Guest Review: I am King EDT

When it comes to men's products, it's always good to get a review from a male perspective since they are likely to tell it as it is - and in a language men would understand, which always helps.

So today, I have a guest post from a good friend of mine, A. King (or AK as we like to call him). He considers himself somewhat of a decent writer and connoisseur of fine food and spirits. His inaugural review is on a fragrance as it aptly has his namesake and was gifted to him by a beautiful lady.

Now without further ado, here is AK's take on the fragrance. 

I am King EDT by Sean John

A novice at all things creamy, oily and cosmetic, I nonetheless found myself drawn to try this offering. In my humblest opinion, I am King so an eau de toilette called ‘I am King’ seemed a natural addition to my life (yes, this is a joke).

Launched by Sean John (aka Puff Daddy/P. Diddy) back in 2008, the lifestyle and attitudes of the fragrance owner fortuitously also seem to match my own (at least in my dreams).

Sceptical from the videos and grand fluff on the fragrance’s official website, I pushed down the pump for the first time to find myself enjoying a soft fruity smell.

It's not quite the smell of fast cars and beautiful women as expected but pleasant nonetheless. Could I smell the aroma where I applied it several hours later? Indeed.

Was I enjoying a fruity aroma around my body the rest of the day? Not really - it sort of became a green woody scent in the final hours of wear.

Did it make me as attractive to women as P. Diddy? Sadly, it didn’t seem to but I guess that was one thing it never promised.

I do not see any benefit in this product for everyday use (who do I want to impress at work anyway?) but I do put it on for special occasions – weddings in particular and if there was a special someone I wanted to please, I'd be squirting more of this on me.

To be the King, you have to smell like the King right? This is worth a try for the man who has visions of grandeur - even better as a gift for the man from a beautiful lady.

I am King 50ml - RRP A$140 but available cheaper at Myer and online. Yes, I am King.

What do you think of having a guy give their opnion on men's beauty product? should AK's reviews become a regular feature on TIL?

If you are interested in being featured on TIL in a guest review - drop me a line on Facebook, email or twitter.

Falling in Love: Cheeky Alice by Vivienne Westwood

When Vivienne Westwood launch Naughty Alice last year, I was charmed by the cute bottle design and then fell head over heels in love with warm musky violet bouquet.

This year Alice is back, but she’s no-longer naughty. No siree, This time she comes back full of mischief and more playful than ever. Alice in 2012 has become very cheeky.

She's swapped her robin blue charm wrapping around the neck of her bottle with a detachable patented red leatherette bracelet with two hearts ends that can fastened together or tied across the wrist and be worn by its keeper.

Ms Cheeky is full of sparkling notes, you immediately fall for her fresh lily of the valley notes, infused with the warm and femininity of roses, peonies. It is soft, provocative, and playful at the same time and it is hard for any man or women to not be mesmerised by her.

But Cheeky Alice is not intense. She actually settles quite quickly and in 30 minutes, she becomes more subdued and emits a warm scent of rose in a woody musky base, making her all the more alluring. She then fades in the next hour and my only wish is that she held on to her intensity much longer like her older sister Naughty Alice did. It is a good thing then that her brief visits can always be called upon often if you posess the magic exilir bottle she is housed in.

Cheeky Alice is an magnificent sparkling floral scent – there would be very few floral lovers who would not want to possess her.

EDP RRP 75ml A$125 | 50m A$95. Available now at Myer, David Jones stores, The Perfume Connection and selected pharmacies.

This featured product was provided for consideration.

Harajuku Lovers: Super G

My last dose of Harajuku lovers was with the limited edition G of the Sea a few months back. Now G must have been hanging around Captain America and his comic-book super hero friends recently because she comes flying back in a Super hero costume herself.

This time her creator is Perfumer Christelle Laprade and she joins the rest of the Harajuku Girls perfume collection by Gwen Stefani and represents the super kawaii side to show that pretty can come with a powerful and flirty punch. 

Decked out in a pop-art inspired blue polka-dot lycra wear, she dons on a red and white striped belt with a Super G logo, eye mask with a red cape flowing from her back. 

When we first met, I immediately felt the vibrant (overwhelming for some) energy in her with the sparkling pineapple cocktail with hints of citrus tangerine and banana.

It reminds me of a delicious tropical pineapple banana smoothie on a long hot day, flirtatiously beckoning to the young at heart to join in on the fun of the evening party. Some might even say Super G would taste like a hummingbird cake if you were to have a bite of her in this gourmand edition.

And as the party goes on, she continues to display vibrancy with more banana (banana haters stay clear – you have been warned) and yellow freesia notes before easing into solid base of sweet vanilla, raspberry and warm musk notes.

Super G lasts a good 4 hours on my skin and is a scent that would be welcomed by gourmand scent lovers all over!

Super G is limited edition so get her quick before she flies out again.

30ml RRP A$49 in Myer, David Jones, Perfume Connection and selected pharmacies nationally from 4th September 2011.

A sampler of this product was provided for consideration.

Tom Ford Neroli Portofino Bath & Body Collection

I’ve always heard good things about Tom Ford Private Blend Fragrances but with so many available scents in the line up, I wasn’t sure where to start.

Thankfully the decision was made easy with the recent launch of the Neroli Portofino Bath and Body Collection, an addition to the existing Fragrance line and as a result , I was able to get my hands on a sample body cream and a bar soap from the collection. 

The inspiration for Neroli Portofino is drawn from the Mediterranean landscape the Italian beach side Riviera with its old-world glamour and tradition. Adorn in deep aqua packaging and the transformation of the fragrance bottle from its apothecary brown glass bottle to a translucent turquoise one could only mean it’s getting serious with representing the Mediterranean warm waters. 

