exploring the world of beauty
While loud fragrances seem to get the most attention, it’s also worth turning to quieter perfumes. Like finding haven in a storm. BPAL’s Mouse’s Long and Sad Tale is like that – unassuming, mousey, but you might just end up loving it if you get to know it better.
Vanilla, two ambers, sweet pea and white sandalwood.
Every spring, Nocturne Alchemy (NAVA) release a plenitude of colourful, bright perfumes that embody the cheerfulness of springtime. One of the most popular collections seems to be the Bastet’s Spring Ice Cream, so I imagine that its resurgence is good news for plenty of NAVA fans.
I’m still a NAVA newbie and therefore a lot of scents are completely unknown to me. That’s why I’ve opted for decants to test them out. Please keep in mind that these were purchased in 2018 and they were aged for half a year before I went on to review them. As always, YMMV! These perfumes are not available all year long, so do keep checking the NAVA website for updates.
DHC is a Japanese brand that is mostly famous for its Deep Cleansing Oil. I’ve seen people rave about it on Reddit, so I wanted to find out what’s so special about it. 🙂
The DHC brand was founded in 1970s by Yoshida-san. He connected traditional Japanese herbology and skincare properties of Spanish olive oil. The brand follows the “wabi-sabi” philosophy – it believes in “finding beauty in imperfection” and loving your skin just the way it is, together with all of its imperfections.
I bought this mini set from a friend who travelled to Japan. You can find it on Amazon (here) but in Japan, it cost around €7. This plastic, see-through pouch contains the Deep Cleansing Oil, the Mild Soap, the Q10 Lotion, and the Q10 Cream, all in mini sizes. There should be enough product for one month’s use or so, but like always, your mileage may vary.
I believe I’ve always taken good care of my tresses but I started taking haircare more seriously once I had bleached and dyed my hair back in July 2018. Prior to bleaching, I could use only a tiny amount of oil on my scalp before it would make a mess. Even now when my hair is of medium-to-high porosity, using such products is risky business. I always worry I’ll have to spend ages trying to get oil out of my hair.
In October 2018, Melvita released haircare products formulated with indigo oil. Melvita makes this oil from a plant called Persicaria tinctoria that is a source of indigo dye. As you can see from my photos below, the oil isn’t actually indigo but raspberry pink (just like my hair was!).
