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

June 19, 2020

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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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Shu Uemura Cleansing Oil Shampoo review (+ the best makeup brush cleaner during quarantine)

May 19, 2020

Rae Chen

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shu uemura airy touch cleansing oil review

It’s no secret that I love the Shu Uemura Cleansing Oil Shampoo. It’s an incredibly elegant product, with a dense lather and a thick, smooth gel texture. But I’ve been appreciating it for a fresh, new reason during quarantine: it makes the best makeup brush cleaner ever.

What to love about the Shu Uemura Cleansing Oil Shampoo’s texture

I mean… what isn’t there to love? Shu’s Airy Touch Cleansing Oil hair collection is formulated around the common hair ethos that “like removes like.” If you’re dyeing a client’s hair and you stain their hairline with colour, scrubbing it under the water with shampoo does very little. But if you add a little bit of dye to your shampoo and massage it in, the colour slides off the skin almost instantly.

Similarly, oil removes oil — both from your face and from your scalp. (Shu Uemura developed Unmask, his classic cleansing oil, while working on celebrities in 1967.) Shu’s shampoo formula uses light, fluid oils to distribute the shampoo throughout your whole scalp, right into your ends and your congested scalp. Then, it whisks away those oils with emulsifiers and surfactants, cleaning your scalp as it nourishes each strand of hair. No parabens; no silicones; just clean, silky hair.

But the draw of this shampoo, I think, isn’t its efficacy. It’s its experience. From the bottle’s sleek, sans serif print to its slow-pressing pump, it makes you enjoy the methodical pleasure of shampooing your hair. (Or someone else’s). The shampoo itself is thick and smooth, almost oily; it feels like something that should be sold as an ointment to the gods for hundreds of dollars an ounce. It’s unique, and well-loved by many: I can’t tell you how many house guests have sneakily alluded that I should just let them take my bottle home with them.

(NO! And you all need to stop asking!)

shu uemura cleansing oil airy touch shampoo

What makes the Shu Uemura Cleansing Oil Shampoo the best makeup brush cleaner ever

It’s simple: the texture is great, but the scent really sells it.

For most of the year (or like, most of the decade), I wouldn’t splash out this much money for a brush cleaner. But under quarantine, I’ve been finding a lot of solace in enjoying things. I usually take my little breaks from reality by going out for dinner—I recently realized that I’m totally going to miss this year’s Canada Day tasting menu at The Butternut Tree, and I’m enormously bummed because I left a crazy tip when we made the reservation and now I’ll never get to enjoy a great table because of it—and, well, that’s not an option right now.

So, instead, I’ve been shopping my stash a lot (a lot) for new sensory experiences. I finished my first bottle of Shu Uemura Cleansing Oil Shampoo years ago, but have been saving this smaller bottle. And it’s… perfect.

shu uemura art of hair cleansing oil shampoo

shu art of hair review cleansing oil ahsampoo

Shu hair products smell expensive — and they are. Their cleansing oil hair products are based around the idea of the onsen, or Japanese hot spring, and they’re delicately scented with notes of yuzu, cedar, and sage. It smells like nothing else I own, honestly; it’s not watery, or citrusy, or fresh. It just smells good, in a really natural way, and it makes me enjoy everyday chores again.

And hey, if my shampoo can leave me sniffing my hands for an hour after I wash my makeup brushes, I’ll take it. Because we could all sure as heck use as much comfort as we can get our hands on right now.

Availability: $46 CAD for this bottle (4.7 oz) or $57 CAD for the regular size (a massive 13.4 oz, and a much better deal). Find it at Sephora, shu uemuera, or The Bay.

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Disclaimer: This shampoo was gifted to me a couple of years ago, kept in cold storage, and unearthed at week six of quarantine (you know, when I really started losing my grip on reality). It’s photographed here on a print from Photowall.

Tags: /Hair, Other, Product Photos, Product Review

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Garnier Fructis Hair Treats review, photos: Haircare on a budget

May 12, 2020

Rae Chen

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garnier fructis treat shampoo conditioner review

The product: Garnier Fructis Hair Treats review — shampoo, conditioner, and dry shampoo

What makes quarantine shampoo any different from regular shampoo?
Objectively, nothing. But I’m convinced that the world just feels a little more desperate now: we all share a fledgeling craving for something new to settle our brains. There’s a wild, visceral, gut-deep need to have something, anything be different, even if it’s delivered as a Garnier Fructis Hair Treats review. (There’s a fresh, new flavour for every day of the week!)

Most of my days in quarantine are good. I shower in the mid-morning and have brunch with my cat, then put on makeup and a dress shirt to go for a walk. An hour or two later, I’m home to take the cat out; she screams at the side door and bolts for the grass like her life depends on it. I sit, and scroll, and she chews, and chews, and chews. I paint in the afternoons, and work in the evenings.

