The more I like a scent the more sparingly I use it. Is that weird? Like good memories and golden moments, I just want to preserve it for as long as I can. I even have a flacon of perfume just barely half used after three years!

A strong candidate for my all-time favorites list is the Elizabeth Arden Green Tea Cherry Blossom EDT. I swear, it was love at first spray! The aromatic scent of green tea is perfectly melded with the sweet, dainty scent of the cherry blossom. It makes me feel happy, awake, and so feminine, like a lady who walks primly to high tea with her friends. 

The launch of this fragrance was memorable and intimate since Elizabeth Arden just invited a few beauty bloggers to a spa date (NEO Day Spa in The Fort - one of my fave escapes!). They also introduced the Aurora Collection, which is comprised of rosy, illuminating hues perfect for spring/summer.

What do you know, I have a video blog of the whole thing (shot by Marge Manabat). ;) Watch!

The weather is kinda muggy and sticky lately. It's super humid in the day, and then it rains at night. That's your typical Philippine weather, but it's just weird that it's happening in September. Shouldn't it be a little colder by now? Anyway, I've been using a new-ish scent to make me feel cleaner in this irritating heat: the Benetton Bianco Woman (P850/ 30ml, P1,350/ 100ml).

I've had this for months but it's just recently that I started using it. I really like it because it's so presko (fresh) and doesn't cloy in this heat. It's a mix of gardenia, linen, with some green into it. It's a crisp scent that I find universally flattering and just well, pleasant!

There are days, like today, when I am at a complete loss about what to write here. I have maybe 20 products ready to be reviewed but I just can't think of anything to say about them. All I really want to do today is glue my ass on the sofa and play Final Fantasy 8 until I fall asleep and wake up tomorrow, all bright and shiny and refreshed. But that's not going to happen, eh?

What is going to happen is a day full of calls and more writing and maybe a P6,500 hair cut (if I still have enough daylight). And, of course, a review on a fab fragrance called the pureDKNY!

Look good. Feel good. Do good. This pure new scent adds a drop of vanilla to a world that needs a moment of calm. More than a fragrance, it embraces a way of being that takes time out for the simple things, the things closest to the heart: love, joy, comfort, relationships, and community.

Earlier this morning I was looking for two wayward lipsticks that I haven't seen for months now. I did not find them. What I did find though was this shimmery perfumed hand cream, at which I snorted "What a sad useless thing!" I mean, really, who wants a shimmery perfumed hand cream? Had to stop and think about that. Who?

via

Apparently, that would be me. I realized that it's these small, seemingly unneccessary things that make life a finer thing to live. You don't need 'em, but when you do have 'em the things around you are a little more exquisite, stylish - refined. I think our grandparents understood this, with their ornate powder cases, silk robes, and hand-rolled cigars. 

What do we have? Shimmery perfumed hand creams. And linen sprays and room diffusers.

Ever since I tried the Daphne Home Scents I can't go back to a diffuser-less condo. Like what Raymond Guttierez said before, we spend a lot on our clothes, but we forget to touch up our home. A diffuser is my small bit of indulgence in much the same way I would wear perfume or accessories.

I think that everyone should have their signature eau de parfum. Something romantically French, upbeat American, posh English, or maybe all of the above! But if you're a teenager or at your first job, I know that it's impractical to spend P3,000+ on a bottle of upscale perfume. Not when there are cute shoes and dresses to be bought.

So if you're not ready to buy your "scent"mate or if you're looking for one without having to spend a lot, I have a recommendation: the Zen Zest Coral Eau de Toilette (P200).

I kid you not, it's only P200! I went 0_0 when I found out, myself. When I first got it, I was assuming it's in the P800-1,000 range. Why? It's gorgeously packaged in a colorful, thick box, while the flacon itself is made of hefty glass. It certainly doesn't feel cheap; you get the visual and tactile feel of a pricey perfume.

Lovely is the best word to describe this scent. It's feminine and soft, very floral and powdery.

Perfume cannot manufacture an image or a personality that isn't there. It can only enhance what's already inside you. So if you're a predominantly twee person, for example, Shalimar would smell ridiculous on you. Knowing who you are must precede the act of choosing the perfect scent.

But I'm just rambling. Today I want to talk about one of Bvlgari's latest scents for women, the Omnia Coral. This scent is shiningly optimistic and happy. To resort to hyperbole, sniffing it is like traveling to a brighter, psychedelically feminine dimension. Everything is colorful, everywhere is filled with blooming flowers and ripe fruit. I told you - hyperbole.

In plain terms, Omnia Coral is a floral-fruity scent.

I was such in a mad rush yesterday that I forgot to wear perfume. I panicked a little. My outfit doesn't feel complete without a nice matching scent! Yes I know, very shallow and all that, but scents help me define the right mood and attitude that I need for the day.

