I have mad love for Lisa Rinna. Besides the fact that she finally removed the collagen from her duck lips (Hallelujah!), she’s been rocking the same shag hairstyle for OVER 15 YEARS. Yet, every time I see her, she looks incredibly sexy and stylish. It’s the perfect example of finding the right style, making it your own, and creating a signature look – regardless of what’s popular at the moment. Even Posh Spice, who pioneered the Pob, changes it up from time to time… but not Lisa. She is a MASTER OF CONTINUITY.

I subscribe to her theory when it comes to fragrances. Unlike most, I’m not tempted to try the latest and greatest perfume by this pop star or that designer. I like finding a fragrance that smells great – to me, anyways; scent is such a personal thing – works with my chemistry, and garners at least a handful of compliments in the first few weeks that I wear it. And then, that’s it. I stick with it until I am utterly, completely sick of it, and yearn for something new.

For the longest time, my go-to scent was Salvatore Ferragamo’s “Charms”.

Back story: At a resto-lounge a few of years ago, I met an insanely cute guy on a blind date. At the end of the night, he leaned over and said: “You smell amazing. I honestly just want to breathe you in. What are you wearing?”

I responded with, “Ferragamo, it’s my scent”.

Recently, that same cute guy kissed our two little boys as he tucked them into bed.

The lure of sticking to one fragrance is that it becomes your calling card, your signature. And since scent can invoke so many memories – especially pleasurable ones – it’s well worth sticking to one fragrance instead of rotating through your collection of favourites. And, if you must change it up, try using one scent per season.

As soon as the warm weather hits, I turn to beach by Bobbi Brown. If you read my review of beach Body Lotion last year, you’ll know why I’m so gung-ho about the fragrance – it holds memories for me.

Do tell: What’s Your Signature Scent? 

It’s no secret that I’m having the ultimate Beauty & Fashion Bash in July. I’m just waiting on a few sponsors to confirm, but it looks like there will be a giveaway for EVERY day of the month.

(Don’t mind me – just doing a happy dance.)

Yesterday, I received a very summery package of goodies courtesy of Bobbi Brown Cosmetics, one of my fabulous sponsors. Now while I’d normally wait until the event to post my review, I simply can’t contain my excitement for one of the products: Bobbi Brown beach Body Lotion.

“This lightweight body moisturizer contains a soothing and hydrating blend of Aloe Vera and Olive, Jojoba and Sunflower Oils. beach Body Lotion helps reduce peeling and prolong the life of your tan. Green Tea and Vitamin E provide antioxidant protection. Freshly scented with beach Fragrance.”

The fragrance – beach – is the cleanest, freshest, most tantalizing scent I have ever smelled. I’m hooked! I literally could not stop applying the lotion to my arms and upper body… and last night, I booted it to Holt Renfrew so I could pick up the beach Eau de Parfum.

beach captures the very essence of summer with a lightly intoxicating blend of sand jasmine, sea spray and mandarin. But it doesn’t merely smell like the beach. It smells like the beach at a 5-star resort, where a gorgeous cabana boy is offering you a fruity concoction while you turn over on your side to enjoy the view of the clear blue water lapping up to the shore.

Or, for my 80′s girls – running through the sprinkler in th backyard, wearing Coppertone sun tan oil, trading jelly bracelets and drinking Kool Aid. The fragrance evokes so many memories, it’s almost like a nostalgic drug.

Do you see why I couldn’t wait until July to share this with you?

The fragrance also passes the “guys love it” test – my husband described the scent as “hot” but “light and fresh” at the same time… and “that’s how all ladies should smell in summer”. LOVE it!

Click here to find a Bobbi Brown store near you.

If you haven’t taken the awesome postgradlife’s Vanilla Perfume Challenge just yet, now would be an excellent time to get in on the fun!

From October 1st to 3rd, purchase a $3 “Scent Bag” and you’ll be able to fill it up with your favourite “food-themed” bath, body and fragrance products at 50% off the regular price.

The fine print:

The Scent Bag Offer includes 50% off any Bath & Body or Fragrance products that are listed on the designated bag and which fit within said bag purchased by the customer for $3. Each bag may only be filled one time with product; customers may purchase multiple bags. No refunds for the bag. The Offer cannot be combined with any other coupons. Can be used in conjunction with the Love Your Body discount and in-store promotions. Offer is not applicable to prior purchases. Offer not valid online.

Speaking of the challenge, so far from the readers who have left feedback, we’re at a 80% success rate! To those who have purchased the perfume/oil, don’t forget to leave a comment with your experience!

All the Single Ladies! Read on…

A few days ago I let ya’ll know that one of my favourite new blogs is postgradlife. Well, Caitlin recently posted a smellrific challenge that I thought I’d share:

Are you single and ready to mingle? Please participate in my CHALLENGE

That’s right kids! It’s story time with Caitlin!

It was a slow day at the bar one weekend, and I was chatting with another female bartender. She started prepping because a boy was coming in to see her. She looked at me and the other server and said, ladies, if you wanna get good tips put this on! She handed us a bottle of The Body Shop Vanilla Perfume after slathering it all over herself. And by all over I mean neck, arms, ta-tas. Everywhere. She claimed that she had a 95% increase in tips when she wore this stuff, and that anytime she has a date, guys swoon over her. I laughed, and put some on myself (like I’m gonna pass up an opportunity to make more tips, let’s be honest here! I have a freaking fat debt taking over my spending money!)

