Chanel Beige and Chanel Les Exclusifs New Sizes

Posted on January 29, 2025 by Henna

Did you hear that Chanel will be offering the Les Exclusifs in 35ml formats? It’s a move that’s long overdue and one that is no doubt motivated by forecasted profits. So many perfume lovers prefer a smaller size because they know they’re not going to be able to wear lots of perfume. I bet that in the last, Chanel resisted travel sizes so that people who couldn’t afford a full bottle, just wouldn’t be able to get the Les Exclusifs (which are supposed to be inaccessible) but if nobody is buying the 200ml and the 75ml size is always sold-out, then maybe it’s time to give customers what they want.

Beige is the most tropical of Chanel’s Les Exclusifs collection. It features a Chanelade, yes, but also frangipani for the warmth, ylang-ylang for its freshness, and freesia for that shampoo accord. It’s approachable but still keeps you at arm’s length. It’s giving business casual. It’s giving work lunch. I love it. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

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Serge Lutens Changes

Posted on January 28, 2025 by Henna

What is happening with Serge Lutens?

First the reformulations, then the rebrand and the repackaging, pulling out of the US market, so suddenly that all the stock was sold to discounters, and now… discontinuation of the Gratte Ciel bottles, which honestly were poorly designed anyhow (slate-coloured writing on a black background? Whose idea was that?). So yes, those tall black bottles are 20% off right now at retail, and who knows what will happen to them. What might happen is that they could move some of the more popular scents to the bell jars but I don’t think that many of them are very popular. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

I wore Fleurs d’Oranger this week, and was out and about smelling like an actual mothball, because cooler weather doesn’t really let this scent warm up to release any of the spicier notes and the sweeter white florals. Also, I don’t know how well I can smell in cold air so it was straight-up indolic florals today and I just don’t know how popular that is – people seem to be more into vanillas and all kinds of gourmands, even unique musks with more different savoury facets, but tuberose, neroli, and orange blossom? I don’t see them being so popular. This bottle was a blind buy at Saks Off Fifth on Boxing Day years ago, and probably, one day, it will be gone. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

It’s the end of an era.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

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Fenty Beauty Favs

Posted on January 27, 2025 by Henna


We’re still at a point of looking back at the high points of the year, and the one beauty brand that I’ve gained a newfound respect for is Fenty Beauty. Since the brand was launched, I’ve gone through numerous Gloss Bombs and the Invisimatte Setting and Blotting Powder. I just ran out of my powder, and opened a powder and primer duo so I’m testing out the Fenty primer too. The good news is that it hydrates and plays well with sunscreen and foundation, but the bad news is that it doesn’t mattify my skin or really help my base last longer. I’ve been using the concealer regularly, which is why the name on it is rubbed away, and the lip liners are my favourite from any brand ever because they’re basically like long-wear lipsticks in slim packaging. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

Last year, I was introduced to the body butter, and continue to use that even when it smells like sugar, because it works so well and the scent is one that I can get used to. ⠀⠀⠀

The plot twist to all of this was Butta Drop Hydrating Body Milk, which is pretty much scent-less, and ideal as a lotion for your desk so that you and your coworkers can use it without anyone getting a headache. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

This year brought us Fenty Hair, most of which is too thick for my super-fine hair but it smells so good that I use the shampoo regularly so that the scent can serve as an olfactory tropical escape.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

Oh yeah, and in case this embarrassment of riches wasn’t enough, I’ve got the perfume (a fruity-patchouli scent) and I forgot to pull out the blushes because they’re not in the rotation right now. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

Do you have a favourite from this brand? I would like a loose powder, a tubing mascara, long-wearing eye products for those of us with oily skin, and another perfume. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

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Augustinus Bader Masterclass

Posted on January 26, 2025 by Henna

Only Holt Renfrew and Augustinus Bader could get me out of the house on a Saturday when it’s -20 outside. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

The masterclass was to learn about the brand and the patented technology that makes it so special. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

