Lately my favorite part of my daily routine is taking all of my makeup off at the end of the day (besides eating of course). I have really fallen for the products I've been using so I feel like it's a good time to post about some of the products that make the process easy and really leave my skin looking prettayyy good.

Lush Ultrabland Cleanser
This is by far the best product I have purchased in a very long time. I love the thought behind Lush, so it's not difficult for me to want to buy everything in that store. I first apply a small amount of this solely to get all my eye makeup off. After I have taken that off with a warm washcloth, I will apply this again to take off the rest of my makeup. Ultrabland is the most moisturizing, yet cleansing product. It doesn't strip the skin at all but you can definitely feel that it's taken off all your makeup.

Murad Essential-C Cleanser
I first heard of this product through Rachel. I have been using it for about a week now (I had been using Avalon Cleansing Milk), and so far it's pretty solid. This is probably the newest product to my skincare routine. I feel like the thing I change the most in my routine would be my actual face cleanser. I thought the Avalon Cleansing Milk did an alright job for the price and I might pick up one since I used all of mine. This Murad cleanser is gentle enough on the skin that it doesn't bother me too much to double cleanse. I like this product, but when it's empty, I'm sure I'll try something new.

Mario Badescu Skincare's Glycolic Acid Toner
This is the first toner that I have been loving. Toners have always been difficult for me to find because they always had a high alcohol content and would dry my face out. Glycolic Acid creates a barrier for moisture so this is perfect at the end of the day as to prepare my face for the morning. This hasn't dried out my skin and I'm about half way through this bottle. Sometimes I use this in the morning, but most of the time I use a separate toner (a separate post to come). With all of the cleansing happening before this step, I usually just do a once over, but if I notice any dirt or anything on the cotton pad I'll go ahead and do a double tone.

The Body Shop's Nutriganics Smoothing Eye Cream
When I went to the Body Shop they were having their buy three, get three sale, and I can safely say that this is my favorite of the six products I bought. I use this after I have used my toner in the morning and at night. In the morning it is perfect because it is a thick enough eye cream that my concealer goes on nicely. At night, it just helps my eyes not look so sad. Dare I say, this product has made me notice my dark circles less? I don't even remember reading that when I was browsing the eye creams, but I definitely feel like my dark circles are less pronounced.

REN Bio Retinoid Anti-aging Concentrate
I got this little sample in a set for Christmas. It smells pretty much like olive oil and that was kind of gross at first. However, for some reason I have been loving this like crazy lately. After I put my eye cream on, this stuff mixed with my Seventh Generation Boots Serum (which has it's own post here), makes my skin feel ridiculously soft. Sometimes I feel like serums and concentrates can feel really heavy on my skin, but when I mix these two it is light enough to not make me feel like I have a lot product on but still completely moisturize my skin.

What are your evening staples?
xx Tori

I first heard of this brand from Rachel. I was looking for a pretty cheap serum that wouldn't lack in quality. I went to my closest Walgreens to check it out and found that there about six different serums in the range. I battled for probably thirty minutes on which one to choose and ended up with the Hydration serum. I chose this one because I had watched a video by Stephanie (SoothingSista on YouTube) and she had mentioned that Jojoba oil closely mimics the skins natural oils. That being said, it absorbs into the skin a lot easier than other oils.

I've used this product every single night since I purchased it probably three months ago and I've used up maybe a third of the bottle. After I double cleanse and tone, I'll apply this serum. There have been a couple of days that I've found myself reaching for it in the morning. This winter seems to be especially hard on my skin but I found that if I put this on in the morning before my moisturizer and just let it set a bit, it doesn't make my skin look oily or greasy once I've put my makeup on. I do have extremely dry skin though, so I wouldn't recommend it if you had combination skin.

This product just really showed me how dehydrated my skin really was. I always knew my skin was dry but this serum definitely solved the issue of dehydration (they're two different things, y'all). It definitely doesn't feel greasy when I put it on, which was my main concern, and it absorbs rather quickly. I noticed a huge difference the first time I used it, I couldn't believe how soft my skin was when I woke up. When the weather is a bit harsher, I use a couple of more pumps, but in all, this is definitely a product I will be repurchasing. I don't even know what I would have done this winter without it.

     No doubt this post has been circulating blogs as of late, so I thought I’d weigh in with my picks of the year. It was actually tough to choose 13 items but I think I’ve nailed what I’ve loved for the past 365.

After I mistakenly browsed Caroline Hirons blog, I was absolutely positive, and slightly anxious, that what I was using was not up to par. So I took a little jaunt down to Walgreens after work and bought some new products. For a drugstore, Walgreens has some prettayy solid stuff. I knew after talking to Rachel that I need a serum to add to my moisturizer. So that had already been on my list, I just needed a new nighttime cleanser and a new moisturizer. I was having some severe anxiety about the cleanser I had been using because it did foam a bit, even though it didn't have any mineral oil or parabens, it did have sulfates and that just can't do.


