Updated Skin Care Routine 2018

This continues to be my post popular blog post of the year! Everyone seems to be very curious to see what my updated skincare routine is. I only post these sort of blog posts once a year, if you want to check out my Updated Skincare Routine from last year for reference you will see A LOT of my skincare products have changed - a few goodies that have worked really well for me have stuck around.

For reference I have extremely dry skin all year round.

First thing in the morning I wash my face. I'm still using my Clarisonic plus but my face wash has changed. I found the last one stripped too much moisture from my face. In 2017 I discovered the dermalogica special cleansing gel. This has been great for cleansing my face but not leaving it with that dry stripped feeling.

On days that I want to exfoliate my face I have been using the Tarte Frxxxtion Stick. It's great at removing any excess dry skin I might have. At most I will use this twice a week.

Immediately after I will moisturize my face. Starting with eye cream I've switched to The Ordinary Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG. I was hesitant to use this as it's a liquid and not a cream, I didn't think it would  moisturize my under eye enough but I was WRONG. This is will moisturize, smooth out fine lines and reduce under eye bags. You want a very small amount day and night.

Next I have added in The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 for some extra moisture under my face cream. Then I layer my trusty Clinique Moisture Surge Intense - make sure if you try this you get the INTENSE not just the regular. The intense is much more rich and feels like velvet. I find that makeup just glides over my face with this face combo.

At night I wash my face with the same products as I did in the morning.

Then I follow that up with my night routine...don't get overwhelmed by the amount of products in the pictures - I don't use all of these every night.

I start with my same eye cream by The Ordinary that I used in the AM. Next I put on The Ordinary "Buffet", this is supposed to be an anti aging product that helps with dryness, fine lines, wrinkles, dullness and uneven texture.

Next I pick one or two oils to put on my face. The ones I have in rotation right now are all from The Ordinary.

Finally I follow that up with my lash serum that I'm still not using consistently but I find that it does make my lashes stronger and longer if used everyday.

BONUS PRODUCTS - These I tend to use 2-3 times a week. When every I feel my skin needs a little extra treatment I turn to these three products.

Sephora Mud Mask Purifying and Mattifying is great is you have any texture or blemishes you want to get rid of. This is a very drying mask so make sure to moisturize immediately afterwards.

Dermalogica Skin Hydration Masque is great for when I need a little extra hydration boot to my skin.

Under the eye I've been using Peter Thomas Roth 24K Gold Hydra-Gel Eye Patches. These are great for moisturizing and smoothing any wrinkles.

That's it! It seems as though my collection has grown since last year but it really hasn't gotten anymore complicated. Let me know if the comments below if these are any other products you would recommend my for dry skin.

April 2017 Favorites

The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 - I got my very first Ordinary order in the month of April and so far I have loved every single product I've ordered from them. I've been using the Hyaluronic Acid in the morning before I put on my moisturizer and my dry skin definitely has been feeling more hydrated. 

Tarte Frxxxtion Stick - This I've also been using in the mornings before I was my face. This is a facial cleanings stick that also exfoliates your face. I love the packaging, you rub the stick on your face instead of using your hands which I love. 

Benefit Hello Flawless - I decided to try a new powder this month and I picked this one up by Benefit. It took my three different tries to get my color just right but once I did I fell in love with this powder. It's not too heavy on the skin and has a very natural finish. 

Dior Forever Foundation - I decided to pick this up after hearing Jaclyn Hill rave about this foundation in several videos. I have very similar skin to hers - dry - most of her skincare and foundations recommendations work perfectly for me. I finally used up the last of my Becca foundation and instead of repurchasing it I pick this up instead. It is very natural and has great coverage. A big plus for me is this foundation do not move on my face! I don't typically set my foundations with a lot of powder as I am on the dry side so I need a foundation that doesn't need to be set in order to stay in place. Highly recommend giving this a try for dry skin. 

