Fragrance Favourites

I just want to start off this post by saying that I suck at describing/talking about fragrances. So I'm not really sure why I'm attempting to write this post. But fair warning, alright? I've never really been a perfume person. When I was younger I used one up then bought another and so forth. Then I wore Elizabeth and James Black Nirvana for a few years and it became my scent. Which was really nice, if I changed it up people would be like oh you don't smell like you. I liked having a signature fragrance, but after finishing another bottle of that, I decided to branch out.

I think Bobbi Brown Beach was the first thing I started wearing after that phase. This is a serious love or hate fragrance, but I adore it. It's probably my number one favourite. Their site says it's a blend of sand jasmine, sea spray, and mandarin but it basically smells like the beach (shocker). It's a little sunscreen-y which is where the hate comes from, but I think it smells super fresh and clean and divine. I also adore Bobbi's Almost Bare, which I bought because someone told me it smells like almond. I am 100000% obsessed with my almond scented cleansers and I needed a perfume. Long story short this doesn't smell like almonds at all, but I still love it! It's also super fresh (you'll see a theme here), but freesia florally with a bit of kick from bergamot and amber.

My first 'real' fragrance purchase was the Chanel No. 5 L'Eau. Not gonna lie, it kinda crushed my soul to pay for the tiny bottle. I'm not sure how people spend hundreds on fragrance. Anyway, my grandmother has no sense of smell anymore, so has always worn the original Chanel No. 5 because she knows it smells good. So it's a scent I've grown up with and associate with her. It is pretty strong, and while I love it not an everyday fragrance for me. The more modern L'Eau is reminiscent of the original, but much fresher. It has tons of notes, so I'm just going to list them out for you straight from the Sephora site (lol): top notes of lemon, mandarin, and orange, heart notes of rose, jasmine, and ylang ylang, more modern than ever. And then base notes of cedar, and soft and cottony musk notes. Basically it's my heaven and I'd love to spray it everywhere always. But I try to conserve it at least a little.

When I went to New York earlier in the year on my Glossier trip, my babe Miran gave me this lil Byredo Gypsy Water sample and I fell in love. I know it's the basic Byredo scent but it is for a reason. It has top notes of bergamot, lemon, pepper, and juniper berries, heart notes of incense, pine needles, and orris,  and base notes of amber, vanilla, and sandalwood. I love peppery scents (like EJ Black Nirvana), but the combination of lemon and juniper berries makes it feel really light and airy. This one is in the books for purchase, but I think Lou Lou has convinced me to try Mojave Ghost first, or maybe Black Saffron (if only I could afford all three!). My most recent fragrance purchase is the beautiful Blackberry & Bay from Jo Malone, which I bought at their flagship store in London! Another basic-girl fragrance, but I freakin' love this one. The blackberry comes through pretty strong, with a hint of citrus, and smells fresh but not too fruity. I will say that I go nose-blind to this one really quickly which makes me want to cry, so I probably won't buy the full size (maybe a candle?).

What are your favourite fragrances?
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Dynamic Duos

I've realized lately that when doing my makeup I tend to reach for little coupled-up product duos. It's not that I don't use these things separately, it's just that they're better together.

This post has been on the to-do list for a while, but tbh I was waiting for Glossier to two their buy-two-save-$6 Cloud Paint deal again. And wa-la! Ask and you shall receive, the deal is back! And this time you don't even need to use a code, just go here, add two cloud paints of choice to your cart, and they'll be on their way to you! Plus free shipping! What a win! Too many exclamation points in a row! Okay. But really, Beam and Dusk... you gotta have them. Cloud Paints in general are basically like watercolour for your face. They blend effortlessly, are sheer enough to not look like makeup, but make you look super healthy. Beam is my all time favourite, it's a coral-orange that really warms up the skin. Dusk is beautiful on the cheeks or as a bronzer, it's a gorgeous almost pinky brown. These two together scream healthy summer skin and I haven't put them down! They're also incredible mixed together, in fact any of the Cloud Paints mixed together are amazing so you should probably get them all.

I realize these are mostly cheek products, so let's just continue with that theme. I picked up the Topshop Glow while I was in England expecting to adore it, but I was a little meh. Two years ago, I would've loved it, but it just seems a little too icy not enough glowy. However, if combined with the MAC Cream Colour Base in Hush, we're talking maximum glossy glowy goodness. Sometimes Hush can be a tiny bit too warm on my pale skin, so the two together are super dreamy. Speaking of glowy goodness, I couldn't leave the dream team out of this post. I've loved the Charlotte Tilbury Bronze & Glow Palette from afar the past few years, but I thought it couldn't possibly be worth all the money. I bought it back at the start of the summer and I have never been more wrong. It is heavenly. The powder is the the finest I've ever felt in a bronzer, and the highlight is soooo smooth it looks like a cream on the skin. I honestly don't think I'll ever be without this, but I do kind of wish they sold refills because I think I'll run out of the bronzer first. I've never in my life found such a perfect bronzer. This sounds kind of crazy, but it's kind of sheer? Like you can see my freckles and my skin through it, but it makes your skin look beautifully bronzed. True love honestly.

