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

October 5, 2020

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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.

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.

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.

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.

L’Oreal Wonder Water ingredients

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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.

Tags: /Hair, Holy Grail, Kérastase, Product Photos, Product Review, Silicone-free, Spring/Summer 2020

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Miraj Hammam Spa Toronto review: Biologique Recherche facial

September 18, 2020

Rae Chen

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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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

Tags: /Beauty destinations, Silicone-free, Skincare

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How to get more from life by saying no | No Pong Deodorant review

September 1, 2020

Rae Chen

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One of the greatest things you learn when working for yourself is that you can say no. I know: it sounds counterintuitive, especially in a culture where “yes, and” is vaulted and prized above almost all else. But saying no creates your niche, helps you drive authentic content, and shows everyone else how much you value yourself. Saying no lets you build, whether that’s “no more work” or “No Pong!”

What it means to say no

Saying no is all about setting healthy boundaries and keeping your growth on task. It can mean a lot of things, but I explored it most recently by saying no to a new therapist—something that I regret not doing more often in the past.

Caution: cats melt at 30 degrees

During an intro session, a new therapist asked me if I could send him a link to my professional sex writing portfolio. He was new to the field, and passionate to make connections and find new resources to share with his other clients. “Can I see your work” is a request that I field often when I meet new people, and I usually respond with a HELL YES… But from a potential new therapist?! Absolutely not! For me, that moment felt like the breaking of a cardinal rule; like asking the doctor doing your colonoscopy if she’d like to go for a drink afterwards.

Sure, she might be interested if you met her at the bar, but she’s currently elbow-deep in your body’s waste factory, so it’s probably not appropriate.

It got me thinking about other times I’ve stated my boundaries, and especially about times when I wished I had respected my own boundaries better. And then it made me think of all the time I’ve wasted trying to be polite. If I had walked out of every session where a new therapist crossed a line instead of sitting politely and handing them tissues as they cried (hey, 2019), I could have gotten more out of those days. Not only that, but the person on the other end of the line would have gotten the chance to learn where their boundaries should have been.

Start saying no

The same thing applies to online work. A lot of brands are going to make outlandish requests of you, and it’s your job to say “absolutely not.”

Product-for-post exchanges happen very commonly when bloggers accept samples. Brands will send out, and some (note: some bad ones) will expect a blog post and/or social media share, just in exchange for the product. Others will expect a blog post and images, plus they’ll send along a sneaky little contract that sates that they’re free to use any of your work with their product in their advertising materials, without ever paying you a cent.

(Small bloggers, make sure to check your contracts for this language! It’s so, so common with big drugstore brands, and it’s seriously not okay!)

As an old-timey beauty blogger, I work a little differently. I accept samples for editorial consideration, and I very rarely promise content in exchange. If I like it, I’ll post on it — or if I was planning to purchase it already, and the cost of the product makes it worth my time to guarantee a post.

A great equation for this is to take half of the cost of product (because the brand isn’t paying itself full price to produce it), divided by the number of hours you’ll spend working on the content. That’s your “payment” if you’re obligated to post, but not being paid a sponsorship fee. Is that a number you’re okay with? For something like a mattress, it may well be: that’s something like $300 for three hours of work, for instance. But for a $20 lipstick? Heck no, I’m not working for $3/hr!

( Cost of product ÷ 2 ) / hours of work = payment

No Pong Deodorant review

Saying no doesn’t limit your opportunities as a writer, as a blogger, or as a human being in the world. What it actually does is give that time and power back to you. You get to seize that extra hour to have dinner with someone you love, or read a great book, or heck, just take a nap!

You can also take that time and use it to create content that you find meaningful, featuring products that you genuinely like. I gave No Pong the option of sending in a deodorant for editorial consideration, as I always do, and they snapped up the chance. And WOW, am I ever glad they did.

No Pong is (almost) everything I’ve ever wanted from a deodorant. It’s creamy and soft, with great scents and no silicones. I’ve tested and tossed dozens of deodorants while researching for theNotice, but I love this one. It works SO well — I’m not a stinky person, but my partner is, and this keeps him smelling laundry-fresh for 16+ sticky summer hours. He gave up his beloved Mitchum Sport 48hr Anti-Perspirant to test out the No Pong Original Deodorant, and I was nervous: he’s tried baking soda deodorants before, and they’ve never worked for him.

But No Pong worked instantly. It went up to 32˚C the first week he switched over, and he was significantly less stinky when using No Pong Original. There was no armpit itching and no crazy sweaty pits, and the No Pong stayed effective for about 6 hours longer than his old anti-perspirant.

I was equally happy with my No Pong Bicarb Free Spicy Chai, which has a delicious, faint chai fragrance. Our only wish is that the brand made a larger format, or a stick format!

The verdict in this No Pong Deodorant review?

Saying no is an important part of living a rich life. For my picky nose and stinky boyfriend, that means one big thing: saying no stink, or as the Aussies call it, “pong.”

