Fragrant Femmes
I was in a drugstore this week – buying gifts for myself (shame) – and I was immediately drawn to the fragrance section where literally hundreds of fragrances were wrapped in pretty red bows and pretty much calling my name. Giving and receiving perfume at the holidays is pretty much one of my favourite gifts ever, and the cosmetics companies out there certainly know how to prey on my weaknesses by releasing dozens of new scents every year.
Part of the reason why I love fragrances as a gift is they are really nicely priced as something special for your wife or girlfriend, and they are genuinely a treat – something you don’t necessarily splurge on, but absolutely love to own and mix up over the year(s). Over the last little bit I’ve waded through the craziness and narrowed down my five fave fragrances of the season – for the ladies that is. Stay tuned for my guy picks in the next week! And for the record? I’m not a fragrance expert. I’ve been checking out the notes on each of these perfumes and throwing in my two cents on what’s actually the strongest – even if they aren’t the top or even the middle notes, some tones just rise to the top.
Katy Perry Purr – $36+
The Backstory & Bottle: Katy Perry is the latest pop princess in a long line to release a fragrance, and her collaboration with Gigantic Perfumes proves it’s been well worth the wait. With an adorable cat theme (as an homage to her pet Kitty Purry), the bottle feels a little rock & roll with the rhinestone accents and dramatic purple colour.
The Scent: Get ready to be swept away with a decidedly tropical-influenced scent, with wafts of peach, apple, and coconut intermingled with vanilla and lush florals.
The Girl: Should be just like Katy – bubbly and full of energy.
The Place: You can ONLY buy this one at Sears (including online).
Lalique Nilang (2011) – $93+
The Backstory & Bottle: Lalique is known for two things – their exquisite crystal bottles, and the potent fragrances they contain. While the ‘normal’ bottle is sleek and simple, you can seriously splurge on a Flacon Cristal for $2,290 if you’ve got that kind of cash lying about.
The Scent: The heart of this fragrance is what will, quite literally, bloom the most strongly when you take a sniff: jasmine flower. There’s a ton of other watery, subtle notes to accent this powerfully petal-driven scent, including juicy citrus tones and earthy patchouli – altogether the result is explosive yet soft…one spritz and you’ll be wafting it in all day long.
The Girl: Is a classic from head-to-toe – pearls, pretty, preppy? She’ll love it.
The Place: You can *only* get this one at Holt Renfrew my loves.
Beyonce Pulse – $59+
The Backstory & Bottle – Beyonce blazed onto the fragrance scene over a year ago with her sensual first perfume, Heat. This year she tipped things over to the cooler side with Pulse, which comes in a space age style bottle that looks equally smashing whatever end you display it on.
The Scent: Truthfully I’ve been hard-pressed to want to wear much else since trying out this scent. I loved heat, and I love Pulse even more. Although it has a strong vanilla-floral undertone, the thing that really sets this one apart is the essence of Blue Curaco (evoked by the pretty blue colour of the scent). What I particularly love about this perfume is that it unfolds all day long, as most of my fave scents do, to include woodsy, musky notes to bring this otherwise sparkling scent down to earth.
The Girl: Definitely a fragrance for the party girl – this is fresh, energetic, and intoxicating.
The Place: Available at your favourite department or drug store.
CK One Shock (For Her) – $45
The Backstory & Bottle: When CK One, the first major unisex fragrance, was released in the early 90s, it sent shockwaves through the fashion world (in part because of campaign star Kate Moss). Now nearly 20 years later, the classic scent has been given an update and TWO incarnations for men and women, both derivative of the original classic. The bottle, much like the scent, is reminiscent of the past – only this time it’s opaque white with a splash of hot pink.
The Scent: This is a fragrance that’s good enough to eat, to be honest. The strongest notes are food-based, for a delicious blend of blackberries and chocolate, with the citrus notes you know and remember from CK One, and a dash of florals to tone things down a touch.
The Girl: Is a live wire – a modern-day woman who’s not afraid to challenge the expected.
The Store: Shoppers Drug Mart’s the place to snap this one up.
Vera Wang Lovestruck – $79+
The Backstory & Bottle: After nearly a dozen incarnations of her smash hit fragrance ‘Princess’, Vera Wang has finally launched an entirely new scent to add to her growing collection: Lovestruck. The bottle comes in a massive-sized box – Why? Because of the stunning berry-coloured resin & ribbon topper that makes this container a true work of art, and a must-have for any girl’s vanity.
The Scent: Given that Wang is well-known for her sweet aesthetic (heck she IS a wedding designer), it makes sense that the first word that jumps to mind when smelling her scent is ‘pretty’, with the second one being ‘romantic’. Tropical guava is the surprising powerful top note that’s accented by sweet tuberose and lotus musk.
The Girl: Is a serious girly girl – the type that loves the idea of getting swept off her feet by her prince charming.
The Store: Your fave local department or drugstore should be able to hook you up.
Feeling like you need to break out your nose for a sniffing session? I don’t blame you! Wish you had one of these pretty perfumes for yourself? I still don’t blame you. Being the benevolent blogger that I mostly try to be, I’m taking pity on y’all – I’ve got a bottle of Vera Wang Lovestruck to give away to one lucky reader. All you gotta do is:
1) Leave a comment below before December 20th and tell me which of these perfumes is most appealing. Be sure to use a valid email address so I can contact you if you win!
2) Entries are limited to one per person per email address (or more if you score bonus entries). A random draw will be conducted on or around December 20th to select the winner, who will have 48 hours to respond before another winner is chosen in their place.
3) Entries are limited to Canadians that have reached the age of majority in their province. Quebec is not eligible to participate in this promotion.
4) Bonus Entry Time: Refer-a-friend. Get a friend to leave a comment and mention you by name. They’ll get an entry into the draw, you’ll get a bonus entry! You can refer unlimited numbers of friends over the contest period. Oh, and for the record – I can see your IP address. It’s pretty easy to tell when someone different is actually being referred!
Want to go dizzy reading full rules & regs? You can email me for em. Good luck lads & lasses!
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[…] 16, 2011 · Leave a Comment As promised with last week’s look at the best female fragrances, it’s time to take a peek at what Santa might want to consider bringing all the gentlemen […]
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I would like to try Lalique Nilang or Vera Wang’s Lovestruck. I enjoyed reading about all the perfumes!
I’d love the Vera Wang lovestruck and also Katy Perry’s Purr!
CK Shock looks good
Amy Brown sent me
The Vera Wang Lovestruck sounds the best! Amy Brown sent me.
ksceviour at hotmail dot com
I would love the Vera Wang Lovestruck
Amy Brown sent me
II definitely love CK One Shock… Yummmy!
Vera Wang Lovestruck sounds amazing!
Thanks for the chance! 🙂
margaret.imecs@gmail.com
Id love to try Vera Wang Lovestruck ! Karla Sceviour sent me!
dalleykt at live dot ca.
I would like to try the Katy Perry Purr!
The Lalique Nilang sounds fab! I have bought some of the other Lalique fragrances before and they are pure class! Thanks for such a cool giveaway.
I would like to try the Katy Perry Purr
I would LOVE the Katy Perry – I heard it smells fantastic…and I am completely out of perfume gah!
The Lalique Niang is most appealing to me.
Melinda referred me. I like the CK One Shock.
The Vera Wang Lovestruck sounds the best!
VW Lovestruck appeals to me most. The scent sounds divine, and what’s not to love about that bottle, eh?
I think the Lalique – Nilang is most my style!
Katy Perry Purr would be my fragrance of choice.
Karla Sceviour sent me ☺ Curious to try CK one shock for her
Lalique Nilang (2011) – $93+
Lovestruck, absolutely. I love Vera Wang’s fragrances…and I have a big problem endorsing fragrances by celebrities. Do Katy Perry & Beyonce really need to try and corner the fragrance market? I think not.
lovestruck appeals to me
Karla Scevior sent me….i like the CK one shock.
Beyonce Pulse for me
Lalique Nilang would be my fave, wouldn’t it be wonderful to be able to afford the bottle
Vera Wang Lovestruck is the one that I would love to try
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bluebelle0367(at)hotmail(dot)com
Mt fav appealing is Katy Perry Purr – Cute bottle & colour
The Scent: Get ready to be swept away with a decidedly tropical-influenced scent, with wafts of peach, apple, and coconut intermingled with vanilla and lush florals
Lalique Nilang sounds like a lovely scent,especially since I love jasmine.
I am a sucker for Vera’s perfume so I have to say Vera Wan’s LOVESTRUCK!!
Katie Purry! So much that I put one of the bottle shaped clings on my office wall! 🙂
CK One Shock (For Her) sounds worth investigating.
I think the Lovestruck appeals to me the most. I like the bottle too.
lalique nilang would be my choice
I would like to try Lovestruck or Pulse most out of the choices
Vera Wang’s Lovestruck sounds the nicest to me!
Beyond Pulse would be my fav and i love the shape of the bottle it comes in to.very eye appealing.this is something i would display on my vanity,i would feel like i am a barbie doll with my this on my vanity,talk about vein,this perfume,i would be the smell of the town…lol
I want to try Purr first, the bottle is so cute
Would love to try the Vera Wang Lovestruck – $79+
I would love to have the Katy Perry Kitty. So cute. I’ve heard sge smells good too.
love to win Katy Perry perfume
I would love to win the Lalique Nilang perfume.
The Lalique Nilang and Vera Wang Lovestruck both sound breathtaking! ❤
The most appealing would be Lalique. The mixture of flowers seem to be the most appealing to me. I also have an incline for the Vera Wang because of the Guava fruit, my favorite, I eat them all the time and when they are in my kitchen, the aroma embraces you as soon as you walk in!
Love Vera Wang!
The Vera Wang one would be awesome… It would look so good on my dresser 😀
I would love the Lovestruck!! The bottle looks so pretty!
I love the Lovestruck. I know it smells wonderful
katy perry purr
The Lovestruck bottle is so fancy! Would like to try this one most.
Cheers.
Lovestruck the name in itself is so appealing! I want to be lovestruck with the scent!
Vera Wang Lovestruck sounds so pretty!
The most appealing scent to me is definitely Vera Wang Lovestruck! Which is nice since it is also the one you’re giving away 🙂
I really like the Vera Wang awestruck.
I have Beyonce Heat at home, so I would love to try her Pulse fragrance.
I prefer the Vera Wang’s LoveStruck! The scent is heady & sensual, and the name says it all! I’ve always liked VW products. 🙂
I would love lovestruck!
laura.katz.121 (at) gmail.com
Love the Vera Wang – it’s my fave! 🙂
Love to try the Vera Wang awestruck, sounds wonderful
i would love vera wang -lovestruck
The Lalique Nilang is my style.
thanks
I’d love to try Katy Perrry’s.
I have purchased Vera Wang fragrnaces before and loved them all. i am sure I would love LOVESTRUCK too.
I would love to try Love Struck….<3
I like the look of the vera Wang Love Struck..hope it smells just as good!
I’m impressed by the Lalique Nilang.
Lovestruck by Vera Wang. What a beautiful package for such a beautiful perfume.
I would like to try the Beyonce Pulse.
I believe katy Perry Purr would be my style.
Vera Wang Lovestruck’s is the most appealing to me because it’s probably the closest (and most affordable) way that I’ll ever own anything by this amazing designer!
Doesn’t Vera Wang make you feel like a real grown-up sweet smelling LADY!!!!
THE KATY PERRY PURR LOOKS CUTE, BUT I WOULD BE HAPPY WITH ANY OF THEM….
I KNOW SOMEONE WHO WOULD LOVE THE KATY PERRY PURR…..
Would like to try Lalique Niang.
I would love to try the Katy Perry perfume! The scents sound like something I’d wear for sure.
Katy Perry, for the win!
I like the sound of the scents in Lalique Nilang. I haven’t smelled it but it sounds wonderful. I love the Vera Wang bottle though.
Would love to try Lalique Nilang, what a beautiful bottle!
Vera Wang Lovestruck. I bought a bottle for my daughter for her birthday and the scent is really nice. I was tempted to keep it for my self, but did not. Would love to win!
I would love Beyonce Pulse
I would love to win the Vera Wang Lovestruck perfume. It’s a beautiful bottle and her perfume is so sophisticated and feminine. Wonderful giveaway, thanks for offering such wonderful prizes. Happy Holidays CGG!
The Lalique Niang is also the most appealing to me.
I’d love to win Lovestruck, as I like girlie things and this is the ultimate.
I love the look of the Katy Perry bottle – love felines! But, I think the Lalique Nilang would be an interesting addition in my scent repertoire! Thanks for the chance!
I would like to try the Vera Wang Lovestruck.
The Lalique Niang – sounds lovely and smells beautiful I’m sure.
vera wang lovestruck-girly,romantic-awe!
Not being a lover of heavy, exotic perfumes, I was glad to see Lalique Nilang
mentioned. I adore florals, and the Jasmine ingredient definitely would be my
preference. I must admit though, that coming a close second, Vera Wang;s
‘Lovestruck” definitely has that ‘WOW’ factor, and it was hard to pick just one.
I would like to try Very Wang Lovestruck. Katy Perry Purr looks so cute – that’s my second choice.
Beyonce’s Pulse sounds sensuous
looks good
The “Vera Wang Lovestruck” is most appealing to me because of your descriptions of the perfume as being pretty and romantic. The packaging is absolutely gorgeous too.
Lalique Nilang …sounds like my kinda scent!!
Lovestruck sounds scent-tacular!
Vera Wang Lovestruck 🙂
i like Vera Wang’s Love Struck – great name
The Katy Perry bottle is so cute but I think I have to go with the Vera Wang, the smell sounds perfect
Vera Wang’s Lovestruck sounds great! And the bottle is amazing.
Katy Perry Purr would be purrrrfect!!
I love the style if the bottle of Katy Perry’s Purr 🙂
Vera Wang’s Lovestruck sounds divine! The truth is that they all sound great and I will have to check out all of them next time I’m at a Department store!
I would like to try Vera Wang Lovestruck
I would love to try the Katy Perry Purr perfume. Thanks for the chance to win.
would be awesome to win!
Love Vera Wang..Thanks for the chance!
The one that appeals to me the most is Lalique’s Nilang, which is a very classic scent. I haven’t tried Vera Wang’s Lovestruck yet but I would love to try that one too!
Katy Perry’s Purr…It sounds yummy!
I want to win The Backstory & Bottle: Katy Perry Purr
Lalique Nilang would be great as a gift
The most appealing perfume to me is Katy Perry Purr
stephy905@hotmail.com
Beyonce Pulse is most appealing when comparing the look of all the bottles. The bottle is so beautiful and would be wonderful to leave out to show off. I am sure all the perfumes smell great!
I’d love to try Vera Wang’s perfume, I bet it is gorgeous.
Beyonce Pulse sounds really nice!
The Katy Perry Purr is nice… just cause of the bottle!
I’d love to try Vera Wang Lovestruck
I would like to try purr, probably cause it is most reasonablly priced.
I think it is the Katy Perry because the bottle is too cute!
I like lovestruck best 🙂
Karla S referred me 🙂
i would like vera wang lovestruck because it sounds amazing
lovestruck, it sounds lovely
I would love the Vera Wang Lovestruck
CK Shock sounds delicious
I think the cK shock sounds most appealing. I used to wear cK one constantly in high school!
I would probably like the Lalique Nilang, the bottle is simple just the way I like it and the Jasmine scent sounds really appealing to me!
I really enjoyed reading up on the different perfumes. I’d love the Vera Wang lovestruck and also Katy Perry’s Purr! Great Giveaway! Good luck everyone!
I would like to try the Katy Perry Purr fragrance.
Vera Wang Lovestruck would be my choice, my current favorite is Vera Wang Princess, so would love anything by her I am sure!
I would love to try the new Vera Wang. I LOVE her Princess scent.
The Vera Wang scent sounds lovely!
Vera Wang Lovestruck is definitely the most appealing!
I would like to try Vera Wang Lovestruck
I like Lalique Nilang because its feminine and sophisticated and Katy Perry Purr its the bottle- love it. I love scent!
happy holidays :-).
Vera Wang lovestruck is my favourite. Very Pretty and light.
thx.
I would love to try Vera Wang’s Lovestruck too.
I would Love to try Vera Wangs Lovestruck and also Beyonce Pulse
CK One Shock looks cool
Vera Wang I think would have a great scent to it!! I have Vera Wang Princess now and love it.. so I am sure the next is just as good.
I love Vera Wang style in any style, shape, or form….including smell of great perfume!
I would like to try the Katy Perry fragrance or the Vera Wang. They both sound good to me. Thanks!
I sure would love the Lalique Nilang ,but i also love the lovestruck its catchy in every scent of the word.
i love the new bottle shapes
LOVESTRUCK mmmm wonderful! ❤
Vera Wang’s Lovestruck. I tried a sample and loved it. She’s great with fragrance.
Lovestruck or CK
to me the Lalique Nilang bottle is most appealing
I would definately choose Vera Wang Lovestruck. I’m a perfume fanatic.