Julian Rouas Paris Small Claim

Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab produces perfume oils unlike anything else on the market. Aiming for a "dark, romantic Gothic tone" the Alchemy Lab carries scents inspired by religions, literature, cities of the world, fairy tales and inside jokes. The general catalog contains hundreds of different perfumes, and limited edition scents are frequently provided. Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab is referred to as BPAL or the Lab by customers. These perfumes are unlike any other commercially produced scents.

The sheer volume can be overwhelming for a new customer. Fortunately BPAL offers Imp's Ears, samples of most general catalog scents. Samples are not available for limited editions and a few general catalog scents. Imps are standard 1/32oz perfume vials. They are $3 individually, and $16 for a half dozen. BPAL oils are packaged in small glass bottles with screw tops. These bottles are usually cobalt blue, though sometimes amber bottles are used. General catalog scents have simple black and white labels, but the limited edition labels are often elaborate and colorful. 5ml and 10ml bottles of scents cost from $12.50 to $25. Considering the perfume oil content of each blend is 85 to 100%, these prices make BPAL one of the most affordable perfume lines around. BPAL oils are 85 to 100% perfume oil, as compared to straight perfume (15-25%), eaudeparfum (8-15%) or eaude cologne (2-5%). No animal products are used in any BPAL fragrances. Elements such as civet are composites created from carefully mixed bouquets.

The general catalog is broken down into the following categories: Bewitching Brews, Funeral Oils, Dark Elements, Sin & Salvation, Love potions, Diabolus, Mad Tea Party, Illyria, Wanderlust, ArsDraconis, Rappaccini's Garden, The Salon, Excolo, Voodoo Blends, Tarot Oils, Sephiroth, The Chakras, Panacea, and Somnium. Some categories, such as the Tarot and Chakras are straightforward. ArsDraconis includes several scents using dragon's blood as a base. Illyria contains scents inspired by Shakespeare, and Mad Tea Party is a line influenced by Lewis Carroll's work. Wanderlust showcases perfumes named for cities and places both real and legendary. Many scents in the catalog are inspired by famous and obscure works of fiction or art. Dorian is a hugely popular scent named after Wilde's famous dandy. There's a scent named for Wilde as well. Many scents reference poetry, legends and religious myth. There are scents for gluttony, wrath, envy, sloth, greed, lust and pride in the Sin & Salvation category. It is often surprising to experience how well the perfumes suit their names and descriptions.

Limited edition scents are usually just placed in the Limited category. BPAL has a limited edition series titled "A Little Lunacy" that appears each month on the full moon. Lunacy scents are created around various names for full moons, such as Harvest Moon, Flower Moon, Snow Moon, Hungry Ghost Moon, and Honey Moon. Lunacy scents are only available for 24 hours on the day of the full moon. Other limited scents are often created for the season, such as the Halloween and Yule creations. Sometimes the Lab creates an entire line of limited edition scents available for a few months at a time. One of the first was Springtime in Arkham, a tribute to HP Lovecraft. The second was CarnavalNoir, an intriguing line of scents inspired by a suggestion regarding summer carnival food on the customer forum. one of BPAL's most popular scents ever was Midway, a sugary tribute to fried and sweet foods. Other limited edition lines A Demon in My View and Maelstrom. These limited edition lines allowed the Lab to create complex olfactory tributes to Edgar Allen Poe's short stories and poems.

An enormously popular limited edition offering was Chaos Theory. Each bottle of Chaos Theory was unique and untitled except for a roman numeral. Every single bottle was a different blend. The only rule to the edition was that there was no way to choose which bottle arrived. Chaos Theory was so popular it is now in its third round. in the third round, oils containing common allergens such as nuts were removed so that no bottles would cause any unexpected reactions.

Because scents are not transmitted through the internet, the BPAL customer forum is an essential tool for a shopper when selecting a scent. Most perfumes have a brief description o the major notes or inspiration for the oil. Because BPAL oils are mostly perfume oil and complex, they often react in different ways to the skin chemistry of different people. What smells like a bounty of lily and musk to one person may turn plastic and sour on another. The forum contains reviews written by customers about the oils. It is an excellent resource to use while learning which scents work best with one's personal preferences and body chemistry. Customers of the Lab learn to train a discriminating nose, and many reviews are elaborate affairs with complex analysis of the stages of the perfumes.

When BPAL scents don't work out, there is a lively secondhand market for imps and bottles. The customer forum has a subsection devoted to swapping and selling scents that just didn't work out. this softens the blow for any customer disappointed with their purchase, as it is quite easy to trade and sell on the forum. Moderators make an effort to address any issues with members who don't follow through with swaps, a practice known as "swap-lifting." There are also limits on the forum to prevent the prices of discontinued oils from spiking too high. eBay is another source for secondhand BPAL scents, with more freedom for pricing. However bidding wars for discontinued or limited edition scents can push the price up dramatically.

The Black Phoenix Trading Post (BPTP) is also affiliated with the Lab. Here one finds shirts, scent lockets and statues inspired by and for BPAL. Each month the Trading Post offers a shirt to correspond with the Lunacy update. Unlike the Lunacy blends, BPTP shirts usually stay up for sale for one week. There are several regular catalog shirts, as well as several heavy silver scent lockets designed by the Lab. BPTP plans to continue expanding their offerings over the coming year. Orders for BPTP products cannot be combined with orders from BPAL because they are separate entities.

BPAL is a small business, and has experienced a number of growing pains over the past few years. The wait time for shipments climbed dramatically, sometimes topping out at six to eight weeks. In 2006, shipping times have shortened and are now only a few weeks. On the customer forum, one of the most heavily trafficked threads chronicles the shipping notices received by customers. The Lab prides itself on excellent customer service and works quickly correct any problems. Because they are a small business, Lab staff have an unusually personal and friendly relationship with large chunks of their fan base. Lab staff are frequent contributors to the customer forum. Some offhand jokes in the forum have mushroomed into inspiration for BPAL blends, most notably the CarnavalNoir line in 2005, and the limited edition Enraged Orangutan Musk.

For scents to compliment lifestyles from the gothic to the geeky, the Black Phoenix Alchemy lab supplies quality perfumes. Few other companies can provide such nuanced and beautiful creations for such an inexpensive price. With a reasonable price for samples and an active secondhand market, it is easy to become hooked on BPAL oils.

 

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Julian Rouas Paris Small Claim

Have you ever gotten ready in the morning, spritzed on your favorite scent, and a couple of hours later you got nothing? This can be exasperating. Why bother to apply scent if it's not going to last? In order to make sure that your uplifting scent lasts through the day or your sexy perfume lasts until the end of your romantic date, follow some or all of these suggestions.

First, be aware that there are different types of scent formulations. Each has a different concentration of fragrance oils. If you use body splash, it literally means to splash it on your body. It is the most diluted type of fragrance. Perfume is the strongest. Depending on the scent itself, it takes very little perfume. You could be having the opposite problem and overwhelming everyone. Be certain that you don't overdo it.

Second, be aware of pulse points. These are the areas of the body that have blood vessels very close to the skin. As the blood pulses, it produces heat. This in turn releases the scent of your perfume. The pulse points are located at the temples, behind the ears, the base of the throat, between the breasts, the wrists, the bend of the elbow, the backs of the knees, and the ankles.

Pay particular attention to the pulse points at the backs of the knees and the ankles. Since scent travels upward, these scent locations are very important. And most people skip these pulse points when applying perfume.

Another reason scent evaporates quickly is because of dry skin. Perfumes contain alcohol. So they can evaporate quickly. A way to prolong this is to apply lotion before perfume. A lotion that is the same scent is an excellent way to extend your perfume's lasting power. But if you don't have a matching lotion, apply an unscented lotion. If you decide to use a lotion with a different scent, make sure that it doesn't clash with your perfume. Often you can come up with unique and pleasing scent combinations. An example would be vanilla scented lotion applied before using a musk perfume.

Along the same line as using a lotion with the same scent is using soaps, body washes, powders, and even shampoos with the same fragrance as your perfume. Many more perfumes are coming out with extended product lines of their scents using additional bath products.

