RIMMEL London Kind and Free mascara in Brown Black. Looks good, went on very easily and not clumpy. I do find that this formula smudges on me just a little but it looks amazing so if that’s not a problem for you, definitely try this mascara.
Rimmel London Kind and Free Mascara
Colorado by Dawn Spencer Hurwitz Video Review
I’m frozen, but wrapped in a cocoon of Colorado and it’s clever play with immortelle replicating the sap and resins in a spruce forest. This is streams of light coming in through the trees, the tapping of dripping snow, the sap starts to flow. Almost time to make maple syrup.
Here’s my review of it from Youtube.
Posted in Perfumes
Tagged blog, Colorado, DSH, Fragrance, Perfume Review, Perfumes, Review, Youtube
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Empties: Neutrogena, Sothy’s, Kerastase, Alterna
Organized some perfume samples today to make sense of what I have but I might never be done, so let’s take a break and look at the pretty light and go through some empties.
Firstly, the Sothys eye pencil that I loved and isn’t easy to find. This was a twist up, so no sharpening required and yes, that’s my favourite type of pencil. I think it came as part of a duo, and is on the Sothy’s website. They have a Canadian website.
Moving on – Neutrogena Canada serum sunscreen. I loved this because it’s so light but it’s also so shimmery. I liked it but some of you may not.
I loved my little mini edition of the Kerastase Hair Conditioner and took it to the pool with me.
Larger Alterna Canada Caviar Anti-Frizz Conditioner. I liked it, but the bond-repair conditioner is more smoothing especially if you have curly hair and would like something smoothing.
Finally, a mini Luna oil from Sunday Riley. This was a freebie in, what else, a Sephora order. It’s nice but not one that I can’t live without, but I know that there are many people who swear by this oil because it helps exfoliate (gently) but doesn’t dry your skin out as much because it’s an oil. Or at least you don’t feel as if your skin is drying out.
Posted in More Than Beauty
Tagged Alterna, empties, Kerastase, neutrogena, Sothys, Sunscreen
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Initio Parfums Oud for Greatness
Today I’m wearing Initio Oud for Greatness and thinking about someone who loves this perfume.
Like her, it’s strong and confident, sweet but not saccharine. Just like her, it’s responsible for a few headaches but that could be my fault for overdoing it. They’re both incredible in their ability to reach out and wrap everyone in their warmth, spicy without any bite, to be enjoyed with a sense of humour.
Drybar Liquid Glass Instant Glossing Rinse vs. L’Oreal Paris Wonder Water
It’s no Wonder Water. I bought this Drybar Liquid Glass Instant Glossing Rinse so that I could see if it smelled better than Wonder Water and worked the same. The formulas seem similar: both of them coat your hair with a polymer to make it shiny and smooth.
Guess what? Drybar Liquid Glass smells amazing. Like a vanilla-patchouli-cedar, but very light on the vanilla. Just a bit of sweetness from it and it’s so much of an improvement from the Wonder Water, which probably doesn’t bother me as much as it bothers some of you, but it doesn’t really smell great.
The Liquid Glass is $44 for 236mL, Wonder Water is usually around $10 for 200mL so year, the Wonder Water is way cheaper, but it’s good to know what the other options are if you’re sick of how it smells. It might be my bias, but I STILL think that the Wonder Water works the best when it comes to smoothing your hair and making it look flawless. Blowouts seem to be smoother and last longer, and in terms of consistency, the Drybar product is a little thicker.
Molinard Habanita
Habanita is originally from the 1920’s and is kind of a smoky powdery vetiver vanilla. I had been spraying from a decant before I got this bottle, and I think my decant smells a bit different, stronger, and that’s ok. The original Habanita vibe is still there and that’s what I wanted, and I really do love the frieze on the bottle so I wanted to have that too. The bottles were designed by Rene Lalique, and frieze was popular at that time because Europeans were having a fascination with ancient Greece and Rome. Lalique gave the people what they wanted and friezes show up in his other work too, including other perfume bottles he designed. If you’re interested in knowing more, check out Perfume, Cologne, and Scent Bottles by Jaqueline North
L’Artisan Parfumeur L’Eau D’Ambre Extreme
Weekend plans include:
– drinking cardamom tea
– eating snickerdoodles
– roasted nuts
– lots of chocolate
– cozy fires
– flannel blankets
– books.
