What's In My Daily Make-up Bag: Mom of a Newborn Edition

I can't believe my tiny baby bean is 2 months old already! It's really fascinating to watch how Julian changes right before our eyes - and while those fast changes can be quite challenging to adjust to, we're constantly being rewarded by his toothless smiles and new skills. But focusing all the attention on our very, very small gentleman often entails forgoing a lot of my own needs; so to practice a little bit of self-love and increase my well-being, I've been trying to put a little bit of make-up on most days, and I thought I'd share some current 'busy mom' favorites.

These are the products I've decided to pull out for the ultimate quick, easy and rather minimal make-up routine. I've opted to arrange them in the order of priorities; if I don't have time for anything else (Julian suddenly waking up from a nap or some other unexpected occurence), I only apply a fine layer of BB cream (Missha Perfect Cover BB, reviewed here) all over my face with my fingers and call it done. I've actually taken to storing my base product of choice in the bathroom cabinet (separately from the rest of my make-up, which I keep at my vanity in the bedroom) and I'll usually apply it right after my serum instead of a moisturizer; however, this may not work all that well in a few weeks when the weather turns a lot drier and colder.

If my timing is right though, I'm able to go for a few more steps; I keep all of those products in a little make-up bag (they call it a Multi Pouch) from a Korean brand Pour Vous. My next order of business is concealer; these days I mostly use it to conceal dark under eye circles and skip trying to spot conceal any little marks or blemishes, which thankfully have become quite rare. I'm doing my best to use up what's left of my NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer in Chantilly; I feel like it's a lot drier now and I dislike how crepey it looks under the eyes. I'll then set my T-zone with a little bit of powder; I'm quite surprised actually by how much I like the bareMinerals Mineral Veil loose powder (just finished my deluxe sample, which is why it's not in the photo).

Next up are my brows: I reach for either my Holy Grail Shu Uemura Seal Brown pencil (reviewed here), or a new product in my stash, the Essence Make Me Brow in Browny Brows. It's basically a much, much less expensive version of the Benefit Gimme Brow, which I wasn't a great fan of (mentioned it here); however, maybe because I went for a darker shade this time, I don't hate the Essence gel, and it definitely has a leg up over the Shu brow pencil in terms of speed of application.

Then, if I'm running out of time or will to play with more steps, I'll just do a quick swipe of powder blush - I've gone back to my Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush Palette, which is still love - and then dab a bit of a lip product on. I've been wearing sheer lip glosses in nudey pink or mauve shades a lot more than lipsticks, maybe because I feel like they're a bit kinder on dry lips and don't make me look overly made up when paired with the rest of my barely there face. I have a couple favorites I've been rotating; in fact, I keep my lip glosses in a couple different locations (vanity table, purse, stroller, next to where I feed the little dude) so that I remember to apply or, if I'm lucky, even reapply throughout the day. Both Maybelline Color Elixir in Caramel Infused (reviewed here) and the Buxom Lip Cream in Dolly (here) are old stand bys, but I've also been happy with a new addition to my stash, the Aveda Nourish-mint Rehydrating Lip Shine in Chuparosa* (available here) from their F/W 2016 collection.

Some swatches; L-R: Benefit No Pressure, Pixi Deep Plum, Aveda Chuparosa, Maybelline Caramel Infused

For whatever reason, making up my eyes is the lowest on my priorities list (well I guess I know the reason - I'm too tired and lazy to spend extra time removing eye make-up at the end of the day...). If nothing else, I'll do either a little bit of mascara (currently switching between the L'Oreal Voluminous*, reviewed here, or Pacifica Dream Big*, here), or tightline with Pixi Endless Silky Eye Pen in Deep Plum (here), or both. Now, if I'm really going for it, I'll even do a little something something on the eyelids, usually in the form of Benefit's Creaseless Cream shadow in No Pressure (reviewed here), and the same pencil eyeliner along the lashline. And then if by some miracle baby boy is still not up yet and I'm feeling super indulgent, I may even play with some powder eyeshadows. But in all honesty, that's not a part of my regular routine but rather a rare treat these days, so no point in telling you about it :)

There you have it; here's what I try to do to make myself feel more human between feeding, changing diapers and rocking little prince to sleep. Speaking of - I better wrap this post up, someone just woke up hangry :) What's the most important step in your basic make-up routine that you don't want to do without?

Disclaimer: Products marked with an asterix (*) are press samples I received from the brands' PR for review. I purchased all the other products myself. All links are non-affiliate. All opinions are 100% honest and unbiased, no matter if the products featured were purchased with my own monies or provided free of charge. Thank you for reading!

Summer in NYC: My Handbag Beauty Essentials

Most of my life, summer was always the season I looked forward to - I mean, what's not to love, summer holidays, sunshine, abundance of fruit, bright colors... But ever since we moved to New York City nearly three years ago now, summer has become the season I absolutely dread. The stifling heat and humidity just make it so hard to enjoy my usual summer pasttimes, and maybe because of the added challenge of pregnancy this year, I'm doing all I can to make it through the next two months. However, I'm not alone in the struggle - I've taken to toting a few beauty essentials around with me that make my summer life in the city a lot easier. Let's have a look.

The bag I'm carrying currently is a simple tote from Ralph Laurent I got a few years ago at TJMaxx; I quite like the structured style and I can organize everything inside really well thanks to numerous pockets. I usually keep my beauty essentials corraled into a small make-up bag like the one in the photo, although more frequently used things end up thrown into the large zippered pocket.

If you've ever ridden on the New York subway, you know exactly how important it is to carry a good hand sanitizer with you. Now, I'm not a germophobe by any stretch of the imagination, but something about those turnstiles and poles makes me feel really dirty. I've been using plenty of Neal's Yard Remedies Organic Defence Hand Spray* ($10.50 for 1.69 fl. oz, available at us.nyrorganic.com here) to combat the inner cringe and I love the refreshing scent of its essential oil blend. I've never used a spray hand sanitizer before but I find it easier and more economical than a typical gel. Big thumbs up. After hand washing, I always follow up with a bit of hand cream to make my dry hands feel more comfortable; I'm currently using this deluxe sample of Bliss Grapefruit + Aloe Body Butter ($29 for full size 6.7 oz).

