Urban Outfitters Beauty Haul

September 10, 2015 in Skincare, Makeup

So I was on the Urban Outfitters website a few weeks ago - it's a habit of mine to go on there, fill up my cart with gorgeous cozy sweaters, and then cry when I see the total and close out of the page (I actually do this same thing at Sephora all the time). I was clicking around and realized I had never checked out their beauty section before, and before you know it I was actually completing an order. Now that I've had my stuff for a couple weeks, I thought I'd let you know what I'm thinking of my new products.

The first thing that caught my eye was the Antipodes Moisture Boost Minis, a set of a mini Vanilla Pod Hydrating Day Cream and a mini Divine Face Oil. Antipodes is a brand I've wanted to try more from ever since falling head over heels in love with their Aura Manuka Honey Mask, but it's unfortunately not a very easy brand to find here in the US. So anyway, I snapped up this little set right away because both products were things I'd had on my "to try" list for quite awhile. I cracked into the Divine Face Oil right away, and oh my is it magical. I'm a big fan of rosehip oil anyway, but this one is just on another level. It's so hydrating and makes my skin glow. If I know I'm really going to want to look good in the morning, I'll pop a few drops of this on before I go to bed.

I haven't used the day cream quite as much yet, but I've really fallen for it as well. It has a thicker consistency than I'm used to in day creams - in fact, it feels quite similar to the texture/consistency of the Manuka Honey Mask. It feels amazing on the skin, but I do have to let it sink in for awhile before I put makeup on top. It's been one I've reached for without question on no-makeup days, though, and my skin has just been drinking it up.

The other skincare bit I got was the Mizon King to the Kong No. 1 Moist Magic Cream Mist. I was incredibly intrigued by this product because 1) I've been getting really into Korean skincare lately and 2) this is described as an actual moisturizer in mist form, rather than some kind of souped-up water. As you can see in the bottle, it looks quite milky. It's was a very odd experience to use it the first time, but I'm completely converted. It's so hydrating and soothing on the skin, so it's climbed its way up to the top of my list of favorite face mists (more on that in a post soon). This is great for days when I'm trying to simplify my skincare routine, because this is hydrating enough to take care of my soothing mist and serum step in one. Other brands should really jump on this moisturizer-as-mist idea. I'm having to remind myself to use my other face mists and not use this one up right away, but I just love it so much.

Lastly, I picked up a highlighter (surprise) called Lighting Crew Highlighting Cream by a brand called The Beauty Crop. I'll be real here and say I only picked this up because it was a highlighter (hello), it had a cute name, and there were pineapples on the packaging. This comes in a small tube that almost looks like a lip balm, and I've been keeping it out on my vanity because I like the packaging so much. The product inside is breathtaking - no wonder it's such a small size, because you really only need a dab of product and you're good for both cheekbones. It's a highly metallic, pink-toned cream (the color reminds me of Stila Kitten), and it's gooooorrrrgeous. I don't like to add extra letters to words in blogposts (insert clip of the joy-riding parking garage guy from Ferris Bueller's Day Off saying, "I'm a professional"), but I just can't help it with this. It's stunning. If you're not a fan of intense highlights you won't like this, but if you're all about that glow you need this product in your life. It's super creamy and blendable as well, but honestly I'd still be in love with it if it wasn't because the color is so majestic.

I apologize if my raving has gotten annoying, but I truly love everything I ordered. I'm definitely going to be perusing the Urban Outfitters beauty "aisles" some more now - they've got the most interesting brands stocked there and I basically want one of everything.

Have you checked out any beauty bits from Urban Outfitters before?

BECCA Ombre Rouge Eye Palette - Review & Swatches

September 08, 2015 in Makeup

Ever since I first tried the Shimmering Skin Perfectors, I've had a list of products from BECCA that I wanted to try forming in my mind. My first deviation from their highlighters has been the Ombre Rouge Eye Palette, and let me tell you it's got me wanting to try the whole line even more. I was a little interested they came out with the Ombre Nudes Palette a while ago, but the newer "Rouge" version is what really caught my attention. The warmer, redder tones just seemed so pretty and perfect for fall - even if I do have cool-toned skin.