The Ordinary Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG - The Ordinary defiantly has some interesting names for their products but don't let that scare you away from trying any. This is the eye product I've been using day and night. It is defiantly the most affordable eye product I have every used but it has a different formula. This is an oil that comes in a dropper. I use one drop for each eye and honestly my under eye area has never looked better. This has decreased my fine lines and brightened up my under eye. Most eye creams I've purchased in the past have ran be about $65, this one cost me $6.70!

The Ordinary 100% Organic Cold-Pressed Moroccan Argan Oil - This is a very similar to the Josie Maran Argan Oil. I've tried this out on both my skin and my hair and I love it. It gives me the same restuls as the Josie Maran oil but the price tag is a HUGE difference. 50ml of the Josie Maran will cost $60 compared to 30ml of The Ordinary is $6.80.

The Ordinary defiantly dominated most of my new loves this month....I should also mention that all you have to do is spend over $25 with The Ordinary and your shipping is free! I definitely plan on ordering way more products from this company and doing their own dedicated blog post. If you've tried any products from The Ordinary please feel free to leave your recommendations below. Make sure you are subscribed so you can keep up to date with all my new blog posts. 

Product Empties April 2017

Moroccanoil Dry Shampoo Light Tones - This dry shampoo was in my January Favorites and I still stand by what I said. This is a great dry shampoo but I did find another one that I like a little bit better which I mentioned in my March Favorites. Although it never hurts to have more than one dry shampoo option on hand so I defiantly will be repurchasing the Moroccanoil Dry Shampoo.

Sephora Super Smoothing Lip Butter - This was an amazing lip balm - yes I said "was". Unfortunately it doesn't look like Sephora is restocking this lip balm anymore so I'm going to have to find a new favorite. I had several of these around the house. It was amazing! It kept my lips hydrated and had a bit of a pink tint to it. If you know of my similar dupes please feel free to leave them in the comments below for me to try.

Urban Decay All Nighter Makeup Setting Spray - Still my go to setting spray. I have used up so many bottles I've lost track. This is a must every single day and I already have a new one on the go.

Sephora Mud Mask - I'm not completely finished with this product but it has dried up so I've repurchased a new one. This is a great mask that helps with any texture or imperfections. It will dry out your skin so I would only use it once a week. Because I use it so sparingly the product lasts a long time but you have to be careful because it will dry up quickly.

Burt's Bees Baby Oil - I love to use oil instead of lotion as I find that lotion can leave my skin a little sticky. This is a great oil, it soaks into your skin quickly and leaves it feels soft and silky.

Drybar Triple Sec - This has popped up in a few monthly favorites, I love this product! This is a little sample size I purchased to try out before committing to the full size. Since using this up I have repurchased the full size and I use it almost every single day.

Beauty Blender - I like to replace my Beauty Blender every once in a while. I use mind everyday so there is a lot of wear and tear on my sponge - plus even though I keep it as clean as I can I'm sure there is bacteria collecting on it.

Prada Candy - This is still my favorite scent and yes I have repurchase another one - this time I went for the bigger bottle as well.

Garnier Micellar Water - Finally is my micellar water that I use to take off my eye makeup. I don't find a lot of difference between eye makeup removers so I prefer not to spend too much money for something I use up very quickly. This is a great drugstore option and will remove waterproof mascara without a lot of rubbing.

Updated Skin Care Routine

My last skincare routine post was EXTREMELY popular on my blog but that post is from way back in December 2015. I decided to post an update as some of my products have changed.

For reference I have extremely dry skin all year round.

First thing in the morning I wash my face. I use the Kate Somerville ExfoliKate Cleanser with my Clarisonic Plus. I love using my Clarisonic with any cleaner as I feel it does a better job than just using my hands.

This isn't my favorite cleaner and I am on the hunt for something I like better - but in the mean time I'm just trying to use up this product.

Then I follow up right away with my moisturizers. First I start with my eye cream which is the Shiseido WrinkleResist 24 Eye Cream, this is still an amazing eye cream. It is very thick and creamy, it tends to smooth out my under eye area and hydrate it very well. Next step is new - I've been using the Sephora CC Eye Cream + Concealer. This has a slight tint to it and will cover up any under eye bags I have going on. I find that using these two products together means I have to use less makeup as there is less to cover up.

