As you may know, I went to NYC last month. Remember the days when us Canadians could spend so freely south of the border because our dollars were on par (or close to it) and American retail prices were so much lower? Well, those days are long gone. Since the Canadian dollar is so low right now, it wasn't really worth shopping down there (especially when so many brands have opened up shop in Canada now), but I did pick up a few things that I got a corporate discount on or things that are hard to find here.
Le Labo Bergamote 22 Eau de Parfum (50 ml)
We have a Le Labo store here in Toronto, but I never go downtown to shop (I really only go down there for concerts, food, or IMATS) so I figured I would check out the boutique in Nolita while we were in NYC. If you've never heard of Le Labo, they are a niche fragrance brand from NYC that focuses on hand-blended formulations. And if you've ever looked them up, you'll know that their fragrances don't come cheap. I get a corporate discount but even then, they cost a pretty penny, so I really had to figure out if any of them were worth it for me to invest in. A lot of their scents are way too strong for me so I vetoed a lot of them before narrowing it down to two: Neroli 36 and Bergamote 22. I sprayed one on each of my wrists and walked around with them for an hour to see if I liked they way they smelled after they settled. We even went into Bloomingdale's to smell more some perfumes to see if there were better options (I wanted to check out Jo Malone's Basil & Neroli), but it was a unanimous decision after that: Bergamote 22 was the winner. I was looking for something that still had a fresh citrus note to it, but a little more well-rounded and less sweet than what I typically go for. Bergamote 22 starts off with juicy notes of grapefruit and bergamot and softens into a musky, woodsy scent with whiffs of vetiver and cedar; a truly unisex fragrance that's perfect for summer. The coolest part about Le Labo? Every perfume is made to order (they mix it right in front of you) so you're ensured a fresh bottle every time, and comes with a customized label so you know exactly who it's for.
Violet Voss Matte About You Eyeshadow Palette
The Ordinary High-Spreadability Fluid Primer and Skindinavia The Makeup Finishing Spray for Bridal
While we were in Soho, we stopped by Ricky's so I could take a little gander. I love Ricky's because they carry a ton of lesser known and indie brands that I can only find online on American sites (which means I have to pay the conversation rate, shipping fees, and sometimes duties as well). When I saw that they were carrying Violet Voss, I immediately snagged the Matte About You Eyeshadow Palette, which I had been contemplating getting for the last couple months. I originally wanted the Ride or Die, too, but they were sold out of it (which was really for the better, because I totally did not need a $75 neutral palette, no matter how damn pretty it is). I also saw that they were carrying Skindinavia, so I picked up a bottle of The Makeup Finishing Spray for Bridal. My friend Sam, a freelance makeup artist who does a ton of weddings and editorials, told me that this was her holy grail setting spray. She gets hers at IMATS every year, but I haven't had luck finding it in stores here, so when I saw it at Ricky's, I snatched one up. If Skindinavia sounds familiar, it's because they make all of Urban Decay's setting sprays. But none of UD's setting sprays (De-Slick or All Nighter) actually keep my makeup on longer nor matte. But I sprayed this one (the Bridal version, not the regular one) on top of my makeup during a heatwave while we were in NYC, and my makeup did not budge until I took it off at night.
On that note, y'all know that I spend my life finding my holy grail foundation primer. Most recently, I thought I had found it in Deciem's Hylamide Matte 12. It's definitely thicker than I like in a primer, but it kept me matte longer than other primers and made my skin look smoother than a baby's bottom. As I was getting ready to pay, I saw that Ricky's was carrying The Ordinary, which is another brand under the Deciem umbrella (and is actually Canadian!). I was immediately intrigued by a product called High-Spreadability Fluid Primer, described as "a lightweight serum-like formula that increases the spreadability of subsequent complexion makeup to help avoid the unnatural and uneven accumulation of pigments especially around the eyes and on dry skin." And guess how much it is? $7.90. Yeah, I thought it was a misprint. I mean, if it ended up sucking, at least I didn't pay a lot for it, you know? But it ended up being one of the best impulse purchases, ever. I typically don't like primers that have that slick, velvety silicone kind of feel, but this one is ultra lightweight so it doesn't feel like anything on my skin, and it doesn't leave any residue or ball up on top of my moisturizer. It looks flawless under both my liquid concealer and my powder foundation and the best part? It makes my makeup look fresh for over 10 hours. Even my friend Ronsee commented that my makeup looked smoother and "not melty" after a whole day of walking around NYC during that heatwave. I didn't start looking shiny until six hours in, which is a miracle in itself because I usually have to blot within half that time. Now, I use this primer in conjunction with the Skindinavia spray, and even my colleagues — all of them makeup artists — ask me, "How does your makeup look so perfect after a whole day at work?"
