Recent Skin Care Routine

Morning: Aveeno Positively Radiant Moisturizer, Clinique Turnaround Serum, Murad Acne Clarifying Cleanser

Evening: Clinique Acne Solutions 3 step skin care (but I don't care much for the lotion), Philosophy Help Me Retinol Lotion, Philosophy Miracle Worker Eye Repair, EOS lip balm

Once per week: Philosophy Microdelivery Peel and Origins Active Charcoal Mask

For reference I have combination, sensitive skin that breaks out easily - a rather fun challenge. I recently got over a huge breakout bout and I've finally found a combination of products that work well together.  I don't want to rock the boat so I will continue this routine for a while.  It looks like quite a lot of steps but it's relatively quick except for the mask that I use once a week for about 30 minutes each time.  It wasn't planned to use all of this together...I was finishing up on some products when I bought new ones and I liked the result so much that I had to repurchase.  If I had to pick three favorites from the group it would be the Murad cleanser, the Clinique step 2 toner, and the Philosophy retinol night cream.  For now, I'm thrilled with the results!

Product Review: Ole Henrikson Three Little Wonders

So I picked up a new skin care system from Sephora yesterday:

Three Little Wonders from Ole Henrikson ($70).  The set includes Truth Serum Collagen Booster which I have tried before and loved as well as the Sheer Transformation Renewing Creme and Invigorating Night Gel Firming Treatment.  The package suggests using Truth Serum and Sheer Transformation in the morning and Invigorating Night Gel and Sheer Transformation in the evening.  Per the Sephora website each formulation is "oil free, light in texture, firming, lifting, pore tightening, and promotes uniform pigmentation.  They embrace your skin with protection, comfort, and hydration without overlooking the importance of providing antiaging and retexturizing benefits."  The products are formulated without parabens, sulfates, phthalates, GMO, and triclosan.

First impressions from my first use of all three products.  The gel is very thin, it's my wild card product - probably the one I'm the least impressed with from the reviews.  Sheer Tranformation has a great "whipped" texture and is very light, I imagine it will work well on my combination skin but probably doesn't have enough moisture for dry skin.  Truth Serum I'm already in love with, my skin really looks it's best when I use it;  I can't even describe the "glow" but it's better than any cosmetic highlighter.  The formulas smell great and for the money getting 3 products is a pretty good deal.  I'll do a full review after a few weeks of use.

Review: Bee Luscious Oolong Tea and Carrot Oil Eye Cream

From the website: Ooolong Tea is known to help deflate puffiness and calm irritation. Vitamin rich carrot, plus avacado and sweet almond smooth fine lines. The Company is Bee Royal Products. Price $24.

I've been using this product for several weeks now at night before bed and unfortunately I don't notice any difference between this and any other eye cream I've used. It does tingle a bit when you put it on which is nice and the consistency is thicker then some creams than some I've used. The biggest red flag for me is the smell, it's absolutely heavenly (think cake batter) and I love creams that smell delcious but not necessarily ones that I'm about to apply to my eye area. If this was a body cream or a hand cream I would love the smell. I am also dissappointed in the cheap plastic packaging, I guess it's better for maybe recycling reasons but certainly not very luxe. My CVS brand eye cream had nicer packaging along with no smell and moisturized just as well. I will finish the rest of my container but I'll probably go back to the aveeno or olay regenerist eye products that I've been using for years. I do love the Bee Royal website and in the future I wouldn't mind purchasing some of the face masks and retinol products.

Product Review: Olay Daily Facials Deep Cleansing Clothes

I have never thought twice about buying makeup removing cleansing clothes to use on a daily basis. I always kept a box of the biore clothes (premoistened) in my bedside table to use as a luxury when I'm too tired (or too hungover in my college days) to remove makeup. I picked the Olay Daily Cleansing Clothes up on a whim at the store when I was getting items for my trip to Charleston. The package states that the combination/oily clothes are dual textured and work as a cleanser, toner, scrub, and mask. I used them a couple of nights before I left to make sure they didn't irritate my skin and I was overall pleased with them.