Finally I use the Clinique Moisture Surge Intense Skin Fortifying Hydrator. If you have extremely dry skin you need this in your life. This is an instant drink of water for my face and it leaves my skin feeling velvety smooth and soft. I find that since using this product I use less primer and less foundation because everything just smoothly glides over my face.

I start by using my same cleaner with my Clarisonic Plus.

At night I am still using the Sunday Riley Luna Sleeping Night Oil and I follow that up with the Josie Maran 100% Pure Argan Oil. My skin loves oils at the end of the day and when I wake up in the morning my face feels amazing.

I use the same Shiseido eye cream and I use a lash enhancer serum by NeoStrada. This is a product I use off and on again but it really does improve the strength of my lashes.

Finally some bonus products - typically I use these 2-3 times a week. Eye masks have become a huge part of my life. As I'm beginning to age I'm finding my eye area isn't the same. I've been loving the Sephora brand eye masks and specifically the Rose, Pearl and Orchid are my favorite.

For the actual mask I've been using the Sephora Mud Mask Purifying & Mattifying, this is great if I have any texture or blemishes on my face. It gets rid of them instantly but does dry out my skin so I do have to moisturize immediately afterwards.

For a moisture mask I've been loving the Joise Maran Whipped Mud Mask. This is infused with Argan oil and feels amazing on my dry skin. Highly recommend if you face needs and extra hydrating boost.

Let me know if you use any of these products in the comment below. If you think there are any other skincare products I need to try out for my dry skin leave you recommendation in the comments below.

January 2017 Favorites

Sebastian Dark Oil - My hair has been very dry this past month and I've been using a lot of hair oils. My favorite oil has been the Sebastian Dark Oil, it leaves my color treated hair soft and silky. It was a bit on the pricey side but I only use two pumps at a time so it seems like it should last me a while. 

Moroccanoil Dry Shampoo Light Tones - With my hair being so dry I've stopped washing it so often which means I've been using a TON of dry shampoo. My favorite have been the Moroccanoil Light Tones Dry Shampoo. It has sort of a purple/white tint to it but once you brush it out this wont show in your hair - even though I have darker roots it still wont show. This leaves my hair feeling refreshed and helps with styling my second or third day hair. 

Clinique Moisture Surge Intense - I picked this up because I saw MakeupByTiffanyD talk about this on her channel. I have loved a lot of her skincare recommendations and since I have dry skin that no moisturizer can quench my thirst I decided to give this a try. She seemed pretty confident in this moisturizer and she was right! This makes my skin feel like soft velvet, I've been using it both at night and in the morning. I've noticed that since I've been using it my skin is a smooth canvas for makeup and I seem to be using less foundation which is always a plus in my books. 

Tarte Amazonian Clay BB Tinted Moisturizer - I've been getting away from foundations on a day to day usage. Recently I've been testing out different CC and BB creams - this one was a winner for me! My skin tone is very difficult to match so while a lot of CC and BB creams might be amazing, but it they don't match my skin tone I wont wear them. This still doesn't 100% match me but it's pretty close, my skin feels light with this BB cream on and it wears very well throughout the day. 

Sephora CC Eye Cream + Concealer - Speaking of trying out CC and BB creams I've also been trying out this CC eye cream. This was very inexpensive CC eye cream and I love the Sephora skincare line as it is very affordable. This is a great eye cream that I've been using in the morning. It does give me a little bit of coverage but I still use my normal concealer over top - however, I definitely am using less concealer which it great! The better my skin is and the less makeup I have to pile on is always a plus in my books. I am a little concerned as this product has been out of stock on Sephora's website for a while so I'm not sure if they are carrying this product anymore but this has defiantly opened up my eyes to trying other CC eye creams - if you have any suggestions of other eye creams I should check out please leave those in the comments below. 

