Kiehl’s new Retinol Fast Release Wrinkle-Reducing Night Serum

Posted on September 14, 2022 by Henna

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Retinoids are known for being unstable and so the best ones have air and light-proof packaging so that they’re always protected. Kiehl’s takes things one step further with their latest launch by making packaging that requires you to mix up the serum when you’re first ready to use it. The serum itself has 0.3% retinol which is one of the most gentle Retinoids around.

Retinol requires two conversions before it’s ready to be used by your skin, losing potency with each step. That makes this retinoid great for beginners or good for days that you’re taking a break from your heavy duty retinoid. What do you think of the concept?

Would you want to mix your own retinol, or would you want it ready when you buy it?

When I posed this question on Instagram, most people said that they would want their serum mixed already because it’s annoying to have to do things yourself.

I tend to agree, but I also have to say that retinol seems to be one of those ingredients that’s hard to keep stable, so if you mix it before you use it, chances are that it will stay stable for longer.

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Fenty Beauty Toast’d Swirl bronze in Chocolate Swiller

Posted on September 13, 2022 by Henna


This is on sale right now so jump on it while you can, but it’s worth it at any price point. I have the Fenty Beauty Toast’d Swirl bronze in Chocolate Swiller. I use a huge powder brush and put this on my body too. The huge size just tells me that it’s meant to be used on both face and body and it’ll make you gleam.

Enjoy!

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New Fall 2022 Guerlain Eyeshadow Quads

Posted on September 12, 2022 by Henna

New for September.

Guerlain Eyeshadow Quad in 555 Metal Butterfly. Every colour is pigmented. I have a soft spot for hold sparkly eyeshadows and this one is no exception.

The below quad, 214 Exotic Orchid is a bit more wearable with a duo of neutrals and a gold that works well as a topper. 

I like that there is a nice wearable neutral but also options to add a pop to your look. I doubt I’ll add a red shadow to my lids but I’m very sure I’ll be using the glittery gold. The quality of the shadows is amazing. They’re not too powdery, but still very pigmented and super-blendable.

These are available at all Guerlain counters now.

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Aveeno Positively Radiant Daily Moisturizer with SPF 30

Posted on September 12, 2022 by Henna


If you’re looking for a slightly glowy moisturizing sunscreen, this one is for you! Aveeno Positively Radiant Daily Moisturizer with SPF 30. I’ve finished a bottle of this earlier in the summer and I’m a huge fan of it. 6 pumps was about 1/4 tsp. This always feels like a lot but you could apply it in 2 rounds or you can apply the lot of it and then kind of let it set. Don’t judge your sunscreen by how it looks right away. Let it set and that’s when the magic happens.

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New Physician’s Formula The Breakfast Club Collection

Posted on September 11, 2022 by Henna

New Physician’s Formula The Breakfast Club collection is here. I had to wonder who the target audience is for this… or is this a movie that basically everyone has watched at some point or another?

I did really enjoy these lipsticks.

These are creamy, smooth, and pleasant to wear. Affordable too. Will you be getting any?

 

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Foope Perfumes Review

Posted on September 11, 2022 by Henna

Sent to me by Foope Fragrances. This is their “cop it or drop it” kit where you can try the testers and decide whether you’ll keep a bottle or not. Whatever you’re not keeping, you send back to the brand. What do you think?

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Bulgari Jasmin Noir

Posted on September 8, 2022 by Henna

Bulgari Jasmin Noir, a damp woody jasmine-gardenia. Mildly indolic (it’ll remind you a bit of moth balls, but not much!), and an earthiness that’s hard not to love. Easy and calm in a bottle.

This is pretty light and easy-to-wear. I put on many sprays and added more then I wanted a refresh because it was a damp and muggy day, and humidity just kills perfume like nothing else. I tend to stick to one fragrance a day unless I’m sampling and today it was this. The dampness of it reminded me of Carnal Flower too.

Have you smelled this one? It’s so underrated, and still easy to find.