No Pong is smooth and non-gritty, with an invisible formula and two great scents. It’s as simple as its name, and as simple as saying no to things. No, as it’s taught to you in mindfulness therapy, is a complete sentence — and so is “No Pong.”

What’s the best natural deodorant out there for us Canadians?

No Pong.

Availability: $8.95-$9.95 CAD at No Pong (free shipping!) and Well.ca (free shipping over $35 CAD).

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Disclaimer: The product mentioned in this review was submitted by the brand for editorial consideration only. They probably didn’t expect the review to contain 1000 words on how even therapists can be bad at boundary work… but that’s what they got!

Tags: /Indie brands, Other, Paraben-free, Product Photos, Product Review, Silicone-free, Skincare, Small Business Saturdays

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Physician’s Formula Dewy Blush Elixir review, swatches, photos

August 19, 2020

Rae Chen

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Rarely in the beauty world do you find a product as perfect as the Physician’s Formula Dewy Blush Elixir. It has everything: great packaging, an affordable price tag, and a formula that makes you look like your cheekbones were a gift from the gods themselves.

The best part about the Dewy Blush Elixir is that it works for all skin tones — yes, all. This is a product that’s more about finish than colour, and it can work wonders if you’re willing to approach it as a wet finish rather than a pigment. Does it deliver the long-lasting finish and intense colour that other reviewers seem to be looking for? Well, no… but it’s exactly what I want from a liquid blush.

The Physician’s Formula Dewy Blush Elixir texture

The second I squeezed out a drop of Physician’s Formula Dewy Blush Elixir, I knew: this isn’t an affordable Glossier Cloud Paint dupe. This is something else entirely. As an elixir, this is only part liquid blush — it’s also part skincare finish and part glorious highlighter. It’s so smooth and dewy, like I’m a faerie left on the grass; there’s just a little pop of colour, a whisper of a hint.

This liquid blush is textured like a liquid highlighter, and applies comfortably only if you apply it sparingly — you won’t get away with dripping this directly on your skin. (Not if you want a non-gloopy face afterwards, at least.) It blends out easily, with soft edges, and leaves my cheeks looking legitimately youthful: plump and fresh and dewy. The glossy texture can stick to other products, and might not work as well for those who wear full-coverage foundation or a strong cheek colour.

The glossy formula of these Physician’s Formula liquid blushes contains organic aloe vera, organic jojoba oil, and cactus flower in a sunflower-safflower base, to hydrate and plump your cheek area while giving the appearance of full, high cheekbones. It wears away evenly without any patchiness, so I often don’t notice when it’s gone — I’d guess that it lasts about 4-6 hours on me (a chronic face-toucher); not a full day, but really not shabby for a sheer, glossy product.

The Dewy Blush Elixir shades

Reader: these are fantastic. With the amount that I prefer to use for just the right finish, I barely see any colour on my cheeks… which is how I want things. The Physician’s Formula Dewy Blush Elixir provides a plump cheek with only the suggestion of colour; it’s reluctant to deliver a big pop of colour even on my fair skin.

If you want to love these, I recommend thinking of them as the most natural-looking highlighter you’ll ever wear — not as blushes.

Physician’s Formula Blush Elixir swatched L-R: Gorgeous Peach, Apricot Glow, Crushed Berries, Pink Berry

In Gorgeous Peach, you’ll find a beautiful, medium apricot with a neutral orange base. Worn in photos throughout this post, Gorgeous Peach has no shimmer, just a dewy finish. It also has the least pigment out of these four, and would be perfect for someone who wants to look totally makeup-free up close. In Apricot Glow, you have a warm yellow-pink with a bit of shimmer. It’s soft and subtle, with a warm finish and a little less dew than the other Physician’s Formula Dewy Blush Elixirs reviewed here.

Crushed Berry is the pink-based counterpart to Gorgeous Peach; equally dusky and similar in tone, you get a finish that’s mostly dew, with a touch of berry-toned micro-shimmer. Its funny — these two feel like throwback shades to me, like I’m looking at lip glosses from Senna in the early 2000s. They’re intensely glossy, but (thankfully) less sticky than literally putting lipgloss on your cheeks would be.

(Come on. We all tried it at least once as 90s kids.)

Finally, Pink Berry is just… it’s almost illicitly fresh. It’s a light, yellow-based pink with a heap of super-fine gold and silver shimmer. If you want a very clear cheek, this is the one for you — it’s cool-toned, and offers the most shimmer/the least dew.

The Physician’s Formula Dewy Blush Elixir verdict?

So good. So, so good. A solid 10/10 dewdrops; would dew again.

I use all four of these pretty interchangeably, but Gorgeous Peach and Crushed Berry see just a hint more use than the other two. Their gloss-first formula is a fresh take on lifting your cheekbones, and I can’t look away from their glazed finish.

Availability: SRP $18.99 CAD from Well.ca, or $13.49 USD from Target, Ulta, and other major retailers.

