Beauty Favorites :: January 2013

Hello everyone! So wow January is already over huh? I can't believe how quickly we are moving along in this New Year! Well anyways I've decided that after posting that huge long list of my favorites of 2012 it might be a good idea to start doing a sort of monthly favorites instead. There were products on that list that I really wanted to get into more detail on and just couldn't because it would have made that post go on forever and been really tedious towards the end. I also didn't even mention everything I wanted too. I found myself coming across things after posting that I was like, 'Hey I should have mentioned that!' So to remedy this monthly favorites it is! In this posts I will include a few of the products I've used often and really like over the past month. I'll include where you can purchase them and how I use/wear them as well. So let's get to it shall we?

 Starting from the top...of my head :D I didn't have a favorite shampoo/conditioner last year and a recent trip to the salon reminded me of my past love of the Matrix Biolage Haircare products. In particular I used to really love the shampoos and conditioners. So I picked some up and so far I'm soooo glad I did. I just love the smell of Biolage, it just smells like what I think the perfect shampoo smell should be. Light, crisp and clean.....awwww so nice! The two I picked up are the Scalp Therapie Normalizing Shampoo and the Hydratherapie Detangling Solution. I have naturally thin curly hair so its a weird mix of needing lots of moisture but easily weighed down. I have an oily scalp and dry ends as well, especially since I've been growing my hair longer. So with the combo I chose, the shampoo clarifies nicely and the detangler leaves behind just enough moisture. If my ends do need a little extra moisture I just use a touch of argan oil or coconut oil on the ends only. Biolage is one of those brands that you are suppose to only purchase from salons directly but I've seen them in grocery stores and even Target but buyer beware because the reason they are in regular stores is often because they are old....reallly old...you can tell by the packaging. Often the stuff in grocery stores has different looking packaging because again its old. But hey, if you find a set with updated packaging it probably isn't that bad.  I got mine from Ulta because I didn't want to chance it and because I had a coupon.

 Ok next product I've been loving are these Burt's Bees Sensitive Skin Towelettes that I picked up from Target. I got these randomly, I'm not usually a fan of makeup wipes as I prefer to just wash my face and I find they leave behind a residue. I got these because to take with me when I workout. These are nice to wipe off any makeup before I workout or to just wipe the sweat afterwards. I do rinse my face after toweling off with these and I do eventually wash my face fully later on. These are just nice for right after Hot Yoga where I'm super disgustingly sweaty and gross. These are scented but not heavily and they don't irritate my skin so that's nice too. Good stuff, try them, like them, let's move on!

Another face product I've recently rediscovered this month is Jergens Natural Glow for Face. Another Target purchase although I've seen these in other drugstores. This was actually a recommendation a few years ago from my lovely friend Nicole. It's a self tanner that gives your face a nice hint of color that can be built up overtime. Very natural, not orangey and is non-comedogenic which means it doesn't clog pores or cause acne...Nice! It also gives your skin some nice light moisture and has SPF20. This is just a perfect winter product really, when you're feeling all pale and ghostlike.

Continuing with winter skincare I've been using DERMAdoctor KP duty which is a moisturizer that helps control keratosis pilaris otherwise known as 'chicken skin'. Sounds lovely right? MMMMmmmm yeah chicken skin >.< Ok so you don't have to Google it, chicken skin is basically tiny acne, bumps, or ingrown hairs that can appear on the backs of your arms. I've dealt with it since High School and so far this is the best treatment I've found. It's pricey at $36 a tube but for me its worth it. I get it from Sephora and use it every time I get out of the shower and it make my arms nice and smooth again after a few days.

And for the rest of my body I've been using this Pacifica Tuscan Blood Orange body butter I received in my January Ipsy bag. My skin has been super dry this winter so this body butter has been a really nice thing to reach for and slather all over myself after showering. The scent is nice and citrusy and the ingredients are pretty naturally which is nice. Now I got this out of a beauty bag subscription but I've heard you can this at Whole Foods which I will need to check out when I run out of this.

Another beauty subscription love this month is the Instant Warming Foot Scrub I received in my December Julep Maven box. If you can't tell from the picture I have almost completely used this up. I use it almost every time I shower because while it is exfoliating it is not all that harsh especially on feet. The slight warming you get when you first apply it doesn't last more than a second but the smell is minty, fresh and very soothing. Even though I stated in my December Julep review that I would repurchase this I must admit that after getting in the habit of using this I do want to go out and try another foot scrub or even just reorder this one from Julep. It might also be because I have resisted the urge to get regular pedicures in a bid to save money. My poor feetsies just don't feel as loved lately :( Oh well deal with it feet! Julep's foot scrub is $22 so if anyone has a suggestion of a cheaper but good foot scrub let me know!

