Tag: cosmetics

Posted on in beauty

The Fragrances Defining My Winter 2025.

Of course, they are Arabian!

My Perfume Collection (Reneé Medina)

Although there’s still a month of fall left, I’ve already gathered my winter fragrances.

It’s time to let scents like Fire on Ice and Mirsal’s Love Letter marinate for next Fall and bring out some fluffy, powdery, gourmand staples for snow season. A few floral notes never hurts, either!

Here are some of my favorite fragrances I’ll have on rotation this Winter:

1) Lattafa Nebras Elixir

If this isn’t obvious enough, are you really a true gourmand lover? Nebras Elixir smells like a sugared marshmallow dream topped with whipped cream. It’s easily one of my favorites- and a compliment-magnet!

2) Uhud Aribiyat Prestige

In my book, Uhud takes the cake for fruity/fluffy fragrances. Fans describe it as smelling like raspberry baby powder. This is another fluffy fragrance that will be perfect for snowy days.

3) Atralia Sugar Mallow

As if two marshmallow fragrances weren’t enough-here’s a third! Sugar Mallow is a dupe for Kayali’s Yum Boujee Marshmallow, and in my opinion, it’s the best dupe out there! It leans less fruity and more fluffy like Uhud and the atomizer is insane!

4) Bella Arabian Oud

With notes of BlackBerry, Violet Flowers, and Musk, Bella is definitely a signature-worthy fragrance. She smells like something an Arabian princess would wear-perfect for winter date nights or special occasions when you want to feel both elegant and modern.

5) Forbidden Sugar Emir

This fragrance, is deep, dark, mysterious, and fluffy all at once. Picture violet marshmallows with a hint of musk- that’s Forbidden Sugar in a bottle. She’s perfect for evening wear and you’ll be sure to stand out with such a beautiful fragrance!

6) Angel Musk Gulf Orchid

This musky, spicy gourmand fragrance evokes the warmth of chai tea. It’s perfect for daytime wear or anytime you want to smell fresh, cozy and comforting.

7) Lattafa Victoria

I’m surprised I still have this fragrance after a year of debuting it last holiday season at work. If you want to smell like a lemon pound cake, Victoria is your girl. You will have people turning heads asking you what you’re wearing and literally take pictures of your bottle. (Personal testimony.) She might be a little overplayed, but trust me-she’s worth it.

8) Léonie Intense Maison Alhambra

Need I say more….. iykyk.

9) Asdaaf Ameerat Al Rehab

This fragrance is truly nostalgic for me. It reminds me of when my grandmother would pamper herself before running errands (in a good way.) Asdaaf is a bit sophisticated but also feels warm and inviting. She’s perfect for family/friend gatherings and will leve a lasting impression.

10) Al Haramain Junoon

Youthful and fresh-a true baby powder bomb. This is another daytime fragrance that lingers for hours. It’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but you’ll smell like pure self-care and fresh powder.

What are some of your Winter staples?

Posted on in beauty

Top Five Makeup Hacks You Didn’t Know About.

(Photo by Amy Shamblen on Unsplash)

Disclaimer: I am not claiming these hacks are my own. Credit goes to the original creators of these hacks!

With that being said, let’s jump right in!

  1. Add loose-setting powder to thin mascara

(I experimented with this hack)

Finding the right mascara can be a struggle, especially if you’re unwilling to splurge on an expensive brand. As a drugstore makeup junkie, I found that adding loose-setting powder to your drugstore mascara can drastically change the consistency to the one that you’re looking for. In particular, L.A. Girl’s Volumatic Mascara’s consistency was a bit too thin for my liking. After I applied the product to my lashes, it took forever to dry and smudged all over my brow bone. After adding setting powder to the wand several times and dipping the wand back into the mascara tube, I noticed the consistency had thickened and there was less smudging. In addition, my lashes looked a wee bit longer and thicker after applying.

As always, take precaution when adding powder to mascara as some loose setting powders contain harsh ingredients such as talc which can cause eye irritation.

(As a side note, I have not gotten any type of reaction to my lashes or eyes when doing this, though this is something that I only do with thin mascara formulas.)

2. Mix your blush with highlighter

This next hack comes from Edward Avila, (whom I’ve been following for a long time!)

If you want to use your favorite powdered blush but want to keep that dewy and glowy makeup look, dip your blush brush into your favorite blush shade and then into your powdered highlighter of choice. For a glowy look, apply the now shimmery blush as you normally would.

With this hack, you can even skip applying highlighter to your cheekbones depending on how much you’ve added to your blush. This hack has only one drawback: your highlighter might absorb the pigment of the blush you’re mixing it with. Nonetheless, this is probably one of my favorite hacks as I love how it leaves my cheeks bright and glowy!

3. Use a highlighter on your waterline

This hack may already have been circulated on social media, but to make my eyes appear brighter and more glassy, I will apply a (powdered) shimmery highlighter or eyeshadow color to my lower-lash waterline. Usually, I reach for a nice gold shade but you can use any colored highlighter (or shimmery eyeshadow) to match your look.

Use a shimmery/glittery shadow sparingly on your waterline, and stay away from chunky shadows with thick pieces of glitter. This could result in eye injury and possibly a trip to the eye doctor.

4. Apply setting spray to your eyeshadow brush to enhance color

In high school, an old friend recommended applying setting spray to my eyeshadow brush. Doing this before dipping the brush into your eyeshadow will make the color appear more prominently on your eyelids and help keep the color in place. I love doing this hack, particularly with shimmery shadows as I feel it makes the shadow appear brighter too.

5. Apply a liquid highlighter over facial lotion to achieve a dewy look

(Another experiment )

My favorite hack for a dewy base probably already went viral, but it’s something I like to do whenever I want a luminous base. All you have to do is just take your routine facial lotion (make sure that there is no tint in it), mix in a few drops (or more) of your favorite liquid highlighter and apply it to your face as you would normally apply your lotion.

You can mix any 2 of your favorite brands together, such as Cetaphil’s moisturizing lotion and J.Cat Beauty’s aura glow highlighter.

This will give your skin a glowy and “wet” look which is great for the summer!

Just make sure not to get any lotion in your eyes!

Lastly, experiment with products!

Have fun with your makeup and feel free to share any hacks that you have!