I’m going to start with some new skincare. I don’t like changing my skincare too often unless it’s not working. But there is always room for improvement and so once in a while I will stray from my old standbys. That was this month. My skin has actually been doing really well for me – redness is fading, pimples are rare, little fleshy bumps are diminishing. No complaints really. But there’s been a new brand staring at me in Sephora lately and I wanted to try something so I picked it up during the sale. I am talking about Farmacy and the product I went for first is the Clear Bloom Makeup Glideaway Cleansing Oil. I really like using a cleansing oil to remove makeup and have been a fan of The Body Shop’s Chamomile Cleansing Oil, but the Farmacy one intrigued me, plus I figured it’s not too likely to disrupt my current good decent skin kick. Well, thank goodness I tried it because I love it! I want to do a dedicated review so I’m not going to go into a ton of detail, but it really does remove makeup well without an oily residue or leaving your eyes all blurry! I will point out that there is a bit of a learning curve and their directions to mix with water first are best if you just want to wash your face without removing makeup. When applied just straight, no water, this stuff removes everything. It can take a bit of time, but you don’t have to go back for more and more product and all you need is one pump. If you keep adding a bit of water it will continue getting milky and remove more and more makeup for days! It’s absolutely fantastic and my skin feels soft, clean and hydrated without feeling oily after rinsing. Since I initially used it for makeup removal and loved it, I started using it just as a general face wash and it’s brilliant for that as well! I would just recommend that you wet your face first if you’re makeup free. Definitely would recommend the Farmacy Clear Bloom Makeup Glideaway Cleansing Oil as both a makeup remover and a gentle face wash. Superb! J
Sticking to new skincare from the VIB sale, another brand I’ve had my eye on is Herbivore. Specifically their masks intrigued me and I actually decided to indulge with both the Blue Tansy AHA + BHA Resurfacing Clarity Mask and the Brighten Pineapple Enzyme + Gemstone Instant Glow Mask. I have only tried the Blue Tansy so far and it seems to work wonders! As I said, my skin has been relatively under control lately…though I think this has been helping this month. It is a deep blue colored gel consistency. I only apply a tiny amount (I’m still using the stuff stuck to the lid) and I don’t typically notice that it’s sitting on my face as it’s “drying,” nor can you see it. After rinsing the goo away my skin instantly looks clearer – not as in fewer blemishes, jut kind of more even in tone I guess. However if I am breaking out or feel something coming on, using this mask seems to prevent and/or shrink the ugliness trying to burst out of my pores! That sounds gross. J I am convinced it’s making a definite difference. It’s also helped with fading redness, softening my skin (the AHA & BHA are both exfoliants so you’d expect that), and even shrinking my pores a bit. It has an interesting scent – similar to the Sunday Riley Luna Oil (shocking since they both use Blue Tansy – which, side note, is partly why I was intrigued by this mask). It’s kind of an herbal-floral hybrid that’s not fantastic, but not too offensive either. It is a pricey mask at $48 a jar, but you get a ton and you need just a dollop for your entire face so it’s gonna well outlast it’s expiry! J If you are in the market for a new gently exfoliating and clearing-type mask that won’t actually cause breakouts in the beginning, definitely look into the Herbivore Blue Tansy AHA + BHA Resurfacing Clarity Mask!
Moving along to makeup, I have yet anther new eyeliner. If you’re not aware, a necessary step in getting ready for me is tightlining my upper lash line. It just makes such a difference! Anyway, finding a pencil liner that doesn’t transfer to the lower waterline or fade by the end of the day is difficult. I recently decided to give the Urban Decay 24/7 Waterline Eye Pencil a go and it is perfect! I should point out that I have seen mixed reviews on this, but for me, it works like a charm. It stays put, it glides on easily, it doesn’t transfer and it’s a pretty deep black (I have “Legend” which is their black shade). I haven’t used it a ton on my lower waterline, but I have tried it a few times and it’s been good there too. I should point out that my eyes are not overly watery or overly dry and I don’t tend to have too much trouble with liners staying, but transferring is usually an issue. And I have napped with this on and it stays in place without transferring all over my lower lash line!!! The Urban Decay 24/7 Waterline Eye Pencil seems to have mastered the staying power on my waterlines so I definitely recommend it. J
Jumping to a highlighter favorite, I’ve been using my Kevyn Aucoin The Celestial Powder in “Candlelight” almost exclusively this month and it’s just amazing! It’s one of those highlighters you may not really notice when applying it (which I find frustrating), but there have so many times I walked past a mirror and realized, “WOW! My cheeks are absolutely glowing!” It’s a spectacular highlighter for those who want a more natural glow that’s not too shiny and oily looking, definitely not glittery, and doesn’t accent any texture or lines on the skin. It picks up light beautifully without looking like highlighter…if that makes sense. Believe the buzz about the Kevyn Aucoin The Celestial Powder because it is gorgeous!