Some days are more middling. I wake up late, and it’s too cold for a walk; everything tastes bland. It’s too dark to take photos, so I read, or take lecture notes, and I’m crawling with the effort of being awake by 7. I try to work once the dinner dishes have all been put away, but it never happens. The cat bites softly at my ankles every time I walk into the living room and forget what I walked in for.

Garnier Fructis Hair Treats review: A mood

Some days in quarantine, as in normal life, just plain-out suck. I get nothing done: I can’t cook, I can’t read, I can’t hold my pen steady. My morning shower becomes a languid bath, and my porous hair feels rubbery and saturated before I even find the energy to to shampoo it. My joints pop and seize, with scalding fissures that seem to run the circuit of my body every time I move.

On these days, I squeeze a little Garnier Fructis into my bathwater.

It’s the lazy man’s bubble bath: not as dense as a rich, foamy bath soap, but cheap and always on hand. Each Hair Treats scent smells lively and vibrant, with a very “Garnier” feel — like, you can tell that it’s $5-10, but it was a really good $5-10. Garnier Fructis products always smell clean and fruity, and they make me think of being fifteen and in high school again.

(For just $10, you too could re-experience your first slow dance with that girl from Chemistry class!)

The Hair Treats shampoos and conditioners

I’ve kept my eye on Garnier ever since Pure Clean — to this day, still the only silicone-free 2-in-1 I’ve had the pleasure of using. They knew early on that being silicone-free was a huge “get” for the consumer, and they’ve continued to develop the niche since then.

While Pure Clean was just an okay products, these Hair Treats are awesome. I’m usually a Kerastase Aura Botanica person, and while I love that Aura Botanica products smell expensive, these… might be better? It’s easy to see what’s in these products, and they work like a proper treat.

I’ve been using Garnier Fructis Nourishing Treat Shampoo and Conditioner in the bath while working on this review, and Garnier Fructis Hydrating Treat Shampoo and Conditioner in the shower. (I prefer the clean scent of Hydrating Treat, which always scores me a “mmm, you hair smells really good” from my partner, but the coconutty Nourishing Treat is perfect for mixing it up.) Both leave my hair clean and super-soft—softer than normal—and I’ve noticed that Hydrating Treat consistently gives me better 2nd-day hair than most shampoos. My scalp doesn’t seem more hydrated when I get out of the shower, but it’s less greasy on day 2, which is a sure indicator that it’s more hydrated regardless.

Garnier Hair Treats review: The dry shampoos

While I loved the Hair Treat shampoos and conditioners, I was a little less keen on the line’s Garnier Fructis Invisible Dry Shampoos.

I tried out two scents, both of which smelled fantastic: Mint Mojito and Yuzu Fizz. The clean scent of Mint Mojito nabbed me instantly, but both really do manage to smell like a cocktail — which is a feat for a drugstore brand.

Even when applied liberally, however, I just… didn’t feel like these made my hair look less greasy. My experience with them has been odd; they seem to contain super-super-super fine dry shampoo particles, which I can feel in my lungs as soon as I spray them. The particles hang in the hair for a good 15 minutes afterwards, creating a dusty film that makes me cough.

On the one hand, that means that they’re invisible. Like, seriously invisible, even on my dark roots. But on the other, they just seem TOO finely-milled. I have to use a ton of product to get any oil absorption at all, and though they’re tall canisters, they actually contain less product than most drugstore dry shampoos — I ran out in under three weeks. (Each one contains 126g of dry shampoo; Batiste contains 200mL, and easily lasts me four months.)

But maybe I’m going about this whole thing wrong. I think they’d work like a treat if I put my mask on first.

garnier fructis invisible dry mint mojito review

The Garnier Hair Treats review verdict?

If you’re looking for a budget-friendly line of silicone-free hair products, this one is great. Skip their rice starch dry shampoos and stock up on their shampoos and conditioners, which smell great and are easy to find. (It can be HARD to track down a ‘cone-free product line for under $30, so I’m pretty thrilled that these exist!)

If your scalp is anything like mine, the aloe-infused Hydrating Treat shampoo will leave you with hair that doesn’t need to be dry-shampooed anyways. My tip? These are cheap, so buy a couple different scents to break up the monotony of living under quarantine. It’s better than baking yourself to an early death.

Availability: $6.95 CAD and up at major drugstores and mass market retailers.

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Disclaimer: These products were submitted by PR for editorial consideration only. I’ve been looking for a ‘cone-free haircare line for a while, so I actually put in a request for these! I was recommending La Coupe up until now, but their natural line seems to have been discontinued — which is fine by me, because these smell way better.

Tags: /Garnier, Hair, Product Photos, Product Review, Silicone-free, Uncategorized

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Photowall review (framed print), plus another quarantine makeup look

April 29, 2020

Rae Chen

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For someone who loves working on house stuff, I sure don’t review house stuff very often. So, when the opportunity to do a Photowall review came up, I jumped at the chance. A nice, big print with a natural wood frame and matte gallery paper to hang amongst all my lunar studies? Count me in.

