Loving Lately - January 2015

Time-pressed, tired and back to the grind of work and school, so here are some bits that have delighted me over the past month!

Nivea In-Shower Body Lotion

Who actually likes putting on body lotion in the winter? Not me. If I'm damp from a shower and dying to get dressed, slathering on lotion is beyond a chore in such a vulnerable moment. I'm not as religious about body moisturizing as I ought to be, but this product helps substantially. I used to use the Olay in-shower body lotion many moons ago, but that formula made the shower/tub slick as ever, and I suspect it was pulled due to safety hazards galore, but I digress. This formula contains shea butter and only needs to be on skin a few seconds to work its magic. Towel-dry and get dressed because your skin is already hydrated. Blessed praise! P.S. There are three versions of this product for different severities of skin dryness, and the fragrance varies as well - I rec the Smooth Replenishing version, but they're all aces in my book.  

Loving Lately - December 2014

It's a little early, but early is better than late and I have every intention of staying away from my laptop over the next week or so. I hope you all have a safe and happy holiday season! Onto this month's standout products: 

Diptyque Eau Duelle 

I've commented on how I'm not really a gourmand fragrance lover, but I've had my moments where a particular vanilla note captivates my attention without nauseating me. I bought Diptyque's Eau Duelle perfume solid (pictured above, which I dug up from my Instagram circa Feb. 2012) and travel-friendly purse sprays (set of 3) from a Diptyque warehouse sale in NYC in my Parsons days. The perfume solid and travel sprays seem to be unlisted on the Diptyque site currently, so I suppose they were discontinued. If you can track it down, note that the perfume solid has a less spicy aspect to it versus the travel sprays (which are eau de toilette concentrations). The standout notes (at least, to my nose) are cardamom, bergamot, pink pepper, black tea, musk and bourbon vanilla. I've kept the perfume solid in my bag for a little dab every so often this month, as it's a perfect winter scent in my opinion. Tip: if it's too sweet or spicy for your taste, try layering it with another Diptyque scent to mellow it out, such as sandalwood-driven Tam Dao or floral Do Son.

Review: Glossier Phase 1 Set

In my usual overzealous manner, as soon as Glossier (rhymes with "dossier") dropped in October, I had to try it. 

Okay. No. I didn't have to try it, but I wanted to. The idea that these products essentially came into existence based on trends derived from a beauty website's user feedback and comments (ITG, I love y'all) was enough to captivate my attention. It's a hyper-modern way to create a product, not unlike a school project I recently wrapped that zeroed in on "cool hunting" a.k.a. essentially finding a gap in the market based on feedback. Not to go all Porter's Five Forces on you, but as saturated as the beauty game is, there is always room for improvement and new players, as high as barriers to entry may be.

Loving Lately - November 2014

I may not post much, but a monthly faves post is actually something I think about frequently. Doing so forces me to be more present when playing with products and doing my daily face (less so on weekends though, as of late). I'm pushed to stop giving in to anxious thoughts or feelings related to school or general life pressures to instead pause and appreciate how a simple stroke of liner can change and elevate my whole mood, outlook and persona. Magic's in the makeup for me, as always. Onto the best bits:

Flower Beauty Creme Shadows

When I first swatched this cream shadow formula, I was stunned. A tiny dab resulted in an absurd amount of pigment and I froze while staring at my hand because the texture felt so similar to something I had felt before and then it clicked: this formula was an absolute dupe for Tom Ford's limited edition cream shadows (two of which are back on counters for another limited edition run this holiday season). I paid an exorbitant amount on eBay for the Tom Ford "Platinum" shade, but I'm pretty sure I'll save my dollars and stick to this range of metallic shadows because they're awesome. They are longwearing, blendable, have a gorgeous shimmer and are very affordable (exclusive to Walmart). Total steal and they seem like a splurge. I can't say it's shocking that Drew Barrymore married into the family that owns Chanel and is now pedalling cosmetics that are largely inspired by high-end formulations of luxury brands. If anything, it's smart. Good on her and yay for us!

Cynthia Rowley Beauty Liquid Liner

This one's exciting for a couple reasons. Have you ever tried any Cynthia Rowley Beauty products before? No? That's probably because they didn't exist in the Canadian marketplace until recently. Birchbox is the exclusive retailer for Cynthia Rowley Beauty and being able to get my paws on these liners gives way to rather exciting news: Birchbox finally launched in Canada this month! It took about four years for them to finally get up here, but they did and it's pretty exciting stuff for Canadian beauty addicts! Back to this liner: my favourite liquid liners are Dior's Art Pen and Tom Ford's Eye Defining Pen, neither of which is cheap, both of which are awesome. This liquid liner (my faves are cobalt and navy) is definitely more akin to the Dior format, featuring an elongated felt tip that basically draws your liner flicks for you when laid on its side at an angle pointed towards the end of your brow and dragged towards the lash line. Cat eyes for everyone! 

Alterna Caviar Anti-Aging Replenishing Moisture Shampoo & Conditioner

Let it be known that basically nothing works well on my hair. I've been frustrated with my hair for as long as I can remember, and it's been irritating me to high heaven lately. It just doesn't do much of anything and it never feels soft or manageable. I have finally come to the end of my Shu Uemura Cleansing Oil Shampoo, which I used like crazy since I only wash my hair once a week, so it's great at cutting through buildup. I have a backup of that stuff ready to roll, and I used it in tandem with Shu Uemura's Moisture Velvet range, which was the most hydrating stuff I'd come across (love you, camellia oil) until I tried this shampoo and conditioner on a whim. I grabbed a couple samples from a Sephora associate and gave it a go, used it a couple weeks and then went back to my usual Shu lineup. My hair felt remarkably dry when I switched back to my usual and I couldn't grasp why until I realized how soft, smooth and hydrated this duo made my hair feel. I snapped up the limited edition shampoo and conditioner set during Sephora's VIB sale earlier this month and am thrilled I did. It's outstanding and I can't recommend it enough to anyone with dry, unruly and hard-to-manage hair.

Charlotte Tilbury Full Fat Lashes 5 Star Mascara

I think I waited about 20 months for this stuff to launch on this side of the pond, and even so, it's still not available in Canada unless you order online through a US retailer. Silly. I had wanted to try this mascara after seeing Charlotte Tilbury go on and on about all the things this single tube of mascara could do for lashes, including volume, curling, lifting, separating and lengthening. I also remember reading that Tilbury is obsessed with lashes and mascara since she discovered how transformational makeup is so leave it to the obsessive to get a product right. This mascara is lightweight but heavy in impact, with a buildable formula and excellent wand that allows you to build up without globbing on too much product. It's easy on lashes and it doesn't make lashes stiff or brittle at all.

Chanel Coco Noir Foaming Shower Gel

Showering has been elevated from a mundane task to a fragrance dream with this divine shower gel. I've been nursing a bottle of this since it launched and didn't really use it for a while, but the colder it gets, the more I've been reaching for it. The scent of this shower gel is lighter and airier than its eau de parfum or pure perfume counterparts, and it lingers on skin in the best way. I'm definitely a person who wears scent every day, and using this shower gel totally suffices. The fragrance is usually described as a luminous oriental, with notes of jasmine & rose (Chanel's fragrance staples in all they create), tonka bean, vanilla, patchouli and sandalwood. Skin isn't left dry or tight at all, but rather hydrated and silky. Love this so much.