The product range in the Neroli Portofino Collection includes

• Private Blend EDP Spray 50ml/100ml - RRP A$290/A$395 
• Private Blend EDP Decanter 250ml – RRP A$790 
• Body Moisturiser 150ml - RRP A$100 
• Shower Gel 150ml - RRP A$100 
• Body Oil 100ml - RRP A$100 
• Bath bar soap 50g - RRP A$50* 

Now when I hear Neroli, I instantly think of warm citrusy scents that sits comfortably in the fruit family scent. Not so with Neroli Portofino – it is more a floral fresh infused with tangy and vibrant citrus oils and warm amber undertones – truly a unique and individual scent that I’ve ever come across. 

It takes me to back to heady summer evenings where one can easily be intoxicated by the crisp yet bitter scent of neroli citrus, before being softly wrapped with sweet orange blossoms and lingering musky amber.

Amazingly long-lasting, the body cream gave many hours of subtle fragrance that had me drifting to warm Italian seas whilst the bar soap gently perfumed skin whilst lathering up for a creamy silky wash. Enriched with Olive fruit oil, grape seed oil, jojoba oil and date seed extract in both products, it leaves skin soothed richly hydrated and product. Honestly, it couldn’t possibly be any more luxurious when you layer the products together.

I’m not surprised Tom Ford delivered yet again with the Neroli Portifino bath and Body collection. Tom Ford is not something you make a blind purchase on so I urge you to head down to David Jones to sample and acquaint yourself with the scent but be warned, go prepared to part with some serious cash because you will be walking home with a Neroli Portofino product.

Tom Ford is available exclusively at David Jones.

Product marked * were sent for consideration. I received a sample of the body moisturiser through my rewards membership from David Jones 

Harajuku Lovers - G of the Sea

Every once in a while, a product with cute as hell packaging would come along and steal my heart. And one such item in the past month was a limited edition from Harajuku Lovers - G of the Sea.

Now G is no ordinary Harajuku character, she’s not only more prettier than her other girly Harajuku friends but she’s actually a mermaid, the very reason why I fell in love with her when I saw her for the first time.

The Ad Campaign

G is adorned in a cute seashell bikini and melts my heart with her flowing blond locks and  gorgeous  green tail that flips off to one side and sits on top a round blue bottle. She comes all nicely wrapped up a her own special underwater themed box, complete with cute little imprinted sea critters and even a seahorse play mates to keep her company when she is at home in her under sea playground.

Love at first Sight with G of the Sea

Developed by Perfumer Gil Clavien from Firmenic, G holds a whimsical fresh woody scent that instantaneously reminds one of summer fun by the sea.

Upon first spray G of the Sea, you pick up the scent of fresh apples and crushed berries along with water lilies in the tops notes and get the sense you're heading towards the summer evening to cool off with pina-coladas. 

As it settles, a floral middle notes peeks through and a bouquet of freesia mingled with jasmine pink peony lingers around. It finally finishes with a heart of sensual musk and woody layer of amberwood. 

Whenever I wear this, I daydream of being transported to a tropical island and although the scent can be fleeting, I just have to re-apply a few hours later to re-live the day dream again.

Gwen Stefani has really outdone herself this time in the packaging department. If you are a collector of the Harajuku Lovers, then I would rush out and cast a net over G whilst she is by the sea before she mystically disappears into the ocean again.

EDT 30ml RRP A$65 on counters now at Myer, The Perfume Connection and selected pharmacies nationally for a limited time. US readers can pick this up for US$45 at Sephora.

This product was provided for consideration.

Kim Kardashian's Voluptuous new Fragrance

Like so many celebrities before her, Kim Kardashian has followed the celebrity fragrance bandwagon with the recent release of her namesake fragrance - the only surprising thing for me is that she took so long to get one out.

When I think of Kim, sexy, sultry and sensual femininity comes to mind. And that is exactly what Kim Kardashian signature scent is – a mixure of classic florals with modern style, blended to represent the influential socialite.

Created in consultation with Lighthouse Beauty and master perfumer Claude Dir , the first thing one will notice is its command for attention with this mighty voluptuous scent. Powerful top notes of Jasmine and gardenia jump out at you on first spritz and can come across as over bearing to those who are not accustomed to strong scents. It then slowly transforms to a mellow and lush bouquet of white flowers that harmonises with the sweet tonka beans with hints of tuberrorse before finally settling down with a sensuous base of warm sandal wood and earthy jacarnada wood.

Kim Kardashian has torn me up because Jasmine and Gardenias are amongst my most loved scents but both flowers are strong scents and here it seems to compete too much for attention in the opening which can be headache inducing. In fact, with fragrances like Kim Kardashian, I spray the tiniest amount into the air and walk into it to allow the scent to evenly disperse around me.

Don’t get me wrong, Kim Kardashian is a beautiful scent, especially in the very end – the tonka beans and sensual warm bases are the balancing features and ensures a lasting fragrance that lingers and have me wanting my next hit of it again soon. It interestingly reminds me of a amplified version of Bvlgari’s Mon Jasmin Noir which has similar notes and that gentler scent sits very well with my nose.

If you love power scents and love it combined with voluptuous florals, then this is my top recommendation for you. My sister has already laid claim to my bottle and she is already making plans to pick up another bottle to take back to the UK with her when she leaves next week.

Kim Kardashian EDP RRP A$49/$69/$89 for 30/50/100ml
EDP rollerball A$22.95 for 10ml.
(note different bottle designs for the 30ml and 100ml sizes, the smaller size is the more rectangular pink bottle).

Available now at the Perfume Connection, Myer, Priceline and leading pharmacies.
This product was provided for consideration.