Elizabeth Arden Introduces Green Tea Cherry Blossom

Last Thursday, I was invited to spend a very Zen afternoon at Neo Day Spa at Bonifacio Global City by the wonderful girls of Elizabeth Arden Philippines to witness the unveil of a new fragrance to their Green Tea Fragrance family. Thankfully, the weather decided to cooperate and it was a sunny, sunny Thursday full of joy. Looks like the elements are happy too.

Green Tea Fragrance was introduced to me more than ten years ago. I love the light, fresh fragrance it has.With our hot and humid country, this is the fragrance I highly recommend for anyone, both for ordinary days and special occasions because it's not too overpowering and it has that fresh, energetic scent that gets the blood pumping. Remember when fragrances get a bit too strong when the body warms up? For some reason, this fragrance doesn't overwhelm my senses even after a pole workout. Yep! I use this when I pole. So really, I'm excited about what this new fragrance is.

When I got to Neo Day Spa, I was first introduced to a bit of history on the Green Tea fragrances, first starting with the classic green tea fragrance up to the introduction of several other variants - Lotus Flower, Camellia, and Lavender. These scents have that same energetic burst of green tea.

Finally, in a room decorated in pink and white paper lanterns and cherry blossoms, we were whisked to a whimsical land in Japan reminiscent of watercolor paintings. The decorations were just apt for the introduction of the newest scent: Green Tea Cherry Blossom, a light, citrusty-floral scent that comes in a pretty cherry blossom pink bottle.

"Ethereal, fresh and feminine, this new exquisite citrus floral fragrance brings together the sparkling femininity of delicate pink petals and the lush freshness of green tea leaves to create a truly unique and beautiful fragrance experience. The scent opens with sparkling and luminous accords of lemon and bergamot. Its refreshing drops are combined with green tea vapor to announce delicate cherry blossom mixed with fine notes of green tea leaves. A base incorporates woody notes of birch tree intertwining with angelica and moss."

We were given vials to try the fragrance on our pulse points. The first whiff of the scent is citrusy and fruity, just like the top notes of the other green tea fragrances. The uplifting topnote is why I personally like to use Green Tea when I'm having a very busy day ahead and I need all the energy I need (and probably why I use this also when I work out). Afterwards, it fades and enters the middle and bottom notes which are floral and feminine, yet still light and fresh without overpowering the senses. The floral notes do remind us all of girly things and flowy fabrics, but it still has got that light, citrusy scent that I like.

We were served tea-infused sandwiches and iced tea.

I wasn't able to eat the other sandwiches as it contained pork and ham, as I'm converting on becoming pesco-vegetarian  but I feasted on the roasted vegetable variants. The iced tea was super yummy I think I had two servings of that!

Aside from the Green Tea Cherry Blossom, we were also introduced  to another pretty makeup collection from Elizabeth Arden, which, with their pretty rose packaging matches the Cherry Blossom's pink bottle and feminine fragrance. This collection, Rose Aurora, is available at Elizabeth Arden makeup counters and is available in easy-to-use universal shades to flatter the skin tone.

The lipstick is in a pretty neutral pink-brown shade that feels cushy on the lips, and the highlighter can be a sheer, shimmery blush. More on these later. :)

We were treated to a massage by the awesome staff of Neo Day Spa and served sweet macarons later.

Hi loves!

Thank you so much, Elizabeth Arden for the gift!

With the wonderful girls of Elizabeth Arden and all the beauty bloggers. I can be a boy in black in a sea of pastels and heels. :P

Green Tea Cherry Blossom is available in leading department stores and is exclusively distributed by Rustan's Marketing Corp. The 50 mL eu de Toilette Spray costs Php 2,250 and the 100 mL spray is Php 2,950.

Magic in A Bottle

Avon's EDT Eternal Magic Enchanted not only makes you smell pretty but it looks also pretty in your vanity - pink bottle, crystal cap and all.

Even the box is super pretty with pink sparkles. I didn't want to throw the box away. The crystal cap is pretty interesting. You pull it off like a grenade pin before spritzing the scent, which is a soft, musky rose scent that fades into a warm, sweet vanilla-ish scent as the day wears off. Again, as this scent is supposed to be on the musky floral side, the scent is fairly light on the skin, another perfect thing for our perpetually hot and humid country (it may be rainy season, but I still have my bias towards light scents).

