skin care update

My skincare routine has changed dramatically since I last posted about it in 2014. This is all thanks to Arabelle Sicardi, the only person whose skin care recommendations I actually trust. I mostly got stuff from this affordable skincare products post, if you'd like to take a look. I also religiously use Beautypedia to make sure that what I'm using on my face is actually good for my face. It rates products on their ingredients and performance. I've noticed that when I use products that are rated highly on Beautypedia my skin looks and feels so much healthier. So here are the products I'm currently using and my thoughts about them.

Morning Routine (cleanser + cleanser + eye patch + moisturizer)

Garnier Skin Micellar Cleansing Water (~$9 from Wal Mart)

I use this all over my face morning and night and I absolutely love it. This removes my makeup fairly easily and leaves my skin feeling clean and nourished. I remember the first time I used this I was so surprised at how soft my skin felt afterwards.

CeraVe Foaming Facial Cleanser (~$12 from London Drugs)

This cleanser is awesome! It feels really rich when I'm massaging it on my face and it makes my face feel really soft. It's also very well priced for the amount you get aaaand has a really high rating on Beautypedia which means it's really good for your skin. All in all, a very solid cleanser.

PETITEFEE Black Pearl & Gold Hydrogel Eye Patch (60 sheets for $11.61 at amazon.ca)

These are great! I actually notice a quite a dramatic difference after I use these--the skin under my eyes is much more moisturized, less discoloured and less sunken in. I definitely look more awake. I use them around 2 or 3 times a week, mostly depending on when I have the time to use them. I keep the patches on from 30 minutes to an hour and I use a tiny bit of the serum in the container on the rest of my face. I usually try to use these in the morning because my concealer always looks really good after I've used this mask. I've noticed that the effects usually last for around a day.

Paula's Choice Resist Moisturizer with SPF 30

This moisturizer is tinted too darkly for my skin tone in the winter, so I only use this in the summer. The tint doesn't provide any coverage, it just matches the colour of my face to the rest of my body when I've got a bit of a tan. It goes on very smoothly and sits nicely on the skin. My t-zone does still get oily throughout the day but I don't think there's a moisturizer in the world that could fix that. It's a really nice moisturizer but I probably wouldn't buy it again because it only works for me 2-3 months out of the year and it's not easily accessible. I recently bought the CeraVe AM moisturizer for normal to oily skin to try out when my tan fades in the fall because I've been loving their PM moisturizer.


Nighttime Routine (cleanser + cleanser + peeling gel + exfoliant + moisturizer)

Dr. G Brightening Peeling Gel ($26.18 at amazon.ca)

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!THIS STUFF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It's amazing. Thank you Arabelle from the bottom of my heart. I think this is the most expensive part of my skincare regimen (since I used promo codes and coupons for my PC stuff, and I bought it when the dollar wasn't so bad) but it was so, so, so worth it. It's has quite a runny consistency, which I wasn't expecting since it's called a gel. Once you put it on your face and start to smooth it in, it lifts all the dead skin on your face and it collects into little white clumps. You can see all the dead skin on your face which is pretty cool/gross. You can tell that it's working which is a major plus. Also, it is soooooo gentle! There's no beads or anything abrasive in the gel. And afterwards my skin looked so healthy--it was so bright and clear. It also made my face makeup apply really smoothly the following morning. I use this every 4ish days just because it's not necessary to use any more than that. Usually I use it at night but sometimes I'll use it in the morning. I would 100% recommend this to every single human being.

Paula's Choice 1% BHA Lotion Exfoliant

I bought this exfoliator around a year ago and I'm still using it! I'm so impressed with how long it's lasting. I only use this at night even though it's gentle enough to use twice a day, I just don't think it's necessary. The bottle is opaque so I can't tell how much is left but it's probably going to run out pretty soon (which is why I bought another exfoliant, I can't live without one). This was the first exfoliant I ever tried. Instantly, I was impressed. I rarely deal with acne now (knock on wood) and this helps clear up my existing acne and prevents acne from occurring in the first place. I definitely don't have as much acne as I used to a year ago and I think it's mostly due to this product. Around 8-10 months after I started using this product, I noticed that it wasn't quite as effective as it had been at first. I feel like this often happens to me with skincare products. Recently, thanks to a tip from Arabelle, I started waiting around 20-30 minutes from the time I applied my exfoliant to when I apply my nighttime moisturizer. Letting the exfoliant sink in is really important for it to be effective. After doing this I noticed an improvement in my skin's overall health. A chemical exfoliant is a crucial part of my skin care routine and I cannot recommend them enough. I think this product in particular is a really good option for people who are trying chemical exfoliants for the first time because the BHA makes up a very low percentage of the entire product. If you want to know more about chemical exfoliants I would recommend watching Kaya Empire's video about chemical verses physical exfoliation and, of course, checking out Arabelle's skincare tag for mentions of chemical exfoliation.

