TULA Exfoliating Treatment Mask Review

November 05, 2015 in Skincare

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I love me some nice skincare products. Although I’m a serial makeup hoarder, I really do think that skincare is more important - if you’re not treating your skin the way it should be treated, then how do you expect your makeup to look the best it can over it? One of my favorite things to do a few times a week is to really pamper my skin and relax with a face mask. I’ve recently been trying out the TULA Exfoliating Treatment Mask*, and it’s been such a welcome addition to my routine.

If you’ve never heard of TULA before, they’re a brand sold on QVC that specializes in patented probiotic technology - using a combination of nature and science to make your skin the best it can be. The Exfoliating Treatment Mask is full of lovely ingredients, like lactic acid to chemically exfoliate and Bentonite Clay with beads containing Vitamin E, soybean oil, and volcanic sand as a physical exfoliant.

Exfoliating masks are definitely my favorite kinds of masks to use - they seem to have the most instant results, and their promises of brightening and glow-inducing ticks all the boxes for me.
Upon first application, this really reminded me of the Origins Original Skin Retexturizing Mask in that it’s a clay base with exploding beads. I love the Origins one, but I think I’ve just found its replacement. The TULA mask feels so much more nourishing on the skin, and I’m never left with a dry, tight-feeling face after washing it off. While some exfoliating masks really do the job of sloughing away that dead skin, they can leave my sometimes-sensitive skin a little red and flushed. The TULA mask never does that. Instead, it really soothes my skin and I notice less redness after I wash it off than when I first applied it.

It’s incredibly gentle, so if you usually steer clear of exfoliating or clay masks because of sensitive skin, maybe you should give this one a try. You only need to leave it on for 5 minutes to see results. I have a lot of masks I use depending on how my skin is feeling, and lately this has been pretty much the only one I’ve been reaching for. It really is everything I want in a mask - it purifies, exfoliates, nourishes, and soothes.

All of TULA’s products are also free of parabens, mineral oil, petrolatum, phthalates, and propylene glycol, and they also do not test on animals. After falling head over heels in love with this mask, I’m definitely going to have to try more from the brand.

Have you tried this mask? What’s your favorite exfoliating mask?

The New Face Routine

November 03, 2015

In my last Makeup Lately post, I admitted to getting incredibly lazy with my makeup. Since then, I’ve been working hard to motivate myself to put a little more effort in because although I know I don’t need makeup, it’s amazing how much better about myself and ready for the day I feel when I wear a little bit. I could easily have made this into another Makeup Lately post, but I haven’t exactly found an eye makeup groove yet. I have, however, found a new routine for my face makeup that I’m too excited about to wait to share.

Last week you may have seen me go a little crazy over the Smashbox Camera Ready BB Water - I wrote up a full review on Tuesday, and then it was featured in my October Favorites on Saturday. It’s my new light base love - you totally can’t feel it on your skin, but it gives the perfect amount of coverage and can also be layered. I like that it’s not over-the-top dewy, but it’s not matte either. It’s the perfect in-between finish that allows me to amp up the glow with illuminators or tone it down with powders. I’ve been so happy with the coverage it gives that I’ve been skipping concealer, which is quite shocking for me. I’ve got a lot of splotchy redness around my nose that I’ve always been quite self-concious of, but a second layer of the BB Water covers it right up.

I mentioned in my October Favorites that I’ve been trying to add a little contouring into my routine lately, and for that I’ve been solely reaching for the Kevyn Aucoin Creamy Glow Duo. It’s really easy to apply because of its cream formula, and the contour shade is spot on for me. It’s been helping my big square head look less like Spongebob Squarepants, so it’s a winner for me.

Another product I haven’t been able to shut up about is the Make Up For Ever Pro Bronze Fusion in 15I. I was never into bronzers before I used this, but now I can’t get enough. I don’t go a day without dusting a bit of this on my cheeks and temples now. I use the Real Techniques Blush Brush to apply it, and I really love the soft, glowing warmth it gives to my skin. It looks really natural too and never muddy, which is a feat in itself on my ghostly skin.

