The 7 Virtues | Patchouli of Rwanda

Launching today to happily coincide with, as well as in honour of International Day of Peace, Patchouli of Rwanda from The 7 Virtues® is the latest fragrance created from the Canadian brand with the most beautiful mission ever: “Make Perfume Not War” (to make rebuilding more exciting than destruction) – the words of wisdom that founder Barb Stegemann has been actively embracing since the day she began her company. What makes this brand stand head & shoulders above so many others, is the love instilled within each and every bottle, along with Barb’s personal interest in helping war-torn and impoverished nations, rebuild. The way this noble pursuit is being achieved, is by the flexing our buying power: in purchasing essential oils directly from farmers who are trying to rebuild, it not only encourages further fair trade, but helps them to support their families, educate their children, and frees them from the tyranny of poverty.

But in tandem with all the good, there’s even more: the AMAZING scent of Patchouli of Rwanda itself – something that absolutely needs to be personally experienced.

The 7 Virtues | Patchouli of Rwanda

Background information on Rwanda: After the war and genocide of 1994 which claimed the lives of approximately 800,000 individuals, Rwanda continues to stabilize politically and economically. The country’s first legislative and presidential elections were held in 2003.

Rwanda is the only country in the world with a female majority in government and and they are passing laws to ensure genocide never happens again. Despite progress, poverty remains higher than pre-1994 levels. In a country where more that 90 per cent of the population is tied to the agricultural sector with a high dependency on subsistence farming, introducing profitable cash crops (such as patchouli) is critical to the continued development of Rwanda’s economy.

How The 7 Virtues Beauty Inc. works with Rwanda farmers: The 7 Virtues Beauty Inc. buys patchouli oil from a Rwanda company called Ikirezi, which represents four associations/cooperatives made up of more than 500 farmers. Widows and orphans comprise 80 per cent of current members, as Ikirezi is dedicated to working in partnership with Rwanda’s poorest and most vulnerable populations.

The 7 Virtues | Patchouli of Rwanda

Patchouli of Rwanda Eau de Parfum Spray (50 ml/1.7 fl oz CAN $70.00) | A refreshing yet haunting unisex fragrance with lasting notes of patchouli oil. The rectangular glass bottle with its square acrylic cap, is both elegant and modern – a beautiful addition to anyone’s vanity table. According to the company, “soothing green hibiscus, red grapefruit, cedar flower and freesia notes compliment the earthy patchouli that has been harvested with love”. As with all the other fragrances from The 7 Virtues®, Patchouli of Rwanda is Vegan, as well as Paraben and Phthalate Free, with the patchouli coming from farms that practice organic farming methods (FACT: when Barb Stegemann visited the Rwandan patchouli farmers, she could hear birds singing in the fields – a clear sign of organic farming).

A far cry from the raw patchouli oil that was all the rage in the free-loving hippie days of the 70’s, Patchouli of Rwanda fragrance elevates this spicy, earthy, and musky oil to smoothly sophisticated levels. Never cloying or sickly sweet, it starts off with fresh and crisp green notes clearly present upon first spritzing, which give way a short while later to a soothing, warmer, and slightly caramel-like tone. On me, the patchouli notes emerge rather quickly and stay evident throughout the wearing, although this bouquet is tempered by the floral undertones in the mix that merge with my own body chemistry to create a uniquely redolent fragrance; at once sexy, fierce, powerful and somewhat masculine-leaning; as in the ‘wearing your man’s shirt and being enveloped by his scent’ kind of way. Which I so totally love.

The 7 Virtues | Patchouli of Rwanda

Having recently become acquainted with the fragrances from The 7 Virtues® (I’ll be reviewing the rest of the collection in an upcoming post), I cannot help but be so completely and thoroughly impressed with every facet of this brand. Owner Barb Stegemann, is the recipient of numerous awards (too many to list here), a mother of two, as well as a best-selling author (The 7 Virtues of a Philosopher Queen), but above all that, she is one of the nicest and most genuine people I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. Her latest creation, Patchouli of Rwanda, continues the incredible work of her mission in the most fragrant way possible, and if you’re a fan of unisex scents like I am, I strongly encourage you to check it out – and in so doing, help make the world truly a better place (sounds cheesy, but happens to be 100% true in this case).