This bottle of EDT retails for Php 599. The bottle is tiny enough to fit in a standard shoulder bag for midday touch ups or the office drawer too, so with the affordable price, you can buy two and keep one in your dresser and one in your office drawer or bag.

Red Door Gets A New Look

If you're a kid in the 80s, you'd probably remember the classic scent Red Door and the iconic bottle with a red cap in your mom's, aunt's, or grandma's dresser. You'd remember taking a whiff of it as you receive a kiss or hug on an annual family reunion. The rich and floral scent gives memories of women in classic black pumps, red lipstick, and oversize (or cat-eye) shades walking along the streets of 1950's Manhattan.

Decades later, Red Door, which happens to be Elizabeth Arden's classic signature fragrance revamps to a whole new pretty look with its bottle taking shape of a bold red glass design, which looks like, literally, a red door. The name Red Door, I just found out was named after the company's day spa, Elizabeth Arden Red Door Salon, which has been around for nearly 100 years. If you Google pictures of the Red Door Salon, you'd see that it does have a big bright red door greeting its clients. That big red door has the same shape as the new perfume bottle.

This could be a gift for a female relative who loves this classic scent, if you still have no idea what to give her this Christmas. The 100 mL EDT spray (Php 4550) and 50 mL EDT spray (Php3450) looks great as a bold red statement in her dresser. The 30 mL bottle (Pho2250) would be pretty to tote on her purse too, should she like a spritzer to refresh the scent come a special dinner with friends or family in a nice restaurant.

Libertine: White Musk, but Girlier.

White Musk is one of The Body Shop's iconic and epic fragrances. It's still in stands as of today, as other fragrances go on and off their shelves. Clean but musky (that's why it's called white musk), light with a bit of spice, you can share this with your man, since it's a unisex scent, and it won't look so girly too, in case he brings it in his travelling bag. This new White Musk though, is for us ladies, and I think the pink pretty bottle is already a giveaway.

Save for the pretty pink bottle, White Musk Libertine body mist still retains the usual clean, woody muskiness of the usual white musk. Yet it's made sweeter with notes of Turkish Delight (yumm!), baby orchid, and Chantilly cream. In comparison with the original White Musk, Libertine is much more floral, a bit warmer and more romantic.

Since musk fragrances are warmer and headier than fruity fragrances, I like wearing it as a light mist on me. Muskier fragrances are great that the weather's starting to get colder as well and they won't be as overpowering as it is when the temperature's higher.

White Musk Libertine is available as eau de parfum ( Php 1,595), body lotion (Php 995), body mist (Php 995, it's the one pictured above), body wash (Php 750), and eau de toilette (Php1695 for 60 mL and Php 1,095 for 30 mL). The Body Shop also offers White Musk Libertine sets, which are perfect gifts for girls who you know who are fans of the original iconic White Musk set.

Sweet-Smelling with Avon Sassy Swirls

I love vanilla-based scents. I have a vast collection of vanilla-scented Body Sprays, Body Gels, and Lotions (used at night only or on non-pole days of course). I find it sweet but comforting, and it brings fond memories of favorite food. Vanilla extract in baking gives that oomph and mellow sweet flavor in cookies and cakes. Whenever I smell a faint vanilla scent, I get reminded of all things nice and sweet- ice cream, freshly baked chocolate chip cookies, and strawberries with whipped cream on top. It's sweet but not overpowering. Some people say vanilla is a sensual and sexy scent, but I just get reminded of food. Well, I guess that's me.

It was good news to me that Avon launched Sassy Swirls Eau de Toilette Purse Sprays in three yummy vanilla-based scents, depending on the wearer's personality. Not only are these purse sprays super affordable (Php 475) but they could fit in the skinniest purses so no need to tote bulky body spray bottles around. The scent lasts pretty long too.

Vanilla Blossom is a florally scent that's sweet and romantic with the scents of violent and peony petals. The warm vanilla scent makes it mellow and sweet, and also youthful if floraly scents are sometimes associated with "oldie" scents. This is the one I'm currently using. It's not too overpowering so I can wear this even on a hot day.