Origins Modern Friction and Make a Difference Plus+
Nature Republic AQUA Super Aqua Max Watery Essence and Fresh Watery Cream
Nature Republic Shea Butter and Apple Mango Hand Creams
Nature Republic Lime and Grapefruit Mini Hand Creams
Because I have the tendency to stock up on a lot skincare all at once, I like to get products that I can use all year round. We were walking through Grand Central and I decided to stop by the Origins store to see if there was anything exciting since I get a corporate discount there, too (there are no Origins stores in Toronto, so I never get to take advantage of it). Nothing new caught my eye, but I did pick up a tube of Modern Friction Nature's Gentle Dermabrasion (I haven't used it in a few years and have decided it's time to go back to it because I've always had great results) and a jar of their Make a Difference Plus+ Rejuvenating Treatment that I love as a night cream in warm weather or as a day cream in cold weather (and it smells like watermelons and oranges!). A couple days later, during a walk through Koreatown, a store called Nature Republic caught my eye. Despite Korean beauty brands getting really big here (The Face Shop, Laneige, Tony Moly, Holika Holika, etc.), I had never heard of Nature Republic, so I decided to go in and check it out. They were having a 30% off promotion on select skincare, so I ended up getting a bottle of Super Aqua Max Watery Essence and a jar of Super Aqua Max Fresh Watery Cream. Both are designed to give hydration to oily skin, so I thought they would be good as my day time skincare routine for summer. They were also having a hand cream sale (Buy 1, Get 1 Free) so I ended up getting two full size tubes in Shea Butter and Apple Mango, as well as two mini tubes in Lime and Grapefruit, because you know I go through hand cream like water. And in cute packaging as well? Just sell me everything.
Rituals Foaming Shower Gel in The Ritual of Sakura, The Ritual of Dao, and Express Your Soul
You might have noticed by now that sales are my kryptonite. I stopped by Rituals during one of our afternoon strolls because I hear a lot about the brand through UK YouTubers and we don't have it in Canada. I saw that their best-selling Shower Foams were on promotion for $10 each from $15, so I decided to check them out. Don't know if anyone remembers this, but Bath & Body Works used to carry a very similar product many, many years ago, and I was obsessed with it. They come out of the cans like shaving gel and they foam up like crazy, and they are freaking awesome. Anyway, I spent like, 15 minutes washing my hands with every single scent (and made Ronsee smell every single one, too, because I am thatperson) and finally ended up picking three: The Ritual of Sakura which has a rice milk and cherry blossom scent, The Ritual of Dao which has a white lotus and yi yi ren scent, and the limited edition Express Your Soul which has a verbena and petitgrain scent. I just wish Rituals would open up a store here because there are about 87 other things I wanna try. (Actually, it's probably better that they're not here.)
MAC Fruity Juicy Oh My, Passion! Pearlmatte Face Powder
MAC Fruity Juicy Eyeshadow x 6 Palettes in Oh My Banana, Love in the Glades, and Fruit a La La
MAC Fruity Juicy Lipstick in Calm Heat, Shy Girl, Love at First Bite, and Sí, Sí, Me!
