J'adore L'absolu from Christian Dior

Describing Fragrances is one of the most difficult tasks I can image.

This fragrance review will be very individual based on how feel using J'adore L'Absolu.

The series "J'adore" from Christian Dior is divided into three different fragrances (in the eau de perfum segment) "J'adore", "J'adore L'Absolu" and "J'adore L'Or". I can not describe the differences of each scent but I can confirm that they are all different from one another. I personally like the Absolu interpretation very much but not the original version. 

As they all come in the exact same glass bottle and you need to look carefully in store to see which version you are trying.

Price:  75ml for 112 Euros.

The packaging is very luxurious consisting of a heavy glass bottle a long golden cap. The perfume is of a golden color.

J'adore L'Absolu smells very floral and it is light and intense at the same time. It makes me think about a bouquet of flowers or a garden. It has a very full scent which is noticeable in a positive way. Over the day the scent softens until only a light floral layer remains in the evening. 

It needs to be underlined that this fragrances holds VERY long. For me it holds an entire working day (8 hours for sure).

I am absolutely in in love with the scent! I would recommend to try all versions of J'adore to determine which version suits you most.

L'Occitane Ultra Gentle Cleansing Milk and Gentle Toner

Over the last 4 months I have been using the Ultra Gentle Cleansing Milk and Gentle Toner from L'Occitane instead of my regular cleanser from Decléor. I wanted to test both products on a daily basis to see how they would perform. This is the first time I bought face care products from L'Occitane and I can happily say that their face care line is as lovely as their body care lines.

I will first talk about the cleansing milk (17 Euros for 200ml) as this is the product the cleansing should start with. The product comes in a plastic bottle with a pump falcon. Yes, you heard right a cleanser for 17 Euros is being sold in a simple but useful plastic packaging. I do not particularity like such packaging at that price point but but it serves the purpose and has low weight when travelling.

This is how the product looks like:

The cleansing milk is a creamy white liquid with a very light floral scent which I personally like. I am applying the milk on a cotton pad and then cleanse my face including the eye area. On my skin it does not burn or anything else not even around the eyes. I remove all my makeup with the cleansing milk and the gentle toner without using any additional cleansing product afterwards. The cleansing milk really takes down all the foundation and eye makeup (non- waterproof). Once I see that the cleansing milk is not removing any more makeup I am moving over to the Gentle Toner.

The Gentle toner (17 Euros for 200ml) comes also in a plastic packaging with spray dispenser. As I sad above the packaging is not very appealing for products at that price.
I like that the toner comes as a spray because it is very refreshing to spray it softly over the cleansed skin. The toner has the same light scent as the cleansing milk. Once the product is sprayed on my face I use a cotton pad to remove all access cleansing milk and usually the toner also removes last make up traces even though you thought you had everything removed.

Overall both products performed great over the last months! I always had a very clean skin after the application. I never had any breakouts or other skin irritations while using the milk and toner. This is a huge thumbs up and definitely worth a try for everybody with sensible skin.

Summing up:

Pros:

• Cleanses sensitive skin gently
• Great cleansing abilities
• Lovely Scent
• Pump and spray bottle are easy to use 

Cons:

• Packaging
• Price

Repurchase - Yes, No, Maybe?

Hi All,
I know that I have not been in touch for quite a while. Summer is going on and I spent a few days off with family and friends. It is also quite hot around here so I have been in 'lazy-mood'.

Today I would like to show you a few products that I recently used up asking the question if I would repurchase or not.

Let's go!

Roses 4 Reines Shower Gel and Body Lotion - L'Occitane

Price: 14.50 Euros and 14.50 Euro (both 250ml)

My Thoughts: Wonderful scent great shower experience and great lotion which dries down quickly!

Repurchase: Yes! Maybe I would even try one of the other scents.

Idylle - Guerlain

Price: 90 Euros (50ml)

My Thoughts: Wonderful light floral scent but unfortunately it does not last on my skin.
Repurchase: No! I am always sad when a fragrance disappears quickly.

Seanik Shampoo Bar - Lush

Price: 8.50 Euros (55gr)
My Thoughts: I love the 100% organic shampoo bar because it is absolutely gentle and treats my hair great. It also smells nice and does not burn in the eyes.
Repurchase: Yes! I repurchase this all the time.

