Ralph Lauren BCA Month- Romance & Tender Romance

Ralph Lauren's Pink Pony Fund has long been involved  in the fight against breast cancer.  Next month two limited edition fragrance bottles will go on sale with 100 % of profits from every bottle sold donated to The Pink Pony Fund. 

Both Romance ( $ 104 for 150ml)  and Tender Romance ( $96 for 100ml) will be available with a Pink Pony tag and ribbon at Macy's, RalphLauren.com and  select retailers.

Great for gifting, and many of you might already  be starting holiday shopping . 

Ralph Lauren- RALPH Love EDT

 
Ralph Lauren hearts you. He gives Tender Romance and now Love, as in the new
fragrance in the RALPH line- Love .

Love is light and Summer ready. It's a sweet, fruity floral that has a soft rose note alongside the apple and pear . You get some of the dewy peony as well. The apple is very prominent and juicy here and as it dries down the cotton candy is there with a little of the woods note.

This is a sunny, warm scent and I have to say even though I usually don't got for scents like this, I like it.  For those who want something young and fun for Summer, a longer lasting alternative to body spray, this might be it . Easy to wear and non fussy .

Full note list:

·         TOP NOTES: Luscious Red Apple Accord, Lemon, Pear

·         MID NOTES: Rose Essence, Peony, Magnolia

·         BASE NOTES: Cotton Candy Accord, Iris, Ambery Woods

Ralph Lauren Ralph Love is  $42/$76 (30/100ML) at Sephora and more

Ralph Lauren Tender Romance EDP

New for Spring is Tender Romance, the third in the series from Ralph Lauren that began with Romance and then Midnight Romance. It is called the "prequel" to those, evoking falling in love for the first time.

The fragrance  has a bit more oomph to it than you would think with "tender"in the name. I expected a soft breezy floral but it's more than that.  From the first spritz it's got a spicy touch with the ginger note right up front. Bergamot adds depth and green while the fruit and floral notes add sweetness.

Into the drydown the cashmere woods accord note is very prominent, soft and woodsy along with the musk and a hint of vanilla.  It ends up feeling very sexy and a fragrance that can be worn day or evening.


Full note list:
Top-Ginger, Pear Accord, Bergamot
Mid- White Magnolia Accord, Jasmine, Lily Accord
Bottom- Cashmere Woods Accord, Benzoin, Musk


Ralph Lauren Tender Romance is $ 96 for 3.4 oz, $ 76 for 1.7 oz, $ 54 for 1oz

Avilable at www.ralphlauren.com, Sephora , Macys and more.

Ralph Lauren Midnight Romance

Romance by Ralph Lauren celebrated it's 15th anniversary last year.  In today's fragrance world  that's staying power. Now Romance gets a new addition- Midnight Romance. 

Midnight Romance is a big sister if you will to Romance. With it's fruit and wet floral beginning with the peony and freesia notes standing out to it's drydown where it becomes less floral and the vanilla and amber take over,  it's a very feminine scent. The peony does stays  present  in the drydown adding a light floral touch to the deeper notes.

Midnight Romance is not a dark fragrance but it's not an overly light floral  either. To me it's quite wearable day or night despite the scent's name connotation. It's easy to wear and soft but has some depth  as well.

Full Note List:
  TOP:  raspberry, Italian bergamont, juicy lychee
  MID :  peony, jasmine sambac, freesia
 BASE :  black vanilla, iris absolute, ambrox

Ralph Lauren Midnight Romance is $ 94 for 3.4 oz,  $74 for 1.7 oz,  $ 23 for a rollerball and available now .

Ralph Lauren Polo Red Valentine's Day Set

Looking for a last minute fragrance gift for Valentine's Day for the man ( men) in your life? You know Polo will have you covered.  Polo Red is a spicy, woods scent that I originally reviewed here .

The Polo Red Valentine's Day Set  includes a 125ml EDT, a 1.36oz EDT and a 3.4 fl oz After Shave Balm.

 $86  available on RalphLauren.com and select retailers nationwide

Polo Red - Ralph Lauren

The first thing that you notice about new Ralph Lauren Polo Red is the striking  bottle. The same style as all Polo but in bright red.  I absolutely love that lacquer red bottle.  I immediately thought of the high shine candy apple red The Dad had on his one pickup truck for years and then read that the red bottle was inspired by Ralph Lauren's car collection. And Lauren's collection is an amazing one from what I've read. As a car buff, I'd love to see it.

