Origins... Here to Save the Day!

 Drink It Up Overnight Mask  //  Out of Trouble 10 Minute Mask  //  Active Charcoal Mask

Origins is a great skin care brand that I have tried a few products from and love! In December, I picked up this Mini Mask Marvels value set but threw it into my drawer of face cleansers/masks. I fished this trio out a few weeks ago and am kicking myself for not busting this out right away!!! The set includes 3 - 1 oz face masks, one for helping very dehydrated skin, one for helping clear up breakouts, and another to help remove everyday impurities. There is definitely enough product in here to get at least 6-8 uses! 

Friday's Fab Five

I was wandering through the beauty counters at Nordstrom's last week and met this fabulous gentleman, a self-proclaimed "skin care guru". After spending time picking his brain, getting a mini-makeover, and listening to his recommendations, I am a total follower. He is the skin-whisperer! This week's Fab Five includes one of his recommendations, I'm sure the other will be highlighted as well once I receive it in the mail (it was out of stock).

The Short Version

1. Clear Days Ahead Salicylic Face Cleanser - a gentle cleanser perfect for those with combination skin
2. Super Spot Remover by ORIGINS - this zit fix is heaven sent 
3. Michael Kors Mini Lexington in Rose Gold - a petite and sleek day time watch in the trend of the year (rose gold)
4. Naturally Pretty Eye Shadow Palette by It Cosmetics - my go-to eye shadow palette that I use every day!
5.  Lip Cream in Mudslide by Buxom - the perfect 'your lips but better' color in a pigmented lipgloss

The Long Version

After listening to my skin concerns, Nordstrom's "Skin Guru" knew instantly what product he was going to recommend to me, Philosophy's Clear Days Ahead Cleanser. I expressed to him that I'm always challenged with finding a powerful enough cleanser that will battle my acne (cystic and the more common whiteheads) that didn't completely dry me out. I've been using this for 2 weeks today and I've seen a dramatic improvement to my skins texture and clean pores.

On a side note, if you want to get the best recommendations for products for YOU and YOUR skin, I recommend you look for a "Beauty Stylist" (I think that's what he was called) in your local department store. They don't work for any single product line and will pick and choose from the best products that work best for you. There's nothing that makes me feel more pressured than sitting down at one counter and having the beauty rep try to sell me on everything from makeup to skincare and fragrance. Very rarely is everything from a single line going to work perfectly for what you need.

Staying on the skincare train, this Super Spot Remover is indeed SUPER! Even though I feel like the Philosophy cleanser is doing a great job, those 1 or 2 pimples that sneak through can be treated with this. Make sure to apply this JUST to the spot of concern because it has some serious drying power.

This has been my favorite watch for the past few months. Typically 5 days out of the week, I wear my Michael Kors Mini Lexington in rose gold. The face and band of this watch are petite and feminine, making it perfect for a day time work-appropriate look. I also like the look of mixed metals, so I'll layer a gold and/or a silver bracelets on the same wrist. I swap this out for my larger gold Lexington on days I want a bigger statement.

Since I proclaimed this as "The Best Palette" a week ago, I haven't reached for anything other than my Naturally Pretty Palette. I want all the shadows I need for a single eye look in one palette, I don't want to have to pull out a separate highlighter, and then pull out another single shadow for my crease blending color - this palette HAS it ALL!  All of the shadows are so buttery, blendable, and beautiful; Warmth, Soulful, and Mocha are my favorite shades.

Leave your lip pencil, lipstick, and gloss at home. The Buxom Lip Cream in Mudslide is a gorgeous pigmented gloss that is the perfect rosey, your lips but better color with no glitter in just a single swipe. Just like all Buxom lip products, it has a minty, tingly, plumping effect.

XoXo, Stay Beautiful.

Products mentioned in this post: 

Clear Days Ahead Salicylic Face Cleanser by Philosophy  - $21
Super Spot Remover by ORIGINS - $15.50
Michael Kors Mini Lexington in Rose Gold - $195  $127.50 on Amazon
Naturally Pretty Eye Shadow Palette by It Cosmetics - $42
Lip Cream in Mudslide by Buxom - $19

Mini Haul

Okay so to be honest, the only reason I put in a Sephora online order was because there was a 500 point perk that sparked my interest - the Caudalie Instant Hydration Facial kit. I have recently transitioned to using the Vinosource Intense Moisture Rescue Cream because I felt like my First Aid Beauty facial moisturizer just wasn't cutting it for my dry skin, so I was wanting to try some of their other products. Within this kit are small samples of their Makeup Remover Cleansing Water, S.O.S. Thirst Quenching Serum, S.O.S. Morning Eye Rescue, and Moisturizing Sorbet.

There were a few 100 point rewards that coincidentally where products I've been wanting to try... "Add to Basket". I picked up the LANCÔME HD Mascara, Philosophy eye serum, Smashbox Primer. I used coupon "PMDSERUM" to get a very generously sized trial of the No Foundation Foundation Serum - based on MakeupByTiffanyD's recommendation. This free 'mini' size is 0.3 oz, yet the full size is 1.0 oz and sells for $55 - thanks Sephora!