 Ok moving on to makeup stuff. My favorite face product has been this Dr. Jart+ Black Label Detox BB cream. OMG I love this stuff. It is just ultimate, lazy girl, all in one, dream product and really most BB creams are (the Asian ones anyway). I featured Skin79 Gold BB cream in my 2012 favorites and it still is really good but the Dr. Jart+ one is much easier to obtain (Sephora carries it). While the Skin79 did have some dark spot fighting properties the Dr. Jart+ one is more geared towards blemish and acne prone skin which is what I deal with. It's as if my Clinique Acne Solutions and my Skin79 BB had a baby. Like most Asian BB creams it comes in one universal shade which is a lot less grey than Skin79. It also has SPF 25, moisturizes, but still keeps me from getting shiny. It looks super natural even close up. My husband can't tell I'm wearing it unlike when I wear regular foundation. It provides good coverage but if you do have some acne spots or hyper pigmentation you will still need a concealer on top. One downside is that when taking pictures with flash the sunscreen in the product will reflect and wash you out so if you are going for a fancy event or night out where you expect to have photos taken I would suggest you go with a regular non-SPF foundation. For everyday though this is awesome. I through some one even when I'm just sitting at home because the skin benefits are really great. BTW the amount pictured on my hand is one pump and its enough to cover my whole face, that's less than it takes for when I use foundation.

 Now as I mentioned above I deal with adult hormonal acne and I think I might have found a really nice concealing product from Bare Minerals. Now there is not much I do like from Bare Minerals, if find there products have no staying power and are just a mess to deal with and impossible to travel with. There are some things I do like though and their Blemish Therapy is one of them. I use this as a concealer on fresh acne spots. The Sulfur and Tea Tree Oil help reduce the redness and clear up the pimple while concealing. My acne tends to leave dark marks though and for that I use my Nars Concealer Stick in Custard but that's a review for another time. A negative on this product is the smell, it has Sulfur so it does have a bit of a smell but honestly it doesn't bother me, I've used other Sulfur acne treatments and I expected the smell plus I associate it with blemish fighting power! So yeah this is a nice product. Thumbs up!

 The eyes have it and this shadow does too! Cheesy...sheesh forgive me. This was featured in my 2012 favorites as just a general eye shadow love but this color in particular I want to chat about. This is Loreal Infallible Eyeshadow in Amber Rush and ooohh this color is just the best color I've ever used. It's a rosegold that is just so shimmery and smooth and nice on your lids. The product itself is cool because its a mix between a loose powder and a cream shadow. It comes with a little dohickey that you use to compress the powder which I'm a fan of because I don't like mess. I've found it applies best with your fingers which makes it a nice color for on the go application. It stays on all day and doesn't crease especially if you use a primer on your lids (I use Mac Paintpot in Groundwork). This color is just awesome because it would look good on many a skintone and you only really need this one color to look nice. Easy peasy!

 On to the lips! Muah! I've mentioned these before but I just wanted to feature this color. This is the Revlon Lip Butter in Berrie Smoothie. For me this color is just a my lips but better color. I have naturally kind of pinkish brown so this color brings out the pink tones and just makes them look nice without being obvious I'm wearing lipstick. It is slightly shimmering and I would tend to wear this for evenings out or nighttime. I prefer a nude shade called Creme Brulee for daytime. I own several colors now and this one is just my favorite. These lip butters go on really smooth and creamy too. They feel like a lip balm and most of the colors are sheer but buildable really the perfect lip product for the makeup newbie.

And for those days when I opt for no color or really just whenever I want some moisture I go for this Sugar Lip Treatment from Fresh. This was a part of a little mini duo birthday gift from Sephora. It came with this plain one and a tinted on in Rose. I love both but this one I almost used up because its the one I keep in my purse. Sugar in the title is misleading too because these lip balms smell like lemon to me. They last on your lips too, I don't have to constantly apply this one. Sometimes I'm reapplying it just to smell it not because I actually need it. Downside is these are really expensive for just a lip balm at $22.50. Mine are smaller than the full size ones but still $22 is a lot for a lip balm. Thankfully though I would up with two sets because I went into Sephora twice during November and they gave me a set both times. Yay!

Ok so finally blush and me haven't always gotten along. I've been experimenting and researching different ones and I found this blush from NYX in Dusty Rose to be a really nice natural color for me. I'm not familiar with NYX products and have only heard about them online but they come highly recommended both for their quality and for their cheapness. I found this at Ulta but I think I've seen NYX at other drugstores. Be warned though these blushes are highly pigmented, it does not take much at all! When I apply it I just barely dust my brush across the pan and that is usually more than enough for one cheek so I recommend a super light hand when applying. Good news is though that this means this blush will last forever! So cheap and long-lasting A+ NYX!

 I just wanted to include these pics to show you how the makeup I talked about looks on my face. I'm wearing the BB cream, Blush (which is washed out from the camera), the lip butter, eyeshadow and concealer. Altogether these make for a nice quick everyday face. And my friends that is all I have for you this month. I hope you enjoyed this post Follow me, Comment, Pin, and Share! I would appreciate it and if you have a blog I'd love to read, share, follow and comment on yours too.

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