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Disclaimer: This product was submitted by PR for editorial consideration only.

Tags: /Cheeks, Physicians Formula, Product Photos, Product Review, Product Swatches, Silicone-free

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Zoya Corinna review, swatches, photos: Zoya Splash, Summer 2020

August 7, 2020

Rae Chen

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My current week of quarantine has been: chaotic and indulgent. I’m fully losing it, you guys. I’m going bonkers with no end in sight for my strict no-humans policy, and I’m definitely over-indulging. Good food, good wine, and good nail polish (hello, Zoya Corinna)… nothing can stop me. I let myself take dumb, golden hour photos of my cat after the rain this week. My cat! For twenty minutes! (She didn’t love it.)

I wasn’t looking forward to trying the Zoya Splash Summer 2020 collection (this is Collection B, from Nail Polish Canada), but I said yes to a sample despite myself. Everything has been so bland recently—so repetitive. I finally figured, well, I haven’t reviewed a new nail polish in a couple of years. What could be the harm?

It turns out that the harm is that I left these polishes on a mirror after photographing them. When I woke up the next morning, the sun had come up through the kitchen windows, boiled one of the nail polishes, and burst it open.

Epic.

The Zoya Corinna review

All you really need to know here is that Corinna is fabulous. It’s exactly my style: sheer and sparkly. It bestows an air of professionalism with next-to-no effort, and even the shakiest, most arthritic hands can’t make it look any less than professional.

zoya corinna swatches review photos with grey polish

My gripe with nail polishes is that they’re often either messy or hard to apply. Darker shades stain your skin when you remove them, but creamy shades go on streaky. Corinna has neither of these problems. With a translucent base and just the right consistency, it’s thin enough that it settles without streaks, but thick enough that you really only need one coat.

And voila! Just like that, you’re ready to go. Zoya Corinna leaves your nails looking polished and glossy, with a wet-look sheen. I like it best over a grey polish—this is a discontinued one with a rubber finish from Trust Fund Beauty, but Zoya Tove (Satin) is a close match.

Peely Base

Animal Crossing summer nights in blue (Zoya Maren)

Quarantine has been so odd this past week that I’ve even come out of my shell in Animal Crossing. I spent all spring and the first half of summer in the same outfit (cropped t-shirt, grey slacks, beige fedora), but I came bursting out of my shell this week. There are, after all, no consequences under Canadian quarantine.

My avatar sprung out of its fedora, ready to take on the world, and I cycled through a few outfits (leather jacket, watermelon everything, and a Victorian gown) before finding my new one. It’s bright blue. Like, eye-searingly blue. A blue collared tee with blue pants, blue shoes, and a blue ribbon in my pigtails.

Luckily, there’s something in the Zoya Splash collection for that, too. It’s Zoya Maren, and I have a secret for you: it won’t stain if you never soak it off.

I added the Holo Taco Peely Base to my nail kit last winter, on the recommendation of Angela (an ex-beauty blogger that older readers may remember from Do Want Makeup). It’s phenomenal. Right now, a single bottle is about $35 CAD if you include shipping and duties, and I can’t even begin to tell you how worth it it is.

Imagine: a world where you never have to deal with stained nails ever again. You just have to use a different base coat, and either peel off your nail polish when you’re tired of it or wait for it to come off on its own.

Folks, the pandemic life may not be a dream, but this sure is.

Tags: /Nails, Product Photos, Product Review, Product Swatches

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Quarantine rituals from your favourite sexy ghost

July 27, 2020

Rae Chen

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By now, three months (3? 4? 12?) into quarantine, we all have our little quarantine rituals. We wake up, hydrate, have some breakfast… and slowly motivate ourselves into our home offices to get ready for yet another identical day. Then, maybe in the early evening, there’s a little ritual set aside to break up the monotony. Maybe it’s a quick walk outside; maybe it’s an afternoon workout or a Skype session.

As quarantine stretches on, many of us are facing the reality of going back: returning to “normal” life even though the risk is far from gone. In so many cases (mine included), the risk is higher now than ever — so maybe we ought to keep our quarantine rituals around for a smidge longer. Maybe we deserve to keep self-soothing; to continue drifting around the house in a silky-soft nightgown as we doomscroll the news.

A sexy ghost of a quarantine ritual

I keep having to wash the living room carpet, seen flopped in the back of this photo. It’s a weirdly methodical quarantine ritual: you soak; you wash; you rinse. And then you hope to god that it’ll dry fully this time, finally, so that you can stop re-scrubbing the damn mildew out of it.

Existence feels a little bit like that right now. You’re very blue, and you just have to keep scrubbing away at life, and you’ll occasionally get these bright, juicy little pops of life. For me, those pops include everything from a fresh-smelling carpet to a silky-soft nightgown. This one is from Lusomé (one of my favourites), and let me tell you… it is NOT flattering on my 5’2″ frame.

