How many bottles of scent do you own? I’d suspect that the average woman owns at least half a dozen, and some quite a few more than that. And, if there’s one thing I know about fragrance, it’s that most women will (somewhat sheepishly) admit that they will only buy a new fragrance if they love the presentation. You would think that it’s the fragrance inside that counts (and it is), but when the bottle is gorgeous, that only makes the desire to covet and collect it, just that much stronger. Here are two that are not just affordable, they’re perfectly presented in bottles you’ll want to keep and display!
The days are still a bit “sweaty” but Fall is also just around the corner. Who wouldn’t want to sprinkle a little Vera Wang magic on her skin? At a Kohls preview, I got a chance to try BeJewled, a Vera Wang fragrance that looks as pretty in the bottle as it smells on warm, sexy skin. The sparkling fruity floral is the ultimate feminine fragrance. It starts out bright and fruity and gets even more so — and I can’t stop smelling my own skin! Fragrance is highly personal, and some might say the scent is almost sugary, but I love indulging in a bit of fluffy, pink, glittery, fantasy. If Paris Hilton was a fragrance (I know she has her own, but just image her as a fragrance bottle), it would be Vera Wang Be Jeweled. The pink, glitzy, girly, flirty scent with an over the top gorgeous bottle, is just plain gorgeous, glamorous, and fantastic!
The bottle is a looker, a slightly off-kilter teardrop, with a “bracelet” of large, pink, violet, and green “faceted jewels” that are strung on elastic cord. The topper is also an a-symmetrical shape of faceted pink plastic covering a shiny silver spray diffuser. If you never even sprayed the fragrance, you’d want this on your dressing table. Bottle collectors will snap these up. Even the outer carton isn’t ordinary. It’s a soft, matte violet with featuring a bold statement necklace of big “jewels’ accented with lots of glitzy gold metallic. The designs runs around the front and sides of the box. The inside of the carton is a dramatic, deep violet.
Even without the stunning bottle, the fragrance is going to be a coveted personal signature scent for many women once they discover it. The fragrance starts with recognizeable top notes of bright red currant, pomegranate and champagne. The heart adds the feminine passion fruit, pink honeysuckle and pink peony. But the base notes add something unusual: accords of pink crystal-sugar accompanied with sensual musk and Australian sandalwood. So instead of being just a typical fruity floral, or an overly sugary sweet concoction, it’s more sophisticated, and manages to skirt the “what age is this for?” question. Girls and women alike will enjoy and wear it, in a slightly seductive but really fun way. You can spray it with relatively wild abandon, because it dries down quickly, and dissipates into a whisper of scent.
BeJeweled is yet another hit for designer Vera Wang, whose Very Vera Vera Wang beauty products, fashions, and home goods give women a chance to indulge in the designer’s aesthetic, without the high price tag of her couture pieces. Girls really DO just want to have fun. Be Jeweled gives them a reason to dress up and go out. *men are going to go wild for this on bare skin, so spritz away!
Vera Wang Be Jeweled Fragrance Collection is exclusively at Kohls in the United States and is priced from $45.00-68.00.
Vera Wang Be Jeweled Eau de Parfum Spray – 1.7 oz. ($52.00); Vera Wang Be Jeweled Eau de Parfum Spray – 2.5 oz. ($68.00)
Some say there’s no such thing as a “great” budget scent, but smell is in the eye of the beholder (well, in the nose of the beholder, at lesat). That’s how I feel about Marrakesh Eau de Toilette Spray, by MARK ($24.00 1.7 fl. oz.). The bottle is beautiful. A curvy, sensual glass that reminiscent of either a genie’s oil lamp, or barring that, a voluptuous woman swirling diaphanous scarves about her body. The top is a perforated, shiny golden globe that is truly eye catching. This bottle is going to be a coveted, collectible as MARK says each bottle is unique.
But what of the fragrance? A first sniff reveals a light floral that is slightly powdery. It’s challenging to define what the scent really is, because it will smell different on everyone depending upon their body chemistry. But the notes are a blend of Moroccan jasmine, neroli blossoms, spicy cardamom, wild fig and crushed mint. This mixture sounds like it should be very cloying, but it’s actually a bit gourmand. When the weather heats up, you don’t want to wear something that is overly white floral or spicy. Marrakesh manages to straddle the line between soft, but still highly fragrant. It stays on the skin like a soft kiss, not a wet, slobber. Reviews have been mixed on other web sites, but this Eau de Toilette spray, satisfies, specially for the price. I personally think it’s kind of sexy without knocking you over and while it doesn’t smell “luxe” it is still a nice little Summer pick me up. Will you think it’s the bees knees?
Ask your favorite MARK representative for a sample, or just go for it and buy it at http://meetmark.com
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