Cosrx AHA/BHA Clarifying Toner ($18.19 at amazon.ca)

Since my PC chemical exfoliant hasn't run out yet, I've only used this maybe 5 or 6 times. I can't find the exact percentage of AHA/BHA in this product but I think it's 10%. Anyways, it's definitely much higher than 1% so I'm currently using it twice a week only at nighttime. On the nights I don't use this I use my PC exfoliant. The first time I used this my skin looked AMAZING the next day--clear, bright and smooth. I'm really excited to use this more. I usually use this after I use the peeling gel, I find that it absorbs really nicely into my skin this way. The only thing I'm not a giant fan of is that it's liquid which means I have to use a cotton pad to apply it.

CeraVe PM Moisturizing Lotion (~$13 from Superstore)

A very solid nighttime moisturizer, probably my favourite I've ever tried. It's sort of a gel consistency, it definitely doesn't feel like a typical lotion. I really enjoy the texture, it glides nicely onto the skin and doesn't feel heavy at all. When I wake up my face isn't super oily or super dry, it always feels nicely moisturized. 

skin care

Sometime in the last few years, skincare has become a Big Deal to me. I've always been blessed with pretty non-reactive skin, getting the occasional pimple in my teen years and having a disgustingly oily T zone for a long time, but overall I had combination skin that didn't seem too irritable. However, around 2 or 3 years ago, I was having a tough time with my depression resurfacing and my skin took a real hit. I think I was stress eating and trying out new skincare products at the same time, which in retrospect seems like a risky combination just because I had a tendency to break out because of my stress eating diet anyways, and I couldn't really assess the real impact of the products.

I remember trying out some kind of lavender-scented face scrub from Lush for a few days straight, and I think that was the final step in really leading to some of the worst months of my life in terms of skin. I broke out very badly, and for the first time I got acne scarring. I was embarrassed and insecure about my skin, and vowed to both never use Lush face products again, and to just never use skincare products again without researching them first.

 And so, after much research and many months, I've developed a skincare routine that is perfect for me and has helped my acne scars heal significantly. My skin is now happy, healthy, and glowing! Here is a list of the products I'm using right now, some new things I've been trying out, and why I like each of them.

Cleanser

Neutrogena Fresh Foaming Cleanser, $6.97 on Amazon.ca 

This cleanser is a pretty standard one but I think it does its job really well. I usually like to double cleanse, so that means I use olive or baby oil first to scrub my makeup off, and then I clean it all off with some of this.

Exfoliator 

Paula's Choice 2% Salicylic Acid Liquid Exfoliator, 4oz for $28

This exfoliator is the love of my life. I honestly think this was the key product that has helped my acne scarring and my oily T-zone as well. A little bit goes a long way, and I tried the trial size before I used this. However, unless you're getting the trial size free like I did, I don't think it's worth shelling out $9 for just because it's so small. I would get the full size and just make the return if it doesn't work for you, or even better, try the really small sample size. You can also use this link to get $10 off, and they have free shipping pretty often!

Moisturizer 

My skin is still combination so I use different products depending on what it needs.

Cerave Facial Moisturizing Lotion, SPF 30, $27.65 on Amazon.ca

I wear this moisturizer/sunscreen every. Single. Day. It's SPF 30, and although I've heard that you need to have a white film left on your skin in order for sunscreen to be at its most effective, I feel like that's a bit impossible to do on your face (especially if you're as dark as me) and I think this still does a pretty good job of moisturizing. It's lightweight and unscented, which sold it for me, next to its affordable price tag! (It's way cheaper at your local drugstore than it is on Canadian Amazon. I believe I bought mine for around $10.)

Paula's Choice PC4Men Night-time Repair Cream, 1.7oz for $27

Honestly speaking, this thing is a bit pricey for my usual budget, but it is so worth it. This formula is super lightweight and perfect for summer. It doesn't feel greasy at all, and I use it during the day sometimes as well--with sunscreen as well of course.

Serum

Paula's Choice Resist Anti Aging Serum, 1oz for $36

This stuff is so luxurious. I only use it once in a while ('cause of dat price tag) when my skin is in need of a real boost, and it feels very smooth and light. I think if I used it more regularly, in combination with the exfoliator it would work really well to give me smooth skin.

That's about it for my regular skincare routine--I don't use toner because I think exfoliator does essentially the same thing and I also think it's better to keep my routine simple. I use an eye cream and a spot cream occasionally (both from Paula's Choice, my holy grail), but it's pretty rare. Here are also some new products I've been trying, and what I think of them! 

Rose Face Mask by Fresh, 100ml for $72

I got this mask as a birthday gift from Sephora, and excuse my language but it's the shit. It makes my skin SO happy. I apply a really thin layer on my face, let it sit for around 10 minutes, and wash it off. Baby skin for the next few days!

Organic Coconut Oil by Nutriva, $12.99 for 14oz

I've been using organic coconut oil as a very gentle cleanser, and I have to say I really like it. I use this to remove my makeup at the end of the day, and then use my other cleanser to remove the oil from my face to leave some baby-soft skin. Once in a while I've tried leaving coconut oil on as a moisturizer overnight, but I haven't really liked that as much as using my regular moisturizers. I do like to use this to moisturize my super dry and relatively pasty legs though. Baby-soft, I'm telling you. 

colourpop!

We have a confession: we are in love with Colourpop. Here's why: the quality is amazing, the price is amazing ($5 for lippies and eyeshadows and $8 for blush!!!!), the colour selection is AMAZING and unlike anything we've seen elsewhere. Check it out for yourself!

from the wrist out: swift, quarters, between the sheets, bonus, tonic, wisp (blushes + highlighter)

from the wrist out: smash,  game face, get lucky,  i heart this, girly, amaze, sequin

sequin, so quiche, hammered, mooning, shameless, bae, dare

hanky panky, to-a-t, bandit, mittens

mittens, bandit, to-a-t, hanky panky, smash

sequin, amaze, girly, i heart this, get lucky, game face

drift, shameless on top, bae on the bottom, mooning, hammered, so quiche

swift, between the sheets, quarters, bonus, tonic, wisp

brunch lippie

chi chi lippie

pitch lippie with hammered, mooning, girly eyeshadow

 

chi chi lippie with game face and mooning eyeshadows

The Manifestation of Our Inner Mind on Our Eyelids

Hey-o!! We're back! With an experiment!! Our research question: what would happen if we did each other's makeup? Here are the results. 

This is a slightly more dramatic version of a makeup look I've been super into lately. I like to call it Sunset On Your Eyes, for obvious reasons. I'm so sad that I forgot to take a picture of Navneet's eyeball closeup (she had to book it to Zumba so we were rushing). But lemme just say that these pictures DO NOT do this look justice AT ALL. These eyeshadows are at least 10 times more glittery in person. We recently ordered some stuff from ColourPop and wanted to try out some crazy looks on each other, so that's mostly what we used. 

If I were doing this same look again, first I would blend a peachy colour (I used Urban Decay's freelove) into her upper lash line. I tried to do this after I applied the base colour, but it didn't show up as well as I wanted. In terms of creating a base, I used bandit on her lids and her lower lash line and mittens in her crease. Then I blended sequin into her crease for some sparkle, especially focusing on the outer corner. I patted a bright copper shade onto the middle of her eyelids (baked by Urban Decay) and used a golden bronze in the corner of her eyes (half baked by Urban Decay). To highlight her brow bone I used girly, which is one of the coolest eyeshadows I've ever seen. We both used I heart this as a cheekbone highlighter - greatest decision ever!!! It looks SO sick in real life! We finished it off with some mascara and cin cin by Bite Beauty on the lips, with a little bit of jet set by NYX in the middle. Gold lipstick is the absolute best for adding a little bit of extra oomph to pretty much any look.

Despite being significantly more dramatic, I'd say this look I (Navneet) did on Gabby was a lot easier and less complicated to achieve than the one she did on me! Again, these Colourpop shadows are AMAZING--so so so easy to blend and layer. I've never considered myself very talented when it came to doing anything involving eyeshadow, and either a miracle happened overnight or Colourpop is itself the miracle. I'm betting on the latter. Also, random side note, I am truly baffled and amazed at how very DIFFERENT the same makeup can look on the two of us! I did a brighter version of this looks on myself a few weeks back and it looked very different (not bad, just different). That, my friends, is why swatches are important. And we may just be doing those in the future!

I used a total of 3 shadows to get this look. Yep, you read that right: three. For the base I used shameless, which is a stunning black that sparkles with blue and gold glitter--I put on a thinner layer at first and increased its intensity until it became as dark as I wanted to be. As you can see, I took it a little bit above her crease, because I love the look of the shadow being very visible even when the eyes are open (which can be a problem for girls like me, with heavier brows). Next, I used bae on most of the lid, except for the outer corner, where I blended it out into shameless. 

Finally, I used the magical and extremely versatile I heart this to highlight the inner corner of her eye, as well as the inner third of her eyelid. All 3 colours were used in the same sequence on her lower lash line. 

WHAT A LOOK. I can practically hear angels singing when I look at it. I LOVE IT SO MUCH.

PS: the title is supposed to be reminiscent of a journal article cause we did an experiment, c'mon navneet

the reason that i'm hanging on

2014. What a year, to be honest. For me, it was a year that started off on a beautiful note. I may have been happier than I had ever been when I started it off, having reached a point where I became almost completely comfortable in my environment for the first time in my life. I had a job I loved and was surrounded every day by people I had genuinely come to adore. I was very lucky. Like all good things, it had to come to an end eventually—I had to go back to school to work on finishing my education (thanks again, school).

The year didn't end half as well as it started. I was in the deepest pits of depression for much of the latter half of the year, and many days felt like a real struggle, especially when I remembered how very easy 2013 had been. Back then, happiness had begun to feel like it might be truly easy (and perhaps it is, but I just don't know for sure yet). 2013 had made me start hoping for an entire life that looked like work I loved and people I loved. Maybe in a few years I'll be back in that kind of place, but this time it just wasn't meant to last. And I struggled with that, and I'm still struggling. But I'm learning to see that struggling might be—no, struggling is the point. Struggling means that I'm still surviving, that I'm still fighting, and the fact that I'm doing those things means I might actually get through it.

And guess what? On December 31, 2013, when I was the happiest I'd ever been, I guessed that I might be going through this in 2014, and I wrote myself a letter that got sent to me on December 31, 2014. Right when I needed it the most.

2013's Navneet knew what was up. She knew happiness wasn't easy, and she reminded me that she still exists inside me somewhere. Even if I've changed, even if I'm struggling. On some days, I really need that reminder, and I'm doing my best to be okay with that.

A (rather long) excerpt:

“Things are always going to be changing and of course that's fucking hard, but it's okay that it's hard. If things are hard right now, remember that they're going to be better soon. Keep moving forward, because there is always, always going to be something better that is waiting for you. I used to look down on my 16 year old self for believing in this, for being naive, but now I feel like I'm letting myself be that person again, at least a little bit. I felt sad for that person before because I felt like she was let down a lot, but I felt proud and envious of her too, for believing the best in the world. Now I really believe that things will keep getting better. After all, I'd thought that nothing could best Italy, but something did. I'd given up on finding people that would become important to me in university, and yet here we are. And if you're distant with them today, or with any of the people that you were close to this time last year, that's okay. Maybe now's the time to stop giving up on them and rekindle some friendships.

I hope you're healthy, and as happy as you can be, and that there are many people that you love and many people who love you. I hope you're still pushing forward despite how hard it is at home, and I hope you haven't given up on love yet. :) Happy new year, darling. Don't forget one of the most important teachings of 2013: that you deserve the best, and most of all, your own love. I love you.”

Here's to hoping that 2015 is a year that is blessed and full of love and kindness to ourselves, for all of us. Happy new year, everyone!

skin care

I'm not willing to spend more than $20 per sitting on most things (food, gas, university textbooks, etc.) but skin care products are the one thing I consistently splurge on without feeling guilty. My mom instilled in me the belief that my skin was worth it ever since I was a pimple-faced preteen. I've dealt with my fair share of acne throughout my teenage years and I've tried a ton of products along the way. It only took me 7 years, but I've finally found a routine that works with my skin! I sincerely hope it doesn't take you quite as long.

Ultrabland from Lush: I must have tried at least 15 different facial cleansers on my quest for clear skin, and this is the only one that has actually worked for me. It may be because I started using it when I was 20 and my hormones were changing, but there's no way I'm gonna stop using it to test that hypothesis. Thanks to this stuff, my skin is usually blemish-free (minus finals week). This is a pretty heavy cleanser, meaning it's really moisturizing and leaves my skin feeling so, so soft. I'm probably never going to use anything else.

Enzymion from Lush: My face has always been perpetually oily. Luckily, I found this! I've been using this moisturizer for over a year now and I've noticed it has reduced my skin's overall oil production. It's not a miracle worker - I do still have oily skin, but it is something great.

Enzymion, Ultrabland

Formula 10.0.6 deep down detox ultra-cleansing mud mask from Target: 

1.) smells heavenly

2.) super easy to apply and remove, unlike some masks I've tried

3.) makes my skin noticeably more even, both in tone and texture

Neutrogena clear face sunscreen: I picked this up on a whim during a Target trip and I'm so glad I did! I swear this sunscreen actually makes my face more matte. My life is a love letter to Target.

Full of Grace serum from Lush: I picked up this little guy a couple weeks ago and I love it! A layer under my moisturizer acts as a barrier against the drying winter air. Plus, when I actually use the right amount, it doesn't make my skin feel greasy.

Honey I Washed the Kids soap from Lush: This soap!!!!!! It smells like caramel without the sickly sweet sugariness, as caramel should smell. Plus, it makes my skin way softer than any shower gel I've tried. Pro-tip: Lush has a soap BOGO sale on Boxing Day! $20 of soap will easily last you an entire year.

Honey I Washed the Kids, Full of Grace

All I gotta say is: