Describing L'Artisan Parfumeur La Chasse aux Papillons Perfume is like Chasing Butterflies

One of my most favourite gentle floral perfumes for warmer days is L'Artisan Parfumeur La Chasse aux Papillons (Chasing Butterflies). It was launched in 1999, and is to me, a perfect representation of the perfume house of L'Artisan Parfumeur. Sheer, delicate and elegant, La Chasse is a summer day in a garden of tuberose, orange blossom, jasmine and lime blossom. It's tuberose for those who find Fracas just  Too Much and who find Jo Malone Orange Blossom just Too Little. The floral notes are beautifully balanced and never ever ever offend. It is delicate and gauzy, just like a butterfly, and if I close my eyes and sniff, I am in a garden on a hot sunny day. Maybe I love La Chasse because it reminds me of my most favourite kind of weather in the whole world? I swear I can even see blue skies when I wear it. There is the tiniest hint of soap in the dry down but nowhere near the soapy levels in, say, Prada Infusion Fleur d'Oranger, which I love, but in a OMG Soap! kind of way. There is no weird musk dry down and when La Chasse goes away it gently flutters away making you wish it would hang around a little longer. That is the one complaint most have with this perfume- that it is too fleeting. I don't have a problem with that, as I simply apply more. I'd rather miss a perfume than wish I could get. It. Off. Now.

It is one of L'Artisan's best sellers, and when I wear it I see why. I want to cover myself in it. I like that it simply smells pretty. It doesn't try to impress with weird trendy notes (oud- I am looking at you) or blow away the competition with killer sillage that fills the room. It just makes you smell pretty. When I wear this, I always get asked what perfume am I wearing. But, only by people who get close enough to smell it.  Which is the way it should be, in my opinion. I know it is unpopular in most perfume circles but honestly. If we all wore monster perfumes we would all be competing for air space and no one could enjoy anything. Don't wear perfume like yours is the only one that matters. Even strong perfumes can be judiciously applied. Share the air. Please.

This is a scent I'd love in my hair. Oscar Blandi has a jasmine shampoo but it is nowhere as pretty as La Chasse. For some reason the thought of a sitting in a butterfly garden, with a breeze blowing through my hair, wafting gentle, transparent and "sparkling" flower notes around me is just so romantic... I would like to go to there please. So today I will spritz some La Chasse aux Papillons, and walk in the sunshine. I am feeling pretty blessed these days. 

Weleda Sea Buckthorn Body Oil Is a Drink For Dry Thirsty Skin

Weleda Sea Buckthorn Body Oil is my new skin obsession. After hearing beauty editors and my fellow beauty bloggers raving about how they banished the flaky dry skin  on their legs (one of the charming side effects of central heating) with this miracle product I had to try it for myself. I’m a huge Weleda fan- their lovely soothing and natural products have a luxe feel that can only come from quality ingredients. They smell and feel great, but more importantly, they deliver. With the crazy weather we have had, winter, blizzards, hot enough for sundresses & flip flops, then back to sub zero temps, my skin needs all the help it can get.

Sea Buckthorn is a berry that is chock full of essential fatty acids that replenish vital moisture. Add some organic sesame oil & this power moisturizing duo adds intensive replenishment to moisture starved skin. Sea Buckthorn Oil has a fresh orange-y citrus scent that is like a little ray of sunshine. Citrus scents have mood & energy boosting aromatherapeutic properties so add soft skin to a good mood and we are talking win-win. Sea buckthorn oil has all kinds of skincare benefits, likely because it has very high levels of vitamins A and E, both of which are necessary for healthy, young looking skin. These vitamins help destroy free radicals, keeping your skin looking great.

I like to use my Weleda Sea Buckthorn Oil after my shower, when I’ve shaved and exfoliated my body into submission, & my skin just drinks it up.  Sometimes I mix a few drops of Sea Buckthorn Oil with my beloved Nivea Q10 body lotion - an amazing way to enrich a simple body lotion and fill it with skin - quenching goodness. And I would have believed it until seeing it with my own eyes- there is not one flaky dry part of my skin to be seen. 

Available at drugstores, health food stores and online.

