Tocca Giulietta Oct. 26th 2010

Oct 26, 2010 3:07 PM

by Carrie Meredith

Every once in awhile, a floral perfume comes along that I actually don't hate. Tocca Giulietta is one. It has a particularly fresh opening, it's the green apple and pink tulips that hit you at first and sends you into instant vacation mode. But this is a vacation that I've not taken (yet). The scent lingers on the floral plane for awhile, then the sweetness of vanilla orchid settles in, finally landing on a bit of woods and musk for the drydown. But the effect of the numerous floral notes (also including lily of the valley, Bulgarian rose and heliotrope) never quite leaves completely, making this a particularly well-balanced and poetic scent. Unfortunately the scent does not last very long on my skin. 

The story behind the scent is memorable: it is an ode to the holidays spent on the island of Corsica by filmmaker Federico Fellini and actress Giulietta Masina. So in essence, this is a love story in a bottle, and it evokes a certain dreaminess with its freshness that is rather rare. Overall, it's definitely not my usual type of scent and I can't say I'll wear it with frequency, but there will be those moods, and when they arrive, I will happily wear this scent and think of shores unseen.

Revue de presse - In Style

C'est officiel, j'adore lire la presse étrangère. Enfin, lire est un bien grand mot car mes compétences en langues étrangères sont un peu limitées. Alors disons simplement que j'aime feuilleter les magazines américains ! A l'aéroport lundi, j'ai donc largement trouvé de quoi m'occuper en attendant mon avion. Voici une rapide review des quelques produits que j'ai trouvé intéressant.


Colgate Wisp

Je me souviens qu'il y a quelques années, Oral-B avait commercialisé une sorte de brosse à dents nomade baptisée Brush Aways (ICI). Moi qui suis un accro au brossage de dents, je trouvais le concept sympa. Mais j'ai du être l'un des seuls, car au bout de quelques mois, il était impossible de trouver ce produit en rayons... Et bien, je vais peut-être avoir une autre solution pour me brosser les dents après le déjeuner, grâce à Colgate cette fois ! La marque a apparemment lancé une sorte de mini-brosse jetable, contenant des perles rafraîchissantes et qui s'utilise sans eau. Décliné en 4 parfums, le produit est présenté plus en détail sur ce site internet.


Tocca

Les lingettes nettoyante, démaquillante, autobronzante... je connaissais déjà. En revanche, la version solaire m'apparait bien plus novatrice. C'est la marque italienne Tocca qui propose ce procédé. Alors OK, ce n'est pas du tout écologique (comme tous les produits jetables à base de lingettes d'ailleurs), et à 28 euros la boite de 8, on s'imagine mal l'utiliser comme protection principale en vacances. Mais cela peut en revanche être une bonne alternative pour une application occasionnelle, à laisser dans son sac pour un déjeuner en terrasse imprévu (comme aujourd'hui par exemple!)...

NIA 24

Je vois souvent cette marque dans les médias étrangers et j'avoue qu'à chaque fois, je trouve leurs produits sympa. NIA, c'est pour Pro-Niacin, la molécule star de la gamme, le dénominateur commun à l'ensemble des soins. J'ai cru comprendre qu'il s'agissait en fait d'un dérivé de Vitamine B3 qui permettrait d'augmenter le renouvellement cellulaire. Dit ainsi, cela ne parait pas révolutionnaire mais la manière dont l'utilise la marque (c'est expliqué en détail ICI) fait que cela semble plutôt solide comme concept. J'espère que nous aurons la chance de découvrir les produits en France dans les prochains mois...

December hauls

Here's a round-up of all the makeup and skincare that I came home with, not just stuff that I bought in Tokyo but also at the Changi Airport duty-free and some stuff that my colleague in the US helped me to buy.

My Tokyo haul of stuff for myself.


Love Clover Marshmallow Fit Powder N in 5194 Champagne Silver (12g, 2100yen) which is a loose pale beige powder with silver shimmer. This came with a free mini powder tub.



Canmake Loose Cheeks in #8 Peach Squash. This was an absolute steal at only 819yen.



Gransenbon blush #14 Maple Nuts, as compared with #9 Apricot Ginger


From left to right: #11, #9, #14 and #12


Sana Super Quick Eyeliner EX Vivid Black (1260yen). This is a crayon type eyeliner which can be used to line the waterline. I've always admired how Japanese ladies line their eyes to achieve the perfect smokey dramatic look but have yet to be able to master it without looking like a panda! Perhaps this will help :-p




AIAI Glyfoam 1300 is a facial cleanser that contains 13% glycolic acid and is free of fragrance, colourants, mineral oil and parabens. I've been wanting to try a glycolic cleanser for quite some time now to combat my acne-prone skin but they do not seem to be common in Singapore. This cost 3465yen, which was pricey, but as I had a 2500yen voucher at a store, it didn't cost me that much overall. There is also a soap version but it has only a 4% concentration and cost 2940yen so of course I went for the more powerful foam cleanser.




At Changi Airport's Terminal 3, I also picked up these lovelies from Bobbi Brown and Becca. Although I haven't been that impressed with Becca in the past except for their loose powder and concealer, I keep getting drawn back to the brand for some reason. This time, I fell for their Pressed Shimmer Powders which were very pricey at S$75 but somehow I ended up coming home with three of them. I think it was the fact that Becca is currently available in Singapore exclusively at Terminal 3 that made me go a bit nuts and snap up three at a go even though I already have enough shimmer powders to become a disco ball several times over!



The Becca counter itself was a bit of a mess with several items out of stock, including the ever popular Beach Tints. Becca has always seemed to have problems with their distribution, like when it was still available in Sephora, so I'm surprised it has survived until today. There was supposed to be a free concealer with purchase of $100 but as they had run out of stock, the SA gave me a Ralph Lauren Notorious perfume miniature and Jurlique Citrus Purifying Mist.

From left to right: Becca Pressed Shimmer Powders in Odette, Nefertiti and Gypsy


I also picked up the Bobbi Brown Rose Shimmer Brick and Lip Kit which came with a face brush and lip brush. The set cost S$101 and I believe it is available only in travel retail. As I already owned the Tawny and Bronze kits from my trip to New York last year, I thought the Rose would make a nice addition to my collection.

Rose Shimmer Brick


Lipglosses in Pink Mocha and Naked and Lip Colors in Brown and Tulle


From left to right: Tawny, Rose and Bronze




A colleague helped me to purchase these from Sephora.com during their Friends & Family 20% off sale. I got the MD Skincare Alpha Beta Daily Face Peel, Tarte the Vanity set, Tocca Stella solid perfume and travel candle set.





Luckily it's payday this Friday :-) I'll try to post reviews as I start using the products but with my camera acting up strangely, it may be difficult to post clear pics.