» Order from Photowall before June 10th, 2020 to get free shipping and 25% off with code “thenoticepw2020” «

A quick, no-fuss, budget-friendly Photowall review

Photowall is an online Swedish company. They do prints, posters, wallpaper, and DIY canvases. Their custom print canvases in particular are interesting: they ship rolled up in a tube to cut costs, and you have to assemble the canvas frame on your own.

I know that I’m picky about my canvases (I want that wide!!! base!!!), so I oped for a framed 40″ x 28″ print instead. The product shipped ready-to-hang for easy decorating; it has three ridged hangers on its sealed back. Photowall uses a high-quality fake glass front that ships well. It’s a thick, UV-protected acrylic that looks almost imperceptibly different from the real thing. Don’t let other acrylic glass turn you off from it: this stuff is way nicer (and less easily scratched) than what’s offered at IKEA.

Overall, I’m extremely happy with my Photowall print. It arrived quickly without a customs charge, and took mere minutes to hang. Most of their print options weren’t to my taste, but I really liked a few of them: Paper Wave, I Feel a Sin II, and Succulent, which is shown here. The options, overall, are more suited to my needs than something you’d buy at a home goods store — I often find that prints and canvases at shops like Bouclair and HomeSense are grainy or pixelated, and that isn’t an issue that I had while putting together my Photowall review.

(I may have to use the Photowall sale code below on I Feel a Sin.)

As a final note, the brand’s prints come on acid-free matte paper from Hahnemühle. They’re made to order to reduce waste, and use biodegradable printing ink.

Use the Photowall discount code “thenoticepw2020” for free shipping and 25% off before June 10th, 2020.

These greens are fake.

And a makeup look to pair

I was so smitten with my Photowall print (and, okay, so frustrated with my inability to get a good photograph of it) that I put together a green makeup look to pair with my Photowall review.

Or, at least, I tried to.

But, of course, I was gripped by my current association with warm browns; my love for violet washes; gold shimmer. I was gripped, as much as I hate to say it, by the allure of red eyeshadow. So while I started out with the best, greenest intentions, I instead put together a warm-toned smokey eye, and tinted it green over a matter of seconds in Photoshop just so that I could air my grievances (with myself) with you.

Can you counterfeit lashes?!

The most disappointing part of this post isn’t that I couldn’t stick to the colour green, or that I couldn’t photograph this glossy plexiglass frame. It is, in fact, my favourite lashes: the Kiss Little Black Dress lashes. I’ve been in love with these for years, and I’m disappointed to say that my last batch of them… sucked.

The new lashes are uniform without any density at the base, sticking straight out in a straight line. You can’t tell which lash is the right and which is the left. They flatten out my eyes when applied, making them look long and droopy.

Unfortunately, I did two restocks and tossed them into the same pile at once, so I’m not sure which was the culprit. One was from London Drugs, a wonderful western Canadian drugstore that has been doing a fantastic job of quick delivery and house drop-offs during the pandemic. The other—and this is the one that I assume is at fault—was from Amazon, which I’ve heard whispers of stocking counterfeit lashes before.

So, if anyone in Edmonton has a need for super-uniform false lashes that really don’t add any depth to your makeup look, let me know, I guess. They’re ready for a porch pickup anytime.

Products used

SKIN: Guerlain L’Essentiel 00N with Marcelle Face Powder

HIGHLIGHT: Maybelline Master Chrome in 02 Metallic Rose, Sleek Highlighting Elixir in Poppin’ Bottles, MAC Blanc Type, and Clinique Wear Everywhere Greys (shimmery white). I went ham with my highlight in this one.

BLUSH: Clinique Strawberry Fudge Holiday Compact

SHADOW: Sleek Makeup When the Sun Goes Down Eyeshadow Palette, Clarins 09 Odyssey Wet & Dry Eyeshadow Palette (shimmer)

LASHES: Kiss Lashes in Little Black Dress with Marcelle Precision Liquid Eyeliner and Duo Lash Glue in Dark Tone

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Disclaimer: Photowall supplied this print in exchange for a short review. I went, as usual, a little overboard.

Tags: /4. Makeup looks, Eyes, Home, Product Photos

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Maybelline Master Chrome review: “Metallic Rose” with swatches and Catrice Badass Bae

April 16, 2020

Rae Chen

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I’ve been going through a weird phase on theNotice where I haven’t been sent anything but red eyeshadow in like… six months. I can’t figure out why. I hate red eyeshadow, and look awful in orange; there is nothing about my face AT ALL that suggests that it would work well with warm tones at all in any capacity, and yet. And yet! And yet things like this Maybelline Master Chrome review get me by.

Products like the Master Chrome (the jelly, not the pressed version) speak to my soul. They’re so easy: shimmery and sheer, with a squishy texture that just makes my heart sigh a little every time I use them.

