Like my cosmetic preferences, I like to mix it up with cheap and expensive products when it comes to perfumes too. I would say I’m a perfume fanatic who is picky about how I smell but that doesn’t mean I am a complete snob — there are times when I come across lovely fragrances at reasonable prices. And I’m also not too quick to write off celebrity perfumes if they are really good, e.g. Sarah Jessica Parker, Gwen Stefani, and Britney Spears, though I would hastily point out that these stars are backed by excellent perfume house Coty Inc. who knows what they are talking about. So now you know where I stand in the perfume world lol!

Today’s perfume was a surprise for me as I never thought much of the Escada scents and they churn out one every year so they all seem to smell more or less the same. Another similar perfume that plays on the same theme but tweaks each release just a little bit is Ferragamo’s Incanto series. They are not bad at all — sweet and fruity, but all kind of the same.

There’s a little story behind how I stumbled upon Escada’s Ocean Lounge…

I attended a charity event held by a friend of a friend and there were a ton of raffle prizes to be won. I actually nabbed a hair cut at a chic salon in Azabu Juban while my friend won three perfumes and a pair of Roberto Cavalli sunnies. She was kind enough to share her loot and passed me the Escada one since she didn’t like sweet scents. One woman’s cast-off is indeed another’s treasure…

Luckily, Escada Ocean Lounge gels very well with my skin chemistry and the luscious fruity top notes are not so citrus that make it yet another boring fruity floral and the dry down is quite full-bodied for such a fresh scent. Here are the list of notes (source): plum, pear nectar accord, strawberry meringue accord, violet petal sorbet, mimosa blossom, jasmine, amber, sheer vanilla, teak wood.

I don’t know about you but strawberry meringue accord sounds either very scary or very delicious, and in this case, it’s good. I’ve to warn you that it is very sweet, so those who like gourmand scents might be drawn this perfume more. Oddly, I enjoy wearing this in winter precisely because it’s got such a happy tropical vibe — it feels like, I may be donning a boring turtleneck but I’m rocking the beach from the inside…

Do you wear “out-of-season” scents? Or just tell us what you are sporting this winter!

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Hello my beauty warriors, I’ve been having a good week so far — I’ve been trying out more workouts over at Bodyrock.tv and I love it when I feel energized from exercise and I sleep a whole lot better (and earlier, too!). Before I get into today’s post proper, I’d like to give a special shoutout to one of my regular readers, Julia who blogs at Colour Me Cute, for giving Beauty Box a “Best Blog Award”. Danke shoen, girl! I’m so honoured to be picked by you!

So today, we’re going to talk about fragrance — I dug into my dungeon (that’s what Mr BB calls my perfume collection) and rediscovered an “oldie but goodie” — Guerlain’s Lovely Cherry Blossom Gold Sparkles that was an Asia exclusive in early 2006.

This catapulted me back to remembering how I procured this precious flacon of delight. I was on a business trip in Hokkaido in late April 2006 and Mr BB had already moved to Tokyo by then. We were talking about me moving to Japan but he wanted to see if things would work out for him job-wise before I handed in my resignation. So on this trip, I remember feeling enormously excited to meet Mr BB at Haneda Airport for a coffee and a gelato. It was a bitter-sweet parting as we both missed each other terribly but it was very lovely to see each other for an hour before I boarded my flight to Narita Airport and then back to Singapore.

After our fleeting date, I bought this perfume to remember my mixed feelings about Japan. I thought it was exotic and intoxicating but yet highly developed and sophisticated as a country. This elegant perfume has notes of “bergamot, green tea, lilac, jasmine and red fruits” (via Now Smell This) to emulate the smell of cherry blossoms (which apparently have no scent in reality) which are the ultimate symbol of Japan.

It’s light enough for daily wear but it’s definitely very elegant and work-appropriate. I always pick this one up for serious occasions like a wedding or an interview or a business meeting. It sounds very mature but it’s far from “old lady” territory — it’s got that citrus-floral combo reminiscent of Chanel’s Coco Mademoiselle but has no flirtiness or playful girlishness to it. But I still love breathing in this scent as it always gives me that “I’m a woman; I need to put on my big girl panties” boost when I need it.

What’s your go-to fragrance when you need to be taken seriously?

