Updated Morning Skincare Routine – February 2017

I like to change up my skincare routine pretty often to suit my skin’s needs. I’ve found my skin changes every so often, especially because here in SoCal we’ve had some really varied weather lately. We’ll have days where it’s sunny and low 70s and then the next day be cold and pouring rain. What the hell? I adapt. Here is what has been working for me lately. You’ll see a lot of “or this”, because I don’t use the same things every day.

WAKEY WAKEY…LET’S DO THIS!

I start my morning cleansing with either Murad Essential-C Cleanser* or Foaming Pumpkin Cleanser* by Alana Mitchell. Both cleansers smell amazing (Murad smells like citrus, and the pumpkin cleanser smells like a pumpkin spice latte even though it has no added fragrance, which is incredible), which really helps me wake up. Both cleansers are formulated to brighten and even out the complexion, though they have very different ingredients. They’re both gentle and pleasant to use. In the mornings I often use my Foreo Luna* cleansing device. I have the version for normal to sensitive skin, which provides very gentle sonic cleansing. To be quite honest, I have been slacking on the Luna lately. But that’s just pure laziness. ;)

Depending on if I’ve done my cleansing in the shower that morning (I sometimes shower at night vs. in the morning), I may opt for an extra step. When I shower, my skin gets really sensitive to the heat and sometimes ends up looking red and blotchy. If this is the case, I give myself a good dousing with Mario Badescu’s Aloe Rosewater facial spray*. It calms my skin right down and smells so elegant. The facial spray has a chance to soak in and do its magic while I brush my teeth and towel off, etc. so by the time I’m ready to do the rest of my skincare I’m looking much less blotchy. Pro Tip: That facial spray is also FANTASTIC if you have a sunburn on an area that is otherwise prohibitive to treat, like your scalp.

Next up, toner. I have raved previously about the Pixi Glow Tonic, which is an extremely gentle (but potent at 5%) glycolic toner jam packed full of other delicious ingredients like aloe and ginseng. Since I’m very fair, I love anything that is formulated for evening out my skin tone. I feel like every little mark or blemish is that much more noticeable when you’re casper white like me.

After my acid toning step comes serum. I jumped on the Drunk Elephant bandwagon and splurged on their C-Firma vitamin C serum, and you know what? I am not in love with it. I know vitamin C serums aren’t supposed to smell good, but guys it smells baaaaaad. Like really bad. I’m doing my best to work through it, but it’s the type of product that you only need to use every few days. On the days I’m not using the C-Firma, I’ve been really enjoying the It Cosmetics Bye Bye Lines serum*. I turned 30 last August and gosh darnit those smile lines actually starting to bug me, so it’s time to do something about them. I’ve been using the It Cosmetics serum for about a month as a preventative measure. So far, so good. It’s very hydrating and seems to plump the area up at least.

Sometime around this time is when I put on my eye cream. I have a few that I love, but lately I’ve been really liking the It Cosmetics Bye Bye Under Eye* eye cream. This claims to smooth, brighten, and depuff. It definitely hydrates and depuffs my eye area. I have been using it about a month and have barely made a dent in it because a little goes a long way. As far as brightening goes, I don’t have a ton of darkness around my eyes so I haven’t noticed a big difference or anything at this point. But I do know the cream doesn’t break me out or anything, and it seems good so far.

At this point it’s time to get my moisturizer on so I can start the fun part (makeup!!!!). I’ve been working from a deluxe sample of Ole Henriksen Sheer Transformation Perfecting Moisturizer lately, and really liking it. It’s a pretty expensive product, so I am glad to have a sample to try. So far I like it a lot. It sinks in quickly and I’ve noticed slightly less redness. Other moisturizers I’ve used in the morning and enjoyed recently are the Caudalie Vinosource Moisturizing Sorbet, Proactiv Green Tea Moisturizer*, and Garnier SkinActive Moisture Rescue Refreshing Gel-Cream (for Dry Skin).

Once the moisturizer sinks in it’s time to paint my face and gooooo! :)

Note: Products marked with * were sent for promotional consideration. I was under no obligation to mention these products, but I happen to quite like them! 

February Beauty Favorites

february beauty favorites

Hey everyone! Let’s talk Feb Faves. As I was compiling my favorites from the month of February, I realized there’s a very pinky theme. That was totally unintentional…just kinda worked out that way! I do really love pinky rosy shades on me though, and have been digging a sort of monochromatic look where I have rosy tones on my eyes, cheeks, and lips. The rose colors always look amazing with green eyes, too.