Even with an effective primer and setting powder, my T-zone can get a little oily after a few hours - more often than not, it's a combination of oil and sweat to be perfectly honest. I generally don't carry a mattifying powder with me (because I don't like faffing around with brushes or puffs, plus piling more powder onto oily skin seems wrong somehow) but I do reach for blotting tissues - these Palladio Oil Absorbing Rice Paper Tissues with Rice Powder ($3.99 for 40ct) are nice and large but I would prefer something without powder once I'm done with this packet.

Once I'm done getting rid of the oily shine, I sometimes like to freshen up with a face mist; I've used Eau Thermale Avene Spring Water ($9 for 1.76 oz/ 50g) in the past but I'm currently enjoying another NYR product, the White Tea Facial Mist* ($19 for 1.52 fl. oz, currently on sale for $14.25 here). I was a bit skeptical of this product because aside from some lovely ingredients like antioxidant white tea, aloe vera, glycerin and marigold flower extract, it also contains a lot of alcohol denat., and I try to avoid that ingredient in my skincare. However, I've found that in a facial spray used over my make-up, I don't actually mind it in the least - and if you look at ingredients lists for most setting sprays, alcohol is usually very prominent. The mist on the Neal's Yard product is delicate and even, and I'm a big fan of the lavender & geranium scent; I definitely prefer it to the cult Caudalie Beauty Elixir, which I reviewed here. The White Tea Facial Mist leaves my face feeling soothed, fresh and more luminous.

I also always have a few lip products floating around in my bag; I've been more into neutral mauve lips recently and you are probably tired of me waxing lyrical about these Buxom Full-On Lip Creams ($19 for 0.14 oz, reviewed here and here), but what can I say? I really love this lip gloss formula. Dolly is a great My Lips But Better shade and its minty tingle feels nice and cool on the lips in the summer heat. Maybelline Color Elixir in Caramel Infused ($6.99-8.99 for 0.17 fl oz, here) is another great option that feels balmy and nourishing on, and the shade is just a bit deeper and warmer than Buxom's Dolly.

Other non-beauty things I like to carry around with me include my Klean Kanteen insulated bottle filled with water, as well as some nuts; I like the convenience of a small packet of these Orchard Valley ones I received in my June Degustabox* (shown here), but I usually buy larger bags - I've been munching on these Now Foods Roasted Sea Salt Cashews a lot. If I'm out and about for longer, I also like to take some seasonal fruit with me; lately it's either some peaches or cherries. I find fresh fruit + nuts to be my ideal snack in between meals, and packing those to go helps me avoid unhealthy impulse buys when hunger strikes unexpectedly.

That's about it - as you can see, I don't actually carry around a lot of beauty products; to be honest, I'm just not one for frequent touch-ups. And you know, that helps to carve out more space in my bag for snacks, or a good book :) I hope you enjoyed this peek into my purse and let me know what your summer handbag essentials are - I'd love to know what you like to always have on hand!

Disclaimer: Products marked with an asterix (*) were press samples I received from the brands' PR for review consideration. I purchased all other products myself. All links are non-affiliate. All opinions are 100% honest and unbiased, no matter if the product featured were purchased with my own money or provided free of charge. Thank you for reading!

What's In My Travel Beauty Bag: Two Weeks in Iceland

As you're reading this, we will have actually been in Iceland for over 10 days - but thanks to the magic of scheduling posts in advance, you get to see the contents of my beauty bag before they're actually put to use. Like I've mentioned in my previous pregnancy update post, we're currently on vacation; it's long been our dream to see Iceland's spectacular outdoors  for a couple years now, and we've finally pulled the trigger (and yes, I'm hoping to take you along via my Instagram - so go follow if you're interested!).

Before I dive into which beauty products I'm bringing with me, let me tell you a little bit about the trip itself. We're flying from NYC into Reykjavik and staying in the city for two nights, but after that we're hiring a car and hitting the Ring Road, which is a highway circling the entire island that lets you access all areas of the country. We'll be driving shorter distances every day for 12 days, staying in a different town every night or two. In case you didn't know, Iceland doesn't have a huge population, and most of it is concentrated in the capital city - which means that the other towns we'll be visiting are rather small and the accomodations are more along the lines of a B&B than a chain hotel.

Which is why I've decided to pack most of my bathroom essentials into this hanging bag (it was a gift with purchase from Dermalogica a few years ago, but I'm sure you can find a similar one on Amazon). From practice, I know that I can pack more into a regular pouch without any compartments, and that's what I prefer when we stay in one accomodation for the whole duration of a trip. However, for travelling around, I think this bag will be more handy - I can hang it in the bathroom, easily take out only what I need at any given time, and quickly repack everything when we're ready to head out in the morning.

I've decided to pack all of my skincare, haircare and make-up brushes into this bag; I'll have a separate make-up bag (which also makes sense as I rarely do my make-up in the bathroom) and one more pouch for bodycare and bulkier extras like a hair brush, deodorant or contact lens solution. The mesh bag I keep my make-up brushes in snaps off easily, so that I can keep it with my make-up bag but protect the brushes a bit more than if they were just floating loose among other products.

The top two compartments contain smaller items: the topmost has just a few foil sachets with different face masks (because maaaybe I'll remember to use them some time...? At least after and before our flights?), the other one houses q-tips, cotton squares, a catridge for my razor and a lip balm.

The two larger bottom compartments contain all of my main skincare and haircare products. They're sort of mixed all together because I was packing to fit the dimensions of the bag. For my face, I'm mostly following my standard skincare routine (recent posts about the AM and PM regimes here): I'll be removing make-up with the Shu Uemura Anti/Oxi Cleansing Oil (small green bottle) and following with the First Aid Beauty Facial Cleanser for the second cleanse, or first cleanse in the morning. I've filled the spray bottle with my Pixi Glow Tonic (reviewed here), and after that, I'll pat in some SK-II First Treatment Essense* (review) for a boost of hydration. Lastly, I have two serums to choose between: the Paula's Choice C15 Booster and the Dermalogica Hydrating Booster, as well as two moisturizers: the Nuxe Creme Fraiche de Beaute* (reviewed here, for nighttime or to layer with) and the Paula's Choice Hydralight Daily Mineral Complex SPF30* (review). The weather in Iceland at this time of the year is still quite cold, so I'm not packing a separate sunscreen for the body - I doubt much of my skin will be exposed at any given time.

