My Skincare Routine

So, it is almost time for spring and that means sunshine and bare skin! All through the winter your skin maybe have taken a brutal beating by mother nature. Well, the good news for you is today I am going to be giving you my skincare essentials and routine to help you have glowing skin by the time spring arrives and to last all year round!

Now, if you already have a current skin care routine and you want to mix it up a little bit, maybe use some prestige brands or even find good skin care from affordable drug store brands, I have a healthy mix of both in my skincare routine to share with you!


Morning Time

• The first step in making sure you are protecting your skin starts at the beginning of the day. I ALWAYS make sure and moisturize in the morning before starting my makeup routine. I love to use the No. 7 brand Protect and Perfect serum (You can find that here: Protect and Perfect Serum) This just makes my skin feel smooth and hydrated at the start of my day.

Pre- Makeup

• I follow that with primers. Before I even think about putting makeup on my face I know I am going to put on a primer. Ever since working at a makeup store I have learned the importance of putting on a primer before your makeup. It helps to reduce the amount of makeup and gunk you will get into your pores during the day! There are a few primers I like and the ones I have been currently using depend on the day.

• On a day with light makeup I will use my Maybelline Master Primer (Found Here: Maybelline Master Prime) 

• On a day where I will be wearing a full face of makeup I will use my trusty Too Faced Hangover Rx Replenishing Primer (Found here: Too Faced Hangover Primer) This works best if you have dry skin because it is very moisturizing and hydrating and could cause oil spots if you have oily skin.

•  On more special occasions where I don't want my makeup to budge at all I will use the Too Faced Primed and Poreless Primer (Found here:Too Faced Primed and Poreless Primer). This is a super thick primer that eliminates your pores and leaves your foundation flawless.

Night Time

• The next step in my skincare routine now comes at the end of the day. There is NOTHING better than removing your makeup after a long day! To do that I use a few different products.

• First I use the Ole Henriksen Pure Truth Melting Cleanser (Found here: Ole Henriksen Pure Truth Melting Cleanser). This stuff is AMAZING! It is a gel and you scoop it out and rub it all over your face in circular motions. Then using a warm wet cloth I remove my makuep! This gets rid of all of my makeup including anything that is waterproof. I don't use this on my eye area however.

• The next step in makeup removal is to remove my eye makeup. For that I use Simple's Kind To Eyes Eye Makeup Remover (Found here: Simple Kind To Eyes Eye Makeup Remover).  I like to use small makeup pads and put a few drops and then pat it on my eye area to remove. 

• The last step in removing my makeup is to use a makeup wipe to make sure I got everything off of my face. I like to use the Neutrogena Night Calming Makeup Remover Wipes (Found Here: Neutrogena Night Calming Makeup Remover Wipes). This last step helps ensure that I have gotten every bit of makeup off of my face before I begin the last step of my skincare routine.

• The last step of my skincare routine is applying my moisturizers before bed.
• The first thing I like to use all over my face for all over moisture is the No. 7 brand Protect and Perfect Night Cream (Found here: No. 7 Protect and Perfect Night Cream).

• After letting that soak in I like to use Tarte's Maracuja Oil (Found here: Tarte Maracuja Oil) to lock in the moisture. I normally just use one big drop and rub it on my fingers and rub it on my face in circular motions.

• The last step in my moisturizing routine is to use the Tarte Maracuja C Brighter Eye Treatment (Found here: Tarte Maracuja C Brighter Eye Treatment). This will literally last you a lifetime. I normally just dip my index finger in it and use that amount for each eye. To apply I pat it on lightly to make sure I'm not pulling because that can cause early wrinkles under my eyes! This stuff is super thick and creamy and it glides on and makes my eyes feel amazing after a long day.

For days when you need a little extra oomph

• Additional products I like to use for really bad skin days include:

• For Acne: Neutrogena's Rapid Clear Acne Spot Treatment (Found here: Neutrogena Rapid Clean Acne Spot Treatment). I normally apply this to any spots that may pop up and they are virtually gone the next day after application.

