Charlotte Tilbury Love Effect Collection

These Charlotte Tilbury Love Effect lipsticks are sold out on the website, but maybe they will come back. Two colours are in the Matte Revolution formula (the first 2) and the light pink and mauve (last colour) are in the K.I.S.S.I.N.G. formula which is more sheer and has a bit of shine. I like them all but the red is not as bright on me as it looks in the picture. I love a nice cherry red, but this wasn’t it. My favourite colour ended up being Naughty Talk which is the mauve at the end, but it worked best when I used the darker Dream Talk around the outside. Shading is the best way to go, and lipliner is key, but I always like to show you how they look on a real person.

Posted in Make-Up | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Mabelle O’Rana Lunar Dust Perfume Review

Apr 19
Another highlight from attending Esxence in Milan this year was meeting Mabelle O’Rama and smelling her creations. Nobody will get you excited about perfume like a new perfumer who is passionate about their work, and Mabelle exuded enthusiasm. Mabelle spoke about her inspiration and the perfume she had in her life growing up, but truly, at this point she has stayed away from any kind of external influence in an attempt to create scents that are truly unique. Lunar Dust was intriguing from the get go and I walked away with a bottle.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

Lunar Dust is inspired by the cool glow of the moon, and does smell powdery and ethereal. It’s almost a molecular scent except that it changes as you wear it. What seems to be cool cedar powder warms up to warm skin, a memory, a speck of dust floating in the air, the remnants of existence. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

I’ve been wearing this when I want to focus, be introspective, to get lost in my own world. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

Lunar Dust received honorable mention at the Art and Olfiction awards and for good reason – it’s a very unique scent. While it’s getting compared to many of the molecular scents, Lunar Dust is not like any of them. Molecule 1 is too one-dimensional, glossier You has the ambrette, Dans tes Bras has florals and aldehydes… and so Lunar Dust exists in a category of its own. You’ll forget you’re wearing it, and then wonder what smells so good. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

Posted in Perfumes | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Maybelline Teddy Tints

Maybelline Teddy Tints are here. These feel different than an old-school lip tint because they actually coat the lips. Lasting power is amazing especially if you don’t use a lip balm or eat anything greasy. But mostly, I love a nice bright pink.

Posted in Make-Up | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Chanel Paris-Venise Perfume Review

Citrus and vanilla done the Chanel way.

Paris-Venise has a sparkle to it, a twinkle, that I think is a splash of ambroxan and a little dose of ethyl maltol, so there’s a salty sweetness, a bit of a twang in what would otherwise be a pretty plain scent profile. Of course, it has a good dose of that Chanel powder, and the sprayer for these bottles gives a super fine mist of scent. It’s a luxury experience through and through and one that is sometimes missing with niche bottles I’ve bought. Chanel just never disappoints. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

Posted in Perfumes | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Chypre Palatin – A Forever Chypre

I got to Chypre Palatin by way of following perfumer Bertrand Duchafour. I have a bottle of Traversee du Bosphore that I love so much but it’s discontinued and impossible to replace. I know there won’t ever be a dupe but I wanted something that satisfied that same craving for sweet but classic scent. Chypre Palatin by MDCI ticked all the boxes.
It opens with an aromatic mix of herbs which include lavender, sweet jammy plums, morphing into a classic floral heart, and settling down to vanilla, labdanum, benzoin, and finally heaps of oakmoss.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
It satisfied on so many levels. It’s a mossy amber for amber lovers, a sweet chypre for chypre lovers, fruity, floral, sweet, and green in turns. The richness in it is like the best Christmas pudding, which makes this perfect to wear during the holidays, when you’re home with the fireplace on and watching Christmas movies. It moves from note to note over hours, each element folding into the next. I know tomorrow morning, I’ll wake up with the oakmoss wafting off my skin.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
This is one for the ages.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

Posted in Perfumes | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Prada Marienbad Perfume Review

A great one to try if you like Shalimar, and I do. This is like an older, earlier version of it and so great to wear.
Feb. 24
Bergamot, smoky incense, chewy labdanum, swirls of vanilla and a powdery benzoin, tolu balsam for old time’s sake. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

Record stores, furniture wax, thrifting, afternoons spent in the sunshine but crunchy snow in the ground. Jackets thrown on the ground, helmets dusted off, the paths are clear. ⠀⠀

One foot in the past but the other in the present and facing the future. ⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Prada Marienbad. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

Posted in Perfumes | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Perfumehead Canadian Tuxedo – Maybe My Most Favourite Perfume

Feb. 24
It’s the spring equinox today, so I’ll give possibly a last wear of my favourite winter perfume: Canadian Tuxedo by Perfumehead. I sampled the whole line last year, and this one was my favourite, so much so that I couldn’t imagine never wearing it again. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

This is a blend of soft spices and a smooth amber that seems to have every possible resin in it. The result is a cozy scent that feels like wearing a velvet robe, a plush pair of slippers on your feet, a delicious secret in your mouth, a smug smile, getting someone a birthday present you know they’ll love, bringing the best present to the secret Santa gift exchange, picking up the check at the first patio hang of the year. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

Amber perfection. ⠀⠀⠀⠀

Posted in Perfumes | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Santa Maria Novella Opoponax Perfume Review

Feb. 24
I filled the room this morning with 10 sprays of Opoponax, the right amount to meditate in, and be fortified for the rest of the day. Uplifting and enlivening, Santa Maria Novella’s take on the resin opens with lavender and citrus that reads as slightly medicinal. Maybe that’s why I liken this to putting on armour and preparing for the day ahead. I’m brighter and clearer, and later on, when the dry spiciness and warmth of opoponax comes out, I’m also ready to open up to the world and let it in. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀


This is one of two bottles I bought on my Milan trip. Of course, I love smelling it, but I also love the idea of collecting bottles from this house on special occasions. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

Posted in Perfumes | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

A Visit to Santa Maria Novella

Feb. 24
One of my first shopping stops in Milan was the beautiful store of Santa Maria Novella. This Florentine brand calls itself the oldest apothecary in Europe and doesn’t have any stores in Canada, so procuring a bottle of their juices usually involves shipping fees and duties. Going into the store is always a treat because as much as they’re known for their perfumes, they still respect their apothecary heritage and offer a range of products, including mints, body wash, incense, and hand cream. I had to try their Almond Paste balm but found that it pilled on my skin, so I gave that a pass.

They’re known for their Armenien incense papers, but I haven’t finished mine from last year’s trip to Milan, so I didn’t get anymore. You can see that the newer scents are in a new style of bottle but not all the scents have been moved over. I ended up picking up a bottle of Opoponax and it was available in an older bottle.

Posted in Perfumes | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Balmain Ambergris

Feb. 24
An approximation of amber gris, by way of spicy musks, almost like salty skin warmed by the sun. Balmain Ambre Gris.

Posted in Perfumes | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment