Guerlain Aqua Allegoria Pamplelune

The tropical weather in Malaysia drives me to seek scents with crisp green or juicy citrus notes to counteract the mind-numbing, soul-crushing humidity. I love grapefruits, both to eat and to wear, which made this bottle difficult to resist when I chanced upon it in an airport duty free shop. Guerlain's Aqua Allegoria Pamplelune EDT contains all the bright, sunny juiciness of a ripe grapefruit without the bitter tang that divides the population into grapefruit fans and, well, chumps (Just kidding!). It is easily the happiest perfume in my collection, and the memory of the scent alone is enough to bring a smile to my face.

The best part about Pamplelune is that it is part of the less expensive Aqua Allegoria line -- I paid about RM160 duty free for my 75ml/2.4 fl oz bottle, which is priced at US$52 on Sephora. Pamplelune is easily found at airport duty free shops as well as Guerlain counters in department stores.

Top notes: Acidulous grapefruit
Middle notes: Flowers from Provence, grapefruit
Base notes: Delicious grapefruit, patchouli, vanilla

Update: Guerlain LE Eyeshadow Palette Fleur de Feu

A few days ago, I managed to snag what I thought would be the last Fleur de Feu palette on this side of the earth.

That was until I stepped into Myer at Chadstone today. A quick chat and I went away knowing that 2 more women in this city would walk away with the same palette.

So, just 2 more. Run, dash, fly to Myer today to grab one for yourself. To ensure you're not disappointed, you can call up ahead and have it set aside for you before you make a trip over.

The number for the Guerlain counter: 9567 6266

Happy shopping!

NB: Don't bother with David Jones in Chaddy's. It's not even on the display anymore.

Pretty Beauty Stash

A quick pitstop at Doncaster Westfield a few days ago and my heart skipped a beat.




Gift with purchase! My favourite kind of shopping!


Take a guess!






What could it be?!



I think I should stop tantalizing Tine. For an entire day of yesterday and today, we'd been exchanging texts and emails and she's probably going to make me pay dearly for teasing her when we do meet up for coffee one day.

Well, not long ago, Shryh blogged on Glossifieds not long ago on a limited edition Guerlain palette. I tried my darndest to locate it in Wellington airport but to no avail. But, heyho, here we go!




Up close and personal


Without flash

It's probably the last one in Melbourne because I got Myer and David Jones in the city to call up Chaddy's and a few other places. But, I never thought of Westfield.

Good on me!

Logo much? Coach lip gloss.

I don't think logoed items should be automatically scorned or dismissed. Louis Vuitton is an iconic brand because of their monogram canvas bags which have spawned countless imitators. I object primarily to ugly logos and the lazy use of logos as it imparts a false sense of value to products -- a tea cosy embroidered with Chanel's interlocking c's isn't going to make a pot of Lipton taste like Mariage Freres. By succumbing to such cheap and blatant branding practices, consumers encourage manufacturers to be complacent and unimaginative.

There's branding, and there's lazy branding. These Coach lip glosses smack of the latter -- the logo is all over the tube like a bad rash. The packaging signals to me that Coach couldn't be bothered to come up with a distinctive product, and like the Coach perfume, the glosses seem as though they were manufactured to steal the few remaining dollars from the purses of their most blinkered customers. "Our customers aren't Hermes customers," you can hear them arguing in the boardroom. "They don't expect top quality, and since they're not paying Hermes prices, we're not going to give them top quality either. Oh, just whip up some gunk, stuff 'em in these containers we bought in China and stamp our logo on it to make them look Coach-y."

The Coach lip glosses come in three shades -- Gardenia, Hibiscus and Heather -- and retails for US$22 on its website. I recommend that you purchase a Guerlain Kiss Kiss gloss, Chanel Glossimer or YSL Golden Gloss for real lip gloss snob factor, if that's what you're after. Even if it's a dumb reason to buy a gloss.

Guerlain LE Eyeshadow Palette Fleur de Feu

Heart... fluttering... Cannot... breathe...
Image from eluxury.com

Hooooly smokes, but Guerlain's Fleur de Feu (Fire Flower, I think) limited edition eyeshadow palette is making me go weak in the knees. Designed by Herve van der Straeten, the man who brought Guerlain into the 21st century with his product designs, the palette takes inspiration from a South African flower that "mocks the surrounding land ravaged by fire [...] the ideal metaphor for casting off winter's gloom." Oooookay. But apart from the melodramatic copy, what's not to like about the pink and grey shadows encased in a black gold (swoon!) compact? Nothing, I tell you, NOTHING.