Jordan Samuel Skin: I'm Already Hooked

October 19, 2017 in Skincare

Lately I've been seeing products from Jordan Samuel Skin popping up all over Instagram, and that beautiful minimal packaging really had me interested. Hearing raves from my friends and also looking into a background of the brand meant I basically needed to make an order. And after using the products for only a week, I can tell you I'm already hooked.

Jordan Samuel Skin stood out to me because of the brand's backstory. Jordan Samuel is a former professional dancer with Pacific Northwest Ballet, and he says that's what started his passion for skincare. He wanted to take care of his skin and protect it from the heavy makeup, sweat, and stage lights. Being a former dancer myself (though not anywhere near professional), I instantly needed to see what it was all about.

To introduce myself to the brand, I decided to try two products. The Hydrate Facial Serum uses Hyaluronic Acid, stabilized Vitamin C, and hexapeptides to keep the skin hydrated all day long. It also contains cucumber, tamarind, and passion flower extracts to up the dew factor and comfort the skin. It's thin in consistency but has a nice cushion on the skin as you press it in. You can instantly feel it drenching the skin in moisture, and it plumps the skin as well. It feels so refreshing, so it's been my favorite to use in the mornings when my skin is feeling a little stressed and puffy. It's quickly risen to the top of my "favorite hydrating serums" list (yes, even beating out Glossier Super Bounce!).

The other product I got was the etOILe Facial Oil. I was super intrigued by this because Amelia was always singing its praises. I love using facial oils, but most of the ones I use are just a single ingredient. This one is a blend of a whole bunch of skin-loving oils, containing Sweet Almond, Cranberry Seed, Argan, Marula, Evening Primrose, Rosehip, and Seabuckthorn oils, as well as Vitamin E and Squalane. This nourishes my skin and makes it glow like no other. I love the results so much that I can't help but use it morning and night - good thing it's very decently priced! It sinks into the skin quickly and doesn't leave it feeling greasy at all, and a little goes a long way. I usually need about five drops of a facial oil to make it feel like I've covered my whole face, but a mere two or three drops of etOILe is enough. I'm dying to try the version with retinol next!

Have you tried anything from Jordan Samuel Skin?

Makeup for Engagement Photos

October 18, 2017 in Makeup

A couple weeks ago, Brett and I had our engagement photos taken, and I wanted to write up a post about the makeup I decided to wear. I wanted to go for a fresh, rosy, and romantic look, and I had originally wanted to change my lipstick from a nude to a red halfway through (which didn't happen). That's the kind of look I go for most days anyway, but I added in a few special products to really mark the occasion. I also had to make sure I picked products that would last well, as I had to apply it at home and then drive an hour and a half to my hometown to get the photos done - for some reason my makeup never stands a chance in the car!

I started off with a healthy dose of the Glossier Priming Moisturizer Rich. I love using both of Glossier's moisturizers under makeup, and I picked the Rich version because it has more of a velvety finish on the skin. Plus I was hoping it would keep my skin hydrated on the car ride. My go-to for everyday is the Glossier Perfecting Skin Tint, but I wanted a bit more coverage for photos (and my skin was breaking out horribly from eating lots of junk food at a fair the week before). I mixed the Skin Tint with the Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation, and it proved to be such a beautiful combination. It had the longevity and flawlessness of the Luminous Silk, but the skinlike quality and glowing finish of the Skin Tint. For concealer I went with the Milk Makeup Flex Concealer - it just never cakes up on me no matter what. This went on my dark circles and on any areas of general redness. I then went in and spot concealed with the Kevyn Aucoin Sensual Skin Enhancer. It's so time consuming, but I'd much rather wear a light base and spot conceal then wear a full-coverage foundation. I set the center of my face with Glossier Wowder, and I tossed it in my bag to keep any forehead shine at bay.

For my brows, I of course started with Glossier Boy Brow in Brown. I just always need this to enhance my brows. I then filled in any sparse areas with the Milk Makeup Gel Brow - I had forgotten how much I loved this brow pencil. My only complaint is that it's really soft so I have to sharpen it a lot, but it really gives a super fluffy, feathery brow look. For eyes I debated for literal weeks, and in the end I went with the Tom Ford Eye Color Quad in Nude Dip. I figured it had the perfect amount of rosiness but was still neutral enough for me to not regret in a few years. I used the top right rosy shade all over my eyelids, the bottom left taupe shade on the outer third, and the deep brown to subtly enhance my outer corners and lower lashline. I tightlined and added a small wedge on my top lashline with the Colourpop Creme Gel Eyeliner in Brew-Haha - this is still a holy grail product for me, and I've gone through so many already. I really wanted my lashes to pop, but didn't want to wear fake eyelashes (my eyes have been crazy sensitive lately), so I opted for a layer of lash primer under my mascara. My favorite primer + mascara duo is the Givenchy Base Mascara Perfecto* and Noir Couture 4 in 1 Mascara.* It gave the perfect fluttery, fanned out, dramatic effect, and it didn't smear all over the place.

I had basically imagined my whole look around the Glossier Cloud Paint* in Puff - I knew I wanted really rosy, flushed cheeks, so I dabbed on a whole lot of this. These are pretty much foolproof, so even though I went in with quite a bit of product, I didn't end up looking clownish. I normally don't contour too much, but I wanted to add a little extra dimension to my face, so I went with the Fenty Beauty Match Stix Matte Skinstick in Amber. It's such a gorgeous ashy brown shade, and it creates such a natural-looking shadow on my skintone. It gives me instant cheekbones! I went over the contour and blended it into the blush using the BECCA Sunlit Bronzer in Bali Sands - this is another foolproof product. It looks quite shimmery in the pan, but on the skin it just leaves a gorgeous satin finish. It left me looking perfectly sunkissed and glowy. My highlight of course was Glossier Haloscope in Quartz. I wanted something that would show up in photos but not be too metallic or blinding, and Haloscope is the perfect product for that. I've seen a sneak peek of my photos, and there's one in particular where my cheekbone is lookin' pretty great.

As I said above, I was planning on starting with a nude lipstick and changing to a red halfway through, but I forgot to bring a mirror and wasn't going to risk red lipstick all over the place. For the nude, it had to be Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk. It's the prettiest, most perfect pinky nude shade that really defines the lips and adds life to my face rather than washing me out. I used both the Lip Cheat and the Matte Revolution Lipstick and patted it in for a more natural look. And if you're interested, the red I was going to use was the Tom Ford Lip Color Matte in Velvet Cherry.

What are your favorite products to use in photos?

I mentioned a lot of Glossier products, and you can get 20% off your first order my shopping through glossier.com/reps/kelsey. I do make a small commission on orders through my link, so if that makes you uncomfortable feel free to shop through their normal website!

*Products mentioned have been sent to me for consideration, but all opinions are my own. Please see my disclaimer for more information. This post contains affiliate links.

The Autumn Facial

October 17, 2017 in Skincare

Autumn is one of my favorite times of the year because it just feels so cozy. And that just makes me want to stay in and pamper myself. As the weather gets cooler, my skin gets drier, so I certainly need to amp up my skincare routine a bit. Usually my pamper days consist of two masks in a row, but when I'm going all out, I reach for three.

The first, and the product that really adds to the autumn theme here, is the Peter Thomas Roth Pumpkin Enzyme Mask. Autumn is this guy's time to shine. It's an exfoliating peel that sloughs off dead skin and leaves a glow like no other. It contains Pumpkin Enzymes and AHAs to chemically exfoliate and Aluminum Oxide Crystals to physically exfoliate. I don't tend to scrub it around much and just take advantage of the chemical exfoliants. It does tingle quite a bit while it's on, but it never irritates my skin. It truly leaves you with baby skin, and I've noticed it helps those big under the skin bumps clear up more quickly.

Since the first mask is a little intense, I like to reach for more gentle masks as my second and third steps. The second step is a purifying mask - once the exfoliating mask gets rid of all the dead skin cells, the second mask can get even deeper to really clean out your pores. My choice is always the Glossier Mega Greens Galaxy Pack. It feels quite cleansing on the skin without being stripping at all. I like that it doesn't dry down like traditional clay masks, so it feels gentle on the skin. It's definitely a good one to follow the Pumpkin mask.

The last product I like to use is a hydrating/nourishing mask. Usually I pair both Glossier masks together, but after the Pumpkin Mask, I still want something really soothing - honey masks are my go-to. My favorite is the I'm From Honey Mask. It's super creamy and contains 38.7% real honey. It's such a great all-rounder - it's deeply nourishing and soothing, but the natural antibacterial quality of honey helps to also cleanse the purify the skin. It's such a great way to end this little pamper session, and my skin is always totally baby smooth and clean afterward.

Do you ever do multiple masks in one session? What are your favorites to use together?