MAC Fruity Juicy Prep + Prime Coconut Fix+
MAC Steve J & Yoni P Sugar or Syrup Powder Blush; Touch Me Baby Eyeshadow Duo; Midnight Fever Dazzleshadow Duo; and Lipstick in Spotlight Me, A Killing Smile, and Yoni Crush
Of course, MAC came out with their huge summer launch last month. I didn't care for the bronzers, glosses, Lustre Drops, or brushes, but I did buy the Pearlmatte Face Powder, the three eyeshadow palettes (reviews: Oh My Banana, Love in the Glades, and Fruit a La La), all four lipsticks, and luckily, the Coconut Fix+ (that sold out within a few hours). After their incredibly underwhelming spring collection, Work It Out (of which I did not buy a single item — a first for me in the 10 years I've been collecting MAC), I was pleasantly surprised and very pleased with Fruity Juicy, from the packaging to the colour scheme to the textures. As Fruity Juicy is the main focus for MAC right now, they didn't really come out with any other collections until the very limited launch of their collaboration with Korean designers, Steve J & Yoni P, which I just thought was too cute to resist. I ended up grabbing six limited edition items from the collection: the Sugar or Syrup Powder Blush, both the Touch Me Baby eyeshadow duo and the Midnight Fever Dazzleshadow duo, and the lipsticks. Now I'm waiting for the fall collections with bated breath.
NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer in Ginger, Urban Decay Perversion Mascara (x 2), and Fresh Sugar Lychee Eau de Parfum (30 ml)
I ran out of some staple products so I got my friend Chelsea to snag me some from Sephora for me, including my favourite NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer, two tubes of Urban Decay Perversion Mascara, and a small bottle of Fresh Sugar Lychee Eau de Parfum. Not that exciting, but you know, holy grails are holy grails.
La Mer Blue Heart Crème de la Mer and La Mer The Illuminating Eye Gel
Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair Synchronized Recovery Complex II (x 2)
Estée Lauder Clear Difference Oil Control/Mattifying Hydrating Gel and NightWear Plus Anti-Oxidant Night Detox Creme
Finally, I went to an exclusive private Estée Lauder Companies warehouse sale last week. I have gone to many ELC warehouse sales in the past (they are invitation-only, but ELC sends out a lot of invites that people can give to their family and friends, so it seems like a public sale) but they usually don't have anything that exciting (they usually repeat products at every sale), and the discounts don't get higher than 50% off. But the one I went to, despite having less variety, had much more luxury products at significantly higher discounts. And it was far less busy because it was so private. It was there that I found the most "boujee" of all skincare brands: La Mer. They had their limited edition 100 ml Blue Heart Crème de la Mer The Moisturizing Cream for $100 from $585. I had never even thought of trying La Mer because their prices are so exorbitant, and I'm not saying that $100 is cheap, but for 100 ml of product?! That's less than most moisturizers from non-drugstore brands. I didn't think twice about snagging one up (and others didn't either, because I saw dozens of people putting two in their shopping bags). I also snatched up La Mer's The Illuminating Eye Gel for $45 from $180, two massive 100 ml bottles of Estée Lauder's Advanced Night Repair for $25 each from $200, a jar of Estée Lauder's Clear Difference Oil Control/Mattifying Hydrating Gel for $10 from $58, and a jar of Estée Lauder's NightWear Plus Ant-Oxidant Night Detox Creme for $15 from $65. Um, yeah, I spent $220 and saved over $1,000, and there was no tax because every dollar was being donated to the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation. I think this might be the best sale I have ever encountered.
We have a Le Labo store here in Toronto, but I never go downtown to shop (I really only go down there for concerts, food, or IMATS) so I figured I would check out the boutique in Nolita while we were in NYC. If you've never heard of Le Labo, they are a niche fragrance brand from NYC that focuses on hand-blended formulations. And if you've ever looked them up, you'll know that their fragrances don't come cheap. I get a corporate discount but even then, they cost a pretty penny, so I really had to figure out if any of them were worth it for me to invest in. A lot of their scents are way too strong for me so I vetoed a lot of them before narrowing it down to two: Neroli 36 and Bergamote 22. I sprayed one on each of my wrists and walked around with them for an hour to see if I liked they way they smelled after they settled. We even went into Bloomingdale's to smell more some perfumes to see if there were better options (I wanted to check out Jo Malone's Basil & Neroli), but it was a unanimous decision after that: Bergamote 22 was the winner. I was looking for something that still had a fresh citrus note to it, but a little more well-rounded and less sweet than what I typically go for. Bergamote 22 starts off with juicy notes of grapefruit and bergamot and softens into a musky, woodsy scent with whiffs of vetiver and cedar; a truly unisex fragrance that's perfect for summer. The coolest part about Le Labo? Every perfume is made to order (they mix it right in front of you) so you're ensured a fresh bottle every time, and comes with a customized label so you know exactly who it's for.
