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Fragrance

A Bouquet of Rose Perfumes

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You guys, I’ve been reading and rereading these descriptions for these rose scented perfumes you recommended the other day, and I’m at the point now where I can practically smell each one.

I’ve yet to try an Acqua di Parma perfume, and their Rosa Nobile Eau de Parfum sounds gorgeous.

Years ago when I visited Milan for fashion week, I remember using Acqua di Parma products in the hotel where I stayed and loving the depth, and even just the bar of soap, so my spider senses are tingling. I would LOVE this.

I like the simplicity of the curved bottle, and I especially love the pink scripty type used for the words, “Rose Nobile.” I know! Font nerd moment. But wait, listen to the description…

Rose Nobile Eau de Parfum is a tribute to the rose, the queen of flowers. Its soft, vibrant scent opens with notes of Sicilian mandarin, Calabrian bergamot and pepper. The heart is intense and velvety with gorgeous florals that move into final crescendo of dry, warm scents, celebrating the beauty of innate feminine charm.

Notes:

  • Top: Sicilian mandarin, Calabrian bergamot, pepper.
  • Middle: peony, violet, lily of the valley, centifolia rose.
  • Base: cedarwood, ambergris, musk.

— nordstrom.com

UGH. Am I really going to order this blindly from the Sephora sale? I’m very tempted… I’ve always been a fan of Italian scents, and this one sounds like the perfect mix of bright notes and roses with a warm, cozy base. 🤗

Also up for consideration is this beautiful bottle of Miss Dior Rose N’ Roses…

Miss Dior Rose N’Roses, the eau de toilette whose trail incarnates the floral abundance of fields of roses in Grasse.

The freshness of an armful of fresh, colorful petals, the vivifying energy of citrusy dew: Miss Dior Rose N’Roses is a sparkling floral fragrance, a profusion of Grasse Roses refreshed by a Bergamot zest and heightened by the intensity of a White Musk note.

The vibrant Geranium essence refines Miss Dior Rose N’Roses Eau de Toilette with its lemony aromas to faithfully recreate the irresistible scent of an endless field of flowers: a bright pink hue becomes a fragrance that takes hold of you and never lets go.

— dior.com

Doesn’t this sound so sparkling and fresh? I feel like it might be better suited as a spring scent, though.

Last, but not least, Mon Paris Eau de Parfum by YSL.

Mon Paris Eau de Parfum is a sweet floral women’s fragrance. Sweet notes of red berries are softened by datura flower and anchored by the woody scent of white musk blended beautifully together with patchouli to create a women’s perfume that is romantic in every way.

–yslbeauty.com

This one sounds really feminine but potentially too sweet. I’m intrigued by the fact that it’s by YSL, though, because my very first bottle of perfume was Paris by YSL, so ya know… nostalgia!

I feel like rose perfumes are something people either love or…don’t love. What’s your stance? I’m a fan, although I prefer rose scents with some depth and complexity; otherwise I get overwhelmed by dominant rose notes.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Citrusy, Springy Chanel Paris-Riviera (and Easter Egg Hunts and Noms)

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chanel paris riviera
Smells like spring!

Spring is here, and despite the fact that I don’t have the spring skirt situation worked out…I do have my spring fragrance situation worked out, because, HELLO! — a change of weather means change of scent, am I right? 🙂

Side note: the black midi skirt I ordered from Gap arrived yesterday, and it 100% made me look like I was part of a cult. Honestly, I think I was blinded by the thought of having pockets… Pockets will do that to ya!

I’m returning it ASAP.

Back to the perfume… It’s called Chanel Paris Riviera Eau du Toilette, and OOOH! — it smells so good. If you’re a fiend for fresh citrus scents, I think you’d love it. It starts off bright and borderline sharp with bold, orange notes. Like, if you were walking through a sun-dappled grove of orange trees and picked one off a branch and peeled it right then and there, that’s what a spritz first smells like.

Then, it transforms into a floral with orange blossom and jasmine notes before drying down into warm, sandalwood and vanilla notes. It’s light, fresh and clean, which I wanted because in the spring I don’t really like to wear anything too heavy, you know what I mean?

I love it and have been wearing it nonstop.

