This blush recently came out and it’s true that Benefit dramatically reduced the size of the boxed powder for this one while leaving the cost the same – I paid $36 CDN for 0.17 ounces (compared to the previous 0.28). However, this is the first boxed powder that I’ve personally owned.
The shade is a fairly neutral (I could be crazy but sometimes I see an ever-so-slight warmth to it…) rose gold with a hint of peach in it but no coral somehow. When you first see the shade, it looks much more shimmery than it actually is; most of the shimmer is an overspray and disappears after a few uses, leaving a satin finish. Although I think the term is way overused, I find it to be finely milled with a gorgeous luminous finish. I find it easy to apply and doesn’t go patchy on my skin – my cheeks tend to get rather dehydrated so this is a problem that I face.
In terms of similar slash pretty-much-identical shades in my collection there is the limited-edition hyped MAC Stereo Rose MSF and equally well hyped Nars Orgasm but I have to say that the three shades are different from one another. Rockateur has the least shimmer and might be the most finely-milled (although Stereo Rose is a close second). Nars Orgasm has gold shimmer running through it and has more pink-coral in it. Stereo Rose is darker in colour, and with much more coral in it. The thing about Rockateur that is so unique is the absence of coral in the shade.
Top to bottom: Benefit Rockateur, MAC Stereo Rose, Nars Orgasm
In terms of the greater picture, this is definitely one of my favourite blushes ever. It is very versatile; I appreciate that it is no-fuss in the sense that it goes with everything including dark lips. It has the nicest texture and has a nice satin finish. It has about average longevity and is gorgeous. On my somewhat arbitrary scale, I would grant it an A! Thoughts?
FACE: Maybelline Fit Me Concealer in 10 Light, MAC Studio Careblend Pressed Powder in Light, Benefit Rockateur Boxed Powder, Rimmel Natural Bronzer in 021 Sun Light
EYES: Urban Decay Primer Potion, Urban Decay Virgin eye shadow (highlight), Urban Decay Sin Eye Shadow (lid), Urban Decay Naked eye shadow (crease and brows), Urban Decay Darkhorse eye shadow (outer v and as liner), Urban Decay Perversion 24/7 Liner (tightline), Maybelline Eyestudio Black Gel Liner (upper lash line), Maybelline One By One Mascara in Black
LIPS: MAC Ruby Woo Lipstick
So I’ve gotten more into my Urban Decay Naked Palette lately. I’ve said that this mega-hyped palette is not one that I find myself reaching for as an all-inclusive palette for all different kinds of looks; I find it to be too warm and too shimmery to be ideal for me. It’s not something I find myself reaching for every day to create a multitude of different looks. But I figured I’d do a series of posts of looks I created with it, as boring as that may be because I know so many people have it.
I was going to go for a really subtle makeup look but then I found myself gazing longingly at my favourite red lipstick and you can guess the rest. I quite liked this look as a subtle and defined eye look. I would also consider it as a success of wearing a read lip during the day; I wore it out to the mall and didn’t get any odd looks. This lipstick is just so drying but its the perfect colour – MAC Ruby Woo is amazing.
Like many of us on this planet, I am quite a fan of those oh-so-easy peachy-champagne shades that you haphazardly sweep across the lid – Sin is excellent in this way. When I want to go subtle with my brows, Naked is the way to go and as a bonus, it is a great crease shade. I put Darkhorse in the outer-v and finished with the usual suspects.
Because the red lip is not exactly the most subtle look for a trip to the mall, I tried to go for really natural skin foregoing the foundation completely, only applying Maybelline Fit Me Concealer where I needed it and the light-coverage MAC Studio Careblend Pressed Powder. I’ve paired it with one of my latest splurges that I’ve been loving – the Benefit Rockateur Boxed Powder that I most certainly did not need.
I plan on continuing this series of Naked Palette makeup looks. Any thoughts? 🙂
September in a nutshell was crazy, stressful, busy and somewhat depressing. I spent much of it in a makeup rut, hard-pressed for time and generally sleep-deprived. Somehow this resulted in some clear favourites,
MAC Dubonnet Lipstick
This is an amplified creme finish lipstick (most likely my favourite) that is a deep berry red with some brown in it and neutral undertones. It is quite versatile as it can be worn as a subtle berry stain or as a deep berry bold lip. The formula is nice and moisturizing while still lasting on the lips. I think it’s that wearable but bold fall lip for me and although many skin tones can wear it, it is an ideal bold lip for fair skin.