Does anyone else do this, pick their rewards and samples before having anything else in their basket? I looked in my Sephora Loves bin (where I put products that I hear a lot about and want to try at some point) and decided to try the NARS pressed setting powder. I was slightly irritated that I allowed myself to fall in love with the Make Up For Ever HD Loose Powder because it doesn't travel well. I'm hoping this NARS powder works just as well at blurring imperfections... fingers crossed.   

I was recently at our mall that has outlet shops and poked my head in Off 5th because I spotted a beauty counter right inside. Am I the last one to know that Off 5th (Saks Fifth Avenue's outlet store) sells high-end makeup at a 20-70% discount? I found the ORIGINS spot treatment I had in my Sephora Loves Bin based on a recommendation from Zoella. I've recently been using the Dermalogica Emergency Spot Fix which has 5% benzoyl peroxide, while the ORIGINS one has 1.5% salicylic acid. I don't know which one my skin will respond to better, because I didn't know to look for those ingredients before now. I'll let you know what I think about both of these products.

When I saw a display of Bobbi Brown's Illuminating Bronzing Powders, my heart went all a flutter. Could it be... could I find love again?!  In my Oops I Haul'd It Again! post, I had picked up my first BB bronzing powder. I have been wearing Antigua every day since I bought it, so I picked up Santa Barbara, thinking it looked similar to the cult classic Orgasm blush by NARS. Here you can see the two shades next to each other. Antigua is rosey, while Santa Barbara is more pinky-coral with a gold sheen - neither are shimmer, they just have a nice sheen to them. 

I'm looking forward to trying these products and letting you know what I think. I have my makeup trial for my wedding makeup coming up, so I feel another haul isn't far away. :) I'm looking forward to being made more beautiful.

Products mentioned in this post

ORIGINS Super Spot Remover - $15.50  $12 @ Off 5th 

Bobbi Brown Illuminating Bronzing Powder - $40  $26.75 @ Off 5th

NARS Light Reflecting Pressed Setting Powder - $35

Perricone MD No Foundation Foundation Serum (1.0 oz) - $55

Caudalie Vinosource Intense Moisture Rescue Cream - $39

Am I Glowing With Glam? (w/ BIG DEAL)

 

Bloggers, YouTubers, and just us Normals have our heads spinning with all this talk about GLAMGLOW -  "...designed for exclusive professional backstage use in Hollywood", "'no name' magic mud", "a product just for their actor friends, not for sale to anyone, not for retail to anyone"... Oooo fancy! So you're tell me if I smear this mud on my face I'll be as pretty as those Hollywood starlets with perfect skin ready for an closeup in HD?! 

So is it worth all the hype? I can tell you I have seen some less-than-miracle-level results... but I have seen results! I have dry-to-combo skin that generally has patches of flaky skin but also blackheads, mild breakouts, and the occasional cystic acne (those terribly painful under the skin, sore, swollen lumps that you can never pop and seem to take forever to disappear). Because of that, I have steered away from the YOUTHMUD Tinglexfoliate Treatment since I read in reviews about how drying it was and some people felt the tingling experience to be intense and uncomfortable. Even when I've taken a whiff of it in Sephora, the smell is just not pleasant to me. 

First mission, tackle dryness. My GLAMGLOW cherry was taken by the THIRSTYMUD Hydrating Treatment. I use this as an overnight mask (as opposed to the recommended 20 min. mask) and wake up with very moisturized, fresh, and plumper skin and LOVE IT!  It doesn't harden like a typical "mask" would do, the smell is devine, and the color of the product soaks into your skin and essentially disappears, making you not so scary looking to whomever you share your bed with. The packaging seems small, but it will last you several dozen treatments, worth your money!  Mission complete!

Since I had such great experience with the hydrating treatment, I figured I'd leave it up to GLAMGLOW to help me with my clogged pores so I emptied my wallet on the POWERMUD Dual-Cleanse Treatment. My skin just must not be a good candidate for this product, because I have not noticed much of a difference after using this product after nearly a dozen times - at least not $69 worth of results. Call me a tough sell, but I'm just not blown away by the mud-to-oil formula like many of the reviews rave about - it hardens like a mask and then you wet it and it gets melty and oily, what's so magical about that?  I can think of lots of other things that change states when wet as well (e.g. cotton candy, dirt, marshmallows, cats). I find myself reaching for my ORIGINS Charcoal Mask much more. Perhaps I need a more focused treatment that can stand up to my problem skin. I'm going to trust that GLAMGLOW knows their stuff and pick up a sample of the SUPER-MUD Clearing Treatment next time I'm in Sephora. Mission incomplete!  

BIG DEAL! If you are interested in trying GLAMGLOW products and also like to save money, check out Costco.com.  I just saw they have the Eye Treatment and the Tinglexfoliate Treatment available at a highly decreased price! [takes a bow]

Products mentioned in this post:

THIRSTYMUD Hydrating Treatment - $69  $37.99 @ costco.com - currently sold out

SUPER-MUD Clearing Treatment - $69

YOUTHMUD Tinglexfoliate Treatment - $69  $36.99 @ costco.com

ORIGINS Charcoal Mask (1.7oz) - $17

BRIGHTMUD Eye Treatment - $69 $37.99 @ coscto.com

Disappointing Products:

POWERMUD Dual-Cleanse Treatment - $69