The scent is  a tart , woodsy one that if you love unisex scents, might just work for the ladies as well. The berry notes make it a little less all masculine but it's in no way sweet. Lavender is prominent throughout as is cedar and sage. The drydown becomes a little more deeper and just a touch smoky with the amber note.

Polo Red has is not a quiet scent, but it is not heavy either.  It has presence but doesn't bowl you over. Sillage is also very good. It also doesn't remind me of some of  the other Polo scents. This is less green than many of those with the exception of Double Black which is non green and very nice.

This new release didn't quite make it for Father's Day, but would definitely make a nice gift for any other special  days ahead .  I am sure by the holidays we'll see some nice gift sets as well.

Full note list:
Top : red grapefruit, cedrat, red cranberry
Middle : red saffron, lavandin and red sage
Drydown : redwood, amber and coffee berry at the drydown.

Polo Red is available now at Macys , Sephora and other department stores.

EDT :
125ml $ 76
75ml   $61
45ml   $ 44

Deodorizing Body Spray $ 20
After Shave Balm $ 40
Alchohol Free Deodorant $ 18

Ralph Lauren Big Pony Fragrances and Essie Gift Sets

For Spring into Summer including gifting for Mom's big day this weekend there is the new collab between Ralph Lauren Big Pony fragrances and Essie nail polish. 


 Each kit comes  with a 50ml The Big Pony for Women Fragrance Eau de Toilette (30 ml) and Perfuming Body Mist (50g) and a corresponding Essie polish,  with each set packaged in a color-coordinated drawstring pouch.

  

 I only sniffed Big Pony Yellow  so far, and you can see that review here . 

$ 45 ( and if you are a really great gifter, how about throwing in a manicure as well to try her new color ? ).

Available through August 2013 at Bloomingdales and Macy's  and www.ralphlauren.com   

  
 

Ralph Lauren Romance Valentine's Gift- GWP

 Ralph Lauren Romance wants to add some extra love to your Valentines gifting. If you're a  fan of the scent and hoping for it as a gift, or giving it, they have a special GWP of either Dylan's Candy Bar delish candy or roses.

The details:

This Valentine’s Day, each purchase of Ralph Lauren Romance Eau de Parfum will be accompanied by either a box of Dylan’s Candy Belgium chocolates or a dozen pink roses (gift is dependent on date and Macy’s location). 

$84 (3.4oz/100ml), Available at select Macy’s locations nationwide

(Dylan’s Candy available starting February 1 and Roses available for a limited time starting February 11)

Ralph Lauren Big Pony Custom Bottle Gifting

If you have someone who loves one of Ralph Lauren's Big Pony fragrances  or who has been wanting to try one, you can one up the gift of perfume by  getting their bottle personalized.

You can creat your own customized bottle ,  first choosing one of the four Big Pony scents . You can read my review on the fragrances  here . Then you  choose  a 10 character limit full name , monogram or short message that will be engraved onto the Big Pony bottle.

  
The Create Your Own option is free with purchase and only available at www.ralphlauren.com

 $70 for a 3.4oz./100ml bottle (Women) or $67.50 for a 4.2oz./125 ml bottle (Men)

Father's Day Fragrance Guide

Father's Day is not too far away , and while I wonder how did we get to be almost  in mid June already, I thought it was a good time to highlight some great new men's fragrances along with a  couple old favorites. Dad needs to smell good too , right ? And the theory is, if you give, they will wear it. 

Dolce and Gabbana The One Sport -  A companion to DG's The One this is a light herbal scent with rosemary and cardamom along with sequoia wood,  patchouli and musk . It starts off fresh and ends up as a deeper musky fragrance with the patchouli being fairly predominant and a hint of the cool cardamom.  This one gets bonus points for coming in the harder to find After Shave as well as After Shave Balm and Deodorant. Makes it easy  to put together a nice grooming and fragrance gift for dad.  At Sephora, Macys and more.

The One Sport Eau de Toilette 30ml $45
The One Sport After Shave Lotion 100ml $49

Lacoste - Eau de Lacoste L.12.12 Rouge - A new addition to the L.12.12 collection Rouge is zesty with a citrusy opening that blooms with light spices and then a little bit of sweetness  that must come from the iced tea, which I found really nice.  Other notes include Madagascan black pepper, Indian ginger and Guatemalan cardamom . 

