SOLSTICE SCENTS- HARVEST MOON

PERFUME:  Harvest Moon

COMPANY: Solstice Scents

AVAILABILITY: Discontinued as a perfume oil, available as home fragrance oil.

 OFFICIAL DESCRIPTION: Apples, Pumpkin, Butternut Squash, Roasted Chestnuts, Spices.

This sample is sitting in my collection for some years now, so I thought to write a review and used it up. Unfortunately, is only available in home fragrance oil due to the amount of spices I believe.

FROM THE DECANT/BOTTLE: Spiced apples and pumpkin. In other words, a typical autumnal scent.

WET ON SKIN:  That’s spicy! Cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. The pumpkin is more pronounced now.

DRY DOWN: This is a very strong scent. I put it last night before bed and I could still smell it this morning. It’s cozy, warm and spicy and sometimes you just need that. After 30 minutes I smell the chestnut note. I love chestnut in perfumes (I love eating them too!)

Verdict: Lovely apple spice perfume. I am thinking of buying the home fragrance oil if it isn’t too expensive. I want my house to smell baking goods, it is making me feeling relaxed but also a little bit hungry!

Solstice Scents- Sugarvale

PERFUME:  Sugarvale

COMPANY: Solstice Scents

AVAILABILITY: Limited edition, available every winter

OFFICIAL DESCRIPTION: Nestled in a mountain vale lies a small, quaint community with rustic buildings housing friendly, hardworking people. A special delight during the harsh and demanding winter season is the Sugarvale Candy Kitchen in the middle of town. Smoke billows profusely from the chimney of the confectioner's cabin. Aromas of candied pecans, butterscotch, buttered rum, brown sugar, maple syrup, hot pralines and milk chocolate cocoa fills the air across town, beckoning the inhabitants inside to warm cold bodies and empty tummy's alike.

FROM THE DECANT/BOTTLE: Sweet, very sweet! I get the pecan right away and dulce de leche. Yes it’s for the ones with sweet tooth.

WET ON SKIN:  Butterscotch and rum. It reminds me Bpal’s Grog. The pralines make this one a little bit better in my opinion.

DRY DOWN: Sugarvale smells so real I almost taste the candied pecans. I don’t get any chocolate.

VERDICT: This is a simple sugar, rum and pecan scent. I think it will appeal to all foodie lovers. It would be great as a body lotion as well as the scent can be used for layering with other warm perfumes like vanilla, gingerbread or ever yummy pumpkin scents. If this will be available again, I am buying a bottle for when I am craving sugar

HALLOWEEN-POSSETS

Happy Halloween!

I am in that part of the world where Halloween isn’t a tradition and every year I say to myself that I will decorate and have some fun but never do… Except from Pumpkin pie I love making and eating Halloween treats! There are some parties going on in the center of Athens but they start after midnight and we have to wake up early. So you guess it my plans for Halloween are to review Halloween from Possets.

This is a seasonal scent that comes live every Halloween and is spooky and mysterious!

Halloween-Back from last year, Halloween is one of the first unabashed outdoor autumn fragrances ever. Incensy, spicy, and manages to capture the width of a dimming blue October sky. Halloween reminded me of suddenly catching yourself thinking about what fun you will have and how the year went for you. This one is beautiful without being cloying and just hits the right notes about Halloween. Resinous, gourmand.

Bottle:  smoke, leaves turning and gingerbread.

Wet:  Smoky but very wearable no harsh notes on that one. It’s like how the air smells when it’s so cold outside that you can feel the smoke for the fireplaces. Hard to describe. Something in that perfume reads to my mind as gingerbread maybe  the  spices?

Dry:  More incense now. I don’t think I am very Helpful but my general impression is: Walking in the streets the afternoon of a very cold day, a lot of houses burning woods to warm up, leaves are falling  and suddenly you find that your local bakery is still open and you take a deep breath of all the yummy stuff before you go home. Yes you need it.

Possets Sicily Order!!!

Hi guys! I know Summer is over but I really wanted to share my impressions of this order with you. Unfortunately, these scents are not longer available but Possets is great and has Retours so if you want something and you missed out fear not!

Etna:  Strong and aromatic, Etna is a powerful blend of grey and crystal musk, a musk I put together which I call 992 and packs a real punch.

Bottle: It reminds me of a tiger balm I have for when I am sick. Another thing that come to mind (and it doesn't mean that it's a bad thing) is a shaving gel that I used as a teenager for shaving my legs. In fact, I believe that it's the memory of the gel that the gel itself and the hours that I used to spend in the bathroom pampering myself.