Benefit Rockateur Boxed Powder
I must admit that I purchased this product due to a moment of weakness and stress, but I can’t bring myself to regret it whatsoever. I surely did not need another blush, but this is a light-buildable rose-gold with a nice sheen and neutral undertones without being too glittery or shimmery. The colour is really finely milled and the shade is especially unique – a rose gold (not too pink or too peach but rather in the middle) without the coral-orange undertones of shades such as MAC Stereo Rose.
Urban Decay Primer Potion
Ever since I got back into school and those exhausting long days, I had been having issues with my eye shadow creasing and this fixed the problem. Boring favourite, I know.
Mac Harmony Powder Blush
Like most other people, I use this “blush” as a contour powder. I’ve talked about my love of this before, but I’ve gotten into using it slightly differently; I’ve been using it for more of a precise contour then just generally adding shape to my face. It’s sort of an odd colour – a matte, cool brown with reddish undertones. It looks natural as a contour but the ruddiness in the shade can prove to be a difficulty to some.
Laura Mercier Silk Creme Foundation
I’ve done a review of this foundation before and as it was then, my shade is Rose Ivory (which oddly has no pink undertones whatsoever…) but I’ve gotten quite into this foundation recently. With minimal product used, I find that you can achieve a good medium-buildable coverage with a slightly luminous finish. My only irritation is that it does stick to dry patches and is not flattering on me when I am having my drier days.
Maybelline Fit Me Concealer
My shade is 10 Light, which is a fair-light shade with yellow undertones. This is a really natural looking concealer with medium coverage and is easily blendable. I use it both underneath my eyes and on blemishes but I find that it wears off of inflamed blemishes more quickly than I’d like.
Urban Decay 24/7 Eyeliner in Perversion
I know I mentioned this in last months favourites and all I’ve said about it before still applies but this month I’ve gotten really into tightlining with this and applying it in the waterline. This liner actually stays put and does not irritate my eyes.
I mentioned this cleanser in a favourites post a few months ago and always meant to do a review of this product but somehow never quite got around to it but better late than never, right? Let’s hope so.
In Canada, this cleanser retails for a bit over ten dollars, I believe, but often goes on sale at Shoppers Drugmart, which is nice and affordable as it is about the same price as Neutrogena and Cetaphil cleansers. The product is described as “a gentle, non-drying balm that dissolves make-up and impurities to help keep skin looking clear and healthy. Leaves no residue – just perfectly clean, soft and supple skin” and I would have to agree with that statement … somewhat at least. This was the first ‘cleansing balm’ product that I have tried and it was not what I expected; I am no stranger to cream cleansers and this appeared to be a cream cleanser that contained oils and therefore removed makeup effectively and gently. The texture of this cleanser is interesting, not a rich and thick balmy consistency that dissolves into an oil but rather is a typical creamy kind of consistency.
This product removes makeup when used with a cotton pad or washcloth on dry skin. True to its claim, it was very hydrating but it was also nice and gentle on my very sensitive skin. It also rinses off completely without residue. It has a luxurious floral subtle scent to it but on the other side it is fragranced and therefore not the best for your skin. I think this is a product that feels luxurious at an affordable price which I really appreciate. It’s mineral-oil free (hooray) and doesn’t contain harsh surfactants (like sulfates). I have listed the rest of the ingredients below.
Final Verdict – recommended if you have no issues with fragrance, have dry and/or sensitive skin and if you are into the creamy and balmy cleansers. A minus.
So today was the first day of my second year of university and in light of all that back-to-school craziness, I thought I would share what I wore! As pictured above, I wore a Club Monaco blouse, a bandeau from American Eagle, and an ancient pair of pastel-blue shorts, also by American Eagle. Not pictured were my simple brown flat sandals and white crossbody bag with gold hardware, both from Aldo……. I might possibly have been to tired to get them from downstairs. I quite liked the outfit because it felt appropriate for the awkward between-fall-and-summer season, was the right temperature and was the right amount of put-together.
