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    FIBRO LIFE: My best energy-saving lifehacks of 2020

    quarantine beauty look 5

    This has been a tough year for all of us. I think it’s been pretty clear on theNotice that I’m no exception: from bummed-out quarantine selfies to a bi-monthly posting schedule (can you believe that I used to put up 40 posts a month? Bonkers!), it’s been a big shift. So, it feels appropriate do something different for my last post of the year this year. Instead of a wrap-up of my favourite products and posts, here are some of my favourite energy-saving hacks of 2020.

    Whether you’re a fellow spoonie or not, it’s always nice to have a little bit more time and energy. The focus of my favourite tips this year is time. What’s the easiest, fastest way that I can get things done without causing greater impact to my joints? These methods aren’t the most organic or eco-friendly ways to live, but that’s something I’ve been working on shedding — yes, shedding, not building.

    The mere act goes completely against my Chinese heritage, but these “wasteful” lifestyle changes have had a great effect on how much energy I have to actually do something with my day. And, as just 100 companies are responsible for 71% of global emissions, I’m kind of over the idea that it’s our ~personal responsibility~ to make our lives harder in order to save the world. I do what I can, and for me, that’s enough.

    fibro lifehack pre cut parchment paper sheets

    Energy-saving lifehacks in the kitchen

    I have a lot of feelings about two things: pre-cut parchment paper and pre-washed vegetables. Both were things that were absolutely not allowed in my household when I was growing up, but both make cooking way easier.

    Pre-cut parchment paper is a godsend for someone (me; it’s me) who truly sucks at tearing paper. I buy mine from Canadian Tire or Superstore, where the Wilton sheets are $2-4 for rolls of 12-24. Just slam one of those babies on a baking tray or cookie sheet and you’re good to go! The pans come out lightly greasy instead of caked in food, so they wash up perfectly in the dishwasher.

    pre cut broccoli lifehack

    Unsplash @louishansel

    Pre-cut and pre-washed veggies have a similar effect on my life. They’re ready to go but more expensive, but as someone in their 20s with multiple disabilities, they’re awesome. Having all of the prep done ahead of time takes a good 10 minutes out of my cooking time, and makes it possible for me to get a full meal in the oven or on the stove in under 15 minutes. Plus, they cook from dry, so you often get a crispier result.

    Pre-washed spinach is pretty standard, but I also love pre-washed broccolini and cauliflower florets. Pre-washed broccoli is riskier: for some reason, ours always tastes like corn??? It’s super weird.

    Finally, bake everything. Just go for it. Baking is so much easier than frying. There’s less cleanup and less stirring, and everything just tastes better. It’s also easier to get a soft result that still tastes delicious, so it’s great for people with TMD, too.

    When in doubt, bake everything at 420 for 20 minutes and adjust from there. Blaze it, baby.

    the silk road spice blends local yeg favourites

    My favourite quick, arthritis- and TMD-friendly snacks

    Should I have planned this post out in advance and taken some great food photographs for it? Yes. Did I? No. Are you going to get some crappy iPhone snaps instead? Yup.

    Here are my favourite TMD-friendly snacks of the moment: slow-baked sliced apples (on parchment paper for 30 minutes at 200 degrees, or left in a warm oven for an hour after you’ve baked something else), vermicelli noodles fried in oil (cook on medium for just a few seconds, then add salt and pepper), and pan-fried, salted mantou slices or naan bread, à la gold and silver mantou.

    (Can you see my salty carb pattern yet?)

    scarpetta frico lambrusco canned wine

    I’m also really loving canned wine right now, thanks to Georgia Hardstark of My Favourite Murder. It’s not any more or less TMD-friendly than regular Prosecco or champagne, but it is a lot easier to open and carry! The simple effort of popping a cork makes these cans an energy-saving lifehack for me.

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    Review: Graydon Holiday Gift Set 2020

    graydon skincare berry rich review comparison blue magik

    The product: Graydon Holiday Gift Set (2020) — includes Berry Rich Face + Eye Cream (full-size), Face Food Mineral Mist (full-size), and Fullmoon Serum (trial size)

    It’s rare that I fall in love with a skincare set. There are just so many factors involved, and, well: I’m pretty picky. This year’s Graydon Holiday Gift Set ($75 CAD), however, flaunted my expectations — as much of the brand has.

    Usually, when I’m looking at a skincare gift set, there are one or two products that I love. They’re paired with one or two (or more) that I’m not interested in, or that I can’t use for some reason or another. As a result, while I love the premise of a skincare kit, it’s usually cheaper for me to buy each product separately.

    But this set? This set is perfect. It contains a full-sized version of one of my favourite skincare products, a full-sized version of something that I can always use (a non-sticky face mist), and a trial size of a product that I’ve been meaning to try for ages. Each product is vegan and silicone-free. Each product comes in perfect, beautiful packaging. And most importantly of all, each of these skincare products is something that I’ve used routinely since I opened the set. There are no weak links here!

    probiotic blue algae skincare review green beauty

    Berry Rich loses its potency (and colour) with time. The vibrant blue (top) is from this bottle, while the lighter green (bottom) is from a bottle I purchased during the summer.

    Graydon Berry Rich Moisturizer review: The love story continues

    This is my third (fourth? Fifth?) tube of Graydon Berry Rich Face + Eye Cream. I love sticking with a product once I know that it works, and Berry Rich works! Not only is it perfect for my dry, dehydrated skin, but it’s done some pretty spectacular things for my partner’s dehydrated, ageing skin, too.

    Berry Rich is creamy and, well, rich. It features blue-green algae (which give the moisturizer its distinctive colour) and a probiotic blend, and there’s just… something about it. I’ve tried dozens of moisturizers during my tenure as a beauty blogger—if not close to the hundreds—and this is one of the only moisturizers that’s ever stuck out to me as perfect. It goes on creamy but sinks in to the skin grease-free, making it a beautiful base for foundation and colour products. Plus, it’s crazy hydrating: Berry Rich alone has done more for my skin than any other moisturizer plus face oil plus hyaluronic acid combination ever has.

