One Sex

I was busying my mind this past evening with thoughts of how so many serious perfume lovers don't seem to have many stigmas when it comes to whether any given perfume should be worn by a man or a woman. I love the adventurous nature of perfume lovers. Even if someone has very particular tastes (and we all do, don't we?), they are usually first in line to try something new to them or different, regardless of which sex the scent is intended for. Plenty of scents have qualities that speak clearly of femininity and masculinity, but it seems some of the most well-loved scents among us can easily be, and are, worn by either sex.

One of my very favorite perfumes that fit this category is Comme des Garcons Wonderwood. It contains insanely smooth varied woods, slight incense and nutmeg, and is a perfect scent for the cooler months. It also has a light feel to it thanks to a little punch of bergamot and cedar, and could safely suit any season.

Next I'd like to mention Tom Ford Private Blend Oud Wood. This is not just an earthy oud, there are vague spices present that remind me a bit of Black Orchid. There is a somewhat sweet drydown that meshes with my body chemistry in the most perfect way imaginable. This scent is a chameleon, for sure.

The last scent I'm favoring for this topic is Le Labo Gaiac 10 (Tokyo Exclusive). Continuing along the heavily woody path, Gaiac 10 leaves an impression of tea on my skin along with freshly snapped cedar branches, olibanum and a soft base of musk that wears very close to the skin. This is a radiant and lovely scent that I would be very happy to have a full bottle of, but geography says I cannot.

What are your favorite "unisex" scents?

[photo of the beautiful Jenny Shimizu from Rodarte: the book]

The Oudinest one

This photograph should speak for itself, even though it's a bit blurry. My bottle arrived today, 15ml (benefit of ordering directly from Le Labo in NY- they have a smaller size available). If I keep harping on about how this cedar-laden, sharp yet smooth oud masterpiece has changed the way I think about fragrance, and how it makes me happy to even think about it, I may find myself forsaken by my readers. I certainly hope not, but if I find that to be the case, I will comfort myself by spraying some more Oud 27.

15, 50, 100 and 500ml size bottles available at the Le Labo webstore ($52, $130, $200 and $650 respectively), as well as body lotion (8oz for $60), body oil (4oz for $60) and perfume balm (10ml, $80).

Dior Gold Revolution Vernis

I love a good metallic nail polish. I will say this: I have become extremely used to Essie polish and that is almost exclusively what I use, including nail polish remover, but I am always tempted by some of the higher-end brands. I took advantage of the Sephora VIB $20 gift card that was sent out, and bought myself this little beauty:

It's called Gold Revolution ($21), formerly known as Timeless Gold (it says Timeless Gold on my packaging and bottle, but the number, 226, is the same). This is a really beautiful metallic, and I've got nothing like it already. I am going through another gold/bronze phase right now, and this nail polish feeds the need quite well. It has a unique blend of gold, silver and bronze metallic flecks that give a very chic molten effect. You won't need to worry about matching this polish with your skin tone, it will work on everyone, I promise.

Another thing I like about Dior nail polish is the brush. It's wide and flat, and covers the nail nicely so that you don't need to make too many passes to get the coverage you want.

I am also eyeing up Aztec Chocolate from Dior. a plum taupe shimmer. Based on my experience with Gold Revolution, I won't hesitate to indulge again.

*photograph used is solely my property

Anya's Garden Light and Amberess

I was fortunate enough to have won Perfume Shrine's recent giveaway of Anya's Garden perfume. I had a choice of Light or Amberess, a 3.5 ml mini bottle in parfum extrait form. I quickly decided that my choice should be Light, simply for the fact that I've got nothing like it in my collection and I wanted to push my boundaries (although I really wanted to try Amberess also). Both scents are part of The Outlaw Perfume Project, which you can read more about on founder Anya McCoy's blog. Anya was very kind to also include a sample of Amberess, so my joy was practically doubled when I opened the package. But, I will start with Light. One foot in front of the other.

This is the first perfume I've tried from the Outlaw Perfume Project, and my expectations were pretty high. What I did not expect was that the perfume would render me so speechless, it's taken me a full 24 hours to even begin writing about Light.

