Not Quite Strobing: Marc Jacobs Glow Stick in 700 Spotlight Review

It seems that thanks to Influenster, this year will be all about discovering Marc Jacobs Beauty range for me - and I'm not mad at it. This time we've received a very trendy product to review: the Marc Jacobs Glow Stick Glistening Illuminator in the shade Spotlight 700* ($42 for 0.49 oz/ 14g). I'd only tried two other cream/ liquid highlighters in the past - Benefit Watt's Up and MAC Strobe Cream - so I was excited to give the MJ version a go.

The highlighter stick is packaged in a minimalist short but fat tube; at first I thought the price of this product to be rather high, but you really do get A LOT of product here - I can't really see how you'd be able to use the entire thing up in a reasonable amount of time, unless you were using it all over the face under foundation and/or on your body - which you absolutely can. That's definitely one area where I believe cream highlighters have a leg up over the powders; they can be layered with other products and multitasked more easily.

The shape of the stick is oval, which may look like it would come in handy to apply directly on the cheekbones; however, for my face at least, the size is too big, and with its impressive pigmentation, I find the Glow Stick more user-friendly when applied with my fingers, a beautyblender, or a smaller brush.

It's quite an emollient formula; I don't own the Watt's Up anymore so I can't compare there, but it is definitely thicker/ more viscous than the liquidy MAC Strobe Cream. Nevertheless, the Glow Stick's formula is very blendable, both under and over foundation. I don't think it sets necessarily, but when sheered out in a thin layer, it doesn't move anywhere on the face and wears beautifully for the entire day. I would recommend this formula to anyone in the combination-normal-dry skintype spectrum; if your cheeks are oily, it may migrate more for you.

On Sephora's website, the shade Spotlight (which is the only shade available) is described as 'universal glow'. I don't believe that's really the case. As you can hopefully see from my close-up shots and swatches, this highlighter is a very, very pale white gold - I can't pick up much of the golden tones once it's blended out on the skin, so you could also describe it as a very light ivory shade. It's fantastic on my fair skintone, and I think it would suit a variety of undertones as the shade is quite neutral; but if you're medium to dark skintone, I believe this shade would look quite stark and maybe even ashy.

The finish of Marc Jacobs' Glow Stick is a fine pearl, no large shimmer or glitter particles in sight. It packs quite a punch though so you can definitely get a more dramatic strobing/ mirrored effect if you want - that's not really my style, so I'm glad that it can be sheered out more easily too. In my experience, it doesn't accentuate my pores or fine lines on top of my cheeks, and layers just fine over both powder and cream blush, although I like the finish better when worn with creams - just looks a bit more natural.

Highlighters are definitely one of the more challenging products to photograph but I hope you can see the tone of Spotlight quite well compared to some of my other highlighters. In my review of the Anastasia Beverly Hills Illuminator in Starlight, I called that shade a 'pale white gold' too, but as you can see, compared to the Marc Jacobs Glow Stick, it's definitely more peachy pink. Surratt Eyeshadow in Scintillante has a less dramatic pearl finish, and the base shade leans more grey (but somehow nearly identically matches my skintone).

L-R: Marc Jacobs Glow Stick in Spotlight, ABH Illuminator in Starlight, Surratt Scintillante. I'm sorry you can't see these shades more clearly in the arm swatch, but that's just the consequence of swatching products which are incredibly close to my skintone.

In the face shot, I'm wearing the Marc Glow Stick on tops of my cheeks, tip of my nose, Cupid's Bow and a tiny bit under my brows. My base is Bourjois 123 Perfect CC Cream in 31, applied with a damp blender sponge and lightly set with MAC Blot Powder on the T-zone. I think the Glow Stick looks lovely and fresh - I applied a bit more than I would usually do for the photo, but I still think the overall effect is not too overdone. Even though I've been a lot more into highlighters these past two years, I'm still not convinced by the strobing trend, and I'm glad the Marc Jacobs product can be made to look more natural for every day wear.

Are you into strobing? I know a lot of us beauty fanatics just love shopping for and collecting different highlighters - and I can definitely see why, so many of the limited edition highlighting powders are just too pretty to pass up! Do you prefer highlighters in the cream, liquid or powder texture?

