Scentzilla!

Fruits & Passion Solstis is one of those scents I’d heard dismissed in the past as a fruity-floral composed in the key of bland. But curiosity got the better of me (per usual) and I decided to give it a whack anyhow, since one of the ancillary products appealed to me.

What a nice surprise! It’s fruity sure, its heart dominated by a melon note that seems “marine”-like to me. The melon itself would be utterly unappealing, were it not for the strong and strangely refreshing accents of fennel. This fennel note smells very much like catching the aroma of a basket of fresh fennel greens at the market. Something wonderfully palate-cleansing happens when I wear this, and indeed, Solstis bears traces of curly parsley. The herbal brightness of the scent I feel elevates it beyond many of the more expensive and widely available fruity scents floating about in department stores. At the base I find something that makes me think of light powdered vanilla. However, this is not at all a powdery scent. I’m suspecting this may make my list of top summer scents this year.

The real hit for me was the deodorant. I can’t believe I’m saying this about something I stick in my armpits, but this is really well done. The deodorant is clear, so you needn’t worry about staining your clothes. Soft and slick, the texture is as well done as my favorite deodorant, Tom’s of Maine unscented, and it’s just as gentle and non-irrritating to the skin as Tom’s. The way the fragrance is handled is *perfect*. It smells when applying, and for shortly after, yet it is not strong enough to interfere with whatever scent I choose for the day (and I’m sure that with me you can guess that changes pretty much daily.) Without delving too deeply into my pits, I will just say that it controls my B.O. just as well as my Tom’s, if not better. I’m going to switch over to this instead of Tom’s as long as they’re selling it. For me? That is saying A LOT. Now I’m wondering if there are other great scented deodorants out there that I’m missing out on, or at least those that aren’t found at the drugstore.

The Solstis lip balm came to me as a disappointment. It’s far too waxy in texture to moisturize my lips. Too waxy to even be pleasurable wearing - I’ve worn lip glosses that weren’t this waxy for cryin’ out loud. The flavor emphasizes the melon more than any other note, and I found it enjoyable. But it’s not enough for me. I actually held the most hope for this product, and it’s what compelled me to order the eau de toilette and deordorant since I was at it, because it’s hard to really screw up lip balm. And while this isn’t quite a screw up, it is fairly pointless to buy. I’m sticking with my shea butter and my Anna Sui moisturizing stick, thanks. This one goes into the trash bin.

(Has anyone tried the shower and bath products from this line? I’d love to hear what you think of them.)

Coming either Friday or Monday: Fresh Cannabis Santal. (Haven’t decided which yet, sorry!)

Also, in other beauty-related news, I need mention that Lipgloss and Laptops has released their inaugural podcast. This episode covers, naturally enough, lipgloss, including the history (hee!) of lipgloss, and a very funny little section on “meaty” lipglosses of the past.

My dog isn’t the most spoiled pooch in the world, but he’s not exactly living a Spartan existence as a beloved lap dog. He’s family - hell, he’s of the opinion that it is he who takes care of all us humans. When the microwave beeps, he comes and barks at us to tell us the food is ready. If we talk too loudly, he yaps to remind us to use our indoor voices. He smells candles burning on a birthday cake, and he whines and attempts to herd us outside because we are in imminent! danger! from fire. He feels put out because we adults no longer check up on the children in the middle of the night like he still does. We like to joke that he’s got 10 pounds of personality poured into a 5 pound sack.

And… he can get rather smelly. Not in a good way. There’s a compelling reason we nicknamed him Mr. Stinky Cheese.

Honestly, the idea of dog perfume is one I’d scoffed at in the past. It does seem ridiculous. And then I saw Fruits and Passions’ eau de toilette, called Hot Dog. Oh lord. Fred is a hot dog, or wiener dog, or as the civilized folks like to call him, a mini dachshund.

Did the dog or I actually need this? Oh yes, I said to myself, oh yes, we most certainly do. I am a sucker. (The dog, not so much, what with his lack of funds.)

As it turns out, Hot Dog smells very much like Henri Bendel’s Wild Fig, with slightly less smokey leaves, and a touch greener at the start. It’s mostly the same. Both come across as figgy dessert scents.

The directions indicate not to spray the fragrance directly on your hound. Spray onto a brush, or on your hands, and then apply the scent to the dog’s coat. I recommend using a brush, since it made my hands feel a little sticky afterwards.

The scent lasted on the little guy for roughly two days. Not bad, actually. Still, I found the cheese rose up through the fig a little after the first day, creating a whole new fragrance rife with gorgonzola and fig newton cookies. It was strange but nice at the same time. But, uh, I won’t be buying this again. I will use up the bottle slowly enough, though.

In case you’re curious, here’s Fred’s verdict moments after being perfumed:

He sat up, yawned, and went to go sleep in his dog bed with his hideously stinky blanket, leaving his human to her own crazy devices. I think that’s about the most worthwhile appraisal of Hot Dog you’ll probably find.