Just a little windswept. Happy Friday!
Ariana Grande Cloud Video Review
This bottle was next to impossible to photograph and I also had to wait for a day that had perfect clouds in the sky! Ariana Grande Cloud. I love it. I can’t wear it every day but I do want it around.
I also have a video review of this perfume and as well as what it’s a dupe of, and why I think you should go out and smell it.
https://www.instagram.com/tv/CNQmNMRhSIc/?igshid=ch2uaec1kg3j
Posted in Perfumes
Tagged Ariana Grande, Ariana Grande Cloud, Celebrity Fragrance, IGTV, Instagram, Perfume Review, Video
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Armani Prive Rose Alexandrie and Vetiver Babylon
If you’ve been reading this blog for a while, you already know that I absolutely adore Armani Prive fragrances. They’re luxurious, smoky, and very unusual, especially in an era that’s filled with candy-inspired confectionary scents that are hit or miss.
For me, every Armani Prive perfume is a hit. I wear each one for days and I never tire of them. They always smell worn in at the beginning of the day, and fresh at the end of the day.
Rose Alexandrie was the most popular and perhaps most highly anticipated. It’s an old-world rose that’s classic at first sniff and overwhelmingly fresh. It smells familiar but of course, it’s nothing you’ve smelled before.
Last check at my local counter that sold the Rose Alexandrie one – it was sold out.
But my favourite wasn’t, and that’s the Vetiver Babylon.
I absolutely love the new Armani Prive Vetiver Babylon and can’t get enough of it. It’s more of a smoky Vetiver and doesn’t have the bite of regular vetiver.
Try these scents (Canadians can find them at their local Holt Renfrew, just ask for Armani Prive), and there’s a chance that you’ll be smitten with at least one. They’re not as smoky as the regular Armani Prive but they’re still very unique.
Le Labo Rose 31
If you’re looking for a unique scent, then this might be one for you. It’s rose but with a twist, and when I pulled it out of the archives recently, I got asked again and again what it was…
I invested in the Le Labo Rose 31 fragrance oil – without even smelling it first.
I love rose perfumes, and when I found out that this one was chock full of Rose but with lots of woodiness and spiciness in it, I knew that I had to try it.
I’m getting around to write about it now because it took me a while to open the box of perfume. Actually, the box smelled so good that I didn’t need to open it… I could already smell the Rose 31, and now that the fragrance oil is unboxed, I have the box sitting on my desk so that I can smell the heady perfume when I sit down to do my work.
Rose 31 is a grown-up rose perfume. It has tons of cumin in it which I can sometimes smell and sometimes not. I find that when my skin is warmer, I can smell the cumin, and when my skin is cool to the touch I can’t. It has earthy undertones with some oud and vetiver mixed in. I love vetiver (a grass from India and Africa) because it smells totally fresh and clean, and that’s now a requirement for all my scents.
I opted for the Rose 31 fragrance oil instead of the spray version of the perfume because I wanted something that would blend into my skin and just warm up and work with its chemistry. It’s nice, but I have to admit that I miss the spray because I love spritzing my clothes and hair with perfume and I can’t do that anymore. That means that this scent maybe isn’t getting as much wear as it should, but I do still reach for it when I’m making a conscious effort to get ready, rather than just grabbing whatever is in reach.
Le Labo has been acquired by the Estee Lauder company so it might be more readily available in the near future, but I bought mine before the acquisition, and so purchased it online from the Le Labo website.
Oh, and if you stay at a Fairmont hotel ever, know that their bath products are all in the Le Labo Rose 31 scent. This includes hand soap, body lotion and body wash. Stock up if you can!
Tom Ford Tubereuse Nue Review
Personally, I find tuberose as a note is terribly overdone and nothing special anymore. This version has a warm drydown which makes it different than the fresh versions that are out there, but on me, it was tuberose and then wet cardboard, and then a warm musk drydown. I wasn’t intrigued, but if you tried it, I would love to know what you thought.
Karine Joncas Skincare
I’ve been testing out some products from French line Karine Joncas Cosmetics, a line of skincare from Quebec but available at Shoppers Drug Mart online.
I have below the 4-in-1 Collagen Lift Cream ($80), the 4D Hyaluro-Lift Mask ($28), the Dermo-Lift Corrective Eye Patches ($3.99 for the pair). I just noticed that all the products have the word “lift” in them and many of them promised instant results. But lifting – if you’re serious about getting a lift in your face – in its tone – then you’re going to need a device, and better yet, someone who knows how to use it. But these were moisturizing and lovely to use.
I think my favourite product that I tried from the Karine Joncas collection, and one that I think is really unique was the mask. It’s clear and really added a nice shot of moisture to my skin. I love clear gel masks because they feel so cold and chilling to the skin, so they really wake you up and take down any puffiness. I like to use them in the morning.
I washed off the mask and applied the moisturizer to seal everything in. The moisturizer is light and fresh – it would be perfect for combination skin. It is a nice blend of peptides, glycerine, and olive oil and my skin really liked it.
Have you heard of this line before?
Frederic Malle Portrait of a Lady Review
Portrait of a Lady by @fredericmalle is an iconic rose-patchouli perfume. It’s a truly unisex scent, as all the Frederic Malle fragrances are. This is a spicy rose, with notes of clove, cinnamon, incense, sandalwood, and a musk, amber drydown. It’s spicy but not warm which is unusual in a spicy scent. It’s almost peppery, almost gingery but without being either of those, but it’s dry in a sense.
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This perfume is strong – 1 spray is enough, and if you spray it on your skin, it’ll probably last through a shower. It has lasted through multiple washings on a shirt I love to wear.
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It’s punchy, assertive, right there, and I am mostly in a mellow mood most mornings, so assertive isn’t me. It’s just not me.
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BUT: this is a FANTASTIC Monday perfume. You know, when you want to kick something back… you want to be a little in your face. You want to be noticed. You’re willing to say what’s on your mind without softening it first. This is for THAT.
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Nars Laguna
Picked up my birthday gift from Sephora a couple of weeks ago.
The Nars Laguna bronzer barely shows up on my skin but I had been meaning to try the Laguna lip balm and this was my chance. It’s moisturizing and I like it! The colour is basically non-existent but it does add a warm sparkly glow.
What do you guys think?
Mimosa and Cardamom by Jo Malone
Mimosa and Cardamom by Jo Malone is the scent of the day.
It’s a warm floral with cardamom in the opening and vanillic tonka bean in the dry down. Lasted over 12 hours on me which is unheard of for the Jo Malone colognes but tonka makes anything stick to the skin so that must be why.
No projection – this is a scent that wears close to the body. It’s also floral and definitely feminine-leaning. Mimosa and Cardamom would be a great spring/fall fragrance because of its warmth and subtlety. It’s good for days when there’s a slight chill in the air. It’s got a cozy vibe. It’s gourmand without being sweet.
And if you made it this far into the review: it’s nice but it’s not for me.
Solid Shampoo and Conditioner
Never been much for solid shampoo and conditioner because they’re always too hard, and a pain to work through my long hair, but these Foamie solid shampoo and conditioner bars are borderline melty which is perfect. They actually melt enough in my hands so that I can work the product through my hair.
Get them at ShopHali.com.