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.

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. 

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.

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)

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.