I was working in the NJ office today and there was a MAJOR traffic jam on the way home, so I decided to skip it and go to Short Hills mall instead.

The Becca display was still up at Sephora, completely stripped of product save one decrepit Hyawatha shimmer powder that was broken and gross. It was rather depressing, so I chose to move on to fragrances instead (and of course, I checked out the fragrances at Neiman as well). A quick report:

Hermes Un Jardin Sur Le Nil: I have been trying to like this for so long, and tonight I was finally able to put my finger on what bothers me about it. On my skin, it smells eerily of tequila. And not even something good like Patron, more like Cuervo. To console myself I decided to buy Un Jardin en Mediterranee instead!

Tocca Cleopatra: Pretty! If you like the Cleopatra bath & body line, this is a nice complement. Nothing revolutionary, just a pretty scent with same grapefruit and cucumber notes as the body products. And the bottle is gorgeous, so perfect atop a vanity or dresser.

L de Lolita Lempicka: Another stunning bottle! It's an aquamarine-hued, heart shaped "rock" covered in a golden net. But I didn't love the fragrance enough to buy it; with its prominent notes of orange, cinnamon and vanilla, it smells too much like several of the Comptoir Sud Pacifiques available just down the aisle.

Sean John Unforgivable Woman: Let's put it this way: I sampled this only a few hours ago and have completely forgotten what it smells like. Contrast that with being able to remember details on the 5 other scents listed here. For Unforgivable I simply recall thinking, "creamy floral musk." Pleasant, just not a "WOW" fragrance.

Pucci Vivara: I am a total Pucci addict, so I swooned over the bottle (in fact, the saleswoman flagged me down when she saw the Pucci scarf tied to my bag). But the scent is soooo sweet, almost sickeningly so, at least for me. It's the amaretto in the opening and the jasmine in the heart that do it, for sure. But the bottle! The bottle!

Gucci by Gucci: I really liked this, but here's the honest truth: if you already own Narciso Rodriguez, Sarah Jessica Parker Lovely, or even Nanette Lepore Lovebird, you don't need this. It's so similar to the others I mentioned - at least on me - but with patchouli in the base. But the bottle is so pretty! (OK I sound like a broken record now. Time for bed!)