OMG INTERNET HOW I MISSED YOU (Plus, The Scents of Summer!)
Posted by Latoya in Fragrance, Body Care, Haus of Gloi on May 2, 2013
Anyone who has gone a long while without internet (who wasn’t jumping out of planes, getting tattoos, and throwing themselves off bridges) knows how much its ridiculously missed, and how sad it is to see how attached they are to instant gratification. My new roommate moved in Sunday and as such, we upgraded from basic internet only to the full meal deal – that means FiberOp, Cable, AND a landline (whoa, dudes). However, the geniuses at BellAliant jumped the gun and fooled up my internet early, and I have been web-free since Friday :S Thankfully, after getting everything installed today it seems I am rejoining the electronically-informed populace…AMEN TO THAT.
Along with my inter-connection woes, I’ve also been SUUUUUPER busy with events and prep for my friend’s wedding in a couple weeks. The bachelorette party was last Saturday (at which I got far too boozy…oops) and coordinating that plus the new roomie was quite the feat. I haven’t even had time to buy new makeup, ya’ll! Which is probably a good thing, because I went WAY overboard in April as it is.
As tends to happen this time of year, several of my purchases had a recurring focus: the smells of summer. Though I’ve mostly turned my back on scented products due to my eczema, once the sun comes out and the heat goes up, all (well, MANY) bets are off, as all I wanna sniff and smell like is summertime. My general go-to is usually coconut – as a gourmand scent lover, it totally captures my foodie-loving heart, and reminds me of the way Hawaiian Tropic sunscreen *used* to smell (anyone else noticed it’s changed over the years? Not a fan). Every year I stock up on beachy-themed products; namely, conditioner, perfume, candles, and sometimes even hand cream if I’m feeling daring. This year has been no exception.
First I picked up a few candles from B&BW, and the one I’ve got stuck in my bathroom is Coconut Leaves. This is an awesome rendition as it’s not too cloying as coconut -scented products can be, and I love that this mini candle still has great throw without even being lit. Perfect for smaller spaces like the bathroom.
When I stocked up on my Aether Pumpkin Butter’s from Haus of Gloi, I also picked up a few of their seasonal scents – the Komodo Pumpkin Butter (mangosteen, Tahitian vanilla bean, dragon’s blood resin, faded tropical blooms), Lassi Sugar Exfoliant (fresh mango cream, orange blossom water, black ginger, green tea, lime juice), and Selkie Soft Bubbling Scrub (evocatively described as ‘the break of waves, gurgling sea foam, kelp, rain-tinged air, sand smoothed driftwood, and wild sage). Sadly, Komodo is not at all what I hoped, the the tropical blooms being far too floral and sort of ‘old lady’* for my taste. However, Lassi is all sorts of lime-y deliciousness and smells just like sweet tarts, and Selkie makes me feel like I’m at a spa in the Caribbean. If I could have bought large sizes of these (they were out of stock) I would have – SO. YUMMY.
*A thought – as sweet, fruity fragrances are the trend now, are they going to be considered old lady scents when we are in fact, old ladies?? Hmmm…
Next, I nabbed an Organix body wash in Coconut Milk Hibiscus which smells a lot like the B&BW candle – it’s pseudo-coconut to be sure, but again it’s so too sweet and smells really delicious in the shower. Definitely envokes Calgon-take-me-away type feeling for sure. Additionally, it’s not too drying and fragrance is far down the list of ingredients – so far, so good.
Finally, last week while at Sephora I started sniffing a few scents, as it’s been SO long since I’ve bought one (and after *finally* finishing ‘The Perfume Lover,’ I’m kind of obsessed with fragrance now!!), and I stumbled upong BCBG’s Max Azria eau de parfum (released in 2011). It’s a tasty mix of wild strawberry, black cherry, and ‘French Kir Royale cocktail’ (black currant liqueur & white wine), which develops into jasmine, lily of the valley, rose, and violet, and is grounded by iris root, musk, and sandalwood. No coconut here, but it still totally pulled me in and made me think of berry picking and the easy times of summer. Unfortunately, I find the longevity of the fragrance weak, not more than an hour or so – though this might not be a bad thing once the temperatures start to rise. The sillage is is also soft, which again probably isn’t a bad thing in this case. So, while I love the scent, I am disappointed to some degree. At least I only purchased a rollerball (which could be the issue, too), so it’s entirely likely I’ll be finished the scent by the end of summer – just the way I like it 
Though we’ve had some sunny days, and even a few warm ones, its still feeling like early spring for the most part here on the East Coast, so getting that little extra sunshine boost from these products goes a long way to nudging summer to my doorstep!
What’s your fave summer scent? And also – I MISSED YOU GUYS!!
Surprise! I Have Interests Aside from Makeup!
Though beauty and beauty-related thoughts permeate most of my waking hours (perhaps sad, but true), I DO have other interests, you guys. I’ve decided to start doing posts here and there on another hobby of mine, which still has an element of beauty to some degree – classic movies. Aside from the blurred, romantic quality I find in many old ‘moving pictures’, I love the dichotomy of the simple yet somehow nuanced storylines, in which not everything is revealed plainly or spelled out for you (as can be in current films) and every movement is subtle but still filled with meaning. The leading ladies are both glamourous and vulnerable, astute yet naive, and I often find myself wishing I had grown up in the 40′s or 50′s (incidentally, my favorite Christmas songs are from greats like Bing Crosby, Ella Fitzgerald, or Billie Holiday), feeling I would be well-suited for the time.
Ella Fitzgerald
I am somewhat of a pop culture aficionado, and I like to understand references to phrases, events, music, etc. that link back to an old film, novel, or just plain hollywood gossip. I think this is was the catalyst for my hobby, yet the pleasure I got from watching these old movies has made it so much more than that. Slowly but surely, I’m scratching titles off my list and gaining more and more appreciation for the art form that is classic film. I try to dedicate my Sunday nights to old movie watching, and it’s come to be a ritual I look forward to.
Snapshot from Some Like It Hot
Typically, my taste in past films has revolved around drama and romance, such as Some Like It Hot (1958) (which is truly when I understood just why Marilyn Munroe captivated us so), the super-long-and-totally-worth-it Gone With the Wind (1939) (my first experience with earlier film – and how gorgeous is Vivian Leigh!!?), and the eternal classic Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961). However, lately I’ve been intrigued by old horror and suspense, and recently watched The Birds (1963) (which surprised me how much I enjoyed it – though I should know better, it being a Hitchcock film – and had me on the edge of my seat) and Rosemary’s Baby (1967) (thru which I just kind of scratched my head; Roman Polanski has got one very strange mind).
Snapshot from The Birds
A couple weeks ago, I decided to come back to the softer side of things and watched To Have and Have Not (1944), with Lauren Bacall and Humphrey Bogart. It was the first time I’d watched her in film, and I confess – I’m totally smitten. Though she was totally a man-eater in the movie, she also had this innocent quality about her – likely due to the fact that she was only 20 yrs old in the film – that made her both appealing and approachable.
Snapshot from To Have and Have Not
The reason I chose this film was due to the fact that it was where Humphrey and Lauren first met and subsequently married one year later, and I had to see the connection in action (much like my children/grandchildren will want to see the movie where Brad and Angelina got together…weird!). I found their chemistry quite plain on-screen, though respectful – he was 25 years her senior, after all! But you could see there was a genuine affection between them that was so sweet to watch.
It’s no surprise that Bogart fell for her – she was a total fox! Her allure was palpable, with the smouldering eyes and a sultry voice with fantastic inflection. That’s another thing I love about old movies – the beauty was so classic and gorgeous that it’s still relevant, even today. I actually can’t imagine when it WON’T be appropriate – how can you go wrong with richly pigmented lips and lush, full lashes?