Your perfume can also be extended by spraying some onto your clothing. This should be tested first on a small inconspicuous area on the inside of your garment. Check to make sure that the perfume will not stain before applying it to the outside of your clothes.

An alternative to actually spraying perfume onto your clothing is to wear a scent locket or a scent ring. If you like this type of jewelry, it works great. A scent locket or ring contains a small compartment to place a small piece of cloth or cotton ball which has been sprayed liberally with your perfume. The rings are often called poison rings. An internet search turns up many websites that sell this unique jewelry. The heat from your body releases the scent as you wear the jewelry.

Then, of course, as a fail-safe guarantee, carry a small travel-size spritzer bottle of your favorite perfume to give yourself a quick spritzer during your lunch break or while in the powder room.


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Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab produces perfume oils unlike anything else on the market. Aiming for a "dark, romantic Gothic tone" the Alchemy Lab carries scents inspired by religions, literature, cities of the world, fairy tales and inside jokes. The general catalog contains hundreds of different perfumes, and limited edition scents are frequently provided. Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab is referred to as BPAL or the Lab by customers. These perfumes are unlike any other commercially produced scents.

The sheer volume can be overwhelming for a new customer. Fortunately BPAL offers Imp's Ears, samples of most general catalog scents. Samples are not available for limited editions and a few general catalog scents. Imps are standard 1/32oz perfume vials. They are $3 individually, and $16 for a half dozen. BPAL oils are packaged in small glass bottles with screw tops. These bottles are usually cobalt blue, though sometimes amber bottles are used. General catalog scents have simple black and white labels, but the limited edition labels are often elaborate and colorful. 5ml and 10ml bottles of scents cost from $12.50 to $25. Considering the perfume oil content of each blend is 85 to 100%, these prices make BPAL one of the most affordable perfume lines around. BPAL oils are 85 to 100% perfume oil, as compared to straight perfume (15-25%), eaudeparfum (8-15%) or eaude cologne (2-5%). No animal products are used in any BPAL fragrances. Elements such as civet are composites created from carefully mixed bouquets.

The general catalog is broken down into the following categories: Bewitching Brews, Funeral Oils, Dark Elements, Sin & Salvation, Love potions, Diabolus, Mad Tea Party, Illyria, Wanderlust, ArsDraconis, Rappaccini's Garden, The Salon, Excolo, Voodoo Blends, Tarot Oils, Sephiroth, The Chakras, Panacea, and Somnium. Some categories, such as the Tarot and Chakras are straightforward. ArsDraconis includes several scents using dragon's blood as a base. Illyria contains scents inspired by Shakespeare, and Mad Tea Party is a line influenced by Lewis Carroll's work. Wanderlust showcases perfumes named for cities and places both real and legendary. Many scents in the catalog are inspired by famous and obscure works of fiction or art. Dorian is a hugely popular scent named after Wilde's famous dandy. There's a scent named for Wilde as well. Many scents reference poetry, legends and religious myth. There are scents for gluttony, wrath, envy, sloth, greed, lust and pride in the Sin & Salvation category. It is often surprising to experience how well the perfumes suit their names and descriptions.

Limited edition scents are usually just placed in the Limited category. BPAL has a limited edition series titled "A Little Lunacy" that appears each month on the full moon. Lunacy scents are created around various names for full moons, such as Harvest Moon, Flower Moon, Snow Moon, Hungry Ghost Moon, and Honey Moon. Lunacy scents are only available for 24 hours on the day of the full moon. Other limited scents are often created for the season, such as the Halloween and Yule creations. Sometimes the Lab creates an entire line of limited edition scents available for a few months at a time. One of the first was Springtime in Arkham, a tribute to HP Lovecraft. The second was CarnavalNoir, an intriguing line of scents inspired by a suggestion regarding summer carnival food on the customer forum. one of BPAL's most popular scents ever was Midway, a sugary tribute to fried and sweet foods. Other limited edition lines A Demon in My View and Maelstrom. These limited edition lines allowed the Lab to create complex olfactory tributes to Edgar Allen Poe's short stories and poems.

An enormously popular limited edition offering was Chaos Theory. Each bottle of Chaos Theory was unique and untitled except for a roman numeral. Every single bottle was a different blend. The only rule to the edition was that there was no way to choose which bottle arrived. Chaos Theory was so popular it is now in its third round. in the third round, oils containing common allergens such as nuts were removed so that no bottles would cause any unexpected reactions.

Because scents are not transmitted through the internet, the BPAL customer forum is an essential tool for a shopper when selecting a scent. Most perfumes have a brief description o the major notes or inspiration for the oil. Because BPAL oils are mostly perfume oil and complex, they often react in different ways to the skin chemistry of different people. What smells like a bounty of lily and musk to one person may turn plastic and sour on another. The forum contains reviews written by customers about the oils. It is an excellent resource to use while learning which scents work best with one's personal preferences and body chemistry. Customers of the Lab learn to train a discriminating nose, and many reviews are elaborate affairs with complex analysis of the stages of the perfumes.

When BPAL scents don't work out, there is a lively secondhand market for imps and bottles. The customer forum has a subsection devoted to swapping and selling scents that just didn't work out. this softens the blow for any customer disappointed with their purchase, as it is quite easy to trade and sell on the forum. Moderators make an effort to address any issues with members who don't follow through with swaps, a practice known as "swap-lifting." There are also limits on the forum to prevent the prices of discontinued oils from spiking too high. eBay is another source for secondhand BPAL scents, with more freedom for pricing. However bidding wars for discontinued or limited edition scents can push the price up dramatically.

The Black Phoenix Trading Post (BPTP) is also affiliated with the Lab. Here one finds shirts, scent lockets and statues inspired by and for BPAL. Each month the Trading Post offers a shirt to correspond with the Lunacy update. Unlike the Lunacy blends, BPTP shirts usually stay up for sale for one week. There are several regular catalog shirts, as well as several heavy silver scent lockets designed by the Lab. BPTP plans to continue expanding their offerings over the coming year. Orders for BPTP products cannot be combined with orders from BPAL because they are separate entities.

BPAL is a small business, and has experienced a number of growing pains over the past few years. The wait time for shipments climbed dramatically, sometimes topping out at six to eight weeks. In 2006, shipping times have shortened and are now only a few weeks. On the customer forum, one of the most heavily trafficked threads chronicles the shipping notices received by customers. The Lab prides itself on excellent customer service and works quickly correct any problems. Because they are a small business, Lab staff have an unusually personal and friendly relationship with large chunks of their fan base. Lab staff are frequent contributors to the customer forum. Some offhand jokes in the forum have mushroomed into inspiration for BPAL blends, most notably the CarnavalNoir line in 2005, and the limited edition Enraged Orangutan Musk.

For scents to compliment lifestyles from the gothic to the geeky, the Black Phoenix Alchemy lab supplies quality perfumes. Few other companies can provide such nuanced and beautiful creations for such an inexpensive price. With a reasonable price for samples and an active secondhand market, it is easy to become hooked on BPAL oils.





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Julian Rouas Paris

About two months ago, I was at the mall and purchased a perfume set as a gift for one of my coworkers. With my purchase, I received a sample of Stella by Stella McCartney. Stella Perfume is named for the designer daughter of Beatles legend Paul McCartney. This alone, is reason enough for me to love this perfume! When I got home, I opened my Stella Perfume by Stella McCartney to see what it smelled like. I read about Stella Perfume by Stella McCartney in various fashion magazines, but I didn't think to try it. When I opened the sample, I was immediately greeted with the sweetest and lightest hint of roses and one of my favorite flowers, peony. There are too few perfumes that contain the amazing scent of peony. Peonies for me, bring back so many memories of my backyard growing up, because we had them growing in different colors all over the yard.