Maybelline Master Chrome in Metallic Rose

I have always been a huge sucker for texture, and Maybelline knows how to deliver. From their bouncy blushes (does anyone else remember those??) their super-buttery ColorSensational eyeshadow quads (oh man, the days when pigment was a rarity in the drugstore!), they’ve been pretty reliably great when it comes to cool textures.

Sure, their products tend to follow trends instead of set them — but I honestly don’t mind. I don’t need someone to invent the concept of a jelly highlighter; I just need someone to make one that isn’t four gazillion dollars.

Maybelline Master Chrome review: Metallic Rose

Maybelline Master Chrome review: Metallic Rose swatched heavily, then lightly. Next to the Maybelline Cheek Heat Sheer Gel blushers in 15 Nude Burn, 20 Rose Flush, and 30 Corail Ardent, which look super beautiful but unfortunately contain a high amount of silicones!

Maybelline Cheek Heat (15, 20, and 30) gel blush

Metallic Rose is a reflective liquid-gel that’s densely packed with micro-fine gold and rose gold shimmer. It’s pigmented and easy to blend, with a quick-setting formula that dries to a satin finish.

I’ve had liquid highlighters before that I’ve preferred, but this one is more wearable. Okay, so it’s not bouncy like jello, and it doesn’t have a duochrome finish, but it dries to a skin finish that catches the light, and that’s pretty nice. It’s not at all sticky, which is a common problem in Instagram-bait liquid highlighters — products that never set look great on camera, but smear like crazy in real life!

Honestly, the Maybelline Master Chrome formula is most similar to this Sleek Highlighting Elixir, from my stash, despite the different packaging. Both are shimmery liquids with high viscosity, but the Maybelline is a little chunkier, and neater to use.

Catrice Badass Bae Eyeshadow Palette

Okay, so: here’s the thing. I hate warm-toned eyeshadows, but this palette is otherwise pretty dope. It’s pigmented and creamy, with shades that pair and blend together like a dream. Each co-ordinated eyeshadow applies with extremely respectable intensity over a primer (no foiling needed!) There’s even a good amount of mattes in this palette: Badass and Clapback are great for cut creases and buffed edges, while Rebel, Lit AF, RBF, and Bye Felicia offer a matte finish in medium tones.

Catrice Badass Bae review

Of these 12 shades, there isn’t a single dud in sight. There also isn’t, however, anything that really stands out for me. Break Rules comes close, with a creamy texture and intensely shimmery finish, but that’s about it. Everything else is just… good. Not special, not unique, just good. I’ll talk more about that in a second, but first: “just good” is honestly a pretty great achievement. Do you know how rarely you can honestly say that every single shade in an eyeshadow palette is good?! I’ll give you a hint — the answer is almost never.

Sure, “good” isn’t “great.” But “good” means that there’s a brand out there that you can rely on in a pinch; that you can count on when you need a cool new colour or a cohesive new eyeshadow look. It means that you can nab a special release before it sells out everywhere, even if there aren’t any reviews up yet, because you can be pretty sure that you’ll enjoy whatever it is that you end up with.

At $14.99 USD/$16.99 CAD, “good” is pretty damn good.

Catrice Badass Bae Eyeshadow Palette review with Maybelline Master Chrome highlight

How to make your makeup stand out on Instagram

I was chatting with a longtime reader of theNotice who brought up something that I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about. (If you think you’ve been reading theNotice for a long time, trust me: you got nothin’ on this girl. We go wayyy back to the late 2000s!) In an age where Instagram is your biggest seller, a lot of products end up looking the same. Makeup brands design for the ‘gram now, and that means a lot of warm tones, melty textures, and instant-results products.

We don’t buy red eyeshadows because red looks great on a lot of people. Red, in fact, looks terrible on most of us, and amazing on a very small sliver of the population. But warm tones track on Instagram. Creators get more likes when they post warm-toned images, which means that brands see better engagement, and then even more warm tones on the shelves a year down the line. We’re being sold red eyeshadows not because we want red, but because red gets more likes.

How strange is that?

And it’s not just red eyeshadows. Interesting textures look incredibly satisfying on camera. You want to know how to make your highlighter look amazing in a five-second clip? Make it move. Turn it into a format that can drip, swish, and swirl. The same phenomenon that gives us moody red eyeshadow palettes also delivers to us jelly highlighters; layered boba drinks; pop-off acrylic nails. It delivers to us skincare with gold flakes, and fast-fashion shirts that drape just right, and, yes, $15 eyeshadow palettes that defy the odds to deliver rich, creamy colour in every shade.

