It's impossible to miss the Anna Sui counters in Tokyo. They are all elaborately dressed up in ornate black furniture and touches of bright flowers everywhere! The cosmetics and small mirrors all look lovely - I wish I took some home. However I'm already pretty happy with one of the brand's fragrances, the Anna Sui Secret Wish Eau de Toilette (P3,950/75ml, P3,250/50ml and P 2,450/30ml) which I got some weeks back.

Secret Wish is a fresh, exuberant fragrance that features sparkling lemon, melon, and tagete (an apricot-scented flower) upon the first spritz. It then develops a sweeter, fruitier personality with pineapple and blackcurrant. It trails warmth at the end with white cerdar wood, amber, and musk. 

How important is packaging to you when it comes to perfumes? I've seen really expensive ones that come in simple bottles - I guess in those cases, the scent is queen. But I do like having beautiful mini-sculptures to have as a keepsake. Someday, when I have my dream dresser, I'm going to keep my favorite bottles there just to look at.  ^_^

Anyhoo, I recently received the new Anna Sui La Vie De Boheme Eau de Toilette to review. The box and bottle alone immediately made my day (it doesn't take a lot, really!) because they look so striking. I don't have anything like it!

This scent is inspired by the modern bohemian woman. She lives an unconventional lifestyle. She's an adventurer who loves to travel, an artist with a romantic streak. She prefers to be herself and to express herself, sometimes against what is considered acceptable in today's society. The ruffled, printed skirt and floppy hats are just optional!

It'll be next year in a couple of days - how times flies, I can't believe it, etc. and so on. This was a phenomenal, unbelievable year. If someone told me I'd have a year like this, I wouldn't have believed that person. Actually if you told it to me right now I'd still have trouble believing you.

But let's save all this disbelief for my year-ender post, alright (check out 2012's while we're at it). Today I'd like to list down the five best fragrances I've tried this 2013. I realized that my taste in scents and style has changed drastically in the last 12 months. I no longer favor ultra-feminine, sensual things to wear. Now I prefer simple, crisp, and classic pieces to define me.  

So, here are my five favorite perfumes, plus two runner ups! These scents are floral mixed with green, and warmed by a musky woody base.

DKNY Fresh Blossom Intense. You know I've been a long-time fan of the DKNY Be Delicious scents. I love Fresh Blossom because it's a beautiful warm floral scent with a touch of sparkling apple. It's lovely and complex, just the way I like 'em.

Jo Malone Blueberry and Bay Cologne. I never did get around to reviewing it, but this is one of my most cherished perfumes. I feel somehow powerful and slightly possessed when I have this on; it's almost masculine in it's sharp green-ness. This 30ml slim bottle is perfect for traveling so this is what I always bring with me.

The theme today is...taking a break from makeup! I've been blogging about color cosmetics too much lately so for now let's chill out from that. I wanna share my current favorite perfume, one of the best sellers from the brand: the Philosophy Amazing Grace Spray Fragrance EDT (P2,495). 

Whenever I mention this to friends and acquaintances they always go, "Oh, I love that!" It's easy to smell why. Amazing Grace is a feminine, clean scent that can make anyone wearing it feel beautiful and pure. It has a welcoming bergamot note to greet the senses; irresistibly soft, clean muguet blossoms; and lasting musk as base.

Can you feel it, the turning of the season? Mornings are brighter and crisper, with a sharp tinge of cold in the air. The evening falls earlier too - the moon rises just before the sun sets. This is my favorite part of the year. I'm looking forward to the celebrations and the start of 2014. Yes, this early!

Anyway, I thought I'd open the week with a scent I've been enjoying tremendously: the Elizabeth Arden Green Tea Honeysuckle (P2,250/ 50 ml and 2,950/ 100 ml at Rustan's). This is the latest scent in EA's cult favorite Green Tea franchise! It's all about the exuberance of the honeysuckle scent, combined with green notes and a sweet musk as base.

The top notes include sheer bergamot, sparkling lemon, green tea vapors, tangerine, and bosysenberry blossom. That bright green whiff will instantly make you feel energized! That brightness will soften into a sweet floral mix with honeysuckle accord, jasmine, ylang ylang, green tea leaves, and Tunisian neroli.

CLEAN fragrances are a lot like Jo Malone - the brand doesn't come with much fanfare and it's probably not something you'll read about often in a magazine. They are quietly popular, with a loyal fanbase that speak of it excitedly if the topic comes up. It's one of those things that people in the know just know about.

I first tried CLEAN a few years back and found myself liking the honest, soap-based smell of it. It is sincere. There is no pretension, no complex story. CLEAN is about smelling clean, and everything from the simple packaging down to the actual notes of the fragrance embodies that.

The brand released a couple of new scents recently called Skin and Rain. Rain is supposed to capture the essence of a rain shower, with notes of melon and dainty florals in the aqua fragrance. CLEAN Skin (P1,650 for 30ml), which I have here, sets out to express the smell of clean, warm skin. Is it successful?

Do you wear colognes? I rarely do these days because I prefer eau de toilettes due to the better staying power and more complex selections available. Nonetheless, I still appreciate a nice cologne especially if it's affordable. They're perfect for young women who want to smell fresh and pretty without spending a lot of money for a bottle! Colognes don't last very long since they are alcohol-based, but you can just chuck them in your bag and spray as much and as often as you need to. 

I recently came across three colognes that I think you (or your younger niece and cousin) would enjoy. ^_^ I love how effervescent, sweet, and young these scents are. They're just perfect for tweens in elementary and high school, teens in college, and working girls just starting out in their careers. Check 'em out!

Pure n Fresh is known best for personal hygiene products, but a couple of months ago the brand ventured into scents for tweens. Tropical Splash, Blush Berry, and Tangerine Delight are bright colognes that feature luscious fruity combinations. Tangerine Delight is citrusy with mandarin, orange, and apple notes; Blush Berry is sweet with strawberry, pear, and apple blossom; while Tropical Splash is soft and creamy with apricot and peach. 

My world is full of glamorous, beautiful people. It's ridiculously easy to envy them and even try to compete with them, but I know that the road to misery is down that way. I am not them nor will I ever be exactly like them. Do I regret that? Honestly, no. In my 25 years so far I've learned that I should appreciate what I have instead of wishing I have something else. :) My life is good and there is much to be thankful for. Why should I beat myself up over a good thing?

Try it, you'll be happier in the end.

So that's my thought bubble for the day. ^_^ Moving on to the review! Today I have the Eau De Lacoste Pour Femme on the hot seat. It's a crisp, fresh fragrance with a bouquet of flowers underneath the initial green zing. It makes me think of a garden picnic, with a cotton table cloth, vases of fresh blooms, and a light herby menu!

A soft sensual feminine fragrance, evoking the fresh feeling of white pure cotton on skin. EAU DE LACOSTE is built on a classical fragrance structure, where the fragrance evolves smoothly from top to base notes over time, but superimposing modern ingredients on traditional ingredients, to generate a much lighter fragrance profile.

The Burberry girl is chic yet classic. She doesn't succumb to trends, instead preferring to invest in basic pieces that she can mix with each other. She's quiet but she's also headstrong. She might not be the life of the party, but she's the girl that people listen to in the boardroom.  

Would you describe yourself this way? I think that people choose their perfume brands according to the affinity they feel for them. I mean, all perfumes are designed to smell good, but which one will you actually wear? Mood and preference play huge roles in the process of choosing, of course, but the brand is still something that sticks in our mind.

Burberry's latest perfume offering, the Burberry Body Tender Eau de Toilette, is a sparkling citrus and floral scent. I feel that it captures the essence of the Burberry girl, since it's quite sophisticated without being flaunty about it. 

I got the Travalo Refillable Perfume Spray (P680) last Christmas, lost it, but recently found it. Hence the extremely delayed post on it after I promised to review it last December! Anyway, it's a pretty nifty storage solution for people who love smelling fresh during the day but hate bringing a glass bottle or plastic atomizer. It's also perfect for travelers who want to save space during a trip.

The Travalo is a small capsule tube that can easily fit in the palm of your hand. It has a clear slot in the middle so you can see how much liquid is inside. The spray nozzle and cap seem pretty secure and tight, which means that there are less chances of leakage and evaporation compared to the average drugstore atomizer.

