May favorites

Yesterday I did a post about Unfavorites, which if you consider the amount of products that I try every year since I'm a beauty junkie were surprisingly few, but today as it's the end of the month we move to the other end of the scale - it's time for favorites, what I have loved the most in May so it's kind of ironic that my first product this month is something I bought specifically for Christmas.

You may remember that I went a little bit OTT with the amazing Christmas collection from Lush so it probably isn't a surprise that I'm still working my way through what I got in that massive Lush haul. The Ponche Shower Gel (£8.95) was part of the limited Christmas edition range, but personally I thought it worked better in Spring time since it's a fresh zesty and invigorating blend of juicy citrus fruits, tropical sweetness, warm spicy cinnamon and tequila - what an amazing cocktail. Even though I LOVE the Lush shower gels I often find that they are a bit harsh on the skin, e.g. Snow Fairy that makes my skin feel a bit stripped of moisture, but Ponche is lovely and creamy and gives a wonderful deep cleanse without leaving the skin dehydrated. As the sun has had its hat on, I've spent a lot more time outdoors and have managed to get some color, most of it quite unintentionally and some days my skin has even felt just a tiny bit tight. That's when it's nice have a cooling shower and then to apply some Hawaiian Tropic Silk Hydration After Sun (£13). The consistency is lovely, light and silky with a texture somewhere in between a lotion and a gel, which absorbs instantly into the skin, feeling incredibly soothing and restoring. It has a delicious sweet fruit salad scent of coconut and papaya and its yummy enough to eat. It's not exactly the most affordable after sun you can get since you only get 180 ml and during the summer I go through buckets of this, but the silky cooling sensation and the fabulous tropical scent are worth every penny!

A lot of people talk about several products as their skin saviours, but if I really had to, I think I could even narrow mine down to just one item: Origins Drink Up Intensive Overnight Mask (£22). I've mentioned this amazing mask previously - it's an all year round multi purpose product that I wouldn't dream of ever being without and as my skin is getting more exposure to the sun, this little beauty will be invaluable. It's famous for its lovely whipped creamy consistency and fresh orange peel scent and it does wonders for skin that needs a little bit of TLC. One application of this in the evening, and you'll wake up in the morning to soft, supple and hydrated skin. I use this mask a few times a week over night, but when my skin feels as if it needs something a little extra I'll even use it as an intense pre-makeup treatment for wonderful smooth skin for a deeply moisturising sensation that lasts all day.

Earlier this month I did a post on my latest scent obsession, Aerin's Lilac Path EdP (£85) - you can read the review here, and I'm not even sure that obsession comes close to describing how much I love this EdP. It's a graceful, delicate and airy soft floral scent mixing lilac, orange flower, jasmine and tiny bit of amber. It may sound like a heavy flowery granny scent, but there is nothing old fashioned or sickly sweet about this refined, harmonious, chic fragrance - it's a perfect Spring scent that captures sunny blue skies, delicate flowers in bloom, and playing garden games in balmy summer evenings. I'm so besotted and impressed with this exquisite scent that I've already added it to my birthday wishlist... for October... well, Him Indoors might need plenty of notice and this way I can gently remind him a good few times before then.

As I've mentioned before I've tried a lot of lip glosses this year, but the one I keep wearing and putting in my handbag is the gorgeous YSL Gloss Volupte (£21) and specifically the shade 04 Golden, a true rose pink with a subtle blue undertone and incredible high gloss finish. This is one of those gloss turn stain products that has amazing pigmentation and long wear. It has a smooth and light non sticky formula that adds a lot of hydration, giving a lovely plumping effect and after the initial glossiness has settled into a stain, the finish will easily last for at least 5 hrs even after eating and drinking. I'm so impressed with this pleasant formula that feels so comfortable to wear and compared to some of the other lip gloss launches this year from e.g. Dior, this is still the one to beat for me.

Something that I'm never without is lip balm, and if that should ever happen I'll go straight into the nearest Boots or pharmacy and get another one right away, but for some reason I have really struggled lately to find a great lip balm. Many of them give a little but of hydration and gloss, but it disappears quite quickly and often leave my lips feeling quite dry afterwards, but the last product among these May favorites is a lip balm that I actually quite like - the Soap & Glory A Great Kisser Lip Balm (£5) in Juicy Peach. It's made from mango butter, apricot butter, lingonberry oil and pomegranate extract to add moisture, protection from the weather and to prevent loss of hydration. It comes in a little pot that reminds me of vaseline and the consistency isn't too dissimilar, although A Great Kisser isn't as waxy and oily as vaseline. It does contain mineral oil, so if you're concerned about using products that has this as an ingredient, you might want to avoid this one. The lip balm is scented with a peach scent, that is a tiny bit synthetic, but still pleasant and it gives a lovely shine at the same time as it looks after your lips. Soap & Glory also offers the Great Kisser in Chocolate Cherry and Vanilla Bean and they both sound so tempting, I might just get them as well.