Moving back to eyes, I have a new mascara favorite. It doesn’t overtake my all-time best Too Faced Better Than Sex, but it’s great for different reasons. I received the W3ll People Expressionist Mascara in a recent BirchBox (gotten so much better lately btw!) and I was so excited. I have wanted to try this mascara for a long time, but didn’t want to shell out the cash for it. I tried it immediately and it’s fantastic! It’s nice and black, doesn’t smudge or flake, doesn’t clump, and it manages to create soft fluttery volume and length! Plus it’s a natural mascara!!! It can look like an improvement from normal while still looking natural to rather dramatic with a few coats. The wand is plastic, which I don’t normally love, but this one works well plus it’s not overly big, overly small or strangely shaped so that it’s difficult to get to your eye. I have particularly loved it for my lower lashes because they never clump together and actually look enhanced instead of kind of long and scrawny. Plus the brush fits under there without much effort. It’s not hard to remove, but seems to last with a bit of water splashing on it. It’s just all around fantastic. I still prefer the Better Than Sex for it’s insane false lash volume and drama, but the W3ll People Expressionist Mascara is an absolutely fantastic all-around mascara that will work for practically any occasion!!!
Finally for eyes, I love what I did for Thanksgiving. I tested out the look many times in November and these shadows are definitely all favs for the month. I can’t take all the credit because I was inspired by this tutorial from mallory1712 on YouTube. Anyway, the first favorite is Makeup Geek’s Matte Eyeshadow in “Morocco.” It’s a gorgeous orange shade and the formula is just divine. It’s buttery soft, blends like a dream and it just looks fantastic as a crease or transition shade. Gorgeous! For my lids, I’ve been using the Makeup Geek Foiled Shadow in “Showtime.” Oh my! So pretty as well! It’s kind of a warm almost burgundy-chocolate. Applied with dry with a brush (as I’ve been doing), you lose a bit of the foiled effect, but I just love the color. The Foiled Shadows can crease on me a bit, but it’s not terrible even with a deeper shade like this. Sticking with another Foiled Shadow, I’ve been just barely adding “Mesmerized” to the outer corner and smudged into the lash lines. This is definitely more of a cool-toned taupe, but it adds a nice depth with the warmer shades. Then to deepen the crease and outer V just a tiny bit, I used “Americano” which is another of the new Makeup Geek Matte Shadows. It’s basically just a cool deep brown. Nothing fancy, but great for this purpose. And since I was going for festive, I patted the ColourPop Super Shock Shadow in “Amaze” on the center of my lid. It is a barely rose-gold with a sh*t ton of glitter. You mainly see the glitter on the eye, which is exactly what I was after. Absolutely loved trying out and wearing these eye shadows…over and over again! J
Whew! That was a marathon of favorites! But what else is expected from me, right? J I hope you’ve enjoyed taking a peek at some of my November Favorites…if you’ve even made it this far! It’s been a weird month, but I had a wonderful Thanksgiving and I am really looking forward to Christmas. As long as everyone can stay happy and healthy through December I think it will be a good one. J With that said, I hope you all had a wonderful November and have an even better December!!! I’m going to try and post more regularly through December (assuming things have settled a bit), but I’m not going to promise that I’m back to normal quite yet. Not gonna lie. It’s been nice taking a break and not worrying about having posts ready and pictures taken and all that stuff that is fun, but draining and overwhelming at times. Best wishes to you all and here’s to a Happy Holiday Season!!!! J
