Dolce and Gabbana Light Blue Intense

Posted on January 25, 2021 by Henna

Someone told me that this must be what a person who’s making money must smell like.  Imagine that you work in an office – this might be for you.  An office like on Suits, not Dunder Mifflin. Light Blue by Dolce and Gabbana is one of those scents that’s iconic.  So much so that you either love it or hate it just because of its popularity.  No matter what friend group I’m in, I know someone who loves it and has it on their vanity, and those that love it, love it a lot.

Now there’s Light Blue Eau Intense for men and for women.  The two scents have the familiar light watery woodiness of Light Blue but somehow the notes are amplified and stronger.  What the original Light Blue lacked in strength is now present in Light Blue Intense and that’s even though the original character of the perfume stays the same.

The scents are in the fresh family of scents and they are unbelievably wearable.  Wear sparingly because the longevity of these is quite good, and you can smell them from a ways away.  These are not the silent invisible perfumes, they are meant to be smelled even though they do remind you of woodsy, freshwater.

Notes for the men’s version: Grapefruit, Juniper, Musk

Notes for the women’s version: Lemon, Jasmine Petals, Musk.  Mostly, I can smell just the fresh lemon, and then lemony floral middle notes, and finally fresh woodsy musk as the drydown.

$72 online and in stores.

 

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Shu Uemura Cleansing Oils and How to Use Them

Posted on January 25, 2021 by Wynzie Chai

I have to admit, I’m a bit in love with cleansing oils. I think they’re wonderful because they do a fantastic job of clearing skin of excess sebum, makeup and general grime without drying it out.

 

My cleansing oil obsession started with the Shu Uemura line of Cleansing Oils. At the moment, there are six different oils you can choose from, each one formulated for a different skin concern. They are available in 150ml and 450ml sizes. And okay, they’re not exactly drug store cheap, but the 150ml will last you at least 3 months, and the 450ml will last at least a year.

How to use Cleansing Oils:
• Take 2-4 pumps of oil, and massage gently onto dry face. 2 pumps, if it’s first thing in the morning and there’s not a whole lot on your skin, 3-4 if you’re removing makeup.

• Wet hands with a little warm water and massage face gently. You’ll notice the oil start to turn into a light milk, or emulsify. This is the action that will break down the oil, makeup, and other grime on your skin. Do not immediately rinse your face, or try to emulsify the oil in your hands.

• I like to keep rinsing my hands and emulsifying until the oil is very milky, and no longer has an ‘oily’ consistency. This is best if you don’t want residue left on your skin, but once you can feel your bare skin under the oil, you can just rinse with warm water.

 

 

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Red Roses from Jo Malone

Posted on January 22, 2021 by Henna

One of my all time favourite scents, is the Red Roses cologne by Jo Malone.

You must understand that I have a history with roses.  I grew up with roses around my house – both my front and backyards had roses, and my grandmother’s house was landscaped with tall bushes of climbing roses that let out enormous amounts of scents every summer.  There’s nothing quite like the scent of fresh roses, and it’s not a surprise that this flower blooms in summer heat – the scent is quite cool and fresh and just smelling roses can cool you down on a hot summer day no matter how wilted the flower.

Red Roses captures that feeling to a T, and it’s the most realistic natural scent of rose that I’ve ever found in a perfume.

 

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Dior Escale a Pondichery

Posted on January 22, 2021 by Henna

I am loving Dior’s Escale series which came out in 2010, but apparently is still in production even though I know that Dior has launched new scents too. The set of perfumes (there are a total of 3 to be released) evokes the scent of different places. They are unlike anything else in the Dior range, and kind of remind me of the Hermes Jardin series. The Jardin series also focuses on particular places, and there’s a huge amount of research done on each particular place and the scents that really make it up. If you want to know more, read The Perfect Scent by Chandler Burr. The in-depth portrayal of Jean-Claude Ellena is interesting because we find out so much about what it takes to make scents.

All I had to do is have a whiff of Dior’s Escale a Pondichery, and I knew that the same kind of work had gone into this scent.

Escale a Pondichery reminds me so much of a trip I took to Kerala, on the other side of the coast from Pondichery, in the South of India. The air there smells of spices in a very unique way. The South is known for growing spices of all kinds, and coupled with the humidity of the air, there’s an earthiness and freshness to the spicy scent that is everywhere you go. Cardamom, sandalwood, and whiffs of cinnamon, are all there, and combine with the scent of unbrewed tea which also grows in the region.

I can smell exactly those things in Escale a Pondichery. The opening notes are lemony – probably what contributes to the freshness of the scent. As soon as the lemon-ness goes away, I can smell that it’s more of a lemon tea and bergamot. The middle notes are Jasmine which comes out in full force, and the dry down is more tea and sandalwood.

This scent is not a strong one and none of the ingredients stand out too much but they’re blended and light. The scent is airy more than anything else, yet is long-lasting.

Love this.