    I don’t know what it is that makes Graydon Berry Rich Face + Eye Cream so magical, but I like to think it’s its concentrated formula. The first ingredient is Blue Majik algae extract, and there’s lots of cocoa seed butter and blueberry seed oil in there, too.

    graydon face food review mineral mist

    Graydon Face Food Mineral Mist review

    As any skincare lover knows, the thing that really makes a mist is its packaging. You don’t just want a nice formula when it comes to face mists; you need a dense, soft mist that comes out consistently. That’s what will make me re-buy time and time again.

    Graydon has a hit with Face Food, and they know it: you can buy 240ml refills for this bottle on their website, which is awesome for both financial and ecological reasons. The Graydon Face Food Mineral Mist formula features silver, magnesium, copper, zinc, and malachite to do everything from help reduce redness to mattify your complexion. The mist has a beautiful vanilla scent from real vanilla extract, with a barely-noticeable touch of peppermint extract as well.

    I’ve been using this mist on my face, but it’s really flexible. I think it really shines as a post-waxing mist, where it serves to immediately soothe the skin without making your pores feel stifled. Graydon advises that you’re not supposed to use products containing silver and/or silver salts on broken or abraded skin, so I’ve been using two drops of Fullmoon Serum after shaving or waxing to soothe and prevent clogged pores, then switching to the super-soothing Face Food the following day!

    graydon skincare holiday gift set 2020 review

    Graydon Fullmoon Serum review

    Graydon’s Fullmoon Serum is an unexpected product. I’ve heard amazing things about it (and, of course, I’m enamoured with its jewel-like colour), but I’ve held back on trying it for ages. My skin is so happy with Graydon Berry Rich as it is, and the brand’s Fullmoon Serum is unexpectedly pricy.

    This serum looks like a basic hyaluronic, water-based product, but it isn’t — so the pricing looks steep at first glance. However, when you start to look at its ingredients, it begins to make more sense. Instead of just adding basic hydration and soothing, the Graydon Fullmoon Serum also contains botanically-derived retinol and blue tansy extract, both of which are pricy (and super trendy) ingredients.

    graydon fullmoon serum review silicone free hyaluronic

    Fullmoon is, I think, an anti-ageing serum first and foremost, but the Graydon Holiday Gift Set was designed to be flexible. The brand recommends all three of these products for all skintypes; it just recommends using them in different proportions. For dry skin, for instance, it recommends two pumps of Berry Rich, two pumps of Face Food Mineral Mist, and two drops of Fullmoon Serum. For ageing skin, it recommends one pump of Berry Rich, two pumps of Face Food Mineral Mist, and four drops of the anti-ageing Fullmoon Serum.

    Just like this gift set on the whole, the Graydon Fullmoon Serum defies my expectations. Rather than being a sticky hyaluronic acid serum that you use by the dropper, it’s a super-lightweight retinol that you use just a few drops of at a time: a bit of the magic that we desperately need this season.

    graydon skincare holiday gift set review 2020

    The Graydon Holiday Gift Set verdict?

    I love Graydon Skincare, and I love their Holiday Gift Set. Its natural ingredients and customizable combinations (almost like a dining menu) make it a great gift idea for almost all skin types. The set takes the guesswork out of skincare gifting, and each of these three products is incredibly beautiful in their own right.

    At $75 CAD, Graydon’s Holiday Gift set is a luxury steal. It makes a great, last-minute gift idea, and it’s an excellent way to stock up on some Graydon for yourself in 2021!

    Availability: $75 CAD ($134 CAD value if sold separately) at Graydon Skincare. Graydon’s shipping times vary from 1-4 days within Canada, so order now if you need a last-minute gift this year!

    Disclaimer: The Graydon Holiday Gift Set was sent to me for editorial consideration upon request, but I truly do believe in it. My last few Berry Rich purchases (one of which was the mega-sized pump bottle; no regrets) were made on my own, and I am sure to re-purchase again in the future! 

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    Review: Invisibobble Sprunchie, Waver, and Original

    invisibobble sprunchie purrfection

    The products: Invisibobble Sprunchie (scrunchie), Waver (bobby pins), and Original (hair tie)

    There are lot of things that are terrible in 2020, but the Invisibobble Sprunchie isn’t one of them. No: instead, it’s the hair tie that I’ve waited my entire life for. Soft, velvety, and kink-free, the Sprunchie is the Invisibobble upgrade that I didn’t know I needed.

    I’ll be the first to admit that this year has been really, really hard. There’s been the normal pandemic stuff, but on top of that, I’ve been trying to shift my attention even more toward my body (over my work). While even being able to do so is an immense privilege, the act of seeing it happen is like a constant gnawing. I am so, so proud of my friends as they advance their careers; get married, have children, tuck publication after publication under their belt. But, still, it feels like self-disembowelment to let theNotice slowly die off. With each of their achievements, I feel like I can feel my own body of work crumbling.

    (Isn’t that quite the thing: the way that many disabled people have to choose either their body or their body of work to waste away.)

    invisibobble review

    Why choose Invisibobble?

    I was a late adopter to the Invisibobble game. Hair ties tend to give me headaches, so I never sought a better version the way that many did.

    When I tried my first Invisibobble, I liked it—but I could go without. Yes, it’s nice that they don’t leave a solid line crimped into your hair. And yes, it’s kind of magical that they shrink back to their original size when you warm them up. But did I really need another hair accessory? I braid my hair as often as I wear it in a ponytail, after all, and I liked the flexibility of having a super-tiny black elastic that would stay on my fine hair no matter how I used it.