In other news…is it just me, or did Easter sneak up on us?! I usually like to plan my Easter menu way in advance, but this year I think I’m going to keep it simple with a premade honey ham, biscuits (I might just buy the premade kind) and roasted vegetables (asparagus, broccoli and baby potatoes). Or, I may just buy a couple of Whole Foods Frozen Cheese Pizzas and call it a day, ha ha ha! We’ll see.

I’m prepping some Easter eggs for the egg hunt at Connor’s preschool, and this got me thinking about Easter egg hunts when I was a kid. El Hub and I were chatting a while back and he was absolutely shocked when I told him that, when my brother and I were young, we always had Easter egg hunts inside our tiny little house. You could also pretty much guarantee that the eggs would always be hidden in the same places year after year, like, there were always some tucked away in the piano and behind my mom’s knick-knacks in the living room.

Because of this, I always just assumed that every family held their egg hunts the same way. I had NO IDEA some families went outside on Easter morning to hunt for eggs.

I don’t know… Did anybody else’s family do the indoor egg hunt?!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

5 Things I’ve Been Loving Lately

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1. Vanilla notes (and Lancôme La Vie Est Belle and Idôle)

Isn’t the smell of vanilla so comforting and cozy? I’ve been feelin’ vanilla lately but haven’t wanted to wear anything that smells too much like vanilla. I just want something a little bit vanilla. Like, as much as I love baking, I don’t necessarily want to walk around smelling like cake batter or Play-Doh. You know what I’m sayin’?

Lancôme La Vie Est Belle and Idôle recently caught my nose eye because both have notes of vanilla.

lancome la vie est belle idole
LOVE

La Vie Est Belle is a warm gourmand scent (a.k.a. a foodie fragrance!) with vanilla, iris (YES), patchouli and praline notes, and Idôle is a floral with notes of citrus, rose, jasmine and white musk layered over a vanilla base.

I hadn’t smelled them in person before they arrived at my doorstep, and I don’t know if it was just dumb perfume luck, but I love them! The vanilla is there, but it’s subtle, and both scents are so feminine and long-lasting, too.

I’ve been telling everyone I know who loves perfume about them!

2. Casabella Waterblock Gloves

casabella waterblock gloves
Your paws (and your manicure) will thank you.

You know you’ve crossed into the land of “Adulting Really Hard” when you have a favorite pair of cleaning gloves…but hey, I’ve tried every single brand under the sun, so let me just save you from a lifetime of cleaning glove misery — the Casabellas are THE BEST.

They’re the thickest ones I’ve found, so they’re sturdy and don’t fall apart quickly. I hand wash my dishes in very hot water, and a pair of this will last a good six months, whereas the other cheaper, thinner gloves might last three months, tops.

The Casabellas are also longer up the sleeve than most cleaning gloves, so less water and soap drips into your gloves, which is NOT my favorite thing. These keep my hands and arms dry, dry, dry!

They also have a handy lip at the end of the glove, which also stops water from sneaking in as well.

I bought this pair at a local hardware and gardening store called Friedman’s up in Petaluma, but they’re also available online.

3. The chalk drawings on the sidewalk in front of Trader Joe’s

trader joes pumpkin chalk drawings
Chalk art!

It’s all about the little things, right? When I’m standing outside in line, waiting to shop at Trader Joe’s in the socially distanced line — which is never really that long; five minutes at the most — they have these chalk drawings on the sidewalk to tell people where to stand. The drawings are either a cheerful play on words or some sort of seasonally-related scribble like these pumpkins. I appreciate that little touch because it gives me something to look at while I’m waiting. Always brings a smile to my face. 🙂

So thank you to whoever does these drawings every single week… You’re such a treasure!

4. Colorful bowls from Costco

I bought this set of super shiny bowls on a whim last weekend, and I loooove them. The brand is Laurie Gates, and you get six stoneware ceramic bowls for $21.
We’ve been using them for soup, pasta, cereal — seriously, everything. You could probably even use them as serving bowls.

The outside of the bowls are all the same beautiful beige color, but when you look inside, each bowl has a different color and pattern. Everyone in our family has already picked out their favorite. Connor loves the red one, I love the green one, and El Hub loves the blue one… They’re all super cute and fit nicely in my hand.

