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: Perlier & Elariia Body Cream

New Beauty Description:  “Take a mini vacation to the Mediterranean with body cream formulas created by Italy’s premier manufacturer of bath and body products, where fresh ingredients are cultivated and blended into natural, functional formulas.”

First Impression:  The jar is adorable and it’s very easy to chuck in your purse.  It’s glass but it’s pretty thick and sturdy so I don’t think you’d have any issues with breakage.  Unfortunately, the full-size jars seem to be opaque white plastic from what I could tell online, which isn’t nearly as romantic and I’m trying to get away from using plastics as much as I can.   The particular scent I received in my TestTube was Frangipani (a.k.a. plumeria).  Made with sunflower oil and Vitamin E, the cream feels very rich going on but melts into your skin.  I HATE feeling greasy and this stuff turns out to be as light as a feather.  The fragrance is delightful.  It’s flowery but not cloying and it’s very subtle.  You have to get really close to the skin to smell it.  I’d love to try all the scents in this line.  Typical ingredients used in Perlier body cream, depending on the scent, are organic honey, olive oil, citrus extracts, white jasmine, etc.  P & E also operates their own 150-acre farm to grow the ingredients used in their creams.  Nice.  The price isn’t too shabby either.

Sample Size:  1.0 oz

Value of sample size:  $3.66

Full Size:  6.70 oz

Price:  $24.50

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.

REVIEW: Neostrata Skin Active Cellular Restoration

Neostrata Skin Active Cellular Restoration

New Beauty Description:  “Apple stem cell extract, peptides and maltobionic acid in Cellular Restoration work to repair the skin’s cells by reducing oxidative damage and restoring skin-plumping collagen.”

First Impression:  Easy to dispense, applied nicely, absorbed quickly and no greasy feel.  Didn’t really notice much of a scent.  The directions say to apply before bed, after cleansing.

Final Word:  I've been using this cream nightly for the last three weeks (and still have some left--way to go New Beauty!).  Nothing is ever going to replace a face lift--and no matter how depressed I get about my ageing face, I'll never go there--but I liked this cream a lot.  I think it actually had an affect on my skin, particularly on my neck and chest.  I really think I've seen some softening of lines and a reduction in that dreaded crepe-y look that the skin on my neck is just starting to show signs of if the lighting is bad.  I wouldn't hock my Hot Toys Christopher Reeve Superman figure to buy this (busted:  yes, I'm a geek), but if I had some extra cash lying around I would buy this again.

Sample Size:  .5 oz

Value of sample size:  $23

Full Size:  1.75 oz

Price:  $79

Rating so far:  3

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.