Crisp days are for you to decide what direction you want to go in: cozy scents or summery scents. I chose vetiver today in the form of Verveine Utopie by Roger and Gallet. The extrait de Cologne reminds me of warmer days so it’s like I’m really extending the summer a bit when I wear it.
We know that all perfume is unisex, and masculine and feminine perfumes are just constructs of marking people, but still…
Going old-school today (1951!) with some Eau d’Hermes. Lightly spiced lavender that’s fresh and bright, but on top of a birch tar leather that lends a slight smokiness. This is perfect to wear when the days are getting shorter and there’s a bit of a chill in the air. I’m sure it won’t be around for much longer but I’ll enjoy it while it lasts. I thought that this was originally marketed as a masculine scent, but as of right now, it’s listed under the feminine perfumes on the Hermes website… What does it all mean?⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
I’ve tried an oil-absorbing sunscreen before – this one is from La Roche-Posay and boasts an impressive SPF 60 sun protection. At the end of the day, it’s pretty similar to Vichy’s version. This sunscreen has powders in it that leave a matte finish on your face, and they’re also slightly white in their finish. The colour isn’t as bad as a mineral sunscreen, but be warned that it’s there. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
CeraVe’s Oil Control Moisturizing Gel-Cream truly is a gel formula. I use it at night for a hit of moisture before I go in with other moisturizers. You could use it before your retinoid or after. Personally, I prefer a thicker ointment after my retinol so I’m using the CeraVe healing ointment after but this oil control moisturizer before. I like it during the day too, before my sunscreen, if my face is feeling a little parched. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Finally, the Danessa Myricks Blurring Balm – my shade is 4. I’m obsessed with this. It really does last and last without breaking up on your face. Maybe you’re reading this and wondering how long I really need for things to last. I need a long time, ok? A full day – morning to night, even in the summer. And maybe that’s why I understand that nothing ever really can make it that long, but, here we are. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Also, long days and short nights make for some dark circles, so I’ve been using the only under-eye concealer I’ve ever liked – It Cosmetics Do it All Radiant Concealer, which works more like a colour corrector. It feels like a serum and just blends in. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Anyway, I thought this was going to be the year we gave up foundation? Apparently, not. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Vacation – a perfume brought to you by the people behind Arquiste. Yes, this is a Rodrigo Flores-Roux perfume, and it is part of the sunscreen brand, also called Vacation. The packaging for Vacation sunscreen is playfully retro, but the spf is real and available in unique formulas. I haven’t used any of them, because I’ve never seen them in real life, but it’s fun that they have a “tanning oil” like the one from decades ago, but it’s an spf 30 sunscreen, not an spf 5. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Vacation edt smells like your favourite sunscreen – maybe it’s SunBum, maybe it’s Banana Boat – it’s exactly what you would expect. It might seem like a basic scent – essentially summer in a bottle – but it’s wonderfully, perfectly, nostalgic. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
This is a fun perfume. It smells a bit like coconut, a bit of ripe banana, maybe some plastic pool toys sitting in the sun? They’re always covered with sunscreen anyway, so it only makes sense that all those smells go together to make this quintessentially summer perfume. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Everyone should have a perfume that reminds them of sunnier days or vacations, and this is mine. I’m looking forward to pulling it out on the darkest day of December. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Time to pull out this reference amber: Andy Tauer’s L’Air du Desert Marocain. This is an edt intense, and Tauer has just come out with an extrait, marking the success of this particular scent, and also offering something new to the collector who wants to level up. ⠀
Personally, I find L’Air du Desert Marocain to be strong enough, so much so that I found it to be slightly difficult to wear if I was going to be around people… and my life is such that I’m most often around people. But now that the days are cooler, I’m going to wear this lightly, carefully, and enjoy it. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
As far as ambers go, this is a fairly typical mixture of herbs, spices, woods, patchouli, incense – but everything is dialed up. The spices are dried coriander and cumin – reminiscent of walking through a spice market. Papery lavender wafts by and the base is anchored with labdanum that feels sticky. Close your eyes and you’re transported to a place where the heat radiates in the air and anything can happen.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
I used to follow every launch from Armani Prive, but then I took a break from perfume and missed this one. It was a lucky find and is an interesting perfume!
