Marc Jacobs Bang



Above: The tame Bang ad



Above: Full frontal Bang! Whoa!!



A bottle of Bang

 Hello Marc Jacobs! The MJ newest fragrance for men, Bang features the designer naked. It's very in your face and does get your attention. I haven't smelled Bang yet but it does have a nice blend of: three peppercorns, primal masculine woods, benzoin resin, vetiver, white moss, and patchouli.

Would you buy Bang for your husband or boyfriend? What do you think of the ad?

My Nordstrom Nightmare...

Last Friday I went to Nordstrom to purchase a new fall fragrance. I had in mind a few fragrances that I wanted to sample but I was really looking forward to browsing and seeing all the new items in person. Upon walking over to the fragrance department, I was bombarded by two sales people. They greeted me, asked if they could help me and what I was looking for. I stated that I was looking for a fall fragrance. Immediately these two women became glued to my right and left side, talking quickly, grabbing bottles and spraying various scents onto strips of paper, and shoving them under my nose.

My good mood quickly went downhill. One of the ladies backed off, but the other one stayed attached to my hip. She was really annoying the hell out of me but I remained calm. I nicely but firmly explained to her that I was heavily into beauty products and knew what all the latest fragrances were and that I just wanted to take some time and look on my own. Did she take the hint? Of course not, she kept right on, walking right next to me and going on and on and on. Everything I said she agreed with. I told her one musky fragrance that she sprayed on my hand didn’t mix with my chemistry and she agreed. I tricked her a few moments later by saying the same fragrance was really soft and pretty. Again she nodded in eager agreement. I just shook my head at her desperate attempt to make a sale. She was paying no attention to me or what I said I was looking for in a fragrance.

Finally I could no longer take it; I said to her that I just wanted time to browse alone. I thanked her and asked her to please allow me time to shop. She seemed extremely offended but at that point I did not care. Shortly after getting rid of the initial pest, another woman came to the sales floor and started her sales pitch. Granted she was nice and she was just returning from her break but still... How many times and how many ways can I say I’m just looking? A representative from one of the fragrance brands soon joined in and it was right back to the ordeal I was having before. At that point, I had had enough and left the store. I was so irate. Not only was I frustrated that I didn’t get my perfume but I felt disrespected as a customer. A good sales associate should know how to turn their pitch on and off. I don’t understand what was wrong with the ladies at Nordstrom but their tactics were way over the top. They were so pushy and hungry for a sale. I understand there are sales quotas to meet when working in retail. And not to toot my own horn but when I worked retail, I always met or exceeded my quota because I knew how to allow my customers time to shop. I knew when to step in and offer my honest opinion, and I knew how to nicely tell my clients when something was not for them while offering a suitable alternative. I was never hungry for sales or pushy.

Once I calmed down, I called Nordstrom (Yes, I have their number saved in my contacts) and spoke with the manager of the fragrance department. She listened and sympathized with me. She apologized for her team’s lack of professionalism and assured me that she would speak to them about my complaint. I am very proud of the way I handled the pushy sales lady because I have a very bad temper and that situation could have really gone another way. As I get older, I am learning not to react in anger. It is better to walk away, calm down and then follow up with a phone call or email to a higher up.

The manager invited me back to shop with her personally for my fall fragrance. I will take her up on her offer because I love Nordstrom and this was my first bad shopping experience in nine years.

Save the Date August 12th – August 18th: Coach Poppy Fragrance Event {Chicago}

 

 

Celebrate the launch of the new Coach Poppy Fragrance at Macy’s State Street Chicago August 12 – 18th and show-off your Coach Poppy style in the exclusive Coach Poppy Photo Booth, with a chance to be featured on Coach’s prestigious Facebook page.

This Summer, Coach introduces its new Poppy Fragrance, the latest addition to the popular Poppy fashion and accessories line. Inspired by the playful nature of the Poppy Girl, the fruity floral gourmand fragrance brings to life a youthful, fresh spirit with just one spritz.