After I smelled the Stella Perfume by Stella McCartney, I was disappointed that I didn't smell it in Sephora, because I would have purchased it right then and there. As it turned out, the next day, I had to go back to Sephora, because I had second thoughts about the gift that I purchased for my coworker, and I returned it and got her a different gift set from the same store. While there, I decided to purchase the Stella Perfume by Stella McCartney. I wasn't sure that I wanted to spend the $48.00 for the small 1 ounce Eau de Parfum Purse Spray, but since I was so crazy about the fresh peony and rose scent, I didn't mind too much. Almost immediately after I got into the car, I sprayed some on. I have to say that sometimes perfumes that are rose scented are not my favorite. In fact, to me, they can be overpowering and sickening. Stella Perfume by Stella McCartney was very different, in that it was so fresh and soft. This a very feminine perfume and it is not strong at all. I also love the purple bottle that it comes in!

I was very surprised that my daughter liked Stella Perfume by Stella McCartney. She very seldom likes perfumes that contain hints of rose. She finds them too strong and not very youthful. I must say, that she loved this perfume, and even wore a little when she went on a little shopping trip with her friends. She is familiar with Stella McCartney as a fashion designer, and I think this was one of the reasons that she gave the perfume a chance. She likes Stella McCartney very much as a fashion designer and I think that the fact that the perfume had Stella's name on it, it gave it credibility in my daughter's eyes. Anyway, the Stella Perfume smelled even better on my daughter. Maybe this is because she only put on a little spray of it, or perhaps that she is younger and her body chemistry differs from mine.

My husband also loved the Stella Perfume by Stella McCartney. He said it smelled very fresh and he loved the flowery scent of roses. He couldn't believe how much this perfume smelled of fresh roses and peony flowers, and commented that even though rose scented perfumes reminded him of a grandmother, this perfume was not too "mature" smelling. I was happy that my family enjoyed this perfume as much as I do. I will continue to use Stella by Stella McCartney. I will buy another bottle when I run out with this one. I only regret that I didn't buy the bigger bottle. Next time, I will.


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Julian Rouas Paris

My mom and I are thrift store junkies. We go in looking for deals that you cannot find anywhere else. Sometimes we get extremely lucky, and other times we come out empty handed.

We hit this one local thrift store up weekly because they seem to have new inventory every Friday. Hitting the thrift store up on a Saturday can sometimes result in winning the mini designer lottery. At times we find two dollar designer clothes, bags, and sometimes; perfume.

I was not able to hit up the local spot this week, but my mom did.

She rushed inside with a paper bag filled with what appeared to be designer perfumes. I could hear them clanging against one another and I could not wait to see what she had gotten hold of. I looked inside of the bag, and she huddled around it, as if she had to protect her findings from me.

She hit the designer perfume gold mine, and she bought all she could find, no wonder she didn't want me looking in. She wanted them ALL for herself.

Inside I noted all types of brands that I knew I would like. From Chanel, to Donna Karan. Some of the bottles were half empty, and others still had their seals on them. Some we already had, and some we had never heard of.

Amarige by Givenchy was one perfume in particular that I had never heard of. I have heard of Givenchy in the past, but I was never familiar with the brand, or this particular scent.

Appearance:

Amarige came in its original red box, with gold lettering. A bit of dust had collected on the box, but inside the perfume was barely touched.

The bottle itself is shaped like a human heart (at least that s what it looks like to me). The bottles top looks like a soft serve ice cream swirl, which is actually sort of pretty, and unique.

My Use:

I sprayed some of the rusty water colored perfume on to my wrists, and immediately got hit with the overpowering scent of grandmothers. It was like a granny festival on my wrist. This crap stunk, and it stunk bad.

It has that first kick of granny, then a high impact punch of rotting dried up roses, and...rust.

Good find mom!

Pricing and Availability:

After sniffing this horrendous granny spray I of course had to look the brand up before writing this review. I wanted to bring to you the price of this gunk, and where to find (eh-hem...avoid) this perfume.

Amarige by Givenchy can be found at any local perfume store, ranging from $10 to a jaw dropping $70.00 (for the granny gift set).

Overall:

Amarige by Givency smells like your grandma. It stinks to the high heavens, and it lasts a really, really long time. If you want to test the scent, make sure you DO NOT spray it on your clothing, as it will stay...till you wash the clothing.

-I guess if you find it at a thrift store; barely used, something must be wrong.

Recommendation:

Negative.

Amarige by Givenchy is definitely not a perfume I would recommend. (Maybe for Granny, seeing how that's about the only person who would like this one).


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Julian Rouas Paris awesome

I used to like Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen; that was until I saw their mugs pasted on the PETA website. Turns out the twins like fur... I like animals... so now, the girls suck. But hey, so does their perfume!!!

I have had 2 bottles of perfume by Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen for quite some time now. One is labeled, coincidentally...One. The other is called Two. Today though, we're going to focus on One.

Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, One, is actually made by Coty. A designer name that has been popping up a lot lately. I have mixed feelings when it comes to Coty fragrances. I don't love the designer fragrances, nor do I hate them.

Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, One, has sad on my desk for nearly a year now. I got both from a friend for my birthday, and ever since first smelling them, I never really used it again.

Bottle:

One comes in a cylinder shaped bottle. The glass is clear with a very slight tint of blue added in. Running down the length of the bottle is the name of the perfume. There is nothing special about the bottle, nor would anyone want to save it once the perfume was gone.

Scent:

Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, One, by Coty smells like blueberry mixed with hand soap. It is supposed to be a clean, fresh scent. However I got a soapy blueberry bubble gum scent. It's not really that natural, but it is a relatively playful scent.

I liked it. I really did. Even though the scent was not a natural one, or sophisticated one, it was still a pleasant one.

Last:

So I liked the scent... however there is no point in liking a scent that does not last for longer than 5 minutes. That was seriously all I got out of Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, One, by Coty. The scent smelled lovely for 5 minutes, and then it vanished; up and disappeared... not a hint, not a trace...just gone.

Recommended Wear:

What wear? There is no wear to recommend wear.

Overall:

Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, One, by Coty is a nice scent, it truly is. Sadly though, nice scents are 100% useless if they do not last. For me Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, One, is a waste of natural resources. It's sad that they would release such a suck-o-rama in a bottle.

Pricing and Availability:

You can still see this crummy stick of perfume in local stores such as Walmart, Kohl's and other department stores. The pricing is around $10.00 for the bottle. You can also buy them in gift sets, which would include both One, and Two.

Sadly though, I do not even find One, to be worth $1.00.

Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, One, by Coty is a skip in my opinion. It just does not stick around long enough for me to go ahead and recommend it.




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Julian Rouas Paris Backpage

So do you think perfume is about romance, about a nicely wrapped box from-or for-someone you love? When you think of perfume, do you think about the way it makes you feel, about the sensual pleasures of its scent, its color, the way its package is designed?

Well, think some more, because perfume is also a business, and its clientele are one among the world's best-researched markets. There are about eight thousand scents in commercial distribution around the globe, whose composition is carefully protected by those who paid a lot of money to develop them. Not only are their formulations carefully protected, but they're well-researched as well to make sure that they appeal to the right markets. Because the perfumes that sell in Asia, don't sell in the Middle East; Americans like different perfumes than the French.

Strong scents don't seem to sell in Asia, and for that reason a number of manufacturers only distribute eau de toilette. In the Latin countries and the Middle East, people prefer scents that linger. The French are more likely to buy complex, plush, rococo scents; consumers in the US and Canada prefer sporty, innovative perfumes. While Alain Lorenzo, president of Parfums Givenchy, explained to the New York Times, "The rule of thumb is richer scents are preferred by Latin and black cultures and fresher ones by European cultures," the lines aren't at all clear when it seems that vanilla scents sell well in all markets; Hispanic-American women prefer fruity-floral scents.

Since each market is different, let's look at one in particular: Dubai. In 1999, this port of entry into the United Arab Emirates, imported $146 million dollars worth of perfumes and toilet waters. Just under half (48%) came from France, with significant market share distributed between the USA (12.6%), Italy (6.8%), Switzerland (3%) and Germany (2.8%). France's domination of this market is telling; because among the 250 regional markets where French perfumes appear, the UAE ranks twelfth.

