My Skincare Essentials

Hello Enchanted Beauties,

Do you find a skincare routine tedious and so annoying to do after a long day and all you want to do is go to sleep? Well GET OVER IT and Just DO IT! I cannot stress how IMPORTANT it is to your skin. We already put our face through hell by slapping countless stuff on during the day including the inevitable ones (sun, dirt, wind). By the end of the night our skin needs to breathe and we need to take care of it by cleaning out all the impurities and yucky stuff that reside on it. Besides the obvious skincare products that we need to keep a healthy radiant face, we also need some water in our system and avoid touching our faces with our hands. Always keep your body hydrated and keep the paws away and you'll be halfway there for a healthy looking skin :D These are just a few of the products I use on the daily to keep my face as clean as possible.

I currently have a specific routine that I do in the mornings and nighttime.

Morning Routine

Step One: Wet Face
Step Two: Cleanser and Clarasonic
Step Three: Toner
Step Four: Serum
Step Five: Moisturizer with SPF

Nighttime Routine

Step One: Take off all Makeup using Makeup Remover wipes and Eyemakeup Remover for eyes
Step Two: Cleanser and Clarisonic
Step Three: Toner
Step Four: Oil Treatment
Step Five: Eye Cream

I usually do not use a night cream because the oil treatment is enough for my skin to be moisturized throughout the night. I only use a night cream when my skin is being weird and has dry patches here and there. I am very oily in the T-Zone area and normal on the rest of my face so I rarely have to use a heavy duty cream to keep me hydrated.

Products

Tool: Clarisonic MIA!! OMG best investment of my life. Not only does it make it so much easier for me to get it done in one minute but it really takes out all the extra makeup that my makeup wipes did not grab. I love love LOVE this tool. I honestly suggest everyone invest in one. It'll change your skincare routine life :D

Removers: Makeup Wipes are my to go thing, I just love how easily they take off my makeup and of course if you've read my previous posts I love the Neutrogena ones in the Blue package but when I don't have those I settle for whatever I have. My Favorite liquid eye make remover is Lancome Bi-Facil. This baby does an amazing job with my They're Real Mascara that is so friggin' stubborn to take off.

Cleanser: I don't have a specific brand that I am committed to at the moment. I have so many samples of different ones that I'm trying to use up before I actually buy a specific one. I use Shiseido Ibuki Glentle Cleanser, Estee Lauder Perfectly Clean Multi-Action Foam Cleanser/Purifying Mask, Clarisonic Refreshing Gel Cleanser, Algenist Gentle Rejuvenating Cleanser and Lancome Creme Radiance Clarifying Cream-to Foam Cleanser. I do have a preference in type though, I prefer cream ones over gel type cleansers.

Toner: I used to use Clinique's Clarifying Lotion #3 on the daily before I received a bunch of samples of other brands. I didn't find it very effective though, it is suppose to control your oil and blah blah blah but I didn't notice any changes. I currently use Clinique Acne Solution Clarifying Lotion only when I see that I am getting blemishes continuously. I only use it at night time though. This product is too harsh for my skin and it dries me out super fast if used regularly. Other then that one I use Lancome Tonique Radiance for Normal/Combination Skin, Shiseido Ibuki Softening Concentrate and  Shiseido White Lucent Brightening Balancing Softner Enriched in the morning and night when I don't need to use the acne solutions one.

Serum: Normally I wouldn't use a serum but once again I've received a bunch of samples of different ones but the one that I have liked the most is Lancome Dreamtone. It is a dark spot corrector but i honestly don't see any effects in that sense, what I love about it is that my skin is extremely soft after using it for a couple days straight day and night. The following I have used them but don't think they make a difference on my skin whatsoever. Lancome Genefique and Visionnaire, and Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair. 

Oil Treatment: I just recently got in the bandwagon of this trend. I don't have any full size ones at the moment. I did buy the Tarte Maracuja one long time ago but ended up not liking it because it broke me out. So I stopped using it. I got a deluxe sample of the Nude ProGenius treatment oil recently from Sephora and use it at night time instead of a night cream. It feels nice on the skin and in the morning my skin is very hydrated but it being an oil i feel like my skin gets oilier. Not too sure if I will be using a permanent one in the future once I run out of this one.