The claims on the package set the bar pretty high. I use the textured side first on my face and remove my eye makeup with the soft side. They definitely cleanse and remove face makeup well. Eye makeup doesn't come completely off but I line my water line so I always have to use a seperate remover to get my eyeliner off. The first few days I used a toner afterwards to see how well it removed makeup and there was nothing on the cotton ball. As a scrub I feel like it does a good job of removing dead skin but it's gentle enough you can use it daily. It definitely does not take the place of a mask but who needs a daily face mask? The best part is they are PERFECT to pack for a trip, I folded them flat and I didn't have to take my cleanser, toner and scrub. I'll definitely repurchase. Each box contains 30 wipes and costs around $6, I cut my wipes in half and now that I'm home I'll only be using them at night when I take my shower so I think the cost is pretty reasonable. I'll be watching for sales in the drugstore circulars and probably stock up.

Product Testing: Anew Clinical Advanced Retexturizing Peel

After reading all the great reviews on the Avon Anew Clinical Peel, I finally decided to check out the Avon website last week. It was on sale for $14.99 (usually $25) with free shipping on all orders over $5. I made the purchase and started used it for the first time 2 nights ago.

Avon's instructions are to use the textured side of the moistened pad all over cleansed, dry skin every other day and follow with a moisturizer. They also warn about a possible tingly feeling after using it. I felt a very slight tingle and afterwards my face was a little tacky. The pads are so wet that I had plenty of product left after wiping my face and neck so I also did the back of my hands and followed with lotion.

I will be using this peel per Avon's instructions and I'll report back when the container is finished. I don't have a lot of skin damage but there are two discolorations under my right eye that I am hoping this product will help lighten. I've only used it once, tonight will be the second time, but my first impressions are hopeful. It didn't irritate my sensitive skin and it wasn't overly drying. There are a lot of products in the Avon Anew Clinical line so if I like this I might try the serum or the eye cream next.

Tag: Best Drugstore Products

I think this was originally a tag for the 5 best or 10 best inexpensive products that can be purchased from any pharmacy. Since I'm not sure exactly how many I should list I'll just show the ones I use daily. 1. L'Oreal Voluminous Mascara - I have this in Carbon Black in the original formula and the waterproof version. I cheat on it sometimes but I always come back to it. Love the brush, love the formula, love the look. 2. Rimmel Kajal Kohl Liner in Black - this stays in my purse for touchups and it frequently tags along in my lab coat at work. I have it in brown too but I don't use it nearly as often. 3. Garnier Nutritioniste Skin Renew Daily Moisturizer with Vitamin C - I use this every day. It absorbs quickly, makes my skin super soft, and has an SPF of 28. 4. L'Oreal Sublime Glow Daily Moisturizer in Medium - I alternate this with a self tanner. I don't find the scent overwhelming and I also don't find it sparkly. I like the sheen it gives my legs especially when I'm wearing a skirt. I like that this is actually moisturizing as well, some of them aren't. 5. Sally Hansen Mega Shine Extended Wear Top Coat - Love this, it gives a perfect mirror shine to my nail color. I use this on top of my fresh polish and usually touch up mid week. 6. Avalon Organics Skin Nourishing Vitamin C Refreshing Cleansing Gel and Balancing Facial Toner - technically I have only seen this in one drugstore chain but it is available at Target and Walmart. I cleanse my face morning and night with the gel and use the toner at night. I love that it doesn't dry out my face.

Tutorial: How I Apply Self Tanner

I think I've mentioned in another post that I am not a self tanning expert but I have been doing it a couple of years. This is my bold description of how I go about it. The product I'm using now isn't very long lasting so I have to apply every 2-3 days to get to my normal spring/summer color. The whole process takes about 15 minutes and my current tanner dries completely in about 2-3 minutes (however I still get some staining in my clothes so be careful!) 1. While in the shower I use a sugar scrub to exfoliate the dry parts of my body (elbows, knees, feet, and also my thighs which can look patchy without proper exfoliation). I also go ahead and shave my legs. *Its important to mention that using a salt scrub is not recommended because the salt causes your skin to lose moisture. 2. I dry completely after my shower and lotion my face, elbows, knees, feet, and ankles. 3. My current tanner is a whipped foam so I shake the bottle and place half a pump on my fingers and rub it in circular motions on my face and neck. Make sure you "push" the color into your hairline and smooth out the color around the jawline, orbital bone, and mouth - otherwise you'll end up with a ring of color that's darker than the rest of the face. Wash your hands thoroughly and use a scrub if you need to so you can get the rest of the product off before it stains. 4. For the rest of my body I use Salon Care Professional Vinyl Gloves from Sally Beauty Supply (I paid $4.99 on sale for a box of 100). I start at my lower legs and work my way up rubbing in one pump at a time - remember to shake the bottle every couple of pumps or you'll get more air than color. For the product I use 1 pump will normally do my entire calf, 1 pump does the thigh, 1 pump does my lower stomach, sides and around my lower back, 1 pump does my chest, shoulders, and the backs of my shoulders, 1/2 pump per arm, and I use 1/2 pump for my upper middle back. For that upper middle back area I do kind of a "reach around" or I ask for help, luckily I've never used a product that looked terribly splotchy when I use this method. 5. Let the product dry for at least 3-4 minutes before applying clothes. I try to do this before bed so I'm only staining my night clothes and so far the color washes out. 6. To maintain my color in between applications I use a terry cloth in the shower instead of a loofa and lotion 1-2x a day.

Product Review: St Tropez Whipped Bronze Mousse

I have heard about this self tanner for 2-3 years now. There are numerous reviews on makeupalley.com and youtube praising this product as the easiest to apply and the most natural color. I purchased the 8 oz bottle online (I'm unsure of the website) with tax and shipping for about $50. As of late this product has been super hard to find so if you can get your hands on one it is certainly worth trying. I've had my bottle since late March; I used it 1-2x a week in March, 2-3x a week in April, and 3-4x in May and I'm almost finished with it. A good amount of air is in the bottle to give that "whipped" texture, this also makes it a no brainer to apply. I'm not an amateur with self tanning but I'm certainly not an expert either and I haven't had any problems with streaks or spotting. The mousse itself is green which is really scary at first (especially on the face) but gives a great bronze color immediately afterwards and in about 4 hours a natural shade of tan. I use gloves to apply the product on my body but I use my fingers to apply on my face and wash thoroughly afterwards. I think this product would be really drying if I didn't use a moisturizer underneath it (and it helps to even the color). Honestly I will repurchase this, I'm not sure if it's my HG self tanner but $50 has lasted about 3 months and given pretty good results. I probably will try other tanners though, my only real complaint with this product is the color isn't as dark as I'd like. I've tried some tanners that you apply 1-2x a week for a tan that lasts a bit longer; this one blends into my NC20/NC25 skin and darkens maybe a shade or two. The color itself is pretty but maybe one I'd use more in the winter/fall months. Definitely give this a try though, a lot of people love it and it has HG status with them.

Product Review - Soap and Glory Spa Sugar Crush Body Scrub

I try a lot of random products and never have any expectations. This product had some pretty good reviews so I decided to pick it up as a wild card at Target. I'm fairly happy with the purchase. I use a body scrub 2-3 times a week in the shower on the days I plan to use self tanner. It's really important to me that a scrub doesn't have mineral oil as its first ingredient because it leaves a film on my skin that doesn't allow my tanner to absorb properly. This one does contain almond oil and sugar but I don't notice residue after I rinse it. I love the smell, very lemony and sweet. The texture is a little more course and grainy then I would normally like and I almost have to apply it twice on my legs because it is so thin. That being said I'm happy with the results, I definitely feel softer after I use it; especially my knees and elbows. For an 15.2 oz jar I paid $16.99 but I will probably not repurchase. After this jar I will continue my hunt for another sugar scrub.