Avengers Colognes

By the makers of Pon Farr Perfume for Her and Shirtless Kirk cologne, JADS International brings you...

I noticed that JADS shares a Baltimore connection with me, so I requested samples of their fragrances; surprisingly, they sent me the Avengers Cologne Set, which contains four 2oz bottles of four scents in the line.

Patriot
Notes: green lime, white pepper, dry oak wood, sandalwood, tequila accord

Mark VII
Notes: mandarin, neroli, nasturtium, jasmine, light patchouli

Smash!
Notes: yuzu, bergamot, tarragon, water lily, nutmeg, Indian sandalwood, vetiver, musk, sharp cedar

Worthy
Notes: bergamot, frozen ginger, wheatgrass, grapefruit, cypress, dark amber, cedarwood, musk.

Mr Minx and I both tested all four, which lean toward the masculine. His favorite was Mark VII, which is light and citrussy. Unfortunately, it doesn't have all that much lasting power, especially when compared to the other three. Patriot was not our cup of tea at all, because the "tequila accord" was just a bit too much like a marine or ozonic note to our noses, but those of you who like Bond No. 9 Coney Island (which has a similar margarita note) might find Patriot right up your alley. I liked Smash!, partly because it was the most complex fragrance of the bunch, and also the most expensive-smelling. The citrus/tarragon punch at the beginning is extremely green, like the Hulk, then does a spicy/soapy thing before settling into a green woody musk scent. Finally, Worthy is a pleasant dry woodsy scent that is not unfamiliar and should please many.

All of the fragrances in this set get better during the drydown, apart from Mark VII, which fades away. While none of them are groundbreaking or even particularly unique, they're all pleasant and certainly beat the typical teenage fragrance. Buy a set for your comic book-loving kid - or husband - who will most likely get a huge kick out of it all. They're available online at http://www.jadsinternational.com/products.html.

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Arquiste

Arquiste should really be spelled "exquisite" because that's exactly what these fragrances are. Created by architect Carlos Huber and internationally-recognized noses, the scents in this line are meant to transport the wearer to another place in time.

Currently, there are six fragrances in the line:

L’Etrog, a citrus chypre meant to transport us to October, 1175, Calabria, Italy;
Flor y Canto, an opulent white floral evoking August, 1400, Tenochtitlan, Mexico;
Fleur de Louis, a woody floral, reminding us of June 1660, Isle of Pheasants, Basque region, on the French-Spanish border;
Infanta en Flor, a floral musky amber evoking the same era as Fleur de Louis;
Anima Dulcis, a "baroque" gourmand to transport us to Mexico City, November 1695; and
Aleksandr, an ambery leather, January 1837, St. Petersburg, Russia.

I don't usually like every fragrance in a line, but these scents are so well made, so beautiful, I can't help but love them all. Even the chypre. My two favorites are Anima Dulcis, which includes cocoa absolute, Mexican vanilla, cinnamon, and a chile infusion, and Infanta en Flor, with orange flower water, Spanish leather, cistus resin, immortelle. The former reminds me of Comme des Garcons Sweet Wood Coffee, but with a whiff of cumin, and the latter is a mild-mannered relative of ELDO's Divin Enfant.

Despite intending to evoke eras far earlier than our own 21st Century, none of the scents in the line feel particularly old-fashioned.

Unfortunately for me, Arquiste is pretty darn expensive: pricing for the 55ml bottles is between $165 and $175. Looks like it's time to start saving my pennies.

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Beauty Bar Sample Society

The first Beauty Bar Sample Society box has shipped! This exciting event marks the first delivery from Sample Society, the exclusive beauty sampling program introduced by the two biggest names in beauty: Beauty Bar, the luxury online beauty boutique, and Allure magazine!

Who has time to sift through and test out the countless beauty products that launch every season? With each Sample Society delivery, you not only get the most coveted new products from Beauty Bar, but you also get an insert featuring original content and expert advice written by Allure’s beauty insiders! Each Sample Society mailing includes a deluxe-sized sample of product from the chicest makeup, fragrance, skincare, and hair care brands. These generously-sized testers are meant for more than just one use, so you can truly experience the products. Fans are already raving about the deluxe sizes of the products in the first delivery!

The first box included:
Fekkai Advanced Glossing Cream (1.6 oz)
Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant (.45 oz)
REN Glycolactic Skin Renewal Peel Mask (15 ml)
Skyn Iceland Icelandic Relief Eye Pen (.14 oz)
Oscar de la Renta Espirit D’Oscar Eau de Parfum Rollerball (.1 fl oz).

About Sample Society: In addition to monthly deliveries of carefully-curated, deluxe-sized samples, members also receive a special code for $15 off any $50 purchase on the Beauty Bar website (so long as the purchase includes an item from one of the kit’s featured brands), which means the kit essentially pays for itself! Members also have access to insider information from leading beauty experts, because each monthly delivery includes a mini-magazine compiled by Allure editors as well. As a final bonus, members receive a one-year subscription to Allure.

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84th Academy Awards

I'm going to admit that I didn't pay much attention to the Academy Awards this year. As usual, I didn't see many of the nominated movies (exactly two: Rango and Moneyball) and didn't have much invested in who won or didn't win. I also didn't really pay much attention to the red carpet. It's not like anyone wore anything groundbreaking this year, after all. I thought it was a bit of a snooze.

Sandra Bullock's Marchesa dress was a bit unflattering - it made her look a bit like a linebacker. Speaking of lines - you won't find any on her face. She was so Botoxed up, she could barely move her mouth.

I thought Penelope Cruz (in Armani Prive) looked amazing and tasteful, for once. She wasn't wearing her usual widow's weeds, nor were her boobs hanging out.

One of my favorite red carpet moments happened when Robin Roberts asked Glenn Close (in Zac Posen) if it was more difficult to get into costume for her movie role (as a woman playing a man in Albert Nobbs) or to get dressed for the Oscars. Awkward!

Gwyneth Paltrow is so plain, in a pretty way, and she often wears similar clothes. Her Tom Ford gown was very austere in a very Calvin Klein way. But it suited Ms Paltrow perfectly.

Tim Gunn and Nina Garcia raved over Michelle Williams' orange gown, but I think Barbie had a dress exactly like that in the early 70s.

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Bond No. 9 Central Park West

Bond No. 9 is coming out with a brand new floral fragrance for Spring. Due March 15th, 2012, Central Park West is a glorious bouquet of white flowers that to my nose is primarily gardenia and jasmine - both heady, but not at all overwhelming, and with a subtle sweetness. The base is musky, with a vaguely chypre-esque vetiver and moss quality.

The bottle is adorable - chartreuse and purple are my favorite colors - and I love the giant pink flower that decorates the neck. It's actually a bracelet that converts to a brooch. WANT.

Central Park West also comes in body cream and candle, so your whole house can smell wonderful.

Notes: narcissus, ylang ylang, black pepper, gardenia, jasmine, linden, orris, vetiver, musk, white oak and treemoss.

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Galliano Who?

John Galliano may no longer be head designer for Dior, but honestly, they seem to be doing fine without him. The Spring 2012 couture collection may seem rather tame in comparison to some of Galliano's work for the house, but the by Bill Gaytten pieces are all very much belong to the tasteful, retro-y, Dior oeuvre.

Check out the rest of the fashions in a slide show here.

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David Bowie at the Golden Globes

No, wait...that's Tilda Swinton. She's wearing Haider Ackermann.

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Illamasqua Freak

The first fragrance by makeup company Illamasqua, Freak supposedly contains notes derived from plants that are generally avoided. Poison hemlock, for one, belladonna for another. It's like Stevie Nicks in fragrance form - a little weird, a little...freaky. The scent itself, however, is pretty standard. It opens up smelling like a somewhat old-fashioned dry floral with perhaps a dose of patchouli. Later on, what seems like patch manifests itself as oud, the fad note of the year, making the scent a little more interesting.

Freak is a nice enough scent, but not as odd as it wants to be.

Notes: black davana, opium flower, belladonna, poison hemlock, datura, queen of the night blossom, frankincense, oud, myrrh

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Happy New Year!

Thanks for reading in 2011! We'll be back with new posts next week!