The phenomenon isn’t bad, and I’d argue that it’s actually very natural. It’s just… odd! Read more

Tags: /4. Makeup looks, Eyes, Grouped reviews, Makeup looks: neutral, Maybelline, Product Photos, Product Review, Product Swatches

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How to tone your hair at home: Kristin Ess Bittersweet Gloss review

April 8, 2020

Rae Chen

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The product: Kristin Ess Bittersweet Gloss (Signature Gloss for dark brown/black hair)

Okay. We get it. It’s April 2020, and life is generally a nightmare. Insurance companies are clawing back necessary drugs to earmark them for untested treatments, nursing homes are barring families from visiting (rightly so!), and you cannot find either yeast nor a Nintendo Switch anywhere in sight. On top of all that, you have reduced hours, you’re working from home with your children, and now you have to tone your own damn hair. Well: you cannot have any toilet paper, but you can have a little Kristin Ess Bittersweet Gloss. As a treat.

(I cannot even imagine how difficult that paragraph will be to parse in even just five years.)

How to tone your hair at home

When it comes to at-home hair colouring, toning is the easiest thing you could possibly do. (Hurray!) It’s all about adjusting the tone of your hair, not the lightness. So, you don’t have to worry about chemical burns, bleach damage, or over-processed strands. Heck, you don’t even have to worry that much about stains on your skin or in the tub!

A good toner works as a tint to realign what you already have. Chances are, if you’re looking into toning, your colourist has bleached your hair already. That’s good: the tricky part is getting the bleach in the right places, and it takes a good colourist to know where those places are. Maintenance is easy in comparison, as all you really need to do after that is smear toner everywhere you possibly can and wait twenty minutes every 3-6 weeks.

Think of a toner as a supercharged purple-based shampoo for blondes, except without the purple staining. A toner cannot lift your colour, and for the most part, it can’t take it much darker, either. Instead, it can hide brassy tones, turn copper strands into caramel ones, shift ashy blondes to rose gold, transform a carrot orange to a rich and vibrant red… you get the picture.

How to use a Kristin Ess In-Shower Gloss

Toning at home is always easy, but the Kristin Ess Signature Gloss is especially easy to use. It comes in two parts, with gloves: an ammonia-free, hydrogen peroxide and phosphoric acid-based gloss activator, and a gloss toner. To use, you mix the two together, massage through wet hair (make sure that no strand is left dry if you want an even result throughout your hair), let sit, and shampoo out after 10-20 minutes.

Because this is a toning gloss, you don’t have to section your hair carefully, worry about scalp staining, or fold up each section in aluminum foil. It’s really, really easy — it’s kind of like doing a hair mask from a tube, honestly. I let my gloss sit for 20 minutes throughout my entire head, and achieved very consistent results throughout.

Before on left; after on right, photographed 2 washes after glossing. Look at how SHINY it is!!

Kristin Ess Bittersweet Gloss on dark brown, Asian hair. For reference, my natural colour is a 4 at the roots, a 6 for most of my head, and a 7 at the ends — it sunbleaches like crazy. Bittersweet took me to about a 5 throughout.

Who Kristin Ess Bittersweet Gloss is best for

I was looking to tone my caramel balayage back to my natural brown colour, and Bittersweet was perfect for me. I walked into the bathroom with lovely—but brassy—balayage and walked out with shiny, natural-looking, dark brown hair. My strands are less eye-catching than before (I’m going to tone with Smoky Topaz next time and report back), but they look exactly like a richer, shinier version of my natural hair colour.

It’s been two weeks since I toned my hair, and the results are holding on more strongly than my usual salon tone. I’m just now starting to see my highlights barely peek through, and the initial super-shiny gloss effect has lifted somewhat. I’ve also lost much of the lovely, slightly purple hue left behind by Bittersweet; my natural colour is quite ashy, and my hair honestly looks completely natural to me now.

In total, there are 12 shades of Kristin Ess In-Shower Gloss, with one additional colourless gloss option.

The verdict on toning my hair at home with the Kristin Ess Bittersweet Gloss?

Oh gosh — a resounding yes! I loved using the Kristin Ess Signature Gloss, and will absolutely be maintaining my colour with these both during and after the COVID-19 quarantine ends. It was easy to do, and faster than making a trip to the salon and then returning. Honestly, I’ve never liked my natural colour (I routinely filter it for theNotice to make it look darker, richer, and blacker), and I would totally use a Kristin Ess gloss before a big event even if my hair wasn’t bleached.

On my dry, dark brown hair, this colour has held on well and continues to do so. (I shampoo every other day, so it’s been eight washes.) For future toning, I think Smokey Topaz would have been a better option to maintain a toned version of my balayage, but given how stressed I’ve been about the state of the world… well, I just really didn’t want to think about my hair for a while.

And so, this was perfect.

Availability: $14 USD/$19.99 CAD. 13 shades, permanent at drugstores like Well.ca and Target.

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Disclaimer: I purchased both Bittersweet and Smokey Topaz from Well.ca. This post contains an affiliate link to Target. While I’ve always loved Well.ca, I’m not impressed that this gloss has gone from $13.99 to $19.99 since I purchased it, and want readers to be aware that they may be hiking their prices during the pandemic. This is not confirmed (Kristin may have simply raised the prices when she added more shades).

