Month: February 2018


Feb
2018

The Beauty Aisle: New Things I Tried

categories: Beauty products

By now, you guys know I’m something of a beauty product junkie. Every so often, I like to update my list of products because if there is one thing I love almost as much as finding a great bargain is telling other people about all the stuff I’ve tried. So here are some recent products I recently tested.

The Ordinary Buffet

I have been using The Ordinary products for the past year, and like most of the ones I’ve tried. The Buffet was a more recent purchase, but it has become my go-to all-in-one serum. You guys, it’s $15 a bottle! I use it every other night, alternating with my prescription retinoid. I am very happy with my skin and my line-up of products from The Ordinary is one of the biggest reasons. Apart from the Buffet, my other current go-tos are the Lactic Acid (5%) (reputedly a dupe for Sunday Riley’s Good Genes), Resveratrol+Ferulic Acid, and the Vitamin C Suspension. and I prefer ordering directly, but you can also get them through Sephora now.

[Note: there has been some drama going down in the Deciem IG, which I have mostly ignored thanks to the stupid algorithm which decides I want to see a bunch of sponsored posts and nothing from people I actually follow, ahem. But it’s been dissected on Reddit, if you want to read about it.]

Hylamide HA Blur Primer

Because my skin looks pretty good on its own, I rarely bother with primer. I do sometimes find myself annoyed with the pores on my nose – which, for the record, appeared less visible since I started my skincare regime last year – so I decided to try this Hylamide version. It’s pricier than The Ordinary products I usually buy, at about $20 a bottle, but a small amount goes a long way. In fact, I think it works better to use a small amount and work it into the skin well. I have no point of comparison, since I’ve never used other primers, but I think it does makes my liquid foundation go on more smoothly. I wouldn’t say this product equates to an Instagram filter blur – nothing does, let’s be honest – but it does make me look a little more poreless. Maybe? To be honest, it’s not so noticeable that I can swear it’s not just a placebo effect. I should also note that, while I have tried this under my Jane Iredale mineral foundation (powder) and it’s fine, I prefer to use it with liquid foundation.

Speaking of liquid foundation, I decided to give The Ordinary Serum Foundation a try on a whim. Buying foundation without the benefit of a swatch is risky business, but at under $7 a bottle … well, it was a risk I could handle. I got the 1.0N shade (the lightest offered), and I am pretty happy with it. I’m not sure how it compares to high end foundations, because (a) I haven’t experimented enough to be able to tell differences, and (b) my coverage needs are pretty minimal. I will say that this formulation is very watery, so a teeny tiny bit is enough for the whole face, but it offers more coverage than, say, a BB cream.

All in all, these two products were just ok for me, though not bad value overall.

Essence Lash Princess Mascara

Hat-tip to Sherry for introducing me to this sub-$6 mascara. It has replaced my beloved L’Oreal Butterfly as my HG mascara. I have tried a couple of versions but I prefer the the False Lash Effect mascara (black & green tube) over the Sculpted Volume version (black & purple tube) – it’s less thick/goopy than the black/purple tube version (sorry, blanking on the name), and still achieves great colour intensity and lash definition. I’ve linked to Amazon, but buy it at your local drugstore, it will be cheaper.

Essence makes a bunch of really good, ridiculously inexpensive products, so it’s worth experimenting with; I love their eyebrow pencil, as well as their under-eye concealer stick.

Sidenote: I still use my EyEnvy serum, and love the ridiculously long lashes it gives me. I just got rid of my first tube (it was not fully empty) because I realized that I’d had it since May 2017 and that’s, um, probably gross.

Joe Fresh Lipstick

Since my Rimmel Colour Rush lip crayons were discontinued last year, I have been on desultory hunt for a new favourite lip product. Nothing has really struck me as HG material, but I have become partial to this Joe Fresh tinted lip balm (link to Canadian website). The colour is called Bumbleberry. It goes on smooth and slightly shiny, almost like a lip butter. Similar to the Rimmel crayons, it doesn’t have strong staying power but it also doesn’t dry out my lips. The only downside is that it is $10 a pop, which is high given the brand but … oh well.

Davines Texturizer Spray

Full disclosure: I have not actually bought this. Yet. But I have been “borrowing” it from my BFF every chance I get, and I love it. It works both as a texturizer and as a dry shampoo in a pinch. Compared to the Batiste dry shampoo I usually buy, it’s … well, there is no comparison. It smells divine, and it does a great job of drying up oiliness, while adding texture/volume to my hair. It’s about $40 a bottle which is about $20 more than I’ve spent on hair products in recent years, but I am almost ready to take the plunge.

There are also a few other products I would love to try, but have not yet pulled the trigger on. If any of you have comments/reviews, please share!