But you know what? I love it. I love that it makes me feel like a sexy ghost, and I love that it scooches up in photos for a sultry, effortless drape. It’s an integral part of my meditative quarantine rituals, and it makes me feel like maybe I should be drifting around an old house in a soft, wicking layer. Like maybe this is something I was made to do, rather than something I’m forced to do for fear of death. I love its excellently-cut neckline, and I love that its lightly padded cups don’t gape over my tiny breasts.

(I also love that my cat will lie down with me for any reason, throwing herself side-first onto the floor with gusto. It adds a certain degree of camaraderie to my fibro-sits on the lino.)

Snag your own Lusomé at their site — I also love their Daphne, which I’ve purchased in multiple colours. (It is, however, too actually-sexy to make you feel like you’re haunting your own life.)

Quarantine ritual skincare (of course)

The world isn’t getting any less complicated: our skin is only getting worse with time and stress. So, I’m happy to report that my best quarantine find is something that I already owned.

I started using the Neutrogena Light Therapy Acne Wand years ago, and I loved it. I loved it so much, in fact, that I kept it for sentiment’s sake even after its battery died out. This turned out to be the right move, because months after I thought it had died for good, my partner picked it up and went, “well, why don’t you just change the battery?”

Um—hold for record screech. The what now?!

Yes, dear listener: this effective little light therapy wand runs on one AAA battery. When the battery dies (and it will, because they ship with a dinky little off-brand guy in there), you can pop open the rear end and swap it out for a new one!

I do a little light therapy and a little spot of Rapid Clear whenever I get a zit, and for the most part, they’re gone by the morning. They’re a maskne miracle; quarantine rituals for stress-induced acne.

Neutrogena Hydro boost, Good Molecules moisturizer

I delve back into my love for Neutrogena every summer, and this quarantine is no exception. I’m also loving their Hydro Boost sheet mask, which is seriously the best. It’s got this wonderful, thick, gelatinous texture — it feels like a $20 spa mask rather than a five-dollar drugstore one. And oh, boy, does it ever hydrate. I can lounge around in my house dress and this mask for ages, maximizing my household haunting aesthetic by 1000x until my skin is as bouncy and plump as this sheet mask.

Exfoliate by force

Nothing more needs to be said here. You’re stuck at home for 168 hours a week with your family members and significant others. Force them to scrub off their dead skin with this Neutrogena Bright Boost polish. Their face is nice, but by god, you are the one who has to look at it all day long, and you should get some say in how smooth or rough or hydrated it is.

(I swear, I didn’t mean to pile so many Neutrogena products into one post about quarantine rituals — it just happened. There were originally four other products in this post, but I’d stopped using each of them by the time I finally wrote it, and… well. Long live the drugstore!)

When they’re fresh and dewy and ready, hand them a great moisturizer. I’ve been scrubbing the germs off of my hands a lot—probably to a completely neurotic, unnecessary degree for someone who doesn’t heave the house at all anymore—so I’ve been reaching for my new favourite hand cream. It’s very good, but for the face, you really can’t beat Graydon’s Berry Rich, which I recently bought another two bottles of. So: Bright Boost and Berry Rich for the face; Bright Boost (or a coffee scrub) and Good Molecules for the hands.

Don’t be afraid to use force. It’s time to hydrate, meditate, and moisturize, team.

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Disclaimer: The products featured here were submitted, as usual, for editorial consideration only. They made it into a post by merit only!

Tags: /Fashion, Graydon Skincare, Other, Skincare

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Good Molecules Silicone-Free Priming Moisturizer review, photos, comparison

July 9, 2020

Rae Chen

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The products: Good Molecules Silicone-Free Priming Moisturizer, Hyaluronic Acid Serum, and Niacinamide Serum

Writing a new blog post feels, every time, like a confrontation. It comes at you with demands: you have to look directly up, whether at a product or at the state of the world. It becomes your job to be awake; to sit with how the world has changed and the fact that, even though your Good Molecules Silicone-Free Priming Moisturizer is the same moisturizer it was in January, things are just… different. It becomes your job to zone back into everything you were trying to ignore.

good molecules silicone free priming moisturizer review

It’s funny. All of the inanimate objects that we surround ourselves with are completely unchanged, but they feel wrong now.

I thought it was kind of ironic that, as a silicone-free blogger, I liked Good Molecules’ oil serums over their moisturizer — but, if I’m paying attention, I guess it makes sense. Despite my never-ending hunt for the perfect silicone-free moisturizer, I’m an oil lover at my core. I dream of swathing myself in a warm, thick bath and emerging as the dewiest sea-creature alive. Great oils are easy(ish) to find, while silicone-free moisturizers remain tough to track down. They exist, but they’re rarely both affordable and silicone-free, and I am loathe to ever recommend my standby silicone-free primer (a numbing $54 CAD, from Make Up For Ever.)

So: to shake off the pandemic, and the protests, and to just sit with a moisturizer for a minute… this one is pretty swell. Let’s start there.

The Good Molecules Silicone-Free Priming Moisturizer review

I won’t be giving up my Graydon Berry Rich or Purito Centella anytime soon, but not for lack of a good reason. The Good Molecules Silicone-Free Priming Moisturizer ($16 USD) is light and comfortable, with packaging that’s easy to use and hard to drop. It’s very lightweight, and the pump dispenser makes getting the right amount a breeze. The silicone-free formula is completely scent-free, vegan, and never tested on animals, and it really does feel like a primer — it leaves my skin feeling really, really smooth.

good molecules priming moisturizer recommendation

One of the ways I’ll test moisturizers for stickiness is to use them for about a week as a hand cream, and this one passes the test with flying colours. My hands get a soft, satin finish, even though they’re small and dry and wrinkly. Overall, the formula is just shy of being hydrating enough for my face (even with an oil, unfortunately), but I like it for skin that isn’t quite as dehydrated. You can really feel the nourishing effects of the formula’s macadamia seed oil and shea butter, and the silicone alternative that they chose (vegetable-derived Neopentyl Glycol Diheptanoate) is light and dreamy.

This moisturizer has moved to my office as a hand cream, as a treat. It knocks its predecessor (a Clarins day cream, $61 CAD) out of the park.

Availability: $14 USD/$19 CAD for a velvety finish. $8 for the handy travel/trial size.

good molecules water based serum review for dry skin

Water-based serums: Good Molecules Hyaluronic Acid and Niacinamide Serum reviews

Like the rest of the line, the packaging on these serums is just fantastic. These two bottles are made from chunky, frosted glass, and they feel like they sell for far more than $8 apiece.

Just like the Good Molecules moisturizer, these serums pass the hand test that I use for my more rigorous reviews. They’re not all the way there; where the moisturizer is truly silky and velvety, these are just barely sticky. It’s to be expected from a water-based serum with glycerine in it, and not distasteful on the face. The Good Molecules Hyaluronic Acid Serum ($6 USD) sinks in quickly, and layers wonderfully. Their Niacinamide Serum ($6 USD) is a little heavier, but still light for a water-based niacinamide product.

good molecules hyaluronic acid serum review

I haven’t used these serums very much, to be quite honest. I find that with a good moisturizer and a Good Molecules oil, I don’t need a hyaluronic anymore. In terms of texture and hydration, however, I’d place these near the top of my budget finds — a little stickier than Purito, but less sticky than The Ordinary.

These are good. They’re not “everything in the world feels completely fine in this moment” good, but what is?

Availability: $6 USD/$8 CAD each, with free shipping to Canada over $40 at Beautylish.

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Disclaimer: These products were sent in for editorial consideration only, and this post contains affiliate links for other products. I really love what I’ve tried from Good Molecules!

Tags: /Grouped reviews, Moisturizers, Product Photos, Product Review, Skincare

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Why Good Molecules is really, really good: Good Molecules review + BLM

June 26, 2020

Rae Chen

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good molecules ultra hydrating facial oil review

Something I think about a lot when writing reviews is accessibility. It’s one of the only things that I think has been truly fundamental to theNotice since the beginning. Accessibility has to do with who can use the product, which opens up a slew of really interesting questions: who can afford this product? Who is physically unable to use it? What is it made of? Who does the brand market this product for, and are they a diverse group?

Unlike 99% of brands I see, the Good Molecules skincare line is TRULY accessible. And, after months and months of testing, I can reliably say that I love these products — and everything they stand for.

Who is Good Molecules marketed towards?

In the middle of a ton of Black Lives Matter protests, brands are finally waking up and realizing that they need to have diverse, representative advertising in order to earn the respect and trust of their consumers. As a result, you see a lot of brands starting to create this type of content for the very first time.

As a non-BI person of colour, I never quite trust that kind of marketing. I don’t want to buy from a brand who begins posting pictures of people who look like me when they realize that they have to. I’d rather buy from a brand who has always included people of colour in their campaigns, because I feel like it’s a more honest, accurate representation of their values. (It’s often a reflection of their own staffing diversity, which is so, so important if you truly want to help build up the lives of POC! The staff at Good Molecules and Beautylish are 8.5% Black and 64.4% non-Black POC, and maintain similar levels at the leadership level.)

Good Molecules fits into that latter category. Not only do they produce cheerful products that are easy to afford, they have ALWAYS marketed with a diverse, beautiful models. They sent their very first launch package to both white and POC creators (I know: I was one of them!), and their Instagram feed has reposted melanated creators since the very beginning.

good molecules cold pressed rosehip oil review

The Good Molecules ~feeling~

When I use a Good Molecules product, I feel included. I know that the products are affordable (they start at $6!), which means that more marginalized people will be able to buy them. I know that each bottle is cruelty-free, so I know I can purchase without guilt. The brand even has its customers covered for the small things — like, their Niacinamide 1.1 (featured here) is already being reformulated because consumers wanted some ingredients removed.