Wet: Camphor and a hint of spearmint, then amazing musks. It's perfumy and elegant.

Drydown: Slightly medicinal, musky, grown up scent. Medium through and lasting power.

Verdict: This is unique and I am very happy to have it in my collection!

Cannoli:  Deep fried tubes of the lightest crust filled with sweetened ricotta cheese.

Cannoli are my favorite treats when I go to Italy. I wish I could make them home so delicious. So, When I first saw this collection Cannoli was my first WANT!

Bottle: Yeast and fried crust as promisted. Initial snif I am not so fond of how it smells.

Wet:  Mmm it's getting better. Handmade dough. Still I don;t get the cream cheese filling.

To my nose, I almost get a clean note like cucumber. I don't have a clue why it's there but note that yeast scent do weird things to my body chemistry. I am not to Italy yet.

Dry: After more than 15 minutes it's getting closer to the cannoli scent that I have in mind. It's milkier and I am getting whifs of milk chocolate now and then. 

High silage and staying power

My sister thinks that this is the best perfume that I have ever bought, and she is very picky!

Verdict: Initialy I thought that this was a fail but after a while it's a nice, cozy foodie blend and I really enjoy it. So glad that the strange note disappeared

Gelato:Blood Orange

Whan I first read the descriptions on the gelato line, I wanted all of them. I' ve decided to go with is one first beause of all the rave reviews.

Bottle: Blood orange and Kumquat. This is LOVE.

Wet: Shour Kumquat and candied blood orange. This is Heaven in the bottle. So glad I bought this.

Dry: My mother makes camdied Kumquat and this is what I am smelling with the lovely gelato note.

Verdict: I want to bath in this:)

Medusa:To celebrate the loveliness which Medusa lost Possets has come up with a coconut fragrance which is latticed throughout with a kiss of olive blossom, a hint of myrtle, and a very small amount of stone

A non foodie coconut! I am sold!

Bottle: Fresh air and coconut flesh. It has a spa like quality due to the olive blossom. Myrtle gives thia a herbal kick and a mediterranean flair.

Wet: Ellusive and pretty, sweet and herbaly. This perfume makes me wanting to explore myrtle more. What a lovely note.

Dry: It doesn't change much. it's  great for everyday if you, like me, love fresh and clean scents.

All Saints-Bpal

Today it’s the first day that actually feels like autumn here. The perfect timing for a Halloween update from Bpal! Actually I’ve printed everything out so I can decide what to get. It’s so hard to choose only a couple of them..

So this review-impression is inspired from this update. I’ve purchased my first Halloween scent in 2010 and I still have some decants. One of then was All Saints and they re-relished it this year.

PERFUME: All Saints 2010

COMPANY: BPAL

AVAILABILITY: Limited edition, currently available in the Bpal site

OFFICIAL DESCRIPTION: Based on a venerable French pontifical incense blend: monastic frankincense and myrrh, Damascus rose, Russian gardenia, cassia, and lily of the valley wafting on a chill Autumn wind. A celebration of the glory and suffering of the saints and martyrs of the Church.

FROM THE DECANT/BOTTLE: The rose is the strongest and is rich, deep like the real rose absolute. I get a whif of pine and the whole it’s very autumnal. The incense gives another dimension to the rose. Very similar to the rose incense that I have. Definitely not for someone who likes subtle scents!

WET ON SKIN: Pine and incense. I don’t get gardenia or lily of the valley. The rose is the star

DRY DOWN: You just need drops of this magic juice for your whole body to smell amazing all day. When I smell it I have a strong image in mind: the vitro art from the windows in French catholic churches. Actually I have the one in Lyon in mind which I've visited some years ago it looks like this

 Is very sensual too and I highly recommend it from a date.

Overall: I need a bottle!

Thanks for reading!!!

Haus Of Gloi-Pumpkin Eater & Old Cider Haus

Happy Fall Everyone!

It’s my favorite season of the year again! Some people may say that autumn makes them feeling depressing or sad but for me it’s the opposite. Rain, cold temperatures and wind make me happy!  

So, I’ve started wearing fall and Halloween scents again. Today I have small reviews from two Haus Of Gloi perfumes ( Pumpkin Eater and Old Cider Haus) which I have bought maybe 2 or 3 years ago in a sample size. They are almost over now but I used the last drops just to share my opinion.

By the way the most of their products in their site are sold out. I’ve tried to buy some Pumpkin Queen Pumpkin Butter and I believe that they are going to restock everything this weekend along with new fall scents. I hope I will have best luck this time around because I NEED more Pumpkin Queen in my life!