Tags: /Hair, Product Photos, Product Review, Product Swatches, Silicone-free

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We-Vibe Wand Massager review & photos

March 30, 2020

Rae Chen

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The product: We-Vibe Wand Cordless Body Massager

The world is a little bit upside-down right now, so I thought I’d take a moment to realign. Many of us are home on quarantine—and to those of you who are still at work, thank you from the bottom of our hearts for keeping the world going—while we wait out the madness. So, while we have the luxury of going stir-crazy in an effort to keep everyone’s infection risk down, little bites of self-care can be helpful. I’ve been testing the We-Vibe Wand since last year (you can see it featured here, too), and can’t speak highly enough of it.

The We-Vibe Wand as a mover and shaker

The Wand by We-Vibe does more than just rattle your bones and your bedposts. It’s a mover and shaker — an excellent example of a cordless wand in a tangle of corded ones. It stands out, almost alone, high above corded massage wands. Unlike the Le Wand, it’s waterproof. Unlike the Magic Wand Rechargeable, it’s rumby and smooth-topped. (I’ve always hated the textured heads of Magic Wands, which feel like sandpaper on my skin. I don’t want sandpaper down there!! That’s not a sandpaper-friendly area!) And unlike the Lelo Smart Wand, it’s produced by an ethical company that puts its consumers first.

I’ve spoken at length about how much I love my Doxy Die Cast, and honestly, the Wand by We-Vibe is a comparable, cordless version. Like the Die Cast, it’s heavy-headed and rumbly, with a silicone-coated head and a motor that springs to life. But unlike the Die Cast, the Wand is fully coated in silicone. Its waterproof build makes it easy to thoroughly clean, and the fact that it’s cordless gives you so much more flexibility.

Does We-Vibe Smart Silence work?

When We-Vibe’s parent company (now WOW Tech) bought Womanizer at the end of last year, it was evident that big things were coming. One of those big things is Womanizer’s Smart Silence technology, which I’m pleased to be able to say is now available in a number of We-Vibe models. It uses two points of contact to turn a toy on — in other words, any toy that uses it will turn off and go totally silent if it’s not in use.

The technology is perfect for stealthy masturbation sessions and sultry rendezvous. It works really well, and can be turned on or off to suit. In order to use an attachment with your Wand by We-Vibe, hold down the Wave button for five seconds. It’ll turn off Smart Silence until you repeat the action, letting you use the Wand in always-on mode until you’re ready to toggle back.

Speaking of attachments: there are two included with the Wand, and they’re… interesting. I don’t really like either of them, but they’re interesting. One is designed to “flutter;” the other, to be a “stroker.” I think it’s nice that they’re included without the need for an additional purchase, and I like that they’re made from velvety-soft silicone, but I’m a purist. I like my vibrators without attachments and without patterns!

What the We-Vibe Wand does

The We-Vibe Wand kinda does exactly what you’d want it to. Seriously: it hits every item on your standard sex blogger’s checklist with precision.

It’s intense and rumbly, with vibrations that are comparable to (but weaker than) the Doxy Die Cast. I’d say that it’s about 80% as rumbly and as intense on high, which is a damn impressive feat for something cordless. If you’re new to wand vibes, this is still a huge step up from handhelds: my strongest bullet vibe (the We-Vibe Tango) is about as intense on its highest setting as the Wand is on its lowest.

The Wand’s entire body is covered in velvety-soft silicone, and it charges by magnetic USB. (The cord comes labelled!!!!) The charging magnets are strong, and they leave the toy 100% waterproof, which is kind of amazing. You can get up to 2 hours of use out of a full 90 minute charge, and the Wand’s universal head flexes gently with pressure. It fits a standard-sized wand attachments from any brand.

Also notable is the Wand’s “joystick-inspired control” for “precise sensation,” which is fine ergonomically but seems to fail in practice. Despite what the company claims, the jumps in intensity—especially on lower settings—lead me to believe that you’re just toggling a standard 10ish-level variation with a joystick. Which is fine and works well; it just doesn’t feel like what was advertised!

We-Vibe’s new app

You can also sync the Wand to your phone via Bluetooth, which is a surprisingly great feature. We-Vibe finally updated their app, and it… kind of rocks now??

This is a huge selling feature for me, as I’ve had a personal vendetta against the We-Vibe app for ages. The new We-Connect app is responsive and easy to use, with a much more stable Bluetooth connection than before. It makes it easy to create your own patterns, control your toy’s intensity, and hand the control of your session over to a partner either in person or long-distance.

The updated app puts the fun back into masturbation. It takes what was once a good idea in theory (but an intensely stressful idea in practice) and turns it into something playful. Pairing takes seconds now instead of minutes, and the connection is maintained until you switch to a new toy or end your session — even when using toys that came out before the app update.