If your guy/Dad loves Lacoste there are 3 other "colors" in this line ,  Blanc, Bleu and Vert  with the Blanc being another favorite that's as crisp ands fresh as it's name implies.  Both Blanc and Rouge are what you'd expect of a sporty brand  like Lacoste- refreshing, light and not overdone.


$62 at sephora and www.lacoste.com

Ralph Lauren Polo Double Black- My dad is a Polo guy, not the game, the scent. While I have introduced him to many more that he likes a lot , the original Polo will always be a top choice. Most men I think gravitate towards Ralph Lauren frags and  my favorite is Double Black. It's an odd name but a great scent. Woodsy and rich with an espresso note that gives it a smoky feel and blends beautifully with the cardamom.  Vetiver  and nutmeg are also in there to make it feel like a rich chai.  This one is very masculine and  more of an a evening scent .

2.5 oz is  $58 at Sephora , Macys , www.polo.com

Chanel Bleu de Chanel- While this  doesn't get a lot of love from perfumistas,  this is another older one that my Dad loves.  He has it in the after shave and reminds me often that the bottle is getting low. It's very light with a lot of vetiver , cedar and a little citrus. My previous review here . Available at all Chanel counters.

Will you be buying the Dad in your life fragrance ? What are your favorites?

Ralph Lauren Big Pony For Women Collection

Ralph  Lauren has released a set of Big Pony fragrances for women after the successful debut of a men's line last year.   Like the mens, each bottle has a color, number and a "mood" like Sporty or Stylish.   While  we  fit  all of the moods, we might not all fit each fragrance so there are 4 to choose from.  All sound rather fun and I'm enjoying the one I've tried -Free Spirited , #3 Yellow.

While there isn't a full note list for each scent, the two main notes listed do give a decent idea of the scents , at least as far as I can see with Yellow # 3. These are light , fresh and  will work nicely with the warmer weather arriving. They can be freely spritzed without worrying about overkill and refreshed throughout the day.

#3 Free Spirited is very sunny as befits it color and is a nice light floral tinged with  the pear note. It's not a juicy floral but more solar and without the heavy dewy notes that we often see in this type of  scent that are not my favorite.

I look forward to also trying #1 since I adore grapefruit. The blue lotus worries me a bit but we'll see.

 Also, RL has  done a  personality quiz as well as a chance to sneak peek the brand new , not yet released, song and video by One Republic, for the Big Pony campaign . If you take the quiz and post to a social media site, you are entered to win a $4,000 Ralph Lauren shopping spree.  The video, called Life in Color, features brightly clothed pretty things, polo ponies and vintage cars. Yes, it's the Hamptons. Cast of Revenge not included.

Here's the offical description of each Big Pony scent.

The Sporty Fragrance - #1 BlueThis Floral Citrus scent features Grapefruit & Blue Lotus for a vibrant energetic fragrance that evokes confidence and energy while awakening the sense. Confident and fearless, the sporty woman is a natural born leader and ready to take on the world.

The Sensual Fragrance –  #2 Pink

A Floriental Fruity with the key ingredients of Cranberry & Tonka Mousse, this fragrance is for an alluring flirt with a romantic spirit. Playful and irresistible, this modern woman follows her heart…and she just might break yours.

The Free-Spirited Fragrance –  #3 YellowEccentric, rebellious and independent, this Floral Green fragrance highlights Pear & Mimosa. The crisp, bright scent represents ultimate optimism and natural feminine radiance for a woman who dances to the beat of her own drum.

The Stylish Fragrance –  #4 Purple

Edgy and refined, with a flair of the exotic, this Oriental Floral contains key ingredients of Wild Cherry & Purple Amber. Designed for the stylish woman, she catches the eye and imagination of anyone who crosses her path.

Each fragrance is $70 for 100ml and  currently available exclusively at Bloomingdales, RalphLauren.com and Ralph Lauren retail locations . More  department stores will have it shortly.

Cashmere Socks- Last Minute Gift Idea

Cashmere socks are on of those little luxuries. I've stockpiled them at sales thru the years but always could use another pair. They feel  great and are so soft.  It's last minute shopping time and they make a great gift or one to tell friends and fam you would like under the tree. It's hard to go wrong with cashmere.

Right now Macys has two versions at a great deal. Charter Club cashmere blend socks are 7.99 while Ralph Lauren  are 9.99 ( these are a blend also).