What’s even crazier, is that Bacall, now 88 yrs old, still has that sultry, smokey gaze, and oozes grace – no amount of makeup can make that happen at that age, you either got it or you don’t! I’d sure love to learn that trick…
To Have and Have Not was a fairly straightforward movie that was easy to watch and follow (which isn’t always the case with old films) and kept me engaged in the storyline – though I will say the ending was somewhat abrupt. However, another positive from watching these movies is that I can enjoy the best qualities of the time, while being reminded of how far we’ve come in film and develop a new appreciation for what’s being offered today. Though I will say – few leading men and ladies can compare to the previous masters – their class and poise renders them eternally timeless.
Are you into old films? Any favorites?
Another Rave Review for YSL’s Rouge Volupte Shine in #8 Pink in Confidence
Posted by Latoya in Lips, Spring 2013, YSL on April 21, 2013
Hallo everyone! I hope you all had a great weekend Mine was good but effing busy – I helped my friend clean and move into her newly built house (gorgeous!), who’s wedding I also happen to be standing in next month (my first time [since I was a kid] – I’M SO EXCITED!!!!!!) – so I also spent some time preparing for her bachelorette/wedding. It’s such a fantastic experience, all of it, but its quite involved! On top of all that, I’m also training for that half marathon I’m doing in Ottawa at the end of May, so every weekend I have to find time to do a long run – this weekend was 15k so at this point it starts to take up a fair chunk of time. But, running is honestly the best thing I have EVER done for myself, so it’s well worth it. *Just as an aside – if you even have a remote inkling that you might like to run, or if you run at all – casually or more routinely – I highly recommend signing up to do a half (or, if you’re super-ambitious, a full) marathon, it is an amazing experience and I love it so damn much. This will be my third half, and every long run is better than the last – this is the best training I’ve had yet and I really think I’m gonna rock the shit out of the race!! Fingers crossed for me
Ok, moving on. As many of you know, I went on a bit of a lippie binge in the past couple weeks, and I’m still working through the reviews of each. Today I’m going to show you a shade that’s been pretty talked up in the blogosphere – YSL’s Rouge Volupte Shine #8 Pink in Confidence. Since I’m certain many of you have read reviews on both the RVS formula (ultra-hydrating, antioxidant-full, sheer to medium coverage glossy lipstick) as well as this shade, I’m going to keep the chatter to a minimum and let the pictures do the talking.
Pink in Confidence is described as a dusty pale pink, and I think that’s pretty accurate. Somehow, I didn’t own a nice soft pink shade, so this has been a much needed addition to my collection. As you can see in the lipstick bullet itself (picture below shows it better), there is a very fine micro-shimmer present, but I find it shows up on the lip very minimally.
While the Rouge Volupte Shines have a translucency to them that allows your natural lip color to show through, they’re actually more opaque than I thought, and this shade can mute my natural lip tone quite a bit if I layer it on (above, it was swatched first with one swipe, then several, to show how it can be built up). I’m a touch concerned that it may be a bit too light for my skintone once I get tanned – or perhaps it just might be a great nude. Time will tell.
The uber-long list of ingredients makes me somewhat nervous; however, I did not notice any irritation or roughness over the course of wearing this a few days in a row, even with the inclusion of fragrance (which, by the way, smells totally delicious. It makes me think of the lip balms I used to wear as a young teen ). I did find the formula mildly hydrating, though by no means as moisturizing as the claims made by the brand (which was to ‘seal in moisture for up to 8 hours’). The wear time is minimal – perhaps an hour or two at best, though I knew going into the purchase that these would likely require continuous application, which I’m OK with. I have never tried the Chanel Rouge Coco Shines so I can’t compare, but from reading reviews it sounds like these might be superior in terms of hydration and longevity. But – don’t quote me on that.
Overall, I’ve found this lipstick exceptionally wearable and notice myself reaching for it quite often. It filled a much needed gap in my lippie arsenal, and while it’s not perfect (could be a touch deeper in tone and wear a bit longer), it will definitely get a lot of use. I’m not sold on the $39CAD price tag, and if I didn’t have the 15% VIB discount I may not have gone for it, but I don’t feel any guilt in the purchase either so obviously it’s doing something right 
Have you tried the Rouge Volupte Shine’ formula yet? Do you plan to? Have you tried both these and the Chanel Rouge Coco Shines? How do they compare?