Oh! — and they’re also deep, but not obnoxiously deep, so when I’m eating cereal or soup, liquid is less likely to splash over the edge.

5. Cleaning tips from Vanesa at Amaros Cleaning on Instagram

MIND BLOWN! Vanesa and her husband run their own housekeeping company in Texas, and she shares very helpful tips and shortcuts on how professionals clean appliances, surfaces and areas of a home. I’ve learned so much from her feed, and yes, I used the vacuum tip to clean my stove the other day and it totally worked! ?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. TGIF! ?

This or That: Fragrance Edition

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byredo gypsy water
I’m gonna go with this one.

How to play

Copy and paste the following questions with your answers in a comment. Can’t wait to see what yours are! Mine are down below…

Copy and paste

  • Floral or oriental?
  • Body splash or scented lotion?
  • Byredo Gypsy Water or Chanel No. 5?
  • Citrus or gourmand?
  • Rollerball or solid?
  • Eau de parfum or eau de toilette?
  • Spray on wrist or spray on neck?
  • Dior Poison or Calvin Klein Obsession?
  • French or Italian perfumes?

Floral or oriental?

Floral

Body splash or scented lotion?

Scented lotion

Byredo or Chanel?

Oooh, so tough… Gonna go with Byredo, since I wore Gypsy Water for like THREE YEARS STRAIGHT.

Citrus or gourmand?

Citrus

Rollerball or solid?

Rollerball

Eau de parfum or eau de toilette?

Eau de parfum

Spray on wrist or spray on neck?

Neck

Dior Poison or Calvin Klein Obsession?

Honestly, both give me a headache, but my mom used to wear Poison in the ’90s, so I’ll go with that for nostalgia’s sake.

French or Italian perfumes?

Italian, since I’ve fallen in love with so many Dolce & Gabbana scents — Light Blue (wore it on my wedding day), The One, Sicily (RIP), Dolce, D&G Anthology 18 La Lune.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. How was your hump day? What did you do?

Have You Ever Purchased a Perfume Without Smelling It First?

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clinique my happy
Yes, they smell just as pretty as they look.

Although I’ve gotten close a few times since stay-in-place went into effect because of 1) a Nordstrom gift card that’s been burning a hole in my wallet for months, and 2) an intense craving for something new and citrusy, I still have yet to buy a perfume without smelling it first.

Bright lemon, orange and grapefruit notes always cheer me up. I just feel lighter, less weighed down when I smell like fruit, LOL! So, I’ve been rotating through my usual citrus staples, a set of Clinique Happy fragrances (the original Happy has notes of ruby red grapefruit, boysenberry bush flower, Hawaiian wedding flower) and Annick Goutal’s effervescent Eau d’Hadrien (bergamot, citrus accord, grapefruit, lemon, cédrat, cypress, galbanum, basil, juniper berry, ylang-ylang, woody accord).

I’d still to try something new, though, like Jo Malone Grapefruit Cologne or Fresh Citron de Vigne.

How about you? Have you ever purchased a perfume without smelling it first?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. TGIF!

5 Things I’ve Been Loving Lately

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three fall scents
Lovin’ these perfumes

1. These fall fragrances

Mind you, I don’t know if these three should be officially considered “fall scents,” but it is fall here now…and I have been rotating among these scents and lovin’ ’em.

  • Maison Francis Kurkdijian Femin Pluriel: A chypre floral with notes of iris, violet, rose, jasmine, lily-of-the-valley, orange blossom, vetiver and Indonesian patchouli leaf.

    I like this one, and it doesn’t hurt that nobody else I know wears it.

  • MAC Shadescent in Creme d’Nude: This soft, clean amber musk is spiked with caramel, and it smells like clean, schmexy skin.
  • Chanel Coco Mademoiselle: An oriental floral with notes of mandarin orange, orange blossom, bergamot, jasmine, Turkish rose, ylang-ylang, vanilla, vetiver and white musk. This one’s a classic feminine “sweater weather” scent.

2. This funk version of Alicia Keys’ If I Ain’t Got You by Scary Pockets

Those runs are so crisp! Plus, how could you not love that name: “Scary Pockets?” LOL!