We all know how much I adore the Glossier Stretch Concealer, it's probably the product I would choose to use if I had to one use one thing. It's the bomb. But sometimes I just need a lil something extra. I do like the NARS Soft Matte Complete Concealer, it can just look a bit dry and the colour is somehow a bit light for me. So usually I'll put some of the NARS down first to cover up really pesky blemishes, and then layer Glossier's on top to even out and make the concealer look more skin-like. Last but not least on my dynamic duos list is the Glossier Boy Brow and Benefit Precisely My Brow Pencil. I do switch my brow pencil up quite a lot (but I love the Benefit), but I'm in a steady relationship with Boy Brow. I have kind of sparse brows, so I like to fill them in with pencil first and then reaaaally fluff them up. I feel like not keeping them really straight and precise tricks people into thinking they're my natural brows, which I will never complain about.

Do you guys have any products you like to use together?
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Lip Liner Favourites

Do you guys remember a few years ago when no one touched lip liner? It was like an old lady thing, and I think we were all scarred by the dark liner light lipstick trend from the 90s. But obviously in recent years lip liner has gotten big. I'm not an overdraw your lips kind of person, but I do love them for an added bit of definition or to create a crisp line when wearing a darker lip. I don't really talk about them very often, so I thought I'd get up a post talking about my favourites!

MAC's Lip Pencils have been a long time fave for me. I have a ton in my collection, the formula is pretty perfect. They're quite hard, so it's easy to get a super clean line, but not too hard that they don't go on. I have a lottttt of shades but some of my favourites are Soar, Whirl, Stripdown, and Nightmoth. I'm also big into the Bobbi Brown Lip Pencil which are much pricier, but sort of similar. I probably wouldn't buy these over the MAC unless you find them at a Cosmetics Co Store. I love Beige and Pale Mauve, but my favourite is Red aka the most perfect red liner ever. These are like a velvety finish, so they're actually pretty nice to fill in the whole lip!

On a more regular basis, I really like the Estee Edit The Barest Lip Pencil and I'm bummed the line is being discontinued! It's a super soft texture that makes it really easy to define and then blend out to just add a little something extra to the lip. Does anyone know of any pencils similar? I like the feel of the Rimmel ones, but they're much more pigmented. Good news is, they're only $10 at Sephora right now so if you can find them grab them! The newest addition to my collection is one of the new-ish Bite Lip Pencils. I have the shade 012, which they describe as a plum taupe but I think it turns out much lighter. This is a great every day one for just a bit of definition! The formula of these is super nice, they're softer than the MAC and Bobbi Brown, but not quite as soft as the Estee. They have a pretty huge colour selection so I'm itching to pick some more up (but don't need to buy anything at all).

Are you guys lip liner fans? Which are your favourites?
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Best Target Beauty Buys

I don't know about you guys but I spend a majority of my free time in Target. That's such a basic-girl thing to say, but there you go. I'm basic. Anywho, I just love strolling around adding things I don't really need to my cart and spending all my money! Yay! Target's beauty section has grown a ton in the last few years and it's a really great place to find things that aren't super expensive.

Obviously my favourite brand at Target is Pixi. I love them to death. I would say about 98% of their products are stars and I use them super regularly if not every day. The Skin Treats line specifically has some real gems. I have a post up here about all of my favourite from them so I won't go on too long, but I love the Peel & Polish, Glow Tonic, Milky Hydrating Mist, and the Glow-y Powders. Another long time fave from Target is elf Cosmetics, one of my first forays into the makeup addiction I'm now wallowing in. Everything was so cheap I'd just buy all of it. Definitely over that now, but they still have some great products. I've been loving the Matte Lip Pencils, because they're pretty similar to the NARS Lip Pencils but in my opinion more comfortable (not as pigmented or as matte, but not necessarily a bad thing).

They've also added a ton of newer brands recently, including La Roche Posay and Honest Beauty, both of which I'm very excited about. I haven't explored either very much, but I have tried a few products that I'm loving so far! Specifically the Magic Balm and Toleraine Ultra Nuit (look out for both in an upcoming post). I'm glad to have such easy access to these brands now as I really want to try them out more. I think Target has had a small Soap & Glory line for a while, but they definitely expanded it recently and I loooove their body products. I picked up the scrub as a 3-for-2 in Boots while in the UK, but being able to get a replacement from Target is super convenient!

Obviously you can get all the normal drugstore brands, I love just perusing the aisles looking for new launches. This is how I discovered the Maybelline Dream Wonder Foundation way back when, which became one of my absolute favourites. Target is also where I finally found the L'Oreal Lash Paradise mascara after searching forever. I usually buy my Essie polishes from Target (or TJ Maxx tbh) because they have the huuuuuge selection of pretty much all the colours! I also usually get Nivea products from Target, not sure why but I feel like it's really cheap there? I always grab this little tin to carry in my purse, it's only 94 cents!

My most recent discovery (read: obsession) is the Kristin Ess haircare line. This stuff is the bomb. I'm slowly but surely buying up everything because it is so good. I'm definitely going to do a full post on these babies but the current faves are the Texture Loose Styling Powder and Reconstructive Moisture Mask.

Are you guys Target obsesses?
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