Santa Maria Novella Lana Perfume Review

Posted on May 12, 2025 by Henna

Santa Maria Novella is a brand that continues to captivate me because of their history and aesthetic. If you love a bit of a connection to history and the natural world when you wear perfume, then this should be on your radar. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

Lana – maybe the most misunderstood from the brand because it’s not what they say it is.

Lana means wool in Italian, and this perfume was created to evoke Scottish cashmere. The name is misleading because this is an aromatic rose with peppery top notes, very similar to those of bell pepper. Vetiver gives a mossiness, an earthy base that connects it to the land, but if you’re looking for a cozy soft perfume, this won’t be it. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

It’s a beautiful rose, easy to wear and elegant, but cashmere? Nowhere to be found. ⠀⠀⠀

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Summertime Favourite – Celine Cologne Celeste

Posted on May 9, 2025 by Henna

Feb. 24
Today it was time for an antidote to the rich and heavy scents in the air – I need something fresh and clean so it’s time for Celine’s Cologne Celeste. This is a riff on the classic cologne style of perfumes with a blend of green neroli and petitgrain, and a dry down of warm but soapy musk blended with a dose of powder and a bit of vanilla, the Celine signature. The slight sweetness at the end makes this an addictive perfume to smell. The musk is ambrette which always makes me think of warm skin out of the shower, cozy and clean at the same time. The musk is very long-lasting and that’s where this cologne is an update from the splash bottles of centuries past. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

In a time when we’re jumping from one perfume to another, this cologne was overlooked, but it solidified Celine perfumes in a way. All serious (Serious!) perfume lines need an eau de cologne, and here is Celine’s.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

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Fenty Beauty

Posted on May 8, 2025 by Henna

Apr 19
Here’s something I actually use. ⠀

I hit pan on my Fenty Invisimatte setting powder a couple of weeks ago and it’s just going downhill from there.

Nothing really mattifies for the whole day, especially when you have oily skin, but the powder will set makeup and help it stay. It’s also great for powdering shiny skin before pictures. A setting powder is different than a mattifying powder. This will adhere to makeup and blur but it won’t be completely matte. The Sonia’s is satin and you’ll see your skin through it. It’s a more natural look.⠀

Other things I love:

Suede Cheeks powder blush. I wish the compact had a mirror in it but at least this blush blends so easily.

Cherry Dub cleanser, foaming for that thorough clean.

Hydrating Concealer (for under the eyes only because it’s pretty creamy and moisturizing.)⠀

🧈Butta Drop body cream which melts into an oil with the heat of your skin. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

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Alumier Mineral Sunscreens

Posted on May 7, 2025 by Henna

Apr 26
It’s sunscreen season in the beauty world, but we know that it’s better to wear sunscreen every single day, all year long. If you’ve ever been caught outside, maybe at an impromptu patio lunch, and wished you had worn sunscreen that day, that’s your sign to just wear sunscreen everyday, because had you done that, you would have been covered. ⠀⠀

Anyway, @alumiermd sent me some sunscreens to try and they are all mineral sunscreens. This is a brand that is sold at dermatologists offices, or at med-spas, and so everything is going to be as gentle as possible for skin that might be irritated from a treatment. Mineral sunscreen might not be for everyone, but it is very gentle, and if you have any kind of skin conditions then a mineral sunscreen will feel the most comfortable on your skin. It might not always look the best, but it won’t sting as it goes on.

I have two sunscreens that are un-tinted and one that is tinted. Even the one labeled “Clear Shield” had a bit of a cast on my skin, but not so much that it was noticeable. I would use both of these for daily wear. I got the Moisture matte tinted sunscreen in the colour Amber – it’s the first picture over. You can see it’s grainy – well those are little pigment pieces that burst when you rub your hands and blend the sunscreen into your skin. The colour was pretty close to my natural skin tone, with some believable warmth. I’d use it on vacation or the weekends, but probably not daily because I’d be worried about it getting all over my clothes.

Fun fact: the oil-free sunscreen is more matte, and great for under makeup.  It just keeps everything looking great for more of the day and I love that. I’ve been reaching for it every day after I’ve seen how great my makeup looks with it.

