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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Everything’s in bloom so it’s Hermes Equipage Geranium season, an easy pick for today since I was wearing my horsey shirt. Even if you don’t love leather perfumes, Equipage Geranium is an easy wear. It opens with a spicy geranium accord that’s soapy and the leather is lived in, supple. Bright and fresh, I find this easiest to wear when it’s warm outside, but there’s really never a time when it doesn’t fit. It’s also more to my liking than Equipage which can feel a bit more masculine, the leather decidedly darker.
I think that my favourite part of Equipage Geranium is the subtle spices that really make this perfume shine. There’s a hint of cinnamon or pepper, it could be the subtle effect of myrhh which has these two facets, or it’s some spice used with a light hand. It does smell exactly like the old-school English Leather soap, and I love a layering combo of that soap with this perfume.
Equipage Geranium is my Monday or Tuesday perfume in the warmer weather, and I love wearing it. The lasting power is good, and the sillage is moderate and from arm’s length away, this smells clean. I don’t wear this perfume much in the winter, but I do enjoy it when the weather is warmer. I also like taking it out when I haven’t worn it for a while to see if my impression of it has changed, and it hasn’t. I still love the scent, and it’s a classic.
Like all good makeovers, they just improved what’s on the outside and kept the good stuff on the inside.
I’ve noticed that the Vichy sunscreens have recently been on sale at my local drugstore and I thought they were just clearing them out for the summer, but it turns out that they’re making room for the bottles with this nice new look. The Vichy Capital Soleil sport sunscreen is maybe my favourite so I’m glad that the formula hasn’t changed. This is a very light and refreshing-feeling sunscreen, and the lotion almost feels like a gel when you apply it. Because it’s water and sweat resistant (it’s illegal to label sunscreens as waterproof in Canada), it works especially well if you’re active and worried about making the sunscreen run into your eyes. I actually prefer to use this sunscreen year round and on my face as well because it goes on so easily, and of course it is clear.
The Ultra-Light Face Lotion is runny and great under makeup, so that’s the one that I use daily, but the sport version is what I go for on the weekend.
If you’re looking for a good niacinamide serum, the B3 serum might be for you, and it has a watery texture that makes it suitable under any type of moisturizer or sunscreen. This serum has B3 (a version of niacinamide), tranexamic acid, and glycolic acid. All three of these ingredients help with repairing the discolouration of skin tone, and the fact that they’re in low concentrations but in one formula means that you get treatment from different angles but hopefully without as much irritation.
As always, I’m here for your sunscreen recommendations, so drop yours below. What’s on your counter right now, and what are you going to get?
This mascara broke the Internet and it is actually great for building volume on your lashes. It does smudge on me but everything does and I do put a lot on, but if that’s what you prefer, this formula and wand really do lend themselves to this type of application. Have you tried it? Tell me what you think.
I actually think that it’s a stellar mascara and I’m continuing to use it.
You can get it online or in stores.
