عيون: Givenchy

You know that I mostly write about makeup and skincare but my biggest passion has been fragrance. Why I do not write about it? I just feel it makes no sense trying to describe beauty of a certain fragrance with words and pictures... you need to smell it,you need to experience it on your own skin. I rarely read fragrance blogs, once in a while. When they start listing all the ingredients I try to picture in my head how would that actually smell but I have to admit I always have very hard time. With time I learned to recognize ingredients and combinations of ingredients that I like. At least I like what fragrance groups I like - sweet and gourmand, spicy , fruity floral, white flowers, citrusy... I probably have a fragrance that I like from every group but I tend to lean towards stronger scents. At least in last couple of years. When I started wearing perfumes long time ago I wore only very light clean scents. And that was until I was 23 probably when I started exploring more and trying different scents. Also I started working in the fragrance department which did not help my fragrance addiction at all :)

I do not like categorizing scents - by age, by hair color (the most ridiculous)... wear whatever you like and whatever makes you happy. If you like it it does not matter what other people think about it. Do not wear something just because your best friend has the same one, or because your boyfriend likes it. Fragrances I listed below do not really have to be spring scents but it is only my PERSONAL preference when I like to wear them. As I said these are just my suggestions it does not necessary mean they are only for spring. I have so many of them and I like to switch them up.

So first up couple of oldies but goodies.

Givenchy Very irresistible - categorized as floral fruity. Honestly I smell no fruit in this one. It is straight forward floral scent with a strong rose base. It is not your granny rose, but modern, young, feminine and extremely sexy. In my experience men go crazy about this one. This is old love, that I have rediscovered so many times. Every time I do not wear it for a while and use it again I keep asking myself why I do not wear it more often. It is EDT but wear time is pretty good.

Lancome Miracle - this has the most perfect name and it suits it so well. It is such a positive uplifting scent, makes you energized and happy. It is categorized as floral scent but when I read more trough description it has spice, powdery musk, fruity florals... which surprised me since it is so lightweight, clean and soft. I wore it during my pregnancy and trust me it's the time when your nose is super sensitive to everything. It has been around for 14 years now and still sells well. Great choice for a gift if you do not know what she likes.

Versace bright crystal - old love. Love at first sniff and it never ended. At the time I was wearing only lighter scents and this one fit right into that category. Light but so feminine with soft floral heart and really good base of amber and musk that makes it so special (I love anything amber) and top with some fuity notes that make it delicious. And the bottle - so pretty with a massive top. I am now on my second bottle but what I noticed that the new one does not last as long as the old one I had - I believe it has been reformulated as soon many other scents are. It makes me so sad to see such a great scents being ruined.

Recently Versace came out with EDP version called Bright crystal absolu - honestly my nose can't tell the difference between THE two but I can tell you that Absolu is way more longer lasting. I wish I knew this is coming out when I bought original one because I would wait and get this. Oh well...

If you are Mugler fan like me and especially Alien fan you probably are excited about any new Alien release. Although lately they have been terribly overdoing it. Since Clarins took over Mugler fragrances they try to release 25 limited editions a year. It makes me sad that they go for quantity over quality. That is not what Mugler is about. Fragrance industry with this kind of approach is slowly but surely going down the drain. So far Alien aqua chic 2013 summer edition has been my favorite of all the summer ones, it is really unique. This year again they made lighter softer version for all Alien haters out there. If you are fan of the original Alien which is a powerhouse fragrance do not expect the same from Alien eau extraordinaire. It is watered down version with more of a clean, soft, light, barely there Alien scent. It reminds me of white clean powder, just out of the shower clean skin...Even though it's so light I still like it and I am glad I bought it. My only complaint is longevity - barely 2 hours and very close to skin. I showered myself in it and after 2 hours I couldn't smell anything. Compared to original Alien edp this is poor. Alien you can smell on your clothes for days (or weeks?). Bottle is real work of art as with any Mugler fragrance.

Valentino Valentina - One of the two biggest surprises this year. I have tried it two years ago when it was released and liked it instantly - it is very like-able scent. It is very feminine, gentle, light but also fun and very elegant. The reason I did not buy it right away was poor longevity and nothing really unique about it. I need to be swept of my feet to buy a fragrance. It has to be love. Two years later and couple of small samples used I did buy it (ooops). It has some of my favorite ingredients - jasmine, orange blossom, amber and vanilla. Officially it is oriental floral. I love how it smells on me. It just works great with my own chemistry and develops so well. It maybe stays on for 4 hours but I also got body lotion and body oil from the same line hoping it will help stay on longer when layering it. Bottle is so cute and delicate. Valentino did very nice job with this one. It is overpriced though. I used to have Valentino V and it's in the same category as this one - soft, warm, elegant scent.

