Skincare Routine: P.M.

Back in June I shared my A.M. skincare routine with y’all and promised my p.m. routine would follow in a couple of days. Well fast forward a few months and I am finally getting around to sharing my p.m. skincare routine. There are still some few products I want to add, but this is what I currently do every night. (Except the occasional Saturday, I always try to do this no matter how many drinks I’ve had or how dreamy my bed sounds.)

Step 1. Clinique CleansingBalm

Have y’all heard of double cleansing? If not it’s basically when you use a product to take off all your makeup/dirt & grim from the day before you actually wash your face! That’s where this product comes in. It starts off as a solid and quickly melts into oil and removes all your makeup. I love this stuff! I can definitely tell a difference when I don’t use it.

Step 2. Purity FacialCleanser

After I use my cleansing balm, and wash that off, I use Purity facial wash. The reason I use this over Tula at night is that I really feel this gets any last traces of makeup off. Most people don’t mix cleansers, but this seems to work for me. If you wanted to pick between one of my cleansers I would definitely say Tula. However, I like using both for different reasons.

Step 3. Kiehls Avocado EyeCream

This stuff is awesome! I had heard/read a ton of rave reviews and thought I would give this a try. I’ve really noticed a difference in my under eye area since using this. You can almost feel it turn from a cream to a liquid as you tap it on your skin. (You could use this product for day and night if you wanted.)

Step 4. Serum

I have two “serums” pictured here because I like them both, and I have yet to commit to one. They are both very different, and I like them both A LOT! I’m almost out and need to commit to one, but I'm not sure which one so I’ll tell you what I like about both of them.

A.   Origins PlantscriptionAnt-Aging Power Serum

This does exactly what it says it does. I feel like the anti-aging part of this really works. I have noticed a big difference in my forehead since using this. I also like that it’s a true serum so it feels lite on your skin.

B.   Kiehl’s Powerful StrengthLine Reducing Concentrate 12.5% vitamin C

This stuff is also V true to its name, and helps reduce lines. I feel like I see almost an immediate reduction in lines on my forehead when I use this. It’s different than a serum and feels almost like a cream. It also has a lot of vitamin C in it and I use vitamin C in my morning routine.

I really have no idea which of these I will choose, but I need to decide.

Step 4. Tula Hydrating Day& Night Cream

I definitely love Tula products. This was the first moisturizer I could use with a serum on a regular basis and my skin would not break out or get really oily. This is definitely my Holy Grail moisturizer!

Optional in-between Step 2 & 3 Origins Super Spot Remover Blemish Treatment Gel

I say optional because you might not have a breakout every night. If you do though, this stuff is AHMAZING! It will literally get rid of your zit in 2-3 days. I put a tiny dab on my zit and continue on with the rest of my routine. I usually notice a difference the next day, and by day 2 it’s barely noticeable!

What is your nighttime routine? Do you use any of these products? I’d love to hear about it in the comments. I’m always looking for new products!

  

Skincare Routine: AM

If you’ve been following me for a while, you know lately I have been getting into skin care. I’ve always been pretty #blessed when it comes to skin. Not so much in the breakout department but I’ve always had makeup artist and estheticians tell me I have great skin. (To be honest I still don’t know what they mean but I just take their word for it.  Haha) Now that I’m getting older (late twenties); I think it’s important to try and keep my skin looking good. I’ve finally got a pretty good morning and nighttime routine down so, I thought I would share just what those are with y’all. I’m going to break it up into two posts: Morning (today) and Night (next week).

Step 1: Ice Roller 

(Sorry I don't have a photo of this. I shot this in my friends apartment in NYC and didn't bring my ice roller with me.)

I ordered an ice roller about a month ago after seeing everyone rave about them. Now that I’ve been using mine I totally get the hype! (I actually understood it the first time I used it.) It helps depuff, reduce redness and just really wakes me up. It’s almost like getting a little jolt of energy in the morning because it’s so cold. And if you drank 1 too many glasses of wine at HH on Thursday the ice roller feels even better the next morning. Haha! Best $10 I’ve ever spent!

Step 2: Cleanser

I’ve talked about Tula before and it’s by far one of my favorite brands. Whenever someone asks me what I recommend for cleansers or moisturizers, I immediately tell him or her to go on tula.com and buy the discovery kit. I love the cleanser because it’s so gentle, and leaves my face feeling fresh & clean. Another great thing about Tula is it should work for everyone no matter his or her skin type. It was developed by a gastroenterologist and is probiotics based; which means it balances what your skin is missing. You can read all about it on their site. (I’m a total nerd and find this really interesting!)

