Review of Kate Spade Beauty
Apr. 9th, 2014 07:36 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lunabee341. First, my BPAL order finally shipped this evening! I am so excited. I can't wait to start smelling all the things!
2. I need a perfume icon or two methinks. I will gift fic to anyone who feels compelled to make me one. *bats eyelashes* I found a couple cool pictures of perfume bottles but I don't know if they are suitable for iconnage, so I'm open to anything. :)
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/347340189980682133/
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/193936327674211904/
3. Today before I knew my order had shipped I was feeling all impatient to start smelling and reviewing things when I remembered that we do have a couple perfumes in the house right now that I could start with.
Somewhere between 8 to 10 years ago, Josh bought me a bottle of Kate Spade Beauty as a gift. He is such a thoughtful gift giver; he'd watched me pick up a bottle in the store, smell it, remark that I liked it, and then bought a bottle for me as a surprise. It was such a sweet gesture, but after a while of wearing the perfume, I discovered I didn't really like it all that well, so I still have a mostly full bottle.
Apparently, the scent has been discontinued and so it was hard for me to find a description of the perfume's notes. I tracked down this small set of reviews and the consensus seems to be gardenia, honeysuckle, and jasmine with maybe some tuberose and/or other flowers mixed in.
I sprayed one wrist and could immediately identify the honeysuckle and gardenia but not any of the other notes (to be fair, I'm not really sure what jasmine and tuberose smell like LOL). It's very sweet, almost cloying, and stays that way as it dries. It's a warm smell, if that makes any sense, and it doesn't have a lot of throw. I had to bring my wrist up to my nose if I wanted to smell it. It's very pretty but not for me. It feels overpowering and like it might give me a headache over time. I washed it off with Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day hand soap in the radish scent and really liked what my wrist smelled like after that with all the sweetness tamped down (this is clearly a lingerer of a scent; I think Ajax dish soap would probably have washed it off entirely, though).
However, this perfume deserves a better home than with someone who will rarely wear it and possibly force it to commingle with radishes against its will. Free to anyone in the US (or outside US for my friend's list only) who thinks this might work for them.
4. And now for the fic. I decided that I wanted to accompany each of my reviews with at least a drabble's worth of fic inspired by the scent. So have a double drabble of HP. :)
Beauty
The day Narcissa Black marries Lucius Malfoy, the house elves float hundreds of gardenia blossoms in her bath. The scent is cloying, heavy, and between the flowers and the steam, Narcissa can barely breathe. Creamy petals cling to her skin; she picks them out of her hair for what seems like hours afterward. When the flowers have been banished, though, and only their fragrance remains, Narcissa feels as if she is cloaked in something powerful, sensuous. Bellatrix joins her at the foot of the stairs just as the orchestra begins to play in the gardens. Her sister’s arms are full of honeysuckle and jasmine, a wild tangle of white flowers and greenery that nearly glows against the silk of her dress, the darkness of her curls. “Are you ready?” Bellatrix asks. Narcissa thinks about the sister who is missing, and she can almost smell the tuberose and lilacs of the bouquet she’d bear. Bellatrix looks at Narcissa, at the empty space next to her, and Narcissa smiles before Bellatrix can scold her for being maudlin. “Yes,” Narcissa says and follows her sister through the Great Hall and into the gardens where the rest of her life is waiting for her.
2. I need a perfume icon or two methinks. I will gift fic to anyone who feels compelled to make me one. *bats eyelashes* I found a couple cool pictures of perfume bottles but I don't know if they are suitable for iconnage, so I'm open to anything. :)
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/347340189980682133/
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/193936327674211904/
3. Today before I knew my order had shipped I was feeling all impatient to start smelling and reviewing things when I remembered that we do have a couple perfumes in the house right now that I could start with.
Somewhere between 8 to 10 years ago, Josh bought me a bottle of Kate Spade Beauty as a gift. He is such a thoughtful gift giver; he'd watched me pick up a bottle in the store, smell it, remark that I liked it, and then bought a bottle for me as a surprise. It was such a sweet gesture, but after a while of wearing the perfume, I discovered I didn't really like it all that well, so I still have a mostly full bottle.