My biggest surprise of the year so far is See By Chloe eau fraiche. I have been testing original See by Chloe, I had so many little samples and it never worked for me. There is something so irritating in it especially when it sits on the skin for an hour or two, it would just give me headache. But Fraiche is totally different story. It has the same idea of the original one but it is significantly toned down. Lighter, smoother, easier to wear and with much better wear time. How weird is that EDT and lighter version stays on longer? It is very long lasting. The first day I've tried it I had 6 different new fragrances on me - I was testing them all at the same time - do not recommend doing it because you will get sick just as I did. I could not stop smelling my arm where I sprayed See by chloe eau fraiche. Instant love. I love the idea of apple blossom in the top. This scent will be the bomb this spring. It is selling like cupcakes. Every single woman who came in looking for something new, young, fresh, different I would show her this and she would buy it. I admire Chloe for being different. They are not afraid to stand out in the sea of fragrances that all smell alike.

Let's talk about two very underrated scents. I know Tresor in love did not follow success of original Tresor edp but it was made for younger audience, lighter, softer version of sometimes overpowering Tresor. I personally do like it but I know some that can't stand it and again most that have no impression about it. That's the worst when it comes to fragrance. If it does not leave impression, if you do not remember how it smells after 5 minutes that fragrance is doomed for disaster. Looking at the ingredients - nectarine, peach, bergamot, jasmine it promises pretty delicious composition. I think that Turkish rose gives it a little bit of "older lady" vibe but not as much as in original Tresor edp.

Tresor midnight rose is one of the best scents out there on the market. I have no problem saying that. It is also very underrated and does not get enough attention. This beauty is how DELICIOUS should smell. Raspberries in top make it so special, so yummy and quite different. If you wear it you will not go unnoticed especially among men. It is young, sexy and sweet. I get great time with it probably over 8 hours. It stayed on my jacket for days. Try it and you won't be disappointed if you are looking for something different this spring , something not so light and something that is not worn by every other girl.

I hope you enjoyed my super long fragrance post. Let me know if you have any suggestions and if you would like to see more posts like this one in future.

Givenchy Prismissime Sun Caramel is part of Givenchy Summer 2009 collection. It was limited edition item but I have seen it on sephora.com just until recently. Too bad it's discontinued. It was one of the nicest items in the whole Givenchy line.

Prissmisime mat&glow Sun caramel can be used both for face or eyes. I love versatility of Givenchy products. But I have to admit I've never tried it on my eyes. I only use it as a bronzing powder.

It contains 9 colors :

Upper three are lighter brown tones and matte

Middle three are peachy golden tones and shimmery

Bottom three are medium brown tones and matte

In the daylight photos you can tell that top and bottom rows are matte but in photos with flash you can see little bit of a shimmer. When applied on skin these 6 shades do look matte.

Compact is tiny - I remember how surprised I was when I opened the box and saw how small it is.

Squares are also tiny but with a precise smaller brush you can really pick each individual shade (I use fan brush).

The way I like to use it is:

First I apply bottom three shades for a contour.

Then on top of that and little bit on apple of my cheeks I apply top three shades and blend them all together.

At the end I use three middle shimmery shades for highlight. Sometimes I skip this part if I want no shimmer.

When I am in a hurry and have no time for this whole process I just mix all 9 shades together and I am good to go.

This is a great choice for lighter skin tones. It is very natural and sheer. You don't have to worry about overdoing it or looking muddy or orange. It is really fool proof.

Color reminds me of Teracotta light sheer bronzing powder in Brunettes although Givenchy looks better , more natural on skin. If I had to pick between these two I would choose Givenchy.

Powder is very finely milled and super soft and blends easily. It also has floral scent but it's not too strong and disappears soon after application .

Givenchy definitely creates the most beautiful packaging.

Compact has separate compartment for the brush that is flat and synthetic I almost never use it, but it would not be too terrible for a touch ups. It also has mirror included but it's to tiny to be able to see anything.