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Acqua di Parma Chinotto di Liguria

Posted on September 6, 2022 by Henna

From the Blu line from Italian perfume brand Acqua di Parma.


Went to the museum in Toronto and wore Acqua di Parma’s Chinotto di Liguria. The bitterness of Chinotto keeps this interesting even if it does disappear pretty quickly. Cardamom stood out today, slightly sweet and almost yummy, but the soapy musky dry down stays fresh and interesting for hours.

This is so much more than a summer spritzer in a bottle.

Also, I saw some old perfume bottles, but reading about ancient perfume is so much more interesting.

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Glossier Body Hero and Yardley Lily of the Valley Perfume

Posted on September 2, 2022 by Henna

TextBody smells like Glossier Body Hero cream, and hair smells like Yardley Lily of the Valley, so actually they both smell pretty much the same.

Actually, who knows, because Glossier says that this smells like a mix of orange blossom and neroli, but I would disagree with that. Someone in the comments says it smells like jasmine and gardenia (yes, maybe), and someone on Reddit mentioned Lily of the Valley so I’ll go with that.

At $27 for this bottle, I’d honestly rather spend half the money for double the amount of Nivea, and that with a pump too. I only bought this body lotion because I was hoping that it smelled like the hand cream, which most definitely does have a neroli note in it. If you go through the reviews and search by “scent”, there’s many people who think this smells like “old lady” which I’m guessing is what people use to describe a pretty generic floral scent, which is what this is.

If that sounds like something you’d like (or don’t mind), then you’ll be happy to know that in terms of texture and performance, the lotion gets a 10/10. It’s smooth and goes on without friction. It’s also pillowy and lush, not greasy and absorbs quickly. There’s a tiny bit of shimmer which I tried to photograph but it wasn’t getting picked up on camera. Actually, the shimmer is subtle and just makes your skin look glowy.

If you’ve never ordered from Glossier, here’s a code to get 10% off (aff link): https://re.glossier.com/aedd3afb

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Oribe Fragrances Review

Posted on September 1, 2022 by Henna

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Megan Markle said in a 2015 interview that one of her favourite perfumes was Oribe Cote d’Azur, so I’m sure that made it pretty popular. Last year, Oribe relaunched it, and added 2 more perfumes, Desertland and Valley of Flowers, to its lineup. Cote d’Azur seems to be a crowd favourite, so it’s the one I tried first. I’m finding that one or two sprays is plenty and there’s lots of sillage and projection. Longevity is pretty much the whole day.

Cote d’Azur opens with a gorgeous blend of citruses including bergamot and lemon, and it really reminded me of Light Blue, but instead of being a blue scent, this has a warm ambery drydown that’s a lot like Byredo Gypsy Water, In fact, Jerome Epinette, who’s one of the two perfumers credited with making Côte d’Azur has made many Byredo perfumes but not Gypsy Water. Still, if it’s the same huge perfume company making both scents, you could see how successful or beloved amber accord might be borrowed.

In case you haven’t smelled Gypsy Water, the beautiful drydown is amber and vetiver so it’s fresh and warm at the same time, that reminds me of warm rain. It’s positively addictive and I can see why people love this perfume so much. When I sprayed all three on paper, Cote d’Azur wasn’t the one that spoke to me the most, but I do love it on skin.

The one that spoke to me was Desertland because it’s a herbal vetiver perfume. Lavender gives it a dryness and juniper and pine keep it fresh. The drydown is very similar to Cote d’Azur and side by side after a few hours, there was very little difference between the two. It’s almost like both of them were built on the same base.

Valley of Flowers was my least favourite. It uses a generic-smelling floral accord, that’s a little too sharp, too piercing. The drydown still had a steel edge to it that wasn’t warm like the others.

You can purchase the Oribe sample set and the perfumes from the Oribe website.  I would say that if you like the smell of the shampoo, then Cote d’azur is a very safe blind-buy.  If you like Gypsy Water, then you will like the dry down.

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