While we were in Soho, we stopped by Ricky's so I could take a little gander. I love Ricky's because they carry a ton of lesser known and indie brands that I can only find online on American sites (which means I have to pay the conversation rate, shipping fees, and sometimes duties as well). When I saw that they were carrying Violet Voss, I immediately snagged the Matte About You Eyeshadow Palette, which I had been contemplating getting for the last couple months. I originally wanted the Ride or Die, too, but they were sold out of it (which was really for the better, because I totally did not need a $75 neutral palette, no matter how damn pretty it is). I also saw that they were carrying Skindinavia, so I picked up a bottle of The Makeup Finishing Spray for Bridal. My friend Sam, a freelance makeup artist who does a ton of weddings and editorials, told me that this was her holy grail setting spray. She gets hers at IMATS every year, but I haven't had luck finding it in stores here, so when I saw it at Ricky's, I snatched one up. If Skindinavia sounds familiar, it's because they make all of Urban Decay's setting sprays. But none of UD's setting sprays (De-Slick or All Nighter) actually keep my makeup on longer nor matte. But I sprayed this one (the Bridal version, not the regular one) on top of my makeup during a heatwave while we were in NYC, and my makeup did not budge until I took it off at night.
On that note, y'all know that I spend my life finding my holy grail foundation primer. Most recently, I thought I had found it in Deciem's Hylamide Matte 12. It's definitely thicker than I like in a primer, but it kept me matte longer than other primers and made my skin look smoother than a baby's bottom. As I was getting ready to pay, I saw that Ricky's was carrying The Ordinary, which is another brand under the Deciem umbrella (and is actually Canadian!). I was immediately intrigued by a product called High-Spreadability Fluid Primer, described as "a lightweight serum-like formula that increases the spreadability of subsequent complexion makeup to help avoid the unnatural and uneven accumulation of pigments especially around the eyes and on dry skin." And guess how much it is? $7.90. Yeah, I thought it was a misprint. I mean, if it ended up sucking, at least I didn't pay a lot for it, you know? But it ended up being one of the best impulse purchases, ever. I typically don't like primers that have that slick, velvety silicone kind of feel, but this one is ultra lightweight so it doesn't feel like anything on my skin, and it doesn't leave any residue or ball up on top of my moisturizer. It looks flawless under both my liquid concealer and my powder foundation and the best part? It makes my makeup look fresh for over 10 hours. Even my friend Ronsee commented that my makeup looked smoother and "not melty" after a whole day of walking around NYC during that heatwave. I didn't start looking shiny until six hours in, which is a miracle in itself because I usually have to blot within half that time. Now, I use this primer in conjunction with the Skindinavia spray, and even my colleagues — all of them makeup artists — ask me, "How does your makeup look so perfect after a whole day at work?"
Because I have the tendency to stock up on a lot skincare all at once, I like to get products that I can use all year round. We were walking through Grand Central and I decided to stop by the Origins store to see if there was anything exciting since I get a corporate discount there, too (there are no Origins stores in Toronto, so I never get to take advantage of it). Nothing new caught my eye, but I did pick up a tube of Modern Friction Nature's Gentle Dermabrasion (I haven't used it in a few years and have decided it's time to go back to it because I've always had great results) and a jar of their Make a Difference Plus+ Rejuvenating Treatment that I love as a night cream in warm weather or as a day cream in cold weather (and it smells like watermelons and oranges!). A couple days later, during a walk through Koreatown, a store called Nature Republic caught my eye. Despite Korean beauty brands getting really big here (The Face Shop, Laneige, Tony Moly, Holika Holika, etc.), I had never heard of Nature Republic, so I decided to go in and check it out. They were having a 30% off promotion on select skincare, so I ended up getting a bottle of Super Aqua Max Watery Essence and a jar of Super Aqua Max Fresh Watery Cream. Both are designed to give hydration to oily skin, so I thought they would be good as my day time skincare routine for summer. They were also having a hand cream sale (Buy 1, Get 1 Free) so I ended up getting two full size tubes in Shea Butter and Apple Mango, as well as two mini tubes in Lime and Grapefruit, because you know I go through hand cream like water. And in cute packaging as well? Just sell me everything.
