Winter skincare routine

I was seeking for good moisturizer from October 2012, and now I am settled down with some products. I no longer feel driness and itchness. Not only my hubby saying my skin feels soft and nice, but also my mother-in-law asked me what I am using.

So I am somewhat confidently posting this.
- Yes, they work for me, but not sure it would be the same thing for you.

In the morning, I wash my face with Garnier Moisture Rescue Cleaning Foam. then apply InfiniteAloe Advanced Formula Skin Care cream and Olay Complete SPF 30 Defense  for Sensitive Skin. (Here I used the Olay Moisturizer as a sunscreen)
Then apply make up, depends on what I like to use.

In the evening, I wet my cotton pad with Bioderma Sebium H2O to remove makeup, and cleanse rest of the makeup, dirt, and oil with Clarisonic Mia and Clinique Anti-Blemish Solutions Cleansing Bar for Face and Body. And wet my cotton pad with Clinique Clarifying Lotion2 to remove residue if they still exist. To misturize my face and neck,I apply TheBodyShop VitaminC Facial Radiance Capsules, InfiniteAloe Advanced Formula Skin Care cream, and Bio-Oil. 

In the weekend, I put BeautiControl Detox Spa Detoxifying Clay Masque on me. I still have few before-period acne, and I think this clay mask preventing me from breakout while moisturizing my skin. I also like to use Freeman Bare Foot Softening Foot Soak with Invigorating Peppermint & Plum. Foot soak is good for my health and heel. Also use this dermabrasional device I got from Korea. There are so many of them, but this one is cheeper! 

When I planned my routine, I was thinking...

• I only need to remove natural oils in the morning, and moisturize my skin before makeup. Simple but effective products are needed.
• In the evening, I need to remove all the makeup and residue and etc. My skin need to sleep and relax while I sleep. Remove everything, and rebuild moisturizing barrier. I wake up in the midnight more than two times because I feel thirsty. My skin shouldn't. 
• Method matters. Massage everytime I apply moisturizer. 
• I know full-bath and lower-body bathing is better than foot soak, but I want something I can continue in summer time as well. 

FYI, I attach a google map of the states and Canada. 

Can you see the little red flag? I am there! I live in the city where one can see aurora once a year, if one wake up at 04:00ish. I hope this would explain why my skin type varies from oily combination to dry combination, and why I was so desperately looking for a good moisturizer. 

Thanks for reading!

Suggesting & Planning my V-day look

I was busy yesterday, and couldn't read my so-called Daily reads. So I read them today,  some of theme were Lipstick Bandits posts. Their theme was V-day, and I was like "Why don't I try to suggest V-day look? Or plan mine?" This is how this post started.

What I used today

First, I prep my skin with moisturizer and lip balm. First things first, eh?

Clinique Evenbetter concealer Porcelain, and Nars Tinted Moisturizer Alaska

Then I apply concealer with flat foundation brush. Foundation bush tends to be broader/bigger than concealer brush, and that saves a lot brushing motion. And I buff my tinted moisturizer with buffing brush. By the way, it only has been a month since I started using these brushes, I am so in love with them. I feel so good that my hands get less messy. So I am thinking about buying a acrylic palette for makeup. Then my hands will be truly mess-free, without foundation and concealer.

Clinique Blended face powder Invisible blend

Once foundation is done, I powder them so that they are set. I brush most of my face except nose, around nose, and eye brow. There, I use patting motion with thick and big powder puff. These are oily areas where I want no grease on them.

The base makeup is done, so I move on to eye makeup. I prime my eyelid with Too Faced shadow insurance. While the primer sets, I selected shadows. This look is for Valentines day, "official" romantic day of a year. So I picked up pink and purple.

Laneige dual e/s ShinePink& Purple, and Nars e/s duo Kuala Lumpur

I used pink side of the pencil  for all over my eyelid, and cover it with rosy pink colour with gold shimmer. Then line with purple side of pencil, and lightly smudge it with brownish purple colour.

Nars Blusher Deep Throat, and MAC Lipstick Giddy

Fort my cheek I applied peach-pink blusher, and I picked up pink lipstick which has hint of coral in natural light.

So this is my almost-final look for V-day, I planned for myself.

Without glasses.

and this is my final look.

With my favourite glasses

Do you like it?

MOTD 2013-01-17

I have a dinner with in-laws today at local restaurant. Not a frequent thing that would occur, so I thought I would wear a make up for it. I don't work right now, so wearing a make up is totally up to what I like to do. 

There are what I used today.

- Nars Bronzer Laguna

- Nars Blusher Deep Throat

- Nars Tinted Moisturizer Alaska

- L'oreal Carresse Sunset Angora

- Almay Shimmer-i for brown

- Marcelle Browduo Dark 

- RealTechnique Travel essential 

- Clinique Even better Concealer Porcelain(VF)

- Clinique Blended face powder Invisible blend (I forgot to take a picture of it)

 

I applied concealer to around the nose, undereye, and tinted moisturizer to all over my face with the foundation brush. The concealer is lighter than my skin colour, but it is ok since I use it under the foundation. That lightens up some dark area before foundation, then the foundation sets on it when I blend it. 

