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!

Fall Trend 2014

I know, I know, it's only August right now. BUT it's important to look to the future! I know we're all being told to live in the now, and while I agree with that...I believe we should be living with our brains focused on upcoming beauty trends!
Wait...maybe I'm giving bad advice...
The colder weather is coming, which means we'll be drawing inspiration from our surroundings. Reds, golds, and browns are always popular in the fall months, and that is no different for this year!
I'm always a big fan of metallics moving into the colder months; it reminds me of the beauty of the snow and the magic that is Halloween and Thanksgiving. Hence why so many runways were seen using metallics, from Rodarte to Armani to Issey Miyake.
This trend can be done many different ways- my personal favorite is a subtle pop of metal in the inner corners of the eyes to brighten them up. Try doing this with a shimmery gold or silver, like Stila's Magnificent Metals Foil Finish eyeshadows in Metallic Dusty Rose or Comex Platinum.
Metallic Dusty Rose is a pinkish (just like it sounds, a muted rose color) and Comex Platinum is a beautiful opalescent white.

Dusty Rose is on top and Comex Platinum is on bottom. These photos were from Google (don't wanna take credit for what isn't mine)
Pop these on the inner corner of your eyes or just beneath the lower lash line and they'll pop beautifully! Pink and opalescent colors are flattering on just about everybody.
Also, I constantly recommend Stila products because I absolutely adore their quality. If you have never tried their Kitten products (their signature color), I promise you, try it once and it will forever change your life.
Happy glittering, beauties!

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!

Ingredient Spotlight: Rose

Who doesn't love getting roses!?
...Did you know that roses have plenty more uses than just looking beautiful and smelling heavenly? They're actually an incredible ingredient for all skin types! I suggest using rose water if anything, it's incredibly gentle and it smells wonderful.

So what are the benefits of rose water on the skin?

It is incredibly anti-inflammatory, therefore, it helps with redness and irritation on the skin. If you're looking for a quick fix for tightness and redness, I suggest LUSH's Eau Roma Water, which is a toner water with rose and lavender to balance out cranky skin. It works wonders!

It also works as an astringent when used to tighten pores, pulling out impurities. Over time, using rose water might even help the look of enlarged pores! Who knew?

Related to rose water being an astringent: it is amazing at unclogging pores and removing gross stuff that's built up in your pores over time. I like to spray my Eau Roma Water on my pillow before I go to sleep at night to keep the cleaning process going on each of my cheeks when I flip over!

I've heard some mixed things about the next process I'm going to tell you beauties about, so if you prefer not to do it, you don't have to by any means. I have not tried it because the use of lemon on the skin on the face has had more bad reviews than good when I've done my research, but one of my co-workers told me about a remedy that has done wonders for her skin, and when I tell you her skin is perfection, her skin is baby-smooth without an uneven patch or blemish anywhere. So what does she do?
Well, she told me she went to a market and picked up pure rose water in a spray, then she takes half a lemon and rubs the peel on her face and applies the rose water afterwards. She says it has completely stopped her breakouts in a natural way that smells amazing and it hasn't irritated her skin. I'm going to have to give it a try and let you all know how it goes, but if any of you have tried it/try it, please leave me a comment and let me know how it works!

Thanks for reading beauties, until next time!