Guys, there’s a new perfume that I am nutso for.  It’s called Forever Lily, and I discovered it a few weeks back when a publicist sent me a bottle for consideration.  For reasons unknown, I expected to hate it…but then I took a sniff, and I about died.  It is so…good.  Perfume is a super personal thing, and I find that people generally gravitate toward the same “types” of scents.  I love musky orientals like Narciso Rodriguez, Tom Ford Black Orchid, Guerlain Shalimar, and Alien Liqueur de Parfum (my other new obsession, and more on this below), all of which feature heavier base notes like musk, sandalwood, amber, patchouli, and/or incense.  If you’re with me, then I bet you’ll also love Forever Lily, which features vanilla, cedarwood, amber and sandalwood base notes, and includes middle and top notes of fig, stargazer lily, clove, lemon and lychee. It’s a very appropriate scent for the holidays.

[By the way.  Have you noticed that perfume reviewers always talk about the top notes first, then the middle, and finally the base notes, in the order you experience the scent?  The base notes are the heart of the fragrance and generally more warm and spicy (which I love), so I find them more interesting than the fleeting, crisper top notes.  The base notes are the marathoners that cling to your skin hours after the top and middle notes have passed out and headed to bed.]

So.  Forever Lily.  The backstory, equally heartbreaking and inspiring (when creator Beth Nonte-Russell accompanied a friend to China to adopt a baby girl, the friend couldn’t go through with it; Beth stepped up and adopted the girl, Lily, herself), makes the haunting, delicate, warm scent even more gorgeous.  It’s on sale right now at The Fairest (while it’s normally $125, it’s now $104) so if you’re thinking of checking it out, take advantage of this sale!

As for Alien Liqueur de Parfum…wow.  I was amused by their press release a few weeks back, and the publicist sent me a sample.  It’s divine.  It’s transcendent.  It is a revelation. Featuring rum, amber and woods, it’s smokey, mysterious, wintry, dark, complex and absolutely delicious.  As you’ll see in the video below (part 2 of a “post-shower” series I did with no makeup!), I wore it over to my friend D.’s house, and she was also blown away.  This is the first beauty product in ages I am going to run out and spend my own money on.  I don’t care how much it costs.  I have to have it.  It’s that freaking amazing.

Lest you wonder how I can be equally obsessed with two fragrances, think of them as George Clooney versus Johnny Depp…each yummy, mysterious, sexy, and mesmerizing.  Different…but both wonderful.

It’s rare for a beauty product to make me sit up and take notice–most are okay, many are good, but few are great.  The ones below have made it into my personal hall of fame–run, don’t walk!

Living Proof No Frizz: Sold out everywhere, and for good reason.  This silicone-free anti-frizz line was created by scientists using a new molecule (PolyfluoroEster) that’s smaller and more efficient at coating than frizz solutions of days past.  The more you use, the better it works–and, trust me, it works like magic.

Cover Girl Lash Blast: Better than many mascaras three times the price; it volumizes, lengthens and makes every single lash look-at-me gorgeous.

Tom Ford Black Orchid Finishing Oil: With something as delicate and nuanced as fragrance, the devil is in the details.  Every offering from Tom Ford is a standout, but this sexy, musky, animalistic body oil (only available online, and frequently sold-out) is in a divine league of its own.

Nude Skincare Cleansing Oil: Completely removes makeup, leaves skin silky and soft without causing breakouts, and full of good-for-you ingredients like omega-3 and vitamin E.  I cannot properly explain how much I adore this cleanser.