Available now exclusively in Canada through Hudson’s Bay (Lord & Taylor and online in the US), find more information via:

*Disclosure: Product sample provided by the company/PR for my unbiased consideration

NARS | Unlawful Blush, Night Caller Collection Fall 2014

September 19, 2014

The Fall 2014 Night Caller Collection from NARS, has some truly stand-out pieces, with Unlawful Blush leading the pack (my review on the eyeshadow duos will be coming soon). From the brand known for creating some of the most quixotic seasonal collections with the most exotic names at that, Unlawful seems rather, well … tame, by contrast. But appearances can be very deceiving. Very, very deceiving.

Unlawful Blush (CAN $35.00) | Described as “amber pink with silver pearls” might sound confusing, but also happens to be quite accurate; Unlawful is an incredibly finely-milled powder blush in a warm-toned (almost fleshy) pink hue with visible silver shimmer – as in shimmer bomb kind of visible. But one swatch, and you’ll see magic happen before your very eyes. Highly pigmented but not overly harsh in colour, this shade lays down on the skin like silk, with very minimal powdery kickback raised upon swirling my brush along the surface. The shimmer seen in the pan is not an overspray, but rather continues through all layers of product, with pink added to the silver bits. The size of the shimmer particles, however, is what makes this blush unique: visible though it may be, this sparkle does NOT translate as excessive when applied, but rather becomes this ultra-fine sheen that leaves a gorgeous glow to the skin. Even the colour of the blush – which can appear rather dark and even amber-hued in some lighting, morphs into the most beautiful pink/peach tone on the skin. Those with pale complexions will need to start with a light hand and build up gradually, but anyone with a light-medium skin tone or darker, can dive in as usual – it’s almost as though you literally can’t go wrong with this shade. Staying power, as with basically all NARS blushes in my experience, is excellent, going easily past the 9 hour mark before any fading starts to occur.

From the day I received Unlawful, I have found myself reaching for it over and over again. One favourite way of mine to wear it, is layered with other blushes for a multi-dimensional “natural” look; I start by using a matte brown-hued shade as light contour in the hollows of my cheeks (such as MAC’s Harmony), then I sweep Unlawful along the tops of the cheeks and upwards towards the temples, finishing off with a light touch of a bright pink (such as NARS New Attitude, reviewed here) on the ‘apples’ of the cheeks – the last touch is to lightly blend the three together to eliminate any possible demarcation lines. Sounds like a lot, although in reality it only takes a minute or so – but the end result is so totally worth it.

NARS | Unlawful Blush, detail seen with flash

Surprisingly for a beauty aficionado such as myself (sounds nicer than saying beauty addict), Unlawful happens to be a shade that was missing from my blush repertoire. Sitting halfway between the pink and peach families, with a touch of coral and tan somewhere in there as well, this shade is a definite must-have in my opinion – not only for the fact that it will suit most skin tones across the spectrum, but for the stunning glow it imparts which is in fact so hard to accurately describe; it’s like what you think your cheeks should look like after a workout, or a brisk outdoor walk in Autumn, or after a jog along the beach. But without the effort, thank you (I’m lazy like that).

*Disclosure: Press sample provided by the company/PR for my unbiased consideration

NYFW Nail Edition | OPI covers Azede Jean-Pierre SS/15

September 18, 2014

I confess to being unfamiliar with this designer, but I’m totally loving both the beauty and nail looks created here (positively obsessing over the berry eyeshadow and nude lip); this past Tuesday (Sept. 9), the Azede Jean-Pierre SS/15 runway show featured a collaboration with OPI, while a unique mani was created by Lead Nail Artist, Miss Pop. Echoing the cut-out theme in the designer’s knitwear fashions, the look displayed skillfully crafted negative space nails – made even edgier in white (although a black negative-space version was also seen). The look featured “a chevron tip on a classic oval-shaped nail”, using OPI’s My Vampire Is Buff (reviewed here) – this latticed French Manicure was them finished with OPI’s Matte Top Coat. The Toes were painted My Vampire Is Buff as well, balancing out the overall theme.

Now, if only my nail art skills were up to re-creating this look …

*Photo credits: OPI

NYFW Nail Edition | OPI covers Clover Canyon SS/15

September 18, 2014

NYFW may be over, but the nail trends seen on the runways continue to make an impact in the world of beauty. For the Clover Canyon SS/15 show, OPI once again partnered with the designer with the help of Lead Nail Artist, Miss Pop, to create a unique yet simple lustrous looks on the models’ nails – mimicking rich jewel tones to offset the brightly patterned clothing.

