I thought you ladies might enjoy reading this little fragrance feature. It kinda got me thinking, and wondering how many of us here in Malaysia choose a perfume to feel sexy. For all the fragrances I own and have ever owned, I can’t think of one that truly made me feel sexy – confident, yes – but hey, some people translate that to feeling sexy. But I don’t think I’ve ever sprayed on a scent that made me feel “hey boy – come and get me”  sexy. What about you?

Enjoy the piece, I’ve always loved Luca Turin, he’s hilarious! 

.

The Sexiest Fragrances (Ever)

*Allure July 2010

Scent is so closely tied to sex that when people lose their sense of smell, their sex drive often disappears, too. But it doesn’t take a degree in science to know that some scents evoke love (er, make that lust) more than others. We asked Luca Turin and Tania Sanchez, the professional sniffers behind Perfumes: The A to Z Guide, to pick the five sexiest-smelling perfumes of all time.

• Chinatown by Bond No. 9 New York
• Smells like: spice. “If wearing Opium is like walking around with a bullhorn shouting, ‘Come and get it!’ Chinatown is like discreetly whispering the same thing.”

• Insolence Eau de Parfum by Guerlain
• Smells like: tuberose amber. “One of the few fragrances built to work for three stages of a successful encounter: to draw someone’s attention from across the room, to make flirtatious conversation for a few hours, and to still smell fantastic the morning after.”

• Bulgari Black by Bulgari
• Smells like: rubber plus leather. “With those notes … you do the math.”

• 31 Rue Cambon by Chanel
• Smells like: floral amber. “The ultimate fragrance of the unattainable blonde, as incarnated at various times by Grace Kelly, Cybill Shepherd and Betty from Archie.”

• Sécrétions Magnifiques by Etat Libre D’Orange
• Smells like: floral bilge. “This frightening perfume, which smells like you’re wearing Dior J’Adore while on your period, is so sexy no one at all should ever wear it, because randy dogs might chase you down the street.”

Anndddd ….. We are ONE!

It’s been a great run – and I truly hope that there’ll be more great things to come for Red Luscious Lips.

Of course, no birthday celebration is complete without gifts, fabulous gifts! And so here it goes. … 

I have not one, but two great giveaways to celebrate Red Luscious Lips turning one! Two very lucky ladies will each win one of these beauty packs, which contain some of my favourite things. Here’s a sneak peek:

Fab finds 1: 

• Nina Ricci Ricci Ricci EDP 50ml
• Chanel 4 Fleurs De Chanel eye shadow palette in Féeries
• Anna Sui Mini Rouge in 301
• Maybelline [Lip] Smooth Color & Care in Cranberry Jam
• Smashbox Heartbreaker Lash DNA Mascara in Jet Black
• Majolica Mascara Honey Pump Gloss Neo in BE145
• iNouvi Lip Polish in Lotus
• L’Oréal True Match foundation in N1
• The Balm Overshadow in Work is Overrated
• Rimmel 3 in 1 Powder Blush in Spring Flower
• Bobbi Brown Basics Lip Palette

Fab finds 2:

• Shiseido Zen Eau de Parfum Concentrated 50ml
• Anna Sui Lip COlor Collection MD IV
• Maybelline [Lip] Smooth Color & Care in Dolly Rose
• The Balm hot Mama! Shadow/Blush 
• Majolica Majorca Honey Pump Gloss Neo in PK144
• Chanel Rouge Allure lipstick in Délicieuse
• iNouvi Lip Polish in Tulip
• Majolica Majorca Perfect Automatic Liner in BK999
• Smashbox Heartbreaker Eye Shadow Palette in Kiss ‘N Tell
• L’Oréal Open Eyes eye shadow palette  
• L’Oréal True Match foundation in R2

To get a shot at winning, all you have to do is send me an email to introduce yourself, and tell me what you think are the good, the bad, and the ugly bits about Red Luscious Lips. Be as honest as you can, because I need to know these things, y’know?

As always, am gonna leave the selection of winners to Miss Elika – who will be judge and jury.

This birthday giveaway ends one week from now – that’s July 2, and – more fabulous news – it is open to all readers, any where on the planet, so start sending me that email!

Good luck, girls!

Ladies, this is the ad shot for Mariah Carey’s latest perfume trio called Lollipop Bling. Now I love this woman’s music – always been a fan. But there’s just something so … disturbing about this photo that I just have to get off my chest.

Does anyone else think that the image is just so wrong on so many different levels?