Who is it for? Well, anyone with dry, sensitive, dehydrated skin (hi, Calgarians) will benefit from the rich formulas. The oils (face or hair) are exceptionally lightweight, and the creams are emollient and rich feeling. If you’ve tried things like The Magic Cream and found it lacking, the SKII essence and found it lacking, and then maybe you want to try the products from Augustinus Bader.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

Who is Dr. Bader? A medical doctor, who also teaches at a university in Germany and specializes in research with stem cells. After inventing an ointment to use on burn victims, he used some of the same combination of ingredients in his skincare products. The before and afters are compelling, seeming to improve everything from pigmentation to acne, while of course hydrating and giving beautifully glowy skin. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

Besides offering products that are hydrating, there are also the regular treatments that you’d find in any serious skincare brand: a retinoid, an exfoliating essence, and a sunscreen is coming soon. I expect it to be luxe feeling, mineral, and completely clear. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

Before I left, I tried on one of the tinted lip balms that was created in collaboration with Sofia Coppola. It feels like butter, sets to a matte finish, and the stains your lips for the whole day. I haven’t stopped thinking about it and it’s gone on my wishlist. I’ve tried so much skincare, but a truly hydrating lip tint is a rare find. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

If you’re at your wit’s end with your skincare routine, then this might be something you want to try. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

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Diptyque L’Ombre Dans L’Eau Review

Posted on January 24, 2025 by Henna

August 19
Diptyque L’Ombre Dans L’Eau for the times when you want to be outside but you can’t be outside. Imagine you’re sitting in a humid backyard garden, lush and full of life. Vines trace the stone walls along the edge and black currant bushes can barely hold on to their fruit. You can hear the waterfall and turn to find that it falls into a small pool. Next to the hedge there’s a corner which holds a trellis of roses, their scent lost in the mist, their petals heavy with dew. It’s just you and this greenest of garden. You wish you could stay forever but then the moment wouldn’t be as magical.

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The Best Perfume I Tried in 2024: Perfumehead

Posted on January 21, 2025 by Henna

2024 was the year of the extrait de parfum. The fragbros have won and brands are listening and offering perfumes in the strongest possible variations. This explains why my favourite perfume discovery of the year hasn’t resulted in me buying a full bottle – it’s so potent that I can’t wear more than a spray of my sample at a time.
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I’m talking about Perfumehead – yes, I’ve entered the Osmocosm, and it smells fine.
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The brand gives us scents inspired by the romantic heady vibe of Hollywood, and every single perfume takes you on a ride. All the scents are offered as extraits, and now there are perfumeoils as well. Because the juice is so concentrated, even with one spray, there’s the feeling of being plunged to the depths of the perfume head-first. You get the base notes immediately, and then experience the rest of the scent as you come back up for air.
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Today I wore La La Love, the latest one in the line, and the one that has become my favourite. Immediately, I got the warm smoked balsamic labdanum-heavy base, and then hints of the tea, vanilla, saffron, vanilla as the day wore on. Perfumehead calls this a gourmand but it doesn’t smell like anything I want to eat, and it just happens to have the notes that are from the kitchen. La La Love and Canadian Tuxedo are my favourite from the line, and I’d recommend them to anyone who likes rich and jammy perfumes.
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But, these aren’t perfumes that you should gift – they are so unique that they need to be chosen not given as a burden.
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If you want to get a fraghead something they won’t come across at their regular mall then a discovery set from Perfumehead would be at the top of my list. This is a new brand doing something interesting – I can’t wait to see what’s next.

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Tom Ford L’Eau d’Ombre Leather Perfume Review

Posted on January 20, 2025 by Henna

Oct. 30
This is my favourite Tom Ford to come out in the last little bit, even though it does smell a lot like other perfumes that were released not too long ago. Truly, if you approach this looking for a heavy leather perfume, you will be disappointed. This is a vanilla scent with a smoky rubber leather hidden within. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

Actually, the leather accord is surrounded by the vanilla and spices, almost like a thin hard candy shell that lets you see a smoky leather through it. You experience the leather with the sugar which actually makes it more palatable, especially if, like me, you’re not a fan of leather. The cardamom and ginger are smooth top notes, suspended in the vanilla. Ok, so it’s not the most original perfume around, but it’s the most captivating version of this kind of scent that I’ve smelled and I can’t stop reaching for my sample. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

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Fenty Butta Drop Duo

Posted on January 19, 2025 by Henna

Oct. 30
If you want to smell like delicious buttery gingerbread, this is the body butter to layer any perfume with – or skip the perfume all together, because this is so strongly scented that when I use it as hand cream, it’s all I can smell all day long. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

I had this body butter on my desk this past week (as my hand cream) and everyone who tried it was shocked at the texture. Yes, it’s thick but then it melts into a creamy liquid in your hands, rich and satisfying for the middle of winter. The formula has oils in it – sunflower, rice bran, jojoba, and coconut – so the richness is due to it actually being an excellent formula. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

It’s the Fenty Butta Drop – my favourite body butter, and this came as part of the Shimmer N Spice duo, which includes a hydrating lip mask too. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

It’s the perfect little gift for a teenager in your life or anyone who loves sweet scents. And it’s on sale right now. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

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Chocolatey Winter Treats from Smells to Makeup

Posted on January 18, 2025 by Henna

Oct. 30
Bon Parfumeur 502 Iris Cartagena. Rum and cocoa are whipped together to create a light-as-air concoction. It won’t be sweet enough for some and and the final effect isn’t enough for it to be a gourmand because this doesn’t smell like anything you’d eat, even though there are sugary notes. The iris is this is subdued and of the powder variety. There’s also a woodsiness in the base and the dry cedar blends with the dryness of the other notes. This is a Bon Parfumeur extrait and it does have impressive longevity, almost sticking to your skin even if there’s no big scent-bubble. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

If you want your home to smell sweet, then the Diptyque Friandise candle is for you. It’s kind of a sugar cookie sweetness, without any spice or other notes, but that means that it won’t clash with anything else cooking in your kitchen. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

NYX Cosmetics Buttermelt Bronzers thankfully come in all kinds of chocolate colours. Check them out if you’ve found that you have a hard time finding your perfect shade. I find that they all wear on the pink side but I don’t mind that on my cheeks. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

Biosculpture nail polish in Berry Bush is the colour that everyone is wearing this season. Yes, some of us still wear regular nail polish. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

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Dior Homme Parfum

Posted on January 17, 2025 by Henna

Oct. 30
There was news that a new version of Dior Homme is coming to North America – this version was made by Francis Kurkdjian and doesn’t list Iris as a note, so I’m thinking it will be a new version of Dior Homme. For now, if you want Dior Homme Intense or the Parfum, you can only pick it up at duty-free or discounters. This makes it easy to find but mostly just for those in the know. I’ve had Dior Homme Parfum on my wishlist for a while now, and I can now check it off. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

I’m now down a Dior Homme rabbit hole and interested in smelling more iterations of this scent. Having smelled all the Dior Homme versions available at the counter, and owning bottles of DHI and DHP, I’ll say that my favourite version is still the Intense. It’s lighter and more powdery, the iris more prominent and lipstick-like. The Parfum version has more leather and feels heavier. It opens with a warm cozy rounded cardamom and is stripped of menthol. The leather is brown, soft and supple, sticking close to the skin, mixing with ambery woods as it settles. If you are a fan of amber woods and leather, then this would be one to try in cooler weather. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

The Intense version offers a better diffusion of notes, while the Parfum seems to be weighed down by the base. There’s not as much powder, but that’s ok. If you don’t like powder then this version might work better for you. It works so well on cooler days, maybe because of the bit of vanilla in the drydown that keeps things sweeter but not gourmand. I’ll enjoy both this winter. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

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