Updated Fall Skincare Routine

Hi beauties! 
So I know that this is one of my favorite things to see; I figured I would post mine for all of you...my fall skincare routine! As the weather gets colder my skin gets crankier, being that my dry spots get drier and my oily spots break out. Lately, the updated products I've been using have been keeping my skin feeling smooth and looking happy and healthy.
Some of these products are old favorites, but the rest are brand new and I'm absolutley loving them.

Morning:
1) Cleanse! I've been using the Caudalie Instant Foaming Cleanser. I take 2 pumps of this and smooth it all over my face and neck, then I use my Clarisonic to give myself a really deep clean. This stuff doesn't have any soap content to it, which is great for my sensitive skin and keeping it from drying out, but the foaminess gives you that squeaky clean feeling. It foams when you pump it out of the bottle, so you don't have to work it into a lather, potentially irritating your skin. Basically, this stuff is magic and it's fabulous and I recommend it to anyone with combination skin like myself.

2) Treat! I've been using the Peter Thomas Roth Gentle Complexion Correcting pads for about 8-9 months now...I feel like they get rid of any bacteria stuck in my pores. They have one exfolating side and one smooth side; the smooth side is meant to cleanse while the exfoliating side is made to tighten pores and loosen up debris. They smell like peaches (yum!) but have a 1/2% Salicylic Acid  and 10% Glycolic Acid to keep acne away and fight signs of aging. 

3) Tone! I've been using LUSH's toner waters for about 2 years now. I've tried all 3 in my skincare routine, but my personal favorite by far is Eau Roma water. It's basically just rose water and lavender water, so it's an astringent (super effective in keeping pores nice and tight) but it's very soothing. I suffer from lots of redness in my skin, so this stuff keeps it from being blotchy, too. I keep the big size around because I like to use it to refresh my face during the day as well!

3) Moisturize! I've been loving the Mario Badescu Aloe Moisturizer with SPF 15. It's oil-free to keep me from breaking out, and my skin loves aloe to keep it healthy. This stuff leaves me feeling hydrated but never greasy, and it has SPF which is necessary all year, so my skin is protected against the elements.

Night:
1) Remove makeup! I use LUSH's 9 to 5 cleansing lotion religiously to take off makeup forever now. It's dove orchid and almond oil, so it's super light and antioxidizing. It's great for all skin types, so while I use this as a "precleanse" so to speak, it won't clog my pores in the meantime. I just take a little bit of this on dry hands and rub it onto anywhere I want to remove my makeup. It's gentle in the eye area, too!

2) Cleanse! I switched back to an old favorite, LUSH's Herbalism. I had strayed away for a long time and went through a long, long search for an amazing cleanser that I could fall in love with, and I decided nothing worked the way this one did. It's got rice vinegar to mop up oil and rosemary to antibacterialize. It also has ground almonds for a very gentle exfoliation that you can do every day. It keeps my skin from flaring up, I've found that my skin tone is more even, smoother, softer...I don't have enough good things to say. It kind of smells like teriyaki sauce...but hey, you win some, you lose some.

3) Treat! I use the Peter Thomas Roth AHA/BHA Acne Clearing Gel. It's a lot like the complexion pads I use in the morning- it's said to have the same effects, it's just focused more on clearing up blackheads, whiteheads, and clogged pores. I use it at night because it feels much stronger than the complexion pads...it has a 2% Salicylic Acid so it's a little bit more potent than the pads I use in the morning. I swear by this stuff. My pores look so much better every time I use it.

4) Tone! I use the Eau Roma Water again. Holy grail. Love forever. Ugh <3
5) Moisturize! I had a love/hate relationship with the Ole Henriksen Nurture Me moisturizer for a while. I thought that was what was causing my awful breakouts on my forehead and sometimes cheeks, which had never happened to me before, but I decided to give it the benefit of the doubt and continue using it for 2 weeks (that's how long it's recommended you use a skincare product to determine if it really works for you) and my skin is feeling fabulous. It's cushiony soft because it's more like a gel than a cream, so it absorbs really easily. It's awesome on my sensitive skin; it keeps it feeling hydrated but never, ever greasy because of the gel consistency. The only thing I don't like is the smell- it smells incredibly artificial...like a creamsicle. Don't get me wrong, it smells good...but I could see the scent in a body wash, not a facial moisturizer. Regardless, it feels great, so I'll probably repurchase it.

6) Eye Cream! I've been using the Tarte Maracuja C-Brighter Eye Treatment for  a year now and I love it. It doesn't make my eyes burn, it's velvety, it's smooth, and my skin around my eyes feels stronger and more hydrated. I suffer from very delicate, dry skin around my eye area, and this stuff has been beautiful. I'm sure there are other eye creams out there that are great, but I trust this one!

7) Lip Balm! I'm a lip balm junkie. It's a sick, sick obsession I have to find the perfect lip balm. So far, I have found 2. The Bite Agave Lip Mask, which I put on at night and leave it overnight OR before lipstick (then I blot with a tissue)...but my tried and true is always my Rosebud Salve. This is my go-to whenever I have a doubt in my mind about how my lips are handling the weather changes.
I also love the Soap and Glory A Great Kisser lip balms, but they're very sticky. I have to make sure I wear them when my boyfriend isn't around.

Thanks for reading, beauties! Let me know about your skincare routines, I'm a product junkie as you can all tell, so I love to try new things! Until next time!

Caudalie Instant Foaming Cleanser: First Impression

I'm always on the hunt for good skincare products, but the one thing I've found is that I'm a total cleanser junkie. I've always found myself switching out my cleanser if I don't like something in my skincare routine because I absolutely love cleansing my face...is that just me?

So let's cut to the chase here. I recently ran out of my Boscia Detoxifying Black Cleanser (which I loved for the warming feeling and how clean and soft it left my skin), so naturally I went into my local Sephora to check out what they had that was good.
Well, that's not exactly true. It started out as a routine trip during my lunch break at work, which turned into me swatching 900 different eyeshadows, followed by a Sephora employee asking if I need help because I'm covered in colors. This time, I told her "oh no, thanks, I'm okay". She turned to walk away and I found myself yelling "WAIT! I think I do need help...how good are  you with cleansers?"
She perked right up. We discussed my skin for a little while; I told her that I'm addicted to cleansing oils and she showed me the Boscia Makeup Breakup cleansing gel. She then asked how into skincare I was and I laughed. She knew that meant I'm just a little obsessed, so she asked if I was into trying something different, and of course I said yes.
So she brought me to Caudalie. I'd heard of them before, Elle Fowler uses their Beauty Elixir so immediately I thought "oh hey, luxurious". She tried the foaming cleanser on the back of my hand dry (which I have come to find out is the wrong way to use it, it's supposed to be used on damp skin) and it still removed most of the swatches I had made with the exception of some hardcore pencil liners. So I said why not!
I tried it for the first time in the shower this morning, and so far it's made my skin so incredibly soft and smooth and radiant. I'm currently experiencing a breakout (ugh PMS) so we'll see how it goes...but if any of you have tried it please feel free to let me know! I'm excited to see how it works- I'm always in the market for the perfect skincare routine. I'll keep you all posted as I use it some more...maybe I'll do an empty bottle review when it's finished? :)

Ingredient Spotlight: Oats

I don't know how I could have forgotten this one in my Ingredient Spotlight series! For those of you with red, irritated, flaky, dry, oily......okay basically oats are incredible for all types of skin, they're beautiful for the body, they're milky in the bathtub...seriously just try them.

Here's the deal:

Ingredient Spotlight: Almond

We all know that almonds are a yummy, healthy snack that keeps you energized and feeling your best. But did you know that almond shells and almond oil are an awesome way to take care of your skin? Ground almond shells are a subtle but effective exfoliant for clogged pores, and almond oil has plenty of skin benefits as well...let's talk about them!

1) Almonds are an amazing source of vitamin E. Vitamin E is proven absolutely amazing for the skin (we'll talk about those benefits later on), so using products with almond oil is going to add that dose of vitamin E that's going to keep your skin looking beautifully radiant!
2) It can reduce wrinkles! Almonds have tons of antioxidants, which can decrease signs of aging. When ingested or applied directly to the skin, it is found that almonds can reduce the look and appearance of wrinkles on the skin's surface! (so weird how there's a natural alternative for everything, right?)
3) We know that working from the inside of the body can effect the look of the outside. Almonds, again, have tons of antioxidants. Ingesting almonds can actually help the radiance of the skin on the outside when you eat lots of them and digest them inside! It's going to leave you looking soft and radiant, because all of those free radicals are getting killed off from the inside, never giving them the chance to surface.
4) It is found to help clear up breakouts. Because of the vitamin E content, it can also be applied topically as an oil to clear up pimples and blackheads! Also, oils attract oils, so it will pull out excess oil and can then be wiped away for a radiant, clean complexion!

We should all eat more almonds, right?!