For my hair, I'm only taking four products. I'll be sharing my travel sizes of Pacifica Beauty Super Kale Juiced-Up Shampoo* & Conditioner* with my husband, and to help detangle my hair after washing, I'll be using the 12 Benefits Instant Healthy Hair Treatment* spray I received in a Glossybox a long time ago. I also can't go anywhere without a bottle of my trusty Batiste Dry Shampoo to extend the freshness of my hair between washes.

And that's it! The bag still folds comfortably and it isn't too big and bulky - my suitcase isn't very large and I need the extra space for warm weather clothes and boots (and btw, I had to take my husband's snowboarding jacket - I no longer fit into any of my winter jackets, lol). I'm super excited about our Icelandic getaway! How do you usually pack your skincare for travel?

I'm Never Buying Another Eyeshadow Palette Again.

How's that for a click-baity post title, my dear readers? But hear me out, I think I'm onto something here. I will freely admit that I'm a neutral eyeshadow palette lover. After getting my greedy little paws on the Urban Decay Naked palette all those years ago, I fell down the rabbit hole of finding THE PERFECT neutral eyeshadow palette. There's just something about palettes as a make-up item that ticks all the right boxes for me: the packaging and design is often beautiful and well thought-out, they're wearable and practical for every day, they have variety for creating different looks, they often contain Limited Edition 'unique' shades, and the value for money is hard to beat. What's not to love?

I did manage to contain my initial purchasing craze quite a bit in the past year and a half, but still. In this wishlist post back in 2014, I talked about lemming after the Naked Basics palette, which in the end I did manage to resist, but instead purchased a Physicians Formula matte quad in Canyon Classics (here) - all because I was convinced I needed more basic mattes to compliment my neutral eye looks. Last year, I bought bareMinerals READY 8.0 palette in The Posh Neutrals (here), because somehow bareMinerals' pressed eyeshadows became 'my thing'. And then I also got Makeup Revolution's Death By Chocolate large neutral palette (here), because I didn't own any of the original Too Faced Chocolate Bars and thought that this drugstore version suited my color preferences much better.

ANYWAY - right now, I own 4 premade eyeshadow palettes (the two mentioned above + discontinued Stila E! On The Red Carpet and the currently panned theBalm Nude'Tude), and 3 larger magnetic palettes (two Z-Palettes, one old MAC 15 Pan) filled with singles and depots from other premade eyeshadow palettes I used to own. I also have one small Z-Palette and just a couple quads and quints. It doesn't seem like an excessive amount for a palette junkie like me (especially when you compare it to my Eyeshadow Palette Collection post from 2014), and I can honestly say that one of my reasons for embarking on Pan That Palette 2016 challenge was to get as much use out of my Nude'Tude as possible within a year, and then promptly replace it with a shiny brand new palette. But now, I don't think that's gonna happen.

After using theBalm Nude'Tude almost daily for 4.5 months, I have a lot of thoughts and feels about eyeshadows in general and palettes in particular. Even though I've been blogging about beauty for 7 years now and have always loved wearing eyeshadow, I don't think I have ever had such a clear understanding of what works for me and what doesn't. You may remember me saying at the last Pan That Palette update (here) that I wasn't happy with how three of the darkest shades (marked with an 'X' in the photo above) - Sophisticated, Silly and Sleek - would all end up looking the same shade of muddy charcoal once blended out on my eyes. In a palette with 5 dark shades (which I wear as either outer corner or lash line definition colors), I'm down to just 2 that I enjoy working with: Sexy mostly in the outer corner, Serious to line the eyes.

Clockwise from top: Too Faced Sexpresso (from the old Natural Eye palette), Stila Captivate from the d/c In The Moment palette, theBalm Serious, theBalm Sleek, bareMinerals Apropos from The Truth quad, Inglot Matte 326.

That discovery was quite interesting to me, because to the naked eye, Sophisticated, Silly and Sleek are all very different in the pan. That in turn got me thinking how I'm rarely very excited about any of those dark browns (or greys, or khakis, or plums...) in any of my neutral palettes, and I was hard pressed to come up with a favorite outer corner shade from the top of my head. I sat down at my vanity and laid out all my larger palettes, and decided to swatch some - not all - of those dark matte (or semi matte) shades to compare.

L-R: theBalm Sleek, theBalm Serious, Inglot Matte 326, Too Faced Sexpresso, Stila Captivate, bareMinerals Apropos. Stila Captivate was the driest, least pigmented and most fall-out prone, and I've decided to declutter it.

And SURPRISE SURPRISE: they're almost all the same. Even if they appear quite dissimilar in the pan, or even in my heavy, packed on swatch, once blended out on the eyes, they're virtually identical. But you know, maybe I could just ignore all the dark defining shades in the different eyeshadow palettes on the market, and instead concentrate on those shadows that I use a lot more - let's say, matte highlighting shades. Everyone agrees they're an absolute staple and a must-have in a well-balanced palette, am I right? Back to swatchy swatching, then.

Counterclockwise from the top: bareMinerals Five Star (from d/c The Finer Things palette), Too Faced Heaven (from the old Natural Eye palette), matte ivory from Physicians' Formula Canyon Classics quad, bareMinerals Seredipitous from The Truth quad, Stila Cinema (from d/c E! On The Red Carpet), Stila Desire (from d/c In The Moment palette).

So yeah, okay, they're not all the same - with the exception of Too Faced Heaven and the lightest shade from Physicians' Formula Canyon Classics quad, which clearly are dupes. But again - once I blend them out on my eyes, the end result is pretty much the same. And before you guys say that matte off-white shades and matte dark browns don't make a palette, that often constitutes half of the shades provided. And I could easily continue this exercise with matte transition/ crease shades (except I'd have to split my comparison into cool, neutral and warm-toned; idea for another post, perhaps?) AS WELL AS any of the shimmery lid shades. Champagne, taupe, gold, bronze - you name it, I already have it (as evidenced in this and this swatch post, for example).

L-R: bareMinerals Five Star, Too Faced Heaven, Physicians' Formula Canyon Classics, bareMinerals Serendipitous, Stila Cinema, Stila Desire. All swatched better with a finger than a brush, the Stila shade from In The Moment palette was again the worst formula - but I'm keeping it for now.