Top to Bottom (and L-R): L’Oreal Voluminous Carbon Black Mascara, Maybelline Fit Me Concealer in 10 Light, Diorskin Nude Skin-Glowing Makeup in 20 Beige (Sephora sample), MAC Well Dressed Powder Blush, MAC Harmony Powder Blush, EOS Peach Lip Balm, Wet n Wild Blue Had Me at Hello Palette, Urban Decay Perversion 24/7 Eyeliner, MAC Charcoal Brown e/s, MAC Satin Taupe e/s and Maybelline Barely Branded Color Tattoopoor quality again but taken of me a bit before nineclose up of the eyes at six (ten hours after application)the rest of the face at six
The makeup was definitely the more remarkable part of the getup. I used Laura Mercier Radiance Primer, buffed in Diorskin Nude Skin-Glowing Makeup in 20 Light Beige (I had a sample) and concealed with Maybelline Fit Me Concealer in 10 Light. The eyes were when I became afraid of my intentions. As I usually do, I used Maybelline Barely Branded Color Tattoo as a base and then went on to fill in my brows with MAC Charcoal Brown and placed MAC Satin Taupe in the crease. Then I decided to use the Wet n Wild Blue Had Me At Hello Palette in some sort of wearable way. The shades I used were the silvery white (highlight), the silver with blue undertones (lid), the second darkest blue (in the outer-v) and the darkest blue (to line the lower lashes). My eye liner was Urban Decay Perversion and my mascara was L’Oreal Voluminous. I kept the rest of the face simple: MAC Harmony to contour, MAC Well Dressed as blush and just EOS lip balm on the lips.
So, this was obviously quite a dramatic look for first day but I thought it turned out rather nice and was surprisingly flattering on my blue eyes. I would say it was a mermaid-y smoky eye and It was one of my latest makeup attempts that was not a complete failure. I thought it was a relatively wearable way to wear this bold palette and that my overall look was nice and awake, which is always nice for the perpetually-exhausted like myself.
I talked about this before in my monthly favourites but I figured a more detailed review would be a good idea. I have seen this palette at Canadian Drugstores for 13-14 dollars, although I picked mine up when Physician’s Formula was one Buy One Get One Free at Lawton’s (not that it matters to anyone). The palette contains 0.26 ounces of shadows, divided into 9 shades. Like its namesake, there is no separation between the colours in the palette (all nine shades reside in a single pan). According to Physician’s Formula, the nine shades are divided into three looks, “natural” (the lightest three shades), “playful” (the three shades in the middle) and “dramatic” (the darkest three shades residing on the left side of the palette) and each look includes a highlight shade, lid colour and crease-colour. The darkest shade in each look is made slightly narrower in each of the looks for some reason. The palette comes with a sponge-tip applicator with an angled top with the intent that it could be used to apply a shade as liner as well as shadows. The packaging is pink plastic covered by sheer black lace with a nice pink bow on the front and “Nude” written on pink written. It is smaller than the size of my hand and opens from the side to the right. The palette is magnetic.
The brush is alright; I have used it to apply the shadows and I think it is better than some other sponge-tip applicators but I much prefer to use my own brushes.
Swatches on bare skin taken without flashSwatches on bare skin, taken with flash
I’m going to describe each shade and my thoughts on it from the left to right as to provide clarity because they are not named. The first shade is a matte black with some silver micro-glitter running through it. The pigmentation of this shade is not phenomenal (it is not the blackest black by any means) and it is a bit chalky, however it is definitely a usable black shade for lining the eyes, darkening the outer-v and the like. The next shade is a shimmery medium-dark taupe-brown with purple undertones. I would say it is a close match for Urban Decay Hustle in both colour and quality. It is nicely pigmented and has a smooth texture that is easy to work with. The following shade is a light shimmery taupe with golden undertones. The texture is nice and smooth, pigmented and a really great shade that in my opinion is fairly unique. The crease-colour for the “playful” trio is another medium-dark taupe shade with the same sheen to it but with grey-undertones. Because it is so similar to the other medium-dark taupe shade, I also find it similar to Hustle – but I think it is not as close as the other shade but a picture will be included below. I think it is almost a darker version of MAC Satin Taupe. The middle shade in the palette is a shimmery light taupe with grey-undertones. It is very similar to the third shade from the left. It has good pigmentation and a nice texture to work with. The lightest shades in the palette are sheerer than the rest. It would be redundant for me to say it with each shade so I’m mentioning it now. They all have the same smooth texture. There is a baby-pink with golden sheen running through it. The adjacent colour is an outlier, however; it is a light warm brown with warm undertones and good pigmentation.The next shade is a shimmery warm light gold and the lightest shade is a golden-toned white. All of the shades have good longevity (the darker half a bit better than the lighter half) and they have a really impressive texture. I do have an issue with the shade range, however; I find too many of the shades to be similar and all of the shades have the same shimmery finish and due to these issues, this palette has limited ability to be an all-inclusive palette. Also, I would not agree with the claim that these eye shadows can be used as liner – the only shade dark enough IMO is the black.
Top to Bottom: Physician’s Formula Nude second to farthest left, Urban Decay Hustle, Physician’s Formula Nude fourth from left, MAC Satin taupe – taken without flashSame as above but taken with flash 🙂
I really like the packaging. It does not look cheap by any means and I think it is aesthetically pleasing. I also like how compact it is. It holds nine 0.03 oz (appx) eye shadows while being very small – 0.05 oz are the full-size of a MAC or Urban Decay shadow for reference.
Final Verdict– Not that I have any sort of grading scale or anything of the sort, I would say that this is a “B” product”. I think it is a nice palette but its downfall is how similar the shades are, the lack of different finishes and the sheerness of some of the lighter shadows (and chalkiness of the black). However, I think the shades are fairly unique. I quite like that the shades are taupey. In this sense, the shades are along the same lines as the ones in Naked 2 (which I don’t own). I would recommend this palette to anyone who likes shimmery shades, is looking for taupes and is of a light to medium skin tone (because they lack the pigmentation to easily work for those with darker skin tones) and frequently wears natural-coloured looks. This is a great, portable “toss it in your makeup bag” kind of palette.
There are two beauty-related thoughts that frequently came to my mind frequently in the last month; I have been in a major makeup rut and that it pisses me off to no end when bloggers list 102 items as their favourites and we all know that it’s simply a list of products they used – not helpful for those of us with a limited makeup budget. As a result of these two things, I have sort of edited myself to compile a list of beauty essentials this month (not just stuff I wore a few times and went overboard).
I was never a lip-gloss girl, never even in my late elementary school or junior high days and because of this I thought I would not be a fan of the whole ‘lip butter’ craze because of their glossiness. However, Revlon lip products were on for a rare buy one get one free promotion and I picked one up to feed my makeup addiction. I think the hype is sort of worth it. The colour I have is Pink Truffle which is a warm, rosy browny pink that is a no-fuss kind of shade. The texture is like a waxy balm and I was pleasantly surprised to find out that it lasted on my lips for maybe three hours
.
At the end of last month, I ran out of my go-to eye primer, Urban Decay Primer Potion that came in my Urban Decay palettes and as I am currently broke and spent way too much money on makeup (story of my life), I switched to something I already owned, my Maybelline Color Tattoo Metal in Barely Branded. I’m sure everyone and their cat knows this, but these are long-lasting cream eye shadows that double as bases like MAC Paint Pots. It is a shimmery gold-based light champagne sort of colour. I would say the shade is a darker version of MAC Dazzlelight with a touch more champagne in it or is a slightly lighter version of Urban Decay Sin with golden undertones instead of the pink. The texture is ultra-creamy (creamier than the other one of this line that I own) and has good longevity. I do find that this shade performs better as a primer/base than Bad to the Bronze, as it lasts longer without fading and creasing. It performs almost as good as a primer and also doubles as a stand-alone shade..
Urban Decay 24/7 Waterproof Liner in Perversion is another one of those products seems to be a cult-favourite that I’ve found essential in the last month. It is a creamy jet-black that has amazing longevity, in that difficult-to-remove kind of way. It’s quite versatile as it provides the intensity of a gel or liquid, yet can be smudged out with the ease of a pencil.
I picked up Physician’s Formula Shimmer Strips New Eyes Palette towards the end of last month and initially was quite disappointed; it’s not completely practical to have a palette of nine entirely shimmery shades, the shades are a touch sheer and there is not much variation in the depth of the shades. Needless to say, it got used and grew on me. It’s a palette full of those rare taupey shades (there are ten of them in all). My favourite shades in particular were as follows: the light taupe with golden undertones (third from left) and the other light taupe with grey undertones (middle) on the lid, the taupey brown with purple-y undertones (second from left) and the taupey brown with grey undertones (forth from left) in the crease and outer-v and the frosty yellow-toned white (farthest on the right) in the inner corners. This is the kind of palette that is good for everyday looks but is lacking somewhat for more dramatic ones. The shadows do have a nice texture and are easy to blend, I have to say.