When was the last time a brand they showed that level of commitment to their consumer? When was the last time a brand was so committed to not treating their customers in a patronizing manner?

The other half of this is that I feel included in the Good Molecules family, just based off of their packaging. They’ve intentionally placed their products in small, recyclable bottles that are easy to open and will help extend the shelf life of their products. Each one makes it obvious what the product is made to do, and when to use it. (I love the little AM/PM symbols on the back!) And even though these products are cheap, they don’t feel cheap or hokey. No part of their packaging is clinical; no part of it is intimidating.

It’s just easy. There’s a good vibe. It’s like…. it’s like meeting someone in a lecture hall and knowing that you’re going to be best friends.

Good Molecules review: Ultra-Hydrating Facial Oil

I have a lot of Good Molecules to review, and they’re all ready to go. So, you’re getting two today, and and three more later. (Still to come: the Good Molecules Niacinamide Serum, Good Molecules Hyaluronic Acid Serum, and the good Molecules Silicone-Free Priming Moisturizer.)

Good Molecules packages their face oils in perfect, tiny, amber-coloured bottles. Their smaller-than-average eyedroppers make it easy to get the right amount of product, and their ribbed caps are genius. (Seriously, I wish this style of packaging was more popular. It would help prevent my boyfriend from moisturizing his beard with my $90 face oils!)

There’s 13 ml/0.44 fl oz in each bottle, which is a good amount for the price and quality. It makes them more expensive than The Ordinary’s products, but still wildly affordable, and easily twice as good. (This applies tenfold for their water-based serums!) Compared to The Ordinary, Good Molecules is just… I mean, they’re way more wholesome. The bottles are easier to use, the oils smell fresher, and the company is more inclusive in both its marketing and its corporate structure.

I’m really, really enjoying both the Good Molecules Ultra-Hydrating Facial Oil ($10 USD) and Rosehip Oil. Made from camellia seed and sea buckthorn oil (you’ll recognize these as brand favourites of Tatcha and Fresh, respectively), the Ultra-Hydrating Facial Oil is very hydrating, and layers nicely with a water-based serum or moisturizer.

It’s rich and a little heavy, with a nutty scent and butter-yellow colour. It’s perfect for nighttime use on all skin types, but especially dry and combination skin.

Good Molecules Pure Cold-Pressed Rosehip Oil review

I love rosehip oil, so the fact that I’m using the Ultra-Hydrating oil more often speaks volumes.

This Good Molecules Pure Cold-Pressed Rosehip Seed Oil ($10 USD) is great, but the Ultra-Hydrating is just better (for me). I started off using the mixed oil at night and the rosehip in the day, both with moisturizer, but I found after the first couple of weeks that I just didn’t need a facial oil during the day anymore. It’s been great: my skin feels fresh and dewy, and without a daytime face oil, my makeup lasts longer.

(Er… when I wear it. Which, granted, is almost never under quarantine. But I do notice a big difference in my eyeliner when I do wear it!)

Rosehip seed oil smells lightly nutty, with a thin texture and that sinks in beautifully. It’s hydrating, but doesn’t leave you greasy the way that the Good Molecules Ultra-Hydrating Facial Oil is designed to.

Compared to The Ordinary Rosehip Seed Oil, I again prefer this offering from Good Molecules. It’s sourced sustainably from the Pantagonia Austral of Chile (AKA southern Chile) using fair-trade practices, which to my knowledge makes it unique in the budget skincare market. I prefer the smaller size to the standard non-fair-trade ounce; my rosehip oil from The Ordinary always goes bad by the time I reach the halfway point in the bottle.

The verdict on Good Molecules’ face oils?

These Good Molecules oils are just… they’re really good. They’re the perfect oils, made accessible by design and offered by an ethical company. The packaging is better than The Inky List and more approachable than The Ordinary, but the products are still offered at a fraction of the cost of most skincare.

Order right now (published June 26th, 2020) for free US shipping on orders over $35, and make sure to try their water-based serums, too!

Availability: $10 each for the Good Molecules Ultra-Hydrating Facial Oil and Pure Cold-Pressed Rosehip Oil. Permanent as of 2019.

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Disclaimer: These products were submitted by PR for editorial consideration only. I’ve been testing them for months to make sure they hold up despite the small price tag, and I’m happy to report that they do!

Tags: /Company Review, Extremely dry skin, Indie brands, Moisturizers, Paraben-free, Product Photos, Product Review, Silicone-free, Silicone-free moisturizers and serums, Skincare

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Ekster review: Parliament Wallet + what happens when you go cashless

June 19, 2020

Rae Chen

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Months ago, back in the winter, I started planning for Father’s Day this year. I had big plans—a whole editorial spread along with this Ekster review, for starters—but as you can imagine, I ended up getting a little waylaid. In these tough times of coronavirus and protests, however, the hero product for my feature remained… and felt even more relevant.

Order for Father’s Day and get 35% off with code DAD35! (Valid June 19, 2020, at time of publication.)