Housed in a girly chic rounded glass bottle and adorned with Poppy’s signature logo, the scent is a must-have accessory and the perfect addition to any Poppy collection this summer. Coach Poppy Fragrance is available for a suggested retail price of $60 for a 1.7 oz bottle.

Come meet the Coach Beauty Team and experience Poppy for yourself. Enjoy free samples, music and be sure to snap a shot in our Coach Poppy Photo Booth. And you never know…you may be famous. Select photos from the Coach Poppy photo booths will be posted to Coach’s Facebook page, www.facebook.com/Coach following the event.

Event Details:
When: August 12–18, 2010
Where: Macy’s State Street Chicago Beauty Department

www.coach.com/poppy-us

Retailarazzi: PureDKNY

Yesterday I visited my absolute favorite store in Chicago, Nordstrom. Their beauty and fragrance department is amazing!!! I wanted to see MAC's Alice + Olivia collection up close and personal.

I got an extra treat when I saw the PureDKNY display.

That can next to the bottle is a plant in a can. So cute!

PureDKNY's goal is to connect people and nature. The scent is very calming, clean, and fresh. This is definitely not a fussy over the top perfume.

The top notes are Ugandan vanilla, dewdrop floral petals, lotus and Bulgarian rose. A mix of exotic flowers, jasmine, freesia and orchid are the middle notes, and white amber, sandalwood and vanilla in water make up the base notes.

I love the simplicity of the packaging which is very environmentally friendly. A lot of thought was put into the creation of PureDKNY. Not only is the scent pretty but its also empowering Ugandan women, many of whom are vanilla bean farmers.

A great fragrance that will empower and enrich the quality of life for women across the globe. I'm all for that.

PureDKNY will definitely be my next fragrance purchase. Let me know if you try it and what you think!






For more information:
PureDKNY

A Life of Style: Vanilla Passion

Vanilla is such a soothing scent and I absolutely adore it. Whenever a fragrant vanilla wafts my way, I instantly feel all warm and cozy. During the winter months, my apartment is a vanilla haven. I have soy vanilla candles, vanilla reed diffusers, and the very vanilla scentstories disc for my Scentstories player. Its vanilla overload and I love it. As soon as I step inside my apartment I take a deep breath and smile. That's the power of scent at work.

For my birthday this year, my good friend gave me the Vanilla Spice Joyful Times gift set (pictured above) from The Body Shop. The set contains: Body Butter, Shower Gel, Body Polish, Mini Votive Candle, and a Two-tone Bath Lily Mesh Sponge. I used the shower gel, body polish and body butter the next day. The scent filled my bathroom and I was taken to a new level of vanilla love. Vanilla Spice is a warm, passionate, almost musky scent. The body butter is so decadent and smooth. It melts into the skin and leaves a great sheen.

I needed a body splash to compliment the set, so I stopped by The Body Shop and purchased the Vanilla Body Mist. It's a perfect compliment to my Vanilla Spice products. The body butter and mist are great pick me ups during a very dreadful Chicago winter.

Vanilla Rocks!!!! Yeah!!!!

A Life of Style: August Product Haul

August was a great month for me in beauty and product purchases. Here's my haul...reviews forthcoming in later blog posts.

• Sally Hansen Hard as Wraps Acrylic
• Too Faced Cosmetics E/S - Sitcom Siren
• Cover Girl Wetslicks Amazemint - No Care Bear and Happy Hour (thanks to Jamie for the Happy Hour)
• Nivea Natural Tone Lotion
• L'Oreal HIP E/S Duos - Cheeky, Showy, Spirited, Gilded
• L'Oreal HIP Cream Shadow Paint - Nervy
• L'Oreal HIP Shine Struck Liquid Lipcolor -Spirited
• Maybelline Mineral Power Natural Perfecting Foundation
• Maybelline Mineral Power Finishing Veil Powder
• Jillian Dempsey for Avon Professional Kohl E/L - Dark Brown, Navy, and Plum
• Rimmel Glam'Eyes Mascara (I just bought this because it was so cute in the package --haven't used it yet)
• Intimately Beckham for Her