On to what I bought...
Burt's Bees Radiance Cleanser: I really like this from what I've used of it. It doesn't strip my skin and make it feel dry. The consistency is that of a milk cleanser which is really nice. Unlike one of the cleansers I have used before it does not have any sulfates in it. This is now the cleanser I use when I double wash my face. It also does really make my skin look nice and radiant.

Eclos Moisture Therapy Regenerative Cream: I noticed this for two reasons. Firstly, I hadn't heard of this brand before. Secondly, regenerative, does this make me the next doctor? I kid, I kid. Anyway, this is labeled as both an AM and PM moisturizer. Without mineral oil, this cream gets its powers from Apple Stem Cells, which I think is pretty nifty. I really like it so far, but it does not have any SPF in it, but that's fine because I typically use this at night. If I do use this in the morning then I put on SPF as an extra step.

Simple Revitalizing Eye Roll-on: After reading on Caroline's blog, I knew I needed an eye cream. This is perfect in the mornings because it's cool and really does wake up my eyes. I put this on before my moisturizer, per advice from Goddess Hirons. I really love the Simple brand, my two other trusty cleansers are from Simple as well. I did notice, however, that it did burn a bit the first time I used it. I'm not sure if it is because my skin is so dry or what. I haven't had that happen again, so who knows.

Seventh Generation Boosts Serum in Hydrating: I know Rachel uses one of these serums and so it must be okay since she's pretty picky about skincare like I am. I added just a drop to my hand that already had a bit of my moisturizer on it and then rubbed it until it was mixed. I was a bit unsure about it because at first my face felt a little bit greasy. That being said, when I woke up this morning my face felt ridiculously soft and hydrated and oh my lord. Definitely a fan.

Y'all should really check out Caroline Hirons bible of a blog/website and share which products made the cut!
xx Tori

   
     This year, I've really been getting into skincare and being more conscious about what I'm putting on my skin. There are plenty of scary articles out there explaining why "x" is toxic or what terrible effects "y" will have on your skin.  That shit can get overwhelming, especially with all the convoluted names that tend to litter the ingredient list. However, I was pleasantly surprised to find such a simple product at Walgreens. Yep, no bank account-crippling trip to Whole Foods needed. Woopwoop, way to go.

     Okay, so what the hell is a "boost"? Essentially, Seventh Generation has a line of 6 facial oils all aimed at different skincare needs: Jojoba (dryness), Oat Extract (irritation/uneven skin tone), Tea Tree (oiliness/impurities), Baobab (lack of firmness), Rosehip (fine lines), and Prickly Pear (environmental damage). This ability to tailor to your specific needs is the first place Seventh Generation succeeded. In addition, they are completely plant based and concentrated. So basically the active ingredients aren't diluted in water (holla more fo yo monay) and there is a complete absence of nasty chemicals. As an added bonus, these boosts are completely vegan and not tested on animals.

     Oils can be a bit off-putting, I know. They feel greasy and heavy. They are slightly messy. But fear not, these are completely manageable - even for those with oily skin. As skincare experts have reiterated thousands of times, even if you tend to be oilier you must moisturize your skin. Stripping it of its natural moisture via astringents, etc. only leads to overcompensation (i.e. even oilier skin). These boosts provide the moisture your skin needs along with helping to solve some of its issues. Plus, the main oils are delivered in a carrier system. Huh? What? It's okay, I had to do my research about this shiz too. Apricot kernel oil, sweet almond oil, and grapeseed oil "carry" the other oils into your skin helping them to absorb quickly with a slightly more powdery feel. Now, while these are not overly greasy, I do find that this isn't the fastest-absorbing moisturizer I've tried. When I put it on at night (I use roughly 2 pumps) I find that it takes around an hour to soak in completely. So if you're one who goes straight to bed after their skincare routine, there's a good chance your pillow will be doing most of the absorbing. Still, you can use a pump of this integrated with your normal moisturizer. This still delivers the benefits and is a little bit more user-friendly. Just keep in mind you're diluting it slightly (and may not be 100% natural depending on your lotion).

     As for the specific Revitalizing Boost, I love it. I've been looking to try a facial oil for a while now, especially one with rosehip (glad I didn't spend $44 on the Trilogy version). It's radiance-boosting properties are what hooked me. Plus warding off fine lines was much appreciated. This version also has vanilla bean extract. Ohhhh my god. That is definitely the prominent scent, which is fantastic because I'm quite fond of vanilla. I use this all over my face after toning, either alone (most commonly) or just a drop  mixed into another moisturizer. My skin looks rejuvenated and feels nourished in the morning. I do feel a little annoyed that it doesn't immediately absorb, but I think that's to be expected of any facial oil (I noticed the same of coconut). It's a worthwhile trade to be using an all-natural product that works. This line is sold for $14.99 at Walgreens - BUT if you go online here you can take their skincare quiz to find the right boost for you and save $3 off your purchase. *dances in jubilation*

     Speak to all you lovely humans next Sunday,

Rachel
xx