"No Blush" Blush

November 22, 2016 in Makeup

I've been getting really into blush lately, though there's a catch - it's more of a "no blush" blush look. My cheeks tend to get super rosy throughout the day (thanks to those Irish genes), so I'm afraid beautiful bold blush will never be for me. I've instead been going for nude shades and a mauve or two - they don't add anything to my natural rosiness, but rather add some definition and just make the rosiness look intentional when it does pop up.

Clinique Cheek Pop, 'Nude Pop' | This is the blush that started my obsession with this look. I had been really into neutral pink blushes, but once I got this baby my eyes were opened to the world of truly nude blushes. It's a warm brown shade with just a hint of pink that keeps it out of bronzer territory, but it really warms up the skin like a bronzer would. It's just gorgeous.

Guerlain Terracotta Bronzer + Blush Duo | So this really does fit into the "no blush" look, as it's not a blush at all. It's a bronzer with a small sliver of blush, but I figured it could fit here because when I wear this, I swirl both colors together to give more of a rosy bronze look. This is just beautiful - I can tell now why the Terracotta Bronzers are so hyped up.

Burberry Light Glow Natural Blush, 'Earthy Blush No. 7' | I finally gave in to the Earthy Blush, and it's what inspired me to write this post. Burberry has the most beautiful powder products, and this lives up to the other products I've tried. It's a perfect nude color that adds the best hint of definition to the cheeks that I've found. If you're super pale like me, this makes for a great bronzer/contour as well depending on your placement.

Charlotte Tilbury Cheek to Chic, 'First Love' | This is one of my favorite ever blushes because it's truly the perfect neutral pink. When swirled together, the two shades create the loveliest nude pink that adds the most perfect flush that doesn't actually make me look too red. It's basically magic.

NARS Blush, 'Impassioned' | Impassioned is truly a beautiful blush shade, and I'm really glad that NARS brought it back. It's a pale mauve that doesn't look like much when swatched, but it really brings the skin to life. It goes with absolutely any look, and is a pretty good alternative to the sadly discontinued Douceur - it's just a tad cooler in tone.

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush, 'Mood Exposure' | This is the deepest shade of the blushes here when swatched, so I need to tread lightly for my fair skin. But this nude mauve color is simply stunning. These Hourglass blushes are some of my favorites as well - they're perfect for adding a soft radiance to the skin that isn't overloaded with shimmer.

What's your favorite "no blush" blush? Or do you like a bolder cheek color?

The Brighter Skin Guide

November 18, 2016 in Skincare

One of my biggest struggles with my skin is dullness. No matter how much water I drink or how much sleep I get, it still always looks a little lackluster to me. As a result, I've become quite the collector of brightening skincare, so I thought I'd put together a handy little guide of my favorite products from different categories, depending on what step of your skincare routine you'd like to get your brightening from.

CLEANSER | I typically don't look to my cleansers to do any brightening for me, so I only actually have one at the moment that would fall into this category. The Farmacy New Day Gentle Exfoliating Grains* is a powder that you can mix with water (or another cleanser - I love mixing it with the Glossier Milky Jelly) to create a mild scrub that gently polishes away dead skin. It feels so refreshing in the morning and leaves my skin glowing, but not red. If your skin is typically too sensitive for manual scrubs but you've been wanting to try one anyway, I'd start here.

TONER | I couldn't talk about my favorite brightening products without mentioning the Pixi Glow Tonic, now could I? I've been through countless bottles of the stuff, and I can always tell a difference when I go a few days without it. I typically use this at night and wake up to super glowy and peppy skin. When used consistently, I've definitely noticed it evening out my skintone and clearing up old acne marks.

ESSENCE | While the concept of essences is no longer new to me, I'm only just getting around to using them consistently in my routine. They're meant to be used after a toner to help drive other products into the skin better and will help hydrate (and usually brighten) the skin over time. I love the Cremorlab Mineral Treatment Essence - it's a cult product for a reason. I've really noticed it helping how hydrated my skin stays throughout the day. This one is specifically a favorite because it's so effective and yet so gentle. It uses thermal mineral water to hydrate and nourish the skin as well as floral extracts and niacinamide to brighten.

MASKS | Masks are where I do the bulk of my brightening, so this is going to be the beefiest paragraph of this post. I typically go for some kind of AHA or enzyme mask to chemically exfoliate and brighten the skin. For nighttime I'll go for more heavy-duty masks - they can leave my skin a little flushed, so I'd prefer to give my skin the night to recover. My favorite heavyweights are the Peter Thomas Roth Pumpkin Enzyme Mask (review) and The Godmother Mask* from Complex Beauty (review). They're both pretty similar - they smell like pumpkin pie and really pack a punch is sloughing off dead skin. I still love using effective products in the morning, but they're usually a bit gentler. They're perfect for a morning after a late night. For a rushed morning I'll use the Blithe Energy Yellow Citrus & Honey Patting Water Pack (review) - it literally takes 15 seconds in the shower, so there's really no excuse not to use it. It instantly smooths out the skin. I also love the Rose Glow Mask* from Complex Beauty - it's a cooling gel mask that mixes the gentle hydration of rosewater with the brightening prowess of glycolic acid. This feels pretty gentle on my skin because of the rosewater, so I can use it in the morning without redness. I also really really love the Tata Harper Resurfacing Mask. I use this one interchangeably in the morning and at night, but it really shines in the morning. This will give you an instant "just had a facial" glow - this would be my first choice before a big event.

