Revisiting Sarah Jessica Parker’s Lovely

Posted on November 27, 2025 by Henna

I hear that SJP is coming out with some new perfumes, but the information on them keeps on changing. I really want to smell them once they come out because she did create Lovely, which ended up being iconic.

Sept. 7
“And Just Like That” might be over, but it seems like the original “Sex and the City” is having a bit of a cultural resurgence. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

At some point in your perfume journey, you need to wear Lovely by Sarah Jessica Parker and read The Secret of Scent by Chandler Burr, which is the story behind this perfume.

This is quite a prim and proper fragrance, a bit on the feminine side. It’s powdery and musky, a bit of an echo of Narciso Rodriguez for Her, and an easy wear because it is such a straightforward musk. It’s maybe not as beloved in perfume circles but it’s still a classic. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

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Chypre Mousse by Orizia Legrand

Posted on October 29, 2025 by Henna

August 15
The heat of the summer needs to be beat, so I decide to take a walk through the forest.

At once, there’s the feeling of sensory deprivation and an overload of quietness. I can’t feel the heat from the sun, and I’m so cold that my arms immediately get goosebumps. It was rainy, and the forest still holds remnants of moisture in the air. It’s humid but fresh, energizing.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

I can’t hear my footsteps, but the moss squelches under my feet. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

I get to a well and stare deep, seeing nothing, feeling everything. The never-ending darkness looks back at me. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

I’m wearing Chypre Mousse by Orizia L. Legrand. Earthy yet green, fresh and humid. It’s perfect in the dry summer heat. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

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Jo Malone Wood Sage and Sea Salt Cologne Review

Posted on October 10, 2025 by Henna

July 13
Wood Sage and Sea Salt is the 2014 hit from Jo Malone that pushed the brand into the new world of perfume. Away from the natural essences that the brand was down for this concoction uses more modern materials. The saltines comes from and Ambroxan, and the Ambrette seed in the dry down, feels pretty and fresh reminiscent of the skin scents that were popular at that time such as Glossier You and Diptyque Fleur de Peau. Does it smell salty? Kind of.

I remember the first time I smelled this, I was overwhelmed by the ambroxan and that’s all I got. Now I get a faint saline quality. It’s not quite like the sea. The sea has a bit of dirtiness and this is quite clean, but it’s likeable and I can see why it’s still around. I also have the English Pear and Freesia room diffuser which is a bit too strong for me. I see it up and then had to pack it away a few hours later. It was more of a shampoo-like peony, not unlike the scent of a drugstore rose shampoo.

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Noir Epices by Frederic Malle

Posted on October 6, 2025 by Henna

August 15
Positivity in a bottle. I know the clove and orange combo reminds people of Christmas, but to me, that orange in Noir Epices is sunny, happy, fresh without being boring. This is like bumping into an old friend whose tinkly laugh brightens your day, who always laughs at everyone’s jokes. I love meeting those people who just make you laugh with their giggles, and I’m someone who loves to laugh along. I’m smiling while I’m writing this, and I’m smiling when I wear Noir Epices.

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Prada Cargo de Nuit Perfume Review

Posted on September 29, 2025 by Henna

A bit of redemption for the sample in a dabber bottle: it lets you reapply discreetly because there’s no puff of perfume in the air. It came in handy with this sample of Prada’s Cargo de Nuit, another forgotten perfume from the Olfactories line. It wears so softly that I had to keep adding more as the day went on, or maybe it was the cherry/almond opening that smelled so good that I kept dabbing it on. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

First on the back of the hand, then on the inside of the wrist, finally abandoning caution and putting it behind my ears. The ambrette – skin-like warmth that keeps things clean but inviting. It’s balanced, controlled. Office-safe but still interesting even for the seasoned perfume lover. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

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Le Labo Gaiac 10

Posted on September 24, 2025 by Henna

This is the only perfume I bought on my trip to Tokyo and Shanghai.