Ka-POW Lips: BITE Beauty’s High Pigment Lip Pencil in Quince
Posted by Latoya in BITE Beauty, Lips on April 18, 2013
Apparently, this spring I’m bringin’ my A-Game. That’s right – I’m rockin’ the SHIZ outta this season. Its been sunny and kinda sorta warmish this week, so I pulled out my AMAZING printed pants that I bought down in NZ – I did show you a picture – and wore them yesterday with pride. Even though they’re so loud and crazy and some people actually looked at my pants first before looking at my face (LOL), I didn’t care if they loved or hated ‘em because I felt KICKASS. Good times.
Over the past month, I decided I absolutely NEEDED a bright pink lippie. It would give me mega-spunk times 10, right!? So, last week I finally took the plunge and picked up BITE Beauty High Pigment Lip Pencil in Quince, $28CAD (which also happens to be a Sephora ‘hot pick’ or whatever, but I LIKED IT BEFORE IT WAS COOL *just sayin’*), a matte bold fuchsia lipstick.
BITE Beauty lip colors are known for their exclusion of baddie chemicals, and make the claim that the ingredients they do use are ‘healthy enough to eat.’ …cool? I mean, it’s great that they’re kind of like a ‘clean’ beauty brand, for sure. Just…yeah. ANYWAY, the High Pigment Pencils are designed to be long-wearing, paraben-free, and contain ‘super’ antioxidant resveratrol – each pencil contains enough of it to amount to five glasses of red wine (does that mean if I eat it then I’ll get drunk??????? 
). So there’s a whole whack of good reasons to get on board, and it was high time I did it.
Aside from all the great ingredients in the pencil, there’s also the fact that THIS COLOR IS AMAZING. This is the EXACT color I wanted in a bright pink lippie. I find the shade uber-flattering on my skintone and super-wearable (also due to the fact that the finish is more of a demi-matte than totally flat) while still being totally stand out.
I wore this shade last Wednesday, and found it relatively long-lasting – it survived fairly intact through a meal, but began to fade shortly thereafter. Despite being sick and dried up like an old prune, it was comfortable to wear, for a matte, though it was not hydrating. However, note that BITE Beauty does not make claims that it should be, which is a key point. It actually states that you should prep your lips first with [their] balm and then apply the lip color. Since they don’t make a claim they can’t live up to, plus the fact that I actually didn’t find this problematic to wear on my drier lips, they get a gold star from me 100%.
I am madly in love with this lip pencil – I love the color, I love the formula, and I love the ease of application with the pencil. I am most definitely picking up a couple more of these – I’ve seen pics of Pomegranate that look stunning, and Zinfandel (electric coral) and Corvina (bright coral pink) are totally up my alley!
Have you tried any BITE Beauty products? What is putting some pep in your step this spring?
Silky Smooth with eos Skincare
Posted by Latoya in Body Care, Drugstore Finds, Hand Care, Skincare on April 18, 2013
Even as a total beauty addict who spends a major investment of both time and money into looking and feeling good, there are some beauty no-no’s I’m totally guilty of. I haven’t gotten my hair professionally cut in about three years. I don’t always floss (gasp! I know). I sometimes bite my cuticles (don’t judge!). But probably one of my most cringe-worthy bad habits is that I rarely shave – even in the summer. I’m a total lost cause, huh?
I think the issue started with shave gels that with all their scents and chemicals, would make my eczema freak out on my legs, which progressed to me skipping the process it altogether. In the winter, I probably shave my legs once a month (haha…I’m baring my soul here now lol); summer, probably once every two weeks. Thankfully, my hair is so fine and due to my darker coloring, it’s generally not noticeable unless you’re looking for it. But we all know that nothing beats a nice smooth leg!!
If you recall, I questioned the necessity of shaving products way back when, and since then I haven’t purchased nary a one. However, having been kindly sent a shave cream by eos (Evolution Of Smooth) skincare, I decided to give them another go.
