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Avon Today Her Eau de Parfum
by supersonic75
*~*Introduction and reason for purchase*~*
I few years ago I started running Avon and was a Rep for around a year, before finding it wasn't worth the hassle of trying to get money off my customers who seemed reluctant to want to pay so ended up giving up. In that time though I accrued a variety of products from the rep's catalogue ... which were normally priced much cheaper than in the brochures themselves and often featured forthcoming products that were not going to be available for a while, with one item I picked up being a (then) new fragrance called Today.
'Today' was to be the first in a 'love' trilogy of fragrances entitled 'Today', 'Tomorrow' and 'Always' with the face of this new exciting campaign being the actress Salma Hayek. Launched back in 2004, I was quite surprised to see that this was still going strong and whilst it can't have made that much of an impact on me as I honestly couldn't remember the perfume from wearing it back then I was still over the moon to receive a full size bottle as a gift recently from a friend.
Having worn this several times over the past few weeks,as well as in the past, I will now discuss my thoughts on 'Today' by Avon.
*~*Price, packaging & availability*~*
Today is currently available in EDP form costing £11 for a 50ml bottle as opposed to it's usual RRP of £14. All three of the collection are available in miniature form costing £4 so if wanting a smaller version then it's worth bearing this in mind.
Today comes packaged in fairly simplistically designed, but equally stunning looking bottle. Being made of a thick and sturdy glass the bottle is designed in the shape of a cube with the glass and is transparent enough to see the liquid contents within. The bottle is quite deceiving as it looks to hold much more than the promised 50ml, and on closer inspection it's clear to see that the thick strong glass houses a 'bubble' feature in the centre where the EDP liquid is stored. The bottle is topped off nicely with an interestingly 'squashed oval' shaped transparent lid which is made from plastic but looks more glass like. The whole appearance of the bottle is one of class and sophistication and looks far more expensive than it's Avon price tag, even whilst at full price.
The bottle I was given is the regular Today though the one I owned previously was the limited edition 'golden' bottle. Although the fragrance is identical I must admit I much prefer the look of the 'normal' Today than the limited version.
Availability wise this is an Avon product so can be purchased when ordering through a Rep or by looking online @www.avonshop.co.uk. If buying online the order normally incurs a P&P charge though it's best to check for yourself as I can't comment on delivery and service etc as I've always bought my Avon products via a Rep and had them delivered free to my home.
*~*The fragrance itself*~*
The fragrance is available in an EDP format and the composition itself is made up of the following:
Top notes:
Freesia
Cactus Sap
Heart notes:
White Pepper
Exotic Flowers
Base notes:
Sandalwood
Cedar
Musk
Rose Water
*~*My experience of wearing Today*~*
I do remember buying my own bottle of Today almost 10 years ago now when it was first launched by Avon, not because it sounded appealing as such, but more so the fact that it cost me around the £2 mark at the time from the Rep's book and I am a sucker for a bargain. Even though I owned, and used, a full bottle back then I honestly couldn't remember much about it's scent so it obviously didn't strike too much of a chord, but nevertheless I was pleased to receive a bottle from a friend recently as a thank you gift for helping her out with something.
On removing the attractive, but bulky, lid I couldn't detect much in the way of aroma where as with some fragrances the scent is apparent almost immediately before it has even been applied, yet with Today I couldn't smell anything at all and I did wonder if it would be a weak insipid fragrance despite it supposedly being an EDP. I found though the bottle also appears bulky due to it's cube like shape it is easy enough to grip when applying though due to the thickness of the glass it feels very weighty.
The EDP is accessible via an easy to use nozzle and once pressed it releases the fragrance quite rapidly in a very fine mist form. I found one spritz of the scent sufficed each pulse point and once it made contact with my skin the fragrance really made itself known and on first applying it was actually quite strong.
I'm no perfume expert nor do I pretend to be, but I do own a lot of fragrances in EDT and EDP form and I do like to know which notes are used so it's become a habit now at finding out what makes up each composition. When I looked up Today I was quite surprised by the notes used as it didn't smell anything like how it was described though it is a pretty enough feminine scent I suppose, though it never fully overwhelmed me at any point.
The first thing I noticed when applying it was a quite prominent floral aroma which I presume to be the freesia though to me reminded me more of lilies, though was pleasant all the same, if slightly strong. Once the dry down began the floral theme carried on and I could definitely detect the exotic flowers in the heart, though sadly not the white pepper at that time.
The fragrance doesn't take long to settle, in fact after around twenty minutes it had transformed itself into a muskier version though had faded slightly so was now at a comfortable strength on my skin and wasn't as overpowering as when first applied. It was at this point that I could definitely make out a peppery scent though it was only subtle, but along with the muskier notes it helped to give the EDP a much needed warmth and detracted it slightly from it's prominent floral presence.
*~*Recommended?*~*
There's no denying that this is a beautiful perfume and I've enjoyed wearing it again though it's certainly not a favourite and I can't see myself personally buying a bottle of it in the future, that's not to say I wouldn't wear it if it was bought as a gift again. I found that once the EDP had well and truly settled on to my skin the scent became much more likable as it transformed from being overly floral - which I am not a fan of - to being warmer, muskier and slightly fiery due to the white pepper though it did take a while for the pepper to surface but once it did it remained.
Longevity wise this lasted each application around 3 hours on me, which for an Eau de Parfum is quite disappointing as I own EDT's with much more staying power than this so it lets itself down as far as longevity is concerned. Due to the quite compact (though bulky) bottle it can be carried around for top ups throughout the day though I never bothered as once it had worn off I just reapplied later on in the day when I was home again.