Dubai shoppers prefer designer brands, and leading French perfumers-like Givenchy-will plan to release new scents in Paris and the Gulf, simultaneously; Christian Dior has more than 70 retail outlets across the Gulf Cooperation Council countries (that include Dubai). France's significance for Dubai, and Dubai's significance to France, is unlikely to shift in the near future, even though German exports of perfumes, beauty products, and personal care products have doubled in the past decade. German-manufactured cosmetic, toiletry, and perfumes have achieved a reputation for innovation, quality, and product safety.




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Julian Rouas Paris

150 people were affected by a person who sprayed perfume. 34 of these people had to be taken to the hospital. This happened in Fort Worth, Texas but is by no means the only incident of people being sickened, literally, by perfume being sprayed.

We all remember the smokers being taken to task over their cigarette smoke which ended up with most of the country banning cigarette smoking in work places, bars, restaurants and most "public" areas. Not only that, cigarettes were deemed to be the biggest and baddest cause of almost every cancer known to man. We allowed those nasty ole' cigarette smokers to be taxed (what most would consider unlawfully) until they were forced to quit or they were forced to hide in their homes hoping that no one would get a "whiff" of smoke. Ah, we sure did teach smokers a thing or two about "their" smoke perfume!

All the while the chided smokers were trying to explain that almost any of them would willingly put out a cigarette if it bothered someone. They tried to explain that cigarette smoke, especially second hand smoke, was NOT the culprit of all cancers. People complaining of cigarette smoke were even asked if there could be another cause of their discomfort. Guess what? Perfume! Yes, perfume.

I remember one of the biggest anti-smoking people in our county was a large woman who did not know what a "spritz" of perfume was. She lathered it on until you were looking for the exits or a gas mask. But she was brazen enough to complain about someone smoking in a bar (that she never went in).

We've all been there, a restaurant, church, classroom, shopping aisle and yes a bar, when someone will walk in and the place turns to weeping eyes and sneezing. How well do you think people take it when asked to "remove" their perfume? But due to stories like the people above who fell ill due to someone's perfume I believe people are starting to look at perfume as the next cigarette.

Will they install a heavy tax on perfume like on cigarettes? Some have banned perfume in the workplace, will that carry on to public places as well? Will perfumed products like body and laudry soap be banned? Or maybe they will simply ban perfume on any level and in any product.

Perfume can make people sick. Perfume can make people sick that aren't even wearing it. More and more articles and studies are being written on perfume and the hazards of some of them. Yes, I vaguely see perfume as the new cigarette.







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Julian Rouas Paris Backpage

Today, it seems every celebrity has a perfume scent with their name attached to it. From Sarah Jessica Parker's Lovely, to Britney Spears' and Beyonce Knowles' lines of fragrance to the classics of Chanel and Dior, there are hundreds of bottles to choose from. But how do you find the right one?

First answer, of course, is ignore the brand name or label. Just because Jennifer Lopez says you won't end up smelling like a skunk doesn't mean you won't. Choose a smell based on how it smells on your skin, and your personal tastes.

There are several basic themes which perfume manufacturers stick to: Chypre, citrus, floral, and ambers. Chypre scents have a woody, mossy, floral base to them. Citrus scents incorporate orange, lemon, tangerine, and grapefruit, much like Calvin Kline's CK One. Floral smells just as it sounds, like flowers. An example of a floral scent would be Chance by Chanel. Ambers have a delightful mix of musk, vanilla, spice, and animal scents, such as Obsession.

Once you've decided on a category of perfume to try, go to your nearest perfume counter. Try a few scents out on paper before deciding on one to put to the test. Apply to the back of your hand, and then wait an hour. If you do apply the perfume to your wrist, avoid rubbing your wrists together. This can crush the delicate buds of scent and distort the sampling. It isn't how a perfume smells in the bottle or immediately after application, it's how it reacts with your skin chemistry much later that can make or break a scent as one for you.

The reason behind this is perfumes have four layers. The first layer, or top note, is the first scent you get after applying the perfume. It's the most noticeable, but is also the one the fades the quickest. The next layer, or middle note, is the next apparent component to the perfume. It appears several minutes after applying the perfume, and can stay up to an hour before disappearing. The third layer, or base note, appears usually after a half hour and is the layer that stays on your skin throughout the day. And the final layer is one most overlook, the natural scent of your skin. Just like everyone's DNA is different, everyone has a unique skin chemistry that can affect the outcome of a perfume.

Keep this guide in mind next time you are perfume shopping, and you are sure to find a scent that's right for you!





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Overview

Pac Sun's Lilu perfume quickly gained a cult following amongst both teen girls and their mothers, who were clamoring to snatch up as much of this coveted fragrance as possible. So why on earth was it discontinued?

An Instant Classic

When Lilu perfume was initially released at national retailer Pac Sun, it instantly gained a large following. Pac Sun describes the fragrance as evoking the floral and "breezy" scents of the South Pacific and the Hawaii Islands.

Suddenly Discontinued

Lilu was discontinued on July 24, 2008, with no explanation from Pac Sun. While bottles of the fragrance are occasionally seen in various Pac Sun locations throughout the United States, the company is no longer producing Lilu perfume.

Check Local Stores

Check your local PacSun location for the Lilu perfume - Although it has been discontinued for over a year, some fans of the scent have reported success by scoping out their local PacSun retailer for a few unsold bottles of this treasured perfume.

Last Place to Buy Lilu

There is one more place where you can still purchase Lilu - That is, for a price. Online auction house eBay has listings for the discontinued fragrance, but a bottle may cost you: One listing for a .5 ounce bottle of Lilu was priced at $49.95.

Try an Alternate Scent

If you are dying for a Lilu fix but unwilling to pay exorbitant prices on eBay, there are some alternatives to Lilu that you could try. Lacoste's "Love of Pink" has a great floral scent, as does "Happy" by Clinique.

Make Your Voice Heard

If you are unwilling to simply switch over to a Lilu impersonator, then make your voice heard to Pac Sun. Visit the "contact us" section of the Pac Sun website (www.pacsun.com) and let them know that you would love to see Lilu back in stores.





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I have discovered a new favorite perfume in the last couple of years. It's called "Rapture" and it's manufactured by Victoria's Secret. It was introduced in 1992. It's a versatile all-around scent that can be worn day or night.

Rapture by Victoria's Secret is a complex blend of many scents. These include orange blossom and citrus, musk, amber, vanilla, freesia, jasmine, and rose. Rapture would be classified as an oriental fragrance. Rapture smells very feminine and luxurious. Victoria's Secret Rapture is a sophisticated perfume that is not heavy at all. It smells very clean and light. I prefer simple fragrances, so this was a change of pace for me.

Rapture's top notes are mainly citrus and orange blossom. The middle notes consist of freesia, jasmine and rose. These heart notes tend to last for quite awhile. The base note mainly consists of amber, with a hint of vanilla and musk. The base notes are very deep and sensual.

Victoria's Secret Rapture is available in many products and sizes. The cologne spray is in .75 ounce and 1.7 ounce bottles. A purse spray is available. Rapture is also available as a body wash that is called shower cream. It is thicker than most body washes. It leaves your skin feeling very silky and smelling great. An 8 ounce bottle of Rapture Pure Silk body lotion can also be bought. Victoria's Secret also offers Rapture Gift Box sets of different products.

Rapture by Victoria's Secret is a bit expensive. The 1.7 ounce bottle of cologne spray is $35. The .75 ounce purse spray is $19.50. Rapture Rich Velvet body cream costs $21. Rapture Pure Silk body lotion is priced at $20. The gift box sets are found during holidays and usually cost about $85.

The packaging will probably be Rapture's downfall. The perfume is packaged in an attractive heart shaped bottle with gold trim. Upon closer inspection, the gold trim is gaudy cheap plastic. The red and gold cap on the perfume bottle is also made of plastic. Five dollar bottles of perfume are presented with better quality packaging.

Speaking of packaging, I have bought two of the gift box sets in different years. The first box was very nice. It was covered in red satin material and was very heavy. The gift box set I bought the following year was dreadful. It looked like a cheap box of chocolates that a person buys at the drug store.