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If there is such a thing as lust at first sight that blossoms into long-lasting love, then it’s my relationship with Jo Malone’s English Pear & Freesia Cologne.

I actually never buy 100ml bottles anymore but I caved for this one because it is a very light fragrance so I tend to spray twice as much as I would an eau de toilette, and also, I have been using this almost everyday for the past month. The more I wear it, the more I love it which is not often the case with me and my perfumes.

I know Wild Bluebell is the latest Jo Malone fragrance but it didn’t smell that fabulous on me — in fact, quite ordinary on my skin though I do love the marketing campaign (photos here). It also seems it’s an interpretation of what bluebells smell like since it is impossible to extract the scent from the flower. So, I really prefer to buy something that I will like for a long time, as opposed to getting something that is in fad right now.

It is very pricey but I think well worth the investment because Jo Malone’s fragrances are simply elegance in a bottle. They are timeless and even some of them are quite “artful” in my opinion, e.g. French Lime Blossom and Pomegranate Noir. They sound like they would be a bouquet of citrus and fruit but they are absolutely not and smell very much more complex and darker than they sound. But there are very “straight” perfumes in the Jo Malone collection like Red Roses which really smells like roses.

The other intriguing thing is that you can mix and match their perfumes (they have a Fragrance Combining page on their website) which would appeal to those who like to “make” their own blends that are unique.

The packaging alone is swoon-worthy and I still keep my bottle in its box. For one, I’m very anal about preserving my perfumes so that they can last longer. I always keep them in the cupboard with the doors shut because heat and light affect their formulas and some of my perfumes which are 6-8 years old are still going strong but I have been known to toss out ones that have gone bad without a single shred of regret. There is nothing more dismaying than wearing rotten perfume.

The main notes in Jo Malone’s English Pear & Freesia are pear, freesia, rose, patchouli, amber and white musk. The first spray is definitely pear, very fruity but crisp, and the dry down is a quiet sensual floral that eventually turns a bit milky due to the white musk. It is very wearable all year round — the fruitiness and lightness are perfect for humid weather but the pear note is very autumnal as well. I love my heavy musky vanilla filled perfumes but I just can’t wear them everyday, but this Jo Malone one, I could.

This is definitely a prized possession in my fragrance collection and I am tempted to purchase more Jo Malone but in 30ml sizes!

Would you like to see more of my perfume collection? I do have strange taste and I’ve been through several phases which I was drawn to different types of fragrances…

Do you have a favourite Jo Malone fragrance? If so, do share what it is and tell us why you love it.

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I love foodie scents, girly fragrances, and soft powdery ones, but once in awhile, I love me a big bold perfume that is not my usual “everyday” me but actually the real me I want to be but don’t dare to be.

….And that scent is Diptyque’s Virgilio. The overpowering top notes scream basil, and then the cedar rushes in, but after half an hour or so, the herbal scents warm up and settle a bit, and the dry down unfolds into this pillowy melange of sexy vetiver and other mysterious ingredients. I also sniff a bit of mossy undertones that remind me of a dense Medieval forest and it oddly makes me feel alive with all these strong green notes clamouring for attention…and spring is about re-birth and celebrating life.

I started wearing this at the tail-end of winter when there were spring-like sunny days and I was wishing for even warmer weather and blooming flowers…I got my wish because Tokyo is in full fledge spring mode and I’m deliberately leaving behind somber shades like black, navy, and dark grey.

The bottle is rather unassuming in its signature Diptyque bottle, but if you look closely, there’s a naked man in the picture. Bold, indeed! My kind of perfume inside and out! It’s also a very unisex scent but it doesn’t have your typical men’s notes like sandalwood or mint or bergamot. I feel so confident and brave when I wear this fragrance….

How did I lay my hands on such a precious find? Believe me, I do not have the most exotic of tastes even when it comes to my beloved perfumes. I actually got it in a Makeup Alley swap in one of my various attempts to offload discarded decanters for new fangled elixirs. I didn’t like Virgilio at first but like anything worth keeping, it truly grew on me and I can’t bear the thought of giving it away.

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In the meantime, I’ve got something to show you. By coincidence, I bought two black-and-red things that I love….

This is the fall limited edition Majolica Majorca perfume. It comes in a cute red goth-inspired bottle with a stick applicator, instead of a spray. The fragrance is much like an essential oil type so it’s a little bit viscous and not extremely liquidy like spray perfumes.

