How I Keep It Clean!

Hey loves!

I have done my first and last ever skincare routine back in February, I think it's about time I re-do one since a few of my skincare products have changed. Some say it's not good to change products and stick with what already works for you and some say you should change the products otherwise your skin will get used to them and they won't do anything for you. I prefer to change products because I feel like there is always something better out there. So far I have come across only one product which was a total disappointment. Besides that everything I use seems to work! :) FYI: I have normal/combination skin with oilier T-zone. Of course, as we all know, skincare is serious business. While there are only few types of skins, every one of our skins and needs can be different. These products are what works for me and even though we may have the same type of skin they may not work for you.

Face Wash 
Origins Checks & Balances
I'm really happy with this facewash because it gives my skin a squeaky cleaning feeling. This facewash is lasting me a VERY long time. I really need a dime-size amount for it to foam up. Even though it costs a little bit more than I would like to pay for a facewash, I am happy with how it performs. It cleans my face and leaves my skin super soft. I also love that it's paraben free.

Moisturizer

Origins A Perfect World SPF25

Unlike some people, this is my day and night moisturizer :) It leaves my skin very hydrated and soft. It has a herbal-y scent and a very creamy consistency. It's formulated without many of the harsh chemicals, and has SPF. I really love this moisturizer!

Facial Scrub

St. Ives Green Tea Scrub

Since I discovered this scrub several months ago I have not been using anything else. I did make the mistake of trying L'oreal 365 scrub which left my forehead super dry and flaky but I learned my lesson and went right back to St. Ives. I am in my second container which will be replaced with the 3rd one soon. I think this scrub is gentle enough to be used daily. I use it about 3-4 times a week. It does leave my face a bit too squeaky clean, in other words, a bit dry. However, for me, that is expected since it cannot clear breakouts (like it claims on the container) without drying them. I follow up with my moisturizer anyway, so dryness doesn't bother me.

Facial Mask

Queen Helene Mint Julep Mask

You either love or hate this mask. I haven't heard of anyone calling it so-so. For me, this mask gets the job done. I try to use this mask once a week and I also use it when I have an occasional zit as spot treatment. One downside of this product is that, it seems to take away skin's natural oiliness. I feel as though my face has been stretched after washing this mask off. That's why I follow with my moisturizer right away. I am sure the reason I feel like my face is stretched is due to the fact that it opens my pores, still it's a weird feeling. I do like it a lot for drying up unwanted zits.

Toner

Kiehl's Acai Damage-Protecting Toning Mist

Takes off any remaining make-up, balances skin's pH level. I love that it leaves my skin very refreshed. I actually like to spritz this on my face every now and then to freshen up!

Eye-cream
Kiehl's Eye Cream with Avocado
I purchased this avocado eye cream during a time when I was experiencing dryness and a bit of redness around my eye area. I knew for a fact it was because of the eye make-up remover I was using at the time. Since I stopped using the eye make-up remover and started using this eye cream, the dryness and redness both vanished. I do love this eye cream but it doesn't do much in terms of aging. In fact I am certain it doesn't do anything for aging. It's more for providing moisturize in eye area. I will most likely not repurchase this product but will continue to enjoy using it while it lasts. This little container sure is packed an incredible amount of moisture!

My eye make-up remover is just a mixture of extra virgin olive oil and water. I have not seen any disadvantages of using this as my remover, in fact I believe it to be much safer and healthier than store-bought eye make-up removers. Not to mention a lot cheaper! I think this mixture does an amazing job dissolving the most stubborn eyeliner and mascara!

I'm planning to keep my products the same with the exception of my eye-cream and now you know the reason. I will be searching for a real eye cream with anti-aging benefits pretty soon as I'm getting close to finishing up my little tub of avocado cream. Please feel free to recommend some eye creams I should be checking out. If you know of any formulated without parabens and phthalates I would love it even more! :)

Do you keep your facial skin care products the same or change them up once in a while?

High on Blush

Who doesn't love blushes? They can do wonders on a face; creating a radiant glow, a healthier and youthful appearance, and the list goes on. My favorite blushes have usually been from the orange family. I love me some peach, apricot and coral blushes. I love them mainly because I think they suit my complexion the most. I have been loving all my peach blushes so much for so long, my collection has nothing but. I decided a while ago, it was time to branch out and explore the other shades. Lately, more neutral and lighter toned blushes are getting my attention. Especially now that it's winter and I'm nowhere close to being my usual NC40 self, I am able to pull of these shades much easier! Here are a few that I am enjoying.