I have made multiple purchases of Rapture perfume. Everytime without fail, the perfume bottles stop operating correctly. I had to throw away the miniature bottle that came with the gift set. The spring broke on the bottle and I couldn't fix it or find a way to get the rest of the perfume out of the bottle. It ended up leaking on my cabinet and staining it. Also after using about one-third of the perfume, every Rapture cologne bottle starts refusing to spray. The spray simply quits working. And the plastic caps always crack. Sometimes they get stuck on the bottle. The caps must be spray painted gold, because the gold starts peeling.

Sadly, I will never buy "Rapture" by Victoria's Secret again. For a fragrance to cost as much as "Rapture" does, the packaging is cheap. It's ultra cheap, in fact. And I can't afford to pay $35 for perfume that I'm forced to throw away with most of it still in the bottle.

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I was at Walmart the week of Mothers day and we were shopping for mom. I was standing in the book section and realized that I was in need of some new perfume. So I scurried out of the book section and went right over to the beauty aisle to see what they had. I was stopped by the new Halle perfume advertisement and was a bit intrigued. I didn't know that she was even coming out with a new fragrance. I had heard that Halle was a work in progress but I wasn't expecting it so soon.

Walmart had a sample bottle out in the open for people to try it out. So I sprayed a little bit on my wrist, aired it out and sniffed. I was in heaven. I wasn't expecting Halle to smell the way it did but it did. So I threw it in my cart and told my husband I wanted Halle for Mother's day.

Now the one thing I wasn't happy about was the fact that Halle was $16 for just a few ounces of perfume. I took a look at my small bottle and was a little skeptical but I figured that I wouldn't have to spray a lot since it was a heavy but sweet fragrance. I was expecting for Halle to stay on me at least half of the day but It didn't. I ended up having to spray myself at least twice a day to keep the fragrance smellable.

Halle smelled extremely good and that wasn't something I could deny but I wasn't too happy with the small bottle or the fact that It didn't stick that well. I'm used to wearing Curve crush, which stays on ALL day.

I personally don't think that Halle is a good buy during the Summer time because it's so sweet. I didn't realized just how sweet it was until I had a barbecue and sprayed it on. The mosquito's ate me alive with no remorse what so ever.

As far as smell is concerned, I loved the way Halle smelled. Even my husband was in love with the smell and he is picky when it comes to perfume and women. I just don't think that it's worth buying all the time. I spend good money on good perfume that sticks to my body with ease and Halle isn't one of those perfumes.





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Britney Spears Curious Perfume Review: Introduction

The Britney Spears Curious perfume hit store shelves in 2004 and was marketed by a very sensual commercial in which Britney Spears had starred in. The commercial depicted Ms. Britney Spears fantasizing about a man in the next room. The commercial hyped up the perfume so much that women all over rushed to store shelves to buy the Britney Spears Curious fragrance. With all the hype surrounding the commercial, is the Britney Spears Curious perfume appropriate for all women of age?

Britney Spears Curious Perfume Review: The Product & Packaging

The Britney Spears Curious fragrance comes in a package that is a black box decorated with metallic blue and pink flowers all over. The fragrance bottle itself is of turquoise color and made of glass. The bottle is very elegant and that it can be compared to antique perfume containers. The perfume bottle is odd shaped, almost like of a spaceship. Pink removable heart charms are added around the spray top of the Britney Spears Curious fragrance. All fragrance bottles are equipped with a silver push down spray top; however, larger sizes of the perfume can purchase an attachment that you squeeze a bulb to make the fragrance dispense such as how antique perfumes used to be. Gift sets for the Britney Spears Curious perfume are available as well as numerous sizes of the perfume. Fragrance sizes vary and mostly consist of 3.4 ounces and 1.7 ounces. The Curious scent line also has a Britney Spears Curious Perfume Body Soufflé and shower gel that are perfect for layering the fragrance.

Britney Spears Curious Perfume Review: The Fragrance

According to the advertisements of the Britney Spears Curious perfume, the fragrance can be described as sensual and romantic. The perfume is created by using Louisiana magnolia flowers, vanilla, musk, golden Anjou pear, and dewy lotus flowers. The perfume is on the lightweight in terms of powerfulness. Thus, the scent wears off rather quickly and must be reapplied within several hours. The Britney Spears Curious perfume is appropriate for all women of age. The scent is neither too trendy or overbearing.

Britney Spears Curious Perfume Review: Conclusion

The Britney Spears Curious perfume is widely distributed in most retail outlets such as: Wal-Mart, Macys, Dillards, and numerous other vendors. The fragrance can also be found online at discount prices. A 3.4 ounce bottle of the Curious perfume will cost between $40 to $50. The fragrance is one of those perfumes that a consumer will either love or hate. I would recommend buying a smaller version of the Britney Spears Curious perfume and trying the scent out for a week until investing in a larger bottle of the perfume.





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Comedian Dane Cook is currently in the first half of a several month long comedy tour spanning the entire country. I went to see him perform at Mellon Arena in Pittsburgh on May 7th, with a filled to capacity crowd, myself, my girlfriend, my sister and her friends included.

The performance was sandwiched between two Pittsburgh Penguins home playoff games against the Washington Capitals, which if anything had the crowd in an already riled up mood. The crowd was an interesting mix however, with half dressed in their Penguins jerseys and the other half glammed up in club attire, short skirts, stilettos and the like.

I've been a Dane Cook fan dating back to his first special on Comedy Central in the beginning of the decade. My favorite moments from his early standup include "Christ Chex" and the Burger King drive through sketch.

However in recent years there has been a backlash against him as his popularity has grown, something that he himself has become aware of, and mentioned towards the end of his hour long set. Apparently the backlash is more Internet chatter than anything else, since as mentioned the arena was absolutely packed.

The show opened with a brief set from comedian Al Del Bene who covered topics ranging from possible names for his new son "Con Carne" to the strange rituals of a Catholic Mass.

Next up was Robert Kelly, who arguably stole the night and had the funniest and most raucous moments of the evening. Describing how much he hates dieting and how eating apples excites approximately 5 taste buds compared to macaroni and cheese, which for Kelly, is orgasmic in deliciousness. Other key bits including cramping up at inopportune times, how he doesn't care what people think anymore and one of the ways he displays that is by taking every opportunity to fart in a baby's face, something he urges we all get to try before our time is up.

After the two opening comics it was time for Dane Cook to hit the stage. He talked about various relationships and sexual encounters as well as a new term for the female equivalent of a guy who gets in the way of his buddy hooking up. He also dedicated a solid half an hour to describing his experiences searching for porn videos on the website "You Porn".

All together it was a hilarious evening. Dane Cook brought his usual stuff but the funniest moments of the night when to Robert Kelly.

Dane Cook's latest comedy special featuring the same material will debut on Comedy Central on Sunday May 17th.





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The first time I smelled Betsey Johnson Perfume by Betsey Johnson For Women, I was at my daughter's cheer leading competition and one of her coaches was wearing it. The smell was so unique, I had to go up to her and ask what she was wearing. When she told me she was wearing Betsey Johnson Perfume, it really didn't mean anything to me because I had never heard of Betsey Johnson, but I knew that this perfume would soon be one of my favorites. I was going to make a mental note of remembering the Betsey Johnson name because I would soon be buying it.

A few days later, I asked my daughter if she had ever heard of Betsey Johnson and she told me that she if a designer and that she had heard of her. Apparently, Betsey Johnson Perfume is very popular among the younger crowd and my daughter told me that she too loved the perfume. This was all the more reason for me to purchase it! I always like to wear a fragrance that my daughter likes too, because it makes driving in the car with her much more pleasant when she's not sticking her head out the window because she thinks my perfume is too strong.

I purchased the Betsey Johnson Perfume for $52.00 and I loved the pink beaded cap that was on the bottle. The box that the perfume came in was visually stunning too. The color scheme and the roses were very eye catching. The perfume is very fruity with lots of floral undertones. What stood out to me were the hints of tangerine, grapefruit, lily of the valley and sandalwood. I like how the scent of sandalwood combined with the fruity and flowery scents. It gives the Betsey Johnson Perfume a woodsy fragrance and it even reminded me of when I was in high school many years ago.

