Tom Ford Cafe Rose

Posted on June 21, 2023 by Henna

This is the original bottle, and Tom Ford Cafe Rose was limited edition but it has since been brought back, and I recently saw it at the Tom Ford counter!
June
Felt like something as dry as my sense of humour.

Tom Ford Cafe Rose sometimes gets panned in the fragrance community, but it’s a rose-patchouli I love early because of the feel of earthy ground coffee beans that are evoked in the scent. This isn’t the same as opening up a canister of coffee and inhaling… it smells more like you washed out the coffee pot, and the scent of roses from the garden is near, and the green patchouli oil isn’t far. This is easy to wear and now it’s back at the Tom Ford counter but in the regular private line packaging. Oh, and the perfumer is Antoine Lie and so there’s an element of restraint that I’m finding in his scents and enjoying.

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Perfume about Pilgrimage: Buen Camino

Posted on June 16, 2023 by Henna

April
Sometimes perfumes pair themselves with books so naturally, and in this case, I’m surprised I didn’t see it sooner because both of these are texts about a pilgrimage, and both of them are tied to Spain. I’m reading The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho and wearing Buen Camino by @chronotope_perfume, and look, my bottle of Buen Camino matches my copy of The Alchemist perfectly.

Although the journeys don’t overlap at all, with the alchemist going towards the pyramids, and Carter making his way through Spain, I enjoy the experience of associating a scent with a book and smelling it while I read. Every time my mind wanders from the words, I think of the perfume which leads me back to the page.

The lavender in Buen Camino is dry making me think of the dustiness of the road, the incense in the distance beckoning me closer, hot spices are the sun in my mouth.

If you have a book and perfume pairing that lives in your head, tell me in the comments.

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Zara Leather Jardin Review

Posted on June 15, 2023 by Henna

June
If you like vintage green perfumes, if you know what the word Chypre means and you can use it in a sentence, if you like the scent of grass, and want something fresh and cold, Zara Leather Jardin is for you.

The only Zara perfume I’ve ever bought and I don’t think it’s the last. Slightly floral, on the masculine side, lasting long enough to make it through a summer workday. Have you smelled this? It’s quite enjoyable.

It was launched in 2021, but is still available on the Zara website.  This 90ml bottle was $45.90.  Listed notes are grapefruit, rose, and “hints of leather”, but I get tons of grassy galbanum, a nondescript floral, and touches of leather.  It’s quite mossy feeling. I normally don’t enjoy leather perfumes but I find this to be easy to wear, and liked it enough to add it to my collection.

I find similarities with Grey Flannel by Geoffrey Beene, but others have mentioned Gres by Cabochard and Lancome Magie Noire.

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Burt’s Bees Tinted Lip Balm with SPF 30

Posted on June 14, 2023 by Henna

Burt’s Bees Tinted Lip Balm with SPF 30 in Wild Peony and Sienna Rose. Sienna Rose went into my purse immediately! Most tinted lip balms are not very pigmented but as you can see, these go in more lip lipsticks and I’m not mad about that. I actually prefer it. They’re a little chalky in feel as they go on, but the staying power is excellent and they feel more comfortable than regular lipstick. I never remember to put sunscreen on my lips so I like these.

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Jo Malone Pomegranate Noir

Posted on June 13, 2023 by Henna

We are trapped in a heat dome the next couple of weeks so the craving for Jo Malone arrives. Everyone loves grapefruit, it’s a zesty grapefruit patchouli. My favourite is Pomegranate Noir which really brings to mind the woodiness of pomegranate seeds as you chew them. It’s tart and only slightly sweet which is why I love it. Jo Malone promotes layering, so yes, sometimes I layer these, but when I come to spray more, it’s always for Pomegranate Noir and I wore tons of it today.

Both of these Jo Malone scents are older and there are too many of their newer releases for me to keep up with now. I like them at the counter but by the time I get around to sample them, they’re gone. The original, more simple Jo Malone scents are keepers, so try them out if you ever see them.

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Charlotte Tilbury Lovegasm Collection

Posted on June 12, 2023 by Henna

Charlotte Tilbury has a new collection out for the summer, and it includes a gorgeous new palette of highlighters, blush, and contour, called the Glowgasm palette. The deepest shade is my contour while the two peachy pink shades are my blush. Love that they work on my skin.

There’s also a new shade in the Beauty Light Wand, and it’s a rust pink that gives a unique but wearable glow to your skin.  The formula for these blush is very blendable and once it’s on your skin, it sets for a long time.  It’s so easy to use.

Available at Sephora and online now.

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Dior Perfume Collection

Posted on June 9, 2023 by Henna

April
Dior class picture.

Getting Dior Homme Intense into my possession made me realize that I’ve never gotten all of these out and together. As you can see, I have some older bottles from Dior. Escale a Pondichery and Escale a Portofino were part of a cruise collection of perfumes launched in 2008/2009. These bottles are from then. I love the quilted glass from these bottles, and I think this is some of the best bottle designs from what I have. I loved wearing Pondichery right when it came out and the only reason that I have any juice left in this bottle is because I stopped myself from wearing it and hoarded the rest. I thought that Escale a Portofino was discontinued, but it’s still available on the Dior website!

Dior Poison Girl is a soft vanilla that’s great for rainy days. I’m sure I’ve had other flankers, but this is the only one left.

J’Adore Touche de Parfum – classic J’Adore white floral DNA but in a beautiful delivery system.

Eau Noire and Bois d’Argent from the Privee collection – bought by me. Don’t spend money on a mini is my advice. I like a larger bottle better. The truth is that around the time Dior launched its Privée collection, I decided to tap out of the fragrance game. There was too much to try, it was so expensive and there was some truly horrid perfume out there that I just didn’t understand. Also, I didn’t have a community of people to bounce thoughts off of and that’s most of the fun.

Finally, Dior Homme Intense which I just got last week.

Total count: 7.

Dior is releasing a new perfume in its Prive line: Dioriviera.  It is meant to be a rose and fig scent. I have to say that I need a new fig perfume in my collection since I’ve finished Philosykos, so I’m intrigued by this one.

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Dior Homme Intense Perfume Review

Posted on June 8, 2023 by Henna

Every minute a bottle of Dior Homme Intense gets sold in a Facebook group around the world.

I made that up but I’m sure it’s not far from the truth.

Someone sent me a decant of this free with a package and I had never heard of it. It blew me away and I kept the sample, wore it but then gave whatever was left to my favourite student at the end of the school year. Edmond Roudnitska said: “beautiful perfume is the one which gives us a shock: a sensory one followed by a psychological one.” I certainly got that and maybe that’s why this perfume lives in my head. Then I got another decant and it smelled different 😕.

Anyway, it has lived on in my memory as the perfect Iris-cocoa-amber perfume, just masculine enough to be worn by men but also by me. I honestly think you could stick this in a Privée, private blend, atelier blah blah blah bottle and sell out. Still, it’s at your local duty-free so it gets ignored, passed over, and underappreciated, but it’s also very widely bought and worn!

And traded!

And anyway, it’s finally mine.

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Neutrogena Hydro Boost+ Niacinamide Serum

Posted on June 7, 2023 by Henna

I found a great new niacinamide serum: it has 10% niacinamide, a smooth wearable, hydrating texture, and works with lots of skincare you already are using. Also, it’s at the drugstore, not hard to find at all.

April

Niacinamide is best for improving tone and works with pretty much every other skincare ingredient out there so you can use it morning or night. I like it in the morning under my sunscreen and it feels great.

At $23 for 29mL, it’s more pricy than other brands that have niacinamide serums. This one is less drying and not mattifying, like the ones that also have zinc in them. It also has a pump rather than a dropper bottle, which I kind of prefer. I’ll keep using it and I think it would be good for people with more dry skin, while others are better for oil control.

Although I love a cocktail of ingredients best, all the serums or toners I’ve tried with more actives don’t have a high percentage of this particular ingredient, and I find that 10% makes a noticeable difference. That could be in my head, I have but one face. This serum is just one of many in my rotation, and I like that it mixes Hyaluronic acid and glycerin which are both moisturizing, with niacinamide.

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Kerastase Chroma Absolu Collection

Posted on June 6, 2023 by Henna

June
I’ve been enjoying using this range of Kerastase Chroma Absolu products, generously given to me by @jeromesalon. The line is meant to protect your hair colour (mine is highlighted and I have lots of greys that are covered up). I like that the shampoo is sulphate-free, because it’s more gentle on my hair.

The hero product from this line is the Chroma Absolu Chroma Gloss which is a glossing treatment that you use in the shower in place of your regular conditioner. At first glance, it seems so similar to L’Oreal Wonder Water, which is a drugstore product by the same parent company. Chroma Absolu feels different as I apply it to my hair. It’s slightly foaming and very slippery, and a small amount seems to expand and go further through my hair. Kerastase says that Chroma Absolu is a resurfacing treatment because it has lactic acid in it, which helps reduce frizz and make hair more shiny.

Regardless of the change in ingredient, the final effect is similar to that of Wonder Water, which, until now, has been my favourite hair treatment. The result is soft smoother hair and it lasts for the entire week. This is a weekly treatment for me and leaves me almost petting my own head because of how soft and smooth my hair becomes.

Oh, and these smell good, but I have some Balmain Hair Perfume that I’m going to be smelling soon, and I’ll have to report back.

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