That said, just a couple of years ago I really didn't really care for perfumes. But after trying out so many I realized that each scent is special and embodies a certain personality. Like fine wine or cheese, a good perfume can make your life a little richer. Anyway, here's my personal collection! I give away perfumes to friends and family but these are the ones I dearly hold on to.

Here's a quick list of the reviews in case you're interested! Haven't reviewed everything here unfortunately but in case you're curious just ask me. ;)

DKNY: DKNY Be Delicious | DKNY Delicious Candy Apples: Sweet Caramel | Pure DKNY: Verbena in a bottle |DKNY Golden Delicious |  DKNY Women is New York in a bottle (love DKNY! It's my favorite perfume brand)

One event I recently attended was the launch of Daphne Oseña-Paez's home fragrance and furniture line in Dimensione. I'd say it's one of the better functions I've been to lately! The second floor of Dimensione in High Street was transformed into a stylish high tea affair, quite deserving of Daphne's image as a stickler to detail and the evangelist for beautiful surroundings.

Watch the event unfold while Daphne tells the story of her new adventure. :)

Okay! I've been using the Daphne Home Scent in Mint Jasmine Infusion (P349) for a week now. How was it?

I like that the jasmine is not too pronounced - it smells quite sweet actually, with a hint of mint thrown in.

A long drive across the countryside, windows open, can do things to me. I think of simpler times, away from the lights and noise of the city. I drink big gulps of healthy air and it goes to my head. "What if I don't go back? What if I stay here?" The wind blows through my hair and the smell of greenery is luscious and intoxicating.  

This mood, this feeling is what's in the bottle of the new Pure DKNY Verbena. It's a crisp green scent that softens into a floral glow as it settles on your skin.

Think of a garden that's been freshly watered - the smell of cut leaves mingle with those of dainty petals, not one standing out from the other. It's a wholesome, earthy scent that I can't help but love.

What's the last thing you wear before you leave the house? Mine is perfume. For me, how I smell like seals my whole look. I spend a lot of time on doing my makeup, choosing my outfit, picking the right accessories and shoes - but that is just visual flavor. My perfume is the smell of the person I want to be when I walk out that door. Preppy? Flirty? Serious? Sultry? It's all in a bottle. 

I know I am sounding incredibly vain right now (Project Vanity, get it? Lol.) but I find the process of choosing and putting on what I want to wear more fulfilling than the actual result itself. Some people get a kick from cars. Others, gadgets. I like mixing, matching, and painting on a personality.

You could say, in a sense, that I'm a show-off. I'm not an attention whore but I like being noticed. Don't we all? That's what all this fuss is about, isn't it, to get noticed by the right people at the right time.

How do you like your scents? I love perfumes that are feminine but not overly twee, girly but grown up and sophisticated. That means sweet floral or fruity notes toned down by a touch of wood or musk. If we have the same taste, then you'll love the recently launched Ralph Lauren Big Pony Fragrance for Women!

There are four variants: Big Pony RL Blue (fresh, invigorating mix of sparkling grapefruit and cool blue lotus), RL Pink (cranberry and tonka mousse to create a sensual, fruity scent), Yellow (infused with the natural radiance of pear notes and mimosa for a dazzling floral scent), and Purple, which is the one I have.

The access to clean and safe drinking water is a basic human right. While it's true that 70% of our planet's surface is covered water, only 3% is fresh, potable water. Most of it is inaccessible to those who need it badly. Many of them live in landlocked Africa, which is why several organizations are at work there to improve the people's access to drinking water.

Early this year, Giorgio Armani launched a campaign called the Acqua For Life Challenge to help the people of Ghana and Bolivia have a sustainable supply of water. This is in partnership with Green Cross International. More than providing communities with safe water, the Acqua For Life Challenge also helps improve education since the children no longer have to travel long distances just to fetch water.

It has been said that giving a person fish is not as good as teaching him how to fish. Likewise, Giorgio Armani is not just donating water, but developing sustainable sources of drinking water through rainwater harvesting systems, wells, and boreholes.

Last year's AFLC collected over 43.3 million liters of drinking water, and this year, it hopes to get more!

Tommy Hilfiger's Eau de Prep Tommy Girl (50ml P2,800/ 100ml P3,800) is a cheerful, feminine scent that won't have you smelling like an awkward kid. It speaks of elegance and poise, but it never even remotely strays into the territory of "too much" or "too old". I also appreciate that it's not light and forgettable.

Eau de Prep features pink peppercorn and violet leaf top notes, with musky white roses in the middle and then beautifully finished with a homey sandalwood note. Lasting power is pretty good - the woody base warms up on skin wonderfully and stays on for hours.

