Canadian Beauty

Lancome Tresor Midnight Rose Review

Posted on September 23, 2011 by Henna

Lancome’s newest scent is a flanker to its popular Tresor. Tresor in Love is supposed to amplify the floral rose notes in the original and give you a romantic fragrance (as the name suggests).

Sadly, the rose just didn’t show up. I guess I should have known: the press material mentions a “candied rose of love” which I thought would be more of a sugary sweet rose rather than one that’s masked.

Tresor in Love starts off with a dose of berries and fruit that just don’t sit well in a fragrance with Love in its name. The drydown is rose, jasmine, and cedar, and pleasant though it is, the drydown for me was too long of a wait. I wanted to start off with the good notes or with notes that smelled more fresh than the fruit in this scent. Gourmand overtones are obviously not what I love anyway, and so this scent was a disappointment to me.

Pick it up at Lancome counters. 30 mL for $58.

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Zoya Petra and Jana Swatch and I Do A Feature Nail

Posted on September 12, 2011 by Henna

Ok, I realize that my feature nail is so muted that hardly anyone would even notice that I did something different, but I just wanted to try an easy version of the popular trend.

I used Petra and Jana because the colours coordinate with each other so well.

Jana is the mauve and Petra is the eggplant. Petra goes on darker than it seems in the bottle. The glass of the bottle makes the colour seem lighter than it actually is.

Both are from the Zoya Smoke collection. I have a thing for creams, so it’s a collection that I love.

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Chloe Shirley Solid Perfume Necklace

Posted on September 9, 2011 by Henna

File this under Fall accessories.

This September, Chloe presents Shirley. A plain silver locket holds Chloe Love perfume. The solid perfume has notes of rose and is delicate yet feminine.

$75 at department stores.

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Zoya Anja Swatch from Smoke and Mirrors

Posted on September 5, 2011 by Henna

I feel like 2 years ago, I would have been all over the creamy eggplant goodness that is Anja, but at this point, with a dupe from Chanel, Lancome, even MAC, I am most definitely over this colour.

Still, you’ll be glad to know that it’s creamy, opaque, and wears like only Zoya can.

If you feel like my swatch is slightly faded, be assured that it’s not the camera this time, but the polish. I don’t know how a colour this deep can be so muted at the same time, but it certainly lends itself to smokiness. I am debating putting some sort of sparkly top coat on top to really have something that pops.

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Chloe Love Eau Intense

Posted on September 2, 2011 by Henna

This Fall, Chloe comes out with a flanker to its Love scent. Love has, I feel, really become popular with all ages. I can smell it on university students, moms, and any girl in between. It is a highly wearable and rather pretty scent that has good sillage (meaning that others can smell it on you) and lasts a really long time.

Love, Chloe Eau Intense focusses in on the darker aspects of what has been a light scent. Louise Turner, the perfumer says: “The idea was to enrich the heart of the first formula without distorting it.”

The powdery aspect of the scent remains but then the heart of Peru Balsam and Vanilla Absolute come through giving the scent a woody sweet scent. It reminds me of a forest in the spring because you can smell the sap which tends to be quite sweet smelling as well.

The fresh flowers and musks remain, but are overtaken by the sweetness after an hour of wear, and that’s when you can really smell the heart of the fragrance.

The packaging of the scent has been modified as well – look for the copper bottle.

Pick it up at department stores this fall. 75ml will retail for $125.

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Lush’s Dirty Perfume

Posted on August 25, 2011 by Henna

True store: I spray the original Dirty on my yoga mat because I adore the scent and I especially like breathing it in during a workout.

Clearly, I’m not the only one who likes Dirty because they’ve now turned the body spray into a full-fledged perfume line.

The scent smells just like the original Body Spray which is a plus. Think herbal chewing gum or toothpaste, and you’re headed in the right direction. This scent is intensely fresh.

I found the body spray to smell very strong, and while the perfume smells the same, it’s not as strong, which I think is a plus point.

This is available in an array of sizes, including a solid version, which I would avoid because I don’t feel that the scents smells as pure in a solid form. The spray bottles are where it’s at. 9mL is good for a trial and costs $12.95 and if you like, get the larger 30 mL for about $30.

Available online and at Lush stores.

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Lancome Hydra Zen Neurocalm Review

Posted on August 25, 2011 by Henna

I just spent 3 nights and 4 days in a hotel which means that I encountered some intense air conditioning which has left my rather sensitive skin tight and dry.

I figured what was in order was a super gentle moisturizer that was basic.

I picked up Lancome Hydra Zen Neurocalm Cream-Gel because on a good day, my skin is still pretty oily. The moisturizer is everything I want it to be and so much more.

I was thinking this would be a highly hydrating creamy kind of number.

It’s hydrating but more of a gel than a cream, and dries to a matte finish on your skin. It goes on super refreshing like, but you don’t need to rush to slick it in before it dries, because it works with you and you can take your time to give your face a massage. I like that. When I’m ready to stop, this just absorbs and kind of sets. Makeup applies on top really easily. And wears all day long without a peep.

Lancome’s website says that this reduces heat, redness, and stiffness, and I would agree with all of the above, because I felt such a relief after using this a couple of times, that I just kept on using it and my skin sighs with thanks.

Available at Lancome counters for $68.

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Chantecaille Faux Cils Mascara Review

Posted on August 24, 2011 by Henna

Sorry poppets, this won’t make it look like you have fake eyelashes, but this is an amazing mascara nonetheless.

Chantecaille Faux Cils mascara doesn’t have a crazy new wand or a formula that claims to make eyelashes grow.

It does have a wand that just works and a waxy dry formula that builds volume but is nice and dry so that lashes don’t clump together.

This is the only mascara I’ve ever used where I think that maybe one coat is enough. It certainly does the job, coating every lashes from root to tip. However, because habits are hard to break, I, of course, go in for a second or third coat and see my lashes just become bigger and more voluminous.

I also like the rich black colour of the mascara. It blends in with my eyeliner so well making my lashes look extra long.

Also, those with oily skin will be happy to know that it doesn’t smear or smudge throughout the day! Just really great lashes!

It’s price – almost $40 – but probably one of the best mascaras I’ve ever used!

Pick it up at the Chantecaille counter at Holt Renfrew for $38.37.

Posted in Search for the Perfect Mascara | Tagged Chantecaille | Leave a comment

Swatch: Dior Safari Beige

Posted on August 19, 2011 by Henna

I wanted Dior Safari Beige since I first saw it. A clean mix of beige and peach, Dior Safari Beige is meant to replicate mannequin hands. This polish is pure perfection.

Safari Beige is a cream without even a touch of shimmer or sparkle. I wore 3 coats to get totally opaque coverage, but if you have short nails, you could do with 2 coats as well. It would work a feature nail look quite nicely because it’s so low-key. The colour is mean for those with lighter skin tones, but I worked very nicely with my tan, and looked quite elegant.

Dior Vernis retails for $22 at all Dior counters.

The other colour in this collection was Blue Tie and you can check out the swatch here. View the entire Blue Tie collection here.

Posted in Fall 2011 | Tagged Dior, Swatch | Leave a comment

Zoya Cynthia Swatch

Posted on August 17, 2011 by Henna

I’m loving Cynthia from Zoya’s Smoke collection. It’s a super dark teal that verges on black from far away. It reminds me of gasoline. I thought I was over colours this dark, but I’m not! I love this one.

What do you think? Is Cynthia for you?

Posted in Fall 2011 | Tagged Swatch, Zoya | Leave a comment