Vanilla Bean - nuttier and mellow, this is for those who prefer a bit of musk in their scents instead of fruity bursting. Mandarin, Exotic sandalwood, and lush orchid swirled with rich vanilla makes this a very sensual, alluring scent perfect for a night out on a date.

Vanilla Berry - outdoorsy-type girls prefer usually fruity scents, maybe because they're lighter or the scent just bursts with yummy things in life - tart, rasperries, and blackberries swirled with creamy vanilla remind us of vanilla sundaes laced with fresh picks of the day.

Personally, I find myself gravitating towards Vanilla Berry or Vanilla Blossom since I'm the more energetic on-the-go girl. I see the Vanilla Bean on days when I want to add a bit more mystery and allure. Since they're quite affordable I can mix and match or choose depending on my mood. Playing chemist to scents can be tricky though so I suggest practising the mixing part at home first and wearing the fragrance a bit. If you don't seem to agree with it, you can always soap it off. But it would be fun though, to come up with a scent that's uniquely yours. How to find it out? Just try and have fun!

Shopping in Singapore

I was in Singapore a week ago for a nice weekend and I really had so much fun! It was tiring since we were walking a lot but it was a fun experience. I fell in love with the country and the food and it's a place I'd like to visit again. Aside from the beautiful and organized system and crisp, clean air, Singapore's residents are very fasyon. You see girls in the train in perfect cat's eyes and falsies, cute heels (yes! heels!) and almost every girl looked like they were models stepping out from the folds of a fashion magazine. And who wouldn't blame them? With almost every train stop being near a mall housing a lot of stores selling makeup and clothes!

Orchard road is an entire strip of malls in Singapore. We were in Orchard road on our second day after a zoo visit attempt fail. Anyway, it was a blesssing in disguise too, because we were inside the famous Ion mall. We got off Orchard station and lo and behold- Ion!

Ion mall is a multi-story mall. You find bargain hops at the bottom floor and as you go higher up, it houses luxury and designer brands. We found familiar stops like Charles and Keith and Aldo plus luxury brands like Armani, Louis Vuitton, and Prada.

It was home too to the largest Sephora branch in Singapore. I was really jumping up and down when I saw the black and white striped pillars. I remember doing the same thing twenty years ago whenever I was in the Barbie lane at Toys R Us. I felt like a kid once again.

Sephora houses popular makeup brands like Make Up For Ever, MAC, Urban Decay, Bare Minerals, Benefit Cosmetics, Dior, and of course, their house brand. Sephora lipsticks are really cushy and they smell really nice, like grape-flavored Bubble Yum. The SA's in Sephora are really helpful in assisting the customers with their needs, and they're well-versed in the products. I went there to Back-to-MAC some of my containers. When I was choosing lipsticks, the SA was really nice in picking out what's nice, even swatching them for me.

Another home away from home is Forever21. A staircase from the train station peppered with Forever21's logo leads you straight to the store.

I was all smiles at Ion up until the train ride to Raffles City mall. Oh, if you're going to Raffles City mall, get off at City Hall train station it would take you directly to Raffles City mall.

Raffles City is located at Singapore's business district, sort of like Glorietta's counterpart here. So the crowd on weekdays is mostly yuppies after office hours or on lunch breaks, and of course tourists like us. What welcomed me in raffles is a very familiar place. Can you guess what? This would be a clue:

That's right! MAC! I could stay all day in the MAC store here. Although I've got my fair share of Sephora and MAC at Ion, I just had to go here.

They have the Cinematics collection here, which had eyeshadow duos you can pick your combo in. On the right are the colored brush sets, which were sold out when I got there. Awwww.....

Lipsticks!!!!!!

MAC Singapore also had lipsticks not sold in MAC Philippines. Among them were two of my favorite reds: Chilli and Lady Danger.

They look so pretty! They're on the orange/warm side though but that's okay. I like them just the same.

One of my friends who used to work on counter in MAC Philippines is already based in Singapore. Say hello to Frances! She used to work at MAC Mall of Asia here in the Philippines. It was nice to see one of my friends in Singapore.

I spent a theme day at MAC MoA with her! I miss guesting again at MAC.

I behaved with my purchases though, as you can see. In the makeup department, I purchased an eyebrow pencil in Dirty Blonde, since I stuffed my suitcase with food already.