I high school, I frequently wore sandalwood and patchouli scents, but I never thought that they would make a comeback. It seems like so many perfumes have either patchouli or sandalwood hints in them. I think that these rich scents add body and depth to perfumes like Betsey Johnson Perfume by Betsey Johnson For Women. I also feel that sandalwood helps to give this perfume staying power and it keeps it from fading or losing it's scent after a few hours.

When I wore my Betsey Johnson Perfume to work, I was a little concerned that I put too much on. One of my coworkers asked me, rather excitedly, what I was wearing. I thought, "oh no, she's going to tell me it's too strong." When I told her it was Betsey Johnson Perfume, she told me it was one of the nicest perfumes that she's smelled in a long time. I was happy that she didn't think it was too bold or overpowering, especially since I'd worn it to work.

I would purchase Betsey Johnson Perfume by Betsey Johnson For Women again, because I love the soft floral, fruity and woodsy scent that it has and I can wear it for any occasion, day or evening. I also like the fact that my teenage daughter likes it too. I feel this perfume is attractive to all age groups and that it has a wide appeal.



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HIRE A COMEDIAN NYHYSTERICALSOCIETY.COM

NBC's Thursday night comedy night has it all. Generally, the barage of commercials on the big networks is a turn off. I still wish the networks could do a mid-show intermission and load it up with commercials leaving the first half and last half of the show commercial-free. I guess the advertisers have figured out the quick sell every five to seven minutes works better for their purposes. The string of commercials is still over the top. The other night, I counted five pitches in one quick seguay. However, I will not be deterred from my Thursday night comedies.

Park & Recreation:

Amy Poehler is back as a mid-management Park & Recreation city employee. Her character Leslie Knope tries desperately to keep her belief in public service in gear. Her first big project in the small town in Indiana is to gain approval for filling in a huge pit located in a neighborhood. The pit was created when the developer-owner abandoned the lot because he went bust. The problem surfaced when a nurse, the girlfirend of garage band fun guy demanded the city do something because "fun guy" fell in the pit and broke both legs.

The trials and tribulations of a mid-level city employee trying to get something done is a riot. Her co-worker is busy playing computer match Bingo with her boss. Her boss, Swanson loathes his ex-wife and has an equal disdain for government. He thinks Chuck E. Cheese should operate Parks & Recreation, not taking into account he would be out of job. Albeit, some stimulus dollars are on the way and Swanson is on board for creating a park where the pit blights the neighborhood. The trials and tribulations for Leslie Knope have just begun, creating a sub-steering committee, public comment and advocates for keeping the pit surface. It is the stuff that happens every day in local government and it is a riot.

The Office:

The established comedy show, The Office took a funny twist recently. The Scranton Dunder Mifflin Paper Company was reorganized and Steve Carell, (Michael Scott) defected taking Jenna Fischer (Pam Beesley) with him to form the Michael Scott Paper Company. The new digs are located in a hefty size walk in closet in the Dunder Mifflin building. As expected, Dwight can hardly wait to get the ear of the new boss and dump his friend Michael. The story unfolds with hysterical office gamesmanship with all right with the world results.

30 Rock:

Tina Fey (Liz Lemon) is faced with budget cuts on her production and decides to use her womanly wiles to woo the management consultant hired to make the cuts. She gets to keep almost her entire staff, but ends up in Human Resources' Sexual Harrassment classes and is suspended for two weeks. She hooks up with some apparant free spirits in her building and does the girl thing. Spas, shoe shopping, repartie and wine.

Liz Lemon is having the time of her life without regret. The apparant fun girls are in reality searching for some kind of oomph in their lives. Liz Lemon is confronted with a girlie version of Fight Club. She can hardly wait to get back to normal with Alec Baldwin. 30 Rock is funny, sharp and consistently good comedy in every single episode.

Check it out, Thursday night on NBC is a barrel of laughs.







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Many people find a perfume they love and use it for years. While there is certainly nothing wrong with this approach, one can run the risk of becoming so accustomed to the perfume that it is easy to become immune to the scent and over use it. All of us know the woman who practically knocks you over with her perfume and none of us want to be that woman! To create a unique touch acquiring a fragrance wardrobe is highly recommended. Just as jewelry or shoes can add a distinctive touch to your outfits, perfume has the power to do the same. You wouldn't wear the same thing to a formal dinner as you would to a sporting event so it certainly makes sense that the perfume you choose should vary according to place and time.

To understand how to choose the perfect perfume for the right occasion you need to understand the perfume categories. Perfume categories are growing by the day and they can and do sometimes overlap. Due to the rapidly growing popularity of niche perfumes and the advances in scientific research new and unique scent categories are created every day.

The Fragrance Foundation is the authority on all things perfume and their fragrance categories are as follows: (from the Fragrance Foundation website www.fragrance.org). These descriptions are listed on the first page of their excellent site filled with fantastic fragrance information.

Citrus
The light, fresh character of citrus notes (bergamot, orange, lemon, petitgrain, mandarin, etc.) is often combined with more feminine scents (flowers, fruits and chypre).

Green
Green notes are natural in character; often married with fruity and floral notes, they are modern and fashionable.

Flowery
An accord of different floral notes. Combines with any other family, flowery perfumes are universally commercial.

Flowery Aldehydic
Aldehydes add sparkle to flowery notes. Aldehydic creations radiate elegance and originality.

Single Floral
A composition based on the scent of one particular flower; the main examples are rose, jasmine, tuberose, lily of the valley or ylang.

Oriental
A blend of warmth and mystery. Musks and precious woods are complemented by exotic essences.

Semi-Oriental
Semi-orientals combine oriental notes with various florals. Top notes are often fresh.

Chypre
Based on a woody, mossy and flowery complex, sometimes with aspects of leather or fruits, chypre perfumes are rich and tenacious.

(From www.fragrance.org)

There are other categories, however, understanding these will help you to determine how to match your perfume to the occasion. Perfume websites also frequently describe scents by categories. The Luckyscent and Sephora websites both feature very helpful sections that will help you to choose a perfume by its fragrance family.

There are perfume classics and disasters in each of the categories. The informative book Perfume The Guide by Luca Turin and Tania Sanchez is a wonderful resource that rates perfumes and can be an invaluable resource to help you avoid the disasters and discover the greats in each category.

Citrus and green scents are often good choices for the work place. Citrus fragrances are fresh and light and green fragrances can be warm and natural and convey sophistication.

Flowery, single note florals and flowery aldehydics are good choices for that all important first date or elegant sophisticated gatherings. Consider a perfume from this category if you want to stay within a more conventional fragrance family.

Chypre scents, popular in the thirties, are making a comeback in a big way. These fragrances are statement making and generally you will either love them or absolutely hate them. They convey an evocative and rich presence and the best are well balanced and beautiful. This category is a great choice when you want to distinguish yourself with a unique perfume.

Orientals. These are excellent choices for that special evening or when you want to add mystery and sex appeal to that little black dress. They are generally heavy and have a very strong presence so wearing them in the office may not be the best idea.

There are thousands of perfumes available and just a spray will help to create a mood make a memory or mark a special occasion. Don't limit yourself to just one...enjoy the possibilities!

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I have discovered a new favorite perfume in the last couple of years. It's called "Rapture" and it's manufactured by Victoria's Secret. It was introduced in 1992. It's a versatile all-around scent that can be worn day or night.

Rapture by Victoria's Secret is a complex blend of many scents. These include orange blossom and citrus, musk, amber, vanilla, freesia, jasmine, and rose. Rapture would be classified as an oriental fragrance. Rapture smells very feminine and luxurious. Victoria's Secret Rapture is a sophisticated perfume that is not heavy at all. It smells very clean and light. I prefer simple fragrances, so this was a change of pace for me.

Rapture's top notes are mainly citrus and orange blossom. The middle notes consist of freesia, jasmine and rose. These heart notes tend to last for quite awhile. The base note mainly consists of amber, with a hint of vanilla and musk. The base notes are very deep and sensual.

