Product Review: 10 New Fragrances For Fall / Winter 2014

Winter is around the corner – time to switch over to your snugly knitwear and prepare for the numerous Christmas parties. No fall/winter wardrobe is complete without a new fragrance. Your light, citrus summer scent simply won’t do.

Here, we found the top 10 perfect scent to spray on for the winter season

For Her

1. DKNY MYNY Eau de Parfum
A new DKNY fragrance that's as eclectic and passionate as New York, the city we all love. Urban, carefree, spirited. Be a part of it!

Fragrance Category: Fruity Floral
Top notes: Raspberry, Galbanum, and Pink Pepper
Heart notes: Egyptian Jasmine, Freesia, and Orris
Bottom notes: Patchouli Heart, Vanilla Absolute, Creamy Musks, and Ambergris

2. Victoria’s Secret Bombshell Pink Diamond Eau de Parfum
A new addition to the Bombshell collection, this irresistibly lush limited-edition fragrance announces the upcoming holidays in a glittery way. The bottle body is shaped like a pink gem, and decorated with a metal bow ribbon embellished with pink crystals.

Fragrance type: Fruity Floral
Notes: Seductive Citrus Note of Pink Grapefruit, and Exotic Passion Flower

3. Juicy Couture Viva la Juicy Gold Couture Eau de Parfum
Couture Overdose. She is couture all the way. Spinning an addictive web of glamour and decadence at the center of her golden world. The bottle takes golden color, decorated with pink letters and logos.

Fragrance Category: Fruity Floral
Top notes: Luscious Wild Berries
Heart notes: Sambac Jasmine and Honeysuckle
Base notes: Sandalwood, Golden Amber, Caramel and Vanilla Elixir

4. Burberry My Burberry Limited Edition Eau de Parfum
Inspired by the trench coat and its heritage of British design and craftsmanship, My Burberry captures the fragrance of a London garden after the rain. The scent is a contemporary British grand floral. The bottle is decorated with red gabardine bow.

Fragrance Category: Citrus Floral
Top notes: Sweet Pea, Bergamot and Mandarin
Heart notes: Geranium, Freesia and Quince
Base notes: Patchouli, Centifolia Rose and Damascus Rose

5. Calvin Klein Reveal Eau de Parfum
Reveal embodies the thrilling game of seduction between a man and a woman - the erotic possibility of a game between equals. Sensual. desirable. inviting - with a touch of the unexpected.

Fragrance Category: Fruity Woody
Top notes: Raw Salt Signature, Pink Pepper, Black Pepper, and White Pepper
Heart notes: Orris, Ambergris, and Solar Accord
Base notes: Sandalwood, Cashmeran, and Musk

6. Jimmy Choo Stars Eau De Parfum
A chypre fragrance with sweet orange accords, this perfume is empowered, ethereal; audacious yet cool and collected; daring but tender at the heart. Like she who wears it, the fragrance is a complex, intriguing, playful and heady cocktail punctuated by candied orange, toffee and patchouli.

Fragrance Category: Fruity Chypre
Top notes: Candied Orange
Heart notes: Tiger Orchid
Base notes: Toffee, Sandalwood, Patchouli

7. Repetto Eau de Parfum
As the heiress of the original Eau de Toilette, Repetto Eau de Parfum is a new creation that expresses even more intense femininity. The elegance of her presence, the powdery pink of her toe shoes and the flowing movement of an adagio, this perfume was inspired by a gala evening, conveying a concentrate of emotions like those a prima ballerina feels just before the start of a ballet.

Fragrance Category: Floral-Fruity and Oriental-Woody
Top notes: Plum and Cherry Blossom
Heart notes: Rose and Orange Blossom
Base notes: Patchouli and Amber Elixir

8. Narciso Eau de Parfum
An extremely sexy fragrance that would turn a man’s head. This fragrance defines sensuality with elegance. Assertive woody notes meet tender white florals in a daring and feminine duality.

Fragrance Category: Fruity Woody
Top notes: White Rose and Gardenia
Heart notes: Musk
Base notes: Vetiver, White Cedar Extract and Cedar
For Her 

9. Tom Ford Grey Vetiver Eau de Toilette
A fresher, more luminous and lighter version of the masculine woody-spicy Grey Vetiver launched in 2009. This fragrance is enlivened with compelling warmth and heightened freshness, and gives an olfactory equivalent of a navy blue blazer, a nice watch, or brogues shoes.