Clean & Fresh Skin With Weleda

One Step Cleanser & Toner and Refining Toner

I'm on a bit of a Weleda kick these days. I love the purity of the products, and the comforting gentle scents. Lately I've been enjoying their One Step Cleanser & Toner and their Refining Toner. They manage to treat my "winter ravaged skin that also went south on holiday" gently while exfoliating yucky dulling dry skin. 

The One Step Cleanser is a really neat product. It has a thin milky consistency that lends itself best to use with a cotton pad. I love it as a refreshing cleanser in the morning. It wakes up my skin, removes excess oil gently and adds a glow. It has a zesty scent that invigorates without being overwhelming. I especially loved it while on holiday after a day walking around in the heat, and it is amazing after a work out. I find the scent a bit strong to use on my eyes, but it does remove eye make up as well if you can tolerate it. My eyes are especially sensitive so your mileage may vary. It is a toner as well but more of a moisturizing toner. My skin feels soft and dewy after cleansing without a hint of tightness at all. SO I would say this would work for different skin types well. It removes the bad but keeps the good. I adore the cobalt blue glass container- it has an old fashioned high quality feel about it, in addition to looking pretty. And the product inside is kept nice and stable. A little of the One Step Cleanser goes a long way so this will last me ages!

The Refining Toner is just fab. I use plain old rosewater obsessively but like to use a toner that will improve the texture and consistency of my skin ie remove dead skin, refine pores and brighten the tone. This toner is full of good stuff like rose and lemon to clarify and tone and I love it. I use it with a cotton pad in the evening after taking off my make up. I find it especially wonderful during times of the month when my skin is a bit oilier and needs a little extra help to stay clear. It definitely adds a glow. 

Weleda is available on their website and most drugstore and health food stores.

Smells Expensive But Isn't

I love my little drugstore cheapie secrets. You'd be amazed at the beauty finds that can be had for a steal. This week's uncharacteristically warm weather had me reaching for two perfumes that most of my friends would be shocked to know I wear. They are cheap and cheerful drugstore perfumes, although they are made somewhat exotic by not being available in Canada (or at least Ontario) so I have taken road trips to the booming American metropolis of Ogdensburg to buy these beauties. At Walmart. Ahem. Lest you fear I have lost my senses, I will direct you to the masthead of the blog where you can feast your eyes on my vintage Chanel Bois des Iles. Which I still love and wear. Moving on to my pretty Coty perfumes....

Sand & Sable: If you like tropical florals you really should give this a try. It is a lush tuberose, gardenia, jasmine and lilac scent with some sweet fruity peachy coconut-y notes. It has a lot in common with Piguet's Fracas but frankly, I like it better and find it more wearable. It is sweeter and less stringently eye watering. Apologies to Fracas lovers! I've tried...really I have. The dry down of Sand & Sable is where you will find the lilac, after the tropical florals float away. It is a big sillage monster, so apply sparingly. I like to dab this one to keep it close to the skin. Where the "Sable" reference comes from is a mystery to me. Especially given the ad copy above, "Who needs the sable?". Perhaps it makes it sound fancy. I have used this on my light bulbs as well- in the middle of winter it turns your house into a beachy garden and I just love it. It reminds me of the 80s...in a good way. Just don't judge a perfume by it's bottle. 

Lady Stetson: It was the 4 Star review in The Guide that made me revisit this one, with it's unbelievable comparisons to the classic Chanel No22, which I adore. I see that similarity for sure, in the fizzy aldehydes, but Lady Stetson is fruitier, reminding of another scent that reminds me of Chanel No22, Santa Maria Melograno.  An airy, dusty, powdery fruity (peach?) note that dries down to a soapy incense note. It is such an unusual composition for a drugstore perfume, and I'm kind of amazed every time I wear it. It is odd, and definitely won't appeal to everyone, but if you are intrigued by my description, you should search it out and give it a try. As mainstream as it is, I have never smelled it on anyone, perhaps due to it's import status in Canada. So it's unique, pretty and complex. Ignore the bottle here too please, it belies the goodness within. "It's how the west was won"....don't you just love 80s perfume ads?

My daughter Emilie was wearing Yardley Lily of The Valley the other day and honestly, I could not identify it as cheap at all. It just smell pretty. Do you have any cheap and cheerful perfume faves? Share! I love these tips....

photo: vintage image of Anne Francis applying perfume...anyone know what that bottle is? So curious....