Step 3: Eye Cream

I will be the first to admit that I do not sleep enough. (There just aren’t enough hours in the day!!) Because of this I tend to always look tired, even if I’m really not! I also have bags under my eyes (thanks mom!) so, that makes it worse. However, since I’ve been using the Origins GinZing Refreshing Eye Cream, I have noticed a HUGE difference. This helps brighten and depuff, which is why it’s perfect for your morning routine! It also helps my concealer go on really smooth and crease free!

Step 4: Serum

I got a sample of Olehenriksen Truth Serum in my Sephora Play box a few months ago and have been hooked ever since. It has vitamin C which helps brighten, and that is always a good thing in the morning. It also is a collagen booster, and I am all about that! When I put it on I can feel my face tighten. Not in a weird or uncomfortable way but, in a “this is totally working” way. I love when you can actually feel or see a product work. It helps me feel like I’m not wasting money. 

Step 5: Moisturizer

(I usually let my eye cream & serum soak in for a few minutes before this step.)

Another Olehenriksen product I love is their C-Rush Brightening Gel Crème. It’s pretty new however; I heard rave reviews and love my truth serum so much, I thought I would give it a try. First of all it smells amazing! Literally smells just like a creamsicle. It also helps brighten and like I said above you can never have too much brightening in your morning routine. I also love that it doesn’t leave my face feeling sticky or oily. That is my biggest issue when I use moisturizer so, if a product doesn’t do that it’s a winner in my book.

And there you have it. After this I put on my makeup and out the door.

What is your morning routine? Do you use any of these products or have any others I need to try. I would love to hear about it in the comments below. As always if you have any questions you can leave them below or shoot me an email at fashionablylateblonde@gmail.com

Play!

Hey guys!

Last month I received my first Play! box, and today I am going to tell you all about it. If you aren’t familiar with Play! It’s Sephora’s monthly subscription box. You receive 5 deluxe samples and a bonus fragrance sample all wrapped up in a cute little bag. You also receive a playbook telling you all about the items and a play pass you can take to your local Sephora to learn more about the products and how to use them. All of this for only $10 a month (plus tax), is a great deal. If you aren’t on the wait list, yet I highly suggest putting your name on there ASAP! 

Now let’s move onto the review of the actual products.

First up is Bite Beauty Amuse Bouche Lipstick in Kimchi . Y’all I cannot say enough good things about this lipstick. It is extremely moisturizing and the color pay-off is amazing. Sometimes I feel like you have to sacrifice one for the other when it comes to lipstick but that is definitely not the case with this formula. I will definitely be buying more colors of this in the future. I have my eye on Rouge Berry, Gin Fizz, and Sorbet.

Next up is another lip product from Tarte called Tarteist Lip Crayon in Latergram . Unfortunately, I didn’t have as good of luck with this one. It was a little hard to apply since I like to apply my lip liner all over. It also breaks very easily. I think there are better options out there for better price points.

Moving on to skin care there was an Origins Maskimizer Skin-Optimizing Mask Primer . This stuff came with 2 Origin masks too. It seemed to work well. You spritz it on before you apply your mask to kind of prime your skin. I used it with the Origins Clear Improvement Active Charcoal Mask  and it made my skin feel really clean and soft. Hard to say if it would have been as good without the maskimizer but I liked it overall.

Next up in skin care was Korres Wild Rose + Vitamin C Advanced Brightening Sleeping Facial. This stuff is AMAZING! First of all, it smells so good. I usually don’t like really strong scented things but, this is strong but not over whelming. I also noticed a difference in the first few nights I used it. My skin looks clearer and brighter. In addition, my skin feels so soft. This will probably be a purchase when I run out of my sample.

The last true sample was Briogeo Don't Despair, Repair! Deep Conditioning Mask . This stuff seemed to work well. I used it right after I got my hair colored and trimmed so it’s hard to say if it truly worked magic but my hair felt really healthy. You can use it 2 different ways, which is nice. You can use it in the shower and leave in for 5-10 min or if you think, your hair really needs help you can leave it on for 20 minutes and wrap your hair.

Bonus Sample.

My fragrance sample this month was Atelier Cologne Orange Sanguine Cologne Absolue Pure Perfume. I can’t use perfume but this stuff smells really, really good. I’ve sprayed it in my room while I’m working or watching TV. I would definitely consider buying it, if I could wear perfume (and if the price point was a little lower.K)

Overall, I was extremely happy with my first month of Play! I can’t wait to get my next box. I would recommend this over ipsy although I still have that subscription too.

Have you tried any of these products? If so what did you think? Let me know in the comment section.