    I don’t think I really needed an Invisibobble in my life, and I don’t feel like the “original” works any better than the hundreds of knockoffs that you can find. But the fact that every single brand seems to make an Invisibobble-type product now (I even found one in my Sephora Advent Calendar this year) suggests that I’m an outlier. I didn’t need a new hair accessory, in my lazy state—but many others did.

    me when i have to blow dry my hair

    (Me when I know I’m going to have to blow-dry my hair — using the Invisibobble “True Black” Sprunchie and Waver for some nice, loose waves)

    The Invisibobble Sprunchie review you didn’t know you needed

    A new hair tie is something I can always do without, but a new scrunchie is another story entirely. love scrunchies. They’re a staple in my daily routine: I wear them when I wash my face; when I clean the house; when I’m a greasy mess and I just can’t bring myself to shower.

    You lose some of the benefits of the brand’s original hair ties with the Sprunchie, but you gain even more. It’s covered in fabric, making it absorbent and a little less hygienic. But the fabric… well, that’s the part that makes me love it.

    I’m the Marge Simpson of scrunchies: I just think they’re neat. And this one is even neater than the rest. 

    invisibobble sprunchie scrunchie review

    The Invisibobble Sprunchie has just the right elasticity to hold firmly without pinching, and I love that it won’t stretch out quickly (the way that cheap scrunchies can). Pair that with the fact that they come in two of my favourite colours/prints (black and leopard) and you have a winner. True Black is super sleek and simple, while the leopard Purrfection is a little bit flirty.

    I used the Sprunchie with the Invisibobble Waver hair clips to give my hair some shape and volume for these photos, then finished the look with a few flat iron passes. The Waver isn’t really “for” me, in general; it’s a great concept, but my hair is just too thin for the clips to grip. But the Sprunchie did great. I’m making a bit of a face because I hate blow-drying my hair, but I do love how easy this low-heat styling solution was—perfect for a Christmas morning styling session.

    invisibobble sprunchie original waver review

    The verdict of this Invisibobble review?

    I love the Invisibobble line, but especially the Invisibobble Sprunchie in Purrfection. Each of the products makes a great holiday present, for yourself or someone else.

    You can find Invisibobble online, but one of the things that I truly love about them is that they’re honestly everywhere — so it’s easy to snag a few at a curbside pickup or by local delivery if you need a low-contact gift in a pinch.

    Availability: Around $10 each at Sephora, Shopper’s Drug Mart, and other drugstores. All permanent.

    Disclaimer: This post contains product samples. 

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    2020’s hellish holiday makeup look

    sephora skype christmas party look

    Folks, it has been a year. We’re finally getting some real restrictions (like a mandatory mask mandate and no parties/gatherings allowed) here in Alberta, but they’re long overdue. With close to a thousand new cases per day in Edmonton alone—a city of less than a million people!—tensions are pretty high. (My tensions are pretty damn high). So, I figured: let’s do something a little different for this year’s holiday makeup look.

    You know, because this year has been extremely hellish, and we all desperately need a good face mask and a little makeup therapy.

    sephora collection holographic mask

    Love the holo effect on the Sephora Collection Holographic Sheet Mask ($7 CAD)!

    sephora holiday 2020

    Following a bountiful Sephora delivery and a few new Invisibobble faves from FarleyCo, I thought we’d focus on an easy makeup look with a traditional holiday red lip this year. My reasoning was simple: without in-person gatherings, I think a lot of us are likely to go through more than one Zoom holiday party this year. So, rather than going all-out on one big makeup look, I love the concept of a big eyeshadow palette that’ll let you throw together a number of different looks throughout the season.

    The Sephora Collection Wild Holiday 2020 collection is perfect for it. Each product in the line is affordable and fun, and what the eyeshadows lack in pigmentation and endurance, they make up for in shade range and price.

    sephora wild eyes review

    Sephora Collection Wild Eyes Eyeshadow palette review, swatches

    The Sephora Collection Wild Eyes Eyeshadow Palette (on sale for $17 CAD) is far from perfect, but I loved it for this makeup concept. It contains 16 different matte, shimmer, and glitter eyeshadows in a thin, lightweight cardboard palette—my favourite format. I know that many people are partial to a super luxurious eyeshadow experience, but I love portable palettes that are easy to swap in and out of your luggage.

    (Oh, travelling! Do you remember travelling?)

    sephora wild eyes eyeshadow palette swatches

    Sephora Collection Wild Eyes swatches (Holiday 2020) in indirect sunlight; primed skin

    sephora wild eyes eyeshadow palette swatches 2020

    Right side swatches from the Wild Eyes palette

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    Review: Make Up For Ever Rouge Artist 2020 Lipsticks with swatches and ingredients

    make up for ever rouge artist lipstick review photos swatches ingredients

    The product: Make Up For Ever Rouge Artist Lipstick in 152 Sharp Nude, 156 Classy Lace, and 158 Fiery Sienna

    It’s been a long time since my last lipstick review. It has also (by no coincidence) been a long time since I liked a lipstick as much as I like the Make Up For Ever Rouge Artist ($23 USD/$31 CAD) formula. This buttery-smooth matte formula feels as amazing as it looks, and the light scent is just perfect.

    make up for ever rouge artist 2020 review

    The Rouge Artist formula: Comfort and wear

    I’ve tried formulas in the Make Up For Ever Rouge Artist line before, and so far, I’ve liked all of them. Their Artist Acrylip is glossy and highly pigmented, with a unique liquid texture and format. The original Rouge Artist Mat lipsticks (being discontinued) are intense and creamy, with perfectly compact packaging and impressive opacity. And, of course, the popular Artist Liquid Matte has a great range of nude shades, with a longevity that’s perfect for wearing under a mask.

    make up for ever rouge artist lipstick review

    Make Up For Ever 152 Sharp Nude, 156 Classy Lace, and 158 Fiery Sienna

    This newest Rouge Artist formula has (in my opinion) the best formula of the bunch, but the worst packaging. It’s fantastically comfortable, with a blurry matte finish that feels lightly hydrating. While it falls very short of its 24 hour wear time claims, it lasts for a standard four hours before I need to reapply, and is just as comfortable to wear as a cream lipstick — a huge achievement for a matte.

    I mean, really. You want us to believe that these lipsticks are going to provide “all-day” colour and “24 hours of hydration”? I’ll admit that they have a great formula. I’ll admit that they’re one of my favourites of the year. Heck, I’ll even admit that they’re exactly what I want right now, when I’m stuck at home all day and just want to enjoy a comfy lipstick with a great scent! (Light, powdery, and bright, like a fancy dry shampoo.) 

    But all day? 24 hours? We’ve been lied to enough this year, thanks. 

    make up for ever rouge artist lipstick review swatches photos

    Why are the MUFE Rouge Artist Lipsticks packaged like that?

    Okay: here’s the only bad thing about the new Make Up For Ever Rouge Artist Lipsticks. Their packaging is designed so that it “mimics the precision of a lip brush,” which makes no sense to me. Lip brushes are all about having a small tip and a controlled amount of product on your brush. Making an extra-chunky, extra-long tube that looks like a lip brush when you click the pieces together does nothing for precision, but means that these lipsticks are too large to fit in a small purse. 

    I could easily fit two of MUFE’s old Rouge Artist Mat lipsticks in the space that one of these new ones takes up, or three (three!) of their Artist Acrylip Lip Paints. It speaks volumes to this wonderful new formula that I—and the rest of the internet—seem to just be totally chill with their comically large packaging. 

    (But, for the record, their precise, flat lipstick tip does actually mimic the shape of a lip brush. It’s wonderful.) 

    make up for ever rouge artist lipstick review 152 sharp nude

    Make Up For Ever Rouge Artist Lipstick review: 152 Sharp Nude swatches

    Make Up For Ever Rouge Artist swatches: My favourite shades

    I’ve been battling self confidence swings since quarantine started, so I picked out three Rouge Artist shades I thought I’d like for this review. Normally, I make myself try colours that will help me best review an entire product line: for instance, one nude, one pink, and one vampy shade. But this time around, I just wanted to try some shades that I could enjoy. 

    The plan worked like a charm. All three of these cool-toned nudes work well against my skintone, and Make Up For Ever offers plenty of colour options for different skintones. The “cool nudes” in the Rouge Artist line run from 150-172, with warmer options from 100-122. 

    make up for ever rouge artist lipstick review 156 classy lace

    Make Up For Ever Rouge Artist Lipstick review: 156 Classy Lace swatches

    I like these all well enough that I can’t pick a favourite. 152 Sharp Nude is really beautiful and subdued, and looks like an early 2000’s nude lip on me, but softened for the modern day. It has an almost purply undertone (hell yeah, cool-toned nudes) that looks exactly like my lips in the morning — you know, before I start talking a mile a minute.

    Make Up For Ever Rouge Artist Lipstick in 156 Classy Lace is also great. It’s a lot warmer, with reddish undertones that read orangey-pink on my skin. I like it a lot, but I’m guessing that it’ll look much more mauve on most people. Finally, 158 Fiery Sienna is just a beautyFiery Sienna is just a hair darker than Classy Lace, but with more brown and less red/pink in it. It’s wonderful, and looks very smooth and natural against my complexion. 

    make up for ever rouge artist lipstick review 158 fiery sienna

    Make Up For Ever Rouge Artist Lipstick review: 158 Fiery Sienna swatches

    The Rouge Artist verdict?

    I loved all three of these Make Up For Ever Rouge Artist Lipsticks, despite their chunky packaging. Their formula is comfortable and easy to wear, especially for a matte. While they don’t last for a full day (of course), their four hours feel great. 

    If you were a fan of the original Rouge Artist Mat lipsticks, here’s a quick word of caution. The new Rouge Artist is amazing, but it’s a very different formula. They have a softer finish and less opacity than the original, but they also feel a lot lighter — just completely different in every way. I think they’re wonderful in their own way, but they’re not just a repackaging of the same old lipsticks! 

    Availability: $23 USD/$31 CAD. Permanent.

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    Affordable sex toys: 2020 Single’s Day sales

    Favourite sex toys CAYA

    A long time ago, I wrote a post talking about affordability in makeup. The next, day, I created this one: a post featuring some of my favourite sex toys, made affordable by a great sale at one of my favourite sex toy shops. This post originally went up in 2017, but I wanted today (in 2020) to give it a little update.

    Affordability is one of things that is most important to me when I’m writing a product review—perhaps now even more so than in 2017. While I love a luxury product and am delighted to get to photograph luxury items for theNotice, I’ve always wanted this to be a space for everyone. Part of that means showcasing lust-worthy products, but part of that also means including options that are more easily accessible to all.

    On the whole, features like a rechargeable battery, a great motor, and a waterproof design come at a cost, and those costs are usually passed on to the consumer. That’s why site-wide sales like today’s SheVibe Single’s Day Sale are so exciting. They help make sex toys accessible to everyone, and I’ll sometimes wait all year for a sale like this before buying something that I’ve had my eye on.

    Vibrator picks affordable sex toys

    Get affordable sex toys at SheVibe’s Single’s Day sale

    This post has changed many times as it gets updated with the latest sex toy sales. Today’s big sale is a site-wide 10% off at SheVibe with code SINGLES. SheVibe (as I’m sure you know!) is one of my all-time favourite sex toy shops, with discreet shipping and an amazing in-house artist.

    This family-owned boutique is online-only and based in the US. They have a comprehensive selection of all of my favourite toys, and (in my opinion) the best product pages in the industry. Each one is extremely detailed, with everything you need to know about each toy.

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    Sutil Review: Luxe, Rich, and Love Potions | Sutil by Hathor

    hathor sutil review

    *This Sutil review is sponsored by Hathor.

    Every brand has a shape to it. Sometimes, that shape is easy to find; other times, it’s a little more amorphous. It’s not something that I think always needs to be mentioned, but as soon as I started writing this Sutil review, I knew that I wanted to mention it.

    The Hathor/Sutil shape is so defined that it’s hard for me to look at the brand without seeing it. It’s so clear; so vivid. It’s so easy to see that this brand is led by passion, and created by someone who understands the importance of connection in all of its forms.

    I had the chance to speak with Sutil’s founder, Mellta Swift, before writing this Sutil review. Her own shape is that of a character who has fallen directly out of a reality just a step out of sync with ours, and who has brought some magical, sensual products with her. Like a true visionary of the 80’s, it’s clear from the start that what she cares about is changing lives with a truly great product — not changing her own life by making bank off of something that’s cheap to produce. Mellta began as a massage therapist, and then an aromatherapist, and began this family-run company with her daughter in 1989.

    Hathor products aren’t clinical, but they’re not kitschy, either. They’re not something that you’d buy off of the shelf at a sticky-floored sex shop on the side of a highway, or that you’d find in a gift basket next to phallic balloons and high-fructose chocolate body paint. No: like Mellta herself, Hathor products exist as part of a whole, full-being experience.

    sutil rich review body glide lubricant

    Which part of the brand is Hathor, and which is Sutil?

    Like many other reviewers I know, the line between Hathor and Sutil has always been fuzzy to me — but no longer! Hathor (as in the Egyptian goddess Hathor) is the parent brand, which began as a company that made natural spa products enriched with plant aphrodisiacs. Founded in 1989, Mellta created massage oils, lotions, and creams for a decade under the Hathor name before producing their first lube, Hathor Aphrodesia, in 2000.

    Sutil is the new generation of Hathor products, with a modernized, hyaluronic acid formula. However, just like the original Hathor lineup, each product is influenced directly by Mellta’s background in aromatherapy and herbology. (Hey-o, horny goat weed!)

    Hathor is also shaped by Nathanda Swift, Mellta’s daughter, who started working with her back in 1993. She co-owns and co-runs the company, and to hear Mellta describe her, she must be a formidable force: as steady and grounding a rock. When Nathanda first started mixing batches of spa products with her mom in the kitchen, she was just 16, and it remains a family-owned and operated company to this day! (Mellta’s son Jonny also joined their team in 2017.)

    hathor lube review silicone free water based

    sutil luxe vs riche lube comparison

    Left: Sutil Luxe Body Glide / Right: Sutil Rich Body Glide

    Sutil Review: Game-Changing Lube, Then and Now

    With an updated formula and brand new packaging to speak to the modern sex positive crowd, Sutil is a dream. It is, by far, the single best personal lubricant I’ve ever used. Just like Hathor Aphrodesia was leagues ahead of the rest of the market in 2000, Sutil Luxe and Rich are leagues ahead today. They have wonderful textures and longevity, and (my favourite part) they come in packaging that’s very easy to open and close.

    I’ve used a lot of lube in my time, but none have been as enjoyable as these two from Sutil. The thinner Sutil Luxe feels realistic and non-sticky, but Rich is a level up. Sutil Rich is thick and glossy, with a wonderfully plush texture. It stretches between your fingers the way natural vaginal lubrication does, and lasts just as long. 

    Sutil Rich is a product that defies logic; that feels simultaneously sensuous and space-age. It feels like something that should have come from a Star Trek episode: formulated by a culture that our intrepid explorers first think is bacchanalian and uncivilized, but soon realize is advanced far beyond our imaginations. Sutil Luxe feels like a very, very good lube that’s easy to dispense and long-lasting, but the plushness of Sutil Rich is just beyond. Go for Luxe if you want a thinner, long-lasting lube with no residue, or spend the extra dollar on the Rich if you want a plush formula.

    sutil luxe review personal lube

    Sutil Review: Sensuous Love Potion Massage Oils

    Beyond is a good descriptor for a lot of these products. Most lubricants and massage oils help you manage what you were going to do originally — like an assist. But these ones instigate; engage; inspire.

    Massaging a little bit of Sutil Rich between my fingers is enough to get my engine going, with its realistic feel and texture. Similarly, even just the scent of Sutil’s Love Potion Massage Oils makes me reconsider my evening plans. Sutil Love Potion #23 is a massage oil with ylang ylang, lime, pink grapefruit, and the perfect amount of jasmine to create a sexy, heady scent that lingers for hours. Sutil Love Potion #17, on the other hand, highlights ylang ylang with geranium, cedarwood, tangerine, and ginger for a brighter, earthier fragrance that fades to a “clean” finish. (Both are based in almond oil).

    sutil massage oils review

    Sutil’s massage oils smell so wonderful that I find myself drawn to the act of massaging. I opened up Love Potion #23 on a Friday to rub my partner’s thighs after a long day, and subsequently lost my entire weekend to fantasizing about rubbing down a soft, supple body when I should have been working on this Sutil review. I was practically drooling at my desk, people. It was not a flattering look.

    And the worst part is that they weren’t even sexual fantasies. I was just so eager to pour out a little bit more massage oil; to feel its velvety texture and enjoy its heady scent. These smell so fantastic that it’s almost easy to overlook their packaging, which (while lightweight, recyclable, and reusable) is a bit of a nightmare to deal with when your hands are slippery.

    sutil love potion massage oils

    The verdict on this Sutil review?

    I rarely include a verdict in my sponsored posts. In fact, I’m not sure that I’ve ever done it before! But in this case, for a brand that I loved long before they approached me for a post, I’ve decided to make an exception. Sutil Rich Body Glide is my new favourite lube of all time, and Luxe is the best of the best for something silicone-free with zero residue.

    These Sutil lubes and massage oils are divine. Each one is phenomenal in its own way, and better than the last. My ONLY warning is that the Sutil Luxe Body Glide and Rich Body Glide formulas taste bitter. I took a bottle of Sutil Mint Body Glide to Mexico last year, however, and can happily report that flavour was very much not an issue!

    (And may I just say: wow, do these ever last for a long time in a humid climate. They’re very long-lasting in our dry Alberta air—my partner thought Sutil Rich was actually an oil-based formula for weeks—but like everything else, they’re even more enjoyable off of the prairies.)

    At $29.95 CAD for the massage oils and $23.95-$25.50 for the lube sizes photographed here, these Sutil by Hathor products are on the more luxury end of the sex toy & accessories market. With their long-lasting formulas that rarely need to be re-applied, they’re easy to use and are great value for your money.

    sutil review by hathor

    Disclaimer: This post was sponsored by Hathor. I’ve loved their lube since Suz introduced me to the brand in 2018, and couldn’t be more thrilled to be working with them now!

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    Where to buy sex toys online in Canada: A beginner’s guide!

    where to buy sex toys hero image

    The process of online purchasing can be nerve-wracking — but it doesn’t have to be. A good friend and reader recently asked me what sites I would recommend to buy sex toys online, and I realized that, in all my time as a writer and sex toy reviewer, I had never directly answered the question.

    Here are some of my favourite Canadian and American sites to shop from.

    beginners guide to sex toys

    What to look for in a sex toy retailer

    Real quick, before we get started: here’s what you want to look for in an online sex toy retailer.

    Discreet shipping: Almost everyone ships discreetly nowadays, so you can prevent your Cara Delevigne x Ashley Benson sex bench moment (#iconic) from happening.

    Body-safe selection: Not all toys are made equal, and “toxic toys” or non-body-safe toys can cause allergic reactions or irritation. Good retailers, in my opinion, have a wide selection of toys for you to make an informed choice from, but great ones only sell body-safe toys. If you’re not sure about something you see on a retailer’s website, reading a review or two should help sort you out.

    Ethical: Everyone makes different choices when it comes to their sex toys, and there’s no “right” thing to prioritize. At theNotice, I only review body-safe sex toys. However, I prioritize pricing, because I think that pleasure should be accessible to everyone, no matter their economic situation. Other bloggers or consumers might prioritize retailers that list their toys by use (e.g. clitoral toys or penis toys) rather than the cis gender binary, or retailers that are co-owned by all of their workers.

    where to buy sex toys in canada online

    Where I like to buy sex toys online

    When I purchase toys for myself, I’m often stocking up on lube, re-buying an old toy that has died (I’m about to buy my third Mimi Soft), or choosing a gift for a friend.

    Here are three stores that I like to shop at and have had great experiences with outside of work.

    My favourite shops to buy sex toys online in Canada

    Come As You Are is a Toronto-based sex shop. They’re a wonderful company that’s run as a co-operative, and their email newsletters are always full of interesting articles and workshop recommendations. Come As You Are carries a smaller selection than other retailers I’ve worked with, but they more than make up for it with their frequent sales and gender-free product categories. Their site also only sells body-safe toys, making it a great place to buy your first sex toy at.

    Pink Cherry is another retailer that I shop at a lot. They have a huge product catalogue, but not all their toys are body safe, so make sure you do your research elsewhere. (Also—let’s be honest—their site feels and looks skeevy.) What sets them apart for me is that they frequently have the best Canadian prices on products, and despite their site’s outdated design, I’ve had excellent experiences with their customer service. I shopped with them as a customer long before I started working with them, and I’ve continued to do so even now that I write about sex toys professionally.

    where to buy body safe sex toys in canada

    Places where you can buy sex toys online, with a little more variety

    There are a ton of great places to buy sex toys online, and many options that are better for American readers.

    My favourite shop in the US is SheVibe. They have an incredible team, and a long history of creating amazing relationships with bloggers and customers. What really sets them apart (aside from an enormous product catalogue and great prices) is their in-house artist: all of their sales, newsletters, and blogger features are accompanied by an original, superhero-style comic.

    SheVibe is the most popular sex toy retailer that I work with. My posts featuring products they sell get the most clicks, and my friends mention shopping with them more often than anyone else in the US. Their product selection is incredible, and they carry body-safe toys at all price points. They also have the best product pages on the market, which I’ll often reference for my reviews: they make it easy to find details like size, waterproofing, and material.

    where to buy sex toys online

    International sex toy retailers of note — add ’em in the comments!

    Internationally, many of theNotice’s readers like Lovehoney. I see the appeal—they’re a monolith, which helps make your purchase feel more secure. Their site is easy to purchase from and their shipping is quick and discreet.

    While I really like Lovehoney’s use of plus-size models and generous lingerie selection, a lot of their product catalogue is just… crap. Their house-made toys are weak and buzzy, and a lot of their lingerie comes in just one size. For a retailer this large, I recommend shopping through reviews first: Find what you want to buy, then go to the Lovehoney site to purchase it. You’ll have a much easier time narrowing down your options and choosing something you’ll love.

    where to buy cheap body safe sex toys

    Where NOT to buy your sex toys online

    If there’s just one place that I could tell you not to shop, it would be Amazon. While Amazon is often cheap, easy, and accessible, it’s difficult to make sure that what you’re purchasing from their site is the real thing. (I’ve even bought drugstore false lashes—Kiss PRO Little Black Dress Lashes—on Amazon that were fakes.)

    Amazon makes its fast shipping times achievable by storing products from different retailers all in one bin. If your product ships from Amazon (which is easily identifiable if it “ships free from Amazon over $35” or “ships with Prime,”) that means it comes out of a bin. Even if the retailer you’re purchasing from is the brand itself, there’s a chance that the product that get shipped to you from your nearest Amazon warehouse will be fake.

    For some products, that isn’t a big deal. Lint rollers, for instance, are kinda just lint rollers. But for sex toys, that can mean that the “pure, platinum silicone” toy you’re putting in your body is actually made from PVC and phthalates. (Here’s a great guide from Spectrum on how to care for different types of toy materials.)

    So, here’s my advice: buy from a recommended retailer, even if the product will be a little more expensive. It feels great to buy local, and even better to know that what you’re getting truly is body-safe and backed up by a great team.

    Disclaimer

    Note: This post contains a number of affiliate links for retailers who I love and shop with. The affiliate commissions that I make from theNotice help me keep doing this as my full-time job, and I’d really appreciate it if you could use my links when possible!

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    L’Oréal Wonder Water review, photos, results | A magical, split-end-repairing water

    LOreal Wonder Water review

    The product: L’Oréal Wonder Water

    It’s not often that you find hair products that are truly wonderful. It’s so rare, in fact, that I could list all of my hair holy grails on one hand — and still have fingers left over. But the new L’Oréal Wonder Water ($12.99 CAD) is just that: a holy grail. It works instantly, costs pennies per use, and quite literally transforms my hair like an expensive chemical treatment from a salon.

    Earlier this year, I received a press release for a new innovation from Kérastase. It sounded amazing. With just one rinse at the sink, it could be added to any salon service to give you the silky-smooth hair of your dreams. As a bonus, the press release said that each treatment was a tempting $10; a mere drop in the bucket of salon treatments. So, when Wonder Water came out, I had to find out it it was an at-home solution with similar results.

    loreal wonder water review before and after

    Wonder Water vs K Water and Olaplex No. 3

    One of the things that I love about Groupe L’Oréal is that they make a point of sharing their innovations. Something will come out of one of their luxury brands, like Kérastase Paris or Yves Saint Laurent Beauté, at a luxury price point and in luxury packaging. Then, often, a nearly identical product will be released under the L’Oréal Paris banner at a fraction of the price. If you want the luxury experience of the original, it’s out there, but if you can’t afford it, you can buy the L’Oréal Paris version for less.

    I know the company isn’t doing this out of the goodness of their hearts. Profits are profits, and while luxury brands are an excellent way to create consumer desire, mass-market drugstore products are where you make the real money. Much like making prints of fine art, the originals offer status — but the copies pay for your new vacation house.

    loreal wonder water comparison and review

    Still, this method offers accessibility to the consumer, and I’m a big fan of accessibility. Accessibility is always important to me: I don’t think it should be up to anyone to decide who deserves a great product and who doesn’t. I haven’t tried K Water yet (something you can thank this pandemic for), but I’ve tried other luxury hair treatments, and this affordable option works just as well or better. The take-home Olaplex No. 3 was my go-to before now, and I have to tell you: Wonder Water can do in 8 seconds what it takes three 20-minute Olaplex sessions to do to my hair.

    loreal 8 second wonder water

    The L’Oréal Wonder Water formula and results

    This 8-second L’Oréal Paris Wonder Water formula really is all that. It’s a fast-acting, silicone-free liquid that soaks instantly into your hair to make it smooth and soft. Wonder Water takes all of the frizz out of my hair, and most importantly, it hides my split ends. my split ends become nearly invisible, somehow, when I use it.

    Beyond that, this spicy-scented formula does an amazing job of conditioning my scalp. I’m typically a 1-2 day hair washing person; once I get to the evening of the second day, not even dry shampoo can perk up my greasy roots. But with L’Oréal Wonder Water instead of conditioner, I can easily make it to day three while still looking shower-fresh. It leaves my hair soft without extra weight, and doesn’t stick greasily to my hair’s fine roots.

    The results last for ages, too. The instructions on the back of this 8-second bottle say to use 2-3 times a week; with my hair washing schedule, that’s every time. But for my dry, fine hair, the results last for about four washes, or a full week. They do wane (I’m currently using this every other wash, aka every 4-5 days), but they keep my hair in such great shape that I can actually skip conditioning in between if needed.

    loreal wonder water dosing

    The L’Oréal Paris 8 Second Wonder Water Experience

    The only part of my L’Oréal Wonder Water experience that slows me down is the application. It takes some getting used to applying a liquid, but it’s worth it. (And it’s actually easier to do, because it makes my hair so soft and slippery that I can finger-comb it through my scalp and ends.) L’Oréal recommends using 20ml per “dose,” and:

    • One dose for fine hair
    • 2-3 doses for thick hairs
    • One extra dose for long hair

    However, my hair is hella fine. Sure, it’s gotten so long in quarantine that I look like the girl from The Ring, but… I couldn’t possibly need 40 ml of product, could I??

    I’ve tried using that much, and honestly, it doesn’t make a difference for me. My hair is just as happy with 10 ml as it is with 40 ml, especially as I tend to let it sit for about a minute. (Not on purpose; I’m just tired and lazy.) With that in mind, I can confidently say that this bottle contains more applications for me than the 10 doses that it says it does — I would guess, for my hair, that it’s closer to 20 doses, which should easily last me 2-3 months.

    loreal wonder water results back

    The L’Oréal Wonder Water verdict?

    I love this stuff. I love its spicy scent, and how silky-soft it makes my brittle hair. It’s so easy and effective, and it makes my styled hair last for an extra day before my scalp gets oily. Oddly, I also love the tingly-warm feeling as it works; they warn about it on the bottle, and so far, it hasn’t irritated my sensitive skin at all.

    While I was editing these photos, I noticed some… let’s say “quarantine changes”. Having the energy for squats and exfoliation may be what’s making my butt so smooth and extra thicc, but it’s Wonder Water that’s making my hair so luscious, which truly is a wondrous thing.

    Availability: $12.99 CAD at drugstores and mass market grocery stores. Permanent.

    LOreal Wonder Water ingredients list

    L’Oreal Wonder Water ingredients


    Disclaimer: The Wonder Water mentioned in this review was gifted for editorial consideration. My ample booty is home-grown, and a gift from me to you.

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    Miraj Hammam Spa Toronto review: Biologique Recherche facial

    biologique recherche facial review

    I’m in Edmonton, dreaming about the Miraj Hammam Spa in Toronto, and I think my house is haunted.

    There’s a smell that comes up from the floorboards in the south that only I can smell. There’s a bush my cat won’t go in, and the air around it feels thick like cobwebs. There is, somehow, a dream; a gauzy mist. A mood, let’s say, carved from the haze of the California fires.

    I am always cold. It’s poor circulation, or maybe a ghost that follows me around. I know one thing: nothing can sear it from my bones like a rest in a hammam. There’s a magic in the way that the hot steam burns your lungs; in the sweat that rolls down the walls. It feels like realigning the feng shui of your body. Like hitting a reset. It feels like taking everything that’s wrong and exorcising it from your body.

    miraj hammam facial review shangri la toronto

    Go to a place that’s definitely not haunted

    It took me months to write this review. The Miraj Hammam Spa in Toronto’s Shangri-La turned over last year, reopening as a Biologique Rescherche — which has been as rejuvenating as it sounds. The new treatments are just as relaxing as ever, but with more active ingredients and products that work a little harder for your skin. In the intervening months since my visit, however, the whole country shut down, and what I planned to write just sounded like a taunt.

    Hey, I know an amazing place, but you can’t go there. In fact, you can’t go anywhere!

    Well — now we can go places again, and this is absolutely a place that you should go. It’s a place (perhaps the only place) that I can absolutely guarantee you is not haunted. The spa’s hammam is currently closed, but you can still enjoy other treatments with added distancing measures and a mandatory COVID screening for your safety. There isn’t a ghost in sight between these beautiful walls, just gentle spirits that will grant you the best skin of your life.

    miraj hammam shangri la spa review

    The Miraj Hammam Spa 60-minute Biologique Recherche Signature Facial

    I tried something new at the Miraj Hammam Spa by Biologique Recherche this past February: their 60-minute Biologique Recherche Signature Facial. And let me tell you, dear reader, that it felt nothing short of revolutionary.

    The new Biologique Recherche Signature Facial brings a little bit more of a clinical edge to the Miraj Hammam Spa, but I didn’t mind it. My facial was still as relaxing and professional as ever; it just also uses more active ingredients than before, so you continue to feel the benefits of your facial for the week following.

    My facialist began my treatment with a brisk makeup removal, then immediately slid into deep, even movements that massaged every pore on my face. We did a light exfoliation to start, using the iconic Biologique Recherche Lotion P50 that’s so well-loved by bloggers. (The Cut and others call it “Jesus in a bottle.”) My facialist chose the Lotion P50 PIGM 400, which is recommended over the Lotion P50T for those with dull skin or uneven pigmentation.

    My skin is so chronically dry that I get exfoliated at pretty much every facial appointment, but this one was my favourite so far. I felt it working away as it prickled, but the application itself was so gentle — I wasn’t left red or splotchy at all. It smelled milky, like lactic acid, and my skin felt like it was blossoming as soon as I got up. It stayed beautifully clear all week, despite my busy travelling schedule and champagne diet.

    miraj hammam biologique recherche spa review toronto

    best facial spa toronto shangri la hotel

    You can also experience these water-filled Cryo Sticks ($161 CAD, in silver) at home.

    Except this one thing…

    The one hang-up that I had during the facial was that my facialist kept using decongesting and brightening treatments to “lift the acne scars on my cheeks.” I’m not sure what she thought she was seeing, or if she just expected me to have cheek acne because a lot of Chinese people do, but… I’ve never had cheek acne, much less enough of it to scar. (She didn’t seem to believe me when I told her that those were just freckles, and I’d like to keep them, thank you very much.)

    Regardless, my skin is perpetually congested, and the facial worked wonders. It was just odd to have to tell someone again and again that no, really, I’ve never had cheek acne, and I’m pretty sure I’d have noticed if I had! I feel like I usually have pretty nice skin, but I was getting compliments on my complexion all week long — which was a nice change from, “it’s so great to see you! Do you need some moisturizer?”

    Let me tell you: these ghosts in my skin? Thoroughly de-haunted by my facial.

    miraj hammam biologique recherche spa review

    best baklava review toronto

    The halls I want to haunt

    Like everyone else, I long for the nostalgic future; a place where I can hold my loved ones, and enjoy my next hammam. I’m excited for restrictions to be safely lifted so that I can crawl back into that burning hot steam room. The process is so meditative, like I’m testing myself and my own enjoyment: I always want more, and the button to trigger another hot steam cycle is ever so tempting, even when I’m already struggling to swallow down the air.

    (Do you ever drink water in the shower and find yourself startled by how cold it feels in your mouth? This is the opposite of that, and feels cleansing beyond belief.)

    What I miss the most are all the little touches at the Miraj Hammam Spa by Biologique Recherche. I miss the hammam, and the baklava in their post-treatment room, which are both suspended until it’s safe again. I miss the water-filled, gold-finished spoons that my facialist used to close my pores — the way the water in them ripples around, balancing itself against your skin. They felt like traditional advancement; like someone was waterbending me toward dermatological greatness.

    In the meantime: Torontonians can treat themselves to some great deals at the Miraj Hammam during COVID (a small blessing). Enjoy them for me: I’ll be dreaming about returning.

    Disclaimer: This treatment was generously comped by the spa, though I do also visit as often as I can on my own!

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