Decants > blind-buys.
Decant (v.) – to pour off from one vessel into another.
Decant (n.) – short for decantation – a small sample you make to share perfume with your friends.
This 4711 came in a splash bottle which never worked for me, so I poured some into mini spray bottle that I got on Amazon, and also made a little spray for a friend. Sprays are just so much easier to enjoy.
I’ve been test-driving this new @nestfragrances Turkish Rose Perfume Oil and wow, is it ever potent. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
This is a very jammy sweet rose, thanks to notes of black plum and the sweetness lasts the entire scent. Just one drop of this on my wrist lasted through the day, and I kept getting whiffs of it. ⠀
It really reminds me of Kilian Liaisons Dangereuses by Kilian but that one has a drydown that prevents it from being too sweet. There’s nothing that’s anchoring this Nest scent so it stays pretty syrupy.
For me, this is a little too sweet… it’s not cloying, but it’s just so syrupy sweet that it doesn’t smell refreshing and I wouldn’t wear this in the summer. The full bottle of this comes with a dropper so that you can add the oil into body or hair products and use it however you would like. It’s a gorgeous concept, especially if you are in love with the scent and want to use it for everything. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
The smaller size comes in a rollerball which makes sense for a perfume oil. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
I loved it, but it’s not for me. It’s a good rose for anyone who likes sweet scents and the rose oil is an interesting concept.
Cottage #empties. Fun fact, I did not take enough sunscreen with me, and was down to the last few drops on the last day.
The sunscreens are an obvious one, and I like both of these from Neutrogena.
I will say that the spray doesn’t go very far especially if you share with everyone, but it’s a super, clear formula. I use it for adding a layer on top of what I already have.
Aveeno Skin Relief Moisturizing Lotion is a winner. Very soothing and light in hot weather, but probably doesn’t have enough oomph for winter time.
The Deciem Hair Fabric is a pass. This is a cleansing conditioner with no lather. It might still work at washing hair though, so I’m not complaining about it leaving my hair dirty, but I wash my hair everyday and I was in the water a lot.
Kerastase Elixer Ultime is probably not for humidity, but I remember liking it in Calgary. It’s not heavy so great for blow-drying.
Viktor and Rolf Flowerbomb.
This one has been around since 2005 and it’s another one that I used to wear all the time. I ran into a salesperson when it first launched and she said, don’t worry, soon enough you’re going to see this everywhere. I found not 1, not 2, but 3 bottles of this around the house. You’d think it was an intense floral but it ends up so ambery sweet on me with intense vanilla notes. I can only wear it in small doses.
Here’s a serum that I love: @graydonskincare Fullmoon Serum which is basically a glycerin serum with plant extracts and is available at Shoppers Drug Mart. I’ve been using it for the past couple of weeks and love it for the plump glow it gives and a layer of hydration.
It’s my first step after cleansing morning and night and then I follow up with the rest of my regular skincare routine. This is part of the Thoughtful Choices at Shoppers Drug Mart lineup and was #gifted.
Buying perfume in a vintage-style atomizer will only lead to heartache. The juice evaporated before you even have to chance to use the perfume and you’ll be left with a bunch unusable oil. I got this one on a press trip to the Bond No. 9 store in NYC and they blended my fragrance. What did I pick? I don’t even remember.
Fun fact: when you took an international business class flight in the ‘80s, you got a perfume gift set as a present to take home. Yes, this Chloe is another original from my mom’s collection, and it’s a confident floral blend that gives me Dallas vibes. Maybe because my mom was into the show at that time and there’s probably bits of it, along with this smell, lodged in my memory.
Opened up a bottle of this @deciem The Ordinary Glycolic Acid solution last week.
This is the second bottle of it that I’m going through.
As far as acids go, this one is pretty mild because it’s 7% glycolic acid, but it’s still good at gently lighting scarring from breakouts and generally improving skin texture. It’s lightweight and meant to be used with a cotton pad, but the finish is a bit sticky. Not a big deal if you’re using moisturizer on top anyway.
For the price, I’d say it’s fine and the bottle is a nice size. Would I rebuy? I’m not sure. I like more of a combo of acids, and really I’d like a BHA-AHA combo, which my skin really seems to love. There are a few of those out there, you just have to look, but this was pretty cheap and I’m pretty sure I got it on sale too.
If you’re adding this, or any other acid, or even retinol to your routine, don’t forget that you are having new skin cells come to the surface and you want to protect them from the sun. Regular sun protection is even more essential. 😎
Dabbed on Chanel 1932 yesterday and the vanilla just popped off my skin, to the point that I kept wondering who was wearing Flowerbomb since that was the same vibe and I had sniffed the bottle just days before.
Turns out it was this, and because it’s a dab bottle quite a few years old, the top notes must have evaporated. The vanilla had impressive sillage and lasted a long time, but ultimately gave way a couple of hours later to a sweet musky woodsy drydown which was a skin scent a beautiful to wear. This bottle isn’t mine and it’s not something I’d wear again.
Afterwards, I went to the Chanel section in Holt Renfrew, and tried their version of it and actually it was the same. This is a sweet scent that would be perfect if you like scents like Flowerbomb. It’s quite indolic too which works differently on everyone. Try before you buy for this one!