August Favorites | Ms Pam Blam

Bumble and Bumble Pret-a-powder - I rediscovered this dry shampoo when I was traveling at the end of July. I traveled for the first time with only carry on luggage....I had to try and cut my liquids way down so I decided to travel with this dry shampoo. It's amazing! The powder just gives your hair a refreshed look plus adds volume which is great. I had some great hair days while traveling!

Sephora Eye Masks - I've tried several different eye masks and I keep coming back to the Sephora collection. They have some great eye masks that just refresh and hydrate your under eye. I try to use these about once a week, my favorites are Orchid, Pearl, Rose and Avocado.

Sunday Riley Luna Sleeping Night Oil - This product was in my Current Skincare Routine I posted back in December and it's still in my skincare routine. I love using this oil at night, seriously my skin has never looked better. I wont use this every night, I alternate between this oil and Josie Maran 100% Argan Oil.  

Sephora Instant Moisturizer - Another product that was in my Current Skincare Routine and I'm still currently using is the Sephora brand moisturizer. I honestly still haven't found anything better than this stuff. It hydrates my dry skin and leaves my skin primed and ready for makeup in the morning.

L'Oreal Infallible Pro Flow Foundation - I've heard everyone rave about this foundation. It's been described as a dewy and radiant foundation, perfect for dry skin....well anytime I hear the word dewy I know I HAVE to give the foundation a try. I love this foundation, it gives me the perfect summer dewy skin glow that my dry skin craves. I've mixing this with my BB cream so I have some SPF and I've been wearing this all summer.

Urban Decay All Nighter Makeup Setting Spray - This is always a must have in my makeup bag. This is my go to setting spray and it works great with the L'Oreal foundation. Most dewy skin foundations don't last long so I like to use a setting spray to lock in my foundation and make it last all day long.

Estee Lauder Double Wear Concealer - This has been talked about a lot on my blog, it is still my go to concealer. This stuff covers whatever you need covered and stays in place all day without being too dry.

Mac Prep and Prime (Radiant Rose) - Over top of my concealer I've been wearing the Mac prep and prime in radiant rose. This is a great highlighter under the eyes just to brighten everything up and make you look more awake. Best liquid highlighter I've used for the under eye area.

Let me know in the comments below what your favorites where for August!!!

Josie Maran Whipped Mud Mask Collection

 I purchased these mud masks back in June and since then I've been HOOKED! I featured these masks in my June Favorites and even now that we are in August they are still a favorite.

I have an obsession with face masks...I can't even tell you how many I have tried. I think that they are so relaxing and refreshing after a long day. I enjoy taking off all my makeup, putting on a mask and crawling into bed with a good book.

Some of the mud masks that I have tried in the past work wonders but leave your skin feeling dried out - for someone that already has dry skin like me, you typically try to stay away from masks like that.

These masks are so whipped and creamy, they glide onto your skin like a dream and dry in place. Honestly I feel asleep with one of these masks on for about 1 hour and when I woke up my skin felt so refreshed. Your skin feels hydrated after removing the mask - it's the best feeling ever.

These masks are designed to hydrate, detoxify, nourish, clarify, firm, and refine your skin. They are solutions for pores, loss of firmness/elasticity and dryness. Each mask is formulated with 100% Pure Argan Oil - which is something I use everyday anyway! My skin drinks argan oil up and loves the benefits.

If you are interested in trying these I highly recommend picking up the sample pack like I did. That way you get to try out all the different formations and find out which ones are your favorite.

Have you tried out this mask? Tell me what you thoughts were in the comments below.

Product Empties March 2016 | Skincare Empties

 My trash is getting full!!! Time to bust out another products empties. I noticed that a lot of my product empties was skincare this past month...which means it's been a very expensive month of repurchasing new skincare items. I feel like the old I get the more and more I want to invest in my skin and keep it healthy and glowing.

Fist up is a shampoo from Sephora, this is the Texas Tea shampoo and conditioner. This is advertised as a voluminous product but I found it really weighted down my hair. As you can see I didn't even use the product up fully, there is still a little left in the bottom. I couldn't wait to get rid of this shampoo and move onto something new.

