The Five-Step Freshen Up

February 04, 2016 in Makeup, Skincare

Do you ever have one of those long days where you're just dying to freshen up? Right around that 2pm slump is when I feel the need for some kind of beauty pick-me-up most. When I'm feeling tired and drained, I find using a few key products really turn the day around and energize me again.

DRY SHAMPOO | When your hair's falling flat and feeling that midday slump just as hard as you are, a dry shampoo really comes in handy. I love the Herbal Essences Naked Dry Shampoo because I really like the invigorating minty scent - it actually feels cooling on your scalp, too. It really wakes me up, and out of all the dry shampoos I've tried, it soaks up excess oil best. Plus, it doesn't leave that annoying white cast in my hair or leave it feeling weighed down with product.

FRAGRANCE | I love using a light fragrance or body spray as a pick-me-up during the day - full-on perfumes feel too heavy for me at this point. Lately I can't stop spritzing myself with the Anese Hydrating Body and Hair Elixir* (full review). I've got the Marshmallow Pine scent, and it smells so, so nice - like a fresh open forest. Spraying this all over really lifts my mood, and since it's filled with skin-loving ingredients like witch hazel and aloe, it's doing some good too. Don't forget you can use the code kelseyanese to get $5 off!

FACE MIST | Nothing feels better after a long day than a nice rosewater facial spray to me. Lately I've been using the Herbivore Botanicals Rose Hibiscus Coconut Water Hydrating Face Mist. It's so soothing on the skin, and the coconut water makes it super hydrating as well - perfect for skin that probably drank up all your moisturizer hours ago.

NON-CLUMPING MASCARA | Sometimes it's not only your hair falling flat, but your lashes too. I find layering on a light coat of mascara works wonders. It's important to use a light formula so it won't clump up. My favorite for this (you probably already guessed it) is the Maybelline Full 'N Soft Waterproof Mascara. It's just so good at fanning out and separating the lashes that it layers perfectly over anything, fully reviving some possibly sad-looking lashes.

COMPLEXION-BRIGHTENING LIP | The last product I reach for to really liven myself up is a lip product in a bold (but not too bold) hue. These really bring life back to the face without being too over-the-top for everyday. Some favorites include the Kat Von D Everlasting Liquid Lipstick in Mother (a lovely pinky-mauve shade that'll stay put through dinner), the Laura Mercier Lip Glace in Wildflower (the prettiest strawberry pink gloss), the Revlon Colorstay Balm Stain in Adore (a longstanding favorite sheer "bitten" red), and the Maybelline Color Drama Lip Pencil in Keep It Classy (another nice pinky-mauve - also sorry, US readers).

With these five products, you're sure to feel like a better, perkier, more chipper version of you. What do you reach for when you're needing a pick-me-up?

The Beauty Haul

February 02, 2016 in Makeup, Skincare

So I know I've been going on and on about not buying more beauty products since I have rent to pay, but recently I got some money back from ShopStyle Collective, the website I use for my affiliate links. I figured since the money basically came from my blog, I might as well spend some of it on the blog!

I made a beeline to the Pixi website first - I've been dying to try some of the new Skintreats line. Plus, they had a 20% off promotion when I looked - score. I picked up the Rose Oil Blend and the Overnight Glow Serum, so keep an eye out for a full review on them in the coming months. So far though, I'm in love. The oil is so luxuriously rich and smells just like roses, and the serum is basically the famous Glow Tonic on steroids.

I also picked up a set of all eleven Tony Moly Sheet Masks (I only shoved three in the picture - all eleven made the photo a little cramped!) for only $10 from Amazon. An amazing deal, seeing as one of these costs $6 or $7 in Sephora. I've used the Avocado one so far and really loved it - I sense a repurchase on the cards.

Next I headed to the Sephora website. I decided against most of the things I mentioned in my Beauty Wishlist a couple weeks ago, just because I really can't justify yet another highlighter. I did pick up the Kat Von D Everlasting Liquid Lipstick in Lovesick though - it was actually in stock for once so I took it as a sign. Now that I've got all the shades I want from the line, I'll be doing a review on them soon.

The other thing that caught my eye on the Sephora website was the Sephora Favorites Give Me Some Nude Lip set. I love these little sets they put together, and they're always such a bargain. For $28 you get a full size NARS Lipstick in Dolce Vita (which is $27 on its own!), a full size Nudestix Lip + Cheek Pencil in Whisper ($24 itself), and minis of the Laura Mercier Creme Smooth Lip Colour in Milky Way, Marc Jacobs Poutliner Longwear Lip Liner Pencil in Prim(rose), and Tarte Tarteist Lip Paint in Namaste. It's been going in and out of stock frequently, so hopefully it's still available when I write up a review on these next week. The colors are a little paler than I would normally wear, but paired with a darker lip liner (like Prim(rose)), they'll work great.

The last thing I picked up was the L'Oreal True Match Lumi Cushion Foundation in Classic Ivory (N2). I've been so intrigued by cushion foundations lately, so I'm excited to test out this drugstore version. I love anything lightweight that's designed to give the skin a glow, so I've got high hopes for this one.

Have you picked up any new beauty bits lately?

January Favorites

January 30, 2016 in Makeup, Skincare, Fragrance

January has been a wild month full of change for me. I started a new job where I actually get to use the chemistry degree I worked so hard for, but as the company is about an hour and a half away from where I lived with my parents, I moved out for the first time and into an apartment with my boyfriend. I haven't had much time for beauty in all the craziness of packing up my life and relocating, but I managed to still find a few standouts for the month.

The thing I'm most excited about is the lipstick I made at the Bite Beauty Lip Lab (I wrote a post about my whole experience here). It's obviously the perfect shade in my opinion, because I picked it out. It's the ultimate dusty rose shade for my complexion - since my skin has so much pink in it, most dusty rose shades just look brown. But this has the perfect amount of pink in it for me. I had it made in the Luminous Creme formula which is absolutely gorgeous as well. For more details on what shades were mixed to make this color, check out the post about my trip to the Lip Lab.

Another makeup bit I fell head over heels for this month is the Lancome Hypnose Star Mascara. I had previously thought that I would never again buy a high end mascara, but here we are. After watching many, many Allana Davison videos and swooning over how pretty her eyelashes always looked, I took the plunge and ordered a tube when I got a Sephora giftcard for Christmas. I'm absolutely hooked - it fans out my lashes and makes them look so much fuller and thicker. And, as a plus, it lasts all day without smudging on me, despite it not being waterproof.

The last piece of makeup I've been loving this month is the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Diffused Light. If I did a December Favorites post, this would have shown up there. But two months in, and I'm still in love. I never used powder before this, but it really helps my makeup last a bit longer without mattifying my skin. It keeps the skin looking so radiant, which is always what I go for, and the subtle yellow shade helps to counteract the redness I've been getting in my cheeks.

For skincare I've been all about the newly-released Glossier Milky Jelly Cleanser - I've only been using this for a couple weeks, but it's already earned its place in a favorites roundup. This is seriously the best face wash I've ever used - never before has my skin felt so clean without a trace of tightness. And now that I don't wear waterproof mascara, it easily takes all my makeup off at night.

My last beauty favorite of the month has been the Narciso Rodriguez For Her Eau de Parfum. I pretty much begged and not-so-subtly hinted to my boyfriend to get me a bottle of this for Christmas. The bottle itself is beautiful, and it's got the most lovely scent - notes of musk, iris powder, rose petals, and benzoin balm. It smells floral, but in a totally different way than other floral perfumes I own (I'm sorry I can't describe it any better). It lasts such a long time on me, too.

What were your favorites this month?