Aveeno Sensitive Skin Mineral Sunscreen SPF 50

I tried this on and although the packaging says “sheer” on it, it just doesn’t look great on my skin, and unless you are very fair and without any freckles, it will look like white makeup on you.

So in the end, I wasn’t too unhappy with how this looked and I will say that if you have sensitive skin, mineral sunscreen can be less irritating. I don’t know when I’d use this because if I ever did, I’d be tempted to use it so sparingly so I don’t look like a ghost. This is best for those who are very fair anyway. Maybe kids.

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Chronotope Buen Camino Perfume Review

Time to talk about Chronotope Buen Camino, a perfume I bought last year and have worn a lot! I haven’t really talked about this much because I liked it so much that it became one of those easy reach perfumes for me, and yeah, talking about something that’s just become a part of you and your routine is hard to do, especially when you like it. I discovered this at just the right time: I was really into incense (still am) and I loved it the second I smelled it, which is always a good sign for me. In the year I’ve been wearing it, I’ve found it to be comforting. Text

Buen Camino was created and named after a pilgrimage and so it’s no wonder that I would this deeply comforting to wear too. It had all the aspects of a medicinal balm: a burst of lavender, the scent of Polysporin, sweet immortelle, star anise (sweeter and less pungent regular anise), maybe some cinnamon?, and an incense that’s easy-to wear and becomes a part of my skin, slightly sweet and pulls people in. And it’s a crowd pleaser – people inhale and say mmmmm, that smells good.

I’ve always talked about rotating which perfumes I keep out, and having some out for certain seasons, but Buen Camino never gets put away because it’s so easy to wear. I don’t wear this if I’m going out, but I love it for a Monday or for staying in. It’s a crowd pleaser too, and like nothing else that’s out there. My favourite thing about sharing this with people has been watching their eyes widen as they smell it for the first time.

Oh, a note on the bottles – they have changed and now have the name of the perfume on the front of the bottle. This is the old bottle.

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4711 Cologne

TextIt’s 4711 season. Light, fresh, and lemony. Some people say it reminds them of bathroom cleaner, but 🤷🏽‍♀️. Yeah, it’s a scrubbed, astringent citrus. I could probably use up this 30ml in a month but I won’t.

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Elie Saab Le Parfum Review

This is a suburban mom perfume. It’s on the ball, a little fun but not out of control.

Elie Saab Le Parfum Resort Collection, Francis Kurkdijian is the perfumer. Text

Elie Saab is known for his elegant red-carpet gowns, and I’ve often admired Halle Berry when she’s worn them. This perfume completely fits that aesthetic. It’s pretty and put-together, a fruity floral that’s not too fruity. There’s a quirkiness with the opening but it doesn’t take away from the strong feminine feel that the body of the perfume has.

This is an orange blossom and Tuberose perfume that opens with what’s listed as “pomegranate” but really just smells vaguely like red fruit gummies. Honestly, I don’t reach for this much because of the opening and that seems to be all I remember when I look at the vivid red bottle. Actually, once the fruits are gone, this has a nice white floral accord that reminds me of Fleurs d’Oranger by Serge Lutens, and it has intense lasting power and sillage. I could smell 1 spray 6 hours into wearing it.

Have you tried this one, or any of the other Elie Saab perfumes?

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Boscia Body Care Collection

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We’ve got face care, scalp care, and now body care is the latest frontier… especially for the summer. I’ve posted before about using retinoids, vitamin C, and acids on my body (seriously, a glycolic acid body cream can give you the softest smoothest skin ever), and I’ve heard skincare experts say that you should apply your face care routine all the way down to your… well as low as you want, actually.

And now Boscia body care is here.

Body cleanser, body serum, and body cream. They all smell amazing, herbal and fresh, so I’m enjoying using them. Both the serum and the body cream are light and absorb easily, so you can apply them and get dressed. The Cica Soothing Universal Cream is light enough that you can even use it on your face, so I love throwing it in my swimming bag because then I just have to take one lotion out.

You can find these wherever Boscia products are found (Shoppers Drug Mart, The Bay).

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Fenty Beauty Sun Stalk’R Palette

TextAre you watching The Kardashians? I am, but so is my sister, so it’s something we can watch together even though we’re far apart.

Anyway, I love being inspired by their makeup (definitely not this season’s style) and it’s a lot of neutrals. This Fenty Beauty Sun Stalk’R palette (I know, I can’t even with the name) is sending me, and it’s literally got everything I need to do my makeup in a rush. I can even use the darkest brown to fill in my eyebrows.

