Skincare

November 2014 Favorites

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November 2014 FavoritesNovember 2014 Favorites
1. Innisfree Hand Cream, $? / 2. bareMinerals Concealer Brush, $20* /
3. Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter, $5 / 4. Alpha Hydrox 10% AHA Moisturizing Lotion, $10 /
5. Too Faced Everything Nice Palette, $56

Blah blah, November went sooooo fast, etc. You know the drill. November 2014 Favorites!

But before the jump, have you entered the EcoTools Eye Enhancing Duo Brush Giveaway? Open until December 16!

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Clarisonic Mia 2: A Year of Use

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clarisonic

Clarisonic Mia 2: A Year of Use

A post on a Thursday? This must be special, right?. I alluded in my Weekend Trip Skincare and October Favorites posts, I own a Clarisonic Mia 2. At long last, I am so damn pleased to share this with you. I have used my Clarisonic Mia 2 to cleanse my skin daily for over a year just so I could get out of the device’s, “OMIGAW I LOVE THIS THING!!!” It was very important to me to deliver an assessment that isn’t penned with rose-colored lenses in the way; I feel that happens all too often when we make investment or luxury purchases.

You can check out my extensive assessment: Clarisonic Mia 2: A Year of Use skincare device here. (Originally shared as a guest post on a now-defunct blog that went down for shady reasons; I removed the references to it as the content was my own.)

I address:

  • the product’s performance in comparison with its claims (as always)
  • its pros and cons
  • brush and battery-charge lifespan
  • whether or not I think it is a good value
  • and if I would repurchase the Clarisonic Mia 2, if I had to do it over again

…among other things.

October 2014 Favorites

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October 2014 FavoritesOctober 2014 Favorites
1. Anastasia Dipbrow Pomade, $18 / 2. Clarisonic Mia2, $150 /
3. Sensationail Gel Polish – Midnight Rendezvous, $9 / 4. Nivea Sensitive Body Wash, $5 /
5. Maybelline Creamy Matte Lipstick $6 / 6. Ponds Luminous Finish BB+, $11

We are well over three-quarters of the way through 2014. Holiday season is descending upon us…but in the meantime, here are my October 2014 Favorites.

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Weekend Trip Skincare

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Happy Halloween, everyone! Unfortunately, I do not have some badass/beautiful/weird Halloween makeup to share with you today. Perhaps some year.

In tune with Wednesday’s post, I figured I’d share my weekend trip skincare, too.

Spoilers: there isn’t much to share. It doesn’t really differ from my regular skincare.

Weekend Trip SkincareWeekend Trip Skincare

I’ll be bringing:

  • Ponds Luminous Finish Makeup Remover Wipes
    I use the Original wipes, this came with my most recent pack as a, “Hey, try me!” thing…
    So I’m trying them!
  • Clarisonic Mia2.
    Yeah, I caved a while ago and got one. I didn’t share? Don’t worry, I will.
  • Wee Purity Cleanser.
    A little goes such.a.long.way. I normally use Cetaphil Gentle, but I don’t have a wee bottle of it.
  • Josie Maran 100% Pure Argan Oil Light

Each of these items is compact and travel-friendly (including my Clarisonic Mia 2 which has a clamshell case). Though I do have a lot of skincare stuff at home, this is what I’m constantly using.

You’ll notice my weekend trip skincare list did not include sunscreen – but that is because my Ponds BB+ cream contains it, so I don’t want/need an extra (plus, I’m finding a lot of facial sunscreens break me out anyhow). I won’t be doing anything in the days prior to cause additional sensitivity (use of AHA products, aggressive exfoliation).

Simple, straightforward, not a twelve-thousand product routine. What about your weekend trip skincare – is it more involved? Or do you just wing it and hope whatever soap the hotel has will be kind enough to your face? Or are you like me and haven’t been on a trip in ages and can’t really say?

September 2014 Favorites

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September 2014 Favorites

September 2014 Favorites
1. MAC Lipstick – Brave $16 / 2. Sonia Kashuk Brush Cleaner $8 /
3. Clinique Almost Lipstick – Black Honey, $16 / 4. CeraVe Moisturizing Cream, $14 /
5. Maybelline Creamy Matte Lipstick – Divine Wine, $6

I didn’t think much of it during the month, but looking back – my September 2014 Favorites were pretty lippy!

Details after the jump.

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DIY Lip Scrub

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In light of my post the other day about my new almost-favorite probably-too-dark-for-me matte lipstick and the fact that autumn tends to bring around more matte or matte-ish lips anyway, I figured this was timely and appropriate. Not that lip care is inappropriate at any time, but YOU KNOW.

As much as pricey lip exfoliants may entice (looking at you, Bite Beauty Whipped Cherry Lip Scrub or Fresh Sugar Lip Polish), they really aren’t worth it unless you’re that hung-up on branding for something that just whisks away dead skin from your lips. Using chemical exfoliants isn’t a good idea for our lips, so these (just like what I’m going to show you in a moment) are sugar-based scrubs. Check out the ingredient list on both – Bite’s is a nice blend of oils…and sugar, and Fresh’s has a bunch of oils as well as some less-familiar chemical components (not to scare you – chemicals are not always bad. Do your research, as always). Why pay $18-23 for something that is basically oil and sugar? I wish I could channel Sam from Batalash Beauty when I say that it is crazy (crasy! By the way, go check out their blog and YouTube channel. They’re hilarious and damn good artists to boot).

001

You need:

  • A container with a lid
  • Coconut Oil
  • Honey
  • Olive Oil or Almond Oil (not pictured because derp)
  • White or Brown Sugar
  • bonus points if you sub it out for something grainier like Sugar in the Raw
  • Vanilla Extract (artificial is OK)
  • Mixing utensil
  • Optional mixing bowl if you want to make an unreasonably huge batch

Spoon your sugars into your container – I like to do two parts white sugar to one part brown sugar, but 1:1 would be fine, too. Combine them well.

002

Squeeze in some honey… I started on the conservative side with it because I didn’t want this to wind up too sticky:

003

Add your olive or almond oil. You can use both if you want, but I just went with one.

004

Then mix it up…

006

Add your vanilla extract, mix again.

007

Add a dollop of coconut oil, ideally solid.

005

GENTLY combine with the existing mixture, you don’t want to wind up with liquid.

008

Transfer it to your storage container if you didn’t mix it there, then chill for 15 minutes. Now you can use it, just scoop out a bit and apply to lips, rubbing in circles. The oils will allow to sugar to move with ease and will hydrate your lips. If you want to apply lipstick right away, pat them dry afterwards – oil isn’t the best base for a lipstick, after all.

009

The beauty of this recipe is that it is so simple and very adaptable. Hate vanilla? You’re crazy, but the good news is that you can sub in any flavoring you please. Dig orange? Go for it. Hell, zest an orange into it. Want cherry without dropping $18 on Bite’s scrub (I mean, that’s a tub of Dipbrow. More than a MAC Lipstick. Come on)? Visit your baking aisle and pick up some cherry flavoring. Very easy. Not a fan of how olive oil makes this taste? Use an oil with a subtler flavor.

Your lip scrub should be stored in the fridge and can be kept for two weeks.

Do you have any neat DIY beauty recipes?