**Giveaway! Tweet this post for a chance to with Banana Republic’s new Wildbloom Vert which launches today!**

I’m just saying…for someone who’s pretty accustomed to a 10AM-6PM schedule, waking up at 7 for Banana Republic’s new Wildbloom Vert fragrance launch was no easy feat. But once I stepped into the Gramercy Park Hotel terrace, which was flooded by sunlight, I instantly woke up. If only every morning can begin like this…

To learn about the fragrance, we were in good company: we were joined by BR’s creative director, Simon Kneen, and world-renowned perfumer, Ilias Ermenidis, who helped develop the scent.

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Leave it to Agent Provocateur to make one sexy night out of their Eau Provocateur fragrances launch party! Held at their boutique on Madison Avenue, models demo’d the new fragrances for us while, of course, sporting its namesake from head-to-toe.

Til now, the titillating brand (also known for some pretty racy videos…see their “Love Me Tender” Valentine’s video featuring Rosie Huntington-Whiteley for reference) had their two L’Agent and original Eau Provocateur perfumes. Both were meant to be ‘nighttime’ fragrances, and therefore, pretty dense and strong in their scents. These three new perfumes however are their new DAY fragrances — a little lighter with modern twists:

L’Agent Eau Provocateur: Contains top notes of bergamot, leaf accord, madarin, apple, melon, and peach. Mid notes: rose, jasmin, tuberose, magnolia, freesia, and ylang. Base notes: musk, patchouli, sandalwood, and amber crystals. I thought this one was a little more strong because of the musk!
Eau Provocateur: A daytime version of their original Eau De Parum, this one contains citrus and red fruit accords like muguet and orange flower. base notes of myrrh, vanilla, and tonka bean.
Maitresse: Top notes of rose, jasmin sambac, and iris. Mid notes of granny smith appes, and base notes of amber, sandalwood, and tonka. It’s a lighter, floral scent compared to the other two!

Maitresse is my personal favorite, but I’m into more floral perfumes so it totally makes sense. Check them out and let me know which one’s yours! But don’t run out the door yet — the trio will be available on April 15th for $70 each.

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Not to sound annoying, but I’ve been getting a lot more compliments on my lashes lately. If you’ve been following my blog, by now you know I’m a little mascara obsessed and switch them up pretty often. A little known fact: I’m such a lash fiend, I’ll often use TWO different mascaras at once. It’s a problem. An addiction, if you will.

But this time, I don’t think it’s my mascara. I’m starting to think the common denominator is a new eyelash curler I’ve been using. Way back when, I wrote a whole post on my fear of eyelash curlers, so some of you may be wondering what’s up with my change of heart. But here’s the thing — the one I use isn’t your normal clamp-it-down-on-your-lashes-and-hope-they’re-still-there kind. It’s more of an eyelash wand/comb…and get this: it’s HEATED.

I found Japonesque’s Pink Heated Mini Lash Curler ($16) on Bloom.com when I had one of those shopping binges (which also makes bloom.com so wonderful, because it rewards you pretty handsomely based on how much you spend..but that was a wholeeee other post).

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How many of you have heard of BB cream? A show of hands? Well, the story goes that BB creams (which stands for “Beauty Balm” in this case, though some say it also stands for “Blemish Blam”) were originally used in Germany by derms to help laser surgery patients protect and sooth highly sensitive skin while providing light coverage. Fast forward, and it’s all the buzz among Korean celebs, who found it as an all-in-one product and their most coveted beauty secret. Not for long though — when the cat was out the bag, it spread like fire to women across Korea. Today, its popularity has spread across Asia, Europe, and Australia. Yes, sadly, we’re kinda the last to know.

But the good news is, Garnier has brought their own BB cream to the masses here with their new BB Cream Miracle Skin Perfector.

The cream promises to even out skin tone, brighten complexion, renew radiance, deliver 24 hour hydration, and protection with its SPF 15. It’s also packed with Vitamin C — a powerful antioxidant and it comes in two shades (light/medium, and medium/dark) to provide a light coverage. It’s similar to a tinted moisturizer but it has more skin-perfecting and brightening benefits. I was sent one in medium/dark to review and have been using it as a quick pick-me-up before I apply my makeup and was impressed that it really added a fresh sheen to my skin without looking cakey (and it smells so good!). But don’t expect it to be as heavy duty as a concealer or foundation — it will minimize the appearance of dark spots but not totally cover them. That’s why it’s a good idea to layer on with a little color if you need it. Hence, it comes in only two shades and not multiple…it’s only meant for light coverage in that sense since it’s more for the skin’s benefit than anything.

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I feel like I’m constantly discovering amazing products that I need some sort of new ongoing series to feature them. Hence, Beauty Product of the Week (Let’s call it BPW for short going forward, k? ).

I’ve been freelancing at Allure, and just as you’d imagine, it’s quite the beauty product heaven. During a recent beauty sale, I picked up a few products from Specific Beauty. If you remember, I had a giveaway with them a few months ago. That was actually the first time I was introduced the brand myself, which is formulated to serve the needs particular to people of medium-to-dark skin tones (particularly, to even out your complexion).

I started using their Skin Brightening Serum and Professional Moisture Complex sparingly every AM and PM. I’m always really critical of serums and skin brighteners in general because the ones I’ve used in the past either feel sticky and gross or they dry out my skin. Surprisingly though, these were neither. The serum was more creamy and combining it with the moisturizer kept my skin from drying out.

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By Nicci Jordan Hubert

**Giveaway Alert! Tweet this post for a chance to with the ENTIRE collection of Dove’s Style+Care line!!**

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