May empties

We all have our little "rules" for when it's ok to buy and use new products and although those rules may not make sense to everyone, the main thing is that they make sense to ourselves. Some people are really disciplined and don't buy anything until they've finished up something else, so the net amount of products really remains the same. I can't claim to be that good; I have a huge stash of things that I can't wait to use, and my excuse is that I don't want to risk running out of something - well, there's no chance that will EVER happen... At any given point I probably have 5-6 hair care items on the go, 6-7 skin care products and as for makeup - well let's just skip that part, BUT I am very good at keeping this modest (hrmmm...) level of products, and I don't open anything new, until I've finished something else. So this month is a great month for me because I have emptied 9 different products,  just imagine how many new ones I can finally start to use, happy happy joy joy!

You'll know by now that I usually have at least one dry shampoo in every monthly empties, so let's just get this month's product out of the way straight away. Although I am a big fan of Batiste I do like to try other brands as well every now and then and the Dove Style + Care Dry Shampoo (£4.59) is a good alternative to Batiste. It has the same oil controlling qualities, it adds a nice texture for a tousled look and it has a lovely light and fruity scent, but the biggest difference is that the formula is less powdery so there's less of the white fall out when you massage it in the roots and brush it out. If you're tempted to try a dry shampoo but concerned about the powder, then this might be ideal for you. When it comes to body butters there are not many brands that can compete with The Body Shop and as you probably know they have a wonderful range of sweet, savoury and fresh scents to choose between. One of my favourites is The Body Shop Body Butter in Chocomania (£5), a deliciously indulgent, yummy and authentic chocolate scent which is pure bliss! The consistency is not quite as rich and buttery as a lot of the other body butters but it's still creamy and makes the skin feel very nourished and pampered, so if you're a chocoholic, then treat yourself to this little guilt free pot of cocoa heaven. As much as I like a luxurious shower gel, a shower gel is after all only a shower gel and you really don't need to spend a fortune to get a great gentle, moisturising and gorgeous smelling product, which Radox Berry Burst Shower Cream (£1.99) certainly proves. It has a lovely smooth and creamy consistency that cleanses without stripping your skin of moisture and it smells amazing of warm sun kissed summer berries - budget buys just don't get any better than this.

If you read my post about Herbal Essences Moroccan My Shine Nourishing products, you'll know that my faith in Herbal Essences is slowly being restored and it's thanks primarily to the absolutely amazing Bee Strong range that uses honey and apricot as its main ingredients, both well known for their moisturising properties. I've used the Herbal Essences Bee Strong Mask (£4.79) regularly every week and it's really helped to keep my hair silky soft, smooth and detangled and although it could be my imagination, it also feels as if I have fewer split ends after using this for a good few months. I love the heavy rich golden consistency and the light tropical scent and would highly recommend it if you're looking for a great hair masque on the high street. You may have noticed that for the past few months I've had a fragrance included in every Empties post since I've really focused on finishing up a lot of those bottles with just a tiny little bit left in them, and this month I have a scent that isn't very well known, but that definitely deserves mentioning. If like me you love to flick through glossy fashion magazines, you'll know that DSQUARED2 is famous for its whimsical outfits combining glam rock chic with lumberjack, but what you might not know is that the fashion house also has an interesting range of perfumes. The DSQUARED2 Potion for Women EdP (£36), like the other Potions from DSQUARED2 (available both for men and women) is inspired by alchemy and days gone by when perfumes were blended and created with a specific purpose in mind, and this modern version of a love potion is a very feminine mix of traditional seductive scents like vanilla, rose, jasmine, amber, patchouli and musk. It's a sensual floral fragrance with a slightly green and fresh undertone of blackberries and a nod towards the oriental with the amber. It's a very distinct fragrance and what I call a Boudoir scent with its unmistakeable powdery vanilla notes, in the same vein of Jean Paul Gaultier's Classique. For me this EdP is at its best on cooler days since the ingredients are quite pronounced and on a warm day, they're just a bit too much for me - but if you love warm, feminine vanilla based scents, then this is the one to try!