Oil-based Cleansers and Why They Work

So we're all a little confused when someone says "oh you have oily skin? Maybe you should use some more moisturizer!" or "try something oil-based!" Seems like it's defeating the purpose, right? If the skin is oily, do we really need to add more oil? I mean it's already keeping it hydrated, right?
Actually, it's true! The way it works is kind of like when you're cooking: if you're adding oil to something water-based, the oil sticks together. You stir it up, it separates, but eventually if you leave it alone, the oil will come back together. It works the same way on your skin! Oil attracts oil, so using an oil-based cleanser will pull excess oil out of your pores, and then when you wipe (not rinse) it away, it will take all the excess oil with it, leaving you with soft, healthy skin. 
Now, here's why you can't just rinse it away like soap-based products: the oil isn't going to dissolve in water the way ingredients in soaps will. It will remain on the surface of the skin, leaving you looking shiny, and you'll feel oily and no one wants that! What I like to do with my oil-based cleansers is to wet a washcloth with really hot water, ring it out until it's damp, and lay it over my face for a few seconds to steam it. Once I feel my pores open up, I wipe the cleanser away with the same washcloth, then I immediately use my toner and moisturizer.
Yes, you still need moisturizer! An oil cleanser is going to leave you feeling more hydrated, but not to the extent that your skin needs. As much as I hate to say it, if your skin feels too oily the first few days, you can skip your moisturizer (but I really, really don't recommend it!).
So here's what I use in my routine:
LUSH's Ultrabland (of course, if you read my blog religiously, you know I've been absolutely obsessed with this stuff.)

It has lots and lots of almond oil, rose water, beeswax...it's basically everything your skin needs to be soothed and beautiful.
Then I use my Eau Roma water toner water from LUSH as well, and I follow with Gorgeous moisturizer!
I was having serious trouble with my skin a few weeks ago and I think it was because I was stressing my skin out with tons of products. I downsized my routine to just 3 products twice a day (I do the exact same routine twice in one day, no product changes) and it has done wonders. If your skin just needs a break, try this routine and see how it works for you!
There are tons of oil-based cleansers out there, you don't just have to use the Ultrabland. Do some research and find out that sounds like it would be good for your skin type! Good luck beauties!

Let the Good Times Roll Review

Hi there beauties! I have another review for you today, and I'm super excited about it.
LUSH brought back their Let the Good Times Roll facial cleanser! 

This used to be a limited edition holiday product that came out last Christmas, but so many people loved it and complained when it got taken away that they brought it back as a permanent staple in their face cleanser collection! (Or so they say...they also told everyone that last year but let's hope they keep their promise this time)
If you stop into a LUSH store, they have it displayed with the rest of the cleansing rolls (ie. Angels on Bare Skin, Herbalism, Aqua Marina and Dark Angels)...at least that's how it is in my shop. So we were getting it in pre-weighed pots but my store is cutting it from the roll now!

Anyway, on to the review...
First of all, this stuff smells like you can take a handful and eat it. It's like sugar cookie dough with a little bit of kettle corn mixed in. It's heavenly. I catch myself opening my pot to smell it when I walk in and out of my bedroom just because it smells that good (however I wouldn't suggest eating it...an edible alternative is LUSH's Popcorn lip scrub). 
So this cleanser has a little bit of cinnamon in it to warm the skin, which is always nice on a fall or winter day when you've been outside and your cheeks and nose are freezing cold and you need a little something to warm you up. It also has maize flower and corn meal to gently exfoliate the face (and body!). But most importantly, there's glycerine, which is going to help lock in moisture on those days that your skin is misbehaving and getting a bit flaky.

If you've read my updated skin routine post, you know my skin's been beyond cranky lately. I've been switching my products to more soothing cleansers and moisturizers instead of harsh ingredients, and I've noticed that it's been helping. I decided to give this cleanser a shot on the days where I notice my dry patches messing with my BB cream (I use Tarte Amazonian Clay BB Cream in Fair in case you guys wanted to know), and it works wonders!
It's a lovely, deep scrub, almost like Ocean Salt if you're a Lushie, or like the St. Ives Apricot Scrub for those of you that are more into drugstore cleansers. It's just a little bit more gentle than those chunks that you scrub with, it's more of a subtle, grainy exfoliant.
As far as hydration goes, I notice that it helps relieve any tightness that I have on my face, because it's picking up that dead skin with the scrub and replacing it with some repairing glycerine.
All in all this product is definitely worth giving a shot; I see it working for just about all skin types, especially as the weather gets colder and you need a little bit more hydration. The smell lingers for a little while too, and that would always keep me coming back to this stuff.

Let me know if any of you try it! Thanks for reading!