Sally Hansen Sea - Pale Green Perfection

I have been on the search for a paled out sage green nailpolish. Essie has one called Absolutely Shore which I have not been able to find in a store, and being the instant gratification person that I am, I haven't ordered online yet either. So when I wandered into Walgreens recently in Florida and saw the lovely Sea in a Sally Hansen display, I had to have it. It is part of their Smooth & Perfect Color + Care line, which are frankly lovely and enticingly pastel, and perfect for this season pale toned trends.

In full sunlight

I used 3 coats, and frankly I love that it is semi sheer. When light colours are too opaque I find they look chalky and thick on my nails. It applies well once you get used to the wide and slightly unwieldy brush. Although it does cover the nail in one swoop once I got the hang of it. Wear was quite good with tip wear after 3 days but I was swimming every day and applying sunscreen, so I can forgive that. This one looks airy and breezy- the name Sea suits it perfectly. Pale sea foam green is my new fave neutral. Sally Hansen Sea will get tons of wear this spring/summer.

In natural light 

Clinique Lash Power Gives My Lashes Superpowers

If you follow me on Twitter or ask me what my latest fave mascara is, you would know I cannot stop singing the praises of Clinique Lash Power. I've been mourning the discontinuation of Kiehl's Mineral Mascara, which I loved. My mascara needs are pretty simple, yet even with the hundreds of otpions out there, it hasn't been easy to find the perfect mascara. It must be waterproof or pretty darn close, as my oily skin melts just about everything into lovely racoon eyes within an hour. It can't irritate my eyes, as lately everything seems to bother my eyes. I like to rub them without having to worry about smudging as well.  And, being able to remove it with my regular cleanser as opposed to the oily mess waterproof mascara cleansers leave behind.

So, dear readers, your intrepid beauty blogger, ever ready to sacrifice time and money in the name of Better Make Up, went on a mission. I read everything I could find, I Googled, I got blisters traipsing from beauty counter to beauty counter researching The Best Mascara. And, I do believe I have found it, in a wee little humble and unassuming tube from Clinique. It's quite small and could go unnoticed by the untrained eye, but I found it! It is a tubing mascara, but not like Blinc or Kiss Me, which I find get tight and dry and literally have to be pulled off to be removed. Ouch. It makes for long glossy lashes that never clump, that last all day, and gently rub off with warm water. It is so gentle and non-irritating that I forget I am wearing mascara when it's on. At $15 a tube, it's only marginally more spendy than a drugstore mascara yet performs like a fancy department store one. I got mine at Neimans but it's available wherever Clinique is sold.

One coat of Clinique Lash Power on top lashes...and a bare face

So. There you have it. Clinique Lash Power, Super Mascara. Verdict? True love. I will actually cry if they discontinue this baby.

Diptyque Voile Satin Is A Luxe & Delicious Body Oil

Diptyque is a gorgeous French perfume house. I have worn some of their perfumes in the past but for some reason I don't have one in my collection presently. Hmmm....must rectify that. Anyways, I recently decided to get some Diptyque Voile Satin (translates to "satin veil"- isn't that lovely?) Body Oil as I kept reading how it was chock full of jasmine and ylang and other lovely floral notes that I love. So on my recent trip to Noor in Toronto (have you been? If not get there ASAP) I wash happy to see Nahla and Fred had it in stock. At first sniff after getting it home, I found it strong for some reason and was afraid I wouldn't wear it. Not sure why, as subsequent sniffs and applications basically have left me swooning. The base of avocado and urucum oil are amazingly rich and emollient, and Voile Satin has that wonderful "dry oil"texture. It is fine textured and melts into the skin, leaving a lovely satin appearance and absolutely beautiful lingering fragrance behind. 

Dewy jasmine... 