One of my staple items is the cult classic, Caudalie's Beauty Elixir (£10.95). Not only do I love the aromatic and calming herbal scent of rosemary and mint, but the fine mist is a wonderful and easy way to refresh your skin throughout the day in any climate to add some moisture on the go. I have gone through more bottles of this than I can count, and I always make sure that I have one with me in my handbag when I'm out and about. It's a luxurious little treat that will make you feel special, and your skin will thank you for it, so if you haven't already tried it - add it to the top of your shopping list for next month. I am a firm believer in the benefits of using a serum as part of your skin care routine, and you can find one of the best ranges of serums from the lovely high end French skin care brand Gatineau which offers products for all skin types and needs, in combination with effective anti-ageing ingredients. One of the best serums for my dehydrated skin is the incredibly refreshing Gatineau Aquamemory Moisture Replenish Concentrate (£48.50), which is a lovely Tiffany blue serum with a fresh marine scent in an almost gel like consistency that absorbs instantly into the skin. You only need the tiniest drop under your moisturiser for an immediate intense hydration boost, making your skin feel plump and smooth. The technology behind it is intended to not only add hydration but to help the skin retain just the right level of hydration for your specific skin needs as well. Even though I mainly use the concentrate as a serum, I also sometimes use it as an intense masque, applying quite a few pumps of it on my face, and then letting it absorb naturally over night and in the morning the skin feels perfectly restored and revitalised and I will definitely reinvest in this amazing product again very soon.

Another product that has a firm place on my bathroom shelf is the gorgeous Lush Lemony Flutter Cuticle Butter (£6.50) which I have mentioned several times before so I apologise for repeating myself. This wonderful rich whipped butter is amazing for nourishing your hands and nails, and the zesty sweet lemon scent is so enjoyable that I just can't stop smelling my hands when I've massaged it in. I have used this daily for well over a year and have noticed a big difference on my nails and cuticles; they are stronger and healthier and my nails even seem to grow quicker, although that could also be because of the Sally Hansen Miracle Nail Growth that I use. or maybe these two products just form a nail dream team. Last in this fairly long line of empties is the Seventeen Falsifeye Mascara (6.49) which is a brand I hadn't tried before. I am a very fussy mascara wearer and Falsifeye promised a lot - volume as well as long flared lashes, my absolute favourite look so I was cautiously optimistic when I bought this. Unfortunately this mascara and I never really got on; first of all the wand is absolutely massive so it's quite chunky and with the squared shape it's also a bit uncomfortable to hold in your hand, secondly the brush is probably the thickest brush I've ever seen and because it's also so stiff it's very difficult to reach all the lashes for an even coverage without a lot of smudging, in addition the consistency was very wet and unusually so even towards the end of its life, and last but not least while the mascara might give length to the lashes the volume was definitely missing. As you can tell there were a lot of things that didn't work out, and even though I am open to take a risk with unknown products, in this case it didn't pan out and I definitely wouldn't repurchase it.

So nine items in total in May's empties - not bad if I may say so myself, and since I have actually been really good and not bought very much, you could probably say that I'm on plus this month, although I'm not placing any bets on that it will last into June...

Celebrate spring with Aerin's Lilac Path EdP

You don't have to be a beauty junkie to have heard of Estée Lauder - one of the most well known, iconic and successful brands in the beauty industry, and without a doubt one of my favorite brands (you can see a post about my Fave 5 Estée Lauder products here). But it's not the only brand created by a member of the famous Lauder family, we also have Aerin - a wonderful stylish and elegant lifestyle brand created by Aerin Lauder (Estée Lauder's grand daughter) offering beauty products as well as home decor and fashion accessories. The beauty range consists of makeup and fragrances, characterized by beautiful packaging and soft timeless shades for a feminine, romantic and effortless look. Today I'll focus on one of the products from the fragrance collection which has five different scents, all based on classical florals but with an added contemporary twist; Gardenia Rattan, Amber Musk, Lilac Path, Ikat Jasmine and Evening Rose. Although they all smell amazing, I had already decided that I wanted Aerin Lilac Path EdP (£85) even before I'd tested it, since lilac is one of my most loved flowers EVER and it's surprisingly difficult to find good lilac based fragrances. All I needed to do was to make sure that it did in fact smell as fantastic as I had imagined, and the long and the short of it is that it most certainly did. 

