Chanel Venise Perfume Review

TextI’m a little enamored with Chanel perfume these days. It took me forever to appreciate No. 5, and now I’m all the way down the rabbit hole.

So I dug out my sample of Chanel Venise that a perfume friend sent me a while ago. I did 1 conservative spray on my sleeve (thinking that I could change my shirt if I didn’t like it) and then went back to spray on my skin, and found myself putting my wrist to nose throughout the day.

The next day, I went for a cloud of it so that I could enjoy it the whole day, and now my little sample is almost empty.

This has the longest citrus opening of any fragrance I’ve tried and I think it’s worth buying just for that. But though it’s a fresh soapy number, it settles down to being ambery in the dry down and I find that to be so appealing. It’s basically a skin scent on me. I can’t smell it throughout the day, even if I’m wearing it in my hair, and as much as I don’t want a Chanel skin scent, I kind of love it and do want it? I’ll have to see if I miss it when I finish my sample… but Venise is lovely.

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XO Treatment Room Pink Perfecting Oil

I found some light and some hot pink so things are looking brighter. Every week that goes by, I think “well made it another 7 days without getting it”, anyone else feel the same way?

I love the colour of the bottle colour of XO Treatment Room’s Pink Perfecting Oil which was a limited-edition release, but it’s the nicest blend of peptides and oil, so not only does it moisturize, but it also seals everything in… and smells like a Strawberry Milkshake.

 

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How Do You Wear Your Fragrance Video

https://youtu.be/H2rLRxlUUt0

How Do You Wear Your Fragrance?I thought this was common knowledge, but maybe it was common only to me, and I’ve had quite a few discussions with various people about it. Tell me in the comments – what do you wear, where do you wear it, and how many sprays?

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Fable and Mane Hair Mask Review

Not worth the hype.

TextUniquely creamy texture of this Fable and Mane hair mask. This is a sample and I’ve used it a couple of times. The jar had about 5 uses in it and my hair is pretty long.

Honestly, I’ve seen this brand plastered all over social media but this mask is pretty ordinary. I mean, every brand has some hits and some filler products and maybe this just isn’t one of the hits. 🤷🏽‍♀️ Maybe that’s why it’s a freebie?

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Kilian Incense Oud Perfume Review

Incense Oud by Kilian is a scent that I keep coming back to as I seem to be craving an incense background to my winter activities.

TextI’m not sure whether to be sad that it’s discontinued and almost-impossible to find on the Internet, or be happy that my wallet is safe for now. Actually, having an Arabian Nights collection doesn’t seem like a concept that would age well, but the perfume world can seem a little insular at the best of times, so maybe it doesn’t matter.

This is such an incense-intense fragrance, and I hardly smell any oud in it, but as always, Kilian delivers elegant smooth scents with intense projection and wearability. They’re interesting but wearable. What I do get with this is so much incense, but without any smoke, but also an earthy rose which is a note I can enough of.

Incense seems to remind people of church, but I can’t say that I can place this scent there. Instead, I’m finding this incense to be grounding in a time where it seems like there is a lot going on. Despite having a plethora of rose scents, I don’t have one with incense in it, and so this seems to fill a void in my perfume wardrobe. I’ve only got these few ml to satisfy my rose-incense needs, and maybe by the time I finish them, I’ll have found something else.

People who have smelled this on me have called it very a very “Henna” fragrance… make of that what you will…

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Kenzo Jungle Review

TextSpicy Kenzo Jungle. It’s that spicy Christmas candle at the back of your cabinet, it’s the potted fake pines at Homesense, it’s the office of your coworker with the jangly Rudolph earrings.

This is one I’ve been saving for cooler weather, but I still don’t think it’s cool enough outside. It’s a pungent cardamom/cinnamon juice that’s definitely not chai, because it’s missing any lactonic smoothness to mellow out that spice. It’s also missing black tea, which happens to be a key component of chai. You’d think it would be pumpkin spice, but there’s very little sweetness and it’s so outdoorsy.

I don’t know whether I love this but it gets lots of traction on Instagram.  People really adore it and I hear that it works well on warm skin or in warm weather.  I don’t know. Sometimes I love it and sometimes I can live without it.

Have you smelled this? What do you think of it?

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Phlur Moab Review Video

TextSunsets, books, and Phlur Moab. Named after the desert in Utah, this perfume feels like a warm spicy hug from a desert wind. It’s a totally slept on scent because it really reminds me of Zoologist Camel or MFK Grand Soir. There’s no tobacco or smoke in this though. Just cinnamon, some vanilla pods, and a dry dusty earthiness. It’s the perfect fall scent. It was love at first smell.

You can watch the whole video review below.

 

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Carolina Herrera Very Good Girl Perfume Review

First perfume review of the year!

Carolina Herrera Very Good Girl. I’ve smelled Good Girl, and this one is not like that, though the bottle is still iconic. This launched in early 2021 and I’m sure you’ve all seen it at some point. Have you smelled it? Did it work on you?

Thanks to @shoppersdrugmart @shoppersbeauty for gifting me the bottle.

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Naturally Serious Skin Now in Canada

It goes without saying that I definitely wouldn’t be able to try so many new skincare launches without getting some things as part of PR.

TextI’m grateful that Naturally Serious Skin sent me some things when they launched in Canada, and I know I started seeing these products Shoppers Drug Martlast fall. Every single product in their range has their own antioxidant blend in it, which is a nice touch. So many new skincare launches seem to focus on just basic ingredients (Hyaluronic acid, retinol, Niacinamide, etc.) that it’s nice to see products that have a blend so I don’t have to layer so much.

I know some of you have skin that’s very sensitive to scent, so I’ll start by saying that all the Naturally Serious products I’ve tried have been heavily scented. If you struggle with eczema or POD, then maybe wait until your symptoms clear before trying these.

My favourite product is the Lemon Aid Makeup-Removing Cleansing Gel. It’s so slippery and smooth, but also foaming. It just glides over your skin. Does it really remove makeup? Depends on how much you use. I found it to be very gentle so I still use a makeup remover before I use this gel. It’s often my cleanser in the morning when I’m not wearing any makeup.

The After Dark Peptide Cream has a gorgeous marshmallow fluff like texture – without any stickiness – but it’s too rich for my oily skin. Best for dry skin, I think.

The Sleep Over Retin-Oil is lovely but very gentle. If you’re a regular user of prescription or very strong retinol, this won’t be much for you, but I did enjoy using it on nights I wasn’t using Differin. I really love that this is a one and done kind of product.

Finally, the Get Even Peel Pads were lovely. These offer light exfoliation and I could use them daily. The active ingredient was fruit enzyme. I found that if there were any remnants of makeup, these took them off quite easily, so that was a bonus.

Have you tried anything from this brand? What did you think?

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What’s the Deal with Cordless Vacuums

There are many benefits to cordless vacuum cleaners – from their lightweight nature to the fact that they are mostly battery operated and offer more maneuverability. Many people are willing to shoulder the so-called downfalls of the cordless configuration in favor of the reasonable price point, even though the reliability is often not what you might expect from a corded version.

A comparison of leading brands: Tineco
If you look at the S11 Pure One by Tineco, it makes a good choice, as it checks all the boxes, performs well, and doesn’t have any significant compliance against it. In fact, compared to similar vacuums in the same category, it comes out in the first position in terms of both battery life and cleaning power. The S11’s prominent top feature is the duration of its battery life – as long as 30 minutes at a time, in addition to which it is lighter and has proven to show more straightforward steering capacity than its competitors.

The bottom line of this model? Low price, higher cleaning capacity and ability. In general, a better than average performance at a medium price. Consumer feedback reports have also indicated that most owners are satisfied with the purchase of this model, and do not regret doing so. Above and beyond the robust offerings discussed above, the S11 offers an additional bonus inclusion: an integrated dust sensor, which can be applied in a myriad of valuable ways. As the unit sucks up dirt, the colour-changing LED light indicates how much dust you have vacuumed. The greater the mess, the greater the suction power, too, as the S11 boosts its suction when it senses a high-intensity cleaning job. Although many cordless vacuums do offer this feature by now, the S11 provides an extra battery pack to prolong the lifespan of the cleaning time. It can also detach to work as a handheld vacuum.

A comparison of leading brands: Dyson
In the same category, the Dyson V8 is an excellent option for a cordless vacuum (although it should be noted that it is by no means the best within the Dyson family).
However, within the cordless category, its deep-cleaning capacity is much better than most others.

Dyson sales in Australia have shown a similar pattern over time, with the purchase pattern reflecting the perceived popularity of the V8. New developments since the inception of the V8 have rendered the power switch of the unit, which is a trigger-pull style, frustrating for many people, as more ergonomic options have become available since then, which people might have grown accustomed to. If you can manage to wait for a Dyson sale, you could pick up one of these units for a price in the vicinity of R400.

However, if your home is larger than average, or your vacuuming time is more than an hour in general, you might benefit from using an Outsize model. This is not a description but a category name within the Dyson range. They, too, adjust their suction power to their perceived workload and come with an extra battery pack to extend working time and to stretch the time between charges, which could put you out of action for about 4 hours until complete.

But there’s a twist
Despite the Dyson vacuum sales figures, it does appear that Dyson sticks will not be in the lead for very much longer. The reason for this is that other brands are catching up with competitive offerings, and the benefits of the Dyson might not be enough to keep it in the lead for very much longer without the price becoming a point of contention.

The issue of the uncomfortable trigger-switch is also an issue, compared to other brands that might be offering more comfortable options at a similar or lower price. Dyson stick vacuums seem to offer both ends of the spectrum – they are excellent on hard floors, but the heavier the carpet pile, the harder they seem to have to work.

Ironically, the V7, which has since been discontinued, would have been a stronger contender within this category. The V7 used to be the very top contender within the stick category but has sadly been subsequently replaced by further models, some of which have failed to meet the standards of this sturdy original. It was great because of its suction power and battery life, and although its performance record was excellent, the decision was somehow made to replace it with the still good but less excellent V8.

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