Love this lipstick. It’s the Charlotte Tilbury Superstar Lips. More of a lipgloss than a lipstick, it’s the perfect colour and formula. Completely non-sticky and very moisturizing. I read a review on Sephora that said that this is the most underrated lipgloss and nobody seems to be talking about it and I couldn’t agree more.
I’m done my bottle of Antipodes Glow Ritual Vitamin C serum, so I think it’s time to review it.
I like vitamin C serums to be light and quickly absorbed into my skin so that I can move on to the next part of my skincare routine. This serum does deliver in having a water-like texture thanks to the hyaluronic acid-containing base. Hyaluronic acid is in so many skincare products (serums, moisturizers, etc.) that I often feel that it’s a waste to have a serum that’s just that. I like that this Antipodes serum will give me both vitamin C and the HA so that I can add a dose of moisture-loving ingredients before sealing them in with a moisturizer. It also has some bakuchiol in it. During the day, I top this with sunscreen and I’m finding that it’s the best to have a nice and short routine. What kind of vitamin C is in here? Well, it’s actually kakadu plum extract, which is supposed to be antioxidant-rich. This seems to be a hot ingredient in Australia and New Zealand, and you’re going to be seeing it more and more.
I did show this serum on reels a little while ago – it’s golden in colour which is nice but it gets covered up anyway. Yes, I love the little dose of glow – it makes my skin look light-reflective and healthy. But I would like this serum without it too.
Antipodes is a brand from New Zealand, and is also vegan!
I posted a picture of my prescription retinol last week, and I don’t use that everyday because it’s pretty potent. On other nights, I use one of these – some of them are press samples. Some I’ve paid for, and actually there’s one I couldn’t find in time for this picture, but it resurfaced later.
There’s no debate about retinol working in any form – in fact a low concentration can be effective because it’ll be gentle enough to not have many side effects, and will encourage regular use which is the key to seeing a difference.
All of these work and the drugstore retinols are more gentle and are moisturizing. Many of them also have antioxidants or other nice ingredients in them. The A313 is from Europe and I find it to be the most irritating but it’s fine once my skin gets used to it.
What do you think? Do you have a favourite?
A few things I finished and which ones I loved:
Murad Daily Clarifying Peel. There is no peeling occurring with this toner/serum but it has a tiny dose of AHA, BHA and retinoid. I used it every morning and every night just to wipe excess residue, make up, cleanser off my skin. It was great for that and I really enjoyed how it smelled. It smells kind of herbal and really pleasant.
Kerastase Elixir Ultime. Don’t come at me, I know that this is a more expensive version of a L’Oreal oil, however I’ve had this bottle for years and I actually bought it before L’Oreal had come out with their version (L’Oreal and Kerastase are both under the same parent company bracket). Anyway… Your L team is really great for detangling hair and it makes your hair really soft so I did enjoy using it. I seem to go through a lot of hair products.
Urban Decay All-Nighter Setting Spray. I finished a full size bottle of the setting spray before but it’s been a few years since I used it. This little mini size came with a Sephora order and I used it all week and I found it really helped keep it up then even under a mask. Of course if you’re wearing a mask all day and talking and basically living through it lots of your skin care, sunscreen, make up is going to end up on the mask but at the end of the day I did find that a lot of it was more intact than it would’ve been otherwise. I really liked this. I have a couple of bottles of different setting sprays that I want to use up but if I was getting one, this would be it.
Vichy Dercos Energizing Shampoo and Conditioner. Loved both of these for the bit of minty tingle they gave my scalp.
Completely impressed.
If you have hair that is prone to frizz and you’d like to calm it down a bit, then take a look at the
Keratinworks Smoothing System because I noticed a different on my hair since the first time I used it. The system is actually created to be used in conjunction with keratin straightened hair, which is an in-salon treatment, but it works on all hair types anyway. I’ve been using the shampoo (which is violet), conditioner, serum and smoothing cream and I’ve found that my hair likes the little bit of keratin these products add. It just dries down less frizzy and looks so shiny. It’s also super soft to the touch which is great. I haven’t been heat-styling my hair at all and I feel like it feels so healthy when I use this system.
The shampoo is sulfate-free which is important for hair that has been treated with a smoothing system, and I found it to be so gentle on my hair.
You can order these products on their website. As of writing this, I’m not sure where you can get the Keratinworks smoothing treatment, but reach out to them via their website.
Niacin but in a dry oil. Instead of using my usual barrier repairing cream, I’m using this Strivectin number and my skin loves it. It really has a silky finish that you can feel when you touch your skin.
Where do I use this in my routine? Well, it’s the last “treatment” product I put on… after vitamin C and before sunscreen. When I use it at night, I apply after retinol… but give the retinol time to sink in. An oil isn’t something I’d use in the summer, but the cool weather has my skin feeling like it needs something more, and masks are sucking the moisture out of skin. You could use a moisturizer before or after this, or use this before and after your moisturizer. Depends on your skin and how much extra TLC it needs.
$79 at Shoppers Drug Mart.
Got a case for my travel bottle of @guerlain A L’Heure Bleue EDT. It’s a scent I wore all summer but I haven’t turned to it much since it started getting cooler. I figured I’d give it a nice home before putting it away for a while.
Did you know that Jean Claude Ellena, who was the perfumer for Hermes, also created the iconic scent of Nivea?
Actually, his work and influence is far-reaching, characterized by simplicity and lightness. I had big plans to go smell things this winter break, but Omicron out a wrench in those plans so I’m opening these Hermes Hermessence samples instead and working my way through them. Ambre Narguile already has my heart.
Texture but make it Chanel. Cherie (@thetopnote on Insta) and I once had a discussion about how the cream versions of certain scents smell different than the perfumes. It’s something that’s good to know about if you are deciding on getting a body cream or not. Smell before you buy.
In the case of the Chanel No. 5 Body Cream, it’s definitely different from the perfume, because it’s missing the fizzy aldehydes that make up the top notes. What you DO get is the floral blends that make up the heart. The body cream also has better staying power than the perfume and an intense sillage. This is a scent that’ll be all over your clothes. The texture is more of a gel-cream than a body butter. It absorbs quickly and isn’t at all greasy. I wouldn’t put it all over my body because of how strong it is, but I certainly love it on my hands and arms.
