• Home
  • About
    • Makeup
    • Skincare
    • Baby
    • Books
    • Food
    • Music
    • Pregnancy
    • Style
    • Tips
    • Wedding
  • Links
  • Blog
Menu

Beauty by Kelsey

  • Home
  • About
  • Beauty
    • Makeup
    • Skincare
  • Lifestyle
    • Baby
    • Books
    • Food
    • Music
    • Pregnancy
    • Style
    • Tips
    • Wedding
  • Links
  • Blog

beauty, lifestyle, and
a little bit of everything

Shop My Shelf
Follow

Featured posts:

Featured
Oct 29, 2024
Things I’m Loving 10.29.24
Oct 29, 2024
Oct 29, 2024
Oct 22, 2024
What Was a Harder Transition: 0-1 or 1-2 Kids?
Oct 22, 2024
Oct 22, 2024
Oct 15, 2024
Things I'm Loving 10.15.24
Oct 15, 2024
Oct 15, 2024

INSTAGRAM: @DADMUNK

My handsome boys! Today’s post on the blog is my experience with the transition from 1-2 kids vs the transition from 0-1 - link is in my bio 💙
Do you have 2+ children? What transition was the hardest for you?
Current go-to’s 🤎
I have a new post up on the blog today and have been putting them up every Tuesday if you haven’t caught it in my stories! I’m hoping blogs will make a comeback because I really love writing about all my favorites
Medication and therapy changed my life and helped me be the kind of mom my boys deserve. Check in on your friends and loved ones, and don’t be afraid to ask for help. You are not a burden. Signed, a confident second-time mom who struggled with
What’s the feeling called when you’re exhausted but your heart is so full it could burst? 🤍 #weekenddump

Best of Body Care

January 24, 2018 in Skincare

I don't talk about body products enough, but this winter my skin sure has taken a beating. I've been slathering myself in all kinds of oils and lotions in a desperate attempt to keep my skin smooth and flake-free. Here's what's been keeping the rest of me from turning into a lizard.

In the shower, I like to make sure I slough off any leftover dead skin and then wash with oils instead of drying soaps. I've been using the Meant Wonder Polish* since the summer, and it really gets the job done. It buffs away dead skin using coffee grounds and has an uplifting, citrus-y scent that actually blends with the coffee in a nice way. My one complaint is that I have the hardest time trying to squeeze it out of the tube, but once I get there, it's great. For in-shower oil washes, I turn to both L'Occitane and Glossier. I've always loved the L'Occitane Almond Shower Oil, hoarding samples of it every time Sephora offered them as 100-point perks, and I was sent the full size when working with L'Occitane over the holidays. I haven't cracked into it yet (because of the hoard of samples), but I'm so excited to. It feels so rich and moisturizing on the skin, and it smells like sweet almonds. The Glossier Body Hero Daily Oil Wash is similar, but it feels a little bit lighter and froths/lathers up more. It also has the most beautiful orange blossom neroli scent. I prefer the feeling of the L'Occitane but the smell of the Glossier, so I keep them both in the shower and use whichever one I'm feeling that day.

My legs are extra extra dry (to the point they get so itchy I'm in tears and scratch them until they bleed), so I always like to layer a body oil with a body cream. The order of application depends on the consistencies of the products I'm using. I love using the Fresh Rice Dry Oil* first thing out of the shower. It sinks in immediately and leaves me feeling moisturized, but not greasy. I also like the Meant Absolute Balm* - like the Wonder Polish, it takes a little bit of work to get it out of the tube, but it's so incredibly nourishing on the skin. This one is a bit heavier, so I like using it as a last step and lounging around in my robe to let it sink in.

I've got multiple favorites when it comes to creams, too. My first love was the Too Cool For School Egg Mellow Body Butter - this was originally sent to me by the brand, and I loved it so much I've since repurchased two tubs. It smells amazing (I can't put my finger on the scent, really, but it's a mixture of sweet and floral I think), and it feels super moisturizing without being heavy. It is a bit heavier than my other favorite, but it doesn't leave me feeling like I can't move/put my clothes on. My other favorite is the Glossier Body Hero Daily Perfecting Cream, of course. This one is lighter on the skin and sinks in instantly. It also leaves a beautiful glow that will be lovely come summertime when I actually have some skin showing and am not bundled up in 7000 layers at all times. It smells just as good as the Oil Wash, but maybe a bit lighter.

There's also a few extras I've been loving lately. Like I just said, every inch of skin stays covered throughout winter, but looking at the state of my pasty limbs can still get me a bit down. I've taken to mixing a couple drops of the Tan Luxe The Body Illuminating Self-Tan Drops* into my body lotion for a subtle glow. It doesn't make a stark change to my skintone like other fake tans would do, and that's what I love about it. It just makes me look a little more glowy and healthy. I've also been slathering myself in the Fur Oil* after shaving. It's a great blend of oils meant to condition your hair *down there* but I've been loving it all over my legs, too - it really helps to cut down on the itch after shaving. I've also been testing out their Ingrown Concentrate*, which is just the cutest little bottle ever! I'll report back once I try both of these more. I really admire the brand's message, and so far I'm loving the products.

What are your favorite body products?

Products marked with an asterisk 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 Best Foundation for Dry Skin | Cover FX Natural Finish Foundation

January 23, 2018 in Makeup

For most of December I was pining away for a new foundation - I didn't necessarily need one, as I have two acrylic drawers full of them, but I just was feeling something fresh and new. I was intrigued by all the new ultra high-coverage options coming on the market, even though I typically never wear anything above a light coverage. I starting poring over Sephora's foundation page and reading all the descriptions, and I ultimately went with something that's been around for awhile and that I hadn't heard much hype on: the Cover FX Natural Finish Foundation.