There are several qualities of eos’ Shave Cream that are quite appealing to me. First off, it smells lovely (though…I can’t seem to see fragrance on the ingredient list…strange) – the scent I received was Pomegranate Raspberry, and YUM! So nice, but not sickening or too floral, which isn’t my taste. Second, it’s a cream, which in my experience is always far more hydrating and usually leads to less nicks and cuts as it’s texture allows the blade to glide so smoothly over the skin. Third, it’s got these freakin’ sweet grooves in the sides to allow you to grip the product oh-so-easily in the shower, and the bottle is recyclable plastic – bonus! I love that little added extra
The formula itself is also lovely and boasts vitamins E & C, natural aloe and oat extract, and shea butter; is paraben-free; and claims to moisturize your skin for 24hours after a shave (even after rinsing). I found while using it in the shower (yes, I DID actually shave my legs!), a couple of pumps allowed me to coat my leg perfectly, and due to the more dense texture (vs a slippery gel) it stayed put and I was able to get my whole leg done quickly and easily, which is a must not only because I’m clearly shaving-lazy, but also because the less time a product sits on my skin, the less chance I have for potential irritation. When I was finished, my legs felt soft, smooth, and not dry in the least. All around I was quite impressed, and amazingly I’m actually looking forward to shaving my legs again – like, within the same week! O_o
Next, I got to check out the CUTEST hand lotion ever, by the brand. The scent is ‘Berry Blossom’ which I find quite similar to the shave cream, and I’m totally OK with that as I like it Fragrance IS noted in the ingredient list here, but it’s quite low down on the list and I don’t feel as uncomfortable using the product as I am sometimes when fragrance is listed in the first ingredients. I won’t use this frequently, but as a purse or work hand moisturizer I’m good to go.
The texture of the lotion is fairly dense but just shy of being a full-blown cream. It absorbs quickly but not so fast that I’m left feeling like I need more, you know? I have dry hands from my eczema and I hate when I put on a lotion only to find that I feel like reapplying several minutes later. I don’t want to feel greasy but I want to feel like I’m actually using an effective product.
Overall, I’m really happy with both of these products – I feel like a reasonable member of the clean-shaven society now, and I’m always happy to have a perfectly size hand hydrator to stash away in my purse or leave at my desk. The Shave Cream comes in another fragrance – Vanilla Bliss – or in a Sensitive version that is fragrance-free and hypoallergenic, an option which makes me HAPPY to see available. It retails for $3.99CAD and is available at quite a few spots – Rexall, Loblaw’s/Superstore, and I believe Walmart as well.
Please make me feel less weird – do you shave infrequently? Do you bother using a shave product, or not?
*Products were provided by the PR company/brand for my unbiased consideration.
So Many Goodies, So Little (Personal) Time
I’m feeling very overwhelmed tonight at the sheer amount of fun things I want to post about, and the very little time I have lately to do it. Some of these things aren’t truly pressing (well, to be honest – nothing is life or death in the beauty world, is it?), so I’m trying to figure out how to prioritize which to present first. For the moment, let’s have a gander at what you can look forward to, eh?
eos Hand Lotion and Shave Cream* for smooth legs and hands – I haven’t owned a shaving product in years but I gotta say, this cream makes me want to change my ways!
Just received my third Haus of Gloi order today and I’m so stoked – along with two Aether Pumpkin Butters, I ordered one in the Komodo scent (mangosteen, Tahitian vanilla bean, dragons blood resin and faded tropical blooms) as well as a small size of a Bubbling Scrub in Selkie (smells like the sea!) and a Sugar Exfoliant in Lassi (reminds me of sour candies 
). They all smell SO GOOOOOD.
I got my semi-annual gratis today from Clinique*, along with a couple other items, I selected the Acne Solutions Oil-Control Cleansing Mask as I needed a new purifying mask; a Lash Power mascara, which is sort of old news now but still a great product; an Even Better Eyes Dark Circle Corrector, which I haven’t yet had a chance to try but lord knows these poor old eyes need it; and the brand new Even Better Compact Makeup which we played with in school but I forgot my shade, so I ordered by guessing – I think this will be OK once I get a bit tanned, it looks a touch dark for me right now.