 

I also put Vaseline on my lip to prep for lipstick. Caresse seems like moisturizing lipstick, but it doesn't feels like. It is not drying matte lip stick, but apparently not sheer moisturizing one. 

 

Then I powdered oily areas, and applied bronzer and blush on cheek. Powder is only there to set the foundation, and the colours I picked for my bronzer and blush is easy to blend and good colours for everyday. Well, at least for me. 

Almay shadow trio is gentle and nicely pigmented with proper amount of shimmer that doesn't stand out. My in-laws never said a good thing about celebrities with bold colour &sparkling make up, so I assume that they don't prefer that kind of make up. I think this neutral pinkish coral and brown trio with very finely grounded shimmer is good choice for this kind of meeting/appointment/dinner. Lip colour is picked in that sense as well. Vaseline should moisturized my lip while I apply eyeshadow and cheek make up. I removed the greasy ointment on my lip with pursing motion, then applied the lipstick. Light application of this product would balance the eye and lip make up.

As the final step, I fill the empty spots of my brows and brush them with transparent mascara. I love this browduo from Marcelle that has both brow pencil and clear mascara in one stick. It is just so convenient to use both edge with lesser mess on bath counter, and to carry with me :) 

This is my final look! 

Thanks for reading!

Parcel from iHerb, and something from Drugstore

I got some notice card from Canada Post yesterday. Two boxes of Korean foods from my friend in Vancouver, and one box from iHerb came in. Since international shipping is either difficult or expensive, I prefer iHerb's FREE SHIPPING events =) I ordered them on 31st of December, and they came here today! It is not 7-business-day like what they said, I am ok as long as they come. 

These are what I got! Real Techniques Core collection, Travel essential, and blusher brushes! 

Most brushes of two collections are for face, and I ordered both at the same time on purpose. I love my beautyblender, but I am wondering what it is like to applying foundation with RT brushes after reading all the rave reviews. Some said stippling brush is the best, but I don't like to do the motion of stippling; it seems like the motion needs more patience than I have. 

Core collection has 4 face brushes including brushes that I will use for concealer, highlighter, foundation, and bronzer. The collection is designed as one Detailer brush for concealer, Pinted Foundation Brush to build custom coverage, Buffing Brush for powder/mineral foundation, and Contour Brush for contouring/soft-focus finish. But I don't think I will follow every single detail of what they are supposed to do :')

Travel collection is much simple package of brushes. One foundation brush, one multitask brush for all powder products, and one brush for eye makeup. It doesn't have concealer brush nor eye liner brush, but seems like most-needed pack of brush if I pack for a personal travel. I already have pack of mini brushes from Bobbi Brown, but they are somewhat expensive so that I don't want to take a risk of losing/stolen them on trip. I usually brought full-sized cheap drugstore brushes, but they sheds and left hairs on my face. I hope this set doesn't. This set is well-priced, and well-picked one. Brush for eye shadow is definitely needed for sure, face brush for powder ones is absolutely essential not to mention foundation brush. I am not sure about the foundation brush, though. Some are using the multitask brush for foundation, then how can I apply blusher and bronzer? 

That's right. I thought I need to mix these collections for my trip. I would like to make my travel package since I go for pleasure travel more than three times a year: in March, May,  and one time in autumn. When I ordered them, the idea crossed my mind and I was like "why not?" It was kinda advanture though, because I've never used them before. 

Whole sets feel very soft, and they are denser than my former travel brushes. Blusher brush which I ordered just because it is none of any collection is also feel great on my cheek. I like how it's shaped! It looks like Yachiyo brush from Nars =)

I think I will get starter set sooner later. 

I was little tired today, when I picked up my mails. Huge boxes came in, and I know most of them are for me, I should be excited for them coming. But I went to bed at 4am last night because I was so focused reading a book. After 4 hours of sleep, I felt tired but didn't want to go back to sleep. Instead, I bought something from drugstore. 

 

Almay shimmer-i for browns, Clinique concealer, and two of L'oreal Caresse lipsticks.

I already got Almay smokey-i for brown which I really like, and wanted to try this one as well. I like Almay's colour pick up for eye colours. Not like cover girl's line which is my tried-but-not-like-it, Almay's shadow set is both beautiful on my eyes and wearable for everyday. 

Clinique concealer is my choice after one month of searching for right concealer. I like that the package is in a pot and I can apply it with a brush that I can easily cleanse. Though I am not sure why the sales person recommended porcelain colour to me, I'm gonna try it. 

L'oreal Caresse seems like famous dupe of YSL Glossy stain. It was on 50% sale, and how can I resist to the price like $6.99CAD? Got them in Sunset Angora and Cardinal Plume. Hope they look like the original YSL Glossy stain on my lip XD. I love the colours in the pictures from google, but I am not sure what they will be like on my pale lip. 

Thanks for reading!