I guess you could always decide to simply collect these neutral eyeshadow palettes as pretty toys to take out once in a while and admire, but that's not the reason why I personally love and use make-up. Or you could just treat every palette as a completely separate being, without worrying about overlap between them and having multiple dupes of basic shades. But I value variety - I don't want to feel like I just spent my hard-earned money on the same thing all over again. And AGAIN.

I don't think I'll ever go back to purchasing those premade palettes; as you can see, I usually end up ripping them apart anyway, giving away shadows I don't like or have plenty of dupes for and keeping the remaining depots in my freeform magnetic palettes. With the amount of eyeshadow I own, I hardly see how a just-released neutral palette can possibly bring anything new to my collection.

Let's consider two eyeshadow palettes I've been lemming for a while: the Kat Von D Shade and Light Eye palette and the Tarte Tartelette in Bloom. As demonstrated above, I don't need any more matte highlighting or defining shades - that's already about 50-70% (depending on their actual depth on my fair skintone) of those palettes proven superfluous. Now for the lid/ medium depth shadows in between, I was mostly excited about playing with a matte warm rusty peach transition shade, and a rich reddish chocolate brown for the outer corner. A quick search on Temptalia, and I could easily get those two new-to-me shades of eyeshadow via MAC's single pans in Soft Brown, and maybe Swiss Chocolate. Or something from Makeup Geek. Or Inglot. Or Anastasia Beverly Hills.

But in the meantime, armed with my newly flexed swatchy critical analysis skill, I'm actually going to sit down and fish out some shades from my existing palettes that may fill that lemming before blindly ordering two more shadows for my already brimming collection. Like with my three most recent palette purchases - I actually already owned similar shades in other palettes in my stash. I had had dupes for all the four shades in PF Canyon Classics, and dupes for about 70% of the bareMinerals Posh Neutrals and Makeup Revolution Death by Chocolate. And judging by how quickly I'm able to use an entire pan up, that's enough eyeshadow for another decade. It really is.

So that's what I've been recently pondering about. I'm not actually vowing to never purchase another eyeshadow palette - some shadows get old and may need to be replaced eventually, or I may find myself a neutrals-only girl no longer and lusting after some colorful blues and greens. But for the foreseeable future, I'm not going to buy another palette, or most likely even a trio, quad or a quint. What is your opinion on neutral eyeshadow palettes? Is it something you love and will always be drawn to, or do you find them boring and repetitive? I'd love to hear your thoughts!

My 5 Basic Principles for Clearer, Happier Skin (with Product Recommendations)

I've already mentioned here and there on the blog that unexpectedly, my skin has been gradually clearing up for about six months now. I've been struggling with acne half of my life, and for all the lotions, potions, elimination diets and frequent trips to the dermatologist, the only thing that has ever worked to dramatically improve my skin were antibiotics; however, as soon as I stopped taking them (as you should after about a year long course), the problem was back with a vengeance, including painful cystic breakouts mostly along the jawline, upper neck and chin.

Yes, one would easily diagnose my acne must have been hormone-related, but hormones are stubborn, complicated buggers. No standard prescriptions worked for me, and as I was not willing to agree to more invasive methods, I pretty much gave up hope and tried to learn to accept the breakouts, oilies, redness and uneven skin texture. What I did focus on instead was improving my skincare routine, which is what I'll be sharing with you today - but while I absolutely believe that incorporating these steps helped to balance and heal my skin, I have to admit that I also think something must have changed inside my body, without any interference from outside factors. I'm 28 now, and I've heard in the past that a lot of women experience skin changes in their late twenties. For many, that change may mean new problems with dryness or the appearance of first fine lines, for me, it has meant significantly clearer and more even skin, and a less oily/ more balanced T-zone.

At any rate - if you're still struggling with acne, these are the five most important and effective changes I've made to my routine for happier skin. I've talked about these on the blog in the past, but I thought it may be more helpful for you to have everything in one place; there's lots of links to other skincare posts in each section, should you need more information. Alrighty then!

1. Cream, Milk, Oil and Balm Cleansers
After about three years of using mostly cream and balm cleansers on my skin, I'm a firm believer in avoiding any and all foaming face washes. I've used both really harsh, sulfate-based ones (in my teens), as well as the more gentle, soap-free options (in my twenties, after I came to my senses), but to be honest, I find both types significantly inferior to just about any cream, balm or oil cleanser I've tried so far. Not only are the foams way more drying, as well as potentially disrupting your skin's acid mantle, they're just not that great at actually cleansing the skin - my face just feels so much better after a nice massage with a creamy/oily/balmy cleanser, properly removed with a warm wash cloth. No squeaking, no tightness, no residue, no irritation; seriously, why would I even want to go back to foaming cleansers?

I try new cream, oil and balm cleansers all the time, but so far, my favorites are the REN Evercalm Gentle Cleansing Milk ($28 for 5.1 fl oz./ 150ml, full review here, currently using), TATCHA One Step Camellia Cleansing Oil ($48 for 150 ml/5.1 fl oz, full review here, used up but haven't repurchased yet because of the higher price), Emma Hardie Amazing Face Moringa Cleansing Balm ($63 for 100ml, full review here, also haven't repurchased due to the price/ availability) and Alaffia Facial Cleanser Antioxidant Rooibos and Shea Butter ($13.95 for 3.4 fl. oz; reviewed here - I used it a very long time ago and kind of forgot about it... it's been repackaged into a tube now).

If you've been thinking about giving cream/ balm cleansers a try but have been hesitant because of the high price tag of the most hyped-up ones, there's a lot of affordable options now from The Body Shop and many natural skincare brands (including Alaffia). I believe it's more important to simply stop using foaming washes rather than worry if you have the absolute best cream/ balm cleanser available on the market. I'm currently trying out a new-to-me inexpensive cream cleanser from Andalou Naturals, look out for my review in a couple weeks' time.

2. Double Cleansing
Oh no, we're not finished with cleansing yet - because a properly cleansed face is the basis of your entire skincare routine. I always double cleanse my face in the evening if I'm wearing sunscreen and/or make-up. Seriously. Even after a thorough massage with your first cleanser (usually an oil or balm for me), you'd be surprised at how much gunk still remains on your face - but then again, those SPFs and foundations aren't meant to be removed easily.

