Four Favourites For Fall
It’s been awhile! Oops. I guess 2020 really has a hold on me, in that I’m crippled with anxiety (or laziness, usually) that keeps me from being productive. This lack of productivity is annoying, because I do have an immense desire to share with you guys. Yes, “guys” plural, because I hope there are at least a few of you reading this. I can still be hopeful.
So what we’re all here for is distractions. Beauty-related distractions, mostly. I specialise in using products to avoid most things, whether they be intrusive thoughts, chores, or reality. There are a handful of particularly good ones that are helping me ease through this transition of seasons, though it is absurdly warm outside as I write this. It’s still going to get dark around 5 PM though, and when that terror sets in, all I’ll have to cling to is my streaming services and whatever lotions and potions are currently helping to stave off the scaries. So let’s get on with them, shall we?
These four items get a hearty endorsement from me.
Bath & Body Works White Barn ‘Winter’ 3-Wick Candle
Yes, I’m jumping right into it with this egalitarian pick. No matter how hard I try to be chic or a snob, I can’t deny that deep down, I am a Mall Bitch™. I am a millennial after all, and my formative years were spent wasting entire days in food courts and department stores. I still love a mall, even though COVID keeps me from frequenting them as much as in previous years. However, I’ll mask up and sanitize my hands down to the dusty bones when B&BW has a candle sale. I am ONLY human.
This candle has a few versions of its packaging but I have opted for the simple pale blue glass with its minimalistic label that eschews glittery, snowflake-y accoutrements. The scent is reminiscent of Diptyque’s Feu de Bois but with a dash of powdery notes and maybe just a snip of a fir branch. It fills the room impressively with the scent without being cloying. Perfect for making you feel like you’re about to entertain guests at a cozy little get together when in reality you’re alone and burning candles just to feel something. Why not listen to Auld Lang Syne in the dark just to up the ante?
Narciso Rodriguez Pure Musc For Her Eau de Parfum
Normally, this time of year makes me want to reach for my spicier, headier perfumes. Cooler weather is for fragrances that are the beauty equivalent of a Pumpkin Spice Latte: gourmand, but bitchy. I adore plenty of those scents but this year, I’m not reaching for them just yet.
Instead, I’m opting for something that feels more comfortable, cleaner. A scent that makes people want to lean in, but they can’t and won’t because we’re being socially distant! Pure Musc For Her fits the bill perfectly. It smells like you’re the kind of person who has money to waste on a cashmere blanket, or someone who says, “oh, I just wash my face with Dove soap!” I am not remotely close to being either of those things, but I love to smell as if I am. It’s the feeling of freshly scrubbed, glowing skin wrapped in a miraculously non-itchy sweater. Basically, a fantasy in a bottle.
L’Oreal Rouge Signature Matte Lip Stain in ‘I Don’t’
Wearing masks saves lives. Wearing masks shows that you care about the people around you. Wearing masks is how we will fight the COVID-19 pandemic. But … wearing masks has left me regretting my massive lip product collection. And yet, I still keep buying glosses, balms, lip stains and lipsticks because I am incapable of being even remotely sensible.
One such recent purchase was this featherweight liquid lipstick from L’Oreal. I wanted something I could wear under my mask that wouldn’t smear and smudge to the point of me looking deranged. Applied with a lip liner, this relatively inexpensive product fits the bill. It stays looking bright and bold without bleeding (like I said, use a lip liner!) and doesn’t dry out or feel crumbly like some of its other waterproof counterparts. If you’re also missing lipstick and long to peel off your mask as you leave a store to reveal your perfectly preserved true-red lips to the parking lot, this is a solid option.
Prescription Tretinoin, via Felix Health
Vitamin A is God’s gift to skin. It combats fine lines and acne all while thickening the deeper layers of your skin for a more even overall texture. More commonly known as retinol, every brand claims to have it featured prominently in all of their new launches but none work quite as effectively as good ol’ prescription tretinoin. That said, I don’t want to leave the house in a pandemic to attempt to get a ‘scrip from a doctor, so Felix is a saviour for myself and other like-minded Canadians. You can fill out an acne survey on their website and be suggested specific treatments, or choose what you know you need during low-cost online doctor visits. Plus, they take insurance, which means I get my glorious face goo for a price that is so, so nice. Winter is the perfect time to start using retinol, since the daylight hours are shorter (vitamin A makes your skin extra-sensitive to UV rays, so make sure you’re wearing daily SPF if you choose to use any retinol in your routine, no matter the time of year).
That’s all for now, folks. I promise, I’m going to try to be just a little more devoted to this blog of mine. And in the meantime, you can always catch me on Instagram (and check out my Beauty Recs highlight over there) to know what I think is the greatest of the latest.
Until next time!