The We-Vibe Wand verdict?

If you’re on the market for a wand vibrator, this one is worth checking out. I love that it’s rechargeable and cordless, and having the option of app control is pretty cool. It’s rumbly and intense—as you might expect from We-Vibe—and waterproof for extended play and easy cleaning. It only comes in one colour, but little indicators (like having a colour tab on the box, and one-option colour selections on some websites) suggest to me that we might get more colour options one day if it sells well.

The one thing that I’m less keen on is the Wand by We-Vibe’s price: at $170 USD/$189 CAD, it’s one of the more expensive body massagers on the market. I think it’s worth it to be able to stick this toy under the tap, but your mileage may vary!

Availability: $170 USD/$189 CAD. My Wand was sent in by the fantastic team at We-Vibe.

Tags: /Product Photos, Product Review, Sex

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Graydon Berry Rich review: A probiotic convert

March 23, 2020

Rae Chen

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The product: Graydon Berry Rich Probiotic Face + Eye Cream

Hi. My name is Rae, and I’m a probiotic convert. I didn’t used to believe in them—internally, yes; topically, no—but after trying the Graydon Berry Rich Face + Eye Cream, I think I have to take it back.

I’ve had dry skin my entire life. Heck, I even have a series on theNotice dedicated to living with extremely dry skin. I’m used to applying an essence, an oil-based serum, and a moisturizer… and then still having dry flakes by noon. But ever since I started using Graydon’s Berry Rich, it’s like I’m living in a whole new world.

Do you need a probiotic face cream?

If you have skin issues? Then: quite possibly. This beauty features Lactobacillus Ferment Lysate, which the brand says works by “bacterial interference.” It more or less puts so much good bacteria on your skin that the bad bacteria has nowhere to thrive, and if it works—the scientific community is still coming around to the suggestion that it does, although most recent studies are strongly in support—your skin will naturally spend less time working against itself, which should result in better skin texture, moisture, you name it.

In my case, it did. My dryness, as I’ve always suspected, is likely autoimmune. Much like how my body’s natural state is to stress out and attack my joints, my skin gets stressed and attacks itself, resulting in mild eczema symptoms. (You should see me when I haven’t moisturized in a few days; my skin flakes off in a scale pattern and I get bumpy eczema patches in all the folds of my joints. It’s not a pretty picture!)

Graydon’s probiotics are vegan, and they help “optimize healthy bacteria and [strengthen] the skin barrier.” It’s noted as being ideal for mature skin, which always draws me to a product: you always get the best moisture out of anti-ageing products. Along with probiotics, you’ll find a delicious mix of antioxidant-rich blueberry seed oil, blue-green algae, and cacao butter in this moisturizer. The website describes it as bright blue, but mine is more of a white cream touched with avocado green.

It’s a little unexpected, but very pleasing!

What’s the Graydon Berry Rich experience like?

God, you guys. It’s so good.

The Graydon Berry Rich experience is indulgent. It works well, and it feels expensive: the almost clinical, white, airless pump seems dermatological, and the rich, greenish moisturizer is lush and opulent. I had this pegged as a $90 moisturizer for months, and only found out while researching for this post that it retails for a very reasonable $49 CAD.

(Dear reader, I was ready to shell out $90 for a tube when I ran out. Please don’t tell Graydon.)

Berry Rich is vegan, cruelty-free, and free of essential oils, with a skin-friendly pHh of 4.5-5.5. It doesn’t contain any sulphates, petroleum, or silicones. The brand’s website cites the Graydon Skincare Berry Rich ingredients as the origin of its scent, but I’ve never noticed a strong one; it contains blueberry seed oil, bergamot fruit extract, apricot fruit extract, coffee extract, and more. (Jasmine! Banana! Cantaloupe! Cinnamon!)

The best part of this probiotic skincare experience is its do-it-all nature. Berry Rich is a phenomenal moisturizer, but it’s a damn fine eye cream, too. I love being able to tap the same cocoa-buttery moisturizer into my lids and undereyes as I’m applying all over my face; it keeps them perky, but at the price point of a regular moisturizer.

(Huzzah!)

My probiotic moisturizer review: The verdict on Graydon Berry Rich

When I started testing Berry Rich, I used it exclusively for about 2 1/2 weeks. By the second week, I found that I no longer needed to use my oil-based serum; by the third, I found that I only needed to use it at night, and could use up my Lavido moisturizer during the day.

Now, I use it a couple of times a week, and… well, that’s really all I need. I don’t know how to explain it: when I started using Berry Rich, I had relied on a serum + a moisturizer two times a day to keep my flakiness at a reasonable level. After a little less than three weeks, I had no flaking. Anywhere. For the first time in years. And I found myself able to go days on other moisturizers, too — I could use something cheaper, or at least less precious, and my skin condition would be maintained.

It feels like magic, but I think it might have just been probiotics. This moisturizer balanced my skin in a way that nothing else has been able to for the entire lifespan of theNotice.