Why a wallet?

Honestly? It’s just this wallet. It’s the smooth leather, the variety of finishes (I can’t tell you how happy I was to see a wallet designed “for men” that didn’t just come in black and brown), and the unique design. The Ekster Parliament Wallet ($89 USD) featured in this Ekster review has a spring-loaded design that works well… and feels more than a little Kickstartery. It’s minimalism, but made for those who tend to err on the side of maximalism.

It feels clean and works like a luxury product, and the slim profile is great for anyone. It’s light enough to keep in a pocket, but keeps down the clutter in your bag, too. The small size of Ekster’s products forces you to pare down your cards; it won’t fit all eight of my bubble tea stamp cards along with my gift cards, essentials, and business cards, so something has to go.

(My coffee cards and store credits got the axe. Why drink a beverage without a snack when you could just as easily be stamping your way to a free beverage with a snack inside??)

(See also: my love for extra dirty martinis — shaken to the point of bruising, if I can find a willing compatriot behind the bar.)

Unfortunately, as with most modern minimalist wallets, the Ekster Parliament wallet has a men’s design feature that tends to irk me: there isn’t anywhere to store your coins. I really appreciate that the Ekster Parliament has a cash strap for bills, but what am I supposed to do with my spare change? Why are all of the super sleek small leather goods always Like This™?

The Ekster Parliament from the top. I can fit a max of five cards in the pop-up slot, plus two in the flap and one (or the tracker) in the back.

Ekster review: The Ekster Parliament Wallet

I often joke that I’m my partner’s coin collector. He’s used a Parliament-style wallet for years, and as a result, he’s always leaving little trails of coins behind them — change on the dresser, on the floor, on the washing machine, in the washing machine; you name it. I have no idea where it comes from, because I don’t think I’ve ever seen him handle cash in his life, but it’s always there (somehow).

But there’s something very sleek and classy about never having change on you. It’s lighter, and easier to manage. It says I never take the bus and someone else buys my groceries and sure, you can have a $4.50 tip on this $5.50 Americano. I imagine that the kind of person who would seek out an Ekster review is the kind of always-suited, dark-jeans-only person who doesn’t carry coins to begin with, and really… am I wrong?

The Ekster Parliament is lovely. It comes in a smooth leather finish (a little thin, but very nice). The wallet I was sent for my Ekster review is in their Merlot Red finish, and it looks ridiculously good right out of the box. There’s a little bit of unevenness in the way the leather is dyed, and it makes it look almost as if it has a light patina to it already.

(For serious leather-lovers, you can get this RFID-blocking wallet in limited-edition matte or vachetta finishes, as well. You’ll also be able to get your hands on a vegan leather soon, which the company claims is indistinguishable from their regular leather!)

I can fit a maximum of five cards in my Ekster Parliament’s spring-loaded compartment, plus two more in the inside flap and one (or their tracker) in the back.

Ekster Parliament Wallet in Merlot Red with the Ekster Tracker Card

Track your Ekster

I don’t tend to lose things, but it’s a common occurrence in my family. (My dad recently lost his wallet for weeks… my mom found it in his bedside table. Talks were had.)

The Ekster is designed to fit a crowd-sourced GPS, which is shaped like a thick, short credit card and fits in any of the Parliament’s card slots. It’s solar powered, needing only a 3 hour charge in the sun to last 1-2 months, and features a two-way ringer with the Chipolo app. (The card is quiet, like a little midi controller; the two-press function to make your phone ring is as loud as you want.)

I set up my tracker using Apple’s log-in for Chipolo, which was incredibly easy: one thumbprint touch, a single Tracker Card button press, and I was good to go. I don’t know if it was the iOS update that I did last night or just Ekster’s tech, but I’ve never had this easy of a time with anything Bluetooth.

Ekster’s Tracker Card costs extra ($49 USD), which I actually really like. It means that people like me (who would rather have the extra card slot) don’t have to pay for it, and people like my dad (or my sister’s boyfriend, or my boyfriend, or my best friend… or basically anyone else in our lives, because Chens are apparently exclusively attracted to people with ADHD) can add it to their order for a very reasonable price.

Use code TRACKER30 for 30% off your Ekster Tracker (valid at time of publication, June 19, 2020).

what fits in an ekster parliament wallet

The problem with cashless

Cashless economies have a few different sides. During regular times, they’re pretty problematic. Sure, they streamline your wallet and speed up your shopping transactions (the Parliament’s spring-loaded mechanism makes card retrieval crazy fast), but they also present very clear barriers to access. Businesses that don’t accept cash are exclusionary by their nature, automatically denying access to anyone without a bank account or credit card.

When a business goes cashless, it essentially closes its doors to some of society’s most marginalized — which, if you ask me, is a jerk move all around. We know that in countries like the US, the unbanked and underbanked are disproportionately BIPOC. Of households without a bank account, 21.7% are Black, 19.3% are Hispanic, and 15.5% are Native American.