I find it particularly difficult to find affordable drugstore conditioners I like but L’Oreal Power Moisture Moisture Infusion Mask really impressed me. I find it very moisturizing without coating my fine hair and weighing it down (like it claims to do), but I think of it more as an everyday conditioner than a heavy mask – but I do have very dry wavy slash curly hair that is quite long. It does contain non water-soluble silicones high in the ingredient list, but I do not find amodimethicone to build up on my hair and its conditioning agents are not oils but rather emollients, the wax mineral oil is derived from and a small amount of hyaluronic acid. The only downside to the product is the artificial-floral scent and it fades after being rinsed out.
I’ve been really enjoying using Organix Luxurious Moroccan Argan Creme Shampoo this month. I was a fan of the regular Argan-oil shampoo in the Organix line but like this one even better. It is sulfate-free but cleanses with gentler surfactants (Sodium C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate and Cocomidopropyl Betatine) and the only silicone it contains is water soluble. It contains a fair amount of Argan oil and I do find it to be a moisturizing gentle shampoo that does not weigh my hair down in the least. It has the same amazing sort of scent that MoroccanOil products have.
I’ll start of by apologizing for the current state of this product but I used it and haven’t gotten around to cleaning it yet (and it stains anyway). About a month ago, I saw a Beauty Blender replica at Shoppers Drugmart for a few dollars and after hearing great things about the seemingly magical sponge I couldn’t resist. When used damp, the sponge expertly blends in makeup without wasting too much of the product.
Top to Bottom – Revlon Pink Truffle Lip Butter, Maybelline Barely Branded Color Tattoo and Urban Decay Perversion 24/7 Liner.
Physician’s Formula Nude Eyes Palette swatched from the right at the top to the left at the bottom
1. Bumble and Bumble Texture (Un)dressing Creme is one of those products that oddly enough seems to suit all (or at least most) hair textures – from the straightest to curly, fine to thick. It is a thick and whitish sticky putty-like substance that defines curls, provides medium hold, controls frizz moderately (but not like a gel) and gives beachy textyre without drying it out. I can use this product in my wavy-curly hair wet for that beachy look (with no other products) but I love to use it to refresh my hair after a few days particularly in dampened hair; this is a godsend for me because I only wash my hair twice a week so anything that will help my hair look defined and volumized is amazing in my book.
2. Lately there’s been a whole lot of cleansing balm hype and hoopla (particularly after Caroline Hirons pretty much proclaimed them as the next messiah) and I spotted Boots No7 Beautiful Skin Cleansing Balm (which coincidentally was free of mineral-oil) at my local Shoppers for under ten dollars CDN so was compelled to pick it up. It is marketed as part of the dry/very-dry skin range, if anyone was curious. I wouldn’t say that it’s a balm cleanser, as its name suggests, I’d say its more of a cleansing milk. It’s very similar to Neutrogena Extra Gentle Cleanser except that it contains fragrance (boo), removes makeup a little better (but not fantastically) and contains oil (which is a plus in my book but might not be in others). Fortunately, I do not find it irritating and I would agree with the claim that it is not only very hydrating but does not strip the skin whatsoever. If anyone is curious, I did not include this in my skincare post because I’ve only been using it since the start of this month.
3. I really tried not to do this but I couldn’t resist; I have only owned this for twenty-or-so days but I’ve worn Skin79 Snail Nutrition BB Cream every day since I’ve gotten it and miraculously it doesn’t break me out or irritate my skin. I plan on writing a detailed review soon so I’ll try to keep it short and sweet (but I’ll most likely fail). It’s one shade oxidizes to a fair to light neutral tone, provides light-feeling medium buildable coverage and looks almost imperceptible on the skin. It has SPF 45 and contains Snail Secretion Filtrate (not sure how I feel about that…) as well as providing a long lasting natural-dewy coverage that holds up well in heat.