3. Vegetables

My sweet tooth GOES HARD, so 99% of the time I’m more likely to crave fruit than vegetables, but lately I’ve been all about the veggies. Literally, I’ve been eating plates and plates of them for lunch and dinner (not so much for breakfast though). My faves du jour right meow are the little bags of organic snap peas from Trader Joe’s.

Park me in a corner with a side of Bolthouse Salsa Ranch Yogurt Dressing, and I’M A HAPPY GIRL. ?

bolthouse farm salsa ranch
So yummy… So healthy…

4. 1920’s-era dresses

Must be all the Downton Abbey I’ve been watching, LOL! I love the drop waists and how loose and comfortable everything looks. I also like the beading and the fringe (even if the fringe doesn’t look cat lady-friendly).

5. Having a cat place demands on me again

Every day, Pretty Girl Rosie opens up a little more and lets us get to know her better. This week we learned she’s quite feisty! Like, if she wants lurvies, and she wants them now, you’re GOING TO GIVE THEM TO HER. Or, there will be consequences…

She’s already claimed my desk and windowsill…

What’ve you been loving lately? ?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

I Hauled These Two Victoria’s Secret Scents to Keep Mosquitoes Away From Me

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victorias secret amber romance
When your beauty decisions are motivated by insects ravaging you at night…

This may look like your standard-issue “Oh, there’s a two-for-one body splash sale at Victoria’s Secret, so lemme go hook that up” kind of haul.

Totally not.

Instead of being motivated by a good deal (which is my usual motivation for spur-of-the-moment beauty buys), this purchase was brought on by tiny monsters.

Specifically, flying insects.

Specifically, insects that buzz around your house and sink their proboscis into your unsuspecting flesh in the middle of the night. I’ve been getting devoured by what I think are mosquitoes…

THANK GOD. And I say that because for a while there I thought they might be bed bugs. But now I’m pretty sure they’re mosquitoes.

I think it’s because the contractors who replaced our furnace, water heater and AC left the front door open the whole day they were here. Consequently, a gaggle of mosquitoes came into my house, and they’ve been biting me at night.

I’ve got bites around my ankles, on my feet (Fun fact: Mosquitoes love the scent of feet.), on my back, my tummy, on the backs of my shoulders… I’ve been very itchy, and it hasn’t been fun.

A few days ago, I started using a real-deal mosquito repellent containing picaridin at night, and it keeps them away for 14 hours. It’s helped a ton — no new bites! — but in the process of researching how to make yourself less appealing/more disgusting to the little monsters, I stumbled upon a treasure trove of information about two Victoria’s Secret scents that allegedly repel bugs.

People talk about this stuff as if it’s manna from heaven as far as keeping bugs away, and fisherman and deep-sea researchers go on and on about it. It’s Victoria’s Secret Amber Romance, and it’s supposed to be the bee’s knees at keeping gnats, mosquitoes and other flying insects away. Even the dudes on the Louisiana State Baseball team swear by it!
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Next Stop: Caron Paris

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purrfect feline eyeliner
Meow-za!

Saw this on my feed this morning, and it hit a little too close to home, LOL!

As Fox Mulder famously said, “The truth is out there…” I agree, and I think that someday the truth will finally be revealed about whether some Starbucks baristas purposefully muck up your name. ?

my name isnt caron
Was this on purpose?!

Extra points for creativity to the young man who spelled my name exactly like this luxury French fragrance house: Caron Paris.

Thanks to my friend Joey for pointing this out!

I’d never heard of Caron Paris before Joey mentioned it, and now I have yet another place to add to my long list of places I’d like to shop when I go back to Paris (whenever that may be!).

Caron has been making high-end perfumes (both for women and men) and makeup since 1904, and they have three boutiques in the most fashionable neighborhoods in Paris.

They’re known for their rosy scents, as well as their “fragrance fountains” — the opulent crystal decanters with bronze taps that dispense your chosen perfume into a flacon, which is then adorned with golden thread…

SO FANCY!

They also do a bevy of indulgent accessories, including handmade glass pieces for your dressing table, pearl-encrusted mirrored compacts and handmade lace fans.
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