I'm not a big fan of floral based fragrances as I find they can be cloying and overpowering and at times seem very artificial though when it comes to anything including Rose I am slightly biased as it's the one floral note I adore. I was disappointed however to find that though this fragrance apparently includes rose water I couldn't detect this at all and normally rose is something that I can normally notice probably because of my love for it's romantic scent but sadly it doesn't show itself here at all.
I think if you are fan of musky floral fragrances then this would suit as it is quite beautiful it just simply isn't the sort of perfume I prefer to wear but there's nothing wrong with the actual scent itself. Today manages to to smell natural and not too artificial and just like it's packaging it comes across as being far more expensive than it is and not very 'Avon' if that makes sense though unfortunately it's longevity does let it down.
I found this to be suited for general daytime wearing personally as once it had settled on to the skin it became much lighter and airy and not the sort of perfume I'd choose to wear on an evening but that's just my opinion. Out of the three EDP's launched at the time Tomorrow was always my favourite and I still have a bottle of it now which I wear occasionally as it always stood out amongst the other two, whereas Today - as pretty as it is - didn't ring any bells when I wore it again so as mentioned previously I can't have thought that much about it when I owned it in the past.
Today is, however, a lovely fragrance which would probably appeal more to floral fans but for me it's just a mediocre scent which is the weakest link in the trilogy and it's poor staying power means I can only grant it a 3/5.
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Lush Karma Solid Eau de Parfum
by spiritwood
To complete my online humiliation, I am now reviewing the solid perfume variety of the "Karma" scent by Lush. Firstly I apologise for writing about Lush, there seem to be 8 million reviews on here already. Secondly I never dreamed in a million years that I would own a Lush product let alone admit to liking the damn ... thing.
I have already reviewed the Karma solid shampoo and Jungle solid conditioner that were sent to me as a gift. I had fairly negative views on Lush as a company because they do use chemicals and hide behind the whole "green" label. However I had to eat my words because both the solid shampoo and the conditioner blew me away. It is a testament to how much I like these that I am still using them.
The one that really rocked my socks was the Karma solid shampoo, partly because of the effects on my hair but mainly because of the smell. It was so potent and delicious it is almost as if it had grabbed me by the nose-ring and shoved me in a time machine back to Woodstock festival, an era that I sadly missed out on because I was busy being born. My selfish, selfish parents....
Now I am an unapologetic hippy. I love all things dreadlock and tie dyed and Grateful Dead and patchouli. Cliched yes but it really is what I like. There is no need to pity me, I am happy enough. This solid perfume replicates the scent of the solid shampoo but in an even more concentrated and nose-tingling way. Forget Woodstock... this is like being invited for tea and croissants by Janis Joplin herself before indulging in a brief but passionate liaison on an Indian carpet before being run a bath by Jim Morrison. It is that good.
THE PRODUCT:
I got a bit over excited there.... KARMA solid perfume from Lush comes in a black push up tube containing a pale orange chunky stick of scented deliciousness. The lid unscrews and you push the perfume up by using your finger on the bottom of the tube. There is no way to push it down again apart from shoving the lid back on which is a bit of a shame but it is a small negative in an otherwise lovely product. Taking Janis Joplin out of the equation, the smell of Karma is a mixture of heady patchouli and citrus with a few complimentary ingredients added in which make it spicy and moreish.
The tube is short and squat and an easy size to carry around (and lose) and it has minimalist design. The tube simply has "Karma" written across the front with the words "Gorilla perfume" in a small font underneath. On the back of the tube you will find the ingredients, some are natural some are not.
The perfume uses concentrated essential oils of orange, patchouli, elemi, lavender and lemongrass which all come together in a scent that screams out to be noticed. Subtle it is not. The perfume is somewhat masculine, and some men would probably wear it.
Apparently the Karma is one of Lush's best selling products. I can see why.
USE:
This is strong so a little goes a long way. You simply rub the solid stick on your skin. I wear it on my wrists and up the inside of my arms. When I put it behind my ears I did find that it started to itch so I avoid this now. The solid perfume leaves a little trail of oil on your skin but it is minimal and does disappear when you rub your wrists together. The scent has good longevity and lasts a whole day on me. I have had a few people ask me what I am wearing so it is something that lasts and exudes.
The solid perfume container holds 12g of scent. Not a lot but it lasts ages as it is so strong. It is a good way to sample the strangely named Gorilla range without spending a fortune as the solid perfumes retail from around £5-7 each.
If you like the Karma scent like me, then Lush also do soaps, cream and bath products in the Karma variety but expect more chemicals to be added to these products such as foaming agents (SLS) and preservatives.
This is a good hippy scent, it reminds me of freedom, festivals and hot summers in a field with a bunch of dreadlocked scruffs with dogs on strings. Perhaps not appealing to most but very appealing to me....
The patchouli smell which is typically associated with the whole hippy vibe can sometimes have a harshness that becomes irritating after a while. The patchouli in this solid perfume is balanced very well by the other scents and it really does not have the same harshness despite its very obvious presence.
I love it.... I actually went and paid money for this despite my reservations about Lush as a company. If you like the smell of festival incense and are a bit of a bohemian then I think that you would enjoy Karma.
PRICE:
Karma costs £5.00 for the solid stick of perfume, £10.00 for the spritzer and £21.00 for the atomiser.
If you want to try it out you can sample it at a Lush store or buy the solid stick. If you don't like it then feel free to pass it on to me :)
More info here:
https://www.lush.co.uk/product/244/Karma-27g-|-Gorilla-Perfume
SUMMARY:
This contains a large quantity of natural ingredients and a few very unnatural ones. However it is so nice that I shall overlook this. I recommend this for free spirited folk who like to smell of retro earthy tones. A love for Janis Joplin is not essential.
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