and “Candy” fragrances which I have used are sweet and pretty when just put on, they smell just like their names, and they would be GREAT if they had lasting power. I notice, though, that the scent wears off shortly after applied. My boyfriend, however, complimented on the taste on my neck long after the application, so I guess it’s good for impressing someone you love! The taste is exactly like the scent, as well, and its not at all unpleasant. The same would go for the lip gloss, when applied it’s shimmery and sheer, the scent and taste are exactly like the name titles. However, the glosses I’ve tried don’t have much lasting power, either.

 The sweet kisses fragrances are about the same, I’ve used the “Creme Brulee” and the “Strawberry Sorbet” perfumes, body shimmer mists, and body lotions. The perfume is sweet when first sprayed but doesn’t last very long, however the taste does, and it’s pleasant. The body shimmer mist is pretty, leaves a little glittery look behind but not too much, and I’m very impressed with that. Since it’s a body mist, I don’t expect it to be too strong or lasting, as most body sprays usually aren’t. It doesn’t linger too long, but just like the rest of the line, the taste does linger and is pleasant.

 The lotions, however, I have to rave a bit about! I love the way they go on and the scent lasts a bit longer than the fragrances do, for some reason! Maybe it’s just me.. But I LOVE the lotions. They not only smell great, but they taste great too, and it lasts much longer (at least on me).

Far as I know, most of the lines have ended up on clearance racks in many stores and last year I bought a good number of the items whenever I found the sales on them. Nowadays you can find stuff all over the net, just be aware of what they retailed for and how much you’re paying for the items. Overall, it’s not a practical line for everyday wear or if you’re looking for a long-lasting signature scent.. but if you like the whole taste/smell thing, and want to impress your significant other, this would be a good line to try!

 1-10 rating (1 bad, 10 outstanding).. packaging 10, product quality (overall); 5

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“Hollywood Pink” by Mark Thursday, Dec 20 2007

pro; Great lasting power

con; I only wish the bottles were bigger! lol

Yet another sweet and sultry scent that I LOVE. This one was given to me by a friend this year, it came early for Christmas. I had never heard of this name before, so it was new to me, but the packaging and design reminded me very much of “Pink Sugar” perfume, and as such I was automatically impressed and curious to see how this would smell!

I wasn’t surprised to find that it had a similarly sweet fragrance, however THIS fragrance has warmer notes than Aquolina’s “Pink Sugar” perfume. “Hollywood Pink” has more warm chocolate notes with that same candy/cake sweetness overall. It’s a GREAT (and less expensive ) alternative to “Pink Sugar” and I’d put it right up there with “Pink Sugar” as far as impressiveness with scent! “Pink Sugar” seems light enough for day, where “Hollywood Pink” seems more an evening fragrance, but of course, to each their own!

 When I put “Hollywood Pink” on, I noticed this fragrance also has lasting power and only needs one or two sprays to last throughout the day/evening for me, and I love that. This fragrance is also a lighter fragrance that doesn’t overpower me or make me sick, but it’s the perfect combination because I’ve always associated “LIGHT” fragrance with “NO LASTING POWER.” So it’s truly another impressive scent!

I never bought the accompanying products to “Pink Sugar” as that line is pretty pricey, but with “Hollywood Pink” I found their products online to be reasonable, normally going for $10-$20 for the perfume, and averaging under $10 for the lotion. I was given both as a gift, and usually layer the lotion and perfume, however, the perfume alone also lasts just as well by itself! 

*Additional Note; If you’re a big fan of Aquolina ‘Pink Sugar’s’ warmer alternative, “chocolovers” (The chocolatey version of Pink Sugar), but don’t want to pay the higher price, “Hollywood Pink” is the PERFECT alternative, a much more reasonable buy, even if you’re looking for the set!

1-10 rating (1 bad, 10 outstanding); Packaging; 10, Product quality; 10+

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