The hotter it gets, the lighter your perfume should be. Your normal musky and woodsy fragrances will just smell off in the middle of the day - when the heat is the most intense - so it's best to spray on something fresh and light-hearted! Something floral, fruity, with a generous sprinkle of aqua. Are you thinking what I'm thinking? ;)

The Clinique Happy In Bloom for 2013 is a great summer pal. It's designed for spring in the US but even if we don't have that season, it works just as well for our summer. The cult favorite Clinique Happy now comes in this limited edition version, with new packaging to celebrate the special release.

It smells wonderful. It's not overly girly due to the touch of aqua, but it is feminine enough with top notes of yellow plum, a cocktail of frozen fruit, and watery green notes.

Sweet yet well-rounded - that's the Éclat d’Arpège Gourmandise Lanvin (P2,998/ 50ml). It's invigorating upon first spray with Sicillian lemon and lavender smoothly scenting the skin, but then it develops into a sweet glow of green tea and peach blossom. It comes down to a musky cedarwood and amber base which I find stays with me all day.

The packaging is quite playful and girly, something that Lanvin (as a fashion house) is best best known for. Strings of illustrated candy surround a hazy lavender globe.

If you've always loved the DKNY Delicious scents (as I do!), then I think you'll be pleased to find out that there's a new collection that improves on their best assets. The original scents are radiant and flirty - perfect as they are really - but with the Delicious Eau So Intense Collection you get intensified versions of the brand's three amazing fragrances.

Intriguing eh? It's either the entire concentration of the fragrance has been increased, or one aspect of it has been singled out. I've been using the DKNY Fresh Blossom Eau So Intense these past weeks, and true enough there's a heavier, more sensible edge to the fragrance. It lasts longer on my clothes and skin too!

If you judge the Kiehl's Orange Flower & Lychee Aromatic Mist (P2,585) by its name alone, you would think it's the usual cheery fruity-floral affair. It's not. It's a sophisticated, aloof fragrance with quite an attitude. If it were a person it would be someone who has travelled extensively, who has seen it all and is no longer very easily impressed. 

Orange Flower & Lychee: An exotic fusion of Orange Flower and Lychee sweetened with a touch of honey and rounded out by Moroccan Rose. Our Orange Flower extract is derived from the Bitter Orange tree - a tree known for producing flowers with an especially distinctive orange scent. This unique scent was combined with a fruity-floral infusion of Lychee, found in the subtropical forests of Southeast Asia.

Nonetheless, Orange Flower & Lychee is a warm fragrance.  You'll find hints of orange flower and lychee but the musky rose and honey sets the tone for this concoction. It has a fiery glow to it, a haze that surrounds the skin all day.

When I give gifts, I make sure it's something the other person will really use and appreciate. What's the point otherwise? Gifts are meant to be enjoyed by the other party and not just an obligation one must selfishly fulfill. :D Still, a good gift doesn't necessarily have to be expensive. I mean it's great if you can afford to treat everyone you love but that's not always possible! The good news is that there are brands like Zen Zest that come up with great products that are shockingly affordable.

I love the Zen Zest Holiday Sets because they're nicely packaged in a matte box and features products that were specially created just for this season. I'll talk more about them in a bit! For now I want to share lovely photos (from Chai) of the event I organized for Zen Zest last November. :D

We did a Diva-Off contest at Red Box in Greenbelt 5 one Saturday night. Why all the singing, you ask? Well bloggers usually go to sit down lunches and dinners. They're fun, but it can get too common and formal. I wanted to do an event where everyone can just sit back, eat a lot, and have a smashing time in a different setting. So, buffet diva-off it is!  

My favorite fashion designer is Elie Saab. I can't say I'm an avid runway follower, but I always watch out for the Lebanese designer's new collections. Mr. Saab is the only one who I feel understands the female form, who knows our deepest desire to be beautiful. He doesn't come out with unrealistic clothes that no one outside of the catwalk or a pop concert would wear. Season after season, his dresses never fail to stun and amaze.  

Sigh! I want to be rich enough to afford that $8,000 dress one day! For now though, I'm happy just having the Elie Saab Le Parfum, the designer's first foray into the world of fragrances.

The Le Parfum is in keeping with Mr. Saab's very strict aesthetics. The bottle has the same intricacy as his haute couture creations, and can even be considered a work of art with its many glimmering facets and elegant curves.