Ylang ylang blossom

Saffron

I do smell the delightful and gentle blend of jasmine and ylang but it is the saffron that really adds a something special to that floral confection.  Saffron is a spice with a dusty floral peppery scent, but in perfume I'd say it is more floral than spicy. There is a slight mouth watering character to saffron as well, and it really plays off the jasmine and ylang beautifully, tempering the sweetness with what feels like a creamy gentle amber. I don't think I would use it head to toe as a moisturizer as it does have enough scent to work as a soft perfume. I like to use it strategically...a little on my legs, on my arms and perhaps my decolletage. It gives a gorgeous glow to skin and will be perfect in warmer weather when we ditch the stockings and want our legs to look, well, gorgeous. If I apply it at bedtime, as I am wont to do, I can still smell gentle wafts in the morning. Did I mention it is a hair oil as well? So before I style my towel dried hair, I spritz the palms of my hands with just a bit of oil and pass it through the ends of my hair. It softens and smooths, and the scent is divine. A gentle oil scent I can use head to toe? Yes please. Verdict? LOVE.

Diptyque Voile Satin is around $60 for a 100ml bottle, and is available where Diptyque Body Products are sold, from their website and from Luckyscent.

Earthy, Sexy, Floral And So Soft...Santa Maria Novella Gardenia

This could be any of the SMN perfumes. Let's say it's Gardenia.

It is flowers, green vegetation and so warm, earthy, and well, sexy. Like you're relaxing in the shade on your porch in the deep southern heat, after having a luke warm cooling bath using only the simplest and cleanest soap (Dove?). You've put on your gauzy linen slip and the humidity makes your skin glow while you sip iced tea with frosty condensation dripping down the sides of your glass. You have to lift your hair off your neck because you are so warm. There is a huge lush gardenia bush next to the porch and the heat makes the lush scent of flowers, the greenery and even the damp earth just radiate all around you.

A real gardenia I plucked....stunning

That pretty much describes my Santa Maria Novella Gardenia experience. At first sniff I thought- oh my, perfect. A soapy clean gardenia scent, with lovely fresh green notes. I was in one of the divine Santa Maria Novella boutiques and basically wanted ONE OF EVERYTHING. Sigh. But Gardenia really spoke to me so it was mine. SMN scents often have a signature musk note in their base. It can be overwhelming to my nose, like in their musk scents but in Gardenia it hides under the flowers. I never even really thought about it but did wonder how a soliflfore floral scent could be so, well, sexy. There was something slightly "warm almost sweaty skin" about it without being dirty or, musk can often be, oily. Yuck. An oily animalic musk sends me running to the hills and makes my family ask to please not wear that perfume again *stares at Helmut Lang edp*. Not Gardenia. It smells like I just took a bath with Gardenia soap, with none of the weird indolic or cheese-y notes often found in Gardenia scents that use tuberose to approximate the scent of gardenia. I was once asked what cheese I had eaten when I was wearing Fracas. Sigh.  I was at Noor in Toronto recently (my favourite perfume boutique in the world) chatting with the knowlededgable & friendly owners, Nahla and Fred. Its always so fun there because they encourage you to sniff and chat as long you as like. When I mentioned I loved SMN Gardenia, the impossibly handsome & charming Fred commented "Oh, that's an earthy one". Earthy....it hadn't really occurred to me until he said that how true that is. Now I'm obsessed with the earthy-ness of Gardenia and love it.

Santa Maria Novella Gardenia is my perfect Gardenia and will fill the empty void left by Kiehl's Gardenia. I was able to do a side by side sniff with SMN Gardenia and an actual gardenia. There is none of the borderline rot smell that exists in the actual flower, and much more of the green. More like standing back and inhaling the whole gardenia bush environment. SMN Gardenia is like a hologram of the gardenia plant. And, I would still call this a soft scent. It does not have tons of sillage, and it is not BIG, nor does it last and last and last on the skin until you wish you could scrub it off. It just smells lovely, feminine and clean, with a touch of something sexy.

A hot sunny day melting into evening, a cooling swim & then Gardenia

Santa Maria Novella products are sold at retailers throughout Canada and the US. They can be hard to find so Google is your best friend depending on where you are. Lafco in NYC seems to be a very reliable retailer of the line and they ship. Noor in Toronto has the line for Canadian buyers and will also ship- watch their site for their online shop, coming soon. Btw, SMN perfumes are notorious for the fact that every bottle looks the same, which is why you need a professional to help you find the right one! Kidding- sort of....

Benefit Cabana Glama - A Holiday In A Box! And A Draw!