If we start with the packaging, all the boxes have a lovely abstract floral pattern and a color that is associated with the floral base of the scent which in this case with Lilac Path, is a pretty lavender lilac and inside the box is one of the most beautiful perfume bottles I've ever owned - cut glass with an imitation of a rose quartz as a stop, it's simple, chic and it oozes refinement. You can really tell from the design and print that Aerin has made its mark when it comes to decor and soft furnishings. The scent is a fresh, soft, crisp and pure combination of beautiful spring florals. When you first spray it on you're wrapped in delicate lilacs that give way to seductive jasmine for depth and creamy summery orange flower. Despite being so rich in very distinct floral scents, the fragrance is very graceful, airy and mild, like spring in a bottle and there's no sickly sweetness or heaviness to it at all. As an Eau de Parfum, it's not as diluted with alcohol as e.g. colognes and Eau de Toilettes which means that not only is the scent more pure and prominent, but it also lasts longer and I'd say that one spray lasts for about five hours. As I love lilacs I have been searching for a good lilac fragrance for years, and as I mentioned at the start: they're not easy to find, but Lilac Path isn't a good lilac fragrance - it is absolutely MAGNIFICENT; it gives an exquisite, polished and classy impression and wearing it makes me feel like a queen. If you're looking for a fragrance that is out of the ordinary then something from the Aerin fragrance collection is a real treat that you won't forget. Aerin isn't as widely available as Estée Lauder products, but in the UK you can find Aerin in Selfridges, Harrods, selected John Lewis stores (not available online) and from Estée Lauder.

Purple edition

Since it's Easter this weekend I thought it would be appropriate for the color edition this month to focus on purple. As a color it's a mix of mostly red with a portion of blue and it's one of the colors that was first used in art, but making purple pigments was a complicated and costly business which is probably why purple is traditionally often associated with luxury, royalty and dignity. Purple also symbolizes magic and spirituality and to me it's an elegant and harmonious statement color which I love to wear; from the darker more sophisticated shades in winter time to the lighter, more floral and romantic shades in the summer time. Interestingly enough all of my favorite flowers (except jasmine) are purple - lilac, sweet peas and hyacinth, and my birthstone is tourmaline so it seems as if I have a strong connection with this particular color and today I want to show you some of my favorite purple products.

Having fair complexion that still tans quite easily I guess you could say that I have a golden undertone to my skin, so I generally avoid purple or blue toned lip products since they tend to make my skin look very pale, and not pale and interesting but pale and sickly. But over winter I did experiment with deeper berry shades and I came across a product that positively surprised me in many ways - Rimmel's Stay Glossy Lip Gloss (£6.29). First of all I had been very skeptical to lip glosses up until fairly recently since I used to think of them as sticky sparkly and cheap lip goo, however this formula of cotton and silk is lovely, moisturising and completely non sticky. Even though the lip gloss feels very light on the lips the pigmentation is intense and long lasting - the claim is that it should hold up to six hours and on me it lasts at least four hrs, which is still pretty good. It's available in eleven shades and Captivate Me may look very dark and purple in the tube, but it's more of a dark raspberry pink on the lips and it creates a lovely sheer glistening look. So not only did this product prove to be nothing like the image I had of lip glosses but it turns out that I can actually do blue-toned lippies too.

I've mentioned before that I love to use a colorful eye pencil on my lower water line, to add a little something to a neutral make up look, especially during the warmer months of the year and when I've got a little bit of color. Since I now have a little bit of a tan, albeit fake - courtesy of the amazing Clarins Liquid Bronze Self Tanning for face and decolleté (£19) that I reviewed yesterday, it's time to sharpen those eye pencils. One of my favorites eye pencil's is the L'Oréal Color Riche Le Khol (£4.39) in 114 Breezy Lavander, a beautiful intense metallic light lavender. The formula is a combination of oil and wax, making it very soft and creamy to work with and the pencil applies very smoothly without any need for pressing or tugging. Although it's not specifically water resistant it does have a long lasting wear making it great to use on the upper or lower waterline. Sticking with pencils but in a much thicker version, I've really taken to chubby sticks both for lips and for eyes - they are just so handy and practical. One of the most interesting and affordable formulas on the high street is Rimmel's Scandaleyes Eye Shadow Stick (£4.49). The consistency is very soft and buildable and you barely need to touch your eyelid with the tip to get an intense color payoff with a very subtle lustrous finish. The shade 006 Paranoid Purple is a gorgeous high shine Byzantium purple and although one light sweep with the stick is enough to get a nice color, personally I think this shade looks its best when you've built it up and you have a dramatic and daring look. The pigmentation may be intense but unfortunately it's not very long lasting, and on me the color fades after only a few hrs despite using an eye shadow primer - but that is the only down side with this product, and as such I think it's a great budget friendly option to the original Clinique chubby.