I know there are subtleties here and some will debate which products are more suited for each step of the cleanse, but essentially, the most important part is simply to cleanse twice, and remove the cleanser each time with a warm wash cloth (I always do several passes, rinsing the cloth in-between) - you could use one and the same cream/ oil/ balm cleanser for this. I like to use a basic cleansing oil first, and follow with a more luxurious cream or balm, but again, you don't have to. Just cleanse twice - any time you're wearing make-up or sunscreen.

3. Acid Toning
I couldn't possibly omit the acid tone from this round-up; it's a step I do twice a day, every day, no exception. In short, I think there are three most important factors to a successful acid tone, be it in the form of an AHA/ BHA or even LHA/ PHA toner, or exfoliating pads:
a) gentle but effective formulation (no alcohol, preferrably lower percentage of the acids, sufficiently low pH level),
b) consistency of usage (at least once a day - obviously I'm not talking here about folks who can't tolerate acids on their skin...),
c) following up with hydrating products and SPF during the day (to counteract possible dryness and prevent hyperpigmentation).

I've also mentioned in the past that I like to mix up my acids by rotating a couple different products in the acid toning step and sometimes using exfoliating masks (recent overview here) or an exfoliating serum, but that's not strictly necessary - you could just have one acid product on hand and use it both morning and night or just at night, depending on how your skin handles chemical exfoliation. So far, my favorite products for this step are the First Aid Beauty Facial Radiance Pads ($30 for 60 pads, repurchased multiple times, review included in my overview of acid toners and pads here) and the Pixi Skintreats Glow Tonic ($29 for 250ml/ 8.25 fl oz, full review here).

For my somewhat sensitive skin prone to redness, I definitely prefer frequent chemical exfoliation over manual exfoliation once every couple days. However, if you're not seeing results from your acid toning and/or you've noticed that your serums and moisturizers are not absorbing properly into your skin, try a gentle (no apricot kernels please!) physical scrub once or twice a week - I like to lightly massage my face with a scrub and then follow with a mask for a more effective treatment. My current favorite manual exfoliators are the TATCHA Classic Rice Enzyme Powder ($65 for 60 g/2.1 oz, reviewed here) and the Andalou Naturals Clarifying Lemon Sugar Facial Scrub ($$11.99 for 1.7 oz/ 50 ml, reviewed here).

4. Hydration Sandwich
I briefly spoke about sandwiching hydrating products in my review of the Hada Labo Gokujyun Hyaluronic Acid Lotion, but here's the gist: layering hydrating toners/ essences/ lotions with serums and moisturizers helps to balance your skin, even out its tone and texture, and prevents surface dehydration as well as fine lines/ wrinkles in the future.

Even though in the past, I thought NOT using a moisturizer on my very oily skin could be a good idea (see this old post), I would never try that again - even (or especially) oily and combination skin types need some hydrating, but not necessarily moisturizing, products. I mean fine, you don't want to use a typical creamy moisturizer, especially in the morning when you wear an SPF anyway - go ahead, I have no problems with that. Just make sure you're using a hydrating serum (preferrably, with lots of hyaluronic acid), or, better yet, a hydrating spray toner followed with a serum, and monitor your skin for signs of dryness; you could always add a more nourishing moisturizer or face oil only at night if you don't like heavy layers on your face in the daytime. Your nicely hydrated face will feel and look softer, plumper and more even, your blemishes will heal quicker, and hopefully in due time, your sebum production will subside at least a little bit.

My favorite lightweight hydrating products include the above mentioned Rohto Hada Labo Gokujyun Hyaluronic Acid Lotion ($11- 20 for 5.7 fl. oz/ 170ml, full review here), Reviva Labs Hyaluronic Acid Serum ($22 for 1 0z./30ml, reviewed here) the Bioderma Hydrabio Serum Moisturizing Concentrate (around $20 for 40ml, mentioned here) and Andalou Naturals Probiotic + C Renewal Cream ($19.99 for 1.7 oz/ 50 ml, reviewed here), preceded by various water-based spritzes such as natural hydrosols (rosewater and rock rose/ Cistus flower water are my favorites), thermal spring waters (Vichy, Avene, you name it) or more complex toners like Nature Republic Bee Venom Mist Essence ($19.90 for 3.38 fl. oz/ 100ml, full review here) or the Dermalogica Ultracalming Mist ($34 for 6 fl oz/ 177 ml, reviewed here). Hydrating masks also work a charm when my skin needs an extra boost, my favorites are various Asian sheet masks as well as the Laneige Water Sleeping Mask ($23 for 80ml/ 2.7 fl oz, recently reviewed here) and the Andalou Naturals 1000 Roses Rosewater Mask ($14.95 for 1.7 fl oz, reviewed here).

5. No picking
As a long-standing skin picker, this last point is something I struggle with the most. While I don't really get whiteheads or larger breakouts any more, I still have a lot of blackheads and quite a few clogged pores, and the urge to get them out of my skin is sometimes too strong to resist. I believe that the internal motivation of a picker and the reasoning behind attacking your own face is that you're 'helping' your skin by getting rid of a stubborn clog, and that once removed, it should heal much faster. And yes, sometimes that's true - but please think about all the other times your picking caused the breakout to get much worse, or to spread into more breakouts in the same area, or it scarred badly and you're still bearing the battle marks today.

Do whatever it takes to minimize, and hopefully completely stop, your picking habit - get rid of magnifying mirrors, don't step too close to a mirror, use lower lighting in the bathroom, set a timer for how much time you're spending at the sink, get artificial nails - doesn't matter, just do it. Picking is a bad habit but habits can be changed, even when they're coping mechanisms. Be present and be mindful for your skin, and it will thank you.

Aaand... that's it! Hopefully, this long and wordy post was helpful to you; please let me know if you have any questions and I shall do my best to answer them. We all wish for better skin, and sometimes what works for one person won't do a thing for the next - but if you're looking to change your routine, these may just be some basic ideas worth considering. Now tell me, regardless of your particular skin struggles - be it irritation, dryness, breakouts - what was the single thing you introduced into your routine that has given you the best results? I'd love to know!

