Falling (Back) in Love with Dior

September 20, 2016 in Makeup

Although I haven't been too successful with my spending ban, I've still been making an effort to go through my collection and pull out old favorites. Lately I've fallen back in love with some bits from Dior, from my once holy grail foundation to some beautiful (and hyped-up) lip products.

Diorskin Nude Skin-Glowing Makeup | If you've been reading this blog for awhile you might remember when I went crazy for this. I recently started wearing it again and I must say, it's such a beautiful foundation. It has a medium coverage and a satin finish, but it really looks like skin. It gives the skin such a radiance without actually being shiny or greasy, so it lasts perfectly on me throughout the day without needing any touchups. I'm not sure why I ever stopped using this foundation, but it's made its way back into my daily routine.

Fusion Mono Eyeshadow, 'Meteore' | This is a more recent addition from the brand - I mentioned it in my Five to Try post last month. I had always thought these were cream shadows, but it's more of one of those "bouncy" cream/powder hybrids. The shade Meteore is a beautiful warm bronze that's perfect for everyday. On top of a primer it lasts all day long without creasing on me, which is pretty much a miracle in my book. If you haven't swatched these eyeshadows before, you have to.

Lip Glow | This fancy lip balm has had such a hype around it for such a long time. It's a really nourishing lip treatment that adjusts to your body temperature/pH that results in your own customized shade of pink. It's perfect for minimal makeup days, as it adds such a brightness to the face while still looking like you're only wearing a balm. I've gone through over half of my tube, and I definitely see myself repurchasing this one.

Lip Maximizer | Another hyped-up lip product, the Lip Maximizer is a lip-plumping gloss. It doesn't feel sticky or goopy at all and instead feels rather nourishing and "cushion-y" on the lips. The lip-plumping properties are subtle but definitely there - it has a slight minty tingle so you know it's working, but it's not uncomfortable. Mine is the Beige Sunrise shade, but it's so sheerly pigmented that I'm sure all of the colors look very similar on the lips. I love wearing this one over a lip liner (usually MAC's Whirl) for an easy everyday lip.

What's your favorite product from Dior? What products have you re-discovered in your collection lately?

For When Your Skin Throws a Tantrum

September 17, 2016 in Skincare

In pretty much every post so far this month I've at least made a quick mention of what a pain my skin has been lately. I flew to Michigan for work at the end of August, and my skin has been paying the price ever since. Through lots of trial and error this month, I've found the products that have really been helping to soothe my skin and get it back to normal.

The Mask | I've wanted to do some kind of detox mask every day to just get all the gunk out of my skin faster, but I've refrained. I have found that the L'Oreal Detox & Brighten Pure Clay Mask has been working really well to vacuum out my pores. I've been using it a couple times per week and it keeps my skin decongested and has been helping clear breakouts. It also doesn't leave my skin feeling dry or tight which is a plus, as many clay masks will do that to my easily-dehydrated skin. It's a thick and creamy consistency that's easy to spread over the skin, but it is a bit of a pain to wash off. The results are worth the time though.

The Serums | I've already proclaimed my love for all three of Glossier's new serums, The Supers, here, but so far Super Pure has been the standout. It's a niacinamide and zinc serum that helps to calm redness and heal breakouts. It instantly feels cooling and soothing on my skin so I haven't been able to resist slathering a few drops on every night after washing my face. I wake up in the morning with less redness and less angry-looking spots, so I'm in love. The other "serum" is a little bit of an in-between product - I tend to use it more as an oil. The Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate has been hyped up for the longest time and for good reason. This is another product that feels nice and soothing on the skin due to the lavender oil it contains. It's really lightweight so it doesn't clog up the skin, but it's still as moisturizing as an oil. I love following this one up with a cream to lock everything in.

The Oils | I've got two oils I am loyal to when my skin is freaking out - an active one to help cure my skin's ailments and a gentle one when my skin just needs to be soothed. I'll never stop raving about the Sunday Riley Luna Sleeping Night Oil as it's been worth every bit of hype for me - I see instant results every time I use it. It gets rid of redness, reduces the size of my pores, and helps clear breakouts. The gentle oil I always run back to is the Indie Lee Squalene Facial Oil. It's so lightweight that it just smooths over the skin and starts getting the moisturizing done. No matter how my skin is feeling, this is one I turn to.

The Cream | I first found out how much my skin loves the Sunday Riley Tidal Brightening Enzyme Water Cream* when it's having a meltdown because I typically use it after the Luna oil. It has a cooling feeling as it's a gel-cream, so it feels quite soothing right away. It works perfectly in tandem with the Luna oil to even out the skin.

What products do you reach for when your skin is throwing a tantrum?

Remember you can shop through glossier.com/reps/kelsey for 20% off your first order! Details here.

*Product mentioned has been sent to me for consideration, but all opinions are my own. Please see my disclaimer for more information.

Urban Decay Naked Skin

September 15, 2016 in Makeup

I've mentioned a few times lately that I've been having a tough time with my skin. Normally the only problem I have with it is a little redness here and there, but this month it's been pretty rough My pores were blocked, my normal bits of redness had grown to huge splotches all over my face, and the painful cystic spots just keep popping up. Luckily I think this episode is ending, but for awhile I was scrambling to find products to help get my skin back to normal. A few weeks ago I went home for the weekend and my sister was just raving about the Urban Decay Naked Skin Weightless Complete Coverage Concealer she had just gotten, so I decided I needed to pick it up for myself too. And because I can't just buy one thing (it really is a problem), I picked up the newer Naked Skin Color Correcting Fluid in Yellow.

I've heard so many great things about the concealer, so my hopes were high. I've really been pleased with it. I used to love the NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer that everyone compares this to, but the Urban Decay offering is definitely a thinner liquid consistency and nowhere near as drying on the skin. The shade Fair Neutral is a perfect match for me and works on blemishes, redness, and undereye circles. It packs a good amount of coverage, perfecting the skin while still looking entirely natural. I'm hooked.

Since I love the formula of the concealer so much, it's only natural I'd love the corrector too. I picked up the yellow shade to help correct the redness in my super pale skin - I'm too pale for green correctors to work, but the yellow cancels out the redness quite well. It's of course not as pigmented as the concealer, which is a good thing because you'd just end up with big patches of color on your face. The yellow also actually works well on my undereyes, too. It really helps to brighten up the dark shadows I get under there, so while yellow wouldn't be the first choice for correcting undereye circles, it still works.

I like the apply the corrector as the first step in my makeup routine (after primer if I'm wearing one), blending it in with a damp sponge. Once everything is more neutralized, I go in with the concealer, again blending it in with the sponge. It leaves me with such perfected skin that I usually will just leave it at that and not go in with any foundation or anything. It doesn't have as dewy of a finish as I'm used to, but it never appears dry and it sticks around all day long.

Have you try any of the Urban Decay Naked Skin products?