Serge Lutens La Fille de Berlin

Posted on June 13, 2022 by Henna

TextYou know me, rose is probably the most represented in my perfume collection. I got this bottle of Serge Lutens La Fille de Berlin recently, after having it on my wishlist, Sephora Loves list, for years. I’ve had a little decant kicking around forever and now I have a bottle and 100ml at that.

This is actually a very straightforward rose in an eau de parfum concentration. It’s slightly herbal, slightly woody, and my nose doesn’t pick up the ambery base this supposedly had, but maybe that’s the newer bottles. My sample from years ago was definitely peppery and jammy, sweet even, but this bottle has none of that.

If you’re a fan of rose scents, you definitely need this. It’s delightfully easy to wear, an instant mood-lifter and one that I prefer to overspray because it doesn’t last forever, and there’s beauty in that. Nothing good ever lasts forever but nothing bad does either.

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Revisiting Prada Candy

Posted on June 10, 2022 by Henna

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I know lots of you have perfumes you gave away, sold, or lost, and then wanted back again, and this is one of mine. At one point I had the whole Prada Candy line and I never wore them because in those days I hated wearing anything even remotely sweet.

I got a sample of Candy and fell in love with it this time around. Now, I know that this one has been reformulated many times, and it seems to get more and more powdery, but my bottle smells pretty close to my sample and they’re years apart.

The main player in this is benzoin which can have warm and sweet qualities, and there’s lots of this in here. Although so many people define this as being caramel-like only, there’s a definite powderiness that reminds me of makeup powder, and a musk that sticks to your skin. I love that I can smell it all day, but it doesn’t have an intense amount of sillage.

In some ways, this reminds me of Chanel Paris-Venise except there’s no citrus notes and or vanilla, and Paris-Venise is pretty light. I think those two would layer so well together.

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L’Artisan Parfumeur Collection

Posted on June 9, 2022 by Henna

TextSome of the best.

Safran Troublant

Coeur de Vetiver Sacré

Dzing!

Ambre Extrème

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Comme de Garcons Incense Jaiselmer

Posted on June 8, 2022 by Henna

Brought out Jaiselmer today.

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It just smells so serious. There’s a super dry, almost boozy, green cardamom right up top, just to remind you that this is the incense one from India. It’s a little spicy thanks to pepper and cinnamon, and a dry cedar throughout. The cedar is… the good stuff. it reminds me of going to a sweat lodge where you’re supposed to sit in dry heat and sip cool water. The last time I went to one, I didn’t really sweat and then left when I couldn’t take the heat anymore. Jaiselmer really evokes that dry cedar wood smell.

I can see why this would be a good scent for spring, especially if you’re experiencing wet weather, because it would contrast beautifully with a damp rainy day. The dry cardamom, cinnamon, and woods just make it great for centring yourself and being introspective.

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Empties: Beauty of Eczema, Bumble and Bumble, Skin Proud, Neutrogena, Maybelline

Posted on June 7, 2022 by Henna

TextGoing swimming in a bit but first empties, including a lipstick and honestly, the only reason it didn’t finish sooner is because I was hoarding it.

It’s the Maybelline Super Stay matte crayon in 15 lead the way. It was the perfect neutral pink, and went on so creamy. I’m a big fan of these Maybelline Super Stay lippies. It comes with a sharpener which I only used once because that’s the best way to waste lipstick.

Skin Proud Velvet Cloud Cleanser. This got used up because it lived in the shower. 🤷🏽‍♀️ Skin Proud is at Walmart and the sizes of the bottles seem smaller than usual.

Bumble and Bumble Tone Enhancing Leave In, I saw that so many people picked this up in the Sephora sale. It’s good but I love the cedar-type smell that it has, and it was conditioning and made my hair so shiny when it dried.

Beauty of Eczema lotion. This is a moisturizing but non-greasy lotion. I’ve had it for a while but it got left in the swimming bag for a while and I finally took it out.

Neutrogena Micellar water. Did the trick. I used it to cleanse every morning.

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Empties: Make Up For Ever, Kamill, Pai, Murad, Strivectin

Posted on June 3, 2022 by Henna

TextYou know what time it is… things I finished this week and enjoyed…

The gloss is an old Make Up For Ever Diamond Gloss. They launched it and then I think it was discontinued so fast which is a shame because it was a decent non -sticky formula.

Kamill hand cream. Although this says Intensive on it, it’s light and absorbs quickly. I really love these hand creams. My mom gave this to me over Christmas and I think you can find big bottles of it too.

Pai Instant Kalmer serum. This is a super light peptide serum. I liked it initially but then I broke out which is super-rare for me so I suspect it was this. I do love Pai Skincare thought. Their products are gentle.

Murad AHA/BHA Exfoliating Cleanser. This has little scrubby beads in it so it lived in my shower. It was ok…

Strivectin Comforting Cream Cleanser. I LOVED this. Basically like a cold cream but it emulsified with water and did a nice job at getting makeup and sunscreen off. I liked it because it was moisturizing but I always followed up with a foaming cleanser because then my skin was perfectly clean.

Hope everyone had a good week…

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Guerlain Encens Mythique Review

Posted on June 2, 2022 by Henna

TextWearing Guerlain Encens Mythique today because I spent a lot of time in the water and felt like something briny. Rose and incense are in this aside from a touch of ambergris.

I bought this for the rose-incense but the ambergris makes my mouth water. It makes me think of a Greek hero… one day the image will solidify and I’ll know which one. This is mythology in a bottle.

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Chanel Bois des Iles edt vs. edp, jot notes after a few wears

Posted on June 1, 2022 by Henna

Wearing Chanel Bois des Îles today. Sandalwood and ylang ylang, reminds me of Guerlain Samsara but with sparkly aldehydes too.

My collection of Les Exclusifs continues to grow.

 

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Frederic Malle Samples

Posted on June 1, 2022 by Henna

Name your favourite Malle.
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Katy Perry Indi Review

Posted on May 30, 2022 by Henna

TextKaty Perry Indi is what I wear when I’m expecting to give lots of hugs, and yes, I love giving (and receiving) hugs, but I’ll always wait for a someone to give me a sign first. This is a beautiful soft woodsy scent, very cedar-like, and easy to wear. It doesn’t have a lot of lasting power, but I use it as a hair perfume, where it seems to stick a little bit more.

Comparisons to Santal 33 and any other woodsy numbers are apt, but this is softer, lighter, and comes out in an airy mist. There are any number of woody scents out there, and we all have our favourites, but this is the cheapest, so it wins. It’s also such a crowd pleaser, and I always get compliments on it, as long as I’m giving hugs and I’m wearing lots.

This was a blind-buy and I have no regrets.

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