Blogmas 2018: Winter Skincare Guide

I don’t know about you, but in the winter my skin gets dry and uncomfortable. I have to make the conscious effort with my skincare routine to integrate products that will keep my skin moisturized and glowing. As a result, I have pulled together a few of my favorite products for the winter season. With that said, these products are all around great products, regardless of the season. They also make great Christmas gifts!

1. Ursa Major Golden Hour Recovery Cream from ONDA Beauty - I usually use this at night on top of my Clinique moisturizing gel. Over night, it soaks into my skin and I wake up with my face feeling moisturized and dewy, but not oily at all.

2. Kheil’s Overnight Mask - I tend to use this mainly in the winter season because of the fact that it is so moisturizing. I put a thick layer of this over my skin about once a week and sleep with it on all night. It soaks fully into my skin and after I wash my face in the morning, my skin feels so much better. It is really an amazing product, though I would recommend putting a wash cloth over your pillow that night.

3. Glossier Moisturizing Moon Mask - similar to the Kheil’s mask, but it can be used more often and a product that can be used on combination skin. This mask is really great at replenishing and moisturizing my face without making it oily. I use this during the day and leave it on for a solid hour or so, or until the mask is fully soaked in.

Merry merry!

Xoxo,
Salut Sophie

Lazy Girls Guide: Summer Makeup

During the summer, I’d like to say that I can get ready (outfit makeup and all) within 20 minutes for dinner. While this is not always true, when necessary, the 20-minute goal is easily achievable. So, what do I do for my simple easy makeup? Let me explain. 

Primer
I either use Glossier Priming Moisturizer or the Lune and Aster RealGlow Primer or sometimes even both. After doing my regular skincare routine, applying primer is essential to provide a solid base for my makeup. Similar to the Marc Jacobs Dew Drops that came out this season, this Lune and Aster RealGlow Primer provides a neutral, yet subtly sparkly, undertone to my skin, which I love in the summer. Sometimes, when I am really lazy, I even wear this on its own. 

Foundation  
This summer I have been switching off between the Clinique Chubby Stick foundation and the Beauty Counter Dew Skin Moisturizing Coverage. I love both of these products. The Clinique stick is much more full coverage, something I would use for a more formal event, than the Beauty Counter, but even then both products are incredibly buildable. The Beauty Counter tinted moisturizer is both a little bit lighter coverage and has a more natural and dewy finish, which I love. 

Concealer
In the summer, I don’t really change up my concealer game. I love my Glossier stretch concealer for small face blemishes because it’s has a natural finish and is not super cakey, which is hard to find in a blemish concealer. For my under eyes, my go-to holy grail concealer has to be the Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer. It is pure magic on my under eyes. With a natural finish, this concealer is great for an every day look, but also when you have a fancy event and want full coverage. In short, it is incredibly versatile. Not only do I rave about this concealer, but if you look up more reviews on Sephora or any similar site, people absolutely swear by this product.  

Bronzer

I picked up the Bobbi Brown Bronzing Powder this summer and it is awesome. I used to use a Laura Mercier bronzer, which they recently discontinued, or the Hula by Benefit, both of which I still love. However, I have really been trying to use more matt based skin products for the summer so that I can have that clean summer glow with a little bit of sparkle through the highlighter, hence the Bobbi Brown Bronzing Powder. This bronzer is fabulous because it gives me a matt warm finish that looks natural: think sunkissed without any sparkles. In the summer, I don’t really contour as much with a contour stick or anything of the sort. I just try to keep it warm and natural looking - really amping up that summer glow. 

Highlighter
My go-to highlighter has always been Soft and Gentle from Mac, but recently I have been mixing in a little bit of the Luminous Powder Highlighter from Beauty Counter in the shade Halo or the Face Illuminator from Laura Mercier. Both of these are a little bit lighter and whiter based highlighters so they are not as heavy or bronzer like, as the soft and gentle is. Moreover, for my highlighters, I have always leaned more towards the powder kind, as I think that they look more natural and are easier to put on. However, if you are looking for a great stick highlighter, I have heard great things about the Glossier Haloscope and the Beauty Counter stick contour and highlighters. 

Mascara and Brows
This one is simple and really doesn’t change based on the season. Boy Brow by Glossier for the eyebrows and Better Than Sex by Two Faced or Glossier Lash Stick for a simpler occasion for mascara. During the winter or for a special event, I’ll mix in some eyeshadow, usually something shimmery from the Naked Pallet or MAC, but in the summer I tend to just keep it pretty simple. 

Translucent Powder
I finally started using powder because I wanted to have more mat looking makeup looks and I love it. I know everyone raves about the Laura Mercier loose setting powder, but, knowing myself, I knew I would spill that stuff everywhere. Instead, I got the compact version and I LOVE it. I use it under my eyes and around my T zone after I am finished with my makeup and it not only mattifies my face but also keeps my makeup in place all night! 

While I am by no means a professional makeup artist, I would like to think I’ve gotten my lazy girl summer makeup look down pretty well :) 

Xoxo,
Salut Sophie 

Skincare Routine: Eye Cream

I'll keep this one short and sweet. I have used two eye creams in my life. One that I absolutley love, but is pricey and another that I am kinda luke warm about. 

1. Laura Mercier Repair Eye Serum 

I LOVE this eye cream. I found it when I was getting my makeup done at the Laura counter for prom a few years ago and I was SOLD. Yes, it is incredibly expensive, which is why it is so hard for me to reinvest in it, especially when eye cream may not seem like as much of a necessity as other products. However, eye cream is incredibly important, especially when you are younger, because it is a way of protecting some of the most sensitive skin on your body. I especially love this eye cream because not only does it protect against wrinkles and other preventative measures, but it also has a cooling feeling to decrease swelling and redness. It leaves my under eyes with a luminescent glow, which is perfect for wearing it on its own or using this as a primer for makeup. 

2. Ole Henriksen Up Lifting Transformative Eye Cream 

I bought this eye cream after I ran out of my second bottle of the Laura Mercier product and it has been good to me. I love the cooling aspect of it and, to no surprise, the holistic approach of the Ole Heriksen brand itself. However, this eye cream does not give me the same luminescent glow or priming feeling that the other one did. This is definitely a night time product and not something that I could layer makeup on top of, so if you are looking for something to wear overnight I do recommend this product. For me, it's not the product, but the lack of versatility that I have with it that is making me not as big of a fan. 

Skincare Routine: Serums

When the serum trend first began about a year ago, I fully hopped on the bandwagon. I had been using the SkinCeuticals Phyto Corrective Gel for a few years, as suggested by my facialist, so I knew how great a serum could be to add to my skin routine. Since then, I have become a big believer in serums. I think that they are great in adding extra hydration to the skin, as they go on after the toner and before the moisturizer, and can really add vivacity and life back to the skin. Currently, I have four main toners that I use, with the SkinCeuticals as my everyday. I really use toners based upon what my skin needs and the climate that I am in. 

1. SKINCEUTICALS PHYTO CORRECTIVE GEL 

This is my all time, swear by Serum that I use on a daily basis. Similar to my Clinique Moisturizing Gel, I stand by this product 100%. Though I have tried to eliminate all SkinCeuticals products from my skincare routine, as they are owned by L'Oreal and test on animals, I really have struggled to find an eco-friendly, cruelty-free alternative to this product (suggestions are welcome)! My skin always has a slight red undertone to it, sunburned or not, and is very sensitive. This serum is great for calming and hydrating my skin, as well as reducing the appearance of redness. 

2. GLOSSIER SUPER GLOW SERUM 

As I am sure it is very clear by my other posts, I am a HUGE Glossier fan. I have not tried their other serums, but this Super Glow serum I L-O-V-E. It is a lot lighter than the average serum and I would not say that it is specifically designed for hydration, but it really does brighten my skin after a long night out. When I wake up in the morning feeling run down and like my skin is looking a dull and drab, I use this serum and it really helps to bring a lot of color and moisture back to my face. As the website says, "over time, Super Glow evens skin tone, and creates a light-reflective complexion." Trust me, they're not lying! 

3. PEARLESSENCE RADIENCE PERFECTING SERUM 

I'll be honest, I picked up these next two products on a whim at TJ Maxx and I really do love them. This first radiance perfecting serum is incredibly hydrating and really does, similar to the Glossier serum, add a nice dewy feeling/ look to my face. Though it is not as great as the Glossier one, this serum is a great balance between moisturizing and revitalizing the face. If you are interested in the Glossier serum but have dry skin, I would highly recommend this product! 

4. VALJEAN LABS HYDRATE FACIAL SERUM

I also picked up this serum from TJ Maxx and I really do love it! I try to drink a lot of water during the day and I always moisturize my face after I wash it, but I have really struggled to keep my skin hydrated and moisturized. This product does a great job of adding that extra moisture that I need in addition to my moisturizer. Though I could apply a thicker moisturizer, for day to day use sometimes a heavy moisturizer is not the best when I am on the go and don't want to look oily. This serum is great because it is super lightweight, but still incredibly hydrating! I definitely want to try some more products from this brand, I really do love it! 

Xoxo,
Salut Sophie