From top to bottom:

Rimmel's Stay Glossy Lip Gloss in Captivate Me

L'Oréal Color Riche Le Khol in 114 Breezy Lavander

Rimmel's Scandaleyes Eye Shadow Stick in 006 Paranoid Purple

A nail polish brand that I have raved about a few times before is the amazing Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure Formula (£6.99) that combines base coat, strengthener, growth treatment and top coat with each color. It's taken me a while to completely trust this product, but having tried so many different shades of it now I have managed to wean myself off wearing a separate base- and top coat and so far it's never caused any problems with discoloration to the nails or the finish. It has a wonderful wide brush for easy streak-free application and strong pigmentation that will last for about 5-6 days before you might want to touch it up, with an excellent high shine finish. There are over 60 colors to choose from and this shade - Good to Grape is a lovely creamy and rich Wisteria purple that looks so graceful and pretty. If you haven't already tried this gem from Sally Hansen I would highly recommend it, after all you get 5 products in 1 for a very reasonable price and with a quality that puts a lot of premium brands to shame.

A nail polish from a premium brand that never disappoints is Estée Lauder's Pure Color Nail Lacquer (£14). The formula is excellent with high pigmentation for a beautiful opaque look and exceptional high shine finish and this one also comes with a nice wide brush for even coverage. With a lot of the darker shades you could probably get away with only applying one coat, but the shade Bete Noire is a magnificent dark royal purple with a slight shimmer that definitely should be applied in at least two coats so that the effect comes into its own. Since I'm a polishaholic and change my nail color more times than I can count every week, it's not necessarily a deal breaker for me if the wear isn't brilliant, however it is VERY important to me when it comes to premium brands since they usually come at a premium price and they therefore also should have premium quality, but I've always been very happy with the longevity of Estée Lauder polishes and I would say it takes about five days before the finish needs to be retouched. You can see swatches of both nail polishes here on my Instagram.

Last in this purple line up is a fragrance, and it's a celebrity one which can be controversial. I know that a lot of people have very strong views about celebrity scents, however I am an equal perfume opportunist and only look at the actual scent qualities, which I think should be assessed on their own and not whether you're a fan of the celebrity or not. I'm curious to know what your thought are on this, so please let me know in the comments below. Regardless - this is Britney Spears Midnight Fantasy EdP (£24) which comes in a pretty deep purple bottle with little pale blue crystals. It's a delightful, fruity, young and uncomplicated scent that makes me think of a warm summer night garden after the rain. When you first spray it on you can easily detect the piquant and fresh fruitiness of raspberry and cherries, which eventually give way to a more sophisticated note of colorful delicious and sweet freesia and orchids. The scent is grounded in warm and sensual notes of musk, and vanilla which gives it substance and keeps it from being too light and candy like. Even though Midnight Fantasy is an EdP and therefore it should be fairly concentrated and linger quite a long time on the skin, I do find that it's less intense than most of my EdPs and I would say that it lasts about 2 hrs on me before I feel that I need to apply some more. It doesn't matter though, I still adore this fruity, sunny and joyful scent and every time I wear it I get loads of compliments for it, so would I buy it again? - definitely! Would I recommend that you try it regardless of what you think of celebrity fragrances? - definitely!

I hope you've enjoyed this selection of a few favorite purple products. I'll be taking a few days break over Easter since we'll be going away, but I'll be back again as usual on Tuesday. Have a great Easter everyone! Xx

April empties

Have you noticed how you seem to go through some products quicker than others? I'm guaranteed to always have hair and skin care products amongst my empties, but this month I don't have a single makeup item. Unfortunately I don't think it's because I don't use it, it's probably more a reflection of how much of it I have in my drawers! I'll try and include more makeup products next month but for now, this is what I've got lined up for April.