Get the look:

Two coats of OPI with a Nice Finn-ish was applied to models’ nails and a half moon cutout was created using a medium-sized dotting tool. The striking outline was perfected with a nail art brush and acetone.

For the brand’s footwear debut, toes matched fingers, offering eye-catching metallic that accessorized technicolor printed sandals. Base Coat was used to prep nails and Top Coat to seal the look. Cuticle Oil to Go was used on all models to hydrate tired cuticles

Lead Nail Artist, Miss Pop

*Photo credits: OPI

Illamasqua | Exquisite Sheer Lip Gloss, Once… Collection

September 18, 2014

The Once… capsule collection recently released from British cult-fave brand Illamasqua (find my previous review here), also includes 2 Sheer Lip Glosses and I have Exquisite to show you today – a milky pink hue (the other is Opulent, a ‘rainbow beige’ shade). Perfectly in line with the faded romance theme of this entire collection, this pink shade – a traditionally girlie hue – is made modern and edgy by the contrast of [still soft] tones that it holds. Confused yet? Read on …

Illamasqua | Exquisite Sheer Lip Gloss, Once… Collection

Illamasqua | Once… Collection

Illamasqua | Exquisite Sheer Lip Gloss

Illamasqua | Exquisite Sheer Lip Gloss, ingredients

Illamasqua | Exquisite Sheer Lip Gloss

Exquisite Sheer Lip Gloss (US $24.00) | Described as ‘pink oyster’, Exquisite is an interesting mix of delicate petal pink and pearly hues filled with an ultra-fine pink shimmer (non-gritty) – all in a formula that is at once sheer AND somewhat opaque. Can be easily worn alone or layered over any other lip colour, making this a very versatile shade.

I’m not sure how Illamasqua managed to pull off all these contradictory factors, but it might be due to the underlying milky tone which appears to add good coverage to what would otherwise be considered a very light shade. The texture leans on the thicker side, but is non-sticky in feel and there’s a fruity-berry scent that I detect upon opening – which seems to disappear rather quickly (or perhaps I just stop smelling it), while any initial settling into lip lines smooths itself out within a few minutes of wearing. The brush is a little longer than I’m used to and I wasn’t all that keen on it at first, but after playing with this gloss for a while now, I’ve come to appreciate how easily it picks up the product from the tube, while the density and flexibility of the bristles makes application quick and effortless. Lasting power (not including eating/drinking) is pretty good, averaging about 3-4 hours before any significant fading, and even once the majority of shine wears away, your lips are still left with a light veil of colour – more of a sheen, really – and feel nicely hydrated overall.

Going through my collection of pale pink glosses, I was surprised to find that Exquisite has no match; the closest I own, is #191 Songe (LE) from the CHANEL Fall 2014 Collection – which bears the same shimmer, but is definitely more sheer and with a light grey base, and #542 AMC Lip Gloss from Inglot (now discontinued) which has a similar pink flash, but without the shimmer and milky factor (see comparison swatches at the end of the post).

Illamasqua | Exquisite Sheer Lip Gloss

Illamasqua | Exquisite Sheer Lip Gloss, blurred to show the shimmer

Illamasqua | Exquisite Sheer Lip Gloss

Illamasqua | Exquisite Sheer Lip Gloss, alternate view/lighting

Illamasqua | Exquisite Sheer Lip Gloss, CHANEL #191 Songe (limited edition, Fall 2014) & Inglot #542 AMC Lip Gloss (discontinued)

Illamasqua | Exquisite Sheer Lip Gloss, CHANEL #191 Songe (limited edition, Fall 2014) & Inglot #542 AMC Lip Gloss (discontinued) – alternate lighting

I make it no secret that I love pale lip hues and even though I tend to lean towards beige-y neutrals, I find myself attracted to pale pink shades as well; finding one that won’t clash with my colouring, however, is a whole other matter and thankfully, Exquisite seems to fit that bill perfectly. Neither too warm nor cool leaning, this is a shade that will work on everyone.

I’m so sad to hear that Illamasqua is phasing out their North American retail outlets, because this is a brand that deserves to be fully explored in person – and it feels like it only arrived on Canadian shores just yesterday. Still, they do offer international shipping (which I’ve heard from fellow bloggers, is quite good) and decent sales every so often (who doesn’t love a beauty sale?). You know what this means, right? Yup … travel plans!

Available now, find more information: