Valentia Royal Rose Hydrating Serum

March 17, 2016

You may remember a couple weeks ago when I wrote up a review on the Valentia Ultra Plumping Hydration Mask and True Glow Eye Cream. It was pretty much a complete rave, and I was so happy to have found out about the brand. Today I'm back with another one of their lovely products, the new Royal Rose Hydrating Serum.* And spoiler alert: I'm in love again.

Like the other products I've tried from the brand, it totes a number of impressive ingredients. First is Rose Damascena, known for its ability to balance and moisturize the skin. It's also got Rosehip Seed Oil, which is a well-loved favorite of mine - my skin loves just about anything with this oil in it. It also contains Niacinamide (Vitamin B), which helps fade any hyperpigmentation. It seemed like it was just made for me.

It comes in a lovely little glass bottle with a pump, and this time, it dispenses the perfect amount of product. I typically do one pump for my whole face, but if my skin's feeling especially dry I'll go for one and a half or two.

I've been using it twice daily, morning and night, and can happily report it's been working wonders for my dehydrated skin. Like I said, my skin really responds well to rosehip oil, so this leaves my skin feeling juicy and plump. Since I started using it, I've noticed my skin stays hydrated for longer throughout the day - I've been using my hydrating facial sprays less during the day because my skin simply hasn't been feeling tight at all. The serum feels ultra lightweight on the skin, so I feel like it would be a great addition to your skincare routine, whether you're oily or dry. My skin has a tendency to get a little congested and clogged if something's too heavy or rich, and I haven't had any problems like that with this serum whatsoever.

So all in all, it's another pure winner from Valentia. It's got me wanted to try more from their line! Have you tried this serum?

This post has been sponsored by BrandBacker, but all opinions are my own. See my disclaimer for more info.

The Five-Minute Face

March 15, 2016

Just recently I spoke about what I was wearing on my face on a typical day, but lately I've switched it up yet again. My previous routine was starting to take a little too long for my liking, and I started to prefer to spend a little extra time in bed. I almost regret picking the mattress that we did - it's so comfortable that I pretty much never want to get up. Anyway, I've been reaching for a different set of products to make me look awake and fresh, but it only takes about five minutes to slap on. An extra ten minutes in bed? I'm in.

I haven't been using any skin products except for the Clarins Instant Concealer recently. This little baby is quite well-loved, as you can see by all the writing having worn off the tube. This offers good coverage without being cakey or drying, and it spreads quite easily over the skin. I like dotting it on my problem areas: under my eyes, on my chin, and around my nose, and then blending it out all over. Who needs foundation, anyway?

My brow routine hasn't changed: a slick of the Glossier Boy Brow (I'm dangerously low on this and need to reorder pronto) to fluff things up and then a quick scribble of the Anastasia Brow Wiz to fill in any areas that are still looking sparse - for me, it's mostly the tails of my brows. This combo gives the most effortless and feathery looking brows, and I can't see myself finding anything else to use anytime soon.

For eyes I've been using a new addition, the Wander Beauty Exquisite Eye Liquid Shadow in Bronze. It comes in a little tube with a doe-foot applicator, so it's super easy to slick on and then blend out with a finger. It blends really well too - sometimes liquid shadows can be notoriously patchy or sticky, but this is neither. The shade is spot-on as well as a perfect everyday bronze. After a quick curl of my lashes, I apply a coat or two of the Lancome Hypnose Star Mascara - I'm still obsessed with this stuff.

All that's left is lips, and I actually usually just leave the house with my lip balm still on. Once I get to work I usually apply something else (especially as the balm has fully sunk in on my 45-minute drive in). I always go for something in a more neutral shade (what else) and that's hydrating. Lately I've been going for the Revlon Colorstay Balm Stain in Honey or the Nyx Butter Gloss in Angel Food Cake. Both are lovely and affordable picks for every day.

What products do you reach for to get your makeup done quickly?

The Birthday Wishlist

March 12, 2016 in Makeup, Lifestyle

My motto around these parts tends to be, "When in doubt, write a wishlist." I was having trouble thinking of a post idea for today, but I decided with my birthday coming up in less than a month (mark your calendars, it's April 3rd, people!), it was the perfect time to write up a wishlist post.

The first thing on my list is something that I'm pretty sure has appeared in every wishlist post I've written so far - the Tom Ford Skin Illuminating Duo in Moodlight. It came out almost a year ago, and I'm still drooling over it. That must mean it's justifiable, right? Another glowy bit I've mentioned in a wishlist before is the Becca Backlight Priming Filter. I've been intrigued by this since it came out, being a lover of glowy bases and all, but it was Faith's review on it last week that really has me feeling like I need to add it to my collection as soon as possible.

I haven't been into using blush much, but I've been replacing it with a bit of bronzer to warm up my skin. I was super intrigued when the Milk Makeup line came out, and their Matte Bronzer really appeals to me. I love that you can just swipe it on, and it seems super easy. Another face bit I've been pining for is the Anastasia Beverly Hills Cream Contour Kit in Fair. I don't contour much, but I do like cream products for the cheeks a lot more than powders, so I think I'd get a lot of use out of it.

If you saw my Liquid Lipstick Roundup post on Thursday, you'll know I'm absolutely obsessed, especially when they come in neutral colors. The one I can't get out of my mind at the moment is the Stila Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick in Baci. It looks like the perfect greige-pink, and I haven't tried Stila's liquid lipsticks yet so I'm really curious. Let's hope it comes back in stock soon. Another lip product on my list is the NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Bahama. I've always swatched this in Sephora and loved how it looked, but seeing Vivianna Does Makeup and Lily Pebbles rave about it recently has really got me wanting it.

For skincare, I've really been loving the bits I have from both Pixi and Kiehl's lately, so there's a couple things from them I've really been wanting to pick up. First is the Pixi Glow Mud Cleanser. I've seen this compared to the Oskia Renaissance Cleansing Gel, and seeing as that's pretty hard to come by in the US, I'm dying to try the Pixi one. I'm feeling pretty "meh" about my selection of cleansers right now and really feel like I could use something like this that'll really dig deep and cleanse out my pores. From Kiehl's, I've been trying a sample of the Midnight Recovery Concentrate and have fallen in love (like everything else I've tried), so I'd love to get the full size to continue using. I feel like I really woke up with plump, hydrated skin whenever I used this the night before.

I'm also going to be asking for some Brandy Melville sweaters, and basically anything baggy and gray. What kinds of things are on your wishlists?