Disclaimer: Item marked with an asterix (*) is a press sample I received from Influenster for testing purposes. 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!

New Food Subscription: Degustabox Unboxing & Overnight Oatmeal Recipe

We're back from Iceland! While it's sad that our holidays are over and it's now back to the daily grind, I'm actually glad to be home. It's just nice to have everything on hand for when you need it and not have to live out of a suitcase, you know? Moreover, whenever we travel, after about a week of being beyond happy about eating out (as in, someone else having to cook and do the dishes while I can just kick back and enjoy the deliciousness), I do start missing making my own meals. I guess I find it hard to maintain my normal diet while traveling and at the end of the trip, I'm itching to get back to more balanced meals.

You guys may remember from my mentioning in passing that I cook about 90% of our meals myself, and both me and Mr consider ourselves 'foodies' - by which I mean that we like to eat, and we like to eat well. I've wanted to incorporate some more food-related content into the blog for a while but wasn't sure how to start, and then Degustabox*, a new food subscription service, reached out and asked if I'd be interested in showcasing their box and coming up with a recipe incorporating the products they sent. Not only was I excited about the prospect of free food (I mean, who wouldn't be?), I also thought that it's a subscription service I could actually put to good use - the products from various beauty boxes I've tried in the past would usually end up lingering in drawers untouched for years, but food really is a consumable resource, and thus more in line with my somewhat minimalist tendencies. It's fun to share food porn, so why not? Maybe it'll be inspiring for someone out there.

Degustabox* is a subscription service that will set you back $19.99/ month, including delivery, and each of the monthly boxes contains between 10-15 food products, some full size, some trial/ snack size. Obviously all the products that come in the box are non-perishable food items, and many of them are products that are just being released on the market, so that you get a chance of trying something new you may not have heard about before. If you're interested in signing up, you can use my affiliate link here to save $10 off your first box (or not - whatever you prefer!), and you can cancel your subscription at any time.

 Now, onto my first Degustabox unboxing! The box was delivered about 5 days after I received my shipping confirmation and everything inside was packed with care (lots of bubble wrap, heavier items on the bottom). The box also came with a welcome card and a page detailing all the products, their prices and short descriptions, as well as two recipes featuring two of the items. I have received 10 different items but there were more than one packet/ bottle of some:

4 snack-sized bags of Wise Popcorn (2 x reduced fat sea salt and 2 x Cinnabon flavors) - $0.75 each
1 bottle of Briannas Italian Vinaigrette salad dressing - $3.99
3 foil packets of Vita Coco Coconut Oil - $1.29 each
2 bottles of Topo Chico Mineral Water (one unflavored sparkling, one lime flavored) - $1.00 each
1 jar of Jif Peanut Butter in the Cinammon flavor - $2.99
2 snack-sized bags of Orchard Valley nuts - $1.98 each
1 bag of Haribo Sour Gold-Bears candy - $2.79
1 carton of Elmhurst Harvest Pistachio milk-alternative beverage - $3.00
1 bottle of Soy Vay Veri Veri Teriyaki Sauce/ Marinade - $4.99
1 bag of Honees Cough Drops - $2.75
Total Value: $33.34 for $19.99 

I find this to be a pretty good value - and to be honest, if I were to shop for these products in store locally (in Brooklyn), I would probably pay closer to $40-45 for all of these items (NYC livin' ain't cheap). You could probably find some of these items cheaper if you shopped around online/ used coupons, but I still think the box is great value. Also, I found all of the products included to be relevant to my lifestyle and preferences - I was excited to see a nut milk since my husband is allergic to cow's dairy, and while he's also allergic to garlic so that we won't be able to use the Soy Vay marinade, I can easily pass this item on to a friend (I'm keeping the garlicky cheesy Italian dressing for myself though, muahaha). We eat lots of nuts and peanut butter in this house and I like snacking on popcorn, so those are all great as well - and I'm excited to try the sour version of Haribo Bears, which used to be one of my favorites candies when I was a kid.