You might have noticed by now that sales are my kryptonite. I stopped by Rituals during one of our afternoon strolls because I hear a lot about the brand through UK YouTubers and we don't have it in Canada. I saw that their best-selling Shower Foams were on promotion for $10 each from $15, so I decided to check them out. Don't know if anyone remembers this, but Bath & Body Works used to carry a very similar product many, many years ago, and I was obsessed with it. They come out of the cans like shaving gel and they foam up like crazy, and they are freaking awesome. Anyway, I spent like, 15 minutes washing my hands with every single scent (and made Ronsee smell every single one, too, because I am thatperson) and finally ended up picking three: The Ritual of Sakura which has a rice milk and cherry blossom scent, The Ritual of Dao which has a white lotus and yi yi ren scent, and the limited edition Express Your Soul which has a verbena and petitgrain scent. I just wish Rituals would open up a store here because there are about 87 other things I wanna try. (Actually, it's probably better that they're not here.)
Of course, MAC came out with their huge summer launch last month. I didn't care for the bronzers, glosses, Lustre Drops, or brushes, but I did buy the Pearlmatte Face Powder, the three eyeshadow palettes (reviews: Oh My Banana, Love in the Glades, and Fruit a La La), all four lipsticks, and luckily, the Coconut Fix+ (that sold out within a few hours). After their incredibly underwhelming spring collection, Work It Out (of which I did not buy a single item — a first for me in the 10 years I've been collecting MAC), I was pleasantly surprised and very pleased with Fruity Juicy, from the packaging to the colour scheme to the textures. As Fruity Juicy is the main focus for MAC right now, they didn't really come out with any other collections until the very limited launch of their collaboration with Korean designers, Steve J & Yoni P, which I just thought was too cute to resist. I ended up grabbing six limited edition items from the collection: the Sugar or Syrup Powder Blush, both the Touch Me Baby eyeshadow duo and the Midnight Fever Dazzleshadow duo, and the lipsticks. Now I'm waiting for the fall collections with bated breath.
I ran out of some staple products so I got my friend Chelsea to snag me some from Sephora for me, including my favourite NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer, two tubes of Urban Decay Perversion Mascara, and a small bottle of Fresh Sugar Lychee Eau de Parfum. Not that exciting, but you know, holy grails are holy grails.
Finally, I went to an exclusive private Estée Lauder Companies warehouse sale last week. I have gone to many ELC warehouse sales in the past (they are invitation-only, but ELC sends out a lot of invites that people can give to their family and friends, so it seems like a public sale) but they usually don't have anything that exciting (they usually repeat products at every sale), and the discounts don't get higher than 50% off. But the one I went to, despite having less variety, had much more luxury products at significantly higher discounts. And it was far less busy because it was so private. It was there that I found the most "boujee" of all skincare brands: La Mer. They had their limited edition 100 ml Blue Heart Crème de la Mer The Moisturizing Cream for $100 from $585. I had never even thought of trying La Mer because their prices are so exorbitant, and I'm not saying that $100 is cheap, but for 100 ml of product?! That's less than most moisturizers from non-drugstore brands. I didn't think twice about snagging one up (and others didn't either, because I saw dozens of people putting two in their shopping bags). I also snatched up La Mer's The Illuminating Eye Gel for $45 from $180, two massive 100 ml bottles of Estée Lauder's Advanced Night Repair for $25 each from $200, a jar of Estée Lauder's Clear Difference Oil Control/Mattifying Hydrating Gel for $10 from $58, and a jar of Estée Lauder's NightWear Plus Ant-Oxidant Night Detox Creme for $15 from $65. Um, yeah, I spent $220 and saved over $1,000, and there was no tax because every dollar was being donated to the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation. I think this might be the best sale I have ever encountered.