Fragrance Category: Woody and Spicy
Top notes: Iced Lemon, Bergamot, Grapefruit, and Basil
Heart notes: Orris, Artemisia, Sage, and Orange Blossom
Base notes: Vetiver, Musk, Amber, and Oakmoss

10. Davidoff The Brilliant Game Eau de Toilette
The Brilliant Game is a new member to the collection The Game. A hot and addictive scent of a charismatic man, this fragrance inspires admiration with confidence and elegance. Outplay any opponent ; win any woman’s heart.

Fragrance Category: Oriental and Woody
Top notes: Americano Cocktail, Bloody Berries, Citruses, Clary Sage and Armoise
Heart notes: Cedar, Orange Blossom
Base notes: Tonka, Hay, Caramel, Coumarin

Which is your favorite fragrance among the 10 above? Or do you have any other preferences? Tell us in the comments! 

All You Need To Know About Perfumes

“Perfume is a mark of female identity and the final touch of her style,” Christian Dior says. This shows that perfume does not only enhance your femininity, but also complements your outfit. Knowing the basic knowledge of perfumes help you choose your favorite perfume and wear it in the right way.

History of Perfumes

Perfumes have existed since the earliest human civilizations. The world's first-recorded perfume maker is a woman named Tapputi, who was mentioned in a cuneiform tablet from the 2nd millennium BC in Mesopotamia. She distilled flowers, oil, and calamus with other aromatics, then filtered and put them back in the still several times.

Modern perfumery began in the late 19th century, with the introduction of commercial synthesis of aroma compounds such as vanillin or coumarin, which allowed previously unattainable smells.

Perfume Concentrations

Perfumes contain different concentrations of aromatic compounds. The more aromatic compounds in a fragrance, the more intense and lasting the fragrance will be. The concentrations and specific names for each type of perfumes are catergorized as below:

1. Perfume (Parfum): 15-40% aromatic compounds; lasts for up to 6-8 hours.
2. Eau de Parfum (EdP): 10-20% (typical 15%) aromatic compounds; lasts for up to 4-5 hours.
3. Eau de Toilette (EdT): 5-15% (typical 10%) aromatic compounds; lasts for up to 2-3 hours.
4. Eau de Cologne (EdC): Chypre citrus type perfumes with 3-8% (typical 5%) aromatic compounds; lasts for up to 2 hours.
5. Eau Fraiche: 1-3% aromatic compounds; lasts for up to 2 hours. 

Fragrance Categories
The scents of perfumes can be classified into 8 categories according to the ingredients that are used to compose that particular scent. 

1. Citrus: infused with the tangy essence of citrus fruits, these perfumes are lively and energetic.
2. Floral: sweet and romantic, these scents are the "good girls" of the fragrance world.
3. Fruity: the bright smells of juicy fruits please the nose, and is often blended with florals to create a compelling aroma.
4. Greens: a natural and energetic group, these fragrances smell of fresh leaves and newly-mown grass. Tend toward the unisex.
5. Oceanic: crisp and fresh, these perfumes evoke natural aromas such as mountain air, ocean spray or clean linen.
6. Oriental: exotic and feminine, these sensual blends feature an earthy, animalistic base scent such as musk or ambergris. They are often combined with warm notes such as amber or floral notes.
7. Spicy: featuring notes of cloves, ginger, cinnamon, cardamon and pepper, these perfumes are comforting and alluring in an old-fashioned way.
8. Woody (Chypre): built on base notes of bark and moss, these scents evoke a no-nonsense femininity.

Applying Perfumes
The conventional application of fragrances is at pulse points, such as behind the ears, the nape of the neck, and the insides of wrists, elbows and knees. The pulse points will warm the perfume and release fragrance continuously. 

The modern way of application encourages fragrance layering by mixing two or more scents together. This allows you to custom-blend a signature scent to reflect your personality or your mood. If you haven’t layered fragrances before, try to combine two fragrances that have a common note, e.g. jasmine. If you’re adventurous, try combining two or more opposite fragrances, such as a spice and a vanilla.

Avoid combining two scents that are too dark and heady, they can be overwhelming when used together.

However, layering scents doesn’t necessarily mean spraying two perfumes directly on top of each other. It can also mean building up a long-lasting scent by combining body products and perfumes of your favorite scent. Lightly scented products such as bath oil, shower gel, and body lotion are recommended for the morning; Eau de Toilette is suggested for the afternoon; and Parfum for evening.

It is said that the type of perfume used by a woman can reflect her personality. What is your favorite type of fragrance? Let us know in the comments.

Christmas Gifts to Give! Get GOLD!