Killer Cheekbones: Inglot HD Sculpting Powder in 504

I can't quite wrap my head around the huge popularity of different contouring palettes that make-up brands have been coming out with in the past couple of months. Not only do they seem majorly too ORANGE to me, but really, why does an ordinary woman doing her own make-up need a whole palette to contour her face? To me, you only need one, ONE contouring powder that really suits your skintone for all your sculpting needs. All those other shades included in the palettes? Soon, you're probably going to wonder why you spent the extra $$$ for the untouched pans and bulky packaging.

Anyway, rant over. It's not that I'm against contouring - IF you know what you're doing, which isn't all that easy in itself. For the longest time, I've been quite satisfied with only one contouring product in my stash, the famous NYX Powder Blush in Taupe. But, on a recent trip to the Inglot store, I've noticed they came out with a whole new range of HD Sculpting Powders ($15 for 5.5g/ 0.19 oz), and I grabbed the shade 504 to try out.

In the store I went to in Warsaw, they had a lot more shades on display than the five available on the US website, ranging from highlighting shades (including the popular banana/ yellow shades) to contouring shades, divided into warm, neutral and cool undertones. I thought that was super helpful, but I was surprised to see that for skin with a cool undertone, they only had one shade available (yes, the no. 504), where for skin with warm undertones, they had at least five shades in different depth, depending on whether your skintone is light or dark. It made me feel that cool undertones were being marginalized; but on the other hand, it made my decision process a lot easier.

The HD Scultping Powders are available in the Freedom System, meaning that you have to purchase the refills and the palette separately. I only got the refill pan, intending to keep it in my Z-Palette. The product itself is unscented and has a smooth satin finish in the pan; under fluorescent lights especially, you can see teeny tiny particles of shimmer running through the powder. That worried me from the start - aren't we always told that contouring products have to be matte? However, a helpful sales associate explained to me that on the skin, you can't see any of the shimmer, and the satin formula translates into a natural, flawless (HD?) look. I decided to trust her on that one (which I rarely do...), and for once, yes, she was absolutely right.

The actual texture of the powder is very similar to the Inglot matte eyeshadow formula, meaning: silky, creamy, quite loosely packed (but doesn't kick up as much powder as the eyeshadows). In my swatches however, you can see that it's less pigmented than the Matte Eyeshadow no. 344, which means it's easier to control and blend seamlessly into the skin. I really like the formula of this HD Sculpting Powder: it looks virtually undetectable on and just melds into the skin.

L-R: Inglot Sculpting Powder no. 504, NYX Powder Blush in Taupe, Benefit Hoola Bronzer, Inglot Matte Eyeshadow no. 344, Rouge Bunny Rouge Matt Eyeshadow in Chestnut Napped Appalis

As for the shade I've chosen, I do think it works well on my fair skin with a cool undertone. Hopefully, you can see in my photos that 504 pulls almost mauvey/ rosy, which manages to look like a natural shadow on the skin without pulling too ashy. It's not miles away from the NYX Taupe blush, but I do prefer the formula of Inglot's. I'm pretty happy with this purchase: it has satisfied my need to ride the contouring bandwagon, but without spending an arm and a leg in the process, or adding a large palette to my already bursting make-up drawers.

What do you think of the contouring & highlighting trend? Have you bought any of the newly released sets and palettes, or do you have an eye on one in particular? Or are you too scared of ending up looking like Kim K?

Universal Lip Pencil: Milani Anti-Feathering Lipliner in Transparent

It seems that February would be the month of me going back on my word: 'I don't see the point of highlighters!', and yet I'm loving Laura Mercier Matte Radiance. 'I never use lip liners!', and here I am, launching into a lip pencil review. Please stay tuned for an upcoming rave on eyelash curlers and how I can't imagine my life without them... Just kidding, no, I'm still not converted to lash curling - but I almost had you there! ;)

Here's why I felt the need to fork out for this Milani Anti-Feathering Lipliner in Transparent 01 ($4.49 for 0.04 oz/ 1.2 g). As you may remember from this year's installment of Project Make A Dent, I've been trying to use up my Inglot Gel Lipstick no. 58, a bright berry shade. I don't have much problem with rocking bold lips even on an everyday basis, but I do have an issue with darker colors wearing off unevenly or slipping around too much on the lips. If I'm going to wear my bright raspberry without fear or second thought, I need to make sure it's not going anywhere - which is where a lip liner must come in.

I say 'must', because I've never been a fan of lining my lips; it takes more time, effort and expense (to buy matching lip liners to all your bold lipsticks? No thank you, I prefer to just buy more lipstick), and on top of that, most lip pencils are incredibly drying and uncomfortable. But you know what, this Milani Transparent Lipliner is really cool - clear, so it matches everything, quick and easy to apply, feels good on the lips, and definitely extends the wear of my bright lipsticks.

Milani claims this pencil can be used to outline your lips but also to fill them in, and that it can double as a lip primer; you do end up going through the pencil rather quickly this way. The texture of the product is quite hard in the bullet (it can crumble when freshly sharpened if you press down too hard!) but warms up as you're putting it on the lips, and it has a smooth but almost tacky feel to it. Think of it as a glue between the skin of your lips and the lip product you're putting on top: it's not oily or balmy but instead forms a layer for lipsticks or glosses to cling to. Throughout the day, it doesn't seem to wear off or absorb into the lips, making the creamy product worn on top feel more solid and less slippery, and depending on the lipstick formula, sometimes it can even slightly mattify the finish. There's no scent to the product but you do unfortunately have to sharpen your pencil.

Another huge advantage of this universal Milani Lipliner is that it doesn't exacerbate vertical lip lines and it doesn't dry out the lips - I wouldn't say it moisturizes them either, but due to high silicone and wax content, it acts almost like a seal to trap moisture inside your lips. Even with more drying lipstick formulas, I feel that by layering the clear lip liner underneath, my lips feel less parched by the end of the day.

Wearing Milani Anti-Feathering Lip Liner with Inglot Gel Lipstick no. 58. I'm not sure if you can see that, but the finish is a bit more satin than by wearing the lipstick on its own.

