Azelaic Acid from SkeenLogic, and Thayers Toner

Posted on August 11, 2026 by Henna

It’s been a week that goes by too fast, where you fall asleep the second your head hits the pillow, no time to think or ruminate over all the things that were or could be. I’ve caught up with friends whose texts I didn’t get to, and spent most days outside. I saw deer every single day this week, which feels like a small miracle when you live a city life. People asked me – complained about – sunscreen making them break out, and my answer is to try something new in your skincare and switch sunscreen brands.

The answer is never to quit using the sunscreen because you’ll never really want to be without it. I just added Thayers toner to my skincare routine, and this one promises to mattify your skin and keep oil at bay. Honestly, we know that’s never going to happen with my very oily skin, but I’m happy for it to swipe the oil away first thing in the morning and just balance everything for a minute. Even with the intensely oily skin I have, there are no breakouts here. Give your skin a really good wash at the end of the day or as soon as you get home and see if that makes a difference.

Also: people are obsessed with azelaic acid right now. Have you noticed? It’s an ingredient known for helping with skin clarity, rosacea, and even melasma. I’ve been using a prescription version, which is strong and very drying at 15%, but Skeenlogic reached out to me and asked if I’d like to try their version, which I very much did. At 11%, it already feels way more gentle than the prescription and leaves my skin glowy instead of tight and dry. I’m using it morning and night, and it works with anything else I’m putting on my skin. Unlike prescription skincare, this has a combination of ingredients that help with brightness, like niacinamide and vitamin C, so if you use those things in your skincare routine already, it can be nice to have them cocktailed with one other skin-brightening ingredient. I have noticed that more people are going away from prescription skincare – which is effective but so strong – and are going to gentler skincare.

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Celine Cologne Celeste Perfume Review

Posted on August 10, 2026 by Henna

Feb. 4
I pulled out a summer perfume to spritz myself with so I could think about better weather. I love the jolt of an eau de cologne. The green zinginess, the polished laid-back feeling of it all feels a bit old-world. ⠀Celine Cologne Celeste is actually great any time of year. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

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Canadian Skincare Brands Canadian Grace and BKind

Posted on August 6, 2026 by Henna

I’m missing the heat of July, and the chill in the air tells me that fall is on the way, so here are some favourites that I haven’t had a chance to share yet.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

Someone gifted me an Opium candle, and I was going to light it but I don’t know if I can bring myself to do it. I love the smell of old Opium, even though I rarely wear the juice myself and I like keeping the candle on hand to smell it now and then. What do you think? Should I just burn it?⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

BKind Skincare, from Quebec, was nice enough to send me their Densifying Hair Serum. I use it even though it seems like everyone is on oral Menoxidil already and that seems to be the way to go if you’re really facing significant hair loss. Still, the scalp serum and a vigorous massage with the fingertips (they say 4 minutes is good) seems to be working so I’m sticking with it. The serum isn’t greasy or oily in the least, so it’s easy to apply on and then I forget about it. I’m still using my Canadian Grace Jojoba Oil and I’d recommend it. The texture is light, the oil is pure and organic. I use the oil as a pre-wash on the ends of my hair because they are so prone to over-drying with shampoo. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

 

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New Jo Malone Sea Salt and Bergamot

Posted on August 5, 2026 by Henna

Jo Malone has just released a flanker to its very successful Wood Sage and Sea Salt perfume: Sea Salt and Bergamot.  The brand says that this version likely to be more fresh and aquatic.

 

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In Defense of Fruity Perfumes

Posted on August 3, 2026 by Henna

July 28
Too often, the snobby parts of Fragcomm say things like “who would want to smell like a cupcake?” “Why would you want to smell like candy?!” but maybe cupcakes and candy are what some people want wafting around them in their own personal scent bubble, not florals, animalics, or resins. Maybe, they want to feel like they belong to this time, not another, and they’re signalling to others their own age: I am like you. Come be friends with me. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

Missoni EDT and some NYX Fat Oil Body Oil and Body Mist will do the trick. The Missoni is a Quentin Bisch is a fresh floral that smells like a fruity shampoo, but done in the Bisch way, it’s ultra-strong and fills the room for hours. Is it mouth-wateringly good? No, but it’s easy, and it’s now relegated to the cheapie shelf, so if you want to smell an original from a hyped perfumer, you can. The NYX Fat Oil Body in Juicy Boo smells exactly how you might think: like fresh tart orange juice. If you’re into layering a scented body product with your perfumes (any perfumes), then you’ll love them. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

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90’s Frosty Blush via YSL Make Me Blush

Posted on August 1, 2026 by Henna

Who remembers the frosty blushes and lipsticks from the ’90’s?! I sure do, and this blush took me back there. You can see that when I swatched it on the back of my hand, there’s a bit of light silver/white shimmer which meant that there wasn’t a lot of the pretty cool pink pigment in this blush. I wanted to like it, but I’d use it as a highlighter instead of a real blush on myself. There’s also that thing about not being able to do trends if you’re already done them once in your life, and truly, my day with frost are long behind me. I’m sure many of you agree. I need a matte blush for every other day.

YSL Make Me Blush in Shade 10 Stardust Love.

 

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Parfums Dusita at Paris Perfume Week

Posted on July 31, 2026 by Henna

June 18
That’s me right in the middle!

