Old-School Soaps are Back in Style

My dms went crazy after I posted the Indian soaps in my store.

TextIt seems like everyone’s a fan of the Mysore Sandalwood soaps, and I found it hilarious that they have an “export quality” and just the regular and of course I got one of each. The scent lasts forever too. Also, Imperial Leather which is an old-school fav, and apparently harder and harder to find in India itself. And a Sandalwood and Turmeric soap. Turmeric is often used in Indian home remedies as a treatment to brighten skin. What I would love is something with vetiver but that doesn’t seem to be popular in my neck of the woods. Honestly, these soaps are easy to find at any and all Indian stores so if you have one around, you should be able to find them. I think they were $2.99, each so they’re not expensive.

The Imperial Leather soap is soapy but spicy too… geranium and patchouli, a cinnamon-like frankincense… very smooth and and blends well with the clean musk that you’ve come to expect from soap.

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Guerlain Velvet Metal Lipstick in 880 Magnetic Red and Lipstick Cases

Guerlain Velvet Metal lipstick in 880 Magnetic Red. Forget about the frosty lipsticks from the past, this is a matte lipstick that only reveals its reflective parts in certain light.

Fall’s lipstick trend is metallic lipstick. Metallic lipstick that’s still pretty and wearable. Guerlain Velvet Metal Lipstick in 880 Magnetic Red. The outside has a beautiful center finish while the inside is a light and smooth but not creamy lipstick. Because it’s not a creamy formula, the staying power is excellent and there’s even a bit of a stain on your lips when it’s worn off. Would you wear a metallic finish lipstick?

The case: you choose your own (sold separately) and this season’s cases are inspired by butterfly wings.

PR.

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Empties: Charlotte Tilbury, Glossier, MooGoo, Ombrelle, Biotherm, The Ordinary, L’Oreal Wonder Water, Aveeno Baby and Trinny Skincare

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A few empties… well, 9 to be exact.

Let’s start with the most luxurious one, the Charlotte Tilbury Magic Cream, I took my half-empty jar on vacation with me, and ended up finishing it. It went on everything from my face to sunburns. I have a backup jar of this.

 

Glossier Body Hero. In the end, although the white floral scent wasn’t what I was expecting, I did really like this body cream. It leaves your skin glowing and is really good at moisturizing. Melts on contact on hot days and I love that too. I may rebuy this. If you’re a new customer, you can save 10% if you use my aff code: https://re.glossier.com/8a0fd65b

I finished another MooGoo Natural Protein Shot Leave-In Hair Conditioner. It worked well in humidity too! I adore this and I’m sad to be finished this. Silicone-free and cheaper than your usual hair cream at $19.  Get it here. 

Ombrelle SPF 60. Too moisturizing. I will not rebuy.

Biotherm Lait Solaire Corps SPF 50. Really worked as a nice body and face sunscreen. Absolutely will rebuy.

The Ordinary Squalane Cleanser. I didn’t want this one to finish! It was so good! Rebuy! Someone said to me that this didn’t seem to wash away dirt when they used it.  There is a specific way to best use balm cleansers: I apply it on dry skin and the towel off with a wet cloth. Then I use a foaming cleanser afterwards using the same method.  I believe that most balm/oil/cream cleansers are meant to be used this way and they work really well when they are! Any residue is then washed off with a foaming cleanser.  This is the dual-cleanse method and not everyone knows about it.

L’Oreal Wonder Water. Again, works in all temperatures. You already know that I have a backup of this waiting for me at home.

Aveeno Baby Daily Lotion. This is a beautiful fragrance free lotion, again, melts into your skin, doesn’t pill or ever get clumpy. Not just for babies. Everyone should have this one hand. It also helps colloidal oatmeal in it which is known to sooth skin.

Trinny London Retinal/Niacinamide cream. I used this at night. I finished the cream, and threw out the refill. I do have a backup refill of this.

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Pineward Boreal Perfume Review

TextYou know that feeling of coolness when you walk into the woods, the immediate drop in temperature thanks to the shade of the trees?

That’s the feeling I get when I wear Boreal by Pineward Perfumes.

It’s finally hot here and I’m craving something refreshing that’s not a citrus, and Boreal is just the thing. The mint in the opening is a whisper rather than a shout, the blend of pine and moss give it earthiness, there’s a woodiness that makes me think fo fallen down trees, and the subtle amber in the base notes is like the quiet hum of life that’s always in a forest but that you might not see as you’re walking through.

This is perfect to wear if you’re stuck inside and waiting to go out.

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Guerlain L’Heure Bleue EDT


True story: I got my bottle of L’Heure Bleue (edt) in a swap for my D&G Light Blue. I liked Light Blue enough but it always smelled a bit generic to me and I found that I never really wanted to reach for it. L’Heure Bleue I wear all the time, I find it so easy to wear, but not like how sweatpants are easy, more like how my favourite dress is easy. It looks good AND it feels good on.

The anise note in the opening makes it perfect for hot sticky summer days. Anise seeds are cooling by nature and Indian people always have them lying on little dishes around their houses as breath fresheners, it’s in a little jar in our spice cabinets, and it flavors summer chai. Eating anise is as cooling as chewing a stick of peppermint gum, and the anise in L’Heure Bleue cuts through the heat. The middle is a Guerlain-esque blend of carnation, rose, neroli, and a soft cloud of powder envelopes it all. I always hear about the drydown of vanilla and tonka but the edt never gets there on me, or maybe the vanilla is so dry and almost imperceptible. The EDT is still my favourite way to wear this perfume.

My bottle is from the 80’s… but Guerlain has these in new modern bottles as part of the Legendaires collection and they’re at counters, easy enough to find online, and not that expensive (less than $100 when they’re on sale).

