Cerave Oil Cleanser is Finally in Canada

Oil Infatuation. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

August 19

I’m going through a period (we all are) of being infatuated with oils in skincare. After spending the 90’s obsessed with banning oil on our faces and even in our food, the pendulum has swung in the other direction. Despite having oily skin, I’m here for the oils, even on my face. They just feel so good and you’ll never wake up with flaky spots if you use them. My favourite thing is to pair them with my usual skincare actives so that my skin benefits from the actives but also gets a dose of cushiony skincare, either to help with barrier repair or to prevent your barrier from being compromised in the first place.

Cerave Hydrating Foaming Oil Cleanser is finally available in Canada. Think of this as a cleanser that foams but just a bit. It can’t remove makeup like an oil but isn’t as drying as a regular foaming cleanser. I can use it as an end-of-day wash, but I do two rounds. If you have dry or very dry skin, you might love this. If you have sensitive skin, the regular CeraVe cleanser will still be the most gentle. (Gifted). ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

While I was in Milan, I picked up an oil sunscreen and then found out that Lierac is available here, but I haven’t seen this particular product in Shoppers Drug Mart . The sunscreen is moisturizing but also absorbs into skin and ends up being matte instead of greasy. It’s heavily scented (a fruity-floral?) so I wouldn’t say that it’s my favourite kind of sunscreen to use but I like it. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

 

Finally, I’m still using my Odenium Skincare oil serum. This is a true oil, rather than a dry oil, and I use it at night. It’s great on top of any serum you might be using. I even used it in the hottest weather this summer and my skin loved it. Odenium company is out of Montreal, Canada and they use organic oils in their skincare. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

Posted in Perfumes | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Canadian Skincare: Odenium

August 19
Odenium Skincare reached out to me to ask if I’d like to try their serum made specifically for scar healing and of course, I said yes. This brand is out of Montreal, Canada and they use natural and organic ingredients. The scar serum is said to reduce pigmentation and improve the skin barrier while soothing the skin. Having melanated skin means that I’m surely going to have some sort of hyperpigmentation from the burns, but I’m willing to try anything right now.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

The scar serum is a blend of oils – rosehip, argan, calophyll, and lavender oil. With the mist and serum, I also received extensive instructions on burn care to aid skin with its healing. The Soothing Mist has vegetable glycerin in it to aid with hydration. Glycerin helps pull moisture into the skin and works well under (or in) any kind of oil or ointment that can seal the moisture in. As much as I hate it, I’m also taking some “before” pictures so that I can keep track of how things are going. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

Anyway, that’s enough of that. I appreciate the brand reaching out to me, and I know that massage with oils has documentation of being effective for burn scars. The testimonials on the brand’s own webpage are encouraging. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

Posted in Skin Care | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Almond Dreams with Confetto by Profumum Roma

August 19
One day you walk into your bedroom and realize that it’s full of crap for little kids! So you grab a big black garbage bag, and into it you start tossing everything that seems “kiddish”. Gone are the dolls, stuffed animals, and all the cheap body sprays. You stare at your room: now it’s a blank canvas for you to add something from your past and who you are now – you’re still a kid but not as much as you were before. You reach for: Confetto. Bitter almond but with a vanilla that makes it palatable. The sweetness paired with an almost plastic cherry reminds you of the dolls you’ve just gotten rid of, so you’re satisfied that just because they’re gone doesn’t mean they’re forgotten. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

Posted in Perfumes | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Prada Infusion d’Amande Perfume Review

July 4
What a week and what a month – here’s one of my most worn perfumes for September/

This Prada Infusion d’Amande did some heavy-lifting because though it was understated, it’s perfect for when you want your scent bubble to read clean and fresh instead of overbearing. Truthfully, I might be a bigmouth on social media but in a gathering you’ll find me at the bar or with the snacks. Most people come to chitchat there and the Prada suits those occasions perfectly. A touch of almond, lots of powder, a green iris, and what I like to think of as blond woods. It almost blends in as clean dry cleaning and lasts long enough for you to make a quick getaway.