Two shimmer colours are easily used on the lids or on cheekbones. I use the lightest one on my face, and the darker one on my eyelids.

I’ll probably travel with this over the summer too.

The matte colours are light and easy to blend, they look seamless on skin. I use the lightest matte shade to set my cheeks and chin, and the second and third colors are my bronzers. So good.

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Dior Poison Girl

TextPetty gossip, charm bracelets, milkshakes and fries. It’s all here in Dior Poison Girl, it makes think of me of a sweet teenager filled with malcontent.

This was was launched in 2016 as a Poison for a younger demographic. For the 6 years it’s lived in my collection, I’ve barely reached for it but I’m really having a moment with it now. The tonka in the base is kind of a Dior signature, and I’m sure I’ve smelled in other Dior perfumes before, maybe in Dior Addict. Here, it’s pretty but not too sweet, and there’s also something off in the opening, like orange peel that has too much pith on it. Instead of being off-putting, it actually adds interest to what would otherwise be too basic. I’m leaning into the bitterness to enjoy the sweetness.

This EDT is discontinued, but I’m sure you can find it at discounters, and it seems to still be pretty popular. I haven’t smelled any of the other perfumes in the Dior Poison line – let me know if you have! There are also flankers like Hypnotic Poison, and even a flanker to this flanker, called Poison Girl Unexpected, but I haven’t smelled those either. Let me know if you have, and if you like them!

Perfumer: Francois Demachy

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Serge Lutens Collection

TextSerge Lutens in my collection: Datura Noir, La Fille De Berlin, and Tubereuse Criminelle way in the back.

I will say that these skyscraper bottles are a pain. They’re impossible to put in a drawer or on a normal-sized bookshelf. I like to put things away to give myself a break for them and I think I’ll have to lay this bottle on it’s side and the thought of that is annoying me already.

Do you have any favourites from this house?

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L’Artisan Parfumeur Dzing!

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Come for the barnyard, stay for the cotton candy.This smells so dirty and weird but it stays close to the skin and love it for its quirkiness.

It’s also a coveted scent – so many people have told me that they were looking for this (at the right price of course), and I was lucky enough to have an aquaintance that was ready to get rid of it.

It’s very animalic (I wasn’t kidding when I said that it starts off smelling like a barnyard), but that aspect of the scent dies down and then it’s addictively good.  It’s got elements of apple, of cotton candy, there’s hay (which smells sweet in and of itself), and so much more.

Sillage isn’t much, which is a good thing, but it does invite you close.  I can smell it on the sweater that I put it on last week, but only if I’m sticking my nose into it.

Dzing! is a classic.  Revered by niche perfume-lovers because it really took that idea of a circus and turned it into a perfume.  Maybe it’s not what the kids these days want to smell like, and that’s why the brand stopped producing it, or maybe it’s time to go in another direction.  I’m wearing it and keeping it in my collection.

Have you smelled this?

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Empties: MooGoo, Aveeno, Nars, Marcelle, Belif, Givenchy…

Empties recently.

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The MooGoo Protein Shot Hair Cream that I love. It leaves my hair so soft and I’m definitely going to restock. It felt conditioning too.

Aveeno Daily Moisturizing Cleanser. Didn’t foam so was legitimately gentle on skin. I used this more in the morning because it wasn’t heavy enough for night time on its own.

Belif Aqua Bomb hydrating toner. Omg this smelled SO nice – refreshingly herbal. I really enjoyed it, but this little size gave me just a few uses.

Ellie Pumpkin Enzyme Peel. I got this in the fall and I used it just once in a while. My skin was always a little tingly when I used it so the acids were working. The nice thing about a peel mask is you can customize the effect by how long you keep it on your skin.

Nars Lip Gloss in Coeur Sucre. I’m running low on lip balm. This was a pretty candy pink that was semi-sheer and I loved it. I find these to be slightly sticky but really moisturizing so I do like them.

Old Gosh Forever Lip Shine. This is from ages ago, and I found it an old purse.

Givenchy Lip Glow. One of those glosses that changed colour on your lips. It killed me to throw away this Lux packaging. The lip balm costs $45 and comes in many colours. I just saw it at Sephora.

Skin Proud Recharge Serum. This has 1.5% retinol in it and also was more of an oil serum. It was one of the more moisturizing serums I’ve tried.

Murad Eye Masks. It was good, but more because I felt refreshed not because I felt that I looked different. I’m still on the eye mask train though. I wish I remembered to use them in the morning.

Marcelle Vitamin C… it was ok.

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