Part 2: Skin Care Routine

This post is part two of my Skin Care Routine Post, the first one here discussed my current three step system. This one will be talking more so about the "extras" of skin care. Although I refer to them as "extras" they're still super important!

  Clinique's Sun SPF 50 Face Cream not pictured

Make Up Remover: Since I'm an avid make up user I normally have to deal with removing eye make up, and some products are much tougher and budge proof then others. Since these products are so long wearing and water proof, my cleanser and toner just can't break them down. So before I wash my face when I'm wearing water proof mascara or eyeliner I'll do a quick swipe over my eyes with Lancome Bi-Facil Eye Make Up Remover. This product is so gentle, but it still gets the job done. All I do is shake it up, dab some on a cotton pad and let it get to work on my eyes make up. This product is for sale in a whole slew of stores, in Canada, you can get it at select Shoppers Drugmart's most department stores, Sephora or even at Lancome.ca, this product retails for $34.00-$35.00 CAD for the 125 ml size.

Weekly Mask: About once a week or so I do a mask. I use The Body Shop's Honey & Oat 3-in-1 Scrub Mask. I really like this because it too is very gentle. When you first put it on it gives you a tad of a stinging/warming sensation on certain areas of my face (mostly around my nose) its not at all painful. I like it because it feels like its actually doing something to you face. The smell of it is fairly mild, kind of oaty and honeyish, but not quite. This also acts as a gentle defoliator, so if you have sensitive skin, this may be great for you. My face feels super soft, moisturized and clean after using this mask. I let this sit on my face for about 30-45 minutes when I use it. This product is for sale at The Body Shop and it retails for $16.50 for 100 ml.

Exfoliation: Another crucial part of skincare is exfoliating, my favorite exfoliant is Clinique's Face Scrub For Men, its so great. Its got really tiny grains in it so if your skin isn't tough enough to take a fine exfoliator you need get yourself on with larger pieces, which tend to be less abrasive to the skin. I really like this one because it has a minty, cooling sensation it leaves on your face for a minute or so after you wash it off. I use this product 2-3 times a week depending on how flaky my skin is looking. This product is for sale at a variety of departments stores or at Sephora/Sephora.com it retails for $23.00 for 3.4 oz at Sephora. 

SPF: Sun protection is key in any skin care regime. The one that I've been using for about two years now, Clinique's Sun SPF 50 Face Cream is great, it doesn't leave my face with that typical "greasy" sunscreen look, after about a minute, I'm ready to prime my face and get on to putting on my makeup. It does have that typical sunscreen smell, but if fades quickly, plus it reminds me of the summer time. This product sells at a variety of department stores, as well as Sephora/Sephora.com. It retails for $23.00 CDN for 1.7 fl oz. 

I always told myself I'm going to start an Anti-Aging routine when I turned 21 or 22. Now that I'm 22 I've started. I'm still kind of testing the waters on this subject, so its not going to be too much in depth, I feel like this sort of thing takes time. In the last little while I've been using two deluxe samples of both Lancome's Genifique Youth Activating Concentrate Serum and their Genifique Eye Youth Activating Eye Concentrate. I'm really liking the Genifique Serum, my sample is slowly running out, when its gone I'm planning on buying a full size on this product (It comes in three sizes 30 ml [$95 CAD], 50 ml [$125 CAD] & 75 ml [$155 CAD]). The Genifique Eye (It comes in one size: 15g for $80.00 CAD) is also pretty good too its very moisturizing and doesn't leave my eye area feeling tight at all, I do like this product a lot but I won't repurchase after I finish my deluxe sample because I have a full size High Resolution Eye Refill-3X (also one size: 15g for $76.00 CAD) that I got as a bonus when I bought some Lancome stuff. After that's done, I'll choose which product I liked better or maybe again try something new and go from there.

Part 1: Skin Care Routine + Cetaphil & The Body Shop Reviews

This is the first part of a two part post, this one is discussing my three step cleanse, tone, moisturize system. Part two will talk about Anti-Aging, Exfoliating and etc.

 
Since my last skin care post I've switched things up, the three step system I was using before (The Body Shop Vitamin E system) I changed things up about 2 months ago, because my face was becoming more and more oily, which is weird for me, because I have ultra dry skin.

 

Cleanse: I thought even though I'm changing products, I'd keep it simple, because my skin doesn't do well with heavily perfumed creams and etc. I started using Cetaphil's Gentle Skin Cleanser and I'm loving it, its a thinner consistency non foaming cleanser. It has no scent and does a great job at gently washing my face and getting rid of most of the make up I have on at any given time. I really like this cleanser and would highly recommend it to anyone who has normal-dry or sensitive skin. Another bonus is the Cetaphil is quite inexpensive and is available for sale in most pharmacy's/grocery stores. You can also get it online at Well.ca, this product is for sale in four different sizes, the one I buy (the 16 fl oz one) costs anywhere between $17.00-$20.00 CAD. Keep an eye out because I've seen this stuff on sale many times.

Tone: Since the Cetaphil line of products doesn't carry a toner, I've just carried on using  The Body Shops Vitamin E Toner. Its a really gentle toner, gentle enough to use on your eyes help in removing excess makeup. Feels really refreshing. This sells for $12.00 CAD for 200 ml at The Body Shop. 

Moisturize: My skin is so dry, so I need a heavy duty moisturizer. I've been LOVING the Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream, its a really thick and heavy cream. But the best part about it is that although its so thick and heavy, it absorbs into the skin ultra quick and doesn't make my face oily at all, I would again highly recommend this to people with dry skin. Not to mention this stuff has done wonders for my hands which up until using this stuff have been so so dry. When I put this moisturizer on my face I always scoop up a little extra to rub into my hands. Again this (like the cleanser) is unscented, so its great for people with sensitive skin. Staying in the same line as the cleanser, this product too is very in expensive and is for sale at most pharmacy's/grocery stores. You can also get it online at Well.ca, this product is for sale in three different sizes, the one I buy (the 16 fl oz one) sells for anywhere between $22.00-$25.00 CAD. Again keep an eye out because I've seen this baby on sale a ton of times.

Michael Kors Sandals

So since Spring is upon us (finally!) I decided that I'd pick up a new pair of sandals. I actually saw these on Breakfast Television (It's a Canadian (Toronto) based Morning/News show) They sometimes feature new fashion/beauty collections from various stores in and around the city. One of the models was wearing these Michael Kors sandals, I thought they were super cute, so when I was at the Mall I decided to check them out at Browns. I believe they were around $62.00 + tax.

I actually can't find these online anywhere, so I'm guessing they're from last summers collection, if I do recall correctly I remember seeing these around last year. 

Lately I've been loving Michael Kors stuff, I'm already eying a pair of flats and a purse. I really like that most of their pieces are classic, with proper care they can be worn year after year without coming across as "so last season". Some of the things they sell can be pretty pricey but if you can make the items you buy last a couple of years then the cost becomes quite reasonable. 

So Recently I've Acquired Some Things.... +Layla Gun Metal NOTD/Swatch

SO here's the scoop, as some of you may know I'm going to Vegas next month (wo0t!) and I was planning on hauling a massive amount of Inglot stuff, which I'd LOVE to get. But I just can't justify it, a few months back I cleaned out my makeup drawer, it was a disgusting mess before, and I've kept it in order for the most part, last week I did a tidy up of everything in there, because a few things were out of place and while cleaning up I discovered that I had a bit more stuff then I thought I did.


Before:

Now:

I know it doesn't seem like much more, but I have enough stuff to last me long enough then I'd like to know at this point haha. 

So I'm skipping Inglot, Mac and Sephora, for the most part at least, I'm not planning on getting anything specifically, just because I feel like I have so much stuff as it is, and if I did get a bunch of stuff, it wouldn't be utilized, because it would sit in my drawer all unappreciated. 

I know this post so far has been pretty much pointless so I thought I'd throw in a swatch of Layla Gun Metal, which I picked up on the weekend.

This is one coat of Essie's all in one in one base coat, and two coats of Layla Gun Metal, the first one I let dry without using the magnet and the second one I used the magnet. I didn't think I'd like this polish as much as I do, I may pick it up in a couple more shades. 

The Way GlitterBalm Deals With Oily Hair!

I just thought that this was a pretty good guide, or at least a starting point, for anyone else out there who gets oily hair fairly quickly. My hair at its oiliest was horrible I'd HAVE to wash it daily or else it would be super grease. I found that it was the worst when I was blonde, in high school and my roots had grown in 2-3 inches. Because the blonde part of my hair was more damaged and dryer it didn't get very oily, but my healthy medium brown roots were oily to the max.

Since then I've gotten mental about my hair, and have been maintaining a color that's about the same shade as my natural hair, but is a more reddish/auburn color. To keep control of my oily hair I've found that mixing up your products is the key don't use the same shampoo and conditioner all the time, your hair will get used to to the product(s) and the benefits they may provide could be lost due to the constant use. [If you have normal or dry hair, it isn't necessary to switch up your products with every wash, maybe do it once a month, or whichever your comfortable with].

In my hair arsenal I use three different shampoos, two different conditioners, and one leave in conditioner. I alternate between these products every time I wash my hair (which is every other day). In addition to these I also do a hair treatment once a week.

Karma Komba & New! Bar Shampoo's 

 First off, I use LUSH shampoo bars, my favorite one now is the New! Shampoo. When I use this shampoo (or any LUSH shampoo) I don't condition in the shower. After I get out my hair is quite tangly but after a few spritz' of Garnier Fructis Colour Shield Double Care Leave-In Spray all the tangles come out quickly and the leave in doesn't make my hair oily at all. LUSH also has a shampoo called Karma Komba, which works well at controlling oil too (See the reviews for New! & Karma Komba Shampoo's here) Keep in mind that LUSH does have a shampoo for oily hair, its called Jumping Juniper which I haven't used yet (I can't wait to get it!). Link to LUSH

I'd like to also note that Squeaky Green shampoo works well  (review here) in keeping oil at bay, its just not my favorite shampoo, of the LUSH ones I've tried. I think that for the most part, any of the LUSH bar shampoos would do well in maintaining oil.

The next set of products I use are the John Frieda Full Repair™ Full Body Shampoo & Conditioner. I only use this because my hair is damaged from coloring and straightening. I shampoo from root to tip with this and when I use the conditioner I don't put it on my roots, just the tips, think the bottom 5 inches of hair. This shampoo & conditioner combo smells great, it smells like Hugo Boss Deep Red perfume, but much more subtle. After this my hair is super soft and silky. Even though these two products aren't specifically for oily hair, I can was my hair one day and not have to wash it the next, which is amazing! Link to John Frieda.

The next time I wash my hair I use The Body Shop Rainforest Balance Shampoo & Conditioner, these are a shampoo and conditioner for oily hair. They work pretty well. I shampoo as normal and condition as normal both from root to tip, since they're formulated for oily hair. Plus, I love love love the smell of this, its almost a herbaly smell. Link to The Body Shop.

In between all of these products I use Ojon Damage Reverse Restorative Hair Treatment. I've been using this weekly since Christmas, and I love it. Once a week before bed, I split my hair down the back of my head, warm some product in the palms of my hands and work it through half my hair, concentrating most of it on my tips. And so the same thing on the other side. After all that I comb though it with a detangling comb from The Body Shop. I then put my hair in a french braid and go to sleep. When I wake up in the morning, I shampoo, with anyone of the products mentioned above minus the conditioner I'd normally use on that day, I shampoo twice to make sure all the oil is out. A lot of people don't enjoy the smell of this stuff, it has almost a nutty smokey smell, which I really like, but if you don't they've come out with a new version of this product with a much lighter scent.

I know it seems like putting a whack of oil on my hair sort of defeats the purpose of trying to control my oily hair, bur since using this I have really noticed an improvement in the texture and shine of my hair. My tips aren't nearly as dry as they were before I started using this. Link to Ojon.

That's it! I never realized how many products my hair regime consists of. Since using all these products I've really noticed an improvement in my hairs oil. Its much more controlled then it used to be. Hopefully it helped someone!