Overall, I wholeheartedly recommend this, and now I think I can't be without a lip priming product to wear with brighter shades. If you dislike the high maintenance that comes with fuschias, reds and burgundies, definitely look into the Transparent Anti-Feathering Lipliner - and even if doesn't turn out to be an absolute must-have for you personally, it's a small investment versus some other options from brands like MAC, Too Faced, Dior or Bite Beauty. How cool that Milani made such a product available in the drugstore, right?

How do you feel about lip liners and lip primers in general? Have you ever tried a clear lip liner, and if so, which brand is your favorite?

Eczema on Hands and Fingers: Triggers, Tips & Treatments

Eczema - if you know what this word entails, and I mean really know on a deep personal level, I feel you. Eczema is a bitch, there's no other way around it. You may remember that in my Fall Nail Polish post I complained about the state of my fingers and cuticles, which is how this post came about. Now, I don't claim to be an eczema expert or even that I have it particularly bad; I'm aware that for some people it's a lifelong condition that covers most of their body, and mine is only limited to my hands, and oftentimes, I'm even able to completely get rid of any flare-ups. But when I do have it (like now), it's a veritable pain in the ass, and I thought it may be helpful to share how I deal with it, especially if you've just started getting the symptoms.

While it's very common for eczema to first strike in the early childhood, I only started getting sporadic flare-ups as a teenager, and then I got a very bad flare-up a couple winters ago, and since then I've been struggling on and off. My mom also suffers from eczema on her hands, and her flare-ups and their pattern are extremely similar to mine, so I do think there must be a genetic link.

I've considered including photos of my typical eczema patch but honestly, it's pretty gross - even writing about it isn't pretty. Mine takes the form of a reddened, rough area of skin that develops small blisters, which burst after a day or so (sorry!), and then that area starts drying up to the point of cracking and flaking. Other symptoms include ichting, burning, occasionally bleeding from deeper cracks. Told you it wasn't pretty!

Some of the flare-up triggers, established through personal experience, my mom's experience and talking to my dermatologist, include frequent hand washing and soaking in water, low temperatures but also humid climates, as sweat also seems to make things worse, contact with harsh chemicals (for example, in home cleaning products or nail polish remover), contact with established allergens (I'm allergic to cats and petting one makes things more itchy in mere minutes), lack of UV exposure, moisture trapped under rings or other jewelry. My mom believes eczema is at least partly a form of skin allergy and pinpointing your specific allergens should help in recovery, but my dermatologist was skeptical - essentially, it's an autoimmune condition and anything can become a trigger.

Consequently, avoiding the triggers I've listed above generally helps in keeping things under control. What this means in practice is that I always do the dishes and other house chores in rubber gloves (my mom, who worked in a chemical lab all of her career, especially recommends talc-free single-use nitrile gloves), try to keep my hands above water when taking a bath, often don't put on my engagement ring and wedding band, re-apply handcream multiple times a day and always always after washing my hands, always wear gloves in the fall and winter.

As for the treatments, I use a combination of different products, both prescription and over the counter. If you've observed your symptoms gradually getting worse, I would strongly recommend making an appointment with a dermatologist, because unfortunately, the single ointment that always stops blisters and itching in its tracks is a topical corticosteroid, which is prescription only. Steroid creams can have different strength but they're generally very effective - the downside being that they have some serious side effects. On top of being very drying, they thin out your skin over time and can even disrupt internal organs' function in large quantities; so they're kind of 'the last resort' type of treatment, and should be used sporadically to help manage the worst flare-ups.

Here's my typical course of treatment: as soon as I notice a new eczema patch, I apply my usual hand creams and then apply a thin layer of the steroid ointment over the patch and leave it overnight. If I really want to make sure I don't rub it off on the sheets, I'll also put on some cotton gloves; as a bonus, they help to trap moisture in the skin as well. My mom recommends to repeat this process every day until the flare-up completely goes away, but I try not to do more than 2 or 3 consecutive nights. The steroid medication helps to dry out the blisters but leaves behind very dry, flaky skin, so I really load up on hand cream the next week or so. Unfortunately, my flare-ups tend to reoccur in the exact same spots, but using the steroid cream seems to prolong the eczema-free stretches of time.

In the photos, you can see some of the creams and potions I'm using on my hands. The L'Occitane Shea Butter Dry Skin Hand Cream ($28 for 5.2 oz) works nicely and absorbs fast, but most of the time I prefer to stick to less expensive options, like the Neutrogena Norwegian Formula Fragrance-Free Hand Cream ($3.50-$4.50 for 2 oz) or CeraVe Moisturizing Cream or Lotion ($10.99 for 12 fl oz). I find that occlusive creams, or the ones that leave a layer on your skin to trap the moisture inside, generally work best, which is why I really like using Neosalus Cream, a $$$ prescription moisturizer than leaves a layer on the skin even through hand washing. A fun thing to try are these nourishing sheet Hand Masks (the ones in the photo are from The Face Shop), although I've found that a thick layer of a hydrating face mask (like the Avene Soothing Moisture Mask) under a pair of cotton gloves works just as well for less.

I think that's all I can think of for now - let me know if you have any more questions, and of course please share your experiences with eczema and your favorite treatments in the comments! Oh, and a little update on my steroid-mangled fingernail: it doesn't look too hot right now but continues to grow out. Thanks for reading!

Bedside Beauty Edit

It's a sign of a true beauty junkie to have a specific collection of products just for the bedside pampering, always within reach when you're all snuggled up in bed and ready to doze off. I'm pretty nosey and love to know what beauty products people keep at their nighstands, so I thought you lovely people may also be interested in what I use every day before bed.

First off - gotta take care of that dry and scaly bod'. I know it's probably more effective to moisturize your body right after you get out of the shower, while your skin is still damp; but truth is, I already spend way too much time in the bathroom on different ablutions, so I've moved that part of the routine to my bedside. I've been using The Body Shop Brazil Nut Body Butter ($20 for 6.9 oz) for the past couple months and I really, really like it - smells like fresh nutty donuts. I also find it very moisturizing, but it absorbs quite easily, and doesn't get all over my sheets.