Come to think of it, I haven't had a Batiste Dry Shampoo (£2.99) among my empties for a while. It's not that I'm using dry shampoos any less (as if that will EVER happen), it's just that I've had a few other brands to use up lately - have to spread the love... But I'm back with another great product from the Queen of the Dry Shampoo Realm - Monochrome. This black and white mod inspired dry shampoo adds wonderful body and texture to your hair and is a great and quick way to freshen up your hair for those in between days. One of the reasons I really like to use Batiste is the great range of scents that they offer and this one is a bit different from the others with its slightly heavier spicy and sweet scent, a nice addition to any Batiste hoarder's collection. When it comes to facial sprays, you'll know by now that I swear by Caudalie's Beauty Elixir (£10.95) for a mid day moisture boost and added radiance, but if for whatever reason that product isn't for you, you might want to try Avène Eau Thermal Water Spray (£3.15) in stead (I've done a full review of it previously available here). It's a wonderful light facial spray that not only adds moisture to the skin, you can also use it for sun or razor burns - it's a very handy little product. Unlike most facial sprays it's in an aerosol format, so you get a very fine mist when you spray it and so it doesn't end up blotchy on the skin and it distributes perfectly evenly, making your skin look and feel dewy and hydrated. You may not be a fan of facial sprays at all, but I would still highly recommend this, and chances are you might become one.

Even though I like to do different things with my hair - messy bun, waves, straightened, plaits etc I use very few styling products and the only one that has a firm spot on my dressing table is the John Frieda Frizz Ease 3 Day Straight Spray (£6.99). It's an amazing lightweight spray with keratin and a subtle fresh scent that you spritz through damp hair after you've washed it, then blow dry and/or straighten as usual and the spray will protect the hair from frizz as well as keep your hair poker straight, smooth, shiny and sleek for 3 days. I know it sounds too good to be true but this really works and I've already repurchased it more times than I can count!

One of my favorite spring flowers is hyacinths and when I saw a tin of Blue Hyacinth among the range of Lily-Flame Scented Candles (£8.50) I naturally had to try it. I've raved about Lily-Flame candles before - they burn exceptionally well in the tin from side to side for about 35 hrs, so you get plenty of sweet or spicy smelling scent for your money. Blue Hyacinth is a delicate, soft and airy floral with a subtle powdery note and it filled the house with a spring like smell - simply lovely!

In December I treated myself to a lovely little gift set from Caudalie, a trio of hand creams which I have been pampering my paws with and now I've finished one of them - the Caudalie Hand and Nail Cream (£5.70) in Blackcurrant leaf. The Caudalie hand creams contain shea butter and vine extract that help the skin retain moisture, making the texture very lush and silky texture, and it absorbs quickly into the skin, making your hands feel soft and protected. The scent of Blackcurrant leaf is warm, earthy and slightly sweet - it's very summery and comforting, and I would highly recommend that you treat your hard working hands to this little wonder. The next product I've finished recently is the Gatineau Defi Lift 3D Perfect Design Revolumising Lip Care (£28) that I've also done a separate review of previously (you read it here). It's a lovely light and silky balm that nourishes and hydrates the lips making them lovely and smooth but it's so much more than just a lip balm. It's a complete lip care product which you can also use as a lip contour mask since it contains anti-ageing properties that stimulates collagen to add firmness to the lips and its contours, and the best thing about it is that it has an immediate plumping effect without any tingling, that lasts for a few hrs making it great to use as a lip primer. It does come with a hefty price tag, so I prefer to use this overnight as a treatment or in the morning as a primer, but for topping up during the day I use other balms. I love this luxurious product and the effect it has on my lips, and I have actually repurchased this already.

The last few months I've finished my empties post with a fragrance and that's exactly what I'll do today as well with a very empty bottle of Lady Gaga's Fame EdP (£20.50). Just like with its "creator" there's so much to say about this fragrance - starting with the alienesque spaceship looking bottle, which looks great on a dressing table but if like me you like to spray your perfume into the cap and then smell it - be careful you don't poke your eyes out with the long, sharp legs! You may have seen pictures of this in a black bottle but it's not the bottle that's colored it's actually the liquid itself that's black and when you apply it, it turns clear on the skin. It's an extravagant and dramatic scent and when you first spray it, it's actually quite fresh but that quickly gives way to very distinct florals like sambac jasmine and tiger orchid, and the flowery sweetness is emphasized even more by the use of honey and apricot nectar and the last layer is of saffron and incense. The unusual blend makes it a fairly heavy floral scent with oriental touches and it definitely makes a statement. I did enjoy wearing it, especially during winter time but as we're heading towards warmer days for me this will be far too heavy and as fun as it was to try this scent, it won't get a regular spot in my fragrance collection. Well, that's it for April - which of these products would you repurchase?