Pissara Umavijani, the self-taught perfumer and creator of Parfums Dusita, hosted a raw material event at Paris Perfume Week, and there’s nothing a perfume lover likes more than smelling raw materials. It’s an opportunity to train your nose, and the capacity to remember smells and place them is one that anyone can build.

Umavijani shared some of the raw materials that she uses herself in her perfumes, and followed up each raw material with the perfume that featured it. I loved the freshness of Jasmine Sambac, the creaminess of the Orris Butter, but what surprised me was how animalic the Sandalwood was. There was a funk to it that I wasn’t expecting.That funk goes away when the sandalwood gets blended into a formula – like the way you can’t taste the eggs when you eat a piece of cake, or a black outline can highlight whatever it’s around without drawing attention to itself.

I had been waiting to smell the latest Dusita creation: Light of Bangkok, a scent made for the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Bangkok. This perfume is the hotel lobby with a twist: it features lemongrass in the opening, which seems to be rare in perfumery. The sharp, zesty Lemongrass is an apt replacement for the usual citrus top notes. It feels surprising and refreshing while reminding us that we are in Thailand. Clary Sage lends a mentholated note, giving way to a gentle jasmine and ylang ylang. At the base, there’s sandalwood, but also fig. That mainstay that reminds us that we are still in a hotel lobby.

What is it about fig that gives us a hotel lobby? In 2026, it feels niche but still familiar. Overall, it might just be my favourite hotel scent that I’ve tried. What I like about Dusita perfumes is that there’s always a strong connection to smells we find in nature, a classical way of using structure, and ultimately beautiful perfumes.

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Hung Vanngo’s New Foundation

Posted on July 30, 2026 by Henna


The algorithm told me I’d want to check out the new Hung Vanngo foundation, so I popped into Sephora to have a look. Hung Vanngo is from Calgary, and has made it as a world-renowned makeup artist. He is celebrities on his calling card, and knows how he wants skin to look in photographs and real life. The foundation’s marketing is all about giving you skin that looks great in person AND online – and what can I say? It does deliver. The finish is a natural matte, and it sets very quickly into a long-wearing finish. It does look like good skin from arm’s length away.

I suspect what will mess people up is choosing a shade. According to him, there are only neutral shades in the lineup with some leaning slightly peach, or slightly orange, or slightly pink, but many are true neutrals. This made it had to pick a shade, because most of us are used to searching for undertones. I’m usually a neutral or golden, but now I just went with a few medium light shades. The shade range is so close together that it was hard to choose just one. Medium-Light 11 and 13 worked on me, and 12 seemed off. Light was great under my eyes; 13 was good in the store but seemed a bit off in the car. Back home, I looked in the mirror again and again, and maybe 13 was ok after all. I think there are going to be lots of returns with people buying 2 or 3 shades and just keeping the one that works, and the rest going into the trash. This, of course, drives up the price of the product, so before complaining about it ($66 CAN), keep that in mind. Instead of buying online, go try it in store if you can and then choose a shade. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

As for me, I’ll think about it and put it on my wish list. I have lots of foundation to use up, and I’ve been wearing just sunscreen on my skin for the past few weeks, so maybe I don’t want to dive into a medium-to-full coverage foundation just yet. I did really like this one.

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YSL Lovenude Lipstick

Posted on July 29, 2026 by Henna

I am wearing this lipstick nonstop. The colour is Nude Lavaliere Shade 44. It’s a matte blurring formula that’s slightly sheer. On vacation, I apply it directly to my cheeks and blend with my fingers as a blush and then also put it on my lips. It’s very easy to use and the colour is perfect – a bit brighter than neutral, a bit of white in the shade to make it pop. It’s almost like a nude but not very beige.

You can see that my picture has a lipstick that’s very much used because of how loved it is. It’s one that I’ll likely want to replace when it’s done. I have the matching lipliner too but it doesn’t get as much love as the lipstick which is a perfect 10 for me.

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July Perfume Club Recap

Posted on July 28, 2026 by Henna

July 24
Things we smelled at Perfume Club (and some first impressions):⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

Mugler Womanity (2025 reissue): This is a salty floral. After smelling everything, it went on skin and were it readily available, I would have bought it. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

Amouage Ashore, Figment Woman, Bracken – all so good and interesting. Love Tuberose and Ashore are great tuberoses. I tried Figment Man on skin and loved it, although it seems to be a bit of a unicorn. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

Oddity Naked Dance: while the opening smelled generically citrusy, this dried down very interestingly, and it’s something I’m trying on skin. The clay note kind of surprised me and was more present on paper. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

Andrea Maack Pavilion: super sweet, super strong gourmand. Does not smell like a cashmere blanket under the Aurora Borealis to me.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

Hermes Rose Ikebana: peppery rose-water. I can see why it’s part of the Hermessence line. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

Amouage Remain: my favourite but only because it reminded me of Coromandel and Musc Ravageur, both of which I already have. Do I need another iteration of them? I likely don’t.

Parfums de Marly Delina and Delina La Rosée. Sweet Fruity florals aren’t my thing but I can see why people love these two so much. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

Hormone Paris This is Not Gaba. Passion Fruit and florals. I liked the opening of this for how juicy it smelled and how interesting it was. Apparently, this is going viral in Europe, but the marketing is iffy. While this did not smell relaxing, I’m impressed that at least it doesn’t smell like every other spa-like perfume, or even just lavender.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

I need to take more pictures for next time. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

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