L’Eau d’Ambre Extrème. Jean-Claude Ellena and Jean Laporte.
1978.
You know what’s really weird? There’s no real brand history on the L’Artisan Parfumeur website. No mention of these old bottles or the bottles that came before or even before that. Nothing about the first few perfumes and what they were. It’s like all that never even existed and these old bottles are just floating around.
Posted in Perfumes
Tagged Amber, Amber Perfume, Fragrance, L'Artisan Parfumeur, Perfume
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Areej le Dore The History of Attar Collection
I’ve smelled attars before, but not like these. On family trips to India, my mom would always buy attars, so oil-based perfumes made in traditional ways. She loves florals and stuck to soliflores – rose and jasmine being her favourites.
The History of Attar collection from @areejledore are perfumes based on traditional attars. I haven’t had the chance to wear them on skin, but they are different than what I was expecting, and from what I’ve experienced in the past.
The perfumes are: Le Mitti, Beauty and the Beast, Gul Hina, Ambre de Coco, Malik al Motia, Al Majmua, Mysore Incenza.
Having a basic knowledge of some of the languages spoken in India meant that this wasn’t a blind smelling, and I’ve read lots about these already. I think what’s interesting about these is that they’re all very strong, and they don’t smell like any perfume that I’m used too – except for Al Majmua which has a traditional chypre structure so it reminds me of a bombastic 80’s perfume.
Have you smelled these, or do you have a favourite? Tell me which one I should start with.
Posted in Perfumes
Tagged Areej le Dore, Attar, History of Attars, India, Indian Perfume, Indie Perfume, Niche Perfume
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Serge Lutens Datura Noir
Revenge season calls for Datura Noir. Datura, a poisonous flower with no scent, but maybe this is what it would smell like. Bitter almonds, clean tuberose, a hint of coconut, a touch of vanilla, like delivering bad news with a smile, setting boundaries without being mean. Clean and cold without too much emotion, this is one I can wear anytime, maybe it’s always revenge season.
My Lutens fixation continues…
This is a definite must-smell for anyone into white florals and if you want a tuberose that doesn’t smell animalic. It’s clean, lotiony, beachy, but without being sweet. Long-lasting and pretty but not boring and not average.
Pink and Red Packaging
A study in pink and red.
These are some things that I actually really love right now.
I said I would update you on the Topicals Faded serum, so let’s start there. It’s as good as everyone says it is. I’ve only been using it for 2 weeks but I can see how over time, it’s going to fade acne scarring or any mild hyperpigmentation that might be there. It’s not a cure for melasma (is there even a cure?) but if you’re aiming for management, then I would say try it. I like that the blend of ingredients is optimized for pigmentation issues. It smells terrible – but I think the smell only makes it more legit. I used to use an Obagi hyperpigmentation cream that smelled bad too, so I’m here for it.
Fenty Skin Butta Drop in the LE Rose-Gold edition. Smells like vanilla, and yes, actually does melt in your hands into a beautiful oil and is a fantastic moisturizer. There’s a tiny bit of shimmer. It’s not over the top, so if you’re wearing black, your clothes won’t be all dirty, but it will make your skin look so glowy. I want this for the summer.
Tower 28 mascara. Such a highly-rated mascara and always sold out, so when I saw it at Sephora, I grabbed it. Great for separating lashes, not too smudge, but still a bit smudgy.
Trinny London Peptide moisturizer. Obsessed with this one – it’s so beautifully hydrating and perfect for dry skin. If you have any kind of peeling because of retinoids or even the weather, try this, I think you’ll love it.
Neutrogena Stubborn Blackheads serum – it’s a BHA (which I know you all know because of Paula’s Choice) but in a serum. It’s light, but it doesn’t get a ton of use from me.
Posted in More Than Beauty, Skin Care
Tagged Faded, Fenty, Fenty Skin, Flatlay, Skincare Canada, Skincare Reviews, Topicals, Tower 28, Trinny London
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