Can I say it’s very lovely. The more I wear it, the more I like it. It’s got an intoxicating blend of citrus, berries, vanilla, rose, and sandalwood. For a drugstore brand, I would say this is pretty good quality. I was a bit hesitant buying it because rose accents in bargain products are something I hate because they end up smelling so cheap and nasty. Alas, this was not the case for the new MM perfume because you can hardly smell any rose fragrance at all!

Conclusion: Great for everyday fall wear but probably too heavy for summer.

Next up, I couldn’t resist nabbing this cute Agnes B. eco bag and the magazine, Steady, had a bonanza puchipura (affordable) cosmetics spread so I was curious to read it.

Look, the back comes with a pretty heart-shaped hook for your desk…

It makes me almost want to be an OL so I could use this in my cubicle – lol!

Steady is obviously for women in their early 20s or even teens because there were some Sanrio-related editorials that were a wee bit too cute even for me.

How is your Monday so far?

PS: Don’t forget to shop till you drop at our Christmas Sale — spend USD200 and get 10% discount off your entire bill!!

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But first, let me show you my mini-holiday haul. As a general rule, I try not to shop while travelling — I usually have no space in one small carry-on luggage, plus beauty products tend to be liquid so that makes things difficult if you don’t plan to check-in your luggage. And I really want to just buy products when I need them, too. Why don’t I just put a halo over my head right now, you must be wondering! Well, I used to hoard beauty products like no tomorrow so it’s an on-going resolution to live light.

But I broke a couple of rules when I was transiting at the Dubai International Airport en route to Singapore from Moscow.

I got this:

L Fleur de Corail by Lolita Lempicka (2008) which is the sister fragrance to L (made in 2006). I found the scent to be thoroughly me with a powdery finish and a slight oriental character. According to NTS, the notes are grapefruit, bergamot, frangipani, vanilla orchid, driftwood, musk and amber. And check out the adorable charms around the neck of the bottle — kawaii korei (This is cute)…

Mmmmm….But I have to wait till the weather is cooler to really show this one off. It is 34-36 degrees (Celsius!!) in Tokyo which totally pisses me off.

Even better, any Lolita Lempicka purchase came with a super cute purse. I’m using this to hold my coins now.

And body lotion and shower gel.

I had some dirhams (UAE currency) to spare so I bought a Korres Body Milk in cinnamon and vanilla. Can you just tell I’m yearning for fall? I read good reviews about this brand so I’m curious to try it. The Body Milk is not too watery and is a bit creamy which I like. This product cost me USD22.90 in Dubai but it’s 2520JPY (USD26) in Japan, so I saved just a few dollars. I can even buy it online here (link to their Japanese webstore) – yippee!

So onto my Great Detox Plan…

Don’t worry I’m not going to fast or anything like that. I don’t do well without food, to be honest but I’m going to eat all whole foods with lots of fruit and veggies. On the beauty front, I’m just going to exfoliate more often and exercise every other day.

Here’s a rough guide to my plan:

Morning: Green juice + chia pudding (it’s like a raw vegan cereal with fruit and seeds)
Afternoon: Huge salad or veggie wrap (the wrap is made of romaine leaves)
Mid-afternoon snack: Large green smoothie
Dinner: Home-cooked veggie meal (lentil curry, or buckwheat noodles, or quinoa pilaf or stir-fried veggies with rice).
Post-dinner snack: apple or banana with almond butter (optional)

What do you do when you want to detox?

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One of the things on my to-do list in New York was to visit the flagship Bond No.9 store in Soho. Of course it was number 9 on Bond Street and I walked into a fantasy living room of faux old furnishings in what looked like a flamboyant library of perfume bottles.

I had mixed feelings about Bond No.9 when it first got my attention — the perfumes are named after famous streets in New York City, which is bodaciously tacky or brilliant genius in terms of branding, depending on how you see it. But the crux of the matter at the end of the day is, do they make really good perfume?

And after sniffing sample vials in Tokyo department stores, my conclusion was a big resounding yes. The complex layering and unfolding of ingredients in each scent definitely makes it a serious perfume brand and there isn’t a hint of cheapness even if you may not like any of the Bond No.9 scents.

My faves are Chinatown (the bottle is so pretty it’s to-die-for; read review here), Andy Warhol Lexington Avenue, and Saks Fifth Avenue For Her, in order of preference.