Victoria's Secret Rapture is available in many products and sizes. The cologne spray is in .75 ounce and 1.7 ounce bottles. A purse spray is available. Rapture is also available as a body wash that is called shower cream. It is thicker than most body washes. It leaves your skin feeling very silky and smelling great. An 8 ounce bottle of Rapture Pure Silk body lotion can also be bought. Victoria's Secret also offers Rapture Gift Box sets of different products.

Rapture by Victoria's Secret is a bit expensive. The 1.7 ounce bottle of cologne spray is $35. The .75 ounce purse spray is $19.50. Rapture Rich Velvet body cream costs $21. Rapture Pure Silk body lotion is priced at $20. The gift box sets are found during holidays and usually cost about $85.

The packaging will probably be Rapture's downfall. The perfume is packaged in an attractive heart shaped bottle with gold trim. Upon closer inspection, the gold trim is gaudy cheap plastic. The red and gold cap on the perfume bottle is also made of plastic. Five dollar bottles of perfume are presented with better quality packaging.

Speaking of packaging, I have bought two of the gift box sets in different years. The first box was very nice. It was covered in red satin material and was very heavy. The gift box set I bought the following year was dreadful. It looked like a cheap box of chocolates that a person buys at the drug store.

I have made multiple purchases of Rapture perfume. Everytime without fail, the perfume bottles stop operating correctly. I had to throw away the miniature bottle that came with the gift set. The spring broke on the bottle and I couldn't fix it or find a way to get the rest of the perfume out of the bottle. It ended up leaking on my cabinet and staining it. Also after using about one-third of the perfume, every Rapture cologne bottle starts refusing to spray. The spray simply quits working. And the plastic caps always crack. Sometimes they get stuck on the bottle. The caps must be spray painted gold, because the gold starts peeling.

Sadly, I will never buy "Rapture" by Victoria's Secret again. For a fragrance to cost as much as "Rapture" does, the packaging is cheap. It's ultra cheap, in fact. And I can't afford to pay $35 for perfume that I'm forced to throw away with most of it still in the bottle.

If you enjoyed this article, please click on the author's name (at the top under the headline) to see what else she has written. If you really enjoyed the article, please give a good star rating. If you would like to subscribe and be notified when the author publishes something new, you can do that, too.

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There are horror films and then there are horror films, but if that's what you're looking for then you won't find it here. What you will find in BRUTAL MASSACRE: A COMEDY is one of the best self-referential horror-comedies to ever come around in quite a long time. You wouldn't think so at first look from its story about an over the hill horror film director Harry Penderecki (David Naughton) who has one last chance to turn his luck around with his "can't miss" screenplay BRUTAL MASSACRE, but you see, no matter what Pendereck does his productions are always plagued by misfortune and bad luck.

Along for the ride in Penderecki's last chance is his assistant director Jay (Brian O'Halloran), his producer Natalie (Ellen Sandweiss), his cinematographer Hanu (Gerry Bednob), and his best boy electrician Carl (Ken Foree). Writter & director Stevan Mena unveils the truth about indie filmmaking, maybe even a little too much, and the the film is all the better for it. Naughton creates a tragic yet very likable Penderecki whom you just can't help but to emphasize with.

Another great asset is the amazing supporting cast whom any classic & cult horror fan will recognize from FROM BEYOND and DAWN OF THE DEAD's (both versions) Foree to TEXAS CHAIN SAW MASSACRE's Gunnar Hansen, who is hands down the best character in the film and will keep you laughing from being to end (why he never did comedy before this film is anyone's guess since its obvious that it comes naturally to him).

Naughton is in top form as the luckless Penderecki and it's a shame that up until now his career has been over shadowed by his turn in AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON. Director Mena has done an excellent job at balancing the comedy and "horror" elements of the film while also maintaining the film's integrity of presenting an "honest" look into indie filmmaking. Definitely one of the films to look out for.




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During the summer of 2003 in the basement of Club Neva, a New York City nightclub which offered an open mike for comedians, an idea was born in George Sarris' head. He thought, "Why wasn't there an event locally, that featured some of the best unknown and emerging talent in the country." That idea prompted Sarris to team with partner Jim Mendrinos, and create the New York City Underground Comedy Festival. Sarris' tremendous work ethic partnered with Mendrino's industry knowledge led to the culmination of a three day Comedy Festival held at the Laurie Beechman Theatre in 2003.

Fast forward three years and two festivals later, the laugh fest enters it's 4th run  spanning all 5 New York City boroughs and even stretching over the river into New Jersey's Stress Factory.  Since it's inception the Festival which strives to feature emerging comedians has made a huge industry impact. It has sent showcased comedians yearly to The HBO Comedy Arts Festival in Aspen, CO., the Montreal Just for Laughs Comedy Festival, and features a Live Audition for CBS' Late Show with David Letterman. Impressive by those credentials alone, it goes on to impress by helping comedians get notcied by the casting people for The E! Network, Warner Brothers, and Comedy Central. 

Besides being a helpful tool for established and emerging comedians alike, they offer several charity shows to raise money for such causes as Operation Uplink a VFW charity that allows troops overseas to get free phone cards to call home with. It also offers free shows at Memorial Sloan Kettring Hospital titled "Comedy Fights Cancer" which is a private show for patients and family and a fundraiser for The Pati Vitale Fund a charity set up for an ailing comedienne. The festival also looks to help the established and new comedians alike by offering "Stand Up Comedy: The Business" seminar a completely free interactive workshop intended to help comedians learn about the business side of comedy directly from industry professionals. 

Throughout the ten day festival many different types of comedy shows and all different types of comedy will be showcased. Designed by the producers, many shows are geared for different audiences allowing people to choose exactly which type of shows they can see and in what form. Fans of completely clean comedy will be happy to know that there is a Clean Show on Saturday September 16th at 6 P.M. at the Laugh Lounge in New York's lower east side. 

Some of the Most Interesting shows of this year include LA's HotBox Comedy Troupe, a sketch and standup comedy group featuring 7 gorgeous LA based women, in a 1AM Pajama Party show were all entertainers perform in their Saturday Night's best Sept. 17th at the New York Improv. Also raising some interest is a show titled "Laughing Liberally: Saving Democracy One Laugh at a Time" which premieres at 8PM September 8th at the 45th St. Theatre.

The Festival also features many established headliner comedians; besides the emerging talent. Comedians such as Jim Norton, Eddie Brill, Rick Overton, Bonnie McFarlane, Pablo Francisco, Ted Alexandro, Jim Gaffigan, Todd Barry, Bob Nelson, Jim David, Jessica Kirson, Judah Friedlander, Kevin Meaney, Laurie Kilmartin, Patrice O'Neal, Rich Vos, Rick Shapiro, The Rev. Bob Levy, Rick Overton, Tom Cotter, Wali Collins, "The Dean of The Friars Club: Freddie Roman", and many more will be bringing their A game every night throught the city.

The only thing more impressive then the New York Underground Comedy Festival's enormous growth [(It even has it's own Fire Marshal Alan Schwartz, a 22 year old Comedian from the Bronx)] in such a short amount of time is it's executive producer. George Sarris, has a work ethic that would make 20 amish men think they're lazy.  That same atribute allowed him to rise from being a paige on Wall Street to Owning a Seat on the New York Stock Exchange, before giving it all up shortly after September 11th, to go on a new career path. "All of my partners are on Greens right now on  islands, wearing bermuda shorts and playing golf. That's just not me" Says the producer Sarris. Except for the fact that he is well known for his Bermuda shorts, he takes that statement to heart. His career in comedy started as a comedian, until he realized his talents would be best suited for producing it, and shaping and defining new comedians' carrers.  


The New York Underground Comedy Festival Runs from September 8th-17th stretching across 5 boroughs, and two states  it features over 50 venues, 200 plus comics, 300 shows, 3 charities, and a great time for anyone who can use a laugh. More information can be found at the Festival's website: http://www.nycundergroundcomedy.com







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Are you in need of some serious laughter? How about a place to forget about all your worries or the day's stressful events? Then look no further. I have the answer for you right here. It's called Wiseguys Comedy Club.