Eye Cream: Another product that I don't favor or have a favor. I don't have puffiness (unless i cry) or dark circles (even when I lack sleep). So for me this is not a step that is necessary in my routine. I put it when I remember at night time. Ive used Shiseido Ibuki and White Lucent lines, Lancome High Resolution Eye, Benefit eye cream (which I don't remember the name because I hate it, it burns my eyes for some reason) and Clarins.

Moisturizer: I should have a favorite of tho product because its very important to keep the skin hydrated and all but in all honesty i've used so many moisturizers from drug store ones to high end. The one that I know i've used off and on again is Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel (runs out of breath) AKA the yellow one. Geez Clinique why are your product names so friggin' long?! Another one that I started out with was Estee Lauder DayWear back in my teen years. My mom used to buy it for me but once I had to buy it for myself and saw the price I was like ummm yeah i'll just go to cvs and buy a regular one lol (I was in college without an income). I recently got deluxe sample jar of it again for the daytime and remember how friggin amazing it feels. I love that stuff, I'm thinking of actually making that one my favorite moisturizer again. Other then that, like I said I've used drugstore brands like Olay, Palmers and some other one that I can't remember at the moment. High end ones i've used Lancome Bienfait Multi-Vital and Absolue (before I found out that it was for old ladies. the product was given to me lol) Shiseido Ibuki and White Lucent lines, L'Occitane face cream, Clinique Repairwear Laser Focus, and Ska-II (sample) aside from it being extremely expensive, it's super rich but i didn't like it at all because it made me oily as heck! Note: I usually don't use any anti aging moisturizers because I feel like my skin doesn't need all that junk right now. i should start thinking about it but I won't use any of it until I am like 30. Yes, I know that anti-aging things help you prevent them and blah blah blah but what about when I do start getting wrinkles? I have to find something that is 3x stronger then the anti-aging product that I would currently use. No no No...that's just ridiculous to me, so no prevention needed for me for now. :D

On a final note: Please Please Please ALWAYS remember to wear SPF during the day. It doesn't matter if you are indoors most of the time. Sun damage is the number one cause of aging skin. So slap some of that on before you head out the house. NO, your foundation SPF is not enough to protect you from it. Don't be lazy and put some on :D

Alright, this post ran a little longer then I had expected but I gave you a full insight of the things that I use to keep my face as clean and healthy as possible. Thanks for reading this loooong post :D

Until Next Time,
Dannely

Quick Thoughts: Palettes Edition

Hello beauty world,

I've been wanting to blog about something lately but I just couldn't seem to find the time or energy to sit down and write it down. I've been having a stressful/busy life lately. Anyways, decided to give a quick thoughts on my 4 most recent palettes that i've acquired in the past 4 to 5 months. I am not going to do swatches because they have been overly reviewed on the internet, so pictures of swatches are everywhere for you to take a look at them (sorry, being lazy here lol) Let's get down to it...

Let's begin with the infamous Naked 3 from Urban Decay. When I first found out about this palette, I was over the moon with excitement. It seemed quite promising and loved the fact that it was rose hues. As soon as it was available at Sephora.com I was all over it and placed my order immediately. I could not wait to get it in the mail and play with it. All that excitement lasted about a week after I received it. Don't get me wrong, the colors are beautiful but when it comes to eyeshadows I am extremely picky on how pigmented they are. This palette has a few shades that are just not good enough for me to love the palette as a whole. In order for me to say: "yes, i recommend it, it's a must buy" the palette as a whole has to be very pigmented. I love Urban Decay and i don't have a problem with the other palettes that I own from them but this one is just not my favorite and I do not find myself reaching for it. The shades that I am not completely happy with and wish that could be better: Dust, Burnout, Nooner, Buzz, and Limit. That is almost half the palette! All in all, if you're not as picky with the performance of a palette as a whole and want to add rose hues to your collection, I say give it a try but it is NOT a must for me.

