April 03, 2007
Precious Presents
I could never afford any of these on my own (except maybe for the 4711). This is what you get if you have a nice boyfriend.
Les Parfums de Rosine Un Zest de Rose EDP
Annick Goutal Des Lys EDT
Guerlain Jicky Parfum
Dior Diorissimo Parfum
Serge Lutens Miel de Bois EDP
Serge Lutens Daim Blond EDP
Caron Narcisse Noir Parfum
Acqua di Parma Iris Nobile EDT
Jean Patou Joy EDT
4711 Eau de Cologne
Posted by oko at 06:08 PM | Comments (0)
My Precioussssssessssssss
And here's a list of my perfumes now that I'm completely addicted. It's amazing what you can find at Marshalls, TJ Maxx, Loehmann's, and the outlet malls, if you're willing to look. These are all the smallest sizes possible, like 30 mL, or 1 fl. oz.
Ivoire de Balmain EDT
Calvin Klein Euphoria EDP
Dior Addict Eau Fraiche EDT
Ralph Lauren Pure Turquoise EDP
Gucci Envy EDT
Gucci Envy Me EDT
Gucci EDP
Burberry Brit EDT
Donna Karan Cashmere Mist EDT
Mugler Angel Innocent EDP
Guerlain Shalimar Light EDT
With Love... Hilary Duff EDP
Annick Goutal Quel Amour EDT
Annick Goutal Eau d'Hadrien EDT
Annick Goutal Petite Cherie EDT
Gap Spun Orange Blossom Perfume Oil (only $3.99!)
OK, and these two I actually paid full price for because I really, really wanted them:
Jo Malone Orange Blossom Cologne
Annick Goutal Le Chevrefeuille EDT
Posted by oko at 05:23 PM | Comments (0)
March 31, 2007
A list! a list! my kingdom for a list!
Just so that I have it somewhere on record, I wanted to make a list of all the perfumes that I had in my bathroom cabinet before I went perfume crazy. Of course, I would never, ever store my fragrances in the bathroom again (the humidity and temperature extremes are terrible for perfumes)!
Love's Soft Jasmin
Bath & Body Works Wood Lily
Bath & Body Works Freesia
Bath & Body Works Field of Flowers
Prescriptives Calyx
Liz Claiborne EDT spray
Byblos EDT spray
Estee Lauder Beautiful
Estee Lauder Knowing
Clinique Happy
Bella's Secret Garden Peach Rose Bouquet
Almay Cologne Spray
Parfums Prestige EDT
Diorissimo Eau de Cologne
Tommy Hilfiger Tommy Girl (bottle broke)
4711 (like a gallon bottle, half of which was used - it smelled funky, so I had to toss it)
Hermes Parfum d'Hermes
Believe it or not, most of these were over half empty (except for Knowing and Liz Claiborne), attesting to the fact that I was a conscientious perfume user.
Posted by oko at 04:54 PM | Comments (0)
February 01, 2005
Three films I liked in 2004
2004 wasn't a particularly strong year for movies, but three of my favorites were Million Dollar Baby, The Aviator, and Shaun of the Dead. (I also liked Sideways, but I plan on addressing the film and how Paul Giamatti was robbed of his best-actor nomination in another post.)
Million Dollar Baby is admirable for its spare style and its ability to handle its melodramatic, hyper-emotional elements with restraint, making them even more powerful. From a classic underdog story set in the world of female boxing, it goes off in a completely unpredicted direction; such a shocking wrench in tone and plot would sink a lesser film. Yet thanks to Clint Eastwood’s assured direction, it works. All three leads, Hilary Swank as the determined boxer, Eastwood as her reluctant trainer, and Morgan Freeman as Eastwood’s long-time employee and friend, are perfectly cast, and the acting rapport is genuine. I'm not a huge fan of Swank, who hasn’t done any interesting work since Boys Don’t Cry, but her performance is so natural and true, as is Morgan Freeman's, that they are a joy to watch. No flash, no glitz, no arty shots, just a great story, great acting, and some great directing from Eastwood, whose art is only improving with age.
