Products I Will Be Repurchasing

I know I've done some of these before, and I will continue to do them! I think some of these products were even on my past posts on things I would repurchase, because I did and will continue to repurchase them!

1. Mario Badescu Rose Hips Nourishing Oil- I used to mainly use this in the winter time because my face would dry out so badly, but I use it in the summer as well because it just adds a little extra moisture in spots that are needed. For some reason my skin gets very dry and flakey around my eyebrow area, so I use it before I put on my moisturizer and the flakes are gone! I also have a Benefit Creaseless Cream Eyeshadow that hadn't been used in a while and had dried out. I put a drop of this in the shadow, mixed it up with a toothpick, and it was good as new! It didn't look as smooth and pretty in the container as it did when I first got it, but still looked the same when applied to eyes. I'm not use exactly how safe it is to use around the eye area, but I have been and haven't had any problems so far! A little bit of this stuff goes a LONG way too!

2. Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion- I freaking love this stuff! I've gotten some samples of other eye primers (e.l.f., Lorac, and some others I can't recall right now) and this one takes the cake. Not that the others were bad, the Primer Potion just makes my shadow stay on alllll damn day. Sometimes I'm bad and fall asleep in my makeup, and when I wake up it's still there! Not as perfect as the day before, but it definitely works. Lorac is a close second, and the e.l.f. one isn't bad for the price, I just prefer the Urban Decay Primer Potion.

3. Mario Badescu Facial Spray with Aloe, Herbs & Rosewater- I really, really like Mario Badescu products in case you haven't noticed. It's absolutely perfect to keep in your purse and spray it on your face throughout the day. Since I tend to have dehydrated skin, this acts as a little pick me up so that I don't get too dry. I also use it as a makeup setting spray so that my setting powder doesn't dry out my face too much. I am way too in love with this stuff, I'm on my third bottle!

4. Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil- Eyeliner that doesn't have good staying power drives me absolutely INSANE. I don't want coon eyes halfway through the day. These puppies have insane staying power. I use it on my upper and lower lash lines and I get no coon eyes. They also apply very smoothly, so there is no tugging on my eyes when I put it on. I've gone through 2 full sized black pencils, and I also have a purple pencil that I sometimes put over my black liner. I love love love love these things. Get them. Now.

5. MAC Face and Body Foundation- I'd heard recommendations for this back when I first started wearing foundation, but I also had problem skin that needed heavier coverage. Now that my skin is acne free, I don't need such a heavy foundation. It's VERY watery, but it sets into your skin very quickly. This is especially good for summer because it feels so light, but I usually add another layer once the first one dries just to cover up a few trouble spots. I could use concealer for this, but I feel like concealer is too heavy to cover the extra redness around my nose and cheeks. I use e.l.f. studio concealer if anyone is wondering. I've had no breakouts so far, and it stays all day! I do set it with powder, though, just to make sure.

6. Neutrogena Oil-Free Moisture for Combination Skin- It doesn't make my face too oily, it doesn't break me out, and it doesn't dehydrate my skin. It's also affordable and I can get it pretty much anywhere. That's pretty much all I'm looking for in a moisturizer at the moment.



Apologies again for the repeats, I couldn't help myself. What are some products you loved that you will be repurchasing?

My Winter Skincare Must Haves

My skin always gets a little drier in the winter months, but this year it just FREAKED out for some reason. I've never had such dry skin in my life (mainly on my face).

I had to change 2 main things in my makeup/skincare regimen: my cleanser and my foundation.

I was using the Cerave Hydrating Cleanser, which worked well for my skin in the summer (it get's dehydrated a lot), and MAC Pro Longwear foundation. My skin was starting to get very dry when it started getting cold, but once I switched from my Revlon Colorstay foundation to MAC Pro Longwear, my skin was very unhappy.

But on the bright side, I think I found the products that make my winter skin happy!

1. Mario Badescu Facial Spray- I've been using this since the summer, and it just works wonders. I only use night cream every other day, and in between days I just spray my face with this before I go to bed. I learned this trick on Youtube: If your skin gets little flakies on it throughout the day, take a makeup brush (stippling, powder, foundation, or whatever), spray a little makeup setting spray on it, and brush it over the flakey part. It won't get rid of the problem completely, but it will temporarily make the flakes less noticeable.

2. Body Moisturizer- The rest of my skin also gets pretty dry in the winter, so I make sure to moisturize after I get out of the shower because the hot water tends to dry out my skin more. My favorite is the Secret Wonderland scent from Bath and Body Works!

3. Mario Badescu Collagen Moisturizer- I got this as a sample when I filled out the skin care analysis questionairre on the Mario Badescu website, and I bought the full size of it when there was a Mario Badescu Hautelook sale. This is probably one of my favorite moisturizers because it doesn't make my skin too greasy, absorbs quickly, and has an spf of 15. It also works well for me in the summer and winter so I don't have to switch moisturizers (like I did for facial cleanser).

4. Yes to Carrots Nourishing Cleanser and Gentle Exfoliating Cleanser- I had used this before but I stopped using it during the summer because my skin didn't need the extra moisture like it does in the winter. This was the main thing that saved my skin, the only dry parts I have no are around my nose and above my eyebrows, as I do year round. I am in LOVE with this cleanser during the cold months. I also bought the exfoliating cleanser to use a few time a week just to get rid of any dead skin cells.

5. A good lip butter/balm- My lips need a little extra attention in the winter time. I always keep a chapstick, lip butter, lip balm, etc., with me when I'm out and apply it when they start to feel dry. I also apply before bed and when I wake up in the morning. I have so many different ones I use I can't even choose a favorite, haha :)

6. A lip scrub- This is especially important to get all of the dead skin off your lips. If you are applying lip balm to your lips but don't get rid of the dead skin cells, the lip balm won't do much. There are tons of DIY lip scrubs you could do, but I'm kind of lazy and I use Sara Happ's the Lip Scrub.

7. Revlon Colorstay Foundation- Since I couldn't afford to get the foundation I wanted (Vapour Organic Beauty foundation), I switched back to my Revlon Colorstay for normal/dry skin. It was a lot nicer to my skin than the MAC Pro Longwear was, I'll have to use that one in the summer instead.

Well that's all of my winter skincare items. Well not all of them but the most important ones :) Does your skin get dry in the winter? What helps you keep it hydrated and healthy?

Dry vs. Dehydrated Skin

Before I went to get my facial, I just thought I had combination skin, where I was dry in some areas and oily in others. Well I found out that my skin was actually dehydrated, and I also learned that dehydrated skin and dry skin are two different skin issues! I'm not a dermatologist or anything, so all of this information is the result of what I've gathered from my facialist, research, and person experience. Warning: post may be long.

That chart pretty much sums it up