Wiseguys Comedy Club is located in Utah and has four locations across the Wasatch Front to cure your funny bones desires. This comical club has found homes in West Valley City, Orem, Ogden and in the heart of Salt Lake City at Trolley Square. Wiseguys feature the finest and funniest in live stand-up comedy. The club is open to all ages but the comedian's routines are not censored so attend at your ears own risk. The clubs highlight "different national touring comedians every weekend and have hosted numerous celebrities including Lewis Black, Dave Attel, Joe McHale, Margaret Cho, Caroline Rhea, Carlos Mencia, Harland Williams and more. Wiseguys has twice been named Utah's Best Comedy Club by Salt Lake City Weekly and has been featured several times in the Salt Lake Tribune, Deseret News, Standard-Examiner, KUTV2 News, and Fox 13."

I have personally been to the West Valley location and Wiseguys is not your average comedy club that you may have seen on TV. The clubs ambiance is cozy, intimate and features a small stage in the front and center. Long tables are set up diagonally on either side of the main isle, leading up to the stage. The first couple rows of tables are perfect for the brave souls who wish to engage in humorous repartee with the wisecracker. For those of you who wish to stay out of the comedians view point. There is additional table's setup on the far side of the diagonal rows and also in the back.

And what would a comedy club be without a heckler? There has been at least one at every show I have attended. Unfortunately, there is not one "designated" spot for those few belonging to the peanut gallery. But if you should find yourself sitting next to one, don't worry. A good comedian will usually make them the butt of their jokes. Leaving you to laugh at their expense and out of the entertainer's routine.

Looking for something cheap to do on the weekend? No problem. Wiseguys has a 2 for 1 coupon valid only on Friday and Saturday shows. The clubs have a café-style menu of appetizers, sandwiches, desserts, bottled beer and soft drinks. But something I didn't know the first time I enjoyed these fine comedic routines is that one menu item must be purchased during the show.

So where ever you live, you are just minutes from chuckling, giggling or whatever your brand of laughter may be, at Wiseguys Comedy Club. For more information and scheduled performers visit their website at www.wiseguyscomedy.com.

Sources: www.wiseguyscomedy.com







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The ending of a comedy doesn’t need to make us laugh. The humorous parts of a comedy occur in the rising action and the climax; we laugh during the journey. By the time we reach the final scene, the jokes curtail, almost by necessity. For example, everyone remembers Don Quixote tilting at windmills in chapter eight, but not his death. In Twelfth Night, we remember the stiff Malvolio being made a fool of in his yellow stockings more than the weddings at the end. The ending acts as a tying together of humorous scenes, and while the success of a tragedy leans heavily on the ending, a comedy does not. 

The old adage says that tragedy ends in death and comedy ends in marriage. These stereotypes work only as a generality. Many cross-pollinations of genres exist today, such as tragicomedy and dark comedy, and endings have diversified as well. However, the formulaic happy ending of comedy remains a staple in film and literature. The four comedies to be examined here all have different endings: Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, Moliere’s Tartuffe, Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot, and Cervantes' Don Quixote. The different types of endings have different effects on the reader, but the most powerful ending in these four comedies is Don Quixote, which ends like a tragedy, with the death of the hero. 

A traditional New Comedy, the ending of Twelfth Night ends in marriage. Actually, the play ends with a triple marriage, the couples being Viola and Orsino, Sebastian with Olivia, and Toby and Maria. The ending of the play is a foregone conclusion from the beginning, and there is never a question of whether or not the couples will fall in love. What makes the ending interesting is how the couples fall in love. New Comedy is like a song, with formulaic verses, choruses and no real surprises. We don’t come back for the last chord of a catchy song, but for the chorus and verses that makes us sing out loud. Shakespeare uses mistaken identity and disguise to mix up the characters, and the exposure at the end unties the knots in a believable manner. He unties the mess and then unites the characters again. The stress builds quickly as the twin siblings Sebastian and Viola cross paths, with each one foiling the other. Shakespeare manages to create traditional New Comedy endings better than anyone else, but even so, the ending leaves the audience without any deep or self-reflective feelings about the characters. 

Tartuffe by Moliere also follows the format of New Comedy, with a resulting marriage that restores the status quo to power that existed at the beginning of the play, while at the same time hanging Tartuffe out to dry. The difference between this ending and Twelfth Night, however, is that Moliere makes use of a deus rex machina, a “king from the machine,” as Louis XIV appears and rectifies the deception of Tartuffe: “The King, by royal order, invalidates / The deed which gave this rascal your estates” (Moliere 162). 

Unfortunately, for the same reason readers decry the usage of divine intervention, the deus ex machina, this ending does not satisfy. Twelfth Night cleans up the story with sophistication and, for the most part, plausible reasons, but Tartuffe builds up a situation that puts the hero against the wall, and by no action of his own, his situation gets resolved. The comedy at the end relies entirely on the delivery of the actor playing Tartuffe when he says: “Who? I, sir?” and “To prison? This can’t be true” (161). When his usurped world falls apart, a rapid denouement brings us to the ending. The falling action of Twelfth Night takes a long time, and raises many questions to entertain the audience. Therefore, in regard to New Comedy, an effective ending arrives at the last line gracefully, and between these two plays, Shakespeare outdoes Moliere in terms of satisfying the audience. 

In Waiting for Godot, the ending leaves Gogo and Didi pushing and pulling against themselves, as they have throughout the play.

VLADIMIR: “Well? Shall we go?”
ESTRAGON: “Yes, let’s go.”
They do not move (Becket 60).

The end comes abruptly, with no definite closure, such as would happen with a marriage or a death. Instead of tying up loose ends, the play ends with a continuation of the play. They will be forever waiting. It is not a happy ending or a sad ending, but it is somehow miserable because of the essence of indecision and anticipation. Estragon says, “I can’t go on like this,” and Vladimir replies, “That’s what you think” (60). In other words, Vladimir knows that they have to go on waiting. Waiting for Godot doesn’t really have an ending, but since they have made no progress as characters, the ending invokes little or no emotion from the audience. 

Characters that convince us enough to care about them have the greatest effect on an audience, and when they take us through a series of humorous events, a powerful ending can be a simple return to reality. In the ending of Don Quixote, Cervantes places his hero on his death bed with his friends weeping. Sancho Panza says, “Don’t die senor; your grace should take my advice and live for many years, because the greatest madness a man can commit in this life is to let himself die” (Cervantes 937). After over nine hundred pages of laughter, Cervantes beings us back to reality, prompting us with, “let us put all jokes aside” (936). Even the author becomes sad, saying, “For me alone was Don Quixote born, and I for him” (939). As Robert Frost said, “No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader.” Cervantes leaves us with the impression that he is staining the page with goodbye tears. In this type of ending, our affection for a character can only come about if we enjoyed the ride.
Some great modern comedy films have successfully used a Quixotic ending. Planes, Trains and Automobiles reveals John Candy as a homeless man, and The Big Lebowski has Steve Buscemi suffering a heart attack. In endings like this, the text subtly asks a question: was he or she funny enough to care about? In Don Quixote, the foolish knight errant has become reasonable again, and they implore him to remain a dreamer: “now that we are on the point of becoming shepherds and spending our lives in song…now your grace wishes to be a hermit? For God’s sake, be quiet, come to your senses, and tell us no more tales” (936). Like Sanson, we don’t want to see Don Quixote become normal again, because his devotion to his dreams has convinced us that the fantasy is the reality. 

A tragic ending to a comedy takes us through a spectrum of emotion, and leads to introspection. That is to say: a great comedy can make the audience cry. Reality has bite after a fantasy becomes real. It can wrench the viewer. A traditional happy ending invites the audience to be happy for the character, but a Quixotic ending invites us to feel for the character. Just as role reversals in the narrative affect us, the Quixotic ending creates a role reversal in the reader. 

Today, with marriage declining as an institution, perhaps we should change the mantra to say: comedy ends in death, tragedy in marriage.  In my first two novels, Memoirs of a Virus Programmer and Immaculate, I've used this as a rule. 








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