Should you go get a retinol prescription or just buy something over-the-counter? It depends. Watch this video and I explain it all…Thoughts, comments? Leave them below!
http://www.instagram.com/tv/B-ITNe8JT4w/
Cookbook Reviews
Some of you might be cooking more than usual, and truth be told, I don’t really consult cookbooks anymore because it seems like a lot of recipes are on the Internet, but I do like these that I have and I’ve used the Cookie on the most. Here are my cookbook reviews in one place.
Giada at Home. Casual Italian cooking. Good ideas for pasta, if you’re bored of the same old, same old.
Barefoot Contessa: Back to Basics. Also great for reinventing classics.
Martha Stewart Cookies. There is a blondie recipe in here which is to die for. My all time favourite cookie recipe is the NYT Cookie recipe and it’s not in here. Google it.
Martha Stewart New Classics. It’s a tome. It’s an epic. Great mac and cheese, if you don’t have a recipe already. Perfect for a new cook.
Pictures from the Estee Lauder Chocolate Collection!
The Chocolate collection came out in 2008, and since we’re at home right now I thought it was a good time for me to revisit some of my older makeup.
Below is the shimmer compact, and though it’s beautiful in the picture, in person it has a fine layer of gold dust on the surface that looks ever so pretty.
Here’s an eyeshadow quad: The gold swirls are just on the surface and once you start using the eyeshadow they’re blended into it and don’t show anymore.
Hope everyone is staying safe and staying inside!
Poppy King’s Story – How the Lipstick Queen Became Royalty
I haven’t had a ton of time to read in recent months, but I finally go through Lessons of a Lipstick Queen by Poppy King.
Overall, fascinating book for the details that it gives you about Poppy herself and how she put her lipstick line together so many years ago. I wasn’t familiar with her line “back in the day” (in the 1990’s) but Poppy became known for her matte lipsticks which were introduced in a time when mattes weren’t anywhere to be found.
Read this book if you’re interested in finding out how she put things together – I found the entrepreneurial aspects of it less interesting.
Tom Ford Champaca Absolute
Champaca isn’t a flower that I had heard of, or even smelled before, so Tom Ford’s Champaca Absolute wasn’t on my radar. But I had time to kill at Holt Renfrew one day and ended up at the Tom Ford Counter smelling all the perfumes. And I wasn’t feeling any of them, but then the sales associate, who knew her stuff, offered me Champaca Absolute. You’re going to love it, she said.
And so I got this scent for my 30th birthday – so I’ve had it for a while, but haven’t ever reviewed it.
Champaca Absolute is unlike anything I’ve smelled before. Champaca is part of the magnolia family, and this scent is very magnolia forward. Top notes are: bergamot, cognac, greenwood, but I don’t really smell any of that. Maybe the warmth of the cognac, but there isn’t much bergamot in the opening which is a relief.
The middles notes are orchid, violet, champaca and jasmine, and really it’s a mix of champaca and cognac that you smell for the first hour or so. The drydown is vanilla, amber, sandalwood, and marron glace. The vanilla and amber give a bit of sweetness to the floral notes in the middle, and the sandalwood is super subtle.
The scent is fresh, floral, and powdery all at the same time. It smells unlike anything else I own, and have ever smelled, and I have a lot of perfume. There’s tons of lasting powder and one spray gives me waves of scent all day.
Tom Ford perfumes are expensive – but unique and this one is totally worth it.
$290 for 50mL.
Boscia Charcoal Pore Pudding Intensive Wash Off Treatment
Tried this Boscia mask over Christmas and finally finished it so I figured it’s time for a review. First off all, it’s on sale at Sephora right now, so it’s $35 instead of the usual $50.
First of all, this mask is beautiful to look at. It is swirled black and white charcoal, and it looks pretty in the jar and when you open it up. How’d they do that?
The two colours obviously mix together when you apply the mask on your face, and it has a creamy consistency that’s easy to apply. The charcoal is great for absorbing excess oil and impurities, and leaves your skin squeaky clean.
I also really loved that this mask smells so good. It smells like perfume in a way that I can’t describe. Kind of fresh and woody all in one.
I loved using this mask and am really loving Boscia products!
How to Use Root Touch Up Spray at Home Video
If you’ve been wondering how to take care of your roots at home, check out this video. I used the Kevin Murphy Retouch.Me spray in black. It’s pretty good but it leaves your hair stiff and you don’t feel like you can run your hands through your hair. My stylist reached out to me after I posted this video and told me that a powder is probably better if I don’t want the stiffness, so that’s what I’ll get next. this is pretty good in a pinch though.
http://www.instagram.com/tv/B-SwlZzpK0g/
Contouring Question
A little while ago, a reader emailed me to ask me about a contouring palette that she had just bought. Hers was by Laura Gellar, but she wanted to know whether she had made the right decision in buying it. I’ll say this: Laura Gellar products are very good and I’ve liked everything I’ve tried (though I hadn’t tried the palette that she was talking about).
The thing is that you don’t necessarily need a palette to do a great job contouring. All you need is a nice shimmery shadow and a matte bronzer or powder.
Apply the highlighter on the highest parts of your face – the very tops of your cheekbones, your browbones, and the center of your chin. Apply the bronzer in the hollows of your cheeks and under your jaw.
Blending is key, and you want to make sure that only the effect gets shown and not your makeup. Step back and take a look at your work. Can you tell you’ve applied contouring products? If you can, you’ve put too much. Contouring only works if you’re subtle.
Contouring kits can be a huge help because if they’re good then the products have been formulated to be sheer and not sparkly, but even without a kit you can do a great job.
Fragrance Friday: Kiehl’s Original Musk
Kiehl’s boutiques are more widespread than they used to be, so this epic fragrance is more readily available than it used to be. If you’re a fragrance lover, or learning about perfume, then you need to read below and then go smell the OG of musk fragrances.
I’ve had Kiehl’s Original Musk for years now and I love the way it smells. It’s smoky and intense with a dry down of patchouli and, of course, musk. Lore is that this is the first Musk scent ever made and that every other musk after this one was a copy.
I love this scent, but at the end of the day, this is just too intense for me to pull off on most days. It just doesn’t fit my personality, but I like having it on my dresser in case I change my mind. Funny how you can love a perfume, but just not love it on yourself.
$57 at Kiehls.com.
The Best It Cosmetics Products
It Cosmetics is having a family and friends sale right now, which means that everything is 25% off. You might be in a shopping mood, or you might want to stock up on your favourite things anyway. Here are my favs from the brand – reviews are linked.
- Superhero Mascara and Eyeliner. $22.50 at Sephora right now, or $25 at ItCosmetics.com. Obviously, you want to stick to Sephora for this one. Both have free shipping right now.
- CC+ cream. I would avoid the Illuminating version as it’s quite sparkly, but the matte version is for me, and the regular one might be for anyone who doesn’t have oily skin. This was the cream that started the CC cream craze, and it’s amazing that they included SPF 50 in it.
- Secret Sauce moisturizer. This has some radiance to it which gives your skin a glow – perfect for when you’re staying at home.