I love all the comments I got when I posted about this one to my stories – the perfumer is the late Olivier Pescheux, he who has done so many Diptyque perfumes. Myrrhe Imperiale is an incense with a slightly sweet drydown. It’s very easy to wear, and goes well with the crisp dry leaves outside. The incense reminds me a bit of Avignon but the sweetness in the background keeps it ambery the way I’m liking my perfumes to be these days. It’s the candy in your mouth as you sit through church, so at the end of it, your hair is cleansed with smoke, and you can’t help but smile at everyone sweetly. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
I’m hoping there’s some sweetness left once the smoke clears here. ⠀⠀⠀⠀
This is the latest Charlotte Tilbury perfume to launch – Star Confidence. A reminder that Charlotte Tilbury is having a sale for Black Friday, and this would be perfect for the perfume-lover in your life, even though it does reference some of the great perfumes of our time.
Something in here smells like Grandma’s dusty basement and I’ll take the credit today. It’s that special blend of something fruity but powdery that smells a bit like potpourri. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Charlotte Tilbury has a new one for the holiday season and it’s called Star Confidence. Confident is what you’d have to be to wear a fruity jasmine patchouli that’s not too unlike Angel. The berry note in the opening is what makes it unique, and it’s not quite as rich as I remember Angel being, and the addition of white florals makes it feel like a combination of Angel and Alien. There’s something very mature about wearing a syrupy jasmine in November so here we are. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Cute little travel sizes from Biotherm are here. These are mini sizes of their already popular Aquasource moisturizers. Calgary is freezing and very dry, so my favourite one is the Hydra Barrier cream because it feels a bit richer. The target demographic for these moisturizers is likely teenagers because all of these feel super light, but especially the gels. They absorb so quickly and feel like nothing on. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
This week my feed and my hair has been overtaken by the Abbey Yung method.
Have you heard of her? This influencer promotes a hair care system that promotes healthy hair growth. The system is heavy on product use and using products correctly, but part of her popularity is because of her recommendation of drugstore products which are usually very affordable. I agree that the drugstore counterparts are usually made by the same conglomerate that makes the more expensive products but where they usually lack are in texture and scent! For me, unscented is best but if it’s not unscented then I want something bougie like palo santo or sandalwood. Vanilla is preferable to fruits but even then, I don’t want it to be too sweet.
I’ve been using these Redavid products and not only are they super hydrating but they also have a powdery vanilla scent that almost reminds me of Hypnotic Poison. Someone today said I smell like a newborn baby and it had to be that it was hair wash day and I used the REDAVID shampoo and conditioner as well as the Orchid Oil dual therapy which is a leave-in conditioner and a gloss that you can mix together yourself or use separately. In case you’re interested in trends, I’m seeing more and more of these multi-chamber packaging where ingredients are separated to keep them stable or to let the user customize their formula. In this case, it actually makes sense. If I use the leave-in before washing my hair, I don’t bother with the gloss. A touch of gloss is great on the ends once my hair is washing and dried.
Also new to me: Garnier Fructis Sleek and Shine Frizz Tamer. When I saw this, I remembered the hair mascaras from the late 90’s. Does anyone remember those? I had a few and they always finished so fast on my longer hair – I think this tiny bottle will go quick too but it is the right size for a purse. If I keep following this new routine, I’ll be out of all my hair stuff quicker but hopefully there’s healthier hair in my future. 🤞🏽
I love opening a new jar of face cream. ⠀⠀
It’s mini season, and by that I mean, it’s the time to open gift sets, buy gift sets, and enjoy gift sets. Over the years, nothing has made my friends happier than receiving a brand new jar of the Charlotte Tilbury Magic Cream, even those friends who said they didn’t see the attraction, loved getting it for Christmas! I’ll be the first to say that the texture is a bit like Nivea, and it’s almost like using an old-school cold cream. I have no doubt that was the inspiration for. the Magic Cream and it works well if you use it with that in mind. This is not a heavy moisturizer like a Cerave Healing Ointment, but it’s a good water/oil emulsion that works under makeup, which is what it’s made for. I use it at night. I also sometimes mix my retinoid into it and use it on my hands. I go through phases where I use the light version. I think the brand should actually come out with a thick and heavy version too, because that’s what all of us who use prescription retinoids need. If you have one of these – use it! Don’t hoard it. ⠀⠀
Also, all Charlotte Tilbury is 25% off on their website from now until Dec. 3, so shop until your heart’s content. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
For the hair – I’m trying out this Milbon weekly hair booster because my hair cannot handle winter. Sometimes I think I should stop it with the highlights, but then when I see old pictures without the highlights, I just know that I like the highlights so much better. The Milbon is so smoothing – this is a Japanese brand, and I got my treatments as a gift from my hair stylist to try it. I would rebuy them. I also like that the little packets are easy to travel with so that is always a win. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Sampling right now: iris perfumes, but we are always into iris, aren’t we? I am. Iris Perle by Les Indemodables and MeltMyHeart by StrangeloveNYC are what have been taking up space in my brain. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
What are people getting from the Black Friday sales?⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