4. Upon reviewing my previous posts, I have come to the realization that I have a tendency to gushing about the same products over and over, so it’s no surprise that I’m including Tarte Natural Beauty Amazonian Clay Blush after my “Top 5 Blushes” post. It’s a matte bright water-melon pink blush that gives a nice bright flush wit fairly good pigmentation (it’s not as scary as it appears in the pan). This is the longest lasting blush that I’ve ever tried, hardly even fading after the 12 hour mark. I believe that this is a fairly unique colour, but don’t mark my words. I’m now intrigued to try this formulation in different colours…
5. Everyone has that makeup product that they have that love-hate relationship with (or so it seems) and for me this product is MAC Woodwinked eye shadow. I’m onto my third pan of this eye shadow but it can go months untouched. The texture is really easy to work with, smooth and pigmented, however I find the shade difficult to wear unless I have a bit of colour. As everyone I’m sure has heard before it is a very warm-toned medium gold shade with some brown in it that I find pulls orange-toned when I blend it (which is why I prefer it when I have some colour on my fair skin). Because of its orangey-gold undertones, this is a particularly flattering shade on blue eyes. I don’t find this shade to be particularly versatile – I tend to only wear it as a lid colour.
6. I think MAC’s matte eyeshadows are some of the best. MAC Charcoal Brown eye shadow is the only one I’ve personally owned but I’ve tried others. I use this shade daily to fill in my brows and I find that it’s the perfect no-fiss crease shade. It has nice pigmentation, longevity and texture. It is a matte slightly cool toned medium brown.
7. I’ve had MAC Sable eye shadow for well over a year and I’ve always passed it off as MAC Satin Taupe’s warmer and plummier less-attractive sister but I’ve pulled it out and kept it on rotation for when I want to look nice and wear eye shadow but don’t want to have to think about it. It has the same great finish/texture as most
(but not all) of MAC’s eye shadows and is a shimmery plummy-bronze colour that I like to wear in the outer v – I swear I’ve worn it like 20 days this month! It’s extremely similar to UD Toasted if anyone is curious. This medium-dark shade is also a nice lid colour.
8. One of my first posts on this blog was my review of MAC Studio Careblend Pressed Powder and although it was a powder I thought was exceptionally good, I didn’t find myself reaching for it all that much but that changed this month. I wear this product in Light which is a fairly neutral pale colour for reference. This powder has a relatively non-powdery look and provides sheer coverage. It’s sheerness comes in handy for setting foundation without adding to the heavy appearance on the skin but I also find it sort of buildable for pretty much invisible light coverage on its own when I’m having good skin days. This wore for over six hours on its own without fading which I thought was rather nice but keep in mind that with my dry skin skin products do tend to stay put for obscene amounts of time.
9. This is completely expected and unsurprising but with the warm weather and all, I’ve been really getting into using Rimmel Natural Bronzer in Sun Glow. It has a nice texture, good longevity, decent pigmentation although it is a nice light shade for my fair skin. I enjoy that it is matte (although sometimes I swear I see a sheen running through it but my eyes could be playing tricks on me) so it can be used to contour as well as to add colour to the skin in a natural-looking way and is not orangey. I would say that this is a warm-toned light golden bronzer. Too bad that it has horrendous packaging…
10. For someone with an unhealthy makeup obsession, I hate reapplying my makeup and as a result I spent a lot of my time dreading lip products because they require frequent reapplication. I got a sample size of Benefit Benetint with my 500 point perk from Sephora and it seems to be the answer to my prayers. It is somewhat drying on the lips but it is a stain that lasts a long time and is a flattering rosy colour.
Me without makeup. If anyone was curious the breakouts on my forehead were Cetaphil-induced. My skin looks a wee bit better than this most of the time now!
I was going to wait to do this video until my skin improved and my routine was flawless – like every product would have to be holy grail status – but realistically I’m never going to be using an absolutely flawless routine, nor will I ever have perfect skin (or anything close to it) and I’m the happiest with my skin that I’ve ever been (and I’ve tried a bunch of different things for my skin) so I figured I’d share. I’ve found since using these products that my overall skin clarity increased and my skin appears brightened and most of all it has become notably less irritated.
My skin tends to be rather complicated; it’s rather acne-prone (I always have a few spots on my face), extremely sensitive, and is prone to very dry patches. Although my skin is dry and dehydrated (particularly on my cheeks and sometimes on my forehead and normal to dry on my chin, nose and around my hairline), I tend to clogged pores – those little bumps that sometimes will resolve by turning into painful pimples or otherwise will just stay there. Also if I don’t use the gentlest of products, my cheeks and nose get quite red and my face becomes tight, extremely flaky, burny and itchy. My pale skin also tends to look rather dull and is prone to flaking when dehydrated. Because my rather problematic skin doesn’t simply fall into one of the traditional skin types and faces a multitude of problematic conditions, I think these thoughts, routine and products that I use could benefit people of different skin types.
