REVIEW: Bond No. 9 Bon Bon "The Scent of Peace"

The Company Propoganda:  "For the first time in fragrance history, a major, full-blown fragrance collection was launched as an homage to the fair city of New York.  In fact, fragrances either represent a specific Gotham neighborhood - from downtown, midtown, and uptown locales - or an island-wide Manhattan scent.  Headquartered in NoHo [North of Houston Street] at 9 Bond Street, the collection features women's, men's and unisex eaux de parfums - complete with seasonal debuts."

I'm a New York girl at heart.  (Yeah, I was born and raised in Jersey--whaddaya gonna do about it?)  Bond No. 9 has been a brand I've longed to try so my heart did a happy dance when I saw a Bon Bon in my Sample Society box.  I received The Scent of Peace.  It's creation was inspired by the events of 9/11 and in 2006, a portion of the proceeds from each bottle sold was donated to UNICEF.  It's a woodsy floral with grapefruit, blackberry and lily of the valley (which I normally hate but it works here).  It's got a base of musk and cedar which makes this "female" scent more of a unisex one if you ask me.  I love it, though it doesn't have a whole lot of staying power.  Within two hours it had faded considerably and after four it was GONE. 

Each Bon Bon is valued at about $45 a piece (about the size of a deluxe perfume sample vial) and you can buy the whole current collection of 18 scents for $260 here.

Rating:  3.5 out of 5 (4 for the scent, minus a half point for lack of staying power)

Next Up: May 2012 Sample Society Box

Hello lovelies!  While I'm currently testing my last samples from the Spring New Beauty TestTube (get it here), I thought I'd show you what came in the next sample program delivery that's up for review, Sample Society: 



At first glance, I'm pretty happy with what came in my May box.  Here's the rundown:

• Alterna UV+ Color Fade Proof Fluide Deluxe Sample-0.3oz.
• Bond No. 9 New York Bon Bon Samples
• Colorescience Pro SPF 20 Travel Puff Deluxe Sample
• StriVectin SD Intensive Concentrate for Stretch Marks & Wrinkles Deluxe Sample
• Stila Cosmetics Forever Your Curl Mascara, Deluxe Sample
• 15% off coupon for purchasing full size versions on their site.  (Or was that $15--gotta double check)

I was a little bit disappointed that there wasn't a single full-size product in here, especially for a sample program that's a little pricier than the standard, but maybe I'm just spoiled by the New Beauty TestTube.  All in all, I'm very happy with the selection and I like the box it comes in (more places to store my bits of junk).  My only negative is that according to the website, I was supposed to receive a mini-issue of Allure magazine as well as a year's subscription to the regular rag.  Gotta look at the fine print on the website, but it seems pretty clear to me.  Time to make a phone call.  I'll let you know how it works out.

REVIEW: Memoire Liquide Fragrance & Body Cream

New Beauty TestTube Description:  From the Bespoke perfume line, Memoire Liquide, is the reserve collection of fragrances and body creams that utilize the powerful sense of smell to evoke memories from the past…or to create new ones for the future.

Final Word:  There were three different items from the Memoire Liquide line included in my TestTube:  Two fragrance vials in Amour and Soleil and a full-size tube of body cream in Encens.  All three scents were very sensual and I liked them a lot (I'm already keeping the Amour in my purse).  The body cream is very rich and the scent is luscious, rich, almost earthy.  It’s way too intense in both scent and texture for the summer and it’s already getting warm here in Southern California so I’ve put the body cream away until the fall.  Now for the scents themselves:

Amour:  With notes of Madagascar vanilla, tonka bean and incense, it has a burnt sugar and vanilla scent with a hint of incense.  Not in any sort of stank-masking hippy kind of way.  Just warm and earthy.  I prefer clean, light scents in the summer, but the rest of the year, I could easily see this being a fragrance I’d wear daily.

Soleil:  Fresh grapefruit, tangerine, red orange, neroli, sandlewood and white musk.  It's citrusy, candy-sweet, but cut with a hint of sultry.

Encens:  Amber, white musk, black tea and Hinoki incense.  Wow.  Definitely an evening scent.  It’s sweet, ambery, woody and smoky all at once.  I love it.

All three of these scents had good staying power, varying  anywhere from 4-12 hours.  I’m also eager to try out their counter at Fred Segal (there’s also one at Henri Bendel in NYC).  They have more than 150 notes available where you can custom blend your own, unique scent.

Eau de parfum

Full Size Price:  $95

Sample Size Value:  $1.68 x 2 = $3.35

Body Cream

Full Size Price:  $48

Rating: 3 overall.

0 – Too early to tell.

1 – If you want to gross people out for Halloween—go for it.

2 – Useless, in my humble opinion. Don’t waste your money.

3 – Like it but not worth going into debt for it.

4 – Love it. Will treat myself for Christmas, birthday, etc.

5 – OMG. I would sell my mother for the last bottle/jar/tube of this stuff.

REVIEW: ybf Eye Liner in Plum Noir

New Beauty TestTube Description:  Rich plum hues are all the rage and ybf has converted this look into one supreme silky stick. The decadent hue of this “plum noir” eye liner emulates a deep burgundy to merlot color that defines and refines eyes any time of day or night.

Final Word:  First, the positives:  The color goes on smoothly and lasts a good while.  I LOVE the built-in sharpener in the cap.  I can't tell you how many times I've wanted to use a makeup pencil--whether eye, lip or brow--the tip has broken off, and I'm without a sharpener.  This is genius in it's simplicity.  The negative:  The color is awful.  Too much plum and not enough noir makes a color that gives me "pink eye."  Either that, I look like I've been on a crying jag.  I would definitely buy this pencil in some shade of brown or black or maybe even some other funky color like green, but I honestly don't know what they were thinking with this color.  It was nice of New Beauty to give me a full-size item, but since I'll never use it, it's kinda useless.  Oh, but wait--there's always Halloween...

Full size
Price:  $14.5

Rating: 1 for the color, 3 for the pencil in ANY other color but this.

0 – Too early to tell.

1 – If you want to gross people out for Halloween—go for it.

2 – Useless, in my humble opinion. Don’t waste your money.

3 – Like it but not worth going into debt for it.

4 – Love it. Will treat myself for Christmas, birthday, etc.

5 – OMG. I would sell my mother for the last bottle/jar/tube of this stuff.

REVIEW: Mally Evercolor Shadow Stick

New Beauty TestTube description: A creamy, glide-on shadow Evercolor Shadow Stick won't crease or wear away, leaving you with gorgeous color all day--right where you put it. The innovative silicone system seals color in place while the creamy formula helps smooth away fine lines.

Final Word:  This was one of the full-size products included in the Tube and while I was initially sceptical that the color (one of three--silver) I received would be something I'd wear, I was pleasantly surprised.  In a nutshell, it lives up to it's description and the twist-up stick form makes it very convenient to use.

Full size
Price:  $25

Rating: 4.

0 – Too early to tell.

1 – If you want to gross people out for Halloween—go for it.

2 – Useless, in my humble opinion. Don’t waste your money.

3 – Like it but not worth going into debt for it.

4 – Love it. Will treat myself for Christmas, birthday, etc.

5 – OMG. I would sell my mother for the last bottle/jar/tube of this stuff.

REVIEW: Olay Regenerist Wrinkle Revolution Complex

New Beauty TestTube Description: “This comprehensive wrinkle reducer combines Olay moisture with advanced micro-fillers to visibly smooth the sink's surface immediately, while a biopeptide-B3 complex continues to reduce deep lines within 14 days.”

Final Word:  I haven't come across a single over-the-counter skin care product that lived up to it's advertising 100%, but I've always liked Olay products.  They're gentle on my skin, they're not nearly as expensive as their department store counterparts, and they do seem to make my skin look better as long as I'm taking good care of myself (exercise, good diet, lots of water, yadda, yadda).   Olay's newest product is no different.  I used it faithfully for two weeks and I did see minor improvement, though not to the degree Olay claims.  Perhaps if I had a month's worth of sample I'd continue to see further softening of my deeper lines, of which thankfully I still have few.  It's scent is hardly noticeable and the product goes on smoothly, with no greasy feel (hate that grease).  As a basic moisturizer, you can't go wrong.

Sample Size:  .23 oz

Sample Value:  $3.79

Full Size:  1.7 oz

Price: $28

Rating so far: 3 – Like it but not worth going into debt for it.

0 – Too early to tell.

1 – If you want to gross people out for Halloween—go for it.

2 – Useless, in my humble opinion. Don’t waste your money.

3 – Like it but not worth going into debt for it.

4 – Love it. Will treat myself for Christmas, birthday, etc.

5 – OMG. I would sell my mother for the last bottle/jar/tube of this stuff.

REVIEW: Moroccanoil Frizz Control

New Beauty Description: “...keeps hair frizz and static-free in any weather.  This extraordinary formula contains weather resistant properties that weightlessly safeguard hair, keeping it smooth, calm and manageable in the most damp or dry conditions.”

First Impression:  I love the packaging of Moroccan Oil but I never would have bought it because my hair is super fine and straight and the idea of putting any product with the word "oil" in the name sends me running.  I am so glad this full-size product was included in my New Beauty Test Tube.  I gave it a try just to review here, fully expecting to pass the rest onto my niece who has long, thick, super curly hair that frizzes when you look at it funny.  Not now.  I am AMAZED at how well this stuff works on my hair.  It is very lightweight and made my hair silky and soft--no added weight or grease whatsoever.  I combed it through damp hair and let it air dry before I went to bed.  Woke up with smooth tresses that I didn't even need to put a comb through and that never happens.  NEVER.  I have a feeling this bottle will last a long time but I'll definitely be buying it when it runs out.  Can't wait to try it before a blow dry and style.  I also suffer from crazy flyaways during the fall and winter when it's dry as a bone here in SoCal.  If this stuff can tame those, I am a customer for life.

Full Size:  3.40 oz

Price: $32

Rating so far: 4 – Love it. Will treat myself for Christmas, birthday, etc.

0 – Too early to tell.

1 – If you want to gross people out for Halloween—go for it.

2 – Useless, in my humble opinion. Don’t waste your money.

3 – Like it but not worth going into debt for it.

4 – Love it. Will treat myself for Christmas, birthday, etc.

5 – OMG. I would sell my mother for the last bottle/jar/tube of this stuff.