Actress Gwyneth Paltrow, spokesmodel for Estee Lauder’s Pure White Linen Pink Coral fragrance

I’m *so not* an OG Estee Lauder White Linen kinda girl.

I know it’s considered a classic scent and loved by millions of women, but it always seemed too formal and kinda old lady overly mature to me.

That’s why I never expected to like EL’s new interpretation of the fragrance, Pure White Linen Pink Coral ($40).

The Bulgarian rose in the OG White Linen scent makes me think back to being a kid at family parties. My mom would always make me do my rounds, kissing cheeks on all of my aunties and grandmas. I could almost see the air around them. It was thick, and it smelled just like White Linen and fried fish (a fragrance common to Filipino get togethers, LOL!).

But EL lightened up with Pure White Linen Pink Coral. She’s fresher (so fresh!) than her older sister (the original White Linen) and more my cup of tea.

Pure White Linen Pink Coral joins Pure White Linen (a fruity floral with notes of orange and raspberry) and Pure White Linen Light Breeze (a citrus with grapefruit and Italian Bergamot), two other interpretations of the original White Linen fragrance.

The scent

Pure White Linen Pink Coral starts off with a burst of fresh cut green apple slices and crushed jasmine petals.

At first whiff I get a picture of a summer seaside wedding. The bride and her bridesmaids are standing with their bouquets held low, waiting for their cue to walk barefoot down a sandy aisle strewn with flower petals — casual, light and hopeful.

A short time later (about 30 minutes), Pure White Linen Pink Coral’s middle notes appear, and the fragrance becomes a joyful, fresh floral mix of honeysuckle, cherry blossom and sweet pea flower.

As the scent dries down over the next few hours, vanilla and sandalwood emerge — sexy but coy, like a little black dress that fits in all the right places without having to show too much skin.

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I *wish* I had Mariah Carey on speed dial because I’d ask her if she had something to do with the name Bath & Body Works gave to their new limited edition spring fragrance line.

Doesn’t Butterfly Flower sound like something she would have come up with?

You know, she has that obsession with butterflies, rainbows, Hello Kitty, glitter and all things fourth grade that makes me wonder (still lovin’ ya, Mimi!). Hmm…

I don’t know about you, but I always look forward to new BBW fragrance releases because I never know what to expect.

New for spring, products in the Butterfly Flower fragrance collection of gels, lotions, baths and creams ($5-$30 each) pack notes of freesia, mimosa flower and honeysuckle. Those are what I detect, but here’s the company’s official breakdown of the fragrance:

Butterfly Flower
Top notes: Black tea, tangerine, cyclamen (a flower), banana leaf
Middle notes: Orchid, Asian syringa flower, French mimosa
Base notes: Creamy coconut milk, musk

BBW’s floral blends can sometimes overwhelm my sensitive nose, some even smelling overly synthetic on my skin. I usually prefer their crisp, clean scents like Rainkissed Leaves, but Butterfly Flower is lighter than most of their floral fare.

I’ve been testing three of the items from the 16-piece collection…

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This giveaway is closed, and I’ll be contacting the winner shortly. Thanks for entering!

As spring blossoms, I find myself reaching for heavy winter fragrances less often than I did a couple months ago. I feel like it’s time for lighter, fresher scents like DKNY Be Delicious Fresh Blossom, a limited edition spring fragrance with notes of grapefruit, French cassis (black currant), apricot, muguet (Lily of the Valley), rose, jasmine and apple.

How about a giveaway?

The prize

One lucky lady will win a 3.4-oz bottle of DKNY Be Delicious Fresh Blossom eau de parfum spray (a $70 value).

The bottle is sure to brighten up your bedroom dresser.

How to enter…

If you’re a regular reader, you know we do it, girl. There are a couple ways to enter, and you can do both of them for two chances to win.

First, enter by leaving a comment at the bottom of this post. In it, tell me what fragrances you’ve been wearing this spring.

I’ve been wearing Estee Lauder pretty much non-stop! — Pleasures Baie Rose Body Splash and Private Collection Tuberose Gardenia.

Second, you can also enter by subscribing to my updates by email (if you haven’t already). They’re once-a-day emails with my daily posts featuring beauty product reviews, drugstore beauty tips, makeup tutorials and incredibly useful pictures of my cat, LOL!
(Note: if you’re already subscribed, you’re automatically entered to win.)

Recap…

1. Enter by leaving a comment at the bottom of this post, and don’t forget to use a valid email address so I can reach you if you win.
2. Sign up for my updates by email if you haven’t already. Just enter your email address using the form below, or click this link.

I’ll pick the winner at random from among the people who enter by 11:59PM PST Sunday night.

Bona fortuna!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

This giveaway is closed, and I’ll be contacting the winner shortly. Thanks for entering!

If there’s such a thing as a body splash intervention, I think I need one! I’m addicted to Estee Lauder’s Pleasures Baie Rose Peony Splash ($52).

It’s one of three new spring limited edition body splashes (joining Sandlewood Amber Splash and Jasmine Violet Splash) from EL’s long-running Pleasures fragrance line.

Each of the splashes takes the classic Pleasures blend of lilies and jasmine and tweaks it just a little bit.

Body splashes are lighter than perfumes and eau de toilettes, with fragrances typically lasting less time on the skin. That’s why many gals prefer them, particularly in warmer weather, in place of heavy or cloying perfumes.

The original Pleasures scent is an old-school fave of mine (soooo 1997!), and Baie Rose adds a yummy rose to the mix.

I think EL got the balance of rose just right in Baie Rose. It stops way shy of matronly and rests solidly in the Land of Great.

On me Baie Rose smells of lilies, first, and crushed roses on a fresh, dewy spring morning after a night of April showers — clean, crisp, feminine and young. Lurvely!

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Heya, girls. What’s shakin’? El Hub and I are cruising the mall after finishing lunch at the Cheesecake Factory (can I just have cheesecake for the rest of my life, please?). Now I’m looking at makeup at Nordstrom while El Hub sits patiently on one of those black leather “boy benches” by the escalators. He has his iPhone and a full belly, so he’ll be fine for a while.

I’m on my way to the MAC counter for Sugarsweet goodies, but first I wanted to mention what I found at Philosophy. It’s a new fragrance called Unconditional Love. Have you caught a whiff yet?

The Philosophy counter folks tell me it just came in this week. It’s described as a fruity fragrance with notes of blackberry, vanilla and musk, and there are three items in the line: an eau de toilette ($40), a body wash ($22) and body lotion ($34).

I was just walking by the stand when I thought someone nearby was eating berry Life Savers, which I love. I stopped and realized the scent was coming from the Philosophy counter.

Combine the distinct but light blackberry scent with rain-kissed skin and a steaming hot cup of vanilla rooibos tea, and that’s how I think of Unconditional Love.

It has been raining since dawn, and the fragrance fits well with the weather.

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