In my opinion, there are five basic categories of skincare that we should have in our routines but the routines themselves will vastly differ because of our individual skin needs will be different and in my opinion, the best routine will be centered around how your skin actually is rather than how you wish it would be. These five categories are as follows: cleansing, moisturizing, exfoliating, sun-protecting and treating.
Morning Routine
Morning Routine
1. I cleanse my face with Neutrogena Ultra Gentle Cleanser, which is an affordable gentle cleanser with a lotion consistency that does not strip the skin whatsoever but also does not remove makeup well at all. I rinse this off with cool water with my hands to be as gentle as possible. I talk about it in more depth here –
2. I gently exfoliate with Clinique Mild Clarifying Lotion, which is an extremely gentle exfoliating toner with BHA (salicylic acid) – meaning that it can exfoliate your skin (even inside the pore) without being abrasive like a scrub would and is also more effective because the product is left on the skin. [Note: I am not usually a huge fan of Clinique products (I tried the 3 step skincare system and it was an absolute disaster) but I adore this product.] It is one of the rare exfoliating toners that is effective without costing an insane quantity of money or containing irritants such as alcohol and the like. It’s somewhere between $10-15 in the States, I believe, and in Canada it costs $16 for 200 mLs.
3. The moisturizer I use in the morning is Caudalie Vinosource Moisturizing Sorbet, which is a lightweight moisturizer marketed at sensitive skin. I think this is an excellent moisturizer — it is one of the rare ones with a good texture that does not make my skin burn or turn red, I find it quite soothing actually — and the ingredients are not too bad. There are no drying alcohols (hallelujah) but still are some antioxidants in a squeezy tube that does not render the ingredients useless. My only irritation with this product is why in the world would they put fragrance in a moisturizer for sensitive skin – arghhhh. All in all it is a quite nice moisturizer for sensitive skin. It costs $39 CDN I believe for 40 mLs.
4. As we’ve all heard a million times, sun-protection is really important so I use Avene High Protection Cream. I have discovered that I tend to be sensitive to chemical sunscreens (they make my skin burn, turn red and develop unsightly bump-pimple things that take forever to go and turn into hardened bumps) so I did some research and decided to try this purely physical sunscreen. It offers really great protection for my fair skin (broad spectrum spf 50) and it is water resistant, although it leaves a rather unattractive whitish pink cast. It does not irritate mt skin in the least and retails in the 20-30 dollars CDN range for 50 mLs.
Night Routine
Night Routine
1. I begin by removing my makeup on both my eyes and my face with Bioderma Sensibio H20 Micelle Solution and cotton pads. I talk about it more here –
2. I wash my face again with Neutrogena Extra Gentle Cleanser. I think that it is very important to cleanse twice (gently!) at night because there is nothing worse than remaining makeup on your skin in terms of causing acne and the like.
3. Then I move on to my treatment. I use Stievamycin Gel every one or two days, depending on my skins current state (sensitivity and severity of blemishes). The amount I use is dependent on how my skin is at the moment. The Stievamycin Gel, a is only available if you have a prescription from your doctor and in my experience is very effective, particularly on stubborn blemishes but is very sensitizing. The product contains 0.025% tretinoin (which is a topical retinoid/ vitamin a derivative that exfoliates the outer-surface of the skin to reduce the formation of blemishes) and 4% erythromycin gel (which is an antibiotic that kills the bacteria that cause acne). My only irritation with this product is that it is formulated with an alcohol-gel base and my skin does not tolerate alcohol well, however this product is so effective that I keep on using it!
5. I like to wait at least ten minutes before applying my moisturizer, as to avoid diluting the effect of the active ingredients in the treatments I use. I’ve been using Bee By the Sea Sea Buckthorn and Honey Nourishing Face Cream, which is a very gentle and hydrating cream that takes a while to absorb into the skin. I do not necessarily think that you must use a night cream at night and a day cream during the day – I just am using this because I have it and it helps compensate for the sensitizing treatments I put my skin through. It is very soothing, all of its fragrance coming from the sweet almond oil and rich in coconut and olive oil. It is a no-frills moisturizer filled with ingredients that work to hydrate skin. It costs $30 CDN at health stores and beabythesea.ca. This is a godsend for irritated skin!
