Organizing Your Makeup & Skincare Products

Posted on July 8, 2015November 9, 2015

Part 1: How I took control of the chaos and went one step beyond with a product detox

Your makeup and skincare products have managed to decorate your bathroom sink and vanity like a new home decor trend. You’re a grown up now and it’s time to deal, so you spend your Sunday afternoon organizing and putting everything away. It looks beautiful when you’re done and you’re beaming with pride. Then the week happens. Sometime between waking up late Monday for work and getting ready in a panic for your Friday night plans, hurricane Sephora managed to plop a new lipstick and face wash into the mix. And you’re back where you started from.

Sometimes organizing just isn’t enough. While it leaves a fleeting gratification, we often find ourselves in the same place we started after a few days or a few weeks. We’ve only scratched the surface but haven’t really dealt with the problem. And the problem, though hard to admit is ourselves: how we’ve bought into the idea of wanting more than we actually need. We need the next and greatest thing though we haven’t gotten rid of (or even used up) the old. I’m guilty as charged. I fall for the latest beauty campaign just like my fellow beauty insider next to me in line. While it sounds frightening, purging is the first step to the solution. It creates a clean slate, can frame your thought process and prevent product overload in the future.

Here are the steps I took to take back control. Continue reading

Get Glowing With 5 Products Or Less

Posted on May 10, 2015November 9, 2015

Used alone or together, these makeup products will help you achieve glowing skin in no time.

We all know the key to healthy glowing skin starts with a good diet, exercise, the right amount of sleep and a good skincare routine. That’s all fine and dandy if you happen to be from Stepford, but for us in the real world this isn’t always enough or even doable. When I need some extra help, these are my go-to products to perk up my complexion.

Used alone or combined, you can get a subtle to luminous glow:

1. Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector
This may be my favorite of the bunch, so much so that I use it every day. This is a sheer cream with light reflecting pearls that gives skin a nice, natural looking glow without being too glittery. While it can be used as a highlighter, I prefer to mix it with my sunscreen as a make-up base for a more subtle effect. It also mixes beautifully with tinted moisturizer and foundation to brighten the complexion and give more natural coverage. I am currently using the Moonstone shade for Spring, but prefer the Opal shade for summer since it has more of a bronzing effect. Continue reading

Top 10 Easy Skincare Tips

Posted on February 3, 2015November 9, 2015

We’ve all heard the prolific tips that scatter magazines and blogs: drink plenty of water, wear sunscreen, etc etc…. so I’ll spare you those and get straight to the good stuff. These are my top 10 easy tips to keep your skin looking it’s best. While these are not glamorous by any means, all are tried and tested by yours truly and have done wonders for my skin.

1. Change your pillow case often
This is especially important if you have skin prone to breakouts. Ideally, before bed you should wash your face thoroughly and apply a treatment and/or moisturizer. So why spoil it by sleeping on a dirty pillow? No matter how well you clean your face, oil and bacteria transfer to your pillow while you sleep. This is not only from your face but also from your hair (especially if you use any hair products). These oils are not meant for your skin, so after several days of contact from your pillow to your face…you get the picture. Make your bed a skin sanctuary and change those pillow cases often.

2. Makeup remover is not only for removing makeup
You can use a makeup remover or cleansing water on troublesome spots to keep pimples at bay. I like to use it as a gentle pre-workout treatment to prevent blemishes, concentrating on areas where I tend to breakout like my hairline and cheeks. My favorites are Caudalie’s Make-Up Remover Cleansing Water and Bioderma Crealine H2O, though the latter is more expensive and harder to find here in the states.