Illamasqua Raindrops Nail Varnish. Please note that I said “obsessing over”, not “obsessed with”. Why does this legendary nail polish, which looks so gorgeous in so many nail blogger swatches, look so plain on my nails? It looked so sparkly on the Sephora website, dammit!
Sweet Anthem Perfumes Joan. Joan was one of the best perfumes that I tried at the L.A. FRAGments event last month. I love the bite of the tomato leaf juxtaposed with the thick sweetness of the beeswax. This perfume lasts all damn day, and the prices are more than fair- $8.50 for a solid perfume, $28 for 10 ml of the liquid formulation.
Bust Magazine. About a year ago, I decided to stop buying any magazine that made me feel like I had just spent $4.99 to have my self-esteem pummeled. The end result is that Bust is now the only “women’s interest” magazine I buy. This month’s issue features the crazy-talented Janelle Monae and a spread on pizza-themed fashion. Somehow I only got an 8/10 on the “How well do you know Beyonce?” quiz.
Robert Piguet Chai. I was in New York for approximately one hour last week, and you better believe I spent that hour at Bergdorf’s. While other brands politely and not-so-politely declined my requests for samples, the Robert Piguet rep was handing out samples of Chai and Blossom to anyone who walked by. Chai smells like an awfully diluted cup of white tea with honey. It won’t be replacing my beloved Bath and Body Works White Tea & Ginger any time soon, but it’s fine for a hot summer day.
Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Lip Tar in Super NSFW. If someone does not stop me I am going to buy literally every Lip Tar, which is an actual problem because there are 44 of them. This one is a very pretty, totally SFW ruby color.
What have you been obsessing over, perfume-wise and otherwise? Please share your current obsessions with us in the comments!
SCENTS OF SELF 
I love Joan! And its counterpart, Edith. That beeswax-tomato leaf combo is deliciously spicy and perfect for summer!
Also, Illamasqua Raindrops has been on my wishlist forever, but I haven’t picked it up because I have that fear – that it looks amazing on everyone but will just be some blah cornflower blue-gray mess on mine.
Thank you for the recommendation, Larie, I hadn’t heard of Edith! Is it very lilac-y?
I’m going to keep trying to make Raindrops work, but at this point I have to suggest that you save yourself the $17 and go for a dupe instead. I’ve seen a couple of recommendations for Zoya Dove with a sparkly top coat.
With the solid version of Edith, I actually get a lot of bitter orange. I want the EdP next!
You are HILARIOUS Arielle. I love it when you do these, so fun.
Obsessing over: Parfums DelRae Amoureuse, Hermes Rouge and L’Heure Bleue right now fragrance wise.
Just had a very early morning bath in Olympic Orchids Amber Labdanum bath oil: Absolutely fricken DIVINE BTW.
Have you read “The Unlikely Pilgrimage Of Harold Fry”? Laughed, cried, sobbed and smiled throughout, totally engrossing and NOT public transport readable.
The Bonesetter’s Daughter by Amy tan, I’ve just started reading again. WAY better second time around.
Cooked a Chicken & Mushroom Casserole tonight which is so yummy it should be illegal.
Love and a big bear hug,
Portia xx
I had not even heard of The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry! The reviews look excellent, and it’s so rare for actors to write about anything other than themselves. Clearly I have to check it out! Still haven’t smelled Amoureuse, either. Maybe I should have gotten a bottle while it was 50% off at Barney’s… Wish I could have joined you for that scrumptious casserole!
One day I’ll cook for you Arielle.
Portia xx
INVITE MEEEEEEE!!!
Mals86,
You get yourself to our dinner and I’ll cook up a STORM.
Promise.
Portia xx
ah!! Joan!! I own a bottle of it. Of course I’ve been on the SS. Sweet Anthem for a while. I bought the EDP but wish I bought the oil instead. The oil is nicer IMO.
Perfume-wise, I’ve been wearing a lot of old faves lately. I’m also digging Parfums Retro Grand Cuir a LOT. Other than that, I’ve been geeking out on SDCC updates on Twitter..
SDCC tweets always make me jealous, but I felt a particularly strong pang this year when I saw that Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics is there with a Comic-Con exclusive Lip Tar!
woah really?? that’s crazy cool. I haven’t tried any lip tars. I still owe you Dark Passage… I’ll try to get it sent out on Monday.
Just looked up that illamasqua nail polish you’re talking about at Sephora.. it does look pretty sparkly, but I’m afraid I’d be all corpse hands in a color like that..lol.
Joan sounds really nice. I haven’t tried anything from Sweet Anthem yet, but I should, especially at those prices!
As for my obsessions.. I’m really into Serge Lutens Fille en Aiguilles right now. I never thought I’d like something that overtly piney, but I love it.
Have you tried Annick Goutal Nuit Etoilee, Jennifer? I desperately want that gorgeous blue bottle, but the scent itself is so pine/fir-y that I know I would never wear it. But maybe it would be perfect for you!
I haven’t tried Nuit Etoilee. From what I’ve read about it, it sounds nice, though. I haven’t seen it around at any of the stores that sell AG here, but I’ll keep it in mind next time I order samples.
I’m hot. Lazy. Hot. Lazy. Who has the energy to obsess over anything in this weather?
If I’ve been obsessing over anything, it’s new jewelry and clothes for fall. I love back to school shopping like you have no idea.
I already bought the It Cosmetics summer kit as my back to school makeup (my nana always said a girl needed new makeup for back to school) because I am an old person and It Cosmetics makes good stuff for dry aging skin. Srsly. The first highlighter I think I’ve ever been able to use, and a great eyebrow pencil. Can’t wait to try the lip stain; not sure why I haven’t yet.
I am annoyed with my toenail polish, which turned out darker than I wanted, and all perfume ends up smelling like Generic Laundry Musk on me in this weather. Wore Gin Fizz today; it was passable.
(Picture me slumped on the couch going “meh”.)
I’m with you. Pout pout pout. Hot muggy bleh.