Serge Lutens Tubereuse Criminelle. A classic tuberose. Nose: Christopher Sheldrake
Georgio Armani Acqua di Gio Eau de Toilette
Remember when Insta was new and we all dug out our old pictures so that we could post them for #flashbackfriday? Let me chime in and be one of those people who says that I miss a non-curated feed, a picture filtered to look like a polaroid, and a complete disregard for the aesthetic or golden light or whatever.
Anyway, here’s a flashback, mostly it belongs in a finance bro starter kit. Smells profesh…
Acqua di Gio from 1996. Are you drinking a lemon water at a seaside patio or are you wearing Acqua di Gio?
I guess we’ll never know.
Empties: Moroccanoil, Olaplex, Kevin Murphy, Living Proof, Drybar
Hair empties from the past couple of weeks… I find I go through hair products so quickly sometimes, but the 2 full-sized products took me a long time to finish which is as it should be.
I got another Moroccanoil Hair Treatment Mini with a Sephora order, and I finished that in the same week that I got it. I do love this treatment and I think if you have dry or frizzy hair you should absolutely try it. A little bit seems to go a long way.
Finished a Kevin.Murphy Hair.Resort which is a texturizer. It kind of gives body to very fine hair but without the tackiness of a salt spray, and without drying hair out. I’m sure I’ve had this for over a year and even when I used just a dollop on my hair every time that I washed it, it lasted a long long time. I liked this, but I don’t think I loved it enough to repurchase because at the end of the day my hair does need something more moisturizing.
Living Proof Perfect Hair Day Styling Treatment lived in my purse for a while and I only used it in emergencies (haha, I know, what is a hair emergency?) because I hate the smell. Would not recommend it. This was a mini that I got with a Sephora order.
I got a mini of this Drybar Triple Sec Finishing Spray which is kind of a blend of dry shampoo and texturizer in one and I loved it. The scent was kind of sweet, almost chocolaty, I want to say. I think this brand is consistently underrated.
Olaplex No. 0. I enjoyed using this but on the left, you’ll see the bottle from Sephora and on the right is the bottle I got from my salon. The salon bottle has a nozzle which actually makes it easy to apply, while the one from Sephora with the spray was difficult to use because the product came out in a stream rather than a mist. Olaplex has said that it’s a dangerous product to inhale so it’s not supposed to be a mist anyway.
The nail colour is Sakura Blossoms from Genesis by Biosculpture.
Posted in More Than Beauty
Tagged Biosculpture, Drybar, empties, Living Proof, Moroccanoil, Olaplex
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Chere Mere Body Oil and Beauty of Eczema Epsom Salts
Because I’m a crazy party animal, Fridays I like to bundle up, go to the pool for a swim, soak in a tub with Epsom salts and then put oil on my skin. And then I 😴 early and I’m ok with that. I get the best sleep ever and I highly recommend this routine.
I’ve been using Beauty of Eczema Epsom salts and then using this new Chere Mere oil out of the Caribbean.
The oil is a blend and doesn’t soak into your skin but it coats it to keep hydration in. The scent is decidedly tropical and not overpowering. I’ve been using it consistently for a couple of weeks and I’ve noticed that even the eczema that was starting has subsided. It really has been the best thing for my skin and I adore it.
Maria Candida Gentile Perfumes
Natural perfumery that’s not boring. I’ve been wearing these two by Maria Candida Gentile for the past couple of weeks.
I have Cinabre and Barry Lyndon.
Barry Lyndon is an aromatic scent that feature artemisia, the same herb that gives absinthe its distinctive flavor. This is an aromatic herbal perfume that smells especially refreshing on a hot day. Is the artemisia like licorice? A tiny bit but mostly it’s smoother, more refreshing, like being outside, a breath of fresh air.
Official notes: Artemisia, Arnica, Heather, Leather notes, Haiti vetiver, Madagascar vanilla
Cinabre is more me, it’s all zingy spiciness and resins coating an ancient rose. I can’t get enough of it.
Zingy spiced roses stirred into liquid resins. Melts on contact at body temperature. Must be the heat, the humidity that makes them feel like they’ve always been a part of you. Honestly, this is a rose perfume that’s not very rosy.
Official notes
Top notes: Ginger, black Indian pepper
Heart notes: Splendens rose, Moroccan rose, Davanà
Base notes: Benzoin, Vanilla from Madagascar, Opoponax
The perfumer reached out after I posted this little caption on Instagram to say that this is her interpretation of a medieval alchemist’s rose, so it’s not supposed to smell too rosy.. which it doesn’t. It’s quite unusual because of the ginger note, but honestly I find that note to be so addictive.
I’m also finding that this perfume has hardly any sillage or projection. It just kind of sits on the skin all the time and doesn’t go very far. I think that’s ok, but I was spraying many many sprays in order to be able to get it to travel up to my nose, (we are talking at least 5-8 sprays here), and I noticed that it seemed to be missing many of the modern aromachemicals that perfumes have. These always seem to bolster the other notes, and this perfume was lacking that cushion. Again, I reached out to the perfumer, and it turns out that these are “natural perfumes” and she doesn’t use ingredients like iso-e or ambroxan, even in minute quantities, and so yeah, the scent isn’t going to travel far.
That being said, it’s still a beautiful perfume and easy to wear, and I find the opening of it so addictive. I really craved this scent and basically wore it every other day for 3 weeks straight so that was good, and I’m almost done my little 15ml of it which never happens. I’ve also come to think that 15ml just isn’t very much perfume, and I’d like no less than 20ml of a scent if I’m going to be getting a small bottle, and I can see why so many new perfumeries are doing a 30ml size. That does make more sense to me.
I’m really interested in trying more perfumes from this line. I have a sample of Yasmeenah, a tuberose scent that I’ll have to wear more to get a sense of, and Barry Lyndon which feels a bit masculine for me. Elephant and Roses is a one I’d really like to try next.
Maria Candida is also known for her use of incense. I didn’t get any of the perfumes that had incense since I only wanted these little travel sizes and these are the ones that Indie Scents had in stock at the time, but I’ll be looking for those the next time. This is a brand out of Italy, so the perfumes might be easier to sample and smell if you’re outside Canada.
Here’s the video review of Cinabre.
Posted in Perfumes
Tagged Fragrance, Incense, italian, Maria Candida Gentile, Perfume, reviews
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Fenty Beauty Holiday
Holiday shopping time is here, and I think everyone’s getting a head start this year.
Some Fenty Beauty to get us started. I’ll show colours and talk about formulas in my stories, but these are all the Fenty products we already know and love in fun packaging.
The colours are bright – meaning they’ll work on a range of skin tones, which is key when you are gift-giving. The prices are such that you actually save money when you get a gift pack, which is as it should be.
I think these would be great as a secret Santa type of gift or even as backup gifts for those times that you’re caught unprepared. Personally, I love the Gloss Bomb trio. I’ve loved this formula since it launched because it actually feels moisturizing. I’ve yet to try a colour I didn’t like. Even the super-light shades look super flattering, and I have to admit that I’m addicted to the tingle of the Gloss Bomb Heat.
What do you think?
New Amika Hydro Rush Intense Moisturizing Leave-In Conditioner
Newish from Amika. A leave-in conditioner that’s a dreamy creamy spray. A luscious mist that coats your hair in a dose of moisture. Mildly fruity smelling but leaves your hair feeling like silk. Light but intense.
Is it better than the overnight leave-in that came earlier?
I’d say it’s different. I liked the cream for dry hair but I love the spray for wet hair and for detangling.
Honestly, I don’t want to be without either of them.
Neutrogena Moisturizing Face Sunscreen SPF 50
I must be the last person to know that Neutrogena has a new sunscreen – the Moisturizing Face Serum sunscreen in SPF 50. It really is a creamy serum that melts into your skin. I do find it to be moisturizing enough, and easy to wear.
Apparently, this sold out in some places really quickly, and I’m guessing it’s because people want to get whatever’s new because although I do like this sunscreen and formula, I have to admit that it’s nothing groundbreaking or new.
Also, I did find it on Amazon.
I know many of you have tried it, so tell me what you think.
Posted in Sunscreen
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Chanel Allure edt
It’s the 1990’s, you wear your backpack on one shoulder, thin eyebrows are in, and from the backseat of your friend’s mom’s car, you can smell Allure.
Maybe because it’s so 90’s, this seems to be the uncool Chanel of the fragrance community, at least online. While some people say that it’s a signature for them or that it used to be, others think that it’s dated and needs to be in the past. Citrus peachy vanilla, it reminds me of nail polish remover and Bath and Body Works. Smells like an expensive mall, the kind in Buffalo that we drove to so we could shop at Abercrombie before school started in September. It’s the smell of Fall.
Posted in Perfumes
Tagged Chanel Allure, Fragrance, Perfume Reviews, Revier, reviews
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Sisley Perfume Collection
It all started with Sisley, a brand that’s overlooked because they have overpriced skincare and makeup, but behind the counter also lies opulent old-world types of perfume. They stick to their own point of view and I love that. Of course, Eau du Campagne is beloved in Fragcomm for being a Jean-Claude Ellena perfume, but these are others that I enjoy.
Some people come to the traditional sharpness of a chypre late in their perfume journey, but Eau du Soir always spoke to me. When perfume goes sweet on you all the time, you want something that can stay crisp, so this is what I reach for. A mix of florals on a mossy bed, it’s the reason I don’t need any other chypres in my collection, or other greens.
Eau de Sisley No. 2 is similar profile but with patchouli as the heavy, and in an eau de toilette concentration, so you can splash a bit more on in theory, but actually, it’s still pretty concentrated and a little goes a long way. Also, patchouli has a way of sticking to my skin and the inside of my nose so I can smell it all the time.
Soir d’Orient is a chypre with rose and incense and it’s the one I’m reaching for the most now. The rose is a little sweet, and its juiciness contrasts nicely with the dry incense in the base, that’s slightly woody but not smoky.
Over the years, I’ve reviewed these on Youtube, so here are the reviews if you’re interested.
Posted in Perfumes
Tagged Fragrance Blog, Perfume Blog, perfume diary, Perfume Review, Perfumes, reviews, Sisley
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