Benefit has the cutest little kits. All in their cheeky cardboard packages, full of mini goodies that just make me want to collect them all! But they aren't all cuteness- they are actually quite practical! The latest one, Benefit Cabana Glama, is like a tropical holiday in a box. And also, perfect for taking on holiday! Forget hauling your bronzer, foundation/powder, cheek/lip stain and eyeshadows in a bulging make up bag- just toss Cabana Glama in your suitcase along with your bathing suit, sunscreen and sunglasses and you are good to go! Cabana Glama comes with Hoola, their cult fave bronzer, Some Kind Of Gorgeous cream-to-powder foundation (which I like to use like concealer to cover problem areas, not all over my face. It's amazing!), their sweet rosy pink Posietint cheek and lip stain, and a lovely neutral eyeshadow palette with 2 perfect taupes (Cocoa Pizazz, Bronze Buzz) and a sweet coral highlighter (Peach Fuzz) that is amazing in the inner corners of the eyes for a wide awake POP. Love!

First photo taken in natural light. Gloomy and overcast light because its the frozen north up here! The second one is taken with flash.

From left: Posietint, Cocoa Pizazz, Bronze Buzz, Peach Fuzz & Hoola

From left: Posietint, Cocoa Pizazz, Bronze Buzz, Peach Fuzz & Hoola

Now here is the fun! Comment here, follow Daly Beauty on Twitter and Tweet out the post, and "like" Daly Beauty on Facebook to be entered into a draw for your very own Cabana Glama! Contest closes at 5pm on March 29th. Good luck!

Cabana Glama is valued at $38 US and is available wherever Benefit is sold.

THANK YOU ALL FOR ENTERING!

Even Dreamy Skin, Thanks To Vichy proEVEN

I can't think of any woman who isn't concerned about the aging effect sun spots and assorted dark spots/scars have on our skin. There are a bajillion whitening brightening products out there, most of them containing Vitamin C, which has the seemingly magical ability to even out blotchy and spotted skin tone. Well the latest product from Vichy, proEVEN, delivers results and more. It is chock full of wonderful science that includes vitamin C and E to target excess melanin and dark spots. Innovation and 11 (yes, 11!) patents later, it's no surprise.

The texture of this cream is wonderful. It is not too thick, not too thin, and spreads beautifully on the skin. And, miraculously, this is not thanks to silicones, which are way too often added for slip and texture, but that give a false sense of smoothness. Some silicones will also irritate certain sensitive skin types and can even cause acne. Not an issue with proEVEN. After around a week of using it every night, I definitely saw a difference in my complexion. I'd had a bad bout of hormonal acne over the holidays and was feeling rather spotty and adolescent. After two weeks of use the little spots left behind by acne were almost invisible. It usually takes a long time for those marks to heal, so long that even when there is nothing but a mark left, I still have to use a spot of concealer on it.  Not now. There was no discomfort or irritation as a result of using this cream and would say it actually feels wonderful and soothing. If spots, sun spots and discoloration are an issue for you, then you must try proEVEN.

Spots might be cute on her, but not on us.

Vichy proEVEN is available at drugstores and online for Amercian consumers.

photo of sweet puppy from here

I'm Obsessed With Slathering Myself Head to Toe In This Stuff

Or, in which my moisturizing compulsion continues. I am in love with the L’Occitane Shea Butter line. My amazing daughters gave me a ton of it for Christmas & my skin couldn’t be happier. I first experienced this beauty while standing in line at Sephora. You know, next to those little adult candy bins full of tempting trial sized goodies that say "buy me!" like they were a Cadbury Fruit & Nut bar. I saw the mini L'Occitane Shea Butter hand cream and grabbed it because one can never have enough hand cream. It's pursed sized perfection! 

The Ultra Rich Shower Cream turns showering into some serious good clean fun. The almond-y soapy scent smells expensive & quite French, and leaves my skin silky smooth. Even post shower there is no tightness, but I slather the Shea Body Lotion head to toe anyways. Since I have been using this line I see a real improvement in my cold winter/central heating ravaged skin. Softer, smoother & not a flake to be seen. 

I’m hoarding the bar soap- it’s in my lingerie drawer. My mum kept bar soaps in our linen cupboards & I remember that clean scent wafting out every time I opened the door. I actually keep soaps of all types in all my cupboards and drawers...it's one of those little things that is just... comforting.