 

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Hourglass Mineral Veil Primer Review

Posted on January 22, 2021 by Henna

I was sleeping on this primer, but it’s definitely one of the best products I’ve used all year.  The Hourglass Mineral Veil Primer has a smooth slippery texture and has SPF 15 thanks to the addition of titanium dioxide and zinc oxide.

Because of the addition of zinc in the primer, this has a bit of a whitish cast on the skin – but it really does blend away super quickly and the primer dries clear.  Because it has a slippery smooth texture, you can feel exactly where you’ve put it and everything else just glides on afterwards.

Throughout the day, this primer absorbs oil, and just helps makeup look and feel fresh.  I keep reaching for it because it makes spf and primer into 1 easy step.  But I gotta say that I’ve been using more than the half pump that they recommend.  I’ve been using 2 pumps for my face and neck and making sure that I have good coverage on both of them.

The Hourglass Mineral Veil Primer is available Sephora for $69.  It also comes in a larger size (double the amount of product) for $99. I think this normal size is going to last me just a month, so if I repurchase, I would just get the larger size.

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Aerin Garden Rose Eau de Cologne

Posted on January 21, 2021 by Henna

Wearing Aerin Garden Rose on repeat these days because it’s an Eau de Cologne and it’s easy to wear.  You can spray it on throughout the day to refresh or even at the end of the day to really transport yourself.

Notes are – fresh rose, slightly aquatic, but not mineral. Rainy rose would be a nice name for this under any other umbrella.

$220 at Nordstrom.

 

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L’Oreal Wonder Water Review

Posted on January 20, 2021 by Henna

Am I the last person ever to try L’Oreal Wonder Water?

I posted a picture of this to my Instagram and got so many comments from people who said that it was amazing.

Now I’ve used it about three times myself, and I can report that it really is something totally different from any other hair treatment that’s out there.

Not a mask, this is a treatment that purports to repair the damaged portions of your hair to leave it feeling healthy.  I find that this is more of a coating that sticks to your hair and makes it shiny and smooth.  If you straighten or blow-dry your hair after using this, you’ll find that you’ll have really great effects – similar to a salon blow-out.

The instructions say to use this every 2-3 shampoos and that’s pretty accurate.  I find that after I use this, the next time I go to wash my hair, I can feel that there’s something on it.  That feeling goes away when I shampoo and condition, so it’s likely that the shampooing takes some of the coating off.

This is truly a revolutionary product and much better than the treatments I’ve tried this year. I think it also couldn’t come at a better time – we’re in salons less and less because of Covid, and so this is a great treatment to use when you’re unable to get that salon feeling at home.

I know I’ll be stocking up on it and keeping it on hand.

$12 at drugstores or mass merchandisers, $9.96 on Amazon right now.  

 

 

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Makeup Favourites of the Moment from Maybelline, Armani, and Charlotte Tilbury

Posted on January 19, 2021 by Henna

I know that I always post about what’s new and exciting but sometimes it’s important to get off the Merry Go Round, and focus on what I’m actually using at the moment.  This changes monthly, and I’ll try to keep you guys apprised of what’s good and what’s now.

I dug out the Maybelline Dream Urban Cover SPF 50 foundation – because I like putting SPF on my SPF, and these come in lovely warm colours.  You should try them if you are warm-toned like me.  I mix 128 and 215 together.  I just want to say that I don’t use this foundation for the SPF!  You would have to apply soooo much to get adequate sun protection, and I like a more natural look!  So I apply a little and mostly in the centre of my face, but I always apply SPF everywhere!

You can watch my video review of this foundation here.

I’m also using the Armani Beauty Luminous Silk Concealer in 6.5 and I love it.  It’s so creamy and brightens my under eyes so well.

I’m also using this Charlotte Tilbury Palette of Pops right now – it is intensely glittery and shimmery and I don’t wear all the colours at once, but use them on top of eyeshadow or even just one shade on its own. I love this palette!

It was part of the Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk collection and I’m really happy with the quality of eyeshadows.

I hope you guys enjoyed this update.

 

 

 

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Bubble T Melting Pearls

Posted on January 19, 2021 by Henna

Who remembers these from decades past? I know that the fanciest aunt in my house always had these in a little dish in her guest bathroom.  I had no idea that they were still available but they are! These are the brand Bubble T and they’re available at ShopHali.com.  I got the lemongrass scent and they are filled with beautifully scented oil.

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Bobbi Brown Crushed Lip Colour Review

Posted on January 18, 2021 by Henna

This is definitely my favourite lip colour that I’ve tried all year – but I love Bobbi Brown cosmetics, and their aesthetic really speaks to me. They were one of the first to create an inclusive range of colour cosmetics, and I always knew that I could find my foundation colour if I went to their counter.

Think of the Crushed Lip Colour as a sheer matte lipstick. They say that it’s like a balm but it’s not really hydrating or cushiony enough to be that. Instead, this is nicely pigmented but sheer lipstick. It adds some colour and looks like a stain because of it’s satin matte finish.

It goes on smoothly without tugging or skipping and lasts a decently long time. I loved the look of it.

Available at Bobbi Brown, Sephora, Nordstrom, and online.

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