UNBANKED: Adults or households that do not have a bank account. This may be due to factors including a lack of access to a nearby bank, a lack of a government ID or physical mailing address, or an inability to meet a minimum balance fee. People who are underbanked often have to pay more to access their money due to high rates at money lenders. (Source for unbanked.)

UNDERBANKED: Adults or households that have access to a bank account, but cannot have all of their needs met by the bank. For instance: people who end up Renting-To-Own due to redlining. (Source for underbanked, source for unbanked vs underbanked. See this problem in Canada.)

When a wallet goes cashless, it excludes anyone who carries bills or coins by necessity. On top of excluding people who are unbanked, it also excludes people who have a bank account and routinely use credit, but (for instance) may need to carry change around for bus fare.

Right now, cashless business is a stop-gap. It’s a bandage. It’s not a long-term solution, but it’s a good compromise. For now, I’m really appreciating my Ekster wallet — not just because it’s so well-made, but also because no-contact payment systems help keep workers safe in times like this.

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Disclaimer: This wallet was submitted by PR for editorial consideration only. I’ve had cashless economies on my mind since reading this great Eater post, but don’t let that fool you: I do really like the option to go cashless as a consumer, which is very different than going cashless as a business. (The first affects just you; the second has an effect on others!)

If you buy a coinless wallet after reading this Ekster review, I urge you to make sure you have a little bit of cash in there regardless. You wouldn’t believe the number of times I end up paying for other people in line because no one carries cash anymore!!

Tags: /Fashion, Product Photos, Product Review

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In which abolishing the police sparks joy

June 10, 2020

Rae Chen

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I’m not really sure what to say this week. After staying silent for about a week and a half in order to amplify the voices of those who are much better-equipped than I to talk about Black Lives Matter, I’m coming back to posting original blog content again and it feels… odd.

What do you say during a pandemic? What do you say during protests; police violence?

I’m uncomfortable returning to posting without even acknowledging how completely fucked up things are in North American policing, legislation, and the media, so today’s featured brand is intentionally Black-owned. I am more than ready to admit that my motives are selfish: going immediately back to writing about beauty products feels wrong, and dirty, like the past two weeks of social content and movements are being erased. But after the heavy recognition of a centuries-long struggle that still continues, I want to sit for a moment in the joy of creation; in beautiful objects; in the Minneapolis City Council voting to begin dismantling their police force.

Blue Reign Luxury Lingerie

Blue Reign does everything right that most lingerie brands get wrong. Their products are intricate, beautiful, and unique; their model is Black, and gorgeous, and believable. She has flat hips, just like the ones I see in the mirror, and I love them. (Where does the curve come from on Photoshopped lingerie models?? Does anyone actually have muscle there?)

I’ve never purchased anything from Blue Reign (they’re out of my price range), but their pieces have sat on my wish list for what feels like forever. They really are badass pieces, as they aim to be: made from vegan faux leather, they fit sizes 28B through 38J. If you’re larger or smaller than that, the brand will custom-make a size for you.

(That’s size-inclusiveness. Not featuring one “plus size” white model wearing a 36DDD bra… who even came up with that style of size format? Why is it that once you eclipse a D, your size just becomes a character glitch? Tons of people, not to mention many lingerie models, wear larger than a D cup!)

Blue Reign founder and owner Alyx also features extremely comprehensive fit videos on the Blue Reign lingerie website, with model measurements and sizing in each product description. Each piece is machine washable, making Blue Reign possibly the best lingerie company.

One day. It’s not in my budget right now to drop $260 CAD on a bra, but one day!!!

Brand diversity in blogging

Lifting up Black and Indigenous companies can be tough as a small blogger. It’s no excuse, and it’s one of the reasons why I’m avid about making sure there’s diversity in my following list, my friendships, and my RTs, but… it’s tough. I buy very little product, as I’m always inundated with plenty: I was very lucky to start blogging early with a lot of growth at the beginning, which means that I’ve always been able to review most of what I wanted to from what I already have on hand.

(A rough estimate would be about 10-40-95: I respond to 10% of PR requests and cover 40% of the products sent in, to a total of 95% of my review content. The other 5% tends to be repurchases.)

But where I’m going with this is that the beauty industry is already stratified. Most brands are owned by mega-corporations, whose leaders are frequently boards of underwhelming white men, or white ladies who think an NW40 is a “very dark” skin tone. It’s a struggle for new brands to ever get big enough to have the budget for sending out product samples, and that applies tenfold to Black and Indigenous-owned beauty brands, whose foundation ranges and hair products get categorized as “niche” even though Black women spend nine times as much on “ethnic” hair and beauty products.

So, while I’m brainstorming workarounds (maybe allocating a seasonal budget for minority-owned beauty purchasing with the intent to review?), I’ll leave you with this last thought: F*ck Trump.

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Disclaimer: Blue Reign and Lipslut assets pulled from their websites.

Tags: /Fashion, Feminism

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