• For Under Eye Circles: If I am having a long week where I am not getting much sleep and my under eye circles are darker than usual I like to use the Skyn Iceland Hyrdo Cool Firming Eye Gels (Found here: Skyn Iceland Hydro Cool Firming Eye Gels). These are amazing and you just keep them on for 10 minutes and they really make the appearance of my dark circles disappear!

What are some of your holy grail skin care products? What are you using right now that you think I should give a try? I am always on the look out for more skincare products!

xoxo Jess

Bath and Body Works haul

So I recently had to have a little sneaky peak into Bath and Body Works and I may have gotten a lot more than I intended to! I feel when I go in there they have so many lovely smelling things I just can't help myself!

So here is a list of everything I picked up and what I think about it!

First thing I picked up was a three wick candle. I wanted it in a smaller version but the saleswoman told me it only came in three wick and it smelled so amazing I decided to buy it.

 

I don't know if other people do this but as soon as I walk into B&BW I have a look at all of the candles and I have to smell all of them! This one I fell in love with! It has a light scent that is fresh and has a hint of sweet that comes from a mixture of flowers and fruits. I really love fruit scents and it is a smell that I could see myself using when I am taking a nice bubble bath!

The next thing I got I was probably the MOST excited for! I always miss the time of year when they bring out my favorite scent so when I saw it sitting there I was elated! My absolute favorite spring/summer scent is Oceanside! I grabbed about 6 of the wall flowers in that scent so that I know I will have enough to last a while! I also grabbed a room spray of it (for my room and car, its the best to give a little spritz to make it smell like heaven!).

 

This is such a fresh and summery scent. It reminds me of the beach and can make any room smell amazing! I am one of those people who love to have specific scents for specific rooms but this is really one that could go for any room!  This also has fruity notes but this one is mixed with a bit of a fresh linen type smell so it just makes a room smell clean!

The next thing I bought were some of the newer scents they just rolled out for spring/summer and they are a part of their new Hawaii themed collection. I did the buy two get one free deal because I wanted to be able to try a few different ones and because I thought they all smelled amazing (If you saw my shower you would know I LOVE to have a variety!)

The first one I bought in a shower gel and it is the Waikiki Beach Coconut scent! It smells like sunscreen and coconut. It makes me think of a relaxing day on the beach! Not to mention the packaging is such a fun and bright color it makes me ready for summer!On the B&BW webpage these are the scent notes it has listed:

• Top Notes: Fresh Bamboo, Coral Berry
• Mid Notes: Pink Passionflower, Hawaiian Frangipani, Coconut Jasmine, Saltwater Breeze
• Dry Notes: Beach Coconut, Sun-bleached Woods, Forest Sandalwood

The second one I bought was Maui Mango Surf! I also bought this one in a shower gel and when I smelled it I just knew I had to have it! It has that same beach smell (can you spot a theme?). On the B&BW webpage these are the scent notes it has listed:

• Top Notes: Ruby Mango, Polynesian Tangerine, Guava Nectar, White Pineapple
• Mid Notes: Mango Mai Tai, Sun-bleached Driftwood, Coral Hibiscus, Hawaiian Lily, Pacific Blue Accord
• Dry Notes: Island Sandalwood, Skin Musk, Lanai Ylang

The last one I bought was Oahu Coconut Sunset! This was also purchased as a shower gel because who can't have enough shower gels right? This one smells exactly like a very yummy coconut beach spray on sunscreen! I just love it and when I use it in the shower I can pretend I am about to go sunbathing!
On the B&BW webpage these are the scent notes it has listed: 

• Top Notes: Birds of Paradise, Coconut Blossom, Sparkling Bergamot
• Mid Notes: Seductive Tuberose, Tiger Lily, Hawaiian Monoi
• Dry Notes: Sensual Labdanum, Molten Amber, Cream Suede Accord

The last few things I picked up were just some good ole fresh linens scentportables for my car! I also got a new holder for the scentportables and it is SO summery and I love it!

I have gone into B&BW a lot recently because their summer scents are my favorite even in the summer!

What have you bought recently? Have you gone on a B&BW splurge like me? Let me know in the comments!

xoxo,
Jess