Divine Scrub - Caudalie

Price: 22.40 Euros (150gr)
My Thoughts: Lovely body body scrub which leaves the skin very nice and soft. It is having a light scent (same as the Divine body oil from Caudalie) which is very calming.
Repurchase: Yes!

The Cosmetic Industry and its promises

We all would like to stay young and look young as long as we can. The skin care industry is aware of our hoping and makes all sorts of promises to sell us their products.

If you ever looked closely into the skin care products and their claims you might read a few very interesting statements. You might have come across “Lancôme Génifique” and “L’Oréal Paris Youth Code” products. Both product lines claim to target gens to make your skin look younger again.

Of course this is too good to be true and most of us did not think that the gens will really be altered in any way by using the creams and serums from Lancôme or L’Oréal Paris. Still their aggressive statement made many people curious to see what stands behind it.

In the end of June the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) raised charges against Lancôme and L’Oréal Paris (both belong to L’Oréal Paris) prohibiting to advertise that their product targets or boosts the activity of genes to make skin look or act younger (source FTC) as they can nor scientifically proof those claims.

Just as a little note “Lancôme Génifique” costs $132 per container.

The bottom line is that we should buy only skin care products we feel good with disregarding what advertisers are trying to sell us with their promises.

Jo Malone and the Art of Fragrance combining

Most of us I suppose have already been searching for THE fragrance. A signature fragrance- a sent unique to oneself underling one’s personality and fitting all occasions.

If you are on this mission you might be facing some difficulties such as the fact that popular fragrances are worn by everyone making a scent less unique. I know that the same scent does not smell exactly the same on different people but I still hate recognizing my favorite perfume on somebody else (of course not on friends and family but on strangers).

Another difficulty is that you need to like a fragrance “as is” since it is very difficult to alter the smell with a second perfume. I mainly end up spraying a bit more or a bit less to change the intensity but it does not change the smell.

During 2012 I have come across the British brand Jo Malone promising to help find a signature scent. Jo Malone founded the company in 1994 and sold it to Estée Lauder Companies in 1999.

Jo Malone offers a variety of scents grouped into the following segments: Citrus, Floral, Light Floral, Fruity, Spicy and Woody. Each segment contains three to four fragrances. Each scent by itself can be combined with any other scent according to personal preference. You may combine fragrances within one segment or several different segments. Of course each combination depends on your personal taste and style. The sales assistants at Jo Malone will usually be able to make a first suggestion according to your described likings and from there you can usually navigate around and try out different combinations.

Of course you can also wear the fragrances just as is but you might find that some of them lack a little twist. The reason for this is because they were thought to be used combined with one another. Mainly Jo Malone fragrances are having a clear defined smell which makes them perfect to be layered in combination to create a combined scent.

In terms of price the fragrances cost 47 Euros for 30ml and 92 Euros for 100ml. They are Eau de Cologne which means they are very light in concentration.

I highly recommend trying the fragrances in person as it will be much easier to decide what fits and what does not.

I started my Jo Malone collection with English Pear and Freesia. Until today this is still my favorite fragrance from their line. English Pear and Freesia is a light fruity/floral scent which makes me feel like a warm spring day. It is very difficult to describe a scent with words but this is the feeling it transmits to me.

Last year I added Blackberry and Bay and Peony & Blush Suede. Blackberry and Bay is a lovely warm berry smell which is absolutely adorable and more wearable than I initially thought. Peony & Blush Suede is very floral and sweet and I find it a bit too heavy for myself.

This spring I added Wild Bluebell and Nectarine Blossom to my little collection. Wild Bluebell smells like Lily of the Valley for me which I really like. The scent is very light! Nectarine Blossom & Honey smells exactly how it sounds like. Nectarines! I like it very much. It is a lovely summer scent for a hot day.

Here is my entire collection:

Overall I would like to note that Jo Malone offers fragrances for every taste. Depending on the combination they can be worn by ladies and gentlemen alike.

I do recommend when searching for a signature scent to visit a Jo Malone boutique to get some advice. The staff knows the products very well and can assist. Best would be to know a little bit about what you like and what you do not like and from there you can start discovering.

Pros:

·                     Large selection

·                     Chances to create a signature scent

Cons:

·                     Pricy

·                     Might take time to find the perfect match

·                     Not all fragrances are lasting very long. Testing in advance is highly recommended!