VITAMIN C SERUM | One of my skin's favorite brightening ingredients is Vitamin C. Maybe it's because it just makes my skin feel like the equivalent of drinking a big glass of orange juice in the morning, but I think I definitely see a difference in the brightness and radiance of my skin. When I need the big guns, I go directly for the Drunk Elephant C-Firma Day Serum. This stuff is seriously amazing and I'd recommend it to anyone. I don't typically use it every morning but rather alternate it with the Glossier Super Glow Serum* (review), which is a gentler option. This also has magnesium to energize and brighten. As long as I use one of these in my morning routine, I know I'll be looking glowy and bright all day long.

MOISTURIZER | I usually go for glow-inducing moisturizers rather than actual brightening ones (although Sunday Riley's Tidal* is a perfect one for that - I unfortunately totally forgot to include it in the photo). My two favorites as of late have been the Glossier Priming Moisturizer (shocker, I know) and the Tata Harper Illuminating Moisturizer. I won't harp on about the Glossier one because I mention it in as many posts as possible and it truly is my favorite daytime moisturizer. But if you're looking for a glow without shimmer, you need it. The Tata Harper is a newer addition and I'm absolutely loving it. It has actual diamond dust infused into it and has a soft warm golden tone to it - it really works to add an incredible radiance to the skin. I will say though that it has a rather strong herbal smell that lingers, so be wary of that. It doesn't bother me though, and while it's not knocking my Glossier off the top spot, it's still my go-to when I wake up to really dull and lackluster skin.

Thanks for sticking around if you're still here - I love me some brightening skincare, so I couldn't really help but write a novel here. I wouldn't use all these products at once, but I thought going through my favorites from each category would be helpful so I could have suggestions whether you wanted to get your brightening in with a mask or moisturizer.

What products do you reach for on dull skin days?

Get 20% off your first Glossier order here!

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

Sephora VIB Rouge Sale Picks: Lips

November 17, 2016 in Makeup

I'm back with the rest of my rather extravagant VIB Sale haul - you can see the face bits I picked up in the sale here. After I ordered the things I talked about on Tuesday, I thought about how many lip products I've had on my wishlist and somehow justified ordering four of them. They're all nudes, which I'm sure you're super surprised about (not).

The first one I got was the Surratt Beauty Lipslique Lipstick in Nu de Soleil. I'm on a bit of a Surratt kick lately (see my first impressions of other products here), and when I saw Estee Lalonde haul this shade I knew I needed it. It's quite a warm brown-y nude, but it's a sheer formula so it only adds a wash of that warmth. It looks so pretty on the lips, even on my cool-toned skin, and it's just the perfect fall nude. The formula of these is insane - it feels so luxurious and creamy on the lips, adding a glossy sheen without being sticky or tacky whatsoever. I'm going to need every color now, please (top of my list is Bandy - I would have gotten it instead of this one but it was sold out during the sale and it's taking all my self control to not order it right now since it's back in stock).

I also decided I needed one of the Guerlain KissKiss Creamy Satin Finish Lipsticks - I've had them on my list to try out ever since I read Eva Alt's Top Shelf on Into the Gloss. She just seems like the coolest ever, and I want basically everything she writes about on ITG. She didn't mention what color she uses, so I just looked up swatches and ended up getting Rosy Boop (369). I thought the name was cute and it's such a pretty pink shade - a bit different than the shades I normally go for. This adds the prettiest pink glow to the lips, and I just can't get enough of it. I'm wearing it on my lips in the picture I posted of my new tattoo on Instagram. It has a bit of shimmer in it, but it only makes the lips appear fuller, not frosty. It also has hyaluronic acid to help plump up the lips, and I really do notice a slightly (really, really slightly) fuller appearance without any stinging. I definitely think I've started a dangerous Guerlain obsession with the Terracotta bronzer from Tuesday's haul and now this.

T-B: Surratt Nu De Soleil, Guerlain Rosy Boop, Buxom Hot Toddy, The Estee Edit Sunday Vibe

I mentioned yesterday that the Glossier Lip Gloss got me back into lip glosses - so much so that I actually bought another one! I had had the Buxom Full-On Lip Cream in Hot Toddy on my wishlist since seeing Faith post about it a while ago. Everyone talks about White Russian so I'm sure I'll get that one soon, but I was really into these warm nude shades this time around. This gives such a beautiful glassy sheen to the lips without being sticky, and it feels super minty and nice on my lips. If every lip gloss formula was this nice, I'd be a regular lip gloss wearer.

The last lipstick I got was a bit of an impulse buy - I saw this photo on The Estee Edit's Instagram and decided all my problems in life would be solved if I just had this lipstick (not really, but I really liked how it looked). I wasn't even sure if the person in the picture was wearing anything on her lips, and frankly, that's what sold me. I picked up the Mattified Lipstick in Sunday Vibe and oh Mylanta is it something special. The formula is lovely, and it reminds me a lot of the Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution Lipsticks - super creamy and comfortable on the lips, but definitely matte. The shade is a gorgeous pinky nude that's just an enhanced version of my lips. I've been patting it into my lips pretty much every day since I got it.

So that's it for my Sephora haul! I'm pretty much drowning in new skincare at the moment so I actually was able to restrain myself on that front. Like I said at the end of Tuesday's post, please please PLEASE leave links to your haul posts/videos below, they're some of my favorites to read/watch!