Fragrance

February was dominated by one single perfume for me: Marc Jacobs Oh Lola. Oh Lola is a fruity floral scent that I’ll admit, I did not love as much when I first took a whiff. It’s very sweet. But my reason for loving this perfume is the dry-down. Oh my god. It’s the sexiest dry-down I’ve got in my collection. The notes of Oh Lola are listed as “pear, effervescent raspberry cocktail, peony, magnolia, cyclamen, sandalwood, tonka bean, and vanilla absolute”. Once the fruit and peony are done punching you in the face and they settle down and snuggle in to the base notes, this fragrance is incredible. If you spray your decollete with this perfume, by midday/evening you’ll want to motorboat yourself. The 1.7 oz bottle I have retailed originally for $68, but since this perfume launched in 2011 it’s available at a bunch of outlets for much cheaper. If I had one criticism of this perfume it’s that the 1.7 oz bottle is a bit top heavy, so I have to be careful I’m not knocking it over all the time.

Skin  Care

My skin still goes through times when it’s super dry, but lately has been more combo. I am super dry around my nose and mouth, but oily on my chin, and normal everywhere else. Every day I used to use the Makeup Forever HD Elixir on my nose to give it that extra surge of moisture before makeup application. I used up my HD Elixir and…it’s discontinued. That product was not cheap, but my little bottle lasted over a year. I was willing to shell out a pretty good chunk of cash for a proper substitute, and with that in mind I picked up Caudalie Vinosource S.O.S. Thirst-Quenching Serum on my recent trip to Frends Beauty. I had read about this serum on Sephora’s website, but after talking to someone at Frends who had used both the Caudalie and the HD Elixir, I was sold. She was also bummed about HD Elixir being discontinued and said the Caudalie would be good to use instead. I’ve been using it pretty much every day for the last couple weeks, and I love it. I apply it before my regular moisturizer to the areas that need extra hydration, and my makeup goes on smoothly instead of clinging to dry patches.

I switched toners in February, sort of on a whim. I finally joined the rest of the class in 2016 and got myself a Target RED card, which got me 15% off. I picked up Pixi Glow Tonic after hearing tons of raves from bloggers and Youtubers. The ingredients are what drew me in though, because it’s a 5% glycolic toner that claims to also be gentle enough for all skin types. It does contain calming ginseng and aloe, and so far is extremely gentle. It’s also alcohol free. I’ve been using it about a month, and it’s been great for my pores, and some of the hyperpigmentation I have from previous breakouts. It doesn’t sting at all, and doesn’t leave my face feeling dry or stripped after using it. The bottle Target sells is 3.4 fl oz/100 ml for $15. It’s very nice, and if you are looking for a new toner, I suggest checking that out. Pixi’s website also carries a larger size 250 ml bottle for $29 (free shipping on $25+), which I might grab after this little guy runs out.

Makeup

I’ve been shopping my stash and not adding too many new makeup items to my collection the past few months. Shopping my stash lead me to rediscover my It Cosmetics Vitality Lip Flushes. I have two, the more well-known Je Ne Sais Quois, and Damsel. Damsel is my love, my baby. I’m obsessed. I have worn this lipstick practically every day in February. Even if I don’t start out with it, I’ll put some on later in the day. It’s so pretty, so flattering, and soooo comfortable to wear. It leaves a nice pinky stain afterward. I’ve worn quite a bit of mine down, and this is one of those few makeup products that I will not wait to run out before I purchase a new one. I do not ever want to be without this again! Here’s a pic of me in Damsel:

medamsel

With that lipstick I’ve been wearing a lot of rosy, pinky eye looks. On my easy lazy days I use MAC Girl Friendly paint pot (discontinued). If I’m going for more of a put together look I add shades from either the Urban Decay Naked 3 palette or the Tarte Tartelette palette (particularly from the middle row). I’ve also been feeling a fleeky highlight lately, and there’s nothing subtle about TheBalm’s Mary Lou-Manizer. I apply that with a fan brush and glow to the gods. I’ve also put Mary Lou on my eyes for a nice pop of shine.

Beauty Tools

I’ve rekindled my romance with my Beauty Blender! We are recommitted and very much still in love. I had lost mine, or so I thought, and purchased a new one from Frends not too long ago. And of course right after she arrived, I found my old ones. The old ones are still in decent enough shape, so now I just have a family of pink sponges. Also on my recent trip to Frends, I picked up a new brush. I have no business buying new brushes, but I fell in love with the Stilazzi S133 Synthetic Brush. It’s a small tapered brush in the perfect size for setting my undereye area with powder. And it’s. So. Soft. Another brush I’ve been loving on a lot recently is my Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Small Powder/Blush brush. OCC gets a lot of recognition for their cosmetics, but their brushes are really awesome. The small powder brush is the perfect little brush for applying blush to the apples of my cheeks. The fibers are a custom blended synthetic (vegan, cruelty free, etc.), and again it’s just so soft and feels nice when I use it.

That’s it for my Feb favorites! What beauty products were you loving this past month? Anything you’re excited to try next month?