If you’re looking for a grown-up summer perfume that’s not Light Blue, it’s perfect.

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Charlotte Tilbury Setting Spray Review

TextWhen I posted about no makeup lasting through the day on me (I mean, especially with masks), so many people told me to try the Charlotte Tilbury setting spray, including a makeup artist who does a lot of brides. I mean, if it works for them, maybe it would work for me, so I’ve been randomly spraying myself with this every time I’ve gone past a Sephora.

What I noticed right away was that it left my skin feeling tight like it had a light layer of plastic wrap on it, but it’s a feeling that went away. Anyway, that feeling meant that this spray was sealing everything in, and it really does work. Now it’s in my arsenal and I’ve been using it at home and I do love it. It also works well as a primer because the holding properties of the setting spray blend with your makeup to make it more long-wearing. I find that it’s best to use a Beauty Blender to blend everything seamlessly because a brush can leave a bit of a streaky finish as the product dries on the bristles of the brush.

Also, other Charlotte Tilbury products I’m loving: the Magic Cream, an eyeshadow quad (this one is just the glitters), and the cheek to lip glow which I’m using basically every single day. Love them all and they stay out on the counter.

Do you have any products from the brand that you like? Any that you can’t live without?

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Things I’ve Missed: KeratinWorks, Amika, Lash Serum, Murad

Did you know that you’re supposed to leave the sticker on the Imperial Leather soap so that it doesn’t get mushy in the shower? The scent is so addictive and no, it doesn’t smell like leather. It’s slightly spicy, faintly like cinnamon, or myrrh, and then soapy, musky.

You know when you get back from a vacation and realize how much you missed some of your things….

Like this Keratin Works mask which is so smoothing that it’s like straight-up sorcery. I love it, and this brand.

I’m using the Amika Overnight Hydration treatment again and it’s so light and weightless. I sometimes even use it on wet hair and let that air dry, the result is frizz-proof hair that is not weighed down or shiny in the way that it would be with a hair serum.  I also sometimes use this as a pre-wash, put it all over my hair and then go in and shampoo.  I like to wash my hair regularly because of sweat from working out, but this at least protects the strands while the shampoo cleans my scalp.

The XO Treatment Room Wink brow and lash serum is amazing but I didn’t know why.  After talking to Annie, who formulated it, I found out that it has 5% of each of the two peptides that actually effect keratin. Do all the other serums use this much, we don’t know, because they don’t disclose.

Fenty Beauty blotting powder is in rotation. It’s great for setting makeup or sunscreen. Totally clear. Sets but doesn’t necessarily prevent skin from getting oily again.

New Murad sunscreen is a Lookfantastic.ca exclusive. It’s completely clear even though it’s all mineral.  The cost is $119 but it’s clear, sets kind of matte, long-wearing, moisturizing, and just a nice sunscreen.  Mineral sunscreens have come a long long way, and I’m so glad for that.  You can find a clear mineral sunscreen easily at Sephora or a high-end skincare retailer, and all the really popular ones like Biossance, or Salt and Stone are actually clear despite having a zinc percentage of 16 or 17 percent, so go in without makeup, try them on your own face and see for yourself.

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Affinessence Santal Basmati Review Video

How relevant is a conversation about price? A few thoughts as I talk about Santal Basmati. Santal Basmati by Affinessence: interesting perfume, but is it worth the price? I should say that there are a variety of sizes available on the Affinessence website, including a 10ml travel size and I adore a travel size. I think it’s a great way to see if a larger bottle is worth it. Unisex, lasting power is actually pretty good, especially if you apply behind your ears or head.

Launched in 2015.

Perfumer: Alexandra CarlinNotes: basmati, sandalwood, patchouli, iris, cashmeran.

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Kai Fragrance, Body Products

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This is what I smell like after a shower: Kai. They have a whole line of products that smell like their iconic perfume. Kai is a beautiful blend of white florals, gardenia and tuberose, and as much as I say that I don’t like white florals, I do actually love this.

I love when a perfume company makes body and hair products that actually smell like the perfume, and these Kai products all smell like the iconic white floral Kai perfume.

I got this as a set, and I have the shampoo, conditioner, body wash, bathing bubbles and body lotion. They’re all very scented – the shampoo and conditioner actually scent your hair. The body lotion will scent your body and clothes and it’s a smell that will last throughout the day. Layer on the Kai fragrance and you’ve really got a long-lasting perfume.

Absolutely smitten, which is rare for me.

If you’re still with me to the end of this post, you’ve got to try the Body Glow – I don’t have a picture because I don’t have a bottle anymore, but it is the most luxurious skin gloss moisturizing spray, not a dry oil, but moisturizing, and yes, beautifully scented. The body butter? Also gorgeous.

Have you tried these? Let me know what you think.

PR.

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Book Review: Perfume by Megan Volpert

The best perfume book I’ve ever read. And I’ve read quite a few of them over the years.

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Perfume by Megan Volpert satisfied so much of what I want in perfume writing: part autobiographical (how do we even talk about perfume without expressing why it moved us), thoroughly research, this book contextualizes our love of perfume. Volpert touches on everything from Japanese Kodo ritual to Egyptian Kyphi, perfume in literature, and perfume in philosophy. She also mentions perfume ingredients (vetiver!), but also touches on the perfumes she’s loved. Like all of us who are crazy about perfume, she tried to introduce scented plants into her home (I planted lavender this year too so I can relate) and ventured into creating scents for herself and friends and family.

What I loved was that she saw perfume as an extension of her aesthetic and wore it proudly (yes, even to work) instead of timidly as some may do. I also sometimes wear perfume as a way of introducing myself. If nothing else, people who know me know that they can always get my attention by asking about that perfume.

Go read this.

My local library had it and I’ve returned it now.

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