Guerlain L’Heure Bleue EDT

Posted on August 22, 2022 by Henna


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

Posted on August 19, 2022 by Henna

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

Posted on August 17, 2022 by Henna

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

Posted on August 16, 2022 by Henna

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

Posted on August 15, 2022 by Henna

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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

Posted on August 15, 2022 by Henna

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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Charlotte Tilbury Tinted Love and HappiKiss

Posted on August 12, 2022 by Henna

Charlotte Tilbury Tinted Live lip stain in Blushed Rose and HappiKiss in HappiCoral. Loved one and not the other. They’re having a summer sale right now and both of these are 40% off. I would just get the lip stain in a deeper colour.

PR.

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Empties: Neutrogena Sunscreen, Ren Evercalm mask, Aveeno Body Wash, and LRP SPF 50, Live Clean lotion, and Charlotte Tilbury UV Primer

Posted on August 11, 2022 by Henna

TextIt isn’t summer if I’m not going through tons and tons of sunscreen and I have 3 sunscreen empties for this week.

Neutrogena Beach Defense sunscreen. Honestly, I think I opened this last year and it wasn’t expired yet so I kept using it and finally finished it. This is a great sunscreen and sand really does not stick to it, so yes, I did love it for the beach.

La Roche Posay Anthelios SPF 50. Loved this. Watery and sheer, a bit on the shiny side. If you like this, save your money and buy the large bottle for the body and use it everywhere. Just my 2 cents.

Ren EverCalm Rescue Mask. My skin loves this in cooler weather. It really does calm everything down, and I would recommend it if you have red and irritated skin.

Aveeno Sensitive Skin body wash. This isn’t very foaming so it’s perfect for irritated skin. You can see that I really like gentle products and lots of sunscreen.

Charlotte Tilbury UV Primer. I ran through this quickly because I used it as a sunscreen instead of a primer. Makeup just glides on top of this even though there’s no silicone in the formula. I loved it.

Live Clean Daily Moisturizer. Affordable and really good! I loved this!  It’s less than $10 too and the bottle is huge.

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Perfume in The God of Small Things

Posted on August 10, 2022 by Henna

The God of Small Things opens with someone dabbing a dead body with 4711, a classic cologne popular because of its affordability and high quality.

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Fragrance nerds will be familiar with its zesty freshness, but not everyone knows about it. Slowly we learn that the setting is 1960’s Kerala, a southern province in India, in a small town where most people wouldn’t have access to foreign perfume. The fact that this family does indicates their status, their wealth, class, and caste, and caste does play an important part in this story. Later, a visitor from England is observed as smelling cheap but no other description of the scent is provided, leaving the reader to imagine what it might be. It’s not 4711 and it’s not Dior.

Incidentally, I’m not sure why, Dior perfume seemed to have been the perfume of choice for Indians who could afford to go abroad at that time. I know that because of my own mother’s description of the Dior boxes that came out of her dad’s suitcases after a trip to Europe. There’s no Chanel in the picture, maybe because they didn’t advertise at the time. I asked her why they didn’t get a different brand, and she said, everyone just talked about Dior.

The link of scent to class is iconic here – the casteless are said to stink, being white and smelling bad is an indicator of being of a lower class, foreign perfume is meant to be sniffed not worn. Again, the only reason my mom still has her Miss Dior is because she doesn’t wear it, but she appreciates the memories.

The best art reveals something new facets of ourselves every time we revisit is, and that’s what I love about my favourite books and perfumes. I’ve read The God of Small Things a number of times, but this time all the perfume references caught my eye.

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Guerlain Abeille Royale Serum

Posted on August 10, 2022 by Henna

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Did you know that Guerlain actually had the first dual-phase serum on the market?

It’s the Abeille Royale serum made with actual royal jelly in the formula, but also squalane and glycerin so the repairing action on your skin is real.

This is Great for dry skin that needs a bit of TLC and if you have really dry skin, layering moisturizing products such as a serum under a cream, and then maybe even a nightly mask, can really improve how your skin looks and feels.  It’s lightly scented, but still a serum that absorbs easily and quickly. I use a moisturizer on top of this at night, in the morning, I top with sunscreen.

$255 for the 50ml in Canada. They have a 30ml size as well which is $191.

PR.

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