I love the cold weather now, it feels nostalgic and romantic. December is always a "Love in the air" month for me, don't ask me why, it just is. And in order to share the love, the best way is to get gifts to delight your friends and family, give them out at Christmas and share the joy together.

How about some gold colour this year?

1. DKNY Golden Delicious Golden Night Out Gift Set

DKNY Golden Delicious Golden Night Out Gift Set includes:

Golden Delicious Eau de Parfum Spray 1.7oz / 50ml
DKNY Golden Delicious Eau de Parfum celebrates luxury and splendor with its rich and accentuated aromas of juicy golden apple, accompanied by orange blossom and Mirabelle plum.

DKNY Golden Delicious Eau de Parfum offers captivating aromas of orange floral water, mirabelle, golden delicious apple, white rose, casablanca lily, vanilla orchid, muguet, musk, sandalwood and teakwood.

Golden Delicious Eau de Parfum 0.24oz / 7ml

Golden Delicious Shimmering Body Lotion 3.4oz / 100ml
This glamorous shimmering body lotion has a sensual base of musk, sandalwood and teakwood, then topped with the flirty aroma of Golden Delicious apple. The tantalizing body lotion leaves your skin soft, supple and shimmering like a goddess.

DKNY Logo Keychain x 1pc

2. Issey Miyake L'eau D'issey Absolue Eau de Parfum

Issey Miyake L'eau D'issey Absolue Eau de Parfum reveals a top note of brilliant purity, a luminous accord. The Night-Blooming-Jasmine illuminates the heart of the fragrance and progressively frees its intense and radiant trail. Jasmine's fascinating intensity melts into base notes of enveloping vanilla and elegant precious wood.

Cloaked in light during the day, the Night-Blooming-Jasmine opens and shines only once the sun has set, leaving in its trail the scent of its secret.

3. Caroline Herrera CH Eau de Parfum Sublime

Carolina Herrera Eau de Parfum Sublime is designed to accentuate femininity with facets of sensuality and charming elegance. It is referred to as joyful and charming, charismatic and slightly mysterious, making it even more unique and fascinating.

The opening hides Carolina Herrera's little secret, fresh and exotic notes of bergamot and passionflower richly steeped in a love dance of elegant roses and mysterious orchids in the heart that are woven into a sensual dry down of patchouli, moss, leather and amber.

4. Dior J'adore Eau de Parfum Gift Set

Christian Dior J'adore Eau de Parfum Gift Set includes:

J'adore Eau De Parfum 1.7oz / 50ml
The absolute Femininity. An eternal Emotion. A fragrance legend both magnificent and mysterious. An opulent fruity floral bouquet.

Top notes: Magnolia, Mandarin Orange, Ivy
Middle notes: Rose, Violet, Orchid
Base notes: Damascena Rose, Wood, Blackberry

J'adore Beautifying Body Milk 1.7oz / 50ml
Gentle and refreshing, with a subtle, fragrant caress that envelops the skin, J'adore Beautifying Body Milk beautifies it with Jasmine essence and makes it glow with pearlescent shine. The ultra-sensorial delight gives you a moment of pure pleasure.

Black Cosmetic Pouch 23cm x 14.5cm x 9cm 

Have a ‘scentsual’ Valentine's day!

It’s February and love is in the air. With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, you will be overwhelmed with gift options from the saccharine sweet chocolates, to the perennial favourite—flowers. Sure, they are expected and girls never seem to grow sick of them, but why go down the same old predictable route? Nothing shows your affection like a scent in a pretty bottle and instead of putting your nose to the test and sniffing out options in the fragrance section; here are two new additions you can pick from!

Harajuku Lovers Eau de Toilette, US$39 for 30ml

Created by the uber cool Gwen Stefani, these dolls are super cute and feminine and look great on your dressing table. There are different characters such as Lil' Angel, Love, Music and Baby. Our favourite is the sweet and girly Harajuku Lovers Baby Eau de Toilette with its powdery mush of sparkling bergamot, tiare flower, jasmine petals and soft white musk.

Gucci by Gucci Eau de Parfum, US$64 for 50ml

Gucci by Gucci is the signature fragrance for the modern day icon, a strong yet sensual woman driven by both her desire for achievement and her unmistakable feminine allure. The new Gucci fragrance falls into the Chypre floral scent family, with a top fruity citrus note and a woodsy base note.

Gucci by Gucci Eau de Parfum emerges with a unforgettable combination of pear Guava accord and rapsberry, over rich sensual heart of notes of Tiare flower, spider lily and orange blossom and deep, lingering base notes of musk and honey that add a new sensuality and warmth to the strength of patchouli.