Availability: $49 USD/CAD at Graydon Skincare, The Detox Market CA, and The Detox Market US. Permanent, and if they ever discontinue it, I’m going to throw a royal fit.

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Disclaimer: Products mentioned in this post were submitted by PR for editorial consideration only, and posted with affiliate links where applicable. I was definitely on board with this being twice the price, but now that I know it isn’t, I’m going to make my over-exuberant partner try it out as well — his skin is ageing, but by god, I’m not sacrificing $100 manna so he can moisturize his face, neck, beard, and hair with it!

Tags: /1. Reviews, Extremely dry skin, Graydon Skincare, Holy Grail, Indie brands, Moisturizers, Product Photos, Product Review, Silicone-free, Silicone-free moisturizers and serums, Skincare

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Dr. Bronner’s Hand Sanitizer review + Peppermint Magic Balm and Castile Soap

March 16, 2020

Rae Chen

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So… I’m not a doctor. I’m not a med student, or a nurse, or a care worker. I haven’t done science in years. But I do have a chronic illness, and I’m generally pretty good about not getting the flu, and my coffers are brimming with Dr. Bronner’s Hand Sanitizer — their Peppermint Organic Hand Sanitizer, to be exact.

And it. Is. Awesome.

Dr. Bronner’s Hand Sanitizer review (Organic Peppermint)

Like any other good, science-reared individual, I know the real deal is soap and water. I know that it’s best to scrub every inch of your hands and wrists for a good 20 seconds, and that it’s important to get under your nails and in between your fingers and around your thumb in a twist. But hand sanitizer is really nice to have around, too — especially when you can’t get to a sink, or you need to sanitize before you put your dirty little hands back on your phone.

(Me!!)

Dr Bronner’s hand sanitizer is fantastic. It’s easy to spray, spread, and use, and it gets your hands 99.9% clean with 62% alcohol, leaving a fresh, minty scent behind. The alcohol-water-glycerine-oil formula is neither hydrating nor drying, and it’s comfortable to use on my dry skin. I like that it’s fair trade and non-sticky, with a Leaping Bunny-certified formula and vegan ingredients. While it’s the same in essence, using Dr. Bronner’s hand sanitizer feels better than using something like Purell. It’s easier to spread effectively, dries faster, and is layerable—I find it tough to sanitize more than once between hand-washes with thick gel formulas, so I prefer to carry a spray like this one.

The organic peppermint essential oils are a nice reminder to keep your hands fresh—that is, don’t touch anything—when you can smell it, and for those with sensitive skin like me, it’s also an excellent reminder as to when it might be time to wash. After a few spritzing sessions, my hands take on a characteristic tingle, and I know I haven’t scrubbed in a while.

They make something for that, too.

Dr. Bronner’s 18-in-1 Peppermint Pure-Castile Soap

At the sink side, you can reach for one of the brand’s classic Dr. Bronner’s 18-in-1 Pure-Castile Soaps. (This one is travel-sized, so you can take it with you when you need to leave the house for groceries or appointments.) They lather well, and work great as a hand soap or body soap… or anything else. Use in a variety of dilutions to clean everything from your hands to your fruits and veggies, and dilute with a mix (for instance, with tea tree oil to disinfect, or vinegar to dissolve) for household chores like laundry and window-washing.

Dr. Bronner’s Castile soaps are formulated with super simple, organic ingredients, and the iconic brand originates from long before the current greenwashing trends. (They’re the real deal.) When you finish your travel-sized mini, or kitchen-sized litre, they also offer refills to help you save on packaging, cost, and transportation fuel. For the eco-conscious among us, yes: they also do bar soaps!

The real deal: Silicone-free Dr. Bronner’s Magic Balm

The entire Dr. Bronner’s line is silicone-free, but what soap isn’t?

Once you’re done scrubbing and sanitizing, their Magic Balm comes in a reusable tin with a truly magical holo print. Also made from organic, fair trade ingredients, Magic Balms are hydrating and thin, despite their solid format. (Maybe a good thing to keep around for air travel, if the world doesn’t end?) Each one features a formula made from avocado oil, jojoba seed oil, coconut oil, olive oil, and hemp seed oil, so you know it’ll be nourishing and soothing. There’s a little bit of tocopherol to help preserve every pot, and beeswax to solidify the formula.

I’m a little bummed that it took a novel coronavirus to get me to try Dr. Bronner’s, but I’m glad that I finally did. My next explorations, I think, will likely be in their biodegradable house cleaner or hand and body lotion, both of which I can never get enough of!

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Disclaimer: These products were submitted by PR for editorial consideration only, weeks before Canada started taking precautionary measures for COVID-19. It just seemed like the right time to post!

Tags: /Cleansing, Moisturizers, Other, Product Review, Silicone-free, Silicone-free moisturizers and serums, Skincare

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