Posted in Perfumes | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Guerlain Neroli Outrenoir Perfume Review

 

July 4
These are three of my favourites. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

This luxurious line from Guerlain gets a lot of hate for its price point, but I like that the compositions are simple. They’re not simplistic by way of being boring, rather they have some easy-to-define notes, a structure that has a beginning, middle, end, and the appropriate wear time of 6-8 hours which is essentially a work day. There’s an elegance to each one (at least to these three) in that they don’t announce themselves too loudly and then don’t overstay their welcome. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

Neroli Outrenoir is the latest in my collection. I bought a perfume ages ago and the seller threw in a little sample of Neroli Outrenoir as an extra. I would have never picked up a bottle because of the Neroli in the title. It’s not a note that I have an affinity for, but a dab of this juice brightened my outlook. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

Wearing Neroli Outrenoir means being surrounded by a bright but diffused light. You’re calm and sitting outside drinking a cup of black lemon tea. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

While Neroli is often super green and a little bitter like grass, here, it’s brighter because of the presence of bergamot which keeps things zippy. It’s like smelling the lemon oil from the skin of the lemon while you’re squeezing the juices into a glass. The tea here isn’t sweetened with milk, but a touch of vanilla is in the background to make it palatable.

Good things can be that simple.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

If you’re wondering what the difference is between Neroli Outrenoir and Neroli Plein Sud, I’ll tell you that the difference is huge.  Neroli Plein Sud is greener and sharper, the green facets of the neroli sharpened by the spices, the almost “curry-like” notes, coming from ginger and turmeric.  They aren’t the spices that I want to smell in my perfume.  The sharpness makes this neroli perfume more masculine than others. I prefer Neroli Outrenoir.  It’s smoother, and easier to wear.  The black tea notes feel chic, and genderless, zen and easygoing.  The Neroli Plein Sud would be great for a tie and blazer, a day at the office.  Neroli Outrenoir is what you wear when you get home and are going to have a fantastic summer evening chilling out.

Posted in Perfumes | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Diptyque Eau Capitale

Rose and patchouli but make it fresh, wearable, and uplifting. I might need to replace this bottle one day.

Posted in Perfumes | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

My Favourite Perfumes by Perfumer Antoine Lie

August 15
Some favourite perfumes created by Antoine Lie. Perfume lovers have many ways to organize their collections – by brands or notes, but today I’m putting together these three that share the same perfumer: Antoine Lie. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

Les Indemodables Musc des Sables

Eris Parfums Mx

Les Abstraits Belle Ame ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

If you smell enough, you can find the thread that links all these compositions together. The iris in Musc des Sables and Belle Ame is so powdery and rich, it wraps you in a cozy warmth. The base in Musc des Sables and Mx shares a suede-like softness. A light sprinkle of spices settles on all of these. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

Sometimes I wear them one after another, and other days I space them apart, but they’re never far from reach.

Posted in Perfumes | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Musc des Sables by Les Indemodables

This is the musk to end all musks.

July 4
Fluffy iris, salty ambergris, a sprinkle of spices. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

I smell like warm clean skin rinsed in the ocean, wrapped in a fluffy warm towel. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

Posted in Perfumes | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Shalimar edp Empty

{“eId”:”407449483631189″,”CameraPosition”:1}

I’m down to the last 5ml of my little bottle of Shalimar eau de parfum. Yes, this is my scent today even though the perfume is warm and ambery, I’m wearing it in the summer. I’m surprised that it works so well in the heat. The vanilla never turns syrupy sweet and I get lots of the tolu balsam incense which works, as the sun sets and the air cools.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
There’s a Shalimar for every season is how I like to think of it. My bottle of the edp is close to the end. Will I replace it? No. The current versions aren’t bad but they’re not as good as older version in any concentration, and older bottles are easy enough to find so I’ll find one when I need it. I actually love a Shalimar eau de Cologne best.  I’m finding that the eau de parfum wears a little thin, it feels a little diluted with iso-e, which means that I quickly become anosmic to it but people around can smell me coming.  Some of my friends even get sneezy when I wear this which isn’t a good sign.  It’s a sign of the iso-e, and I don’t love that people around me can’t stand the scent, even if they don’t think they can even smell it.

So I’ll pass on this and get an older bottle, which hopefully has withstood the test of time. I love Shalimar and will continue to wear it and try all the different versions that I can get my hands on.

Posted in Perfumes | Leave a comment

L’Artisan Parfumeur Ananas Fizz

July 4
Summer whimsy in a bottle. That tart and sweet soda in a green bottle. Bright, yellow, effervescent. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

Ananas Fizz, L’Artisan Parfumeur. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

Posted in Perfumes | Tagged , | Leave a comment