Now that I got the bad sheep out the way let's go into a palette that I am LOVING!!! You have no idea how many times I went back and forth fighting myself not to buy it because I already have enough neutral palettes. But all of a sudden ulta came out with their Rockin' Red something something set that was $39 and I knew I could not pass up on it. That set included the Pro Palette and a pen liner, which I also like a lot. The is a well put together and a greatly executed product. I've never tried anything Lorac until I purchased this. The pigmentation of the shadows is AMAZING!!! Usually a matte finish is very difficult to come by in terms of blending once it's on the eyes but the 8 matte shadows on this palette are so silky smooth and blend beautifully with one another. Of course shimmery shadows are much easier to blend and the smooth texture combined with the amount of shimmer that these shadows have make it so much easier to achieve a flawless look each time. This is definitely my go to palette for my signature semi  brown smokey eye look that I usually do as an everyday look and I've noticed that i've already made a significant dent on the first two colors on the top (White & Cream) and the first two colors from the bottom row (Nude & Champagne). Lorac needs to make those two colors in full size (or do they already have them?? don't know, i haven't looked into the brand in depth) Though, I love the quality of all shadows and the color selection, the only color I wish could be a little more gold is the shade "Gold" I feel like it's a bit too dark to be a gold. I gravitate towards golds a lot but I can't seem to like this one very much :/ Anyways, if you don't own any nude palettes or you just want neutral earthy tones to add to your collection...this is a must! Side note: these are warm tones so if you don't like warm tones on you, this is not the palette for you and I suggest you get the naked 2 instead.

After Loving the Pro Palette, my coworker suggested I look into the Pro to Go Palette that had your basic neutral shades plus bronzer and two blushes. At that time I was content with just owning the Pro Palette and didn't think this was a must to get as well. But then Sephora was on a cleansing from all Lorac products and saw that they were $8 dollars off from their original price and decided to buy it since I love the quality of the shadows already. I wasn't too sure about the Bronzer and Blush quality but I liked that they were matte. This is a great palette to have for traveling. You can definitely do day and night looks and have the other basic essentials for a complete face look. Though I don't have anything bad to say about it, I can't say that this is something that you need in your collection. If you have the Pro Palette, that should be enough. The blushes are very pretty and silky smooth and have a great lasting power but I cannot say the same about the bronzer. I absolutely love that they are matte finishes but the bronzer is a bit too light for me. This palette is a maybe, you should get it if you don't want to try the other Pro Palette. I don't find myself reaching for this one that much.

Lastly on the list is the Anarchy Face Case by Urban Decay. I initially did not care for it when it came out. I only bought it until Sephora had it on sale for $29 and I mostly bought it because I love the Highgloss Lip pencil that it comes with. The shadows are quite nice and as usual, Urban Decay does a great job with the color combinations and quality of their shadows except that rosy tone shadow. I have a hard time using that one because it's so sheer and extremely glittery. But I love the silver shade that this palette comes with. The blushes are kind of funky and I don't see myself wearing them that often, I'm not much of a blush person in the first place but the bright pink one is a bit too much for me. Aside from the funky colors of the blushes, I feel like they are not smooth enough to apply them evenly on my skin. I don't use them quite often. The highlighter is great though, I love that it gives you that accented shimmer on your cheekbones but it's not overpowering that you can see it right off the bat unless you are under a light. The perversion pencil, I could care less for it. I don't like UD eye pencils because they glide off me quite fast, so I am a MAC Smolder fan for life :D Overall, this palette is a good value at the price that I payed for. I wouldn't have paid full price for it. It's definitely fun and had everything you need for a complete look. Is it a must have? not at all, like i said I mostly purchased it because of the lip product, which is  full size :D

So there you have it, a quick glance on my most recent palettes that i've acquired. All in all, the Lorac Pro Palette is worth giving it a try if you haven't already done so. The rest are eh and could be passed on to better palettes but me being the eyeshadow junkie that I am I buy these things to try out and just have :D Thanks for reading...

Until Next Time,

Dannely