Jo Malone London ~ Mimosa & Cardamom Collection Review!

The heady humidity in Dublin this week feels like exactly the right time to tell you about the newest scent coming up on the fragrance release calendar, Jo Malone's Mimosa & Cardamom Cologne. And much like every Jo Malone scent I've ever tried, it smells nothing like anything that's come before. It launches September but we have the skinny today!

Jo Malone Mimosa & Cardamom Range

Freshly crushed, spiced cardamom is buoyed by honeyed golden mimosa to instantly transport you, one inhalation and you're miles away, if ever a scent were to smell like holidays, this is the one. Creamy tonka and smooth sandalwood blended with Damask rose & Heliotrope earth this bohemian fragrance and give an incredible powdery heat to the scent, once dried down.   

Master Perfumer Marie Salamagne explains her inspiration for this release: 

“We looked at places like Marrakesh and Tangiers which were bohemian havens in the sixties for people such as the Rolling Stones to literary characters like Sebastian Flyte in Brideshead Revisited. Jo Malone London wanted to draw on this inspiration but also bring a sense of modernity to the scent. We looked at what the bohemian spirit means today from new bohemian fashion with its eclectic prints, colourful pattern and drapery to a love of travel off the beaten track.”

Jo Malone London Mimosa & Cardamom

The surprising thing with Jo Malone fragrances, I find, is how their reaction to your own chemical makeup can change the scent so noticeably from one person to another. Though Mimosa & Cardamom is a unisex scent, I was full sure that it's bright floriental notes would mean this would be 'Pour Momme' as we call it around here. That was until Adam tried it before his trip to the gym. He arrived home converted. 

On him, it genuinely smells nothing like it does on me. His skin seems to bring out more of the sandalwood notes, making it a warmer, more masculine cologne, whereas the brighter mimosa notes are the first thing to my nose when wearing it. Both versions are a scent to behold though. Now if only I could teach him to spritz sparingly! 

Jo Malone Mimosa & Cardamom is designed to be layered too,
giving a spicy kick to English Pear & Freesia &
an show stopping warmth to Tuberose Angelica

Transported by Jo Malone London to a Bohemian Dream in Dublin City Centre!

The Mimosa & Cardamom range boasts the Cologne (€52-105), Body & Hand Wash (€35), Body Creme (€65) and, of course the Home Candle (€52). As ever the idea behind these scents is for you to enjoy them in whatever way you feel drawn to. If you pop by any of the stores, you'll be offered a complimentary arm massage to decide which scent speaks to you on the day. An experience in itself. 

Having enjoyed lunch with the ladies last week with the scent of the candle wafting on the warm Dublin breeze through the room, I know that that's firmly at the top of my wishlist for late summer and long into the early winter evenings. Closely followed by English Pear & Freesia for layering.

Tell me, what's your ultimate Jo Malone London fragrance? Are you a cologne or a candle lover? I gots to know!

New L'Occitane Limited Edition Frisson de Verveine

If there's one thing I look forward to each summer, aside from the fortnight or so of clement weather, it's the limited edition verbena release from L'Occitane. The summer time marks the start of the verbena harvest in Provence (home of L'Occitane) so it makes sense that we're spoiled with the bright, fresh products every year. In 2013 we had the minty fresh Verveine Menthe and this year we're all about cooling refreshment as Frisson De Verveine is set to hit stores in July. 

L'Occitane Frisson De Verveine: 100ml - €45

Frisson De Verveine is again a unisex scent, great news for gift buyers, not so much for me as I've been stashing this uplifting beaut from grabby teen mitts every single day. 

Smellophones needed!!

The sparkling, citrussy notes are rounded out with a base of musk and cedar wood that makes this EDT one that will appeal across the board. 

Fresh Shower Gel: 250ml - €17.50

As I do every single year, I'm going to recommend this fresh shower gel as an experience you need to have. Bubbles of air suspended in the citrus gel burst on contact to give an almost fizzy effect on the skin - glorious after a long muggy commute in the summer sun. 

Frisson De Verveine Icy Gel for Legs & Feet: 50mls- €23.50

Probably the stand out of the collection for me this year is the Icy Gel for Legs & Feet. This seriously cooling gel is dispensed using a cool metal roller ball for instant relief of tired calves and feet. 

I've been keeping this in the fridge for extra cooling sensation and I can't tell you the relief it's given me from sciatica and general summer cankle awfulness. If you know a lady of the pregnant variety, I urge you, buy her this. She will love you. Long time. 

The Frisson De Verveine cooling collection is rounded out by this refreshing little lot. While I'm not sure I'd ever take a bath to cool myself down so the salts aren't for me, both that hand cream and Refreshing Body Mist will be joining my desk summer stash toute suite. 

Frisson De Verveine is not due to hit L'Occitane stores until July but, if you're quick, you can nab the EDT online for the reduced price of €42 here. If you haven't decided on your summer scent yet, I'd advise you, strongly, to smell this first. 

What's your go to summer scent? 

A Million Ways to Die in the West - First Trailer for Seth McFarlane's NSFW New Release

Who's in it? 

Charlize Theron, Seth MacFarlane, Neil Patrick Harris, Amanda Seyfried, Liam Neeson, Giovanni Ribisi & Sarah Silverman 

Seth McFarlane's newest release has a touch of the Blazing Saddles wannabes about it, doesn't it. 

My question is this: can this many good actors get it this wrong? 

We'll find out when A Million Ways to Die in the West hits Irish screens in June. 

What so we reckon? Hit or a miss? 

Urban Decay Naked 3 is Coming! Confirmed by Urban Decay.

So Urban Decay have confirmed it with this video published on their Youtube Channel lasnight. No more 'Is that a hoax?', 'Where did she buy that?' talk as images surfaced more than a fortnight ago and set the blogging world alight:

Images via Imgur from @nattiiee08 on Instagram

Since then pictures have been popping up all over the place and have been subsequently removed, one such instagram post including a Sephora receipt from a Paris store where the user had managed to purchase the palette for €45.  I managed to catch a few pictures before deletion here from makeuptalk.com's user @xlisaa :

Since most of the evidence of Naked 3's existence has now been removed from the internet, that can only mean that someone was a a little premature in putting these palettes up for sale but the fact remains: Naked 3 is coming and it's coming soon. 

Will you be buying? 

Giorgio Armani's Nail Lacquer with Swatches

I'm more than a little discerning when it comes to nail polishes. That doesn't mean I opt for brands over budget nor cost over quality. I'm all about great colours, well designed brushes, quick drying and high shine finish. It's really no surprise that Armani has ticked all of those boxes and more with their new Nail Lacquer line though is it? 

Available in 18 colours, 6 in each of the three colour trends: Aqua, Reds and Beiges, there's bound to be something here to please just about every nail tip this autumn/winter and beyond. 

All 18 lacquers lined up at the Armani Launch (More on the Rouge Ecstasy lippies pictured SOON)

The lighter shades of Armani's nail lacquers give a completely opaque finish in just one coat, thanks to the wide, short brush that manages to coat the entire nail in just one swipe, but the darker variants definitely need two, such as Night Viper (below) the deepest, most flattering, autumn appropriate, oxblood colour I've used. 

While the high shine finish is a beautiful touch with this formulation and means you can skip the top coat, be sure to use a base coat to prevent staining of your nails. Inspired by car lacquer, apparently, the polish formulation dries quickly from liquid to high shine gel. This innovation is credited too with the long wear promise. I managed three days so far without chips - kind of unheard of sans Seche Vite. 

And finally, these colours complement each other beautifully so lend themselves very well to autumnal nail art. This tweed offering shall be posted later this week and couldn't be simpler to do. 

Armani Nail Lacquers launch exclusively in Brown Thomas Dublin and Cork from October 15th at €24 a piece. 

Coming Soon: City Rush from Avon

Milla Jovovich, SuperScwhing, is the beautiful star behind this seasons fragrance from Avon, City Rush. It promises to be powerful, confident and stylish like the lady herself and is winging its way to a catalogue near you next month. 

With top notes of bergamot, plum and ivy green, floral middle notes of  black dahlia, rose and vanilla and it's base notes using creamy woods, musk and patchouli flower, City Rush will appeal to a wide range of women but also to different age groups. 

My take on it? I'm impressed. It's a soft floral, creamy scent rounded out by its musk notes and stops short of being sweet. The more I wear it, the more it reminds me of Gucci Envy, which is a very good thing.

While I have to be honest and say that City Rush isn't great when it comes to longevity of wear (realistically, it's less than twenty quid so wouldn't be), you're looking at about three hours of scent. The bottle is compact and resilient enough to be popped into your bag for a spritz or two through the day, so it's not a huge issue.  

Priced at €19.95 and available both online and from your local Avon representative, City Rush will hit catalogues in October. 

Hansel & Gretel - First Trailer Released

Coming in January 2013, Hansel and Gretel is the latest Grimm tale to get the Hollywood treatment. It's all very Michael Bay with explosions and what not but it's not without promise. 

If you're fairy taled out I can't see this one exciting you but with Will Ferrell as the Producer, Gemma & Jeremy in the lead and not a gingerbread doras in sight, I'm definitely going to give it a bash. Judging by how dark the trailer is, I'll be doing so in 2D. 

What say we?