I love that mineral sunscreens are everywhere now and there are so many options out there. Remember that a sunscreen you like and can afford to use lots of is always going to be the best choice for you. ⠀

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Dior Bois d’Argent

Posted on May 6, 2025 by Henna

This is the perfume I can’t help spraying on myself when I see it in a store. I have a bottle but the instant comfort a familiar scent provides just can’t beat the pull of anything new. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

Feb. 19

When you wear Bois d’Argent, you will forget you are wearing it but throughout the day you’ll catch whiffs of it and wonder what smells so good. It’s old money good, quiet luxury, anything but basic. If you sample this at the counter, I recommend that instead of a tiny spritz on paper, you just douse yourself in it head to toe so that you can get the full experience. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

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Valentino Born in Roma Extradose

Posted on May 5, 2025 by Henna

Apr 26
We are in the era of powerful perfumes – or should I say that we are back in the era of powerful perfumes, because this was a trend that was alive and well in the ‘80’s. The difference is that back then, people were smoking and perfume needed to cut through cigarette smoke if it was going to make a presence. Now, the smoking is outside, and the perfumes don’t just need to make an appearance, they need to stay and last forever. A sign of the times – brands are charging more and consumers are demanding that with an increase in price comes an increase in longevity. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

So we have Valentino Born in Roma Extradose, in both Uomo and Donna. Uomo offers extra vetiver, and Donna offers extra vanilla. I put one spray on each wrist, and could smell them both all day – in fact, I can still smell the Uomo even though I’ve washed my sweater. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

About Born in Roma Extradose Uomo, I’ll say that if you liked Dior Homme Parfum (the new one) then you might like this one too. It has the same masculine lavender and a very dry woody base. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

The Donna has a blackcurrant that reminds me of the candy store, and almost smells like gummy bears with an intense vanillic component. I did prefer it to the men’s one, and I like that it washed out of my clothes, so that I could choose whether I wanted to wear it or not. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

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Indult Paris Tihota

Posted on May 2, 2025 by Henna

March 22
A friend of mine calls Tihota “the best vanilla ever made” and she’s a vanilla lover. I had a chance to stop by the Tihota booth at Esxence, and I caught them in a rare moment of quiet. The brand was founded by Francis Kurkdjian and all the perfumes have been done by him. There are 4 in the line and they’re well-done plays on common themes: a floral, a rose, leather and vanilla. I’ve come to become a fan of some of his work. The most perfume I smell, the more I realize that it’s incredibly difficult to create a real hit, but he has done many and there’s a simplicity to his formulas that is admirable. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

Tihota might be the best vanilla ever made (I don’t think I’ve smelled enough of them to really know) but it won’t blow you away by smelling like anything unusual. It is like eating a gourmet caramel made by the world’s best chef. It’s creamy and buttery, dosed with just the right amount of ingredients to make it truly interesting – a pinch of salt and a tiny amount of smoke. As the caramel melts in your mouth, you enjoy the flavour from beginning to end – but at the end of the day, it’s still just a caramel. If you love caramels, you will splurge for the best there is, you will sample as many as you can before you choose a favourite, and you will even seek out the rare and refined. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

Tihota is for those of you who are on a vanilla journey – think of it as the vanilla made by a fascinating and talented perfumer. It is sublime.

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Safran Troublant by L’Artisan Parfumeur

Posted on May 1, 2025 by Henna

March 22
Before I smelled like incense all the time, I smelled like roses. Safran Troublant by L’Artisan Parfumeur is a gourmand from an older time, a rose for all the time.

Rose, saffron and a light vanilla, this is a yummy kind of rose. It reminds me of ras malai, but I’ve also realized that Persian people have rose and saffron ice cream called Bastani that tastes how this smells. And it’s no surprise. When I first smelled this, my immediate thought was that it smelled edible and I could recreate it in my kitchen.

Like many people, this perfume was my gateway to niche. It was a perfume that smelled unlike anything I had available to me at the time and I still love it. ⠀⠀⠀⠀

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Dior Hypnotic Poison Perfume Review

Posted on April 29, 2025 by Henna

Hypnotic Poison is a required stop on my journey through the land of perfumes featuring an almond note, but offers complexity in a land of simple gourmands. With this papery vanilla almond, like the original Poison, there’s some spiciness that you either love or hate. While Poison gave us a coriander top note, Hypnotic Poison has caraway, herbal and bitter, and is placed next to a jasmine that appears and disappears like a mirage on your skin. The caraway with the powdery almond is like eating an exotic spiced cookie, the kind you wouldn’t make at home, but you don’t mind when you’re eating it at a special bakery while on vacation. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

Apparently, this is Adele’s signature scent. When asked whether she would ever bring a perfume to market, she said no, because if she made a perfume, it would be what she wears every day, which is Hypnotic Poison. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

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Garnier Eco Pads

Posted on April 28, 2025 by Henna

Apr 19
PSA: these Garnier reusable Eco Pads are what you need to take off makeup quickly. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

I remember a few years ago, microfibre cloths for your face were everywhere. Someone figured out that if you got the cloths wet, you could wipe off makeup without even needing soap, so they were especially great for those of us with sensitive skin. Like all trends, they were forgotten (I think perfume took over everything) and they’re not the sexiest product at Sephora so not one that gets talked about a lot. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

But they’ve made their way to the drugstore and these Garnier ones come 3 to a pack. You can hand wash them in the sink, or throw them in with your laundry, which is what I do. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

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