Another mentionable is a famous Korean skin care brand here in Manila, Etude House.

And if you're on your way home, the duty free at Changi airport (both Changi and budget terminal) houses cosmetics and fragrances for last-minute buys.

Brands like Bulgari, D&G, Elizabeth Arden, Dior, Chanel, and The Body Shop are located in the store at lower prices than most malls. The tiny Shu Uemura booth holds skin care like Red Juvenus, Phyto Black Lift, Cleansing oils, and travel-size goodies not seen in most stores. The Duty Free Shops also hold SK-II, with its famous face masks forever being sold out during New York Fashion Week. I was thinking whether to purchase a bottle of pink Shu Uemura Cleansing Oil for stock or Elizabeth Arden Green Tea perfume, I chose to buy the 30mL bottles of perfume. I kept one bottle for myself and one for my mom.

My first Singapore trip was definitely fun. A weekend isn't enough to experience it fully. Maybe when I go back, I'll go around more sights and enjoy the country more. :)

Downy Launches the All-New Perfume Series

When Monday holidays were chosen by a few to snuggle on their lazy covers, I was dashing off to the Manila Peninsula doing my makeup, removing my pincurls, and jumping on to my shoes while wearing a tiny black dress inside a Nissan March as the car zoomed past the quasi-empty streets of Metro Manila. A hotel event would be to start my day, an event I made sure to RSVP via SMS and email as soon as I got it.

At the middle of the frenzy of me packing my metal makeup kit and equipment and fixing my hair, my phone rings. It's Arpee, telling me that he's already at the venue (ahead of me, darn) and what seat are we in. That and the rest of the guys were there already. I told him I'll be there in a few minutes. "Naglaba pa ko e!"

As soon as I got there, I asked the staff of the Manila Peninsula where the Rigodon Ballroom was. It was quite easy to spot since all I had to do was follow the scent of flowers, fruits, and clean laundry. That day was the unveiling of Downy's all-new Perfume Series in an event they called "Scents To Remember".

After registry, I grabbed a glass of wine and then looked for the guys. I was able to spot Arpee a few tables near the stage. He was already there with Jane, Kell, Jonel, and Carl. After I sat down, We were offered red iced tea. I then noticed that there were tags at the base of the glasses, which described the ingredients infused in the drink. Much of the menu descriptions could be found here. A scent museum was also displayed where the guests were able to see some of the ingredients in Downy's Perfume Series.

The program started with a dance number with an instrumental version of Lady Gaga's Alejandro.

The event was hosted by Christine Jacob-Sandejas. She was joined later by P&G's Hector Esquinca and Shingo Ishii, who developed the scents in Downy's Perfume Series. She asked the ladies in the audience what scents they were wearing. The first one she asked was me. I was wearing D&G Light Blue at that time, and Shingo broke down the scents for me and the audience. D&G Light Blue is a light and citrusy scent that smells clean and fresh instead of overpowering. It's usually worn more of as a day fragrance and it's described as having notes of Sicilian citron, bluebell, Granny Smith apple, jasmine sambac, bamboo, and white rose before it fades to the bottom note of cedarwood, amber, and musk. Shingo describes it as something you would wear if you're happy or want to feel happy. No wonder it sorta put me in the mood to be all giggly and upbeat, and that's not the rose wine. :P Maybe the Alejandro song.

After that, they described to us what Downy Perfume series was. Hector Esquinca created the fragrance of Passion.


I had the chance to take a whiff of Passion days before the event when we were asked to take the scent challenge, which I blogged before. Passion had a fruity floral scent, a scent which reminds me of home. Passion's scent is sweet and vibrant. It takes its inspiration from things yummy - fruits, French pastries, and flowers. Apple blossom, pear, raspberries, and vanilla are some of the ingredients so the smell is sort of sweet and comforting.

Here's Shingo Ishii describing the scent he created, Attraction, which takes its inspiration from the gardens of Grasse, France. Coincidentally, this is also the perfume capital of the world. Attraction is more floral with different flower notes like jasmine, ylang-ylang, rose, and iris. It fades off to an Oriental woody scent as its bottom notes. It was also said that Attraction takes its inspiration from a very beautiful and elegant French actress.

Sniffing the two variants, the scents are a bit more elegant than the original clean Downy we're used to. Prior to this event, I was able to use Downy Attraction in my laundry and the smell is quite floral instead of fruity. Floral not in a dead way, of course. Anyway, I did notice though that aside from the fabric being softer than being washed with just laundry soap, the scent lingered on even after being inside the closet for quite a while, while my other clothes lost the clean fresh laundry scent, even though they were still clean, hence that's why I often spray my clothes with linen spray. This is due to the Perfume Microcapsume Technology, which gives the clothes a long-lasting fragrance. In fact, these capsules slowly release more fragrance upon contact so we get fresh bursts of fragrance all day. This I proved when I accidentally dropped a bit of Downy Attraction on my slacks one time and the scent did last almost the entire day.

I guess my towels and makeup bags would be smelling nicer the next time I get to dump them in the laundry. And guess what? You could also use Downy when washing wigs and deodorizing new brushes as soon as I purchased them. I washed some of my wigs with Downy and they smell really nice. Another thing I also used with them that after I washed some of my shawls, instead of throwing away the water I used to soak the clothes in use it to wash garage floors or rinse off dirty flipflops.

The choice of fabric conditioner scent would be up to you. Arpee and Noreen prefer Downy Attraction's floriental scent. Here at home, the comforting fruity sweet scents of Downy Passion was the scent our laundry had the following day. Me personally, it really depends on my mood. At first, I like Attraction when I'm feeling all elegant and pretty. Passion would be if I want to snuggle under the covers on a lazy rainy morning or just be laid back.

Falling in Love with LOVE ETC

Valentine's is sure filled with love and all, whether it be love for friends, S.O., work, or well, anything we love. The Body Shop was no exception to launch a new fragrance on Valentine's Season in a title that's very apt. :)

Hello LOVE ETC, the newest potion among The Body Shop's roster of scents that treat our senses. Before makeup, my obsession was shower gels and sprays and lotions and anything that smell nice, and I still love them. The retro fun logo is initially striking and I just love love love the colors juxtapositioned with the black-and-white portraits. :) Very pop.

The lotion comes with a pump that I could twist to lock and unlock so it's great if I want to bring this for travel and I don't want unecessary spilling of products and I'm too lazy to transfer contents to a separate container. It doesn't feel greasy on the skin much, so it's quite apt with the warmth that's happening right now.

Speaking of warmth, the scent is a mixture of fruity then it comes out sweet (like vanilla or candy) then a bit on the musk side. It's not really too heavy but not too light either. The scent is very feminine, so this line is definitely for someone who would want to feel girly and fun.

The Eau De Parfum comes in a very elegant-looking bottle that looks great on my dresser. The pink letters add appeal too. Like the lotion variant, this is more of a warm-sweet variety with a bit of musk on the bottom note. Since this is perfume, this lasts longer than body splashes on the skin and the musk makes it quite intense. I recommend wearing this better during the night or sparingly during the day, especially now that the temperature is rising really fast. The scent is very fun, very feminine, but a bit warm, which tames the scent a bit.

Girly and fun yet a bit warm and sexy....I guess the makers of this line wanted all of us to have the best of both worlds. Whatever personality you have, this is one fragrance that brought out the girly-ness in me. :)

Smells Wonderful: Pure Beauty Vanilla

Vanilla-scented anything has gotten my fancy since it reminds me of the yummy, sweet treats I've loved: cookies, vanilla ice cream, cotton candy, marshmallows, etc. When my staple vanilla scent ran out a few months back, I needed a replacement ASAP that will not break the bank yet will really smell like vanilla.



I went to the Rockwell Bazaar a few weeks ago and spotted fragrances which I tested on myself. After I walked around for a while, I found one that suited my body chemistry and olfactory senses:


I got a teensy bottle of spray so it could fit my bag as my makeup has been taking most of it. When I took a whiff of it it kinda smelled like alcohol first but as it stayed longer, it had the vanilla scent kicking in. It smells just like cotton candy and cookie dough. RIght now my bag smells like it. Mmmmm!!!!! I should have gotten the bigger bottle if I knew it would be this addicting. I also like the packaging since it looks very simple.

They also have a citrus variant that smells like a famous baby cologne.

To order from Pure Beauty Co, email at purebeautyco@gmail.com or text 0917-8902354 and 0920-9185326