It opens with a burst of baked citrus, but I smell rind drying in the sun, not the fruit. It's not overly tart, but smooth with a striking warmth to it. It moves on to clean territory (which I really love), there is a slightly soapy astringence to it. The frankincense notes are barely present, and I've realized that they are probably not meant to stand out here, or to be recognized as rock stars. I am feeling the Big Picture with this scent. This is not traditional perfume, this is a treat to be savored.

The scent fades fairly quickly, but that is to be expected. This fragrance is akin to watching a beautiful sunset. You're there for the moment, the experience of it, and it is glorious. You know it will be over soon, but that doesn't take away from the enjoyment of it.

A little bit on Amberess. This is a potent blend, it will get you noticed (in the best possible way). To be truthful, I am not a huge fan of amber OR rose, but this blend smells surprisingly right for me, and I adore it. There is a lot going on, and it's hard for me to detect the layers, because the overall scent impression is so powerful. It is resinous, floral and fresh, while feeling full of deep mystery. In a word, fierce. The drydown is not the powdery sort of amber I've come to know (yes!), instead, it is rich and slightly sweet, and it lasts for hours.

I have experimented with layering Light and Amberess together, and got a stunning result. I originally was not going to try and layer them, but I'm glad I did. It smells like pure botanical luxury, and the combination is precious.

Light is available in parfum extrait (3.5 ml for $60), EDP (15ml for $100), and Cologne strength (15ml for $50). Amberess is available in parfum extrait (3.5 ml for $75) and EDP (15ml for $125).

Light:
Top notes: Sicilian cedrat, Israeli yellow grapefruit, french juniper berry
Middle notes: Chinese aglaia flower, French genet flower, North Carolina ambergris
Base notes: Hojari frankincense oil, edible frankincense sacra resinoid

Amberess: 
Top notes: none
Middle notes: Zambian princesse de nassau, rosa moschata, African musk, rose otto and musk rose absolute, Madagascan ylang ylang, South African rose geranium sur fleurs
Base notes: Indonesian patchouli, Himalayan amber oil, Turkish styrax, Greek labdanum, Peruvian tonka bean, Salvadorean balsam tolu, balsam of Peru, Chinese benzoin, Madagascan vanilla


*Photos are property of, and were taken by myself*

Peels: the truth so far

I am always looking for new at-home peels to try in order to address my issues of skin texture, spots of discoloration, black and white heads, and need of general anti-aging benefits. My problem is that my skin is sensitive and sometimes reactive, which limits what I can use.

I recently tried Makeup Artist's Choice (or MUAC) for the first time. They are known for having affordable, potent skin care concoctions, and have been touted as such on the Makeup Alley skin care board which I frequent. They offer sample sizes of virtually everything (which is wonderful), so I got a variety of products. They included a free sample of their Cucumber Toner; which I found to be very soothing and refreshing. For the purpose of this post, however, I'm mainly going to talk about their alpha beta Radiance Peel. They included a helpful instruction card with it. Unfortunately, I didn't think things through very well, and skipped the patch test. This oversight cost me. While the peel seemed gentle enough from its description (mandelic acid and fruit enzymes, both on the gentler side of the peel spectrum), it proved to be just too strong for my skin. I only left the peel on for two minutes, and after I used a cloth to remove it and then used a very mild, acid-free cleanser, my skin was red  and inflamed with raised bumps. I will say this, several hours later, my skin was almost back to normal (with the exception of a decent sized red splotch on my jawline), and felt extremely smooth and soft. At only $14 for a 1/2 ounce size, this would be a great, inexpensive peel for someone, just not those with sensitive skin. I intend to keep trying other MUAC products like serums and cleansers, but I will probably steer clear of their peels. *unrelated product of note: they sell one ounce of 100% pure virgin argan oil for just $10, and it's lovely.

*EDIT: the day I wrote this, the damage this peel had done to my skin had not yet fully emerged. I had dry, inflamed scaly patches all over my face, and a big, broken-skin welt along my jawline. It's now the fifth day after I used the peel, and my skin is finally back to normal. Hallelujah!