Annika Wester is a famous illustrator who has done work for big names like Vogue, Anna Sui, MAC (to name a few) and has shown her art in galleries all over the world. According to her blog, her "...work presents a various number of characters, silhouettes and items displayed throughout her own stylish way of drawing. The features are softened and the colors often bright, which gives the viewer a feeling of joyful indolence..."

The Etude Girl illustrations by the talented Annika Wester

Cool right? And now, Ms Wester has partnered with Etude House for their Wannabe Collection! It's a rather expansive collection with a face palette, powder, lipsticks, nail polishes, scent and gloss combos, and even falsies all incased in Ms Wester's trademark artwork.

The Etude Girl is, surprise surprise, Sandara Park of 2NE1

Okay, this is a rather long intro, but I am just amazed by Annika Wester and Etude House's awesome idea in partnering with her. Whoever said that art and makeup can never mix is deadly wrong! So! I'll be reviewing some of the Wannabe pieces I have with me.

The name of this product cracks me up. Get this: according to the label, it is the Snoe Body Ritual Recipes Scrumptious Body Spritz in Honey Dew Melon Yogurt (P249). The person who thought of the name is a sigurista, that is, he or she definitely wants to cover all the bases when it comes to naming things. :P 

Kiddng aside, I like this cologne. It smells of sweet melon candy, with a touch of the creaminess of yogurt. Lasting power is not too bad for a cologne at two to three hours too.

The Elizabeth Arden Red Door Eau de Parfum is a classic perfume that was created in 1989. Since then, it has been a cult favorite around the world and has remained unchanged for the past 23 years. That's not hard to fathom because it is a memorable scent. Once you smell it, it will remain engraved on your brain.

Women my age would find it hard-pressed to appreciate the Elizabeth Arden Red Door Eau de Parfum because it smells, well, middle-aged. It's something your tita or mom would probably wear - heavily floral with a woodsy base, Red Door is a commanding scent that would suit nothing else but a strong personality. I find that older women have more of that secure sense of identity compared to younger ones. Agree or disagree?

I wasn't taken by Red Door the first time I smelled it, but it grew on me after a few more times of wearing it out. Why? Because once you get over the initial floral assault, it immediately softens into more definable smells of ylang-ylang, rose, and jasmine.

Last year, Avon launched Outspoken, a perfume in collaboration with pop star Fergie. It was designed to be daring and sexy and I think it delivered! This year, Avon followed up the success of the scent with a new version called Outspoken Intense (P999).

Outspoken Intense comes in a silver glass bottle with a cap similar to a crystal decanter's. It's a simple design that won't immediately say "expensive", but once you touch it and hold it in your hand you'll feel that the bottle is actually heavy. It's glass even though it looks like plastic.

As for the scent, I love it! The old version is floral and feminine, but it is underscored by a muskiness that lends it a masculine touch.

I get a lot of free stuff because of this blog, but this is the first time I've gotten something because I sang for it. Lol! You heard that right. I joined a sort of singing contest during the Bloggers United Bazaar. Contestants were asked to perform Florrie's Sunday Girl, the theme song of the Nina L'Elixir perfume.

And two winners got this!

You must have a signature scent the same way you have a signature piece of jewelry or lipstick. It just completes your whole look by taking it up to another sensory level! It's true that people may not remember what you wore but they WILL remember how you smelled like, which is why perfumes are a must in every woman's closet. 

Now, I've tried quite a number of scents for this blog - from cheap to high-end, from light to heavy - but there is only one scent that I keep going back to: the DKNY Be Delicious. It's a radiant, fun and feminine scent while still managing to be very sensible...just like me, in my mind. When I want something sweeter, I always go for the DKNY Delicious Candy Apples in Sweet Caramel. 

So now you know my history with DKNY, you'll understand why I'm totally gaga for their latest fragrance, the DKNY Golden Delicious (P3,100/50ml and P4,200/100ml).

Scent. I would describe Golden Delicious as a beautiful, warm scent that blossoms as it dries down and melts on your skin. Like all Be Delicious scents, its very feminine without being smothery and overly cloying; sensual without being oversexed and obvious.

I want to go to New York someday. I want to experience the beauty and energy of the most fast-paced city in the world. It's a city so familiar to me because I've read many stories set in it - I feel like I've already been there, at least in my head! But until I've actually set foot in it, I'd take Donna Karan's word that one of her newest scents, DKNY Women, is New York in a bottle.

Packaging. Like New York, DKNY Women is built like a skyscraper - tall, elegant, all glinting edges. It comes in a silver box that fits the perfume bottle's contours, looking modern and forward just like the scent. The bottle is a bit inconvenient to travel with, but it does look nice on the dresser, dwarfing all the other normally bottled scents.

Scent. DKNY Women is a fun and energetic scent that's underscored by a touch of romance. I'd say it's perfect for the modern, no-nonsense woman that's focused on her career.