Sunday, July 24, 2011

Skincare Routine

Hey everyone!
I wanted to fill you in on what I am currently using for my skincare routine - actually most of these are fairly recent as I have changed a lot from even when I wrote my face wash post.
The face wash I am using now is Clinique Liquid Facial Soap from Sephora. It's specifically designed for oily skin and it has a good clean feeling without leaving it tight. It doesn't have an overly strong scent and lathers up a bit but is not as thick of a lather as the Clean and Clear face wash I'd been using. Because my skin tends to get pretty oily in the summer, I've been finding this nice to use.
A few times a week I use Clean and Clear's morning burst facial scrub in the shower, but morning and night I use Clinique's Clarifying Lotion 3 which is actually a liquid exfoliator, something I had never used before. I think it's worth the money to spend a bit extra on the Clinique line because it's specially designed for combination-oily skin which most drugstore products are not. I always wash my face before I exfoliate because I want my skin to be clean first. I use both the face wash and clean and clear scrub in the shower in the morning and then I use the clinique clarifying lotion when I get out (that's the first thing I do after my shower). Apparently if you use this line for just a couple weeks every day it cuts down on your oil production.
For a moisturizer I use Clinique's Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel - I think I have mentioned this in other posts. I use this every morning and night and I am in love with it! It is the perfect moisturizer for someone with combination-oily skin. Definitely all time favorite and I have tried quite a lot of different ones. I tried Nivea ones that I bought at Shoppers and they were way too rich and I broke out like crazy.
I use Clean and Clear Invisible Blemish Treatment for any pimples before I moisturize and it is amazing. I stopped using it for 2 weeks and noticed that I was getting bad breakouts and when I started using it again my skin got much better.
I use a Balea eye roller from Shoppers to help with dark circles. I think most eye rollers are quite similar to each other - I don't have eye puffiness but I want it to help with dark circles. I use this morning and night - not sure how much of a difference it makes but it feels really nice.
Those are basically all of the products I use on a regular basis for my skincare routine. Hope this was informative! Thanks!

Thursday, July 21, 2011

What's in my purse?


Hey guys!

I have been meaning to do this blog for a while. I have seen it done on YouTube so many times (I would love to do it on there but I do not really have a camera to use unfortunately!). The bag I am currently using is one I picked up from my workplace – unfortunately I can’t show a pic of it but it is a fairly large turquoise handbag and I’ll try to explain as best as I can!

I tend to have a lot in my purse because I like to be prepared for no matter what. So here is a list of the current things I have in my bag and why I have them there!

- Nivea lip balm – I am going through a phase right now where I can’t stand lip glosses so I always have a ton of balms stored everywhere – this is a balm that my boyfriend has too as it is unscented and has no color. Nothing is worse than being stuck out somewhere with chapped lips and nothing to help!

- Mini Britney Spears circus fantasy perfume – if I am heading out somewhere and want to smell nice

- Pepto bismol – for upset stomach L

- Cell phone charger – I am traveling right now and will need to charge my phone

- Sephora bamboo charcoal blotting papers – to soak up mid-day oil

- Bear Paws – for if I am stuck out somewhere and need a snack

- Mint from last time we went out to dinner

- ID holder from Icing – bought it to use for next time I go to a buck and doe as you can just put your ID, cash and tickets in there

- Black Suzy Shier change purse – I like to keep change separate from my wallet so I have one bag I can just grab out to pay

- Ticket stub from Horrible Bosses

- Little pack of Kleenex

- Bath and Body Works coconut lime verbena anti-bacterial hand lotion – I hate the smell of hand sanitizer but this lotion does not smell like alcohol at all, plus it moisturizes your hands and makes them smell good

- Nivea dry confidence 24 hour deodorant

- Crest samples – I got these sent from Shoppers – little flosses, toothpaste and mouthwash samples

- Dove Go Fresh Body Mist Revive (pomegranate and lemon verbena scent) – if I just want a light scent, I wear this especially if I’ve been at the gym

- Notepad and pen – for writing things down on the go – super helpful to have

- Bath and Body Works nail file

- Purple croc print wallet from Bentley’s – receipts (especially my ones from BBW that give me $10 off!), and all my store cards and debit card and all that fun stuff! I won’t go into detail about which ones I have though

- Birthday cards – I have about 6 friends who have had birthdays that I have not seen yet and need to give to them!