Later that night, and $250 later…I could not believe the wonders of the stuff! AND the COMPLIMENTS! My God, not only did my tips increase by 95%, but so did my ego!

“Wow, you smell so good! What’s your name?”

“Hey, is that you that smells so good? What are you wearing? Is that perfume?” (I told this guy I wasn’t wearing perfume, I just smell good. Let’s pretend he believed me)

And there was more where that came from, but my compliments are besides that point… as much as I would love to share them with you and make me feel good about myself, I will stop.

So, I wondered if maybe it was a fluke and decided to embark on an experiment. The following Friday (because Saturday’s aren’t as busy and I didn’t want to to botch my experiment) I did not wear the perfume,

1) being that I didn’t actually have a bottle and
2) the bartender who owned the bottle was not there. (okay, so it was an indirect experiment).

My tips… were not as big as the previous Friday. The next day I went out and bought the perfume. And it is true…the perfume is really a wonder worker.

Here is my task for you:

Please participate in the “Caitlin Believes in Vanilla Perfume from Body Shop Challenge”

1) Go and buy the bottle – its a pretty reasonable price (for what it’s worth… hehehe)
2) Don’t tell your significant other, or random hook-up (I’m not judging!) that you’re wearing it, let it alone that you bought new perfume.
3) See if anything is said… see if there is a change from their regular behavior… or it’s a random hook-up… see if they ask about it, or say something about the way you smell.

After, report back to me by leaving a comment on this post. Spread the word about the challenge! I’m really curious to see if guys dig this scent. Now, there is a study that shows males are attracted to smells that are food based, i.e. vanilla and fruity smells. But this is the perfect way to REALLY tell. But more so, I’m curious about this scent in particular.

Let me know!
xo
Caitlin

Now most readers know that I worked at The Body Shop back in high school, and yes, I did own a bottle of Vanilla Perfume (only then it was the fragrance oil). Come to think of it, my boyfriend at the time really, really liked it. And I definitely received compliments from random dudes who came into the shop “What are you wearing? I want to buy that for my girlfriend.”

I dare you to participate in this challenge! The Vanilla EDT is only $17.00… if you don’t like it, just use it as an air freshener!

If you’re visiting The Bay cosmetics and/or fragrance counter this weekend, take one of these handy coupons along with you:

$5 off $30
$10 off $50

The Body Shop has an online exclusive TODAY only – you can grab 4 of their popular body butters for just $8 – a savings of 60%!

Choose from Pink Grapefruit, Mango, Moringa (?) or Wild Cherry. Shipping is always a flat $5.00, so while you’re online, why not grab some other favourites as well – ALL Bath & Body and Fragrance is 25% off as well!

A few weeks ago, Matchstick.ca generously sent me 12 vials of the new ck free cologne to distribute to some lucky men I know. I happily shared it with ten friends of distinct person-alities and backgrounds, all who promised to give the fragrance a try and report back on their experience.

(Mike was one of those testers – I’ll let you know about my opinion of the cologne later.)

I then created a super-sophisticated questionnaire to measure their reaction to the product, and came up with the following results:

Please read the following product description…

“ck free, inspired by the spirit of the modern, independent man who lives every day to the fullest. he has nothing to prove. he’s cool, relaxed and free-spirited. he does what he wants and is in control of his own destiny.”

1. Based on the product description above, is this the type of fragrance that would fit your lifestyle?

Strongly Agree 10%
Agree 20%
Neutral 40%
Disagree 30%
Strongly Disagree 0%

2. Did you find the fragrance appealing?

Strongly Agree 10%
Agree 10%
Neutral 30%
Disagree 50%
Strongly Disagree 0%

3. The base notes include Costa Rican Ironwood, Oakwood, Patchouli, and Texan Cedarwood. These traditional impart a very “masculine” scent. Would you agree that ck free captures the spirit of a modern, independent man?

Strongly Agree 10%
Agree 0%
Neutral 40%
Disagree 50%
Strongly Disagree 0%

4. Did the fragrance hold true to its scent throughout the day/night?

Strongly Agree 0%
Agree 50%
Neutral 40%
Disagree 10%
Strongly Disagree 0%

5. Would you purchase ck free?

Strongly Agree 0%
Agree 10%
Neutral 20%
Disagree 30%
Strongly Disagree 40%

So there you have it – straight from the horse’s mouths. To be honest, I wasn’t really surprised by the results. While the fragrance smelled wonderful in the vial, once on Mike, it took on a mass market, 80′s-type vibe while shamelessly borrowing notes from Dior Homme. I was sooo excited to get this cologne on my man; once on, I begged him to shower it off (which actually was a hard feat thanks to it’s colossal staying power – kudos to ck if you love the fragrance).

I really, really hate to post less-than-stellar reviews, but in this case, I found it necessary to let my readers know the 411 – especially come holiday season, when those department reps will be out in full force trying to entice you into a purchase.

If you’re a fan of the fragrance, I welcome you to post your review in the comments section.