I am a huge fan of Paula's Choice products. I like Paula Begoun's skin care philosophy, her no-nonsense approach, and I truly believe that for your money, her products pack the biggest and most effective punch.  She recently released a couple of new AHA products; RESIST Weekly Resurfacing Treatment with 10% Alpha Hydroxy Acid and RESIST Daily Smoothing Treatment with 5% Alpha Hydroxy Acid. They were designed to be used together but you can use them separately as well. They are available as a package deal on the website for $46 and there are also sample packettes available. I bought the full size of the Daily treatment, and it is wonderful. You can't do better for daily maintenance, and I highly recommend it, even for people with sensitive skin. I have used it (so far) for a week straight with zero irritation or redness. It is a thicker, lotion-like formula, and it is meant to be used right after washing the face before any other products. You can use any anti-oxidant serums or moisturizers afterward. I recommend waiting about 30 minutes after using the Daily AHA treatment before applying any other products, so as not to dilute the effect of the AHA. I got a couple sample packettes of the Weekly Resurfacing treatment which I was also very interested in trying. It has a very thin, toner-like consistency, and can be applied with a cotton pad or with fingers. I had to take pause, because it is meant to be used on the face overnight once a week, and I knew right away that my skin would not tolerate that. The other option is to use it as a mask, leaving it on for 10 minutes, then rinsing and going on with your normal skin care routine. I tried this, and it was effective. There was just a little stinging, which I know shouldn't go on for more than a couple of minutes, so I rinsed it off a few minutes early. The irritation faded quickly, and the results were good. Overall, the Daily 5% AHA treatment is a slam dunk, and used in combination with the Skin Recovery Super Antioxidant Concentrate Serum w/ Retinol (one of my favorite products, of which there are three formulations to suit your skin's specific needs), your skin will definitely feel soft and smooth, and over time, the benefits will be incredible.

My last peel product will be the Dr. Dennis Gross Alpha Beta Daily Face Peel. Now, I will say up front that there is some criticism of this product for its inclusion of alcohol, but I have not found it to be a problem for my skin. Alcohol in small amounts will not really do any harm to your skin, but some people won't use it at all, so I wanted to mention that first. The other issue is with packaging. There are two options: a two step pre-soaked towelette packette system, which is what I prefer, because the beneficial skin ingredients will not be compromised like they can be with the jar packaging system. Bacteria, light and oxygen can mess with the good stuff. But, moving on, the first step is the peel and the second step neutralizes it. I like the simplicity and ease of use with this peel. I also like how my skin is not irritated at all when I use it, and this is the only peel where I get an amazing glow right after I use it. Exactly what is in the peel you ask? Well, I don't really know. Dr. Gross is not up front on the label as for what concentration of AHA/BHA is in the peel, but he does say that there are 40 ingredients in all (many of which I think are in the neutralizing step, such as a small amount of retinol), and he makes general claims about the anti-aging properties of the peel, and that it delivers results instantly. This is the first time I have ever said this: these general, lofty claims he makes? They are correct. Yep, he's not messing around, there are instant results indeed.  I've seen the Alpha Beta Peel infomercial on TV, he's on QVC, it's big, and I can completely see why. It's as close to a miracle product as I've found, and with a product this good, comes the high price tag. It's $80 for 30 individual treatment packettes, or $28 for 10 packettes. Here's the bright spot: you don't actually need to use them every day. In fact, I use one generally every three days, and continue to have great results. So, potentially, you can spend $80 and have three months worth of product. That's not too bad. If you have stubborn skin issues, you may want to consider the Extra Strength Peel, which is slightly higher in concentration and price.

I listed these products in order of efficacy from least to most efficacious, and the best is the most costly of course (unless you portion it out over two or three months like I do). I initially set out to find a replacement for the Dr. Dennis Gross product because of the cost, but it seems that the more peels I try, the more I want my Dr. Dennis Gross peel back. 

**Here is a tip from me to you: throwing cost to the wind, if you should get a bad irritation from a reaction to a product, nothing helps soothe and actually heal my skin like Creme de La Mer. Earlier in the year I had a horrible reaction to Bremenn's Emergency Zit Stick, a Benzoyl Peroxide treatment (I hadn't used any since I was a teenager), and La Mer nursed my skin back to health in record time. I know that lots of people think La Mer is overpriced and ineffective, but I beg to differ. I could devote an entire post to La Mer, but I won't (for now). This is just a piece of advice that maybe you'll need one day, but I hope you don't.**

Layers: Under the Tree

Tonight, I smell as if I've been rolling around the forest floor, rubbing up against trees, streaking moss in my hair and on my body. I'm your cat who just came back inside from outdoor adventures unknown. But traces of scent remain; green milky sap, crushed leaves, all sorts of trampled flora, twigs, branches, whole oak trunks with bark slivered off without much effort by sharp claws. The season is Spring, the ground is thawing and all kinds of animals have marked their territory in one way or the other, but I pay no heed. I am just a traveler, and I already have a home. I am home.