I’m thinking about continuing with a skincare series as I think it is so important. X
I’m wearing Tarte Natural Beauty here – sorry about the poor quality pictureTop to Bottom – Tarte Natural Beauty, Nars Orgasm, MAC Harmony, MAC Stereo Rose, MAC Springsheen, Milani Red VinoTop L-R – Tarte Natural Beauty, Nars Orgasm, MAC Harmony, Bottom L-R- MAC Stereo Rose/ MAC Springsheen and Milani Red Vino
Although I admit to be obsessive about all sorts of beauty-products, blush is my worst affliction so I figured I’d use my addiction in the best way possible.
1. Tarte Natural Beauty Amazonian Clay Blush is the only matte blush I’ve ever bought (as a blush) and liked. In the pan, this blush appears to be a slightly cool leaning bright watermelon pink but comes off more wearable. The pigmentation of this blush is nice but not so high that it is difficult to wear on lighter skins. On my fair skin, this colour looks like a slightly more-intense version of the colour of my cheeks when they get in from the cold – when worn lightly, this is actually a rather natural looking blush on my skin. I also notice that this blush has the best longevity of any blush I’ve ever tried.
2. I am going to be authentic yet totally unoriginal by declaring my love for Nars Orgasm Powder Blush. I am completely aware that there is nothing unique about this warm pink-coral shade with golden glitter running through it but I find it to be one of those no-fuss, flattering and brightening shades on my neutral-cool fair skin. It has good longevity but not amazing and can be worn lightly for the most subtle of flush and built up for a more noticable look. It is one of those colours that can be worn with pretty much anything and I can easily apply it without a mirror. I don’t think the pigmentation is amazing, but I love how buildable the colour is.
3. MAC Harmony Powder Blush may be sold as a blush, however its primary use tends to be a contour powder but nevertheless I’ve been using it as a neutral blush colour as well when I don’t want to wear an overly pronounced typical blush shade. I find the product really easy to work with, long-lasting and the medium brown shade with pink undertones that leans slightly warm is unique. The finish is matte, as it is a contour powder. It has rather nice pigmentation, as well. When I wear it, I contour with it and then pull it up onto my cheek bones and apples.
4. So I might have a slight weakness for corals. I can’t decide between the two, one of them is limited edition (but frequently repromoted) and they are rather similar so I’ll list both. It should be no secret to anyone who reads my posts that I adore MAC Stereo Rose MSF but I also adore the very-similar MAC Springsheen Powder Blush. Stereo Rose and Springsheen both share their lovely golden sheen but Stereo Rose is a peachy with a bit of pink in it coral colour with bronze veining running through it whereas Springsheen is a peachier coral.
5. I know I really shouldn’t include this product but I bought it recently and fell in love. I have no idea why but before this product I hadn’t really tried any drugstore blushes and I convinced myself that this was justification for buying one. I’m not always a huge fan of mineralized blushes (Stereo Rose is an exception) but Milani Red Vino Baked Blush is amazing. The pigmentation of this blush is the best of any blush I’ve ever tried (and completely surprising) and makes this blush a colour that I think is suitable on fair skin and deep skin – just make sure you use a VERY VERY VERY light hand if your fairer and if you are, this is a blush that you need to be careful with. On my skin, burgandy blush with gold shimmer comes off as a red-leaning rosy hue – its not frighteningly red when worn subtly, it is just redder than Tarte Natural Beauty. This colour is one that I think screams winter and will get a lot of use. When worn extremely lightly, it is an extremely natural and flattering looking cheek on my fair skin. The longevity of this product is good but not amazing and the shimmer is less pronounced on the cheek and the texture is nice. By the way, I can’t see the shimmer when worn on my skin.
EDIT: The texture of the Milani is dry and can come off patchy and if I were writing this again it wouldn’t be included.
I have sensitive skin and none of these break me out, if anyone is interested. I hope my makeup affliction was able to help someone! I’d love some blush recommendations and thoughts on these shades! x
If anyone wants me to do a post on dupes or similar shades, let me know!
beautylit& ramblings 