As for the creative aspect of this post - a recipe featuring some items from this month's box - I was a bit pressed for time so I went for something very simple (not that the food I make is generally complicated; rather the opposite, to be honest). Most mornings, we eat homemade granola with Greek yogurt (me) or soy milk (him) and berries for breakfast, but I decided to make this Triple Nut Vegan Overnight Oatmeal this time. I'm sure most of you have heard of and tried overnight oats before, but if you haven't - here goes:

1/4 - 1/3 cup of old fashioned oats (I use Bob's Red Mill - don't use the instant kind!)
3/4 - 1 cup of grain/ nut milk: I used the Elmhurst Harvest Pistachio Beverage, which is sweetened - if using unsweetened variety, add in some sugar/ honey/ maple syrup to taste
1 tablespoon of flax seed (you could also use chia - or skip altogether)

Mix everything in your breakfast bowl the evening before and set in the fridge overnight to soak and thicken. The flax seeds/ chia seeds expand and get more of a jelly consistency when soaked in a liquid, which gives this oatmeal a pleasant creamy texture, while the oats soften so that you don't actually have to cook them. In the morning, you can reheat in the microwave if you like, and top with just about anything - I used unsweetened coconut flakes, raspberries and blackberries, and a teaspoon of Jif Cinnamon Peanut Butter in the center; hence the Triple Nut (Pistachio, Coconut and Peanut) - get it?

And that's it, a quick, simple and customizable breakfast that's also filling and relatively healthy (although a bit on the sweet side from the sugar in the Pistachio milk and Jif Peanut Butter - we normally eat unsweetened kinds of both of these items). Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this somewhat different post, and let me know what you usually have for breakfast; I recently tried dairy-free overnight yeast waffles on the weekend (which you may have seen on my Instagram) and those were a big hit too. Now I'm thinking of venturing further into the world of yeasted deliciousness... I'll keep you posted.

Disclaimer: Product marked with an asterix (*) is a press sample I received from the brand's PR for review consideration. The post contains an affiliate link, which means I'll earn a commission if you decide to sign up to Degustabox after clicking. All opinions are 100% honest and unbiased, no matter if the product featured was purchased with my own money or provided free of charge. Thank you for reading and supporting my blog!

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?

Pregnancy Update: I'm Halfway There!

Just to forewarn you - this post features not only a lot of pregnant lady talk, but also a somewhat creepy 3D ultrasound picture of our baby. But if that doesn't scare you, carry on - and thank you for reading!

Happy Mothers Day to all the beautiful mamas out there! 💐 Chai latte, wind blown hair and an #18weeks bump 😊 #bbloggers #bumpdate #secondtrimester #pregnancyfashion #bklyn #greenpoint #mommatobe

Zdjęcie zamieszczone przez użytkownika Monika (@rocaillewrites) 8 Maj, 2016 o 11:51 PDT

As of writing this post, I'm 20 weeks and 6 days pregnant - and as you're reading it, I'm actually 22 weeks and some change, so actually already into my second half of pregnancy. I can't say it has all flown by super fast so far, and not because of any unpleasant symptoms; it's just that the first 14 weeks are rather anxious because of the relatively high risk of miscarriage, and to be honest, I just wanted them to be over and done with and not have to worry about the safety of our baby.

So, big news - at our 16 week initial anatomy scan that my husband accompanied me to, we learnt that we're having... drumroll please... a little BOY! He was not at all shy to reveal his gender and we could actually see it ourselves on the monitor before the ultrasound technician even told us. I had a rather strong feeling from the beginning that it was going to be a boy and we kept referring to the baby as 'he' well before we knew - I was actually so convinced at one point that I began to worry about feeling disappointed if I turned out to be wrong. More importantly, both at the 16 week and the 20 week scan (which I just had yesterday), the baby appeared to be developing well and he weighted exactly as expected - he's 14 ounces now, already twice the weight he was at the 16 week appointment. We saw his little hands and feet, and yesterday I was even able to see tiny fingers and toes. As you can see in the alien 3D ultrasound picture, he likes to keep his hands close to his face - he may actually be sucking a thumb in there for all I know :)

I can also feel his movements a lot more now. I first started feeling some subtle nudges at around 17 weeks, mostly after taking a bath in the evening and relaxing in bed with a book. My ultrasound technician said I have a posterior placenta, so I'm going to feel his kicks and somersaults all the more - and to be honest, now at almost 21 weeks, I think I can even feel them a little from the outside, although attempts to have my husband feel them too have proven futile so far; the boy quiets down as soon as Mr lays his hands on my belly.