- Girl stuff lol

- Finally I have a little polka dot bag that I got from work too that I put all my little stuff in and these are all things that are helpful to have with you – halls cough candies, band aids, lens cleaner for my glasses and sunglasses, Secret Cocoa Butter Kiss body splash, excel mints, Vicks vapo inhaler, a matchbook of bobby pins from Claire`s, Life Oil Absorbing sheets and a 10 pack of Tylenol


PhPhoto credit: http://www.interestingbuys.co.uk/buy/handbags/?_pge=0&_rec=54 (this is not my purse but it is somewhat close and very similar in color)

P

That is all that I have in my purse at the moment. Other items I tend to have are a lotion from Bath and Body Works and a book or magazine to read, but lately I have been bringing a second bag full of car stuff for if we take a trip somewhere.

Thursday, July 7, 2011

Face Wash

Hey guys,

In this blog I’m going to talk about the current cleanser I’m using which is Clean and Clear Morning Burst. I will admit I haven’t tried a ton of different face washes – I have recently tried some new samples from Sephora but I haven’t found anything worth switching over to. My skin is combination veering on the oily side, so if you have the same skin type I would definitely give this a try. I believe it says on the bottle that it is recommended for any skin type though. I think it’s super important to figure out exactly what skin type you have so you are able to treat your skin conditions.

Something that is great about this product is that it is fairly cheap to buy and you can pick it up in drugstores. As much as I love Sephora, sometimes when I pick up products it is frustrating because I have to drive an hour to the closest one. I usually get this at Shopper’s Drug Mart and I try to stock up when they put their Clean and Clear products on sale.

This product is a gel cleanser which is real ideal to use for oily skin – if you have drier skin you’re going to want to use a cream cleanser. It helps to remove any extra oil without making it tight and dry. I use it twice a day, morning and night. In the morning I use it in the shower – I use one pump on my Sephora scrublet, spending more time on oily areas on my T-zone. It helps me to feel really clean and get a fresh start in the morning, and I use it to remove my makeup at night. If you don’t have access to a Sephora, you can use the L’Oreal Paris scrublet that comes with their face wash – I haven’t used it but it looks to be about the same.

Because this has a citrusy scent it is great for using in the morning to wake you up and get your revved up. It has tiny little granules inside it that help get rid of oil and dead skin cells.

The scrub I use is clean and clear morning burst facial scrub, which is meant to be used everyday. For awhile I was using it everyday but I’ve cut down on that amount just so I don’t irritate my skin. This scrub is basically designed for all skin types, and it is kinda similar to the face wash but it has bigger and coarser granules. I like this product because it’s something that’s easy to go out and buy at the drugstore, and I really like the clean and clear morning burst line. The scrub I would only use in the morning when I do it, but the face wash I do morning and night.

At night I use my eye makeup remover as my very first step because it’s an oily product and that way I can wash all the oil off afterwards. When I wash my face I make sure to do my neck and ears too because I do makeup on them as well. I spend extra time on my oily zones, specifically my t-zone to try to get it really clean.

For awhile I had been using Clean and Clear astringent afterwards but I recently bought Clinique’s Clarifying Lotion 3 which is a “gentle, oil-free exfoliating lotion for combination and oily skin.” The great thing about Clinique is that their products are specifically designed for various skin types. I haven’t bought the Clinique step 1 face wash but I may end up trying it out in the future. I use a cotton pad and swipe it over my face and neck and it’s supposed to get rid of oily and dead skin cells, so I’m going to keep this up for awhile and see if it helps.

Finally, the moisturizer I am currently using is Clinique’s Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel. This moisturizer is AMAZING! I have tried quite a few different face lotions out and it’s been kind of a tough journey to find one that moisturizes without being too strong for my oily skin. I tried a Nivea one that made me completely break out because it was way too rich. Word of advice – I got this product at Sephora and you have to make sure you get the dramatically different moisturizing GEL and not the LOTION unless you have dry skin. This gel is amazing at giving my skin enough moisture without making it oily at all. I would totally recommend this to everyone with combination/oily skin and I’m sure the lotion is just as great for those with dry skin. I bought a 1.7 oz tube at Sephora for $15 to try it out but will definitely be buying another one when I run out.