I don't slather my whole body in The Body Shop butter every night, so when I'm feeling lazy (most days), I just do my hands, knees and elbows using The Body Shop Almond Hand & Nail Cream ($20 for 100ml/ 3.3 fl oz). It's a pretty lightweight lotion that sinks in quickly, so when eczema strikes, I bring out the big guns - Neosalus Cream. It's a prescription moisturizer/ barrier cream that feels very tacky at first, but then absorbs fully into the skin, forming an invisible layer to seal in all the moisture. I realize that talking of Rx creams may not be super helpful to everyone, but I also know many of you struggle with extremely dry, itchy skin conditions, so maybe ask your dermatologist about it next time you're in for a visit - if you'd rather go the OTC route, I also recommend the CeraVe lotion.

For my dry, peeling cuticles, I like reaching for the Badger Organic Cuticle Care ($5.99 for 0.75 oz). It's a solid balm in the tin (by the way, how cute is that packaging?!) that melts into an oil on your skin, and smells absolutely amazing: like mandarin oranges, lemongrass & ginger. It does feel quite oily on the skin and doesn't sink in immediately, so I try to use it as the very last step before going to sleep. On my lips, I always use Osmia Organics Honey-Myrrh Lip Repair ($22 for 0.28 oz); you can read my detailed review and comparison to Nuxe Reve de Miel over here.

Lastly, two sleep potions: a pillow spray and an oil rollerball. When I feel a bit anxious and have some trouble winding down from the day, I like to spray the Bath & Body Works Aromatherapy Sleep Lavender Vanilla Pillow Mist ($10 for 5.3 oz) on our bedsheets. It's a sweet, comforting, almost creamy lavender, not too overbearing but the scent does linger on the linens for about an hour to two hours; I'd say it's a good alternative to more expensive pillow sprays, especially when you're not quite decided yet if it's a product you'll get a lot of use out of. For a more natural, essential oil option, I use the 21 Drops in 18 - Sleep ($29 for 8 ml/ 0.27 fl oz). It's a blend of sandalwood, ylang ylang, palmarosa and vetiver essential oils that you can roll onto your wrists, temples and sides of your neck to help with a racing mind and restlessness. I do think aromatherapy and scents in general can help evoke different emotional states, and breathing in this slightly spicy, sensual woodsy concoction aids in letting go of stressful, worried thoughts before hitting the hay.

Do you have your own little stash of products you like to use before drifting off? What are your favorites for a bedside pamper session?

Current Everyday Make-up Staples

When it comes to make-up with a lot of color variation like eyeshadows, liners, blushes and lip products, I do own a significant collection and I'm always looking for new interesting shades to add on to my stash. But when it comes to real basics, I have only a few and use even fewer; in the morning hustle and bustle I prefer to take the guesswork out of my make-up routine and go with a selection of tried and true products. I thought it'd be fun to show you what is on my face 90% of the time when I'm wearing make-up so we can compare our notes!

First off, prep and prime: I'm sure you're tired of me talking about this Devita Solar Protective Moisturizer SPF 30+, but I do wear it under make-up (or alone!) every single day. I tend to skip make-up primers as I haven't found one I really liked yet, although I nearly always prime my oily eyelids with NARS Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base, my absolute favorite and Holy Grail eyeshadow primer. I also like to dab a bit of Jack Black lip balm SPF 25 on my lips and let it sink in before I apply any lipstick.

Now for the base: on a day-to-day basis, I prefer wearing mineral foundation over liquid and my favorite for the past couple of months has been Laura Mercier Mineral Powder SPF 15, reviewed in detail here. For a quick perfecting base, I first apply the Rimmel Match Perfection concealer under my eyes and blend with a finger, then buff on some Laura Mercier powder foundation with a kabuki brush, concentrating on the areas that need more coverage. In the summer, I enjoy using The Body Shop Honey Bronze Bronzing Powder in Fair Matte (unfortunately, the lid of mine completely broke off!) on the high points of my face for a bit of a sculpting glow; this bronzer is my favorite for a quick, subtle and natural look on fair skin.

Lastly, I spot conceal with Becca Dual Coverage Compact Concealer in the shade Sherbet - I think I've never talked about this product before even though I use it every single day! It's a thicker cream with a medium coverage and opaque coverage concealers in the same split pan; honestly, I find that both sides work almost the same for me but possibly the left (medium coverage) is slightly easier to blend. It does a good job of covering unsightly blemishes and pigmentation although it can appear cakey on the skin; I think that all in all I prefer the performance to price ratio of MAC Studio Finish concealer.

For the eyes, I always have to have an eyebrow pencil on hand; I'm currently using the ybf Automatic Universal Eyebrow Pencil I received in a Birchbox a long time ago. I'm not sure how truly universal this shade is, but for my eyebrows it works like a charm and is nearly undetectable. I usually apply a little bit in short strokes mostly to my arches and then brush out with the included spoolie for a softer look. When in a time crush, I always reach for my favorite simple yet defining eye combo: Maybelline Color Tattoo in Bad to the Bronze all over the lid and blended into the crease with some smudged dark eyeliner at the lashline - either GOSH Velvet Touch Eyeliner in Black Ink or Annabelle Smudge Liner in Chocolate. I think both of them are slightly dried out now and not as creamy as they used to be, but I'm determined to use them all up.

Now for some swatches, left to right: Rimmel Match Perfection concealer in Ivory is slightly darker and more yellow than my skintone but still blends in nicely under the eyes. Becca Compact Concealer in Sherbet is a quite good match albeit a bit on the yellow side, and Laura Merciel Mineral Powder in Tender Rose blends right into my skin. The Body Shop Honey Bronze powder in Fair Matte is great for a sunkissed look on fair cool-toned skin although it does have a tinge of orange to it.

 Eye products, left to right: Maybelline Bad to the Bronze (again!), Annabelle Smudge liner in Chocolate, GOSH Velvet Touch Eyeliner in Black Ink (umm... maybe more of a dark charcoal) and ybf Universal Eyebrow Pencil. Below, this is how it all works together on my face, obviously with the addition of mascara (Bobbi Brown Everything Mascara in Black), blush (NYX Mauve) and lipstick (Revlon Superlustrous Shine in Kissable Pink).

I hope you enjoyed this quick look at my current make-up staples - I think it'd be fun to do another one in maybe a year to see which products will stay and which will change. Do you tend to use the same basics for everyday looks or do you prefer to rotate them? What are your everyday staples?