Dr. Jart Cicapair Cream – I keep hearing good things about this, but it’s also $50 on Amazon and I don’t know, you guys. Is it really that amazing? Is it going to get me any closer to my dream of looking like a dewy 20-something? I don’t have a lot of redness in my skin, but I do have pinkish undertones on my face so … maybe I need it? Talk me out of this slash enable me, please.

Jo Malone Earl Grey and Cucumber Spray – I tried this on at Holt’s last year and loved it. My current perfume is Hanae Mori Butterfly, which does not seem to be carried locally by anybody anymore. I am ready to switch to a new scent when the bottle runs out, but I am not sure I want to commit to a $175 perfume. Also, Butterfly is an eau de parfum, while the Jo Malone is not, so I am worried about its staying power. I am also intrigued and want to try Le Labo perfumes, though I am not sure where they are available (locally or online, shipped to Canada).

If there are beauty products you’ve tried lately and loved (or hated), tell me all about it!


Feb
2018

2017 Budget & Wardrobe Analytics

categories: Budget

2017 was the year when I fully embraced thrifting. The vast majority of my clothing purchases were made secondhand, mostly through thrifting but also consignment. I lost one of my best thrifting buddies part way through the year – miss you tons, Nicole – but got my BFF hooked on thrifting just in time for us to start an Instagram shop. More on that another time, though I will say that the shop was a natural extension of my own shopping habits (my closet is in a constant state of turnover) and the desire to convert others to secondhand shopping. Thrifting has transformed my closet – literally – as well as my approach to shopping; mostly for the good, I think. I have learned a tremendous amount about clothes and the fashion industry, as well as the resale market. Other thrifters have been a huge inspiration and source of information; it’s a growing community which is incredibly supportive for the most part.

What about the numbers?

No surprise for anyone who follows my Insta: I bought a lot of things in 2017. Buy All The Things is practically my motto at this point. The only reason why my closet has not burst at the seams is because of the aforementioned constant, ahem, editing. A combination of factors are at play. One, I have a profound and unalterable weakness for “orphan” clothes – cute clothes I don’t need or want, but which I am compelled to “rescue” from thrift and consignment stores. This goes back years, as the blog can attest. I am hopeful that ThriftRats (the name of our IG shop) will be a good outlet for my future rescue missions. Two, I am getting much pickier about what I wear, but I can’t resist style experiments. “What if this Thing, which is probably not a thing I need, turns out in fact to be everything I never knew I needed?” is a question I can’t help asking myself far too often. Because of that, I hate making on-the-spot decisions about clothing; I much prefer to wear an item once or twice in real life and then assess if and how it fits into my closet. This approach is only possible thanks to thrifting but I am happy with it and it works for me – and, again, ThriftRats is now here to complete the picture, taking the failed experiments and giving them new life.

With all that being said, I did buy about one third fewer items than in 2016, which is some sort of progress. Of the items I bought, a little more than ½ are still in my closet as of January 2018. I think this represents an improved retention rate as compared to 2016, if you can believe it.

My total clothes (and accessories) spending in 2017 was around $3,300 – by a wide margin the lowest annual amount since 2013 when I first started tracking these expenses. By way of comparison, the estimated retail value of my purchases was in the region of $48,000. There is no extraneous zero in that figure, by the way. This is why clothes are in no way, shape or form an “investment” – even cars have better resale value.

My wardrobe goals for 2018 are largely of the “keep on keeping on” variety. I would like to whittle my closet down a little further, but I also expect to continue subbing in new pieces; the goal will be to make sure that every single item in my closet is a “wow” piece – something that makes me feel fantastic and/or fills a fundamental role in my wardrobe. I would say I’m about 70% of the way there, so there is room for improvement; at the same time, there are few obvious “stragglers” left in my closet at this point, so choosing pieces to discard requires more careful analysis than in the past. Not including accessories, I have 187 items in my closet at this time. That does include seasonal, travel, and special occasion attire (read, cocktail dresses) which are used on an infrequent basis but which, nonetheless, are necessary pieces. I think my ideal everyday/working wardrobe is somewhere in the range of 120-150 items, which should be achievable with minimal additional culling and regular editing.

I also plan on making more strategic use of my archival closet. This is my repository of things which are too big/small or not quite my current style, but which I still want to keep for various, largely sentimental, reasons. In the past, I have tended to err on the side of keeping too much in there, on the basis of a lot of very tenuous “what ifs”. I have been de-cluttering slowly – ThriftRats shoutout #3 – which means there is room in there again. I plan to use the space for pieces that don’t necessarily fit my current day-to-day needs, but which I may wish to revisit at some future point. Quite a few Anthropologie items fall into this category, by the way. With this approach, my working closet will be less cluttered, but I will still have access to unique pieces I may only wish to wear once or twice a year. Win, win.