Memories in a bottle.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

July 15

Gaiac 10 from Le Labo, a Tokyo exclusive that embodies a minimalist aesthetic. A little cool, a hint of warmth, but that could just be your own imagination. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

If you head to Tokyo, you should know that there are 6 Le Labo boutiques (at least at the time of writing this) and none of them were overly busy, so in that sense, should you find yourself over there, know that this will be relatively easy to get. In typical Le Labo fashion, Gaiac 10 doesn’t really smell like Gaiac wood. The bit of smoke presents itself with the opening, and then the perfume is taken over by a papery vanilla incense and skin-like musks. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

Yes, it’s a mysterious one from Le Labo, one that keeps me intrigued and wondering who smells so good. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

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The Perfume Drawer

Posted on September 23, 2025 by Henna

What’s good? ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

August 15

The perfume drawer got cleaned out today, which is just me moving things from one place to another. The huge white box in the centre is the Drake perfume, Summer Mink so that got moved. Now there’s room for new things. ️⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

Everything lives in this drawer to take out and use, maybe keep out for a week or so, and then it goes right back into the drawer. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

Scent of the day was Parade earlier and now Shalimar L’Essence again. Just a spray of each. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

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New Charlotte Tilbury Mattifying Setting Spray

Posted on September 18, 2025 by Henna

August 15
Sometimes, the launch of a new product is the sign of a new trend. In this case, Charlotte Tilbury has launched a matte version of their new setting spray. Both of them help your makeup last longer by forming a seal on top of it so that it doesn’t move, but the original version was always a little glossy in its finish. If you use the right amount, it feels like you have hairspray on your face when this dries – and that’s how you know it’s going to work. ⠀

A makeup artist once told me that the trick to really long-lasting makeup was to put a layer of setting spray on UNDER your foundation and also on top, and I have to say that she was right. It’s not a trick I use all the time, but if I’m doing makeup that needs to look perfect, then that is what I’m doing. The matte version is indeed more blurring but not as mattifying as a powder. If you have very oily skin (which I do), you will be disappointed if you expect it to stop your skin from producing any oil. This is a natural matte. ⠀⠀

Which brings me to the trend in skin – are we done with the glass skin look and going to a more matte option? Honestly, I will never have perfectly matte skin, and if your skin is even a little dry, the original setting spray is for you. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

The last picture – still my favourite skincare product from the brand because of how good it smells. Rose and saffron in a skincare product is how I want to start every day. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

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Another Perfume Empty: Bvlgari Petits et Mamans

Posted on September 17, 2025 by Henna

May 3
The hottest days of the summer deserve perfumes you can spray on with abandon. The only thing I regret is not getting a backup bottle of this Bvlgari Petits et Mamans when it was a steal. Smells like powder but subtle, like can I smell it or can I not? A touch of neroli, a touch of vanilla, and then that’s it. It’s clean but now dryer sheet clean.

I love the Bvlgari aesthetic in this line – soft, powdery, you can throw it on with abandon on a hot day or after a shower.  It’s so easy to wear.

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Kiehl’s Beyond Screen and Kiehl’s Serum

Posted on September 16, 2025 by Henna

If it isn’t bad enough that everyone is complaining about the rain we are getting, saying that summer is almost over (when it was still JUNE BTW), and posting amazing vacation pictures, my derm told me to come back in two weeks to get my fall peel regime started, like what? It’s still going to be hot outside, right?⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

August 15

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Anyway, now I don’t need to go to the derm (or I’ll put it off a bit) because I’ve got this Kiehl’s duo. The correcting peel serum is super light but has a blend of AHA, PHA and BHA (yes, 3 different kinds of acids). Use it to get rid of all that summer pigmentation and then douse yourself in sunscreen (you’d do that anyway). ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

The Kiehl’s Beyond Screen sunscreen does have a light serum-like texture. It doesn’t pill, which means you can use tons of it, and it is very moisturizing – it has peptides which help with aging skin, but I like it because it gives you that glow. If you want something matte, this won’t be it, but in the winter, you’re going to be happy that you’ve got something that’s really taking care of your skin… and from what I hear, winter is just around the corner. ⠀⠀

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