For starters, she is 40.

When it comes to make-up, the one product I have the most loyalty towards is the foundation. I also tend to repeat using the same one over and over again – like my Guerlain Parure Aqua liquid foundation, or the Giorgio Armani Designer Compact Foundation. Every once in a while, I’ll add in a new one to this small group of favourites, but the honest truth is, I’ve been too lazy to try out new foundations.      

So it was really on a whim that I picked up the Rimmel Stay Matte Foundation. I have a soft spot for the brand, and I figured, why not. I already knew that my shade would be Soft Beige from previous Rimmel hauls, so it was grab and go.      

And I am oh-so-pleased that I did, because I love this!      

This liquid foundation has got an ingredients list that include extracts from cotton (to control excess oil), chamomile (soothe the skin) and cucumber (keeps pores tight). Its USP is that your skin will stay shine-free and dewy for up to 12 hours.      

Best of all, for you eco-warriors out there, this foundation is formulated without additional fragrance, oils, and parabens.      

Stay Matte has got a texture that is lightweight – though it could be less runny, I feel. Yet, it feels creamy when applied on – and is really pretty moisturising. I love how it goes on the skin, and gets it feeling nice and plump. And goodness, I’ve not had skin this dewy and healthy-looking since I was a teenager!      

I’m very impressed with this foundation, though it didn’t rate so well on Makeup Alley (only 2.6 out of 5). With Stay Matte on, I don’t have issues with having to powder or blot. I shine at the right places – and oh, it doesn’t oxidise!      

Coverage is light to medium, depending on how flawless your skin is. I still need to cover nasty pimples with concealer (you can see them there, right on my chin). And with application, it’s normally with a brush on weekdays, and I prefer to use my fingers on weekends to give my look a more natural finish.        

I will definitely be repurchasing, and at its price – compared to my other favourites, this is an absolute bargain. Stay Matte is nestled right between my GAC and Guerlain foundations now. Happiness!     

Tools:    

• Eyes: Estee Lauder Pure Color Eye Shadow in Mocha Cup, Chanel Inimitable mascara in Black.
• Cheeks: Benefit Sugarbomb. 
• Lips: Chanel Hydrabase lipstick in Fantastic Plum, MAC Lipglass in Quick Tease.

  Rimmel Stay Matte foundation is RM35.90 at pharmacies nationwide.    

Amongst all the blue eye shadows I own, the one I’m most in love with is a particular Estee Lauder Pure Color single shadow called Midnight. Midnight is the perfect shade of indigo, and I’d usually work heavily smoked eyes with it.

But as much as I love the colour, I have serious issues with the actual powder. It looks great in the first … oh, hour or so … after which, the eye shadow will proceed to simply disappear. Staying power is just really bad. I tend to carry the eye shadow in my handbag whenever I wear this, just so I can keep topping it up on my eyelids!

So when Benefit launched Stay Don’t Stray in April, I immediately thought – maybe this could just save Midnight.

Stay Don’t Stray is a primer that, according to Benefit, will get concealers and eye shadow to really stay put – concealers won’t crease, and eye shadows will stay vibrant and true.

It comes in an airless pump, which makes it really easy to use. Just one pump is enough for both eyes, at least for me. The primer is coloured and feels very much like a liquid concealer. You’re meant to simply dab it around the eye area – the eyelids and under-eye – and let it dry (which it does very quickly) before applying your concealer and eye shadow.  

And as an added bonus, and because it’s almost a given now for make-up to also have good-for-skin properties, the primer also comes with vitamins C and E, and sodium hyaluronate.  

I like the texture of SDS, it’s still lightweight and blends in really well. In fact, sometimes I find myself even skipping concealer because this camouflages redness or dark circles well enough. The only thing is that for those with darker skin tone might have problems making sure the “dark beige” shade of this primer blends properly with their colouring.

To prove the primer’s claims, I wore it on a day that I knew would really test it to its limits – this means a nasty combination of Midnight and Track day! Because of work, I had to spend an entire day at a medium-speed test track, driving in the sweltering heat - without the air-con on!

And did the primer hold the colour? Well, I got home at 7pm after a long, sweaty day, and I’d say my eyes still looked pretty decent. Ignore how oily my skin is, just focus on the fact that my eye shadow was still on!

So yes, Stay Don’t Stray has my two thumbs up. 

No more hating Midnight.   

.

Stay Don’t Stray is available at Benefit counters for RM108.