Speaking of the belly, it has definitely grown and now looks a lot more like a proper baby bump versus a weird bloat. It's sort of a funny shape - it sticks out a lot in the lower part, which my husband finds especially amusing. It's beginning to be noticeable even to strangers; believe it or not, someone wanted to give up his seat for me on the subway yesterday, and that is not a common occurrence in New York. Because of the larger belly - and to an extent, my boobs as well - I now have to mostly wear the maternity clothes that I purchased so far. We've had a rather cool spring in New York City this year, so that one pair of maternity jeans I purchased from the GAP got lots of wear; some threads have actually started coming loose here and there. Right now, I feel that we're rapidly moving towards summer weather, so my maternity dresses and shorts are starting to be indispensable.

But other than the larger belly that sometimes gets in the way - especially when I'm bending over picking this up, or trying to polish my toes - I've been feeling pretty great. I have a lot more energy than in the first trimester, and especially in the mornings I can get a lot of things crossed off my to-do list. I do have to get up about 2 times at night to go to the bathroom, and then the third time in the morning, somewhat earlier than I would have liked to wake up, but all in all, I feel quite rested. I do sometimes get what I believe doctors call 'round ligament pain' - sharp pains at the sides and below my belly when I'm moving around a lot - but they subside quickly and are nothing to worry about; it's just my uterus stretching and things rearranging themselves to accomodate the growing baby.

In other news, we're leaving for a 2-week holiday tomorrow, and I couldn't be more excited! We're finally going to visit Iceland (this post is being scheduled in advance, so we're already there and enjoying our trip!). It's been on our bucket list for a couple years now, and we decided to go this spring/ summer even before we learnt about my pregnancy, although we booked the trip about a month earlier than we were originally planning to so that it'll be easier for me to fully enjoy it. It's not really a babymoon; to be honest, Iceland is probably not an ideal destination for a pregnant woman, and we didn't foresee this trip as our last holiday as a family of two - but when I thought about it, this is the first longer vacation just for me and Mr (without the rest of our families) since our honeymoon 7 years ago. Our plan is to rent a car and drive all the way around the island, staying in a different town nearly every night and exploring the great Icelandic outdoors. There is going to be mostly driving, hiking and taking lots of photos, which I'm hoping to share on my Instagram. However, we're going to take it all pretty easy and allow plenty of time for relaxing, dining out and bathing in geothermal waters; in fact, our first stop after the flight to Reykjavik is the Blue Lagoon Spa.

I think that's all I wanted to say for now, but if you have any questions - be it pregnancy or Iceland-related - don't hesitate to ask! I'm sure you're wondering if we already have a name picked out for our little boy, and we do in fact have one strong contender - but I'm going to be a tease and keep it a secret until he arrives in October. Thank you for reading!

My Current Facial Mask Wardrobe

For a few years now, I've been really enjoying keeping three types of facial masks in my medicine cabinet: a purifying clay one, an exfoliating one, and a hydrating mask. I usually also have at least a few different sheet masks on hand as well, but I think their results sort of overlap with a good wash-off hydrating mask, so these three really allow me cover all the bases and act accordingly to what my skin needs at any given time.

I mask about 2 times a week, so most weeks one of these masks is not even used at all. For the past couple of months, my routine has been to use my exfoliating mask towards the middle of the week, and then on the weekend, I'll either do the clay or the hydrating one; or you know, if I'm feeling really fancy, I could apply the clay to the areas that need more decongesting, and the other one everywhere else - but to be honest, I'm too lazy to do that :)

Let's start with the newest addition to my mask wardrobe, the newly released Nuxe Nuxuriance Ultra Re-Plumping Roll-On Mask* ($53 for 1.6 fl oz, available at nuxe.com here). This anti-aging mask promises to smooth the skin, reshape facial contours and enhance radiance. It contains sweet almond oil, glycerin, aloe vera, hyaluronic acid as well as saffron and bougainvillea extracts.

