Bon Parfumeur 302 Perfume Review

You can’t wear amber perfumes in a crop top, it’s an unspoken perfume rule, and most certainly not in white linen, so maybe this is the last time for the next little bit that I’ll talk about an amber perfume.

302 by Bon Parfumeur.

The text on the bottle says Ambre, Iris, Santal so hints and what we might be smelling.

This is a lovely herbal spicy amber perfume that starts off a bit sweet with vanilla, but then turns a bit bitter thanks to an unlisted oregano note. Easy to wear and easy to like. If you like Amber Sultan by Serge Lutens, you might like this. Everything is dusty, maybe because of the Iris and then there some woods, not quite sandalwood, but more of a generic ambery base.

It’s seems to be a trend for smaller “niche” brands to buy this base and build on top or around it – Nishane Ani and Jovoy Psychedelique come to mind off the top of my head. Once you smell them, you smell them everywhere and I suppose for the price point, it’s to be expected. For me, it’s a complete turn-off, and my nose perceives them as an annoying hum that I can’t un-smell. It’s something I wish more fragrance reviewers talked about because surely if you’ve got all these perfumes in your collection, you can smell the similarity between them all.

Anyway, I like this and I’ll keep wearing it, and if you’re looking for an affordable amber, this one is great. I won’t be adding any more from this line to my collection but never say never. I’d still like to smell them all in person and the cute 30ml bottles would look so good all together.

Now it’s time to put the ambers away for a bit and look for something else.

You can watch my video review here.

https://youtu.be/M2iYVGxR0Lg

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Attar Affair Rose and Mogra Attars

April
I got some unexpected news today and people that know me, know that I like to withdraw, think, regroup, and then come back. It’s fine.

The Mogra attar from Attar Affair is distracting me, in a good way, because I smell like damp jasmine flowers and I layered it with Diptyque Do Son, so I’m just surrounded by white florals today.

The rose attar is a sweet jammy rose, very similar to the rose you’d get when you drink Rooh Afza, so I really enjoyed wearing it and getting whiffs of its sweetness throughout the day. I’m probably going to reapply this one later in the day.

Attars are essentially perfume oils and are traditionally found in India and some Middle Eastern countries. They’re very concentrated and often solinotes. Growing up, my mom and grandmother (who both loved perfume) always had attars around the house – sometimes mint for their headaches, or floral ones as perfumes to wear for nights out.

Have you tried any attars and do you have a favourite?

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Kayali Invite Only Amber 23


Kayali Invite Only Amber 23. The only Kayali and the only tobacco in my collection. Tbh, it’s like they took Serge Lutens Chergui and made it more mass-appealing for the Sephora shopper. There’s a mellow coconut and a lot of musk in the drydown but the powdery and tobacco notes are still there. The sweetness combined with the coconut is yummy but not in a gourmand way, more like in a, get over here kind of way. There’s also a bit of cherry in the opening but it’s not there very long, it’s more of a cherry wood. I get compliments on this – people are like “omg what IS that!” Instead of “oh nice perfume” which is what I sometimes get.

The bottle in the picture is my travel size, but they’ve updated these now so that they’re tall instead of squat, which I guess, is more in line with what most brands do.

In case you missed it, here’s my Youtube review of this perfume.

https://youtu.be/Plj0gYE_iVs

Have you seen Mona Kattan’s perfume room? She’s the creator of this brand and is a prolific collector. Google it, it’s worth a peek, it looks more like a store than a perfume collection. Clearly, it’s there for reference and not because she’s going to wear each and every bottle. Honestly, the more I get into perfume, the more days off a week I need so my nose doesn’t get tired, and I’m not the only one saying that. But that’s how it is for everything – anything you’re into a lot is something that you also need to take a break from and that break also revitalizes you. The perfume break actually helps me smell parts of perfumes better and I definitely need to spray less so it’s win-win.

 

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Chanel 1957 eau de parfum Review


1957 by Chanel, part of their Les Exclusifs line. This person could wear Glossier You, but they only shop at the Chanel boutique for their scents, dahling, and plus, they want all their bottles to look the same, so 75 ml sizes only and we keep going back for more when the juice runs out.

Of course, there’s Chanelade in this too, it’s not just a musk, a skin scent, it’s interesting, refined, has some body, but so does You, so do all the other ambrettes .

Maybe we just like the one we smell first.

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Perfume Empty: Diptyque Philosykos edp


I’m down to the last few drops and I don’t want to use them up. But also I do. When a perfume is a classic and still around, there’s almost no reason to be without it. As much as new smells are exciting, there’s a comfort in spraying something that you’re so familiar with that you can smell it in your sleep. I have very vivid dreams and perfume occasionally makes an appearance. Philosykos by Diptyque. I’ve mentioned it often enough because the creamy airy fig is easy to wear. I’ve had this bottle for over a decade so I definitely paced myself. What fig do I need to replace it with? Should I get the edt next? Diptyque bottles are so pretty that I don’t want to get rid of it. Have you finished a perfume just to buy it again? Or given it away and rebought it?

Here’s a video review of the scent.  Have a watch and let me know what you think!

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Serge Lutens Perfumes in My Collection


I thought it was time to take a class picture, so here are all the Serge Lutens together. Ambre Sultan is the latest in my collection, and Datura Noir is the oldest in this picture. No regrets for any of them, but every time I put all the bottles together it’s like… this is a lot of perfume!

Ambre Sultan

Datura Noir

Santal Majuscule

La Fille de Berlin

Tubereuse Criminelle

Which is your favourite from the brand… or which do I need next?

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New Spring 2023 Cleansers

Cleansers I’m using right now, and that have recently launched.

Seems like everyone is joining the balm cleansing game, and most of the time, they’re the most gentle yet effective way to get rid of everything, including sunscreen which is especially formulated to stick to your skin. You want to get that stuff off at the end of the day. Don’t forget that the key to using these is to use them on bare skin, not wet skin. You do wash them off with water, and the oil emulsifies and washes away. We’ve got the Fenty Skin Melt Awy cleansing balm; honestly, it’s my favourite, so I’m saving it. It has a gel-type of consistency and it melts into an oil. I like that you don’t really have to work to make it melt into your skin.

Clinique’s Take The Day Off Charcoal Cleansing Balm is a new take on the classic hit product, but this one does require a bit more work to melt in your hands before you apply it on your face. I love that it’s a huge tub of product and it will last a long time. I kind of love the get it once and forget about buying anything again because the tub is huge. The satisfaction of wiping away a face covered in charcoal grease is not to be underestimated.

Finally, there’s the new Neutrogena Cleansing Balm and this one does feel a little cheap because the texture is kind of grainy. I hate to say that the cheapest one is not my favourite because there should be something good at any price point, but of these three, this one is not it. Finally, if you wear mascara, you need to try a cleansing pad or cloth, and the last picture is my True You one which lives at my sink and gets thrown into the was every week, Honestly, get one. You don’t use it with cleanser and just use water. It really works. What’s really satisfying is to use it to wipe your face after washing everything off and seeing how much makeup was still left on there.

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Calvin Klein Euphoria Eau de Toilette Perfume Review


Calvin Klein Euphoria eau de toilette is here, a flanker to the original, and you know what, I haven’t smelled any of them for a long time.

This Euphoria is a fruity floral but the fruit is tart and over-ripe and almost about to fall off the tree. In fact, it smells just like the ground underneath an apple tree in the middle of the fall, when there are too many apples to be picked so half of them have ended up on the ground. There’s a touch of sour rose that comes through, but the woody dry musky base anchors the scent without overpowering it.

Today I’m in its haze and I don’t mind it.

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New Skincare for April 2023

Maybe most majorly, the Charlotte Tilbury Magic Body Cream is here, and it’s a natural fit into the Magic Cream lineup, I kind of wonder how they didn’t do it sooner. This smells the same, like fresh roses, and I love the scent. The Magic Cream/Charlotte Tilbury aesthetic is definitely for a more mature crowd and I’ve noticed that they’re trying to deliver a luxury experience via their products. This body cream has no shimmer and absorbs quickly. It’s not greasy either, and actually, I’ve been putting it on my face after my shower too and so far so good. I know they’re adding the caffeine to make it seem like it’ll eliminate cellulite, but I don’t think that’s possible so I would just use this as a regular body moisturizer. Best after a shower!

Neutrogena has new packaging for their sunscreen and so does Aveeno. I can confirm that the mineral sunscreens are pale/bluish and not worth the coin. Hard pass for me. The Invisible Daily Defense sunscreen is great, and I would absolutely recommend it, it’s clear with a great texture. Goes on great under makeup as well.

The Biotherm Blue Retinol line has actual retinol in it. The cream is rich and moisturizing and not as strong as the serum. I can use the cream nightly and use the serum just twice a week. These are strongly scented, and I don’t like their functional scent as much as the Charlotte Tilbury scents, but that is a minor point and the scent doesn’t last forever.

Have you tried anything of these? What’s new and catching your attention?

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Gucci Eternite de Beaute Foundation Review

Selfies are rare around here, but I’m posting one today, with no filter, to show you the new Gucci foundation, Eternite de Beaute.

Wearing Gucci Memoire d’une Odeur a glorious spring perfume and Gucci Éternité de Beauté foundation, is absolutely my favourite foundation right now because it’s long-wearing and buildable medium to full coverage.

Of course, if you’re buying Gucci Beauty, you’re getting a luxury experience. A thick glass bottle, a gorgeous cap, and the foundation is scented with rose water giving you an experience as you apply it. The scent isn’t lasting or cloying, but I do enjoy it every morning that I use it.

I heard about this formula before I tried it so it came highly recommended. It’s a luminous matte finish so it doesn’t look like you’re wearing a lot thanks to it being light reflective. But it’s not glittery or shimmery and just gives you a glow which is what you see in my #selfie. Blends amazingly well on top of sunscreen which is how I like to use it. Lasts the whole day and looks flawless even when your skin gets oily.

This is the next generation of foundations. Sticks to your skin but you can still play with it.

I’m the colour 260W (medium-fair) which is a nice warm shade and this color will probably be too light in the summer but that’s ok. I’m enjoying it right now.

If you find the coverage to be too much, you can mix it with primer and you’ll be able to control your coverage that way. I use half a pump for my face and blend with a large domed foundation brush. No powder or setting spray is needed but you could if that’s the way you normally do your makeup.

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