NARS Lovejoy

There is no doubt that NARS blushes have the most hype of all blushes out there. I can't blame you. NARS offers a variety of colors and great pigmentation when it comes to blushes. I have seen Lovejoy on many, many blogs and heard about it on videos. This is a shade I don't even have anything similar to. I absolutely love this color, I would describe it as a bronze-y/rose! It has tiny bits of gold glitter in it which may put questions in one's head but you can be sure that it's nothing over the top. Definitely nothing like that of NARS Orgasm which was too much even for me and I like glittery blushes. So Lovejoy isn't exactly a light colored blush but for someone who wears nothing but peaches, it is a bit more toned down. :)

NARS Douceur

Douceur is a limited edition blush that NARS brought out for their Fall 2010 collection and is now the lightest shade of blush in my collection. This is actually pretty good because I have been looking for a nude blush just like it! I think this is the first time ever NARS has etched their logo into a blush! It will disappear after several uses but it's pretty to look at while it's still there! I would call Douceur a soft pinky-brown. If you look at it carefully you will see some a tiny bit of glitter scattered around the blush, regardless I consider it to be matte.

MAC Blushbaby

Blushbaby is a beiged dusty-rose/pink blush in sheertone finish. As you can see in the swatches below it is unexpectedly the shade right between NARS Douceur and Lovejoy. It has a very silky and soft texture and applies very easily. I think this is one of those rare shades of blushes that will work with any skin tone whether with cool or warm undertones. Because it has a sheer finish, you can build it up until desired intensity is reached. I can see Blushbaby being one of my favorite blushes as it is very versatile. It's perfect for everyday use but will also compliment heavy eye make-up looks.

L-R: Douceur, Blushbaby, Lovejoy

L-R: Douceur, Blushbaby, Lovejoy

What kinds of blushes are you guys enjoying lately?

Sparkle-icious

I had been impatiently waiting for OPI's Burlesque collection to hit stores so I can go and get this sparkly little number. Last week while at Ulta my wandering eyes spotted these OPI holiday nail polish duo + body shimmer which were just hanging out behind the registers. I asked the salesgirl if they have the individual ones and she said no. So what's a nail polish addict to do? I bought the duo with the body shimmer (which I knew I would never use, what does body shimmer have anything to do with nail polish OPI?). Recently I was at Ulta again and saw these babies in individual packaging! So I returned the duo and here I am with the one I wanted: Sparkle-icious! I normally don't like this much glitter in a nail polish, I have no clue why the sudden change in my taste! There are a total of 12 colors in this collection, 6 being glittery and 6 regular ones.

This nail polish is packed with a lot of tiny gold, blue and pink glitter! It's a glitter lovers dream come true! I did two coats to make sure there are no empty spots. One coat does a decent job but it you will see spots. Application was a breeze thanks to the amazing OPI brush. I noticed that this nail polish dries much faster than a regular polish. It may be due to all the glitter, who knows!

Sparkles!!!

After my purchase, I immediately started brainstorming ideas of what I would pair this up with. (I know I'm crazy but that's what happens when you love nail polish as much as I do!) I initially thought it would look pretty with a purple or pink base. Honestly I was not planning to wear it by itself. But then something magical happened when I painted my pinky with two coats of Spakle-icious. I think I love it just by itself after all!

Index Rimmel Steel Grey, Middle Sally Hansen Fuchsia Power, Ring OPI Pamplona Purple, Pinky Sparkle-icious

My most favorite is definitely my PINKY! I also really like it over Steel Grey. Purple is ok, I don't think I would do pink. It was a fun experiment, now I know what to avoid! :) 

I love holiday collections, who doesn't? I think OPI has done a great job with this year's collection. Colors are amazing and there are 12 of them! That's plenty for everyone to find at least one shade they like! When I first saw the swatches online, I really wanted Bring on the Bling, but the purple-ish look of Sparkle-icious really captured my heart so I went with it in stead. I will definitely make Bring on the Bling mine as well though!