I recommend taking the time to decide what you like and to build up a collection carefully. At some point it will be fun to combine what you already own with something new. At first purchase I generally buy always the smallest bottle and if I use it up I purchase the larger version of a fragrance. It gives me enough time to consider what I like and what I would like to repurchase.

A Weekend in July

Wow time has passed so fast lately. We are already in July! I can remember it was just Easter not too long ago.

Here in Israel it started to be very hot over the last weeks. The only way to get away from this heat is to stay home with the AC on or go to the beach and refresh in the water. What I love about summer is the beach and the light summer cloths. The heat and the sweating is not really my thing.

We have adopted a little homeless dog during May because we felt so lonely without our little sweetheart who died a few month ago.
So its time to welcome Ruby, he is about a year old and was found on the street before he came to us.

People can be so cruel. I can not understand how one can be so heartless. Now Ruby has a new home with us. He is such a quiet and friendly dog that we are happy to have him. The only but is that he needs a lot of training because he is still young and his manners are not always the best. So I spend most of my free time with him teaching and training him. That is a reason why I am writing less.

Last night I tried a new recipe for baking macarons. I love those cookies so much. They are unbelievably tasty. Unfortunately they are more difficult to prepare than I initially thought. It took me around 6 tries to find the right way to get them just right. I tried it 5 time with French meringue and did not succeed so well (well, I succeeded better at the fifth time than in the beginning but it was still far from the pictures.). Yesterday I took a different recipe using Italian meringue and the results surprised me in such a good way that I decided to share the photos with you. If you ever think about preparing macarons go straight away to a recipe using Italian meringue! It is more difficult but the results are far better!  

baking time...

Macaron shells right from the oven

Finally filled with ganache

From another angle

Macarons in box

Have a lovely weekend. During the next days I will write about Jo Malone and the concept of fragrance combining which I am very fond of.

Favorite Bags

Bags, Bags, Bags...
I guess every women has more bags than she actually needs. I also do but I realized over the past year that even though I have quite a nice number of bags that I am mainly returning day in day out to the same ones.

There are two types of women. One group that uses a bag as a key piece of their outfit often in accent colors and with interesting shapes making the bag an eye-catcher. The other type of women has a bag fitting the outfit but is not the main statement piece. Mainly those bags are black, brown or in other neutrals ready to be worn with almost anything.
I am the second type of person. I love bags that can go with anything! I personally find it pity having a lovely bag which fits only with one specific dress. Bags tend to be expensive if you purchase in the higher quality level. So I try to get the most wear out of my bag. Yes, I have to say that - I really hate cheap bags which break after one or two weeks! I think it is such a waste! In my opinion it makes more sense to pay a bit more (if that is possible) and to get a reasonable quality. Anyway, I do not want to discuss here what is right and wrong but rather show you my two favorite bags.

I am all in love with the Longchamp Pilage. The Longchamp Pilage is a very light bag with almost no weight. The straps are made from leather and the bag itself is made from nylon (Note: Easy to clean). I like that it has almost no weight of its own because I have bags which are very heavy thanks to the leather they are made of and when I put my stuff inside they are just unbearably heavy.
Another advantage of the Pilage is that you can fold it easily and put it away when not needed. This is especially handy on a trip if you need a big and a small bag. One of them can be folded up without being damaged.

The Pilage exists in almost all thinkable colors including neutrals and bright colors. The same goes for sizes. Many different sizes are available as well as different strap lengths. There is something for everybody.

I own the shopper version (33x32x19 in cm) with the long straps. I like long straps to carry my bag over my shoulder. The color is of a greyish blue which does not exist any longer.
The smaller Pilage (25x25x14 in cm) is a personalized version (yes, you can also personalize a bag!) with my initials in black and brown. The straps are long here as well.

Both bags are my work horses. If I have only a few things to carry around as wallet, keys, phone, cardigan and book or iPad the small bag is enough (there is even some room left). On days that I carry around a laptop (15inch) with charger plus all the above the larger bag is the one I am going with.
In therms of room the Pilage is wonderful, I always manage to get in everything that I need.

As I mentioned earlier I am using those two bags in alternations almost on a daily basis and they are still in great shape. The quality is really good (Note: I am not the gentlest person with my bags).

Do you have a favorite bag?
Happy Weekend!!