I may have gone without bronzer for most of my makeup life, but I could never be without highlighter. Lately the one I’ve been reaching for most is the Becca x Jaclyn Hill Shimmering Skin Perfector in Champagne Pop. I’ve spoken about this before, but it gives the most beautiful dewy glow to the skin. Despite its warm undertone, it doesn’t look weird on me, and it actually goes well with the bronzer. I recently picked up the Anastasia Beverly Hills Illuminator in Starlight though, so keep an eye out for my thoughts on that.

The only other thing I’ve been doing to my face every day is a bit of powder. With all the central heating going on now, my cheeks have been perpetually red, causing me to skip the blush. I’ve been using this sample of the Tarte Smooth Operator Amazonian Clay Finishing Powder that I actually quite like, despite not being a powder girl. I’ve just been dusting it on my T-Zone to keep oil at bay and set my makeup - it always wears off there first. This doesn’t feel cakey or look powdery on the skin, and it glosses over pores well.

What are your favorite face products?

October Favorites

October 31, 2015

I know everyone says this, but I seriously can't believe it's the end of October. I think I have such a hard time picking or narrowing down favorites for the month because the month just blows by so quickly. This month's favorites are a bit of a mix of old and new, as I've tried quite a few new bits this month, but was also taking care to "shop my stash" a bit.

There are surprisingly only two skincare favorites this month, so I'll start there. At the beginning of the month I tried a new lip balm and had a horrendous reaction to it - I woke up the morning after with my lips on fire, I got a nice red rash around my mouth, and my lips started peeling like crazy (nice). The thing that single-handedly allowed me to actually wear lipstick again was the Glossier Balm Dotcom. This was already my favorite lip balm ever, but its ability to sort out what was going wrong really secured its place at the top.

The only other skincare bit I think is worth mentioning this month is the Nourish Argan Skin Renew. I think I've finally settled into my perfect skincare routine for Autumn and Winter, so I haven't strayed from those products much. This really sorts out any dehydration and dryness I may be feeling without being clogging or greasy at all. I've been usually applying it at the end of my evening skincare routine every other night or so.

Now, onto the makeup. While I may not have been able to wear lip products for the first week of the month, once I could I wore them like no tomorrow, changing it up every day. I fell in love with the Laura Mercier Creme Smooth Lip Colour in Milky Way this month as it's one of the most beautiful and unique shades I own - you can see it swatched in my Brown Lip Edit. I've been wearing it over the MAC Lip Pencil in Whirl, and they make such a great pair - they don't match perfectly, but the subtle pink tones of Whirl peek through Milky Way and make it even more unique. The formula of this lipstick is lovely as well - I really need to look into the other shades.

I've also found my holy grail liquid lipsticks this month in the OFRA Cosmetics Long Lasting Liquid Lipsticks. They're just so creamy and comfortable on the lips even though they set down to a matte finish and are extremely longwearing. I got four shades (which you can see swatched in my review), but the two I've been reaching for most have been Mocha, a pinky brown color, and Plumas, a mauve-y pink with shimmer.

For eyes I haven't been able to get enough of the NARS Duo Eyeshadow in Kalahari*. It's a nice alternative to true neutral browns as the shades are quite rosy in tone. They pair so nicely together and when I've worn eyeshadow this month, it's pretty much exclusively been this.

If you saw my Tips for Getting Out of a Rut post, you may have seen me mention my quest to put more effort into my makeup each day, starting with a bit of subtle contouring. For that, I broke out my old favorite Kevyn Aucoin The Creamy Glow Duo in the Sculpting/Candlelight shade. It's just the nicest cream formula that blends incredibly well, and the color of the contour side is just perfect for my skin. I've also fallen in love with bronzer this month (see this post) after buying the Make Up For Ever Pro Bronze Fusion in 15I. I've seen what a small dusting of this on my cheekbones, temples, and jawline can do for my complexion and now it's a staple in my routine.

Last but not least is a new favorite base product. I wrote a review of the Smashbox Camera Ready BB Water on Tuesday, and it's all love from me. I won't say too much since you can check the review for more information, but it's been a welcome addition to my collection, as it evens out my skin beautifully without fading halfway through the day.

What were your favorites this month?