Diptyque Philosykos & By Kilian Pure Oud

Nuxe Paris: 5 tried and 3 true

I won a Nuxe Reve de Miel lip balm in a Facebook contest, and I had wanted to try this lip balm for some time, so I was very excited to get it. Let's fast-forward to the end really quick, then I'll backtrack. This does not work for me as a lip balm. It is very thick, it is unfortunately grainy and feels waxy on the lips. Once you are able to melt the grains with the heat of your fingers, it's much better, and has a pleasant citrus-honey scent. I tried using it on my lips for a full day, and just couldn't get over the texture. Then I had the idea of trying it on my cuticles, and I have to say that as a cuticle treatment, you couldn't do better. It's also great for elbows and heels, and the jar is generously sized, so all of this is feasible. It is a wonderful skin protectant and is very emollient, and would be useful for outdoor activity or just waiting for the bus in the freezing cold (ahem). But, I like my lip balm to be smooth, and that's just not something I'm willing to compromise on. I am into the fact that there are no ingredients of animal origin (unless you count the bees), and no artificial anything here. This is a 0.5 oz jar, and it retails for $21.

I also received some samples of otherNuxe products, and I had an instant love affair with a couple of them. The sordid details follow.

The next thing I tried was Creme Fraiche 24 Hour Energizing Moisture Cream (dry to very dry skin). Now, I'll admit, I LOVE skin care products almost as much as I love perfume. In fact, skin care was really my first love. This is one of those creams that I'm going to covet heavily until I purchase a jar (you win, Nuxe!). Ingredients include vegetal milks of lupin (!), jasmine extract, pea, green tea, acacia flower, almond, soy, coconut, oat and wheat proteins, hazelnut and jojoba oils, and chamomile flower water. The fragrance is derived from essences of neroli, petitgrain, white orange rind and siberian pine needles. AND (this is the best part), it has glycolic and lactic acids, though most likely in very small quantities. This cream is rich but not greasy, super hydrating, cosmetically elegant to the nines, and smells like a dream. It comes in a whopping 2 oz jar for only $43. Brilliant.

Next up is the Reve de Miel Ultra Comfortable Face Cream. This one was far from comfortable, and an overall bust for me because of my sensitive skin. I'm not sure exactly what made my skin react a bit (with redness and itchiness), but this cream is intended for sensitive skin, so I would caution all of you sensitive gals and guys out there to skip this one. The texture and smell is very nice, and I wanted to like it, but after about a half an hour, my face started to feel hot and taut (the uh-oh moment). This cream also has a lot of natural ingredients, but some are different from the Creme Fraiche such as horse chestnut, honey, tomato, carrot, rosemary, imperata cylindrica root and sunflower extracts. It retails for $40 for a 1.6 oz jar.

The only product from the Reve de Miel line that I tried and really liked was the Ultra Comfortable Body Cream. It's strangely refreshing on the skin, has a wonderful botanical/honey scent and the hydration lasts quite a long time. It boasts some really good ingredients, too: hyaluronic acid, macadamia seed oil, and carrot and chestnut extracts among them. It retails for $35 for a 5 oz tube.

Our last stop is the Huile Prodigeuse Multi Use Dry Oil, which is very luxurious, and very European. You can use it on the body, face and hair, but I just tried it on my body. The texture is very thin, so I can see how this would be most useful in spray form (I had a packette to work with in this case). It has macadamia, hazel seed and sweet almond oil, and the fragrance is to die for. It smells mild and slightly sweet, and while it takes a little while to absorb into the skin, it's worth the wait. I can't remember the last time my skin felt this soft and smooth. It's $44 for a 3.4 oz bottle. I think this would make a really lovely gift.

I like (and am linking to) Skinstore.com for these products, as they have frequent 20% discounts and great customer service. They have this storewide discount happening right now, if you use the code CYBER20.
EDIT: as of 12/7/10, the 20% discount code is TINSEL 20