I didn’t buy a thing but I’m still considering if nabbing a bottle at the flagship boutique is something I should do. A 50ml bottle is USD150 and a 100ml bottle is USD210 and that’s a lot to spend on perfume, even for me. Sigh, decisions decisions.

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The minimalist lines of the bottle remind me of the early stripped down nineties. Remember Calvin Klein’s CK One?

But I’m sure the juice will be completely different. Apparently A Scent is green and I adore fresh green scents especially in hot weather.

His classic signature fragrance made 17 years ago didn’t sit well with me. I had to possess it, but being the foolish teen I was, it was too late when I realized the oceanic (or “watery”) notes just didn’t suit my sweaty skin in humid Singapore.

The only downer is this gem is not available now: it will be available in August for a short while, and then it launches officially in October.

Waiting with bated breath,
Yu Ming

PS: There is a moving excerpt here about Issey Miyake’s experience of Hiroshima when it was bombed in WWII and why he’s speaking out now. Powerful, indeed.

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Instead of downgrading to a cheaper brand, why not trade something you don’t want for something that you do? It’s not a new concept to beauty addicts, so I’ll just talk about my experience.

As I was cleaning out my closet after I returned from my Sydney holiday, I couldn’t help but feel guilty about practically full bottles of fragrances that I didn’t adore as much as before.

I was like, “I’ve got nothing to wear…” But in my heart, I knew it would be frivolous of me to buy more of something that just evaporates into thin air.

Then, I remembered an excellent article from one of my favorite perfume blogs, Now Smell This, which gave a comprehensive guide on swapping fragrances at popular beauty forum, Makeup Alley. I had been a lackluster member of Makeup Alley, so I dived back in and spruced up my profile (I’m astrorainfall there, by the way).

I discovered a world of barter trade — from bags, to shoes, to lip gloss. Whatever could be dug out from a woman’s closet, you will find it here.

That’s not to say swapping is as easy as shopping online. It’s a long drawn-out process where it takes time to find a match for what you want and what you are willing to give up.

I was lucky to have 90 per cent full bottles of unique perfumes and these are what I got in return:

Lolita Lempicka Midnight (this is my favoritest perfume right now!) and Juicy Couture (I’m kind of regretting this as the watermelon note is a little… overpowering)

I’ve still got a Diptyque perfume on the way which I’m dying to lay my paws on.

So far, I swapped with very experienced swappers and their feedback profiles were flawless (they are called “tokens” on MUA). They also included very thoughtful extras like body cream samples, Greek tea bags, decants of Hypnotic Poison, the original Lolita Lempicka, and Donna Karen’s Cashmere Mist.

What I love about swapping is, it feels like you’re getting a lovely present when your parcel arrives but all you did was to pay for postage to give someone else something she wants.

I wasn’t in a hurry to get rid of my stuff and was careful to make equal swaps. Sometimes I would trawl the swap section for people who have things on my wish list as a way to pass time.

I would definitely encourage you to put up your wares but do have realistic expectations in terms of time and effort. On a last note, here is a fascinating story about a Canadian guy who started off swapping a red paper clip and ended up with a house at One Red Paperclip.

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On my way back from Bali to Singapore, I thought I was in for an awful journey as I was next to a talkative couple on their way to Los Angeles on Singapore Airlines.

The husband, in particular, could not stop making comments and complaints, so I couldn’t wait for take-off and plug into the 98 channels the plane had to offer.

To my dismay, my TV system was not working. I sighed inwardly and resolved to focus on a copy of Newsweek and J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows for the whole seven-hour flight.

“Excuse me, miss,” chirped an air stewardess. “We are very sorry that your TV is not working, so here is a Kris Shop voucher worth USD75. So sorry for the inconvenience!” Who needs TV when you can get a gorgeous pressie for yourself like this…

Miss Dior Cherie Blooming Bouquet is an Asia-exclusive release :O I was sniffing this at the duty-free shops and was dying to get this so it feels like kismet that this landed on my lap.

The opening notes are fruity, which is probably due to the mandarin essence but the dry down exudes a creaminess that makes you sigh and think of spring. The other main notes include peony and white musk. Sometimes in cold weather, I like to spritz on something light to lift the sombre mood of grey skies and incessant drizzle.

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