Next up is a drugstore body oil, this one is Neutrogena Body Oil. I really enjoy putting body oils in my bath and this is one that I've gone through many, many bottles of. It has a great smell and the price is very reasonable. Right now I haven't repurchased another one because I'm using up my Palmer's Moisturizing Body Oil.

This is by far my favorite eye cream I've tried so far. This is the Shiseido Wrinkle Resist 24, it is a pretty thick cream but it's gotten rid of all my fine lines and wrinkles I was starting to get under my eyes. I use this twice a day and in pretty generous portions. It's on the pricey side but definitely worth the money. I've already repurchased another one.

Before I discovered the Shiseido eye cream I was using the Fresh Lotus Youth Preserve Eye Cream. This is also a good eye cream but it is a little more light weight. Great if you're in your early 20's. I haven't repurchased this product since discovering the Shiseido eye cream.

Another Shiseido product, this is the Shiseido Wrinkle Resist 24 Night Cream. This is a very moisturizing night cream and I've gone through 2 of these. However, I wont be repurchasing this because I've been testing out some new night oils that I like a lot better for my dry skin.

Speaking of oils, this is the CoverFX Customer Infusion Drops. This is a great face oil to either mix into your moisturizing or foundation. I typically like to add this to my moisturizer during the day when my skin is feeling extra dry. It's a great oil and I will have one in my daily routine I'm trying to use up.

It's been a long time since I've had Estee Lauder skincare products in my routine. When I started to invest into my skincare everything used to be Estee Lauder. Then I branched out and found that there were other amazing products beside Estee Lauder and I really haven't gone back to this brand. I deiced to give one of their eye makeup removers a shot but to be honest I was really disappointed with it. First off this doesn't remove mascara very well and I found it didn't last very long. I have since moved onto something else.

This product has shown up in several empties posts. This is my favorite deodorant and I've been wearing it for years. I work out A LOT so having a good deodorant is very important to me. I can't even count how may of these I've gone through. I've already repurchased a replacement.

On a whim I decided to try some Sephora skincare products. Sephora skincare products are very reasonably priced and surprising work great! I switched my day time moisturizer to the Sephora Instant Moisturizer and I honestly don't want to try anything else. This is great for really dry skin and makeup goes over top of this moisturizing effortlessly. I've already bought a replacement for my skincare routine.

Another Sephora skincare product and another love of mine. This is the Sephora Mud Mask Purifying & Mattifying, I use this either as a spot treatment or as a full on mask.  This product isn't acually empty there is still some left but it's dried up so I've bought a new one to replace it. This mask is so affordable and I've had it almost a year! Great value for your dollar and works amazing. My skin has been so clear since I gave up using drugstore masks and switched to this one.

You may have seen this product in a previous empties post as well. This is the Neostrata Lash Enhancer Serum, another great product but very expensive. This makes your lashes look thicker and longer but it's also a product you have to continually use or you'll loose the thickness and volume.

Finally I used up all my Shiseido Wrinkle Resist 24 Eye Masks. This is the very first eye mask I've ever tried and loved them! You get 12 eye masks in this set which I though was very reasonable and I've already repurchased another pack. I found that this really moisturized and smoothed out my under eyes. I typically use them when I'm doing a face mask so about once a week I would use these. 

That's it for my empties. What products did you use up this month?

Palmer's Products Review

In the month of February I pulled out these products that Palmer's sent be a few months ago. If you've been following me on my social media accounts you will know that I've been pretty sick for the past month. During that month my entire skincare routine went completely out of the window. I was looking through my closet to find something that would help hydrate my dry skin. 

When I'm sick I love to take baths. I pulled out the Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula Moisturizing Body Oil to add a little moisture while I was in the bath. This stuff is great! I would add it into my bath along with a bubble bath. The oil didn't have a smell which was great because the bubble bath did. I don't like when there are competing scents. I instantly felt moisturized when I stepped out of the bath, I didn't even add anything extra to my skin. I noticed that because I was dehydrated from being sick my skin got a little itchy. After taking a bath with this oil I had instant relief! You can also apply this body oil directly to your skin as a moisturizer after a shower or bath.