After being badly miscast in Gangs of New York, Leonardo DiCaprio finally has a role he can sink his teeth into in The Aviator, playing young playboy-billionaire and aviation pioneer Howard Hughes. In contrast to Million Dollar Baby, the film is all glitz and color and flash, another bravura piece of big-scale movie making from Martin Scorsese in almost top form. For any film buff, the best part is the lush recreation of the golden age of Hollywood. There’s Gwen Stefani as Jean Harlow, an entertaining cameo from Jude Law as Errol Flynn, and best of all, Cate Blanchett’s sly, on-the-edge-of-parody portrayal of Kate Hepburn. The first scene where the eccentric Hughes and the unconventional Hepburn meet, filmed in the slightly faded colors of a period newsreel, is funny and enchanting. The Aviator is an American tragedy that strangely ends decades before its well-known final act, but the strong performances and confident direction make this one of the best films of the year.
For silly, pure, and almost perfect light entertainment, with just a tad of gore, look no further than the British horror-comedy, Shaun of the Dead. A British parody of just about any zombie flick, the running gag is that Shaun, the slacker hero, doesn’t appear to notice that most of his neighbors are turning into zombies. The inventive screenplay is filled with laugh-out-loud jokes, for example, when Shaun and his roommate argue over the merits of the records they’re throwing at fast-approaching zombies. Even though the movie is fairly violent (characters are eaten by the living dead and plenty of zombies get whacked with Shaun’s weapon of choice, a cricket bat), the film remains light in touch, and the end is actually heart-warming. For lovers of the BBC comedy The Office, there’s a bonus in the casting of Lucy Davis as one of the zombie-fleeing team, and a brief cameo by Martin Freeman in one of the film’s funniest scenes.
Posted by oko at 02:18 PM | Comments (0)
December 13, 2004
A fantastic list of fantasy books
In no particular order (except for my number one), my favorite fantasy series are (drum roll please). . .
The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis
These books have had a seminal influence on my life - people may say they're not particularly well written, but they hold an irresistible fascination for me, and they remain my favorite fantasy series of all time.
The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
'Nuff said, the book that launched a thousand imitators, none of them even coming close to the beauty, grandeur, and melancholy of the original.
The Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander
Undeniably derivative yet undeniably touching.
The Dark is Rising Sequence by Susan Cooper
I've recently reread the series, and was mildly disappointed, but the second book, The Dark is Rising, still kicks ass.
The Chrestomanci Series by Dianna Wynne Jones
Dianna Wynne Jones is seriously undervalued as a writer; she's funny, talented, and wildly creative, and she came up with a series of novels of kid-wizards at a wizards' training school 25 years before you-know-who.
The Earthsea Cycle by Ursula K. Le Guin
The novels have grown smaller and slightly darker in scope, and are more human and less fantastic than the original trilogy I read as a child. The last two books are all growed-up, but does that mean I have to like them more? I don't.
His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman
If it weren't for the sheer imagination and exuberance of the first two books, which I loved, I wouldn't even have this series listed, because I hated the concluding volume The Amber Spyglass so much.
Sabriel, Lirael, Abhorsen by Garth Nix
A more recent series of complexly plotted fantasy novels with a World War I vibe that I thought were very good, especially the characterization of the Disreputable Dog.
A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin
I normally stay away fron big, fat, metallic-foil covered paperback high-fantasy blockbusters of the Robert Jordan variety, but I have to admit, the first three books of the saga (another three or four are to come) were compulsively readable, with plenty of colorful, scheming characters, perverse plot twists, and gory battles involving the living dead.
The Harry Potter Juggernaut by J.K. Rowling
I almost didn't put these in, because I think there are so many other better fantasy novels and I'm so sick of the whole Potter media empire, but who am I kidding, I'm just as addicted as the nine-year-old next door.
Posted by oko at 02:42 PM | Comments (0)
