I thought I would test out a new tubing mascara. I thought it was ok. Not as much oomph as I like. People have told me that it actually smudged on them, so maybe the tubing action is not great either, although I didn’t have a problem. So far, my favourite tubing mascara is the Tarte the Tartelette mascara.
Byredo Black Saffron is a perfume for a stock broker. A bit of red berries in the opening keep it fun, and then the heart has that synthetic leather note that’s in Tom Ford Tuscan Leather, but the drydown is dry and ashy with vetiver.
I can’t smell any saffron in this, and it’s too bad that the copy talks about Indian heritage and all that, because I’m hard pressed to think of anything even remotely Indian when I smell this, but India is a big country so what do I know.
Anyway, this is for your stock broker friends – they work hard, play hard. They want something expensive but not with too much complexity because they don’t want to be distracted. Black Saffron sounds exotic and makes them seem cultured, but the minimalist packaging reflects their inability to escape that colonialist idea that colour and complexity is bad.
We wait for them to try ayahuasca and discover ambers.
This or That?
I used to stan the Neutrogena sunscreen on the right. You might even say that the Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch was my gateway sunscreen, because it was the one sunscreen I tried that was matte and silky smooth to the touch. It was easy to use, and anytime someone complained about sunscreen being greasy, I used it.
But now, I recommend the Clear Face sunscreen as my matte sunscreen of choice. It’s also matte, but not as powdery, not as thick, and doesn’t make your face look white. I prefer it to the Ultra Sheer, and if you hate sunscreen because it’s greasy or you think that it makes you break out, then this one is for you. You can tell just by looking at the tube that it’s been squeezed way more than the Ultra Sheer, and yes, it’s actually done.
Sunscreen season is all year for me, so I’ll still be giving you my sunscreen reviews here and there.
Intentionally imperfect like a rumpled linen button-up shirt.
Last few gorgeous days of summer and wearing #diptyque Eau de Sens hair mist. This really works as a hair mist because it’s distinctly in-perfumelike, nor is it too soapy. Bitter orange and vaguely herbal, almost earthy, more a vibe than a perfume.
Because I have a convenient 15ml travel size, I’ve had this little bottle of St. Clair Scents Gardener’s Glove in the pocket of my jacket and I’d been walking around with it.And then, somewhere, I lost it. I went to wear it on Monday, and it wasn’t in the jacket pocket.
I searched everywhere and couldn’t think of where it might be. I went on my usual walks around the neighbourhood and couldn’t see it anywhere. I consoled myself in the way we do when we lose something dear to us: what’s meant for me will find me.
Then, yesterday on the way home from the park, I saw something glinting out of the corner of my eye under a tree… and there was my bottle. Hot from the sun, but glass and juice intact. I had given up looking for it and I was sure I wouldn’t find it, but there it was. Waiting for me.
Gardener’s Glove by St. Clair Scents is very citrusy to start, like fresh lemon juice, and then the florals enter, softer and closer to the skin. Rose, jasmine… A drydown with castoreum which is usually animalic but doesn’t really have much bite here. Smoothly blended, concentrated, slowly evolving, this is still a perfume that resists being stuck in a category.
If it’s a leather, it’s a floral suede one at that. If it’s a green perfume, it’s not sharp and fresh all the way through. A favourite to wear in the summer when it’s super hot, because the rose in it really blooms and is more enjoyable. I love this perfume, and I’ll probably have it for years to come. Although I’ve had it for over a year, I still haven’t come across anything like it.
I asked to smell both the Cardamusc and Musc Pallida perfume oils. And then I asked for a dab of the Cardamusc on skin. “Oh, that won’t be possible, we don’t do that.” Me: “Oh, what the heck, here you go…” I was flummoxed, to say the least, but in the end I did enjoy smelling like Cardamusc all day. These oils are very concentrated and are meant to be layered with your perfume.
Anyway, a week later, I can still smell the Musc part of Cardamusc on the card they gave me, and wow, I love it. It really reminds me of a real deer musk, a sample of which I have, and I don’t know if this perfume has that in it, but it wears like it does and it’s wonderful. Try it at an Hermes boutique if you can. I know that it went on my wishlist.
Apparently a perfume bottle meant to be instagrammed. Eau de Juice 100% Chilled. Coconut, musk, ambroxan… pretty light. Smells like the change room at the gym when it’s summer and school’s out.
This is the Eaze Blurring Skin Tint. It’s a sheer tint with a bit of a matte finish but it’s super skin-like. I used the colour 12 in the video but since then, I think I’m more of a 10 if you’re comparing to yourself and wondering what colour you should get.
The 10,12,14 are warm-toned slightly yellow colours and they work really well on my skin. I’m super impressed with the shade selection and the lasting power. You can also build coverage – let it set and then see what happens. Anyway, the finish lasts all day and you could set it with powder but you definitely don’t have to. Even worn alone, these work so well but I would powder before adding a powder blush or bronzer on top. I was impressed by how well the foundation held up in hot weather where my makeup usually just melts off.
I compared this side by side to my other foundations, and I loved how it’s not shiny but not too matte.
Try it.
Like being dipped in a jar of vanilla syrup and not being able to escape, except instead of syrup it’s literally the crush of older aunties, their bangles clinking as they pinch your cheeks, too much lipstick, crazy amounts of food, fizzy drinks and dizzying music, itchy outfits, friends you see on special occasions.
The next time you see them, you’ll be taller and so will they, new outfits bought specially for this smell. The florals and sweetness blending into the hall, seeping into your hair, making you forget that the smell isn’t yours and it came from somewhere else.
Givenchy Dahlia Divin Le Nectar de Parfum: so intense that it’s best for cold days or fancy nights out.
I got bored of my own perfume so I dipped into everyone else’s, but my favourite was this Atkinson’s 24 Old Bond St. which I gave to my dad many years ago. It’s a refreshing blend that’s not aquatic or citrusy but still fresh. The main notes to my nose are cardamom and black tea, with a good dose of ambergris when it heats up a bit. The ambergris adds a saltiness to the tea, and a bit of zing to what would otherwise be a boring aquatic. This is seaside and seashells, but also a bit of musk that helps it last longer, sweetens up the saline a bit, bolsters everything else.
My dad’s review is that this was good but it lost its luster after a few wears.
Did it go bad?
No, it just stopped being good in a way that never happens to the Polo’s and Boss’s.
Personally, I think it’s the ambergris. I find that ambergris fatigues my nose and I can’t wear it very much, certainly not day after day, and I wouldn’t be surprised if my dad’s nose is the same.
Anyway, I offered to take this almost-empty bottle off his hands and he said no way, my daughter gave it to me so I’m wearing every last drop.
If you go on Fragrantica there are some hilarious reviews including one that idealized the British Raj, and no, this does not smell like the best of colonial times regardless of the tea and cardamom notes. I had to read the review out loud to my dad, and we couldn’t stop laughing, and then he said, I guess this what all you perfume writers do. Uh, what?
Anyway, this is unisex with excellent longevity, and it was a pleasure for me to wear here and there. I wouldn’t even mind owning a bottle.