Have you bought a nail polish from the Burlesque collection?

Favorite Drugstore Make-up Products

For the past year or so I have been finding myself at Walgreens or CVS quite a bit. The only products I used to buy from the drugstore were things like cotton rounds, nail polish remover with an occasional lipstick, nail polish here and there. I rarely bought mascara and even foundation but this all changed. These days, my foundation is from Revlon, my mascara is from L'oreal and I am absolutely amazed with the quality of these products! I will definitely be repurchasing all of these in years to come unless they are discontinued or I find something better. But for the time being, that's not the case so here we go! :)

Revlon PhotoReady Foundation

I really think this foundation was formulated with me in Revlon's mind! It provides awesome full coverage, hides my imperfections, dries to a nice matte finish (some complained it looks shimmery under direct sunlight etc, that doesn't bother me since I don't look at myself in direct sunlight) and does make me photo ready! I especially love to use PhotoReady in nighttime looks :)

EOS Lipbalm

So, these aren't really considered make-up but still! I love these lipbalms because they feel really light on my lips, moisturize them pretty well and leave them smooth. They are paraben and phthalate-free so they get an extra point from me! I used to love Burt's Bees lipbalms but I feel like compared to EOS ones, they were a bit on the thicker side and too sticky for my liking. Burt's Bees lipbalms also made my lips look like there was an obvious white-ish layer on them. EOS ones go on clear.

NYC Bronzing Powder

I have used countless numbers of bronzers, cheap ones and expensive ones. When I ran out of my last bronzer, I happened to be at a drugstore and I picked this up. I have been loving it since then. This is actually my second container of it. The only downside of this bronzer is that, it seems to not last that long. I think I finished the previous one in less than 2 months. They are pretty cheap though, so I won't complain. I love that this bronzer is matte and doesn't stain my face when worn over foundation. It could also be used for contouring purposes but for my complexion it seems to be a bit too light.

Milani Liquif'eye Metallic Eyeliner Pencils

I keep talking about these eyeliners because for me they are just that great. In case you don't know, I used to be in love with UD's Zero eyeliner but then I met something more amazing hint hint! They do not smudge on my lash lines, no raccoon eyes, last for a good while! Now, the packaging does say 'metallic' but they are not over the top kind of metallic, you will not notice it unless you look really close and focus really good. They can be used in everyday looks which is what I do.

L'oreal Voluminous Mascara

My HG mascara. It's got everything I am looking for in a mascara, lengthening check, volumizing check...the whole package! Really makes me feel like I'm wearing falsies but I am not (mini confession, I hate the feel of false eye lashes so I usually avoid them!) Voluminous has a great curved brush that gets into harder to reach places. I don't think I can live without this mascara, really!

e.l.f. Concealer

This elf concealer does a wonderful job brightening up my under eye area which needs a little boost every now and then. Even if I don't always need concealer in this area, I still like the look of a lighter under-eye area so I use the Highlight side. I don't use this concealer on other problem areas such as blemishes as I am not really a fan of liquid concealers on other areas. (For blemishes, I prefer MAC's Studio Finish Concealer, it's unexplainably amazing, perfect color match too!)

Whether or not NYX is a drug-store brand is questionable and debatable as I don't have a drugstore where I live that carries this brand. However I have heard from others that drugstores (especially Rite-Aid) are where they find their NYX goodies. So I will just go ahead and categorize them as a drugstore brand as well.

NYX Jumbo Pencils

These jumbo pencils really live up to all the hype. I don't use every single one for the same purpose. Some of them such as the pink and black help me bring out the colors of my eye-shadows. For example, I love to use Strawberry Milk for purple looks, the combination of this pink pencil and a shimmery purple eye shadow creates a beautiful shade! I use the black one under a dark grey or black eyeshadow such as MAC's Print or Carbon as it can be tricky to get these colors to show up as dark as they look in the pan without having a base. I use the white one on inner corners. I use the other ones with coordinating eye shadows for better color pay off. I do use them with an eye shadow primer because they do tend to crease otherwise.

What are your favorite drugstore make-up products?

My Highland Honey

Hey loves!

