New From Yves Rocher

I have no warmth for fragrance snobbery and love to find myself pleasantly surprised by a yummy cheapie scent. B&BW have some great deals, and Ava-Luxe is niche on a budget with some of the most scrumptious gourmands ever.

Now I'm going to chat a few about some rock bottom bargains from the land of haute parfumerie, France. There are bargains galore if you hunt online and if you get tres lucky at TJMaxx or Marshall's, but for consistent cheap fun I have turned to Yves Rocher, originally a mail order beauty emporium with a great website. I think of it as France's answer to Avon, a nice quality product, a versatile range of options and always something on sale.

The makeup and moisturizing options are pretty similar with points going to Avon for adopting more sophisticated formulas more quickly. Yves Rocher features natural oils and extraits, but if you want modern science Avon is the way to go.

I give a decisive TKO to YR when it comes to fragrances. Soliflores abound and they came out early with the ubiquitous tea scented eaux. They also offer a nice line of standards and always have and offer fun summer limited editions which are truly limited, so if you love them do stock up.

I started buying YR as a college girl (MSU 1970s) after I spied an introductory offer in a magazine. I bought a shampoo for redheads, some lipsticks and most importantly a bottle of Ispahan, a deep dark oriental fragrance that was unlike any of the woods and florals in my price range at the time. I was hooked back then on their natural chic and they were among the very first to employ the charm of nature. Sure there was Cornsilk makeup of the "An ear of corn gave its life so you could be beautiful", but nobody had the depth of the YR line. I have been a devotee ever since.

Anyway, back to the present. If you are on a budget or a shoe fanatic who just doesn't care to spend a lot of money on perfume, you can quench your thirst for fragrance at the Yves Rocher website AND have the added plus of not being able to sniff yourself all over town. Let the other females buy the latest CK or Escada summer flanker, you can laugh all the way to the bank by choosing good old Yves Rocher and can rub their "green" cred in your friends' faces too! What's not to love?

You also have options galore. Are you the soliflore type? Indulge in their gardenia, lilac, or lily offerings. If you want to crank it up a bit and choose a sultry floral Rose Absolue and Iris Noir are swankier, spicier florals that can be had cheaply with a discount or coupon. They also give you soli-fruits, if their is such a word, and their strawberry scent is second to none for realism. Yum. And it comes in a bdy lotion too. Double yum.

Hunt around and take a look at their Comme une Evidence, Neblina and Cocoon lines. Make it natural and try Naturelle. Go retro with Clea or the Ispahan reissue or do what I did and opt for the nouvelle summer scent Green Summer. I am really enjoying this one. Citrus galore, it is cool for the hot days and has enough floral presence to make you feel feminine too. The lasting power is just okay, but the bottle is 75ml and will last a long time. For twenty dollars, give it a whirl and they will also send you some fun freebies.