Apparently, the scent has been discontinued and so it was hard for me to find a description of the perfume's notes. I tracked down this small set of reviews and the consensus seems to be gardenia, honeysuckle, and jasmine with maybe some tuberose and/or other flowers mixed in.
I sprayed one wrist and could immediately identify the honeysuckle and gardenia but not any of the other notes (to be fair, I'm not really sure what jasmine and tuberose smell like LOL). It's very sweet, almost cloying, and stays that way as it dries. It's a warm smell, if that makes any sense, and it doesn't have a lot of throw. I had to bring my wrist up to my nose if I wanted to smell it. It's very pretty but not for me. It feels overpowering and like it might give me a headache over time. I washed it off with Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day hand soap in the radish scent and really liked what my wrist smelled like after that with all the sweetness tamped down (this is clearly a lingerer of a scent; I think Ajax dish soap would probably have washed it off entirely, though).
However, this perfume deserves a better home than with someone who will rarely wear it and possibly force it to commingle with radishes against its will. Free to anyone in the US (or outside US for my friend's list only) who thinks this might work for them.
4. And now for the fic. I decided that I wanted to accompany each of my reviews with at least a drabble's worth of fic inspired by the scent. So have a double drabble of HP. :)
Beauty
The day Narcissa Black marries Lucius Malfoy, the house elves float hundreds of gardenia blossoms in her bath. The scent is cloying, heavy, and between the flowers and the steam, Narcissa can barely breathe. Creamy petals cling to her skin; she picks them out of her hair for what seems like hours afterward. When the flowers have been banished, though, and only their fragrance remains, Narcissa feels as if she is cloaked in something powerful, sensuous. Bellatrix joins her at the foot of the stairs just as the orchestra begins to play in the gardens. Her sister’s arms are full of honeysuckle and jasmine, a wild tangle of white flowers and greenery that nearly glows against the silk of her dress, the darkness of her curls. “Are you ready?” Bellatrix asks. Narcissa thinks about the sister who is missing, and she can almost smell the tuberose and lilacs of the bouquet she’d bear. Bellatrix looks at Narcissa, at the empty space next to her, and Narcissa smiles before Bellatrix can scold her for being maudlin. “Yes,” Narcissa says and follows her sister through the Great Hall and into the gardens where the rest of her life is waiting for her.
no subject
Date: 2014-04-10 01:34 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-04-10 01:13 pm (UTC)I love the Malfoys too, especially fic where Lucius and Narcissa really love each other. I can certainly buy versions of them who are cold or cruel or who were married for political reasons and never fell in love, etc., but I really love versions of them who do love each other.
no subject
Date: 2014-04-10 04:35 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-04-11 03:46 pm (UTC)And while I can enjoy a fic where Lucius is just the epitome of evil that Draco must escape from (and into the arms of Harry or Hermione or Blaise or whoever LOL), canon's pretty clear that both Malfoys adore Draco. He's a loved kiddo.
no subject
Date: 2014-04-10 02:47 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-04-11 03:43 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-04-11 06:57 pm (UTC)The author/artist has a tumblr blog. I wonder if she'd be willing to host it on her new site again or link to it on tumblr.
no subject
Date: 2014-04-12 05:03 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-04-11 01:27 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-04-11 03:44 pm (UTC)I had a go at three simple ones...
Date: 2014-04-11 06:47 am (UTC)Don't worry if they're not what you were looking for, I like the practice (I think I am gonna have to stump up for more icon places over here)
Re: I had a go at three simple ones...
Date: 2014-04-11 03:44 pm (UTC)What shall I write for you?
Re: I had a go at three simple ones...
Date: 2014-04-12 10:06 am (UTC)Re: I had a go at three simple ones...
Date: 2014-04-23 02:44 am (UTC)http://lunabee34.dreamwidth.org/387452.html
Re: I had a go at three simple ones...
Date: 2014-04-11 07:01 pm (UTC)Re: I had a go at three simple ones...
Date: 2014-04-12 10:07 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-06-18 12:27 am (UTC)I admit I love your idea of writing fic to go along with perfume reviews. This probably sounds bizarre to anyone outside of perfume fandom but I've been inspired to search out several scents from reading about them in fic.
I see by your later posts that you already have acquired a lovely perfume icon. I have only very basic icon skills but I did find this old set by
If I found a suitable photo of a beehive shaped perfume bottle, would that be of interest for an icon? I don't know the meaning of "lunabee" although I'm guessing it's not a type of insect...
Edited to add:
Also, one of these might suit if you like bpal scents: http://exceptforme.livejournal.com/14153.html The pics are from their website. I
Edit the second: I just realized that
no subject
Date: 2014-06-19 01:20 am (UTC)I'm so glad you like the fic idea. I have not abandoned it even though my later reviews don't include fic; I just got too busy with work and baby and being constantly sick.
Thank you so much for tracking down these icons. *beams* That is so sweet of you. :)
Lunabee comes from my original AOL (ahahahahahahahahaa I'm old) screen name. We had a cat named Luna (a white mutt kitty with lots of Siamese in her), and I would call her Lunabee. IDK why now. When I had to pick a screen name, I picked Lunabee which had already been taken, so I just added random numbers. I would love a bee perfume bottle icon; that would be a cool take on my screen name. But don't go to any trouble on my account. *hugs*
Have you joined
no subject
Date: 2014-06-19 02:02 am (UTC)You were on AOL back in the day. Most people were and we weren't. I don't remember why. Jesus, now I can't even remember our first provider but it wasn't AOL. I don't think it was. DAMN I MISS MY BRAIN. Anyway, you are not old. You have a baby? My baby is starting grad school this fall. I really am old. LOL.
Like I said, my icon skills are minimalist but if I find something suitable that still looks like a perfume bottle and not a weird beehive in miniature, I'll post it here for you.
It's lovely to meet you, too.
no subject
Date: 2014-06-19 02:07 am (UTC)I have an eleven and a half year old and an almost one year old. I am not truly old; I just feel that way. LOL It doesn't help that a lot of my fannish time is spend on fandom secrets where just about everyone seems to be 20 years old. Teaching college doesn't help either because whether or not I am, they all *think* I'm really old, and I buy the hype. LOL
Rydra_Wong links to all sorts of things, but I have particularly been enjoying reviews by
So what are you wearing lately? Testing lots of things or loving a tried and true?
no subject
Date: 2014-06-19 07:47 pm (UTC)It is gratifying that he got in, and to a pretty good school, too. He's going to be getting a Doctorate of Physical Therapy from Chapman University (a private Christian school in Orange County). The only problem now is how to pay for it. Loans, loans, and more loans... We're "loaning" him money and he's having to take out those horrible government grad student loans that start accruing interest the minute you get them. They actually tell the students to start paying the interest while they're in school. Good grief! If they had the money to do that, why would they need the loans?
What am I wearing? I do rotate my perfumes now. After I read Perfumes: The Guide in 2008, I got it into my head to try every perfume they'd given four and five star ratings. (Not terribly original, I know.) After having worn nothing but Joy (the eau de parfum) for years, it's been fun to try different things. Today, I'm wearing a four star drugstore cheapie: Lady Stetson. It smells like cinnamon and carnations on me, which is nothing like the book's description. I never smell any peach, for one thing. But it smells great and it's incredibly cheap. They are right about the ugly bottle. I love the male version even better, Original Stetson, and I wear it a lot in the winter. They describe it as a "floral oriental." I don't know about that, but it smells great to me and on me, and it doesn't make my husband sneeze if we're in the car together.
You can see how useful my perfume reviews would be. LOL.
no subject
Date: 2014-07-02 12:14 am (UTC)I think your perfume reviews sound awesome. I mean, the ones I read run the gamut from very visceral "this is how this makes me feel" to "this is how this perfume fits into the history of scent." So I wouldn't worry about that.
no subject
Date: 2014-07-02 12:27 am (UTC)Yeah, I was reading someone's reviews that were linked to
no subject
Date: 2014-07-04 12:31 am (UTC)