L’Occitane Shea Butter Hand Cream is the Holy Grail of Hand Creams & a cult fave. It sinks right in, smoothing skin & protecting it from the elements- heat or cold. Even my nails have gotten stronger and less brittle since I've been using this gorgeous and luxe hand cream. It’s now a staple. Seriously- this stuff smells so beautiful. I only wish the scent lasted longer on my skin. In the meantime I will just keep applying the hand cream.

Prices range from $10- $35 for this line. Find a L'Occitane boutique near you on their website.

Baby Your Skin & Hair With Live Clean Baby

I've written before about how much I love Live Clean products. They are natural, SLS, paraben and phthalate free, as well as living up to what they claim to do. Simply and gently. After my last review I heard some buzz from my fellow beauty bloggers about their love for the Live Clean Baby Shampoo & Wash. Some said it was ideal for their sensitive skin, some said it helped soothe their eczema, all the while leaving behind the soft and lovely scent of babies. You know that scent- soft, powdery and clean. Just the scent of clean skin. 

Well, you can't throw those claims around without me jumping on the bandwagon. And boy- am I glad I did. I have been using the Live Clean Baby as my shower gel. A few squeezes in on my shower puff and I feel softly cleansed from head to toe. I shampoo my hair with it from time to time and just love the way my hair smells afterward. It also is just so gentle and rinses out clean leaving my hair soft and silky, and not in the least bit dry or straw-like. It is also lovely to add a few squirts to the bath. It soothes the skin and leaves a touch of soft scent behind.

This is for the baby in the family, or for anyone who wants to baby their skin and hair. Live Clean Baby is available in Canada and the US at drugstores and Walmart. The baby line is the first Live Clean product line to make into the States and hopefully for my American readers the rest of the line will follow soon!

Photoshop For Real Life - Make Up Forever HG Powder

How have I not reviewed the amazing Make Up Forever HD Powder? Perhaps because it is such a necessity, I may sadly have taken it for granted. I got into a Twitter discussion about this last week and had such an overwhelming response of shared love for this, I figured it was time to discuss it. 

Make Up Forever ( hereafter known as MUFE) HD Powder is a loose powder that is white and promises to blur just about anything- pores, shine, lines, spots- you name it. Not only does it promise but it delivers.  I got my little jar (they are small...but honestly they last forever) at Sephora and use my own small fluffy brush to apply. When all other make up has been applied, a touch of the HD powder and BOOM! All flaws are gone. And I mean gone. I had to squint in the mirror the first time I used it as I could not believe how perfect my skin appeared. 

I tap a little bit of the powder into the lid, lightly dip the brush in, tap the brush, then "buff" it on, blending thoroughly.  I am generally not a fan of loose powder- messy and not klutz proof, but the little jars of MUFE HD Powder are pretty great. Turn it upside down with the cap on, tap the bottom of the jar with the brush, and you end up with "just enough" powder in the cap to dust down the t-zone. Perfect! Being basically just pure silica, it leaves no trace of colour on the skin and truly works with every skin tone. I use it in place of translucent setting powder and the beauty is with MUFE HD Powder, I need less tinted moisturizer, less concealer- less everything.

But, as with all good things, there is a danger to HD Powder. Blending and a light hand are key, because this miracle stuff has an evil side. There is no pigment, so to speak, in HD Powder, but the silica in it can leave a very visible white cast in bright flash photography if blended judiciously. And even then, if the flash is close to your face and bright, well, there can be issues.  I know you've seen these photos of the stars that look like they stuck their face in a flour bag (or worse...) before heading out....YIKES.

That said, you will still have to pry my MUFE HD Powder from my cold dead hands. This stuff is amazing and really helps you feel polished and presentable when you may otherwise feel shiny and blotchy. Go from shiny or sweaty to cool as a cucumber in a few shakes of your jar. There is really no way to describe the wonderful effect this powder has, so I suggest you get to a Make Up Forever counter and get a demo. I got my powder at Sephora for $30, and they often have a wee size for around $17 that is perfect for purse, gym bag etc. It is one of the best cosmetic purchases. Evah.