Alright, your turn: how did your wardrobe fare in 2017, and what are your plans for 2018?


Feb
2018

The Platonic Closet Revisited: Blazers

categories: Favourite things

Some time ago, I wrote a post on my “Platonic closet” – the key wardrobe pieces most representative of my style. I thought it would be fun to revisit that post, but rather than focus on one item in each category, I thought I would highlight a few favourites based on recent years’ use. One of the side-effects of my thrifting (and the resultant frequent closet turnover) is exposure to a large variety of brands, and I have been thinking that sharing my experiences may be useful to those of you who are also interested in secondhand shopping.

Which brands are worth it? Which brands are not?

It goes without saying that these are my personal opinions only, and YMMV. Always.

I will start today with blazers.

In my line of work, blazers are a frequent feature of my work style, even in my current, business casual environment. I have spent many years searching for the Unicorn: the perfectly tailored blazer that doesn’t feel like a straightjacket. I have since come to recognize that my Unicorn is more of a herd; while I could probably live with one single plain black blazer, my personal style demands greater variety.

The Classic

If black is your mainstay neutral, then a black blazer is it. My current collection includes 3, and I’m going to talk about each one in turn.

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This Cartonnier blazer is an old favourite but the heathered ponte fabric makes a more casual choice. It is not as sharply tailored as my other black blazers, but it still nips in nicely at the waist, and it is probably the most comfortable. The material is on the thicker side, plus it’s lined, so it’s a good option for cooler climates.

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This Smythe blazer is superbly tailored. It does have, however, a very distinctive “look” including very sharp shoulders. This may not be for everyone, and it makes getting the right size a critical consideration. The first Smythe blazer I bought (retail) was a size 8, which generally fit me quite well except that the shoulders made me look like a line-backer. I sold it last year after not getting much wear out of it. My current (thrifted) blazer is a size 4 and fits much better in the shoulders, though I find it a little bit tight across the back. As you might surmise from this, Smythe is generally cut on the narrow side through the trunk/waist.

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Of all my black blazers, this Talula is the one I would consider my “workhorse”. It’s a simple, classic cut which flatters the waist. This is the “shrunken” Exeter style, which is shorter than the classic Exeter (the latter being more of a boyfriend style). It works well with both separates (pants, skirts) and dresses, which is the kind of versatility I expect from my wardrobe “superstars”. As a bonus, this style of blazers pops up regularly in my local thrift stores. I paid under $10 for mine, in like-new condition.

The Boyfriend Blazer

For casual Fridays and weekends, I prefer a slouchier style of blazer. The Talula “Kent” is my current version of this, though I prefer this floral version to the solid colour ones:

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This one has more structure to it, though it is still quite soft (and unlined). It does not wrinkle as easily as other Kent blazers I have seen – which, fair warning, is very easily. I hate clothes that are prone to wrinkling since I also hate ironing. [Note to self: I need to get on that whole buying-a-steamer thing.] As these blazers are cut large/loose, I would size down. I wear a size 4 in the Kent, and it is not a tight fit by any means.

The Updated Blazer

I have come to love a collar-less blazer – the more streamlined the better. They are less conservative than the classic blazer, but look polished and easily elevate a business casual outfit. My two favourites are this Wilfred blazer (I have it in two colours):

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… and this Loft82 greige number:

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Sadly, Loft82 was a local boutique that went out of business, so the chance of y’all finding this same blazer again are low. The Wilfred one does pop up on eBay all the time, and I have seen it in black (want!) along with the metallic versions I have. I own both a size 4 and a 6, and the 6 fits better so I would say that if you are in between sizes (like me), go with the larger size especially if you have broad shoulders.

The Statement Blazer

Not everyone needs a statement blazer; I’d say this is for people who need/like to wear toppers, and want some variety. A statement blazer will be the focal point of any outfit, so it lends itself to formulas like the “column of colour” (in my case, that colour is usually black). My favourite statement blazer is this Tabitha boiled wool jacket, which I have in 3 – yes, THREE – different colours.

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This fits TTS, though it is fairly accommodating. I have worn both the size 4 and 8, for reference. The 8 gives me more room in the shoulders, which I always appreciate, without making me look like a line-backer, but it’s looser through the trunk. There is still enough shape to it that it doesn’t look baggy. The 4 is more form-fitting, which is good (around the waist) and bad (in the shoulders). For reference, in the pics above, the yellow version is a size 8 and the others are size 4.

Questions? Wanna share your favourite blazer? See you in the comments.