The novelty factor of this mask is that it comes with a cooling roll-on applicator; I thought it would get very messy in use, but thanks to an off/on switch, you can easily control the amount of product dispersed onto the metal part, and I'm not going to lie, it's very satisfying to roll your face with it, especially on the cheek and jaw area. That being said, I'm very skeptical as to the 'face reshaping' claims - I can't really observe anything to that effect on my nearly 30 year-old skin, and I don't think you could hope to minimize sagging with a facial mask that you leave on for 10 minutes.

Nevetheless, I find this mask pleasant to use and effective at hydrating and moisturizing my skin. One negative that I have experienced is that I may be slightly allergic to one of the ingredients, because my face feels a bit hot after application, and after I remove any remnants of the mask that haven't absorbed with a hydrosol/ toner, my skin looks a bit red. Like all Nuxe products I've tried thus far, the Re-Plumping Mask is quite strongly fragrance, so bear that in mind if you're sensitive.

The exfoliating mask I've been reaching for in the past three weeks is a cheap and cheerful find: the Freeman Feeling Beautiful Facial Peeling Pumpkin Mask. I haven't had it in my back-up drawer for very long so it didn't even occur to me to check, but I can't find this anywhere online - I believe it may have been discontinued :( At any rate, if you do manage to find it somewhere, it's a very decent exfoliating mask with both AHAs and enzymes, and I would look into repurchasing if it weren't for two things (aside from it being discontinued): it unnecessarily contains large pieces of walnut shells, and the scent is a bit over the top - like an inexpensive cinnamon candle. Oh well - I did go ahead and purchase a different pumpkin mask in its place, a review coming soon.

Lastly, when my skin is feeling especially oily or congested, I like to use the Caudalie Instant Detox Mask ($39 for 2.5 fl oz; I have a deluxe sample size). This mask contains grape marc, pink clay, coffee and papaya enzymes, as well as a whole host of essential oils - bergamot, lavender, clary sage, myrrh, sandalwood. For this reason, it smells absolutely beautiful - reminds me of an herbally cocktail, but again, sensitive skin types beware; it also contains alcohol.

The scent is more or less the only reason why I still reach for this mask - I don't think it's particularly effective as far as clay masks go. You certainly won't get the intense results like with the Aztec Healing Clay (reviewed here) when you use the Caudalie mask; and I wouldn't even mind the gentler effect if I didn't feel like this mask was also quite drying at the same time. Sure, I have observed that my pores are less noticeable immediately after removing the Instant Detox Mask, but I don't think it helps all that much with breakouts or blackheads. So there - I much preferred the Clarins Pure Matte mask with pink clay that I reviewed here.

And that's a wrap for my current skincare routine series - you can catch my morning and evening routines here and here if you've missed previous installments. I hope this was helpful for you and let me know if you have any questions about the products mentioned. Thank you for reading!

Disclaimer: Product marked with an asterix (*) is a press sample I received from the brand's PR for review consideration. The other two products were gifts. 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!

My Current Evening Skincare Routine

Compared to my morning skincare routine, evenings are always a bit more complex, mostly because I like switching products around and I also aim for a face mask about 2 times a week. Originally, I intended to include the three different face masks I rotate through in this post, but now I'm thinking I may discuss them separately, mostly because they're all new products that I haven't reviewed on the blog before - so keep your eyes peeled for that!

Again, my skin type profile: I'm combination, sensitive as well as acne and dehydration-prone. I'm also currently 21 weeks pregnant.

I wear make-up and sunscreen most days, so I always do a first cleanse to get the bulk of those products off with an oil cleanser. I'm still using the Shu Uemura Anti/Oxi Skin Refining Cleansing Oil (mentioned here) - I think I've been using it for about a year and a half now and I'm only now coming to the end of this giant bottle. It's a decent product, but I definitely wouldn't pay the full price now that there are so many cleansing oils to choose from even at the drugstore.

I then second cleanse my face using the same cleanser as in the morning, the NUDE Omega Cleansing Jelly (reviewed here). About 3 times a week, I also like to manually exfoliate my face using the TATCHA Classic Rice Enzyme Powder* (click!); before getting pregnant, I found my stronger salicylic acid-based toners to be sufficiently exfoliating on their own, but now that I'm using gentler AHAs, I like the added boost from a physical scrub like the TATCHA. Also, to be perfectly honest, I sometimes skip the NUDE cleansing balm and go straight to the TATCHA powder after using my cleansing oil - I find that the TATCHA has some impressive cleansing properties as well.