As you may already know, MAC's new collection A Tartan Tale hit stores in North America last Friday. There was only one product I wanted from this collection and that was My Highland Honey - this was before even seeing any swatches. Basically all it took for me to want this blush was the description of it ~ bright coral with soft gold pearl. Woooo, sounds just like me! I placed my order on MAC's website on the 27th and got my package delivered on the 29th. Perfect!

I fell in love with it the second time after I received it however couldn't help but notice how much it, at first glance, resembled both MAC Peaches and Illamasqua Lover.

My Highland Honey (L) No Flash, (R) Direct Sunlight

Illamasqua Lover, My Highland Honey & Peaches

Lover, My Highland Honey, Peaches in different lighting

My swatches proved me wrong! They only look similar in the pans. As we can see, My Highland Honey looks nothing like Lover or Peaches. It's a coral-y apricot shade with a sheen. Lover has a bit more orange to it while Peaches has more pinks in it. I'm just glad that My Highland Honey didn't end up being a dupe of a blush that I already had! My Highland Honey has great pigmentation; you can sweep a bit of it for pop of color or if you want bright orange cheeks that's also doable as it's very buildable. I know I will be enjoying this blush a lot because I just love orange and shades of it when it comes to blushes.Only thing I didn't like about this blush was the packaging. I think MAC has done a good job by choosing plaid but why are the only individual blushes in this collection in regular packaging? I would have loved to see this in a Limited Edition plaid packaging!

What do you think of My Highland Honey or other products in A Tartan Tale collection?

October Favorites

Happy November everyone!

I love November because it's filled with some of my favorite events such as my hubby's birthday and Thanksgiving! :) Now on to my October favorites...

MAC Texture

Texture is very versatile because you can use it in many different ways/looks. It's great as an all over the lid color with a darker crease (such as MAC Print) and as crease color with more neutral lid (like MAC's Grain, Femme-Fi etc) or you can also use it as part of a smokey look with Print/Carbon all over lid and Texture on crease. I am using it more as a crease color with neutral eye though.

Milani Liquif'eye Eyeliner in Brown

As you may already know, I am in love with these eyeliners. They are amazing in every aspect! But because I'm just not doing much black eyeliner these days, I have been using my brown one and love it just as much as the black one! You can read my review about Milani Liquif'eye Eyeliner in Black by clicking here.

MAC Shy Girl

Shy Girl is one of my favorite everyday lipsticks. It's a coral-y beige color in Cremesheen finish which I just love! With Cremesheen formula, you really don't need a lipgloss over your lipstick. It goes with pretty much almost all my looks I'm wearing these days so I've been using it quite a bit!

Clockwise - Texture, Shy Girl, Milani Brown Eyeliner, Brow Duality Matte Side

Anastasia Brow Duality Highlighter & Clear Brow Gel

I am putting these two together because I always use them in conjunction. I try to keep my brows as groomed as possible at all times. I never really used to use brow gel or highlight during the day and would keep them limited to special occasions for some reason. But for the past month or so, I've been using these two products everyday. I love that the Brow Gel keeps my eyebrows in place as I have crazy, untamed brows. I also really love that this gel doesn't flake once dried as I did have bad experiences with other brow gels in past. I am not really using the shimmer side of the highlighter unless for nighttime looks. Matte side is great for everyday use and does a great job highlighting right under the brow. I use a bit of it above my brows too. That way they look super clean and defined.

Lush Bubblegum Lip Scrub

This is the newest product in this post but it's quickly become one of my favorites. With the weather getting cooler, my lips are starting to become drier and more chapped. Thanks to this amazing lip scrub by Lush that I don't have to embarrass myself in public walking around with cracked lips. It does a very good job removing the dead skin from my lips and leaves them super smooth and moisturized. That way I can wear any kind of lipstick I want, no more fear of matte lipsticks yippee!

Narciso Rodriguez For Her

I've had For Her for a while and used it for a while. Then it got old and was put in the back burner. This perfume reminds me a bit of fall/winter/holidays as it has that spiciness to it so now that we're in that season bracket I am back to using it again! I can definitely pick up musk, woods and amber in it. It's not one of those light perfumes that vanishes 15 minutes after you spray it at all. In fact, I would say it's pretty heavy, it's almost in the same category as Calvin Klein's Euphoria (which I heart).Very sensual, seductive and sexy!

What were your favorite products in October?