The perfect solution to the mid-January doldrums: Chypre Palatin. Opulence in a bottle. I’m a Chypre fan and a Bertrand Duchafour fan and this is the best of both. Look at the colour of that juice!
MDCI Chypre Palatin
Santa Maria Novella Melograno
It’s been the busiest week but lots of great perfume got me through. Love the elegant but also cute 50ml bottles from Santa Maria Novella, and I wore lots of Melograno this week. A powdery blend of florals and musk, this is an almost soapy clean perfume that smells like expensive white hotel soap. I can’t get enough of it.
I also love that it’s an eau de cologne, which is the brand’s style (at least it used to be before they got acquired). It’s never too much and lets you enjoy reapplying it that’s what you love to do.
Melograno means pomegranate. Do you smell pomegranate here? No…. Still waiting…
Le Labo The Matcha Perfume Review
Working late and wearing The Matcha 26, as I slowly work through my Le Labo sample set. The Matcha is a sleeper hit, and I think it’s perfect for anyone who thinks that Santal 33 is too strong. There’s a sparkly orange peel opening, green tea, fig, a woodsy dry down, but the overall effect is soft and subtle. Of the 6 perfumes that were in the Le Labo discovery set, this was the softest and one that I could wear more than 2 sprays of. At this point, matcha feels very 2014, and I’ve already switched back to coffee, so in 2024 it’s calming and is Le Labo’s version of nature for people who live in the city.
Celine Cologne Celeste Review
Enough of this clamouring for longer lasting perfumes. Do people also complain when a movie isn’t long enough? Do they write into the radio station when their favourite song ends?
The most annoying party guest is the one who doesn’t know when to leave, and that’s how I feel about a perfume that doesn’t come off in the shower.
Does Celine Cologne Celeste smell like 4711? It does, but they smoothed down any harsh edges, and actually gave it a skin-musk finish that smells clean and warm. It’s really easy to wear and immediately makes me think of warmer and lighter days.
New Charlotte Tilbury Lipstick Shades
I’m back on the grid and here’s a bit of a photo dump from dinner last week but also, @charlottetilbury launched lipsticks in all new colours and I can’t help but wonder if they’re thinking of the “lipstick index”. This is the idea that consumers buy more lipstick when times are tough instead of other expensive items. You might not want to get the latest perfume, but a lipstick seems like a small indulgence and disappears into your purse without you having to think about it. There are economists that say that the lipstick index theory doesn’t really hold up today and some research is saying that actually fragrance is a leading category in sales right now.
Anyway, I love a new lipstick and my secret is that the Charlotte Tilbury lipsticks don’t stick to Invisalign, but it’s not a secret anymore. You can swipe to see swatches on my skin, and my favourite colour is Candy Chic which is the creamy glossy pink. The shimmery frosty pink (Icon Baby) is giving mob wife, and the reds are reds. I need to try them on to see which ones make my teeth look whiter because really, that is the main point of wearing a red lipstick, and if your teeth don’t look insanely white then what is the point?
The glossy lipsticks are the K.I.S.S.I.N.G. Fallen from the Lipstick Tree formula and the other ones are Matte Revolution lipsticks which is a nice creamy matte formula. They don’t tug on your lips at all and apply really smoothly.
You will see me later this week for some swatches.
Le Labo Lavande 31 Perfume Review
Lavande 31: A no-nonsense, cut through the BS kind of scent, lavender and clean laundry musks. Would work well for gym-goers and people who want a scent, not a perfume.
I like that the latest Le Labo discovery includes a sample of their newest scent, along with the most popular ones.
My favourite from the discovery set is still The Noir 29.
Best Skincare of 2023
I’ve seen lots of content about the “best of 2023” and here’s my favourite skincare discovery of 2023.
2023 was the year I first tried and kept using pimple patches. I might be late to the game but I just thought I would share that these actually do work, especially if you just have the odd breakout. I’ve tried many from different brands but these Neutrogena ones are easy to find and I like that they are also pre-packaged into smaller packets so that you don’t have to travel with the whole box (I ended up taking this one out of my bag), and can just throw a few into a makeup bag or purse. They also come in different sizes so that you can cover a greater amount of space if you need to.
Before you start worrying about sensitive skin, I’ll say that these patches have no actual acne medication on them so it’s not that they are putting an active ingredient directly on a blemish. Instead, they are hydrocolloid patches, which means that they keep the skin moist and promote healing. Lots of brands (and influencers) claim that they “suck” impurities out of the skin, but I think that sometimes there is just stuff (dead skin? pus that was ready to come out?) stuck to the patches when you peel them off. More than anything, they remind you not to pick at your skin because they have a blurring effect on the blemish making it harder to see, and you feel the patch every time your hand goes to your face.
I prefer to wear them at night, and I will say that things look better in the morning, but things ALWAYS look better in the morning.
Foundation Hack: CT Flawless Filter and Lise Watier Long-Wear foundation
This is the brown girl foundation hack, but maybe everyone does this and I just figured it out. In case you missed it, foundation is Lise Watier Long-Wear foundation in neutral. It’s almost the right colour but just not warm enough. The Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Glow Flawless Filter is the colour 5 Tan. It’s pretty sheer and can be worn on its own or under a foundation. Most days, I use concealer and this and that’s my look for the day. The shimmer in it really helps give your skin a glow that makes it look better than it is because of the light-reflecting properties.
Comme de Garcons Incense Series Jaiselmer Perfume Review
Incense Jaisalmer, for another freezing day and this one is warming me up with hot and dry spices. Cardamom and red pepper along with a dry cedar and palo santo are making me imagine a smoke that’s not there.
The incense series by Comme de Garcons continues to be a reminder of why people went to niche perfumes in the first place. Good for them for offering a whole line of inspired perfumes at a price that seems ridiculously affordable, even today. I think this bottle cost me a little over $100 for 50ml which makes it accessible. I might not agree with the idea of Jaiselmer this perfume paints, but at that price, I can’t be too mad about it, and I’m almost inspired to collect the whole line-up. Almost.
Posted in Perfumes
Tagged Comme de Garcons, Perfume Blog, Perfume Lover, Perfume Review
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L’Artisan Parfumeur L’Eau d’Ambre Extreme
We’re in the middle of a cold snap, so I’m wearing my heaviest wool sweater, and pulling out a classic amber, L’Artisan Parfumeur L’Eau d’Ambre Extreme. This is still my amber of choice, thanks to the cardamom that’s in here. Cardamom is still my preferred spice, and it balances out the vanilla, patchouli, powder. This is the amber for your Persian-rug-loving auntie who serves you tea in her “drawing room”, and has impeccable tastes. She’s dressed to the nines, doesn’t own a pair of sweatpants, and doesn’t ever greet you without a compliment. She would never wear a sillage monster, because invading your personal space is not her style, but her hugs smell like this amber.
Posted in Perfumes
Tagged Amber, Amber Perfume, Jean Claude Ellena, L'Artisan Parfumeur, Perfume Blog, Perfume Blogger
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