Now that my face is all clean and fresh, I like spritzing it with my rock rose (Cistus) hydrosol again, either before or after applying the Nuxe Nuxuriance Ultra Eye & Lip Contour* (recently reviewed here) to my eye and lip areas. I then proceed by smoothing two pumps of Paula's Choice Resist Daily Smoothing Treatment 5% AHA* (featured here) over my face and a little bit on the neck and chest. I've been using this product every night for about 6 months now and I've come to really appreciate it for how gentle (non-drying) but effective it is - also, I'm still on my first bottle, so even though the price seems a bit higher compared to Paula's other exfoliants, it lasts significantly longer than her liquids for example. I found that the AHA treatment helps to keep my skin clearer and smoother, on top of the more long-term anti-aging and hyperpigmentation-fighting benefits.

I do all of these steps in my bathroom, and then I give my skin at least a 20-minute break before completing my routine with the products I keep at my bedside in a little basket. I go one of two ways here: I either apply a thin layer of my favorite Laneige Water Sleeping Mask* (reviewed here) if I feel like my skin just needs some lightweight hydration, or I layer a serum first - I've just started using the new TATCHA Luminous Overnight Memory Serum Concentrate*, so no thoughts on it quite yet - and then press in about 3 drops of TATCHA Gold Camellia Beauty Oil* (reviewed here) over the top. This is my second bottle of the TATCHA oil and it remains one of my favorite facial oils I've tried to date. The very last step of my evening routine is to apply a generous amount of Nuxe Reve de Miel Ultra Nourishing Lip Balm to my lips and a nice blob of hand cream - my favorite is the Neutrogena Norwegian Formula Fragrance-Free (I'm maybe on my third tube now...? Seriously, every time I try a new hand cream now, I just end up going straight back to the Neutrogena).

As you can see, my routine is a bit heavy on the TATCHA at the moment, and my sensitive and somewhat drier than usual skin is loving it - but man, it's going to be painful to repurchase these beautiful but pricey products. Stay on the lookout for my mask wardrobe post and the review of the TATCHA Overnight serum. What are your tried and true evening skincare routine workhorses?

Disclaimer: Products marked with an asterix (*) were press samples I received from the brands' PR for review consideration. I purchased all the 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! 

Shop My Stash: All That Warm Brown, Coppery, Peachy, Orange Eyeshadow Goodness

Warm brown eyeshadows of varying depth and finish are all the rage this year - just look at the palettes that have come out in the past 6 months or so, be it from mainstream or more indie brands. In the past, I tended to shy away from very warm tones on my eyes, because I find them to be rather tricky on very fair, cool-toned complexions. While a metallic copper halo smokey eye looks smashing on someone with a medium/ tan skintone, on me it looks like I'm suffering through a stye or a case of rabid rabbit eyes - I'm sure you know what I mean if you're a fellow pale girl.

However, I've recently been feeling swept up by all the orange/ peach eyeshadow hype; I think it's partially the weather finally warming up, but mostly overdosing on ALL THE TAUPE in the past 2-3 years. I have nevertheless promised myself not to purchase another neutral eyeshadow palette, even if it features some new-to-me shades (as discussed in detail in this post) - and while I'm still allowing myself to pick up a single eyeshadow or two where I think it may benefit my collection, I decided first to shop my stash and see what I already own in the general category of warm neutral shades. I actually really enjoy pulling out all my freeform magnetic and premade palettes on a day off and getting busy swatching and rearranging them into new color combinations, so I thought I'd take you along for the ride; maybe you too will be inspired to browse through your collection and rediscover some forgotten eyeshadow gems.

I first started by selecting some of my favorite warm metallic shades that have remained in my stash after various declutters. I've mostly focused on single/ depotted pans from my Z-Palettes for this post, which means that I do in fact own more of this shade category but the eyeshadows are scattered throughout my premade palettes (you know, the ones I haven't subjected to fire + a sharp tool yet). I've also pulled some lighter warm shades I would use as an all over lid shade, and finally some dark warm browns for the outer corner/ lash line. All swatches were done with a finger on bare skin and photographed in indirect natural light - also, let me know if you prefer the shadow names as a caption under the photo or in the actual photo, like today. Let's start by the lightest warm shimmery shades, and medium matte transition/ crease/ blending shades:

Ah, MAC All That Glitters, that old chestnut. I was actually intending to declutter this shade as it tends to pull rather warm and peachy on me, but it's perfect in this subset, isn't it? Stila Spontaneous, from the In The Moment palette (reviewed here) is one of those shades that I tend to forget about easily, even though it's a beautiful color with a stellar formula, possibly the best one out of the whole palette. Too Faced Honey Pot from the Natural Eyes palette is the only true gold remaining in my stash - if you own the original Urban Decay Naked, Half Baked is nearly identical.

Inglot Matte 337 is one of two matte medium browns in my stash, and despite the appearance in the pan, it pulls almost peachy on the skin. TheBalm Sultry from the Nude'Tude palette is slightly deeper and more yellow. I threw in Catrice's blush in Rose Royce (reviewed here) to show that you really don't need the Limited Edition Too Faced Perfect Peach palette, if you're still lusting after one - I'm sure most of us have a matte or satin peach blush in our collection that can be easily worn as eyeshadow in the crease to warm up the look.

Now, those medium depth shimmery/ metallic shades are what I consider the eptiome of warm neutrals. I've roughly divided mine into two groups: the upper row in the photo above (and the first three in the arm swatch) are all more yellow/ orange toned, the bottom row all pull more red/ pinky peach. If you still own the LE Wet n'Wild The Gilded Age trio (shown here), all the shades in there are right on trend, especially the Eyelid and Crease Shades (the latter is shown in the next grouping). BareMinerals Truffle from LE The Finer Things palette (reviewed here) is another save from my declutter box; it's a gorgeous cognac/ chestnut shade that I'd like to incorporate into more looks. Lastly, the bronzy shade from LE Visee Bitter Brown quad (featured here) is the most neutral and sheerest of the bunch, so probably the most effortless to wear for my personal preferences.

Now, as for these pinky coppers, I actually find them easier to wear on myself than the previous three. The Eyelid shade from LE Wet n'Wild Dancing In the Clouds Trio (shown here) is a stunning penny copper with silver microglitters. Too Faced Push Up is my favorite shade out of the entire Natural Eyes palette; if you don't own that, I believe Urban Decay Toasted or MAC Sable are quite similar. Lastly, Fyrinnae Witchy Woodland Creatures may appear quite neutral compared to these other shades, but it does have a strong pink lean that warms up any eyeshadow look.

Dark warm browns - I only own satins and low shimmer finishes - is my smallest subset, and something I may potentially look into expanding in the future. I would mostly use these shades in the outer corner or very sparingly into the crease, or to smoke out a lashline. Look how gorgeous these are in a concentrated arm swatch!

BareMinerals Fate from the Truth quad (reviewed here) appears quite neutral or even cool-toned in the pan, but on my skin it definitely pulls very warm - yet another bM shade I forgot about, but it's going to be perfect for those warm neutral looks. Stila Whim from the In The Moment palette is a stunning chocolatey shades with almost burgundy shimmers, but the formula is a bit dry and not terribly pigmented. Now, another shade from that LE Wet n'Wild The Gilded Age trio; this one is the most shimmery of the bunch, again with those beautiful dark red shimmers. And lastly, the dark brown shade from Visee Bitter Browns - I'd say this one is more neutral than warm-toned, but I wanted to remind myself what it looked like when swatched.

And here's what my small Z-Palette looks like after this swatch session. I still use my theBalm Nude'Tude that I'm trying to pan this year every time I wear eye make-up, but I like to keep the small Z-Palette on hand to have more variety in my looks - I tend to rotate the shadows in it every couple of months or so. The only additional shades inside that haven't been discussed today are Too Faced Heaven, a matte ivory, as well as Velvet Revolver and Sexpresso from the Natural Eyes palette.

I hope you enjoyed this edition of Shop My Stash - I need to do these posts more often, it's a lot of fun to go play with my collection! What eyeshadow shades have you been reaching for recently? Do you arrange them in your Z-Palettes or reach for singles and specific palettes?