Pumpkin Eater: Cream, glowing pumpkin, rich vanilla bean and the tiniest touch of nutmeg butter.

When I first got this I thought it will be a vanilla and pumpkin scent but to my nose it smells like peaches and cream with freshly grated nutmeg on top. Weird

The spice it’s light and well blended. After a couple of minutes I get pumpkin but that note it’s like that deep roasted pumpkin note that you get when you actually roast a pumpkin in the oven.

Over all this is nice but not something I will buy full size, also I found it similar to other fall inspired perfumes like Pumpkin Wench from Lathers and Lights which I own a full bottle.

Old Cider Haus: Old oak, sweet drying hay fields, crushed apple pulp and vanilla bean husks.

This one is very autumn like. Hay,  sweet apples and a hint of spice hidden away.

Usually I don’t like apple perfumes but this one is enjoyable. In my opinion this is best in a sugar scrub or other bath products at least for me. It reminds me a candle a little bit so, I don’t need a bottle of this either.

Thanks for reading:)

Summer Favorites!

Hi guys! I know it had been ages since I updated this blog and I really missed blogging and sharing my thoughts so here it goes: Summer Favorites 2014!

This year my Boyfriend and I went to Romania for a summer vacation, so a lot of products are things that I loved during our trip there. We had wonderful time and yes we have visited The Dracula’s castle!

Satsuma body sorbet and Shower gel from the Body Shop

There is not better thing after a long day sightseeing and walking around than to take a shower and then apply cold from the fridge this body sorbet. It’s very refreshing and revitalizing. I really enjoyed it.

I totally recommend it for people who don’t like the greasy-oily feeling that some body lotion and 

body butters have.

Tea tree Skin Clearing Toner-The body Shop

In summer my skin tends to be more oily than usual so I picked that up to help me clear my face and I love it! I love the tea tree toner from Lush too but we don’t have a shop here. My bottle is almost over. In fact between the two I may prefer the Body Shop one.

Tecnoskin-Total Beauty Face Cream CC

This was a gift and it totally worked for me. I didn’t know this brand before and I will definitely check them out in the future as well. The consistency is light and it didn’t break me out. The color was perfect for my skin, at first I thought that it would be dark but it adapts to my natural color, not full coverage but it does make the skin glowing and gives an even tone.

I love this because you don’t have to use a lot of products. It’s a moisturizer, a sun block and it has a light color to it as well.

From the website: Due to its multivalent anti-aging factor, it offers anti-aging action reinforcing thus and protecting the ally of firm skin, the collagen. At the same time, it effectively and constantly hydrates making the skin look fresh and renewed. Furthermore, it offers a uniform skin tone and erases any possible imperfections making the skin look radiant. With antioxidant action and sun protection SPF30.

I think it’s a greek company because in the tube it’s written Made in Greece.

If you want you can check them out here: www.tecnoskin-derma.com/en/

 Apivita Refreshing Body milk with Fig and Aloe

Another gift from my Mom this time! With 91% natural ingredients this body milk moisturizes very well and sinks in quick. Usually I don’t like figs in perfume or bath and body products but this has a spa like quality and it just smell clean and refreshing so I used it so much this summer it’s almost over!

Korres Blush Stick in Pink

Lately, I have started to wear blush and I love how I look with a little something on my cheeks. This was easy to  wear, suitable for traveling and I got a set with 3 colours for almost 10 euro. You can beat that!

Heroine lipstick-MAC

This is one of my favorite lipsticks for day wear. I am so glad this is permanent because this summer I wore it almost every day!

Perfumes

Brit by Burberry

Another gift! Now you know that I don’t wear designer perfumes because I prefer the handmade perfume oils so , I kept this on my closet. Then, I was in need for something refreshing and fruity after the Satsuma sorbet and I remember it!

Notes (from Sephora):
Italian Lime, Icy Pear, Green Almond, White Peony, Sugared Almonds, Amber, Mahogany, Vanilla, Tonka Bean

On me it’s like a lime and pear sugar candy with a bit of powder underneath. If you want a work friendly pick me up scent this is it.

Bridal Veil by Possets

Orange blossom, neroli, and the scent of silk woven into the most sheer of chiffon.

I love neroli and orange blossoms. Even when I have the real blooms on my hands in the spring I can smell them from hours. They just make me happy!

This perfume has the same effect on me. It’s a simple blend but so well made. One of my favorite Possets perfumes!

Thanks for readingJ