Polo Red ,White and Blue

Many of the men I know love Polo in some iteration. They are happy to get it for gifts and so this holiday season we get a new one Polo Red,White and Blue.

This new one is crisp, sporty and has a mountain air feel. It's not overly aquatic but has a bit of those notes. More like cold, winter air with some herbs and woods. Not too wildly different but not the same as any Polos before either. It is said to be a cooler variation of Polo Blue. I rather liked it. It was fresh without being watery.

The scent was made with Winter Sports in mind ( after all an Olympic year is coming) and the logo is done with patriotic racing stripes.

Notes include:

Red apple,cucumber, clary sage, lavender tonic, creamy white woods and white musks.

4.2 oz EDT $ 69.50
2.5 oz EDT $ 52.50

Available at Macys, and http://www.ralphlauren.com/

Ralph Lauren Notorious and Purple Label for Men

Notorious is one of the newest releases from Ralph Lauren Fragrances. Meant to evoke an old world movie star glamour , the company even commissioned a video from acclaimed ( and rightfully so ) director Wong Kar -Wei. See it here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2nQYIbKwao

The scent is a bit of a gourmand , and categorized as a spicy oriental. I think a mix of the two works well. It is a bit oriental and a bit gourmand. One of the main notes is from the Chocolate Cosmos flower. It is used as a note for the first time in a fragrance here. I once had Chocolate Cosmos growing in my yard. They were so pretty with their deep brown/burgundy shade. Unfortunately I can't remember if they had a strong scent or note, but either way, I am intrigued by the use of this flower.

The chocolate of that flower is very light here. Notorious is more floral and spice . When I first sprayed it I got a lot of floral, a hint of the chocolate and a hint of the blackcurrant. The bergamot is there very much but by the mid point is gone. As it dries down the peonies and the Iris come out. To me this has a strong Iris scent until well after the drydown. By then it's very much the patchcouli, musk with some chocolate.

The sillage is medium and it has good lasting power.

Top Notes: Black Currant, Spicy Pink Peppercorn and Italian Bergamot
Mid Notes: Chocolate Cosmos, White Frost Peonies, Fiery Carnation
Base Notes: Patchouli Musk, Vanilla, Orris

1.7 oz $ 65.00

2.5 oz $ 85.00

6.7 oz Body Lotion $ 45.00

5.3 oz Body creme $ 70.00

http://www.ralphlauren.com/

For the men there is what I though was new, but isn't- Purple Label. I have many Ralph Lauren mad men I know and none of them, nor I ,have come across this one, which leads me to think it may only be online and in RL shops.

It is really nice, very elegant and not strong but not too light . A little fruit overlaying the woods. The bottle here is gorgeous, in deep purple, and it comes in a lovely presentation box that opens like a book to reveal the EDT. A great gift. I plan on recommending this to a dear friend whose husband is Mr. Ralph Lauren. He will be thrilled.

Notes:
Blackberry, tobacco flowers, woods and suedes, mahogany
2.5 oz $ 70.00
4.2 0z $ 90.00

From the Men's Side- Polo Double Black

A man very dear to me ( G ) has long been a Polo original ( Green) fan, so I handed him a bottle of Polo Double Black to try . I told him though, he has to give me his thoughts on it to post here.

Here's his comment:
"Really nice bottle, I love that flat black look of it , and it has a nice firm cap that won't come off when you travel. It smells really good, not too strong, similar to the original in a some ways. Nice woods smell."

Then he proceeded to spray himself even more. I wanted to caution overkill, but what the heck, this was the trial phase.

Most men don't quite get into deciphering notes and accords that way that lots of us ladies do, so I'll handle that part.

I ,too, really liked Double Black, and when reading that it has espresso notes, I had my doubts. Turns out you can't really detect the espresso, just a subtle smoky undertone that most likely comes from that note. Mainly I got a very masculine, woodsy scent with vetiver and cardamom immediately coming to mind. The notes also list spiced mango, and nutmeg.

Overall this gets a great rating from both of us. If gift giving for any of the special men in your life is coming up , or you want to start thinking of Father's Day, Polo Double Black would make a great gift.

Interestingly, the original Polo Green has been in the top 15 sellers of mens fragrances for 30 years. Thats quite a run.


Polo Double Black retails at :
47.50 for 2.5 oz EDT
67.50 for 4.2 oz EDT
45.00 for 4.2 oz After Shave






x sp. thanks to S. Cooney