The Cover FX Natural Finish Foundation boasts a range of 40 shades with four different undertones. The naming system is very easy to follow - a letter to signify the undertone (Pink, Neutral, Golden, and Golden Plus) followed by a number to signify the depth of the shade. I matched myself to P10, and I think it's probably the best foundation match I've ever had. It's an oil-free foundation with a hydrating formula that's meant to give a radiant, skin-like finish. It sounded right up my alley, really. 

Upon first squeezing it out of the tube, I was surprised and a little worried about how thick it felt - it felt like a thick cream. But once I applied it to my skin, it instantly seemed to thin out and spread so easily. A little goes a long way, and it blends beautifully. It gives a medium coverage right off the bat but does layer well if you wanted a fuller coverage. I was wary of amping up my usual level of coverage, thinking it would look and feel heavy on my skin, but this one doesn't at all. It feels practically weightless, and it looks undetectable on the skin. It is amazing for blurring over imperfections like mild texture and flaky breakouts - it doesn't even cling to those! It's basically flawless skin in a tube.

Longevity for me is great as well - it lasts through the whole day on me without breaking up. I will note that it gets a bit shiny on my T-Zone, so if you have anything near an oily skintype, you'll probably want to stay away. But if you're dry and you've been looking for something that won't catch on your dry patches, this is it.

I've documented before how much I love mixing products to get a whole new formula, and that's been no different with this. So far I've loved mixing it with the bareMinerals Complexion Rescue to sheer it out a little bit - it makes it the perfect everyday base. I've also tried mixing it with the Fenty Foundation, which extends its life even more and helps fix that shiny T-zone issue. 

I think I've found a hidden gem here for sure - I'm not sure why I don't hear more people raving about this!

What's your favorite foundation?

This post contains affiliate links.


Glossier Solution is Here | First Impressions, Overview, & Discount

January 17, 2018 in Skincare

Glossier has been hinting at its latest skincare product for the past few weeks, and now it’s finally here. Meet Solution, Glossier’s new liquid exfoliant. I love how they’re slowly adding to their skincare line, starting with the bare necessities and slowly beefing it up. Solution is their second foray into serious skincare, coming with drug facts on the outer foil packaging like the sunscreen did. This time the product is a blend of acids to treat acne, redness, texture, clogged pores, and uneven tone. It promises to do all this plus give the skin that signature Glossier Glow. The magic behind Solution is the powerful combination of acids. It’s a 10% AHA/BHA/PHA formula, so it really gets down to business treating the skin. I've only had the product for a few days, so this will be an overview, and a full review will come in a few weeks.

Let's break down the acids included in Solution: AHAs, or alpha hydroxy acids, are hydrophilic (attracted to water) molecules that work to break down the bonds between skin cells to aid in exfoliation. The most commonly used AHAs are lactic and glycolic acids, both of which are in Solution. They work best to brighten dull skin and aid in reducing dark spots.

BHAs, or beta hydroxy acids, on the other hand, are lipophilic (attracted to oil), so they can penetrate deeper into the pores and clear out debris. This makes them powerful against acne. The most stable is salicylic acid.

PHAs, or poly hydroxy acids, are a new find for me, and they basically behave in a similar fashion to AHAs, but the molecules are larger, meaning they do not penetrate the skin as much. This makes them a great gentler option. They cause less irritation and also work as anti-inflammatories. When used in conjunction with other acids, PHAs increase their efficacy. The PHA used in Solution is gluconolactone, which is a naturally-occurring compound in skin cells.  

In addition to the acids, Solution also contains what Glossier calls an "anti-stress" complex to keep the formula gentle and reduce irritation. This complex refers to a blend of aloe, glycerin, and niacinamide.

I for one am a huge fan of acids in skincare - I much prefer chemical exfoliation to physical. As I said above, I’ve only been using Solution for a few days, so all I can give for now is my first impression. I've been using it every night right after cleansing by soaking a cotton pad with it (the pump-top packaging makes this so effortless) and sweeping it over my face and neck. The first few nights I used it I felt some mild stinging that went away after a few seconds, but by the fourth night that didn't happen anymore. Already I'm feeling like my skin is getting smoother, but I will update in a few weeks once I've used it more consistently!

As always, you can shop through glossier.com/reps/kelsey for 10% off your first order. If you're a returning customer, you can get free shipping when you order Solution plus Glossier's own cotton rounds (!!) and enter the code SOLUTION at checkout. The cotton rounds are currently backordered and will ship separately after 1/22.

Solution was sent to me by Glossier, but all opinions are my own. I earn commission on orders through my rep link.


Full Ingredients list: 

Active Ingredient: Salicylic Acid 0.5%

Inactive Ingredient(s): Aqua/Water/Eau, Sodium Hydroxide, Lactic Acid, Glycolic Acid, Gluconolactone, Propanediol, Ethoxydiglycol, Magnesium Chloride, Glycereth-7 Trimethyl Ether, Niacinamide, Betaine, Inositol, Citric Acid, Glycerin, Phytic Acid, Pentylene Glycol, PEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Caprylyl Glycol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Parfum/Fragrance, PEG-8, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Acetic Acid, Potassium Hydroxide.


Tags: glossier, glossier solution
Newer / Older
Back to Top

email: kdadmun92@gmail.com
copyright © 2020 Beauty by Kelsey