Kitten Fur perfume? On sale?

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HauteLook has Demeter fragrances on sale right now, including Kitten Fur. Has anyone smelled this in the wild (pun intended)? Actual kitten fur smells good to me as a certified crazy cat lady, but I feel like separating that smell from a physical cat could be gross. Some of their other odd scents are also included in the sale, like Dirt, Jelly Donut, and Paperback. Hmmmm.

Here's a photo of my foster kitty, Lucia, just because:

Perfume descriptions from someone who doesn't know anything about perfume

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I like to smell things that smell good. I know that much. I'm one of those "I know what I like" assholes. But I don't exactly have the most sophisticated taste in fragrances, and despite all my efforts to learn, I'm not great at identifying various notes in a scent. I do, however, have a bunch of perfume samples, and I tend to associate fragrances with certain things, like we all do. Apparently those are reason enough for me to offer my totally amateur and completely unhelpful descriptions of all the mini perfumes I currently possess, without any regard for what perfumiers claim they are supposed to smell like. I doubt you are going to want to buy anything based on the information provided here, but I've added links for informational purposes, if nothing else.

(Disclaimer: If I'm talking shit about your favorite fragrance, please don't take it personally. Individual tastes and all that, plus perfumes react differently to everyone's body chemistry, so I'm sure the stuff I'm complaining about smells delightful on you.)

I've used a sophisticated ranking system, in case you can't tell whether or not I like something. Y=Yes, I like it. N=No, I don't like it. Y/N=I don't mind how it smells, but I would never buy it.

Here we go. First up, miscellaneous fragrances in no particular order:

TokyoMilk Dark Novacaine No. 85: Smells like an (imaginary) candle from Bath & Body Works called something like Christmas Ginger Cookies. Not in a bad way, but you've got to be really, really into that. (Y/N)

Miu Miu: I bought this solely for the bottle, which is absolutely perfect. The fragrance itself is super generic. If Pretty Perfume Barbie came with a perfume-scented bottle of play perfume, this is what it would smell like. (N)

Bulgari Omnia Paraiba: First it's a tart citrus scent, but it becomes gradually more masculine. Like a single orange, floating in cologne, served in a man's hat. (Y)

Marc Jacobs Decadance: This fragrance is what you would get if you kept some sangria in your fridge for several months until the fruit all turned brown and dissolved into goo, and then you mixed it with a bubble bath called "Ocean Breeze." (NNNNNNNNNNNNNN)

Elizabeth and James Nirvana White: Smells like a 22-year-old who wishes she were in a meadow wearing a flower crown instead of in her dorm room studying for her organic chemistry final. Or like what I imagine Alexis from Schitt's Creek (which you should definitely watch) smells like. (Y/N)

Michaels Kors Wonderlust: Flowers. Flowers flowers flowers. All flowers, no edge. Probably my ideal perfume when I was 6. (N)

Chloé: Rose-scented soap. (Y/N)

Paco Rabanne Olympea: The trendiest perfume your mom owned in 1996 (plus a little artificial watermelon?). (N)

Okay, now we're getting into a whole bunch of fragrances by Atelier Cologne, and so far I have not met an Atelier Cologne fragrance I didn't like--even their vanilla scent, despite the fact that I usually despise vanilla scents. Oddly enough, I found it much more difficult to come up with descriptions of perfumes that I really like.

Atelier Cologne Vanille Insensée: Dark vanilla and whiskey and leather.* (Y)

*I know these are actual fragrance notes, but they are not the ones in the description of this perfume. Supposedly it has lime in it? I don't get any of that at all.

Atelier Cologne Rose Anonyme: This is what a badass princess in a feminist retelling of a fairytale would smell like. (Y)

Atelier Cologne Manderine Glaciale: Five Alive (what up, Canadians?) garnished with mint. (Y)

Atelier Cologne Orange Sanguine: Mandarin oranges, which we called "Christmas oranges" when I was growing. Just straight up, unadulterated Christmas orange. (Y/N)

Atelier Cologne Pomelo Paradis: As one of my all-time favorite fragrances, this is also the hardest to describe. Very tart citrus with some burnt sugar in the background. But a little serious and sophisticated. Business fruit. (YYYYYYYYYY)

The second group of samples I have is from Juliette Has A Gun, who also make perfumes (and not-perfumes) that I really enjoy.

Juliette Has A Gun Mad Madame: An overwrought artisanal cocktail that is nonetheless delicious. (Y)

Juliette Has A Gun Miss Charming: Also a cocktail, but a less complex cocktail that's garnished with a flower. (Y/N)

Juliette Has A Gun Lady Vengeance: The name is perfect. Like a beautiful, femme assassin. You'll get a whiff of this 3 seconds before you're dead. (Y)

FYI, if you want a more accurate and useful description of Lady Vengeance (and a lot of other fragrances), you should read Bad Outfit, Great Lipstick.

Dry Shampoo Disappointment: Suave Moroccan Infusion Weightless Dry Shampoo Review

Originally I was going to put this one in my adequate product roundup, because it sort of does the job. But the more I thought about it, I realized that I really only had complaints, so it gets its own post. (Here's a link to the product since I didn't take a photo of the packaging.)

First off, let's address the product name. Moroccan Infusion? Why? Well, I know why - it's so Suave can cash in on the popularity of their Moroccan Infusion shampoos and conditioners. They've put out a whole line of products under this name now. But this dry shampoo has no argan oil in it, so there's nothing "Moroccan" about it. It also doesn't have the same fragrance as the shampoo and conditioner, which may be disappointing to people who are a fan of that scent. Personally, since I don't like that fragrance, it's not a problem for me. Unfortunately, I don't like the smell of this product either.

That's my first complaint: the fragrance is way too fucking strong. It's overwhelming. I'd been happy with the basic Suave dry shampoo for a while, but when I bought my last can I found the scent annoying. I doubt the product has changed, but my tolerance for its extreme perfuminess has definitely decreased. This new version is just as bad, though. It has a different scent - I think the same one as the original gold can of Suave dry shampoo. It's way too much for me. It gives me a headache and makes my skin itch. That second part might be somewhat psychosomatic, to be fair, because just writing about it is making me itch a little. The issue, though, is that the fragrance is so obnoxious that I can't ignore it. It's in my nose constantly after I use the product. It never fades.

As for performance, well it does absorb oil, and it does add volume. But there's a problem. See for yourself:

Before: gross greasy hair.

After: gross powdery hair.

The lighting in the second photo might be a bit brighter, but nevertheless you can clearly see the white powder near my roots along the part and at my forehead. This is the result I got after a lot of fussing with it. First I sprayed it on at the roots. Then I rubbed it through with my fingers. Then I let it sit for about 5 minutes. Finally I brushed it out. A lot. I brushed every direction and I bent over and flipped my hair over my head and tried to brush it out that way. No good. There's still visible residue. Plus I feel like it makes my sad roots that are in need of coloring more obvious for some reason. They're more grey.

I can go out in public like this without looking too weird, but my hair is pretty light. If you have darker hair, you're probably going to have trouble with this. You could maybe get it to work if you have very light hair and you use only a very, very small amount of product. In that case you might not get as much volume, though.

I'm going to keep playing around with it to see if I can find the ideal amount of product to use that will actually make my hair look clean without turning it grey. So far I haven't struck that balance. Even if I manage to, I'm not sure I'll keep using it, just because I found the perfume so excessive.

How does this one compare to the other two Suave dry shampoos I've reviewed? Compared to the silver can, it's just as strongly scented, but the fragrance is different. It works as well for absorbing oil and adding volume, but it leaves more white powder behind. Compared to the original Keratin Infusion version, it smells the same (from what I remember), absorbs oil as well, leaves hair feeling softer, but again leaves more powder behind. (Having references like this available is a nice thing about blogging. Though maybe I should check them more often, because I didn't remember that I apparently liked the gold can better than the silver one, overall. Hmmm.)

Does anyone know of an affordable dry shampoo that works and doesn't smell like an entire army of heavily perfumed grandmas has set up camp on my scalp? I can't stand baby powder fragrances, so I know that limits my options. I might just have to stick with plain old corn starch, though it isn't quite as effective as some dry shampoos, and it doesn't come in a handy dandy aerosol can.

Demeter fragrances 50+% off on HauteLook

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I can think of a few people I know who would be into a Gin & Tonic scented diffuser. Fun gifts. They have perfumes and room scents that include: Egg Nog, Dirt, Laudromat, Thunderstorm, Earl Grey Tea, Wet Garden, Salt Air, Snow, Dark Chocolate, Lilac, Rain, Grass . . . and a whole bunch more, but those ones sound good to me. Everything seems to be 52-55% off.

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theBalm is also on HauteLook right now. Tomorrow it will be gone, but LORAC will appear.

Fragrance: Is it really the devil?

I'm not so into the smell of my unscented rosehip oil. It's pretty mild, but I figured it would make a more pleasant bedtime ritual if I could mix it with something that smells better. So I popped over to Paula Begoun's site to look at her list of skincare ingredients to try to find something that smells nice and won't damage my skin.

According to Paula, nothing. All of the scented oils etc. are damaging. Here's what she says: "Fragrances, whatever their form, added to personal-care products, impart their scent via volatile compounds. When applied to skin, they react, causing irritation that may or may not be visible on the skin's surface. [...] You may not see the reaction on the surface of your skin from the fragrance in skin-care products, but that doesn't mean the damage isn't silently occurring." [Ed.: Does skin irritation ever make a noise?]

So basically, fuck everything. Is it really so bad as all that? If I put anything on my skin that smells okay, am I going to regret it someday?

The Beauty Brains have a slightly different take: "While many people are allergic to fragrance ingredients and would do well to avoid products with fragrances in them, there is no reason that everyone should avoid fragranced products. Fragrances make the product experience more enjoyable and if they don’t bother your skin, feel free to keep using them."

They also comment that it seems "strangely coincidental" that Paula Begoun sells only fragrance-free products in her skincare line and has such harsh advice about fragrance. I think a more charitable interpretation would be that she doesn't include fragrance in her products because she feels so strongly about it. But I can't read her mind.

Anyway, this is one of these points where you're pretty much going to have to weight the risks you are willing to take and decide for yourself. If you have sensitive skin or allergies, you might want to avoid all fragrances just in case. If you don't, and you take other precautions, such as not smoking and wearing sunscreen regularly, then maybe rubbing some nice-smelling shit on your face isn't going to turn you into an unsightly hag. 

As for me, fragrance isn't something I'm going to go out of my way to avoid, unless it's overly perfumey. And that's mainly just because I don't like a lot of scents and have a sensitive nose. Like baby powder, and whatever Philosophy's Hope in a Jar is supposed to smell like. Barf. Personally, I think if an attractive scent is going to make you more likely to use something that's good for your skin on a regular basis, that probably outweighs the (miniscule) potential for "silent" irritation and damage. I'll stick with my stinky $10 rosehip oil for now. It's not so bad, really.