The palette comes in slim plastic packaging with a secure closure and a large mirror, making it perfect for traveling. It contains five matte shades (although the second shade seems to be more of a satin finish), ranging from a pale nude to a warm, red-toned brown. I've been really into matte eyeshadows lately, so I was all over this. Although the range of shades might seem limited, it really is possible to create quite the variety of looks with this palette. My favorite look so far has been applying the second shade, a pinky/mauve brown, all over the lid with the third color, a medium warm brown, in the crease. The fourth color, a warm camel shade, also makes an excellent crease/transition color. The last shade, despite not being super dark, makes for a lovely eyeliner, adding subtle definition to the eye.

As with the other BECCA products I've tried, the formula is worth raving about. The shadows feel soft and creamy and are nicely pigmented. The third and fourth shades produce a little more powder than the rest when you dip your brush in, but it doesn't make a mess, and fallout is extremely minimal. I always apply an eyeshadow primer before my eyeshadow, and I haven't had any problems with these creasing. They'll last through a 9-hour workday and look exactly the same at the end of the day as they did when I applied them in the morning, and they'll keep on lasting until I take my makeup off before going to bed - so I'd say the longevity is really impressive. I think these shadows would look beautiful on all skintones - I feel like I have the palest, most cool-toned skin around, and they never look muddy or dirty on me. They'd also look nice on any eye color - they really bring out my brown eyes, but the soft red and purple tones of the shadows would also pair nicely with blue and green eyes. Now that I've tried this one, I've added the Ombre Nudes Palette to my wishlist - then I'd have a whole arsenal of shades to softly define my eyes.

Have you added this palette to your wishlist yet?

The Blemish Busters

September 05, 2015 in Skincare

Lately, my skin has been freaking out and I still have yet to figure out the reason why. Typically my skin is pretty well-behaved, my only gripes with it being occasional splotchy redness and its ability to scar for months whenever I do break out. But recently I’ve just been coming up in large pimples, so I had to quickly whip together a routine to quell them. My usual spots are those large, painful under-the-skin bumps. Whenever I feel one forming I just think, “here we go again,” to myself because they used to sometimes last months before disappearing. But now I just spring into action with this routine.

The first thing I always make sure I use while breaking out is the Pixi Glow Tonic. This is probably the most-mentioned skincare product on this blog, because it truly works wonders for me. I take it on an exfoliating cotton pad and really scrub at any deep-set spots. The gentle exfoliating acids help to unclog my skin in those areas and really help diminish the spot. I go over areas with whiteheads and smaller spots more gently, and I find it helps them disappear faster and not leave as bad of a scar. I can never be without this - in fact, I've been getting a little antsy that I only have about a quarter left. I need to order another bottle ASAP!

When my skin is in crisis mode, I tend to stay away from the masks in the fear of upsetting it more, but one I’ll always go to when breaking out is the Cremorlab Herb Tea Blemish Minus Calming Mask. It’s a sheet mask that’s soaked in an incredibly soothing essence. It gives the skin a shot of intense hydration and really calms my skin down. The mask actually shrinks the size of the giant under-the-skin lumps with one use, so it does really make them go away faster. This is one mask I always make sure I’m stocked up on.

If I have any smaller pimples or whiteheads, I apply a tiny amount of the Origins Super Spot Remover Acne Treatment Gel to them. It’s the only spot treatment that works for me. It doesn’t dry the spots out like other ones, and while it does sting at first, it goes away quickly. It's not a bad sting, but more of an "it's working" sting. This doesn’t work on the under-the-skin bumps, but it works a treat on other blemishes.

Another thing that’s been working wonders if I have a breakout is the Mizon All-in-One Snail Repair Cream* (full review). I have a feeling some skin dehydration may be linked to the appearance of these spots, so having an extremely hydrating cream like this is a must. But this one is special and perfect for angry skin because it’s a lightweight, almost gel texture. It really feels like it’s sinking in to nourish the skin without clogging or congesting anything. I treat this as more of a serum step, and continue with the last product after waiting about half an hour for this to really sink in and work its magic.

Lastly, I’ll apply some of the Sunday Riley Luna Sleeping Night Oil (full review). Some people have reported that this gets rid of their blemishes, but for me it doesn’t really. What it does do, though, is take out so much of the redness and swelling out of the bumps so come morning, they don’t look so bad.

After going through this routine every night since the appearance of a couple giant spots, they’ve already disappeared in a week, rather than lasting months and months like they used to. What products do you reach for when your skin is in crisis mode?