What can I say? I don't consider myself the standard pink lover, but this image begs to differ. Allow me to run these down:
1.
Dior Diorblush in 849 Mimi Bronze - The latest blush formulation to launch from Dior, which is weirdly soon after the cream blush range that launched not too long ago from this brand, but so what/who care, the new shade range is both extensive and lovely. The formula is plenty pigmented and application is pretty dreamy. This colour keeps me from having to use a separate bronzer as a contour, so yay for streamlining the ol' routine!
2.
MAC Extended Play Giga Lash (RiRi packaging) - I'm not going to lie. The initial reason I bought this was because I just liked the packaging of this Rihanna x MAC collab (the third one of the year), and had never tried this formula before (and we all know
I am a bit of a mascara addict), but luckily, it's quite decent for wiggling into the root of the lashes and almost
sculpting lashes. Yeah. Lash sculpting. That's a thing now.
3.
Jo Malone Red Currant & Cream Cologne - sorry to anyone who actually wants this, because it was indeed limited edition and came out in Spring 2013, BUT there's a very small but real chance your nearest Jo Malone counter might actually have this. I'm not a fan of gourmand scents, but Jo Malone did up sugary sweet in a very favourable way. There's a creamy musk note at the heart of this that mellows out the strawberry and raspberry notes. It's definitely not an everyday scent for me (lest we forget, I'm the person who pushed her Aqualina Pink Sugar-obsessed friend to abandon that scent and enter adulthood with grown-up fragrance that doesn't remind everyone of a bad hangover in 2nd year university), but it's a welcomed reprieve from the hyper citrus scents I wore all summer and the heavier/headier scents I'll be delving into in months to come this winter.
4.
Valentino Valentino Satin Body Oil - I bought the EDP and body lotion set of Valentino Valentina last fall and quite adored the scent throughout the winter, so imagine my dismay when I moved back into my now-repaired condo and discovered that Valentino Valentina had apparently gone missing (along with 4-5 other fragrances and my flat iron). Suffice it to say, I was a touch heartbroken. An oud iteration of this fragrance is launching in November, but I could not wait to try it, and had to get a hit of this fragrance (and even an adorable mini version of the Assoluto flanker wouldn't satiate me). Instead of sinking another ~$100 in the EDP, I was creeping thebay.com and discovered there was a body oil of this fragrance. A body oil! For winter! In Canada! That makes enough sense to me! So I grabbed it for a decent price and have very much enjoyed the dry oil texture, as it absorbs quickly and I'm not paranoid about leaving really sketchy oil slicks everywhere my limbs touch.
5.
Deborah Milano Blusher in Cacao - This one... well, this one will kind of make me seem like a crazy person. After seeing maybe two people on YouTube rave on and on about this specific blush, I was determined to try it. Deborah Milano doesn't ship to Canada. By some miracle, they do ship from Europe to USA, so I pulled that usual stunt of buying stuff and getting it shipped to my awesome brother who still resides in Manhattan. I'd have less of an ecommerce habit if he didn't, but I'd pay so much duty if he did, my goodness. Right, so, this blush is a delightful shimmery brown colour and if I dab it onto my cheeks just below the cheekbone but not quite in the contour, it's a pretty great definition without requiring a separate highlight. It's like instant structure for the face. What could be bad about that?
6.
Bourjois Cream Blush in 04 Sweet Cherry - First started reading about these cream blushes on Euro makeup blogs and when Chanel launched their cream blushes, I was into the formula and wondered if the formula would be similar to Bourjois' and low and behold, they're really
, really similar (spoiler alert: both brands belong to the same privately owned company). Both formulas have that brilliant cream to powder formula, but Chanel stuck to a really satiny finish, whereas Bourjois has a bit of shimmer in some of their shades. Sweet Cherry is a mid-tone dusty pink shade that isn't too bright and pretty ideal as a base shade for cheeks when patted onto cheeks. This formula looks ever so second-skin and natural. I grabbed this when I was in London in June and just grabbed a couple more on ASOS (sidebar: buying Rimmel and Bourjois products that aren't available in the North American market is an absurdly amusing pastime).
7.
Fresh Life Eau de Parfum - I believe this is launching in November in Canada, and I'm anxiously awaiting the day, because I have put an aggressive dent in my bottle, and I've probably gone through about 40mL of the 100 mL bottle pictured. The notes are unusual in that this fragrance is essentially four different scents developed individually and then rolled into one. It's been a bit polarizing for some people, but it's launching in a fragrant candle and body oil iteration, and I have every intention of purchasing both when it launches because I kinda want to simply exist in this fragrance. The warm orange, velvet bergamot and grapefruit elements come out the most to my nose, but there's plenty more going on in this bottle. I think my only gripe is that it doesn't seem to last on my skin, hence my half-bottle dousing every time I leave the house, but your mileage may vary.
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