The 24 Moisturizing Lotion was pretty good. I couldn't actually find a lot of information online about this lotion but it was really rich and creamy. My skin did feel moisturized after using it but I actually preferred the oil products more than the lotion.

Finally Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula Smoothing Oil For Dry, Itchy Skin...probably out of the three this was my favorite. I really wasn't sure what to do with this oil at first. Then I read that you can use oil after your shower for instantly smooth skin. After I'm finished shower I turn off the water but stay in the shower. I spray this all over and then pat dry with a towel. WOW! What a difference. I don't think I will ever go back to using lotion. I love that I don't have that sticky lotion feeling and I'm instantly dry with smooth skin. I can get dressed right away without having to let lotion sit and sink into my skin. 

You can check out these products and more at the Palmer's website. 

Have you tried any of Palmer's products? What did you think?

January Favorites 2016 | Ms Pam Blam

First month of the year is OVER!! Which means I get to post another monthly favorites....I think by far these are my favorite blog posts to write. I had so much fun running around my house and collecting items that I have been loving for January 2016.

Fist off I have to give a shout out to Makeup Geek. I ordered these brushes are the end of December (along with some more eye shadows of course!). I've never tired any Makeup Geek tools before so I was interested in seeing what these brushes were like. I'M IN LOVE! They are so soft and densely packed. They blend makeup easily and effortlessly. Right now in my day to day rotation I'm using (start from top to bottom)
-Face buffer brush - I use this for my blush (which is also makeup geek)
-Angled stippling brush - I use this for my contour
-Cheek highlighter brush - I use this to set my concealer with powder
-Soft dome brush - I use this to put eye shadow in my crease and blend it out

I highly recommending giving Makeup Geek brushes a try, they have many more available on their website and I'll definitely be ordering more for myself!

Next up is a product I've had since October and I just don't know how I lived without it. This is the Clarisonic Plus, I use this once a day (typically at the end of the day) to cleanse my face. It cleans so well and my skin texture has been amazing since I've started using this.

Another skincare product, which was mentioned in my current skincare routine. This is the Luna night oil, I've been using it about twice a week and it just adds a boost to my night time routine.

This is my only hair favorite for the month, the Living Proof dry shampoo and Pureology dry conditioner. This is the perfect pair for second or even third day hair. Since I've been lightening my hair I've been trying to wash it less. My hair is sooo damaged and I just took 3 inches off! I've been trying to only wash my hair 2-3 times a week. These two products defiantly make that possible by extending my styles.

I've just recently been getting into eye masks and so far this is my favorite. This is the Shiseido WrinkleResist 24, I use this about once a week with my skincare. Its really smoothed and brightened up my under eyes. I was getting fine lines and little bumps under my eyes, my solution was just to cover them up with concealer (which really isn't a solution). I wanted something that would make the fine lines and bumps to go away permanently so I didn't have to use so much concealer everyday. After about 4 uses I started to see this product work!! So if you decide to try this give is some time...you wont see any miracles after the first use.

This is a product that has been mentioned a few times on my blog, the Beauty Blender!! I have two on the go right now, they are amazing. I use them for my foundation and concealer. This just gives you the prefect airbrushed finish. I was using it to set my loose powder but I've switched to a pressed powder so now I use a brush.

Last off is my fitness favorite for the month...and of course it's 21 Day Fix! I love this program. It is easy to follow the workout schedule, the workouts are only 30 min so they are prefect to fit into your day. Right now I'm training for a marathon, you can check out my week 1 update, as mentioned in my blog post I'm using a combination of 21 Day fix, interval running and long slow distance running to train. This program has been perfect for me, not only have I lost weight with this program but I it has helped with my leg strength!

What were your monthly favorites? Please share in comments below.