When I received a copy of The Perfume Lover and a sample* of the resulting fragrance Denyse Beaulieu created with L’Artisan Parfumeur, I wasn’t convinced I’d be into it all. Consider me converted – not only am I LOVING the book (I’m about 2/3′s of the way through and totally want to buy ALL OF THE FRAGRANCE now) but I actually kind of dig the scent as well. It’s not in my comfort zone, not being a huge fan of orange blossom (one of the top notes), but something about it pulls me in. Expect to read my review on both for SURE.
So….aside from the multitude of lippies I still have to show you, now I have all this to add to the pile. Oh yea. I’ll get right on it. *eeks!* Maybe you can help me out and let me know which product(s) you’d like to see first?!?!
*Items noted were provided by the PR company/brand.
Dior’s New Addict Extreme Lipstick in Délice is a Triple Threat!
Posted by Latoya in Dior, Lips, Make-up, Spring 2013 on April 16, 2013
Lately I’ve been finding my lips have been really chapped – dry, rough texture, the works. Growing up I always had serious chapped lips; you know, the kind where you licked above your lip and got that awesomely sexy red rashy line. Yeah, that. I tell ya guys, I’ve come a LONG way.
I decided this week to start testing all of my lippies to figure out which was the culprit. I was sick, fair enough, as that’s not terribly helpful for the cause. But I get this problem off and on and frankly, it’s getting old. It makes all of my lipsticks look like shit and I’M NOT HAVING IT ANYMORE. First on my list was my new Dior Addict Extreme lippie, 433 Délice ($31CAD).
First off, let me preface by say that this is one sexy lipstick bullet, and I would be tempted to cave to other Addict Extreme lipsticks even if it caused me a bit of lip pain, just so I could have a few more of these in my makeup drawer. RAWR.
I have one other Dior lipstick, a Rouge Dior, and the packaging does not rock my world like this does. Yowza. You pull the lipstick bullet from inside the tube, which is cool and reminiscent of the old-school packaging – but this is much more edgy and SHINY. Anyway, perhaps it’s just me – nonetheless, I sure do love pulling this baby out! It is pure luxury – score one for Délice.
I wore it last Friday when I was just coming out the other side of my cold – I needed a pick-me-up and this juicy reddened tangerine shade was just the ticket. It really perked up my face and I fooled several people who were surprised to hear I had been (and still was) sick. I don’t tend to wear orange lip shades much and was pleasantly surprised and how much I enjoyed wearing it – it actually boosted my mood! The finish is more of a balmy shine versus full on gloss, and it has medium opacity (it still shows a bit of my natural lip tone) which makes it very wearable all around. I find I can swipe it on and go, it requires very little fuss. Another +1 to this gorgeous lippie.
Due to being ill, I couldn’t get a good read on the hydrating / chapping qualities of this lipstick, so I wore it again today to reassess. Happily, this lipstick not only sidestepped any lip roughage (and, due to the shorter-wear time of the product, I reapplied fairly often throughout the day), but it left them feeling softer, smoother, and more moisturized than ever, I guess due to the ‘hyaluronic microspheres.’ I was honestly shocked at how good my lips felt all day, and continue to feel this evening – usually by this time my lips will show signs of discomfort even after having removed the product. Not so here! Sweet friggin’ deal.
Edit: I meant to include the ingredients the first time, sorry!
So, in summary, we have a lipstick that screams luxury, is essentially the perfect spring/summer shade, and also is a treat for you lips – are you sold yet? The only downside for me is that though Dior claims this is a long-wearing product, I find the wear time to be just shy of two hours, without food or drink. But honestly, it doesn’t bother me that much because it wears away evenly (no dreaded lip ring) and I love reapplying from that sexy tube! And it might actually mean I use up a lipstick for once
Have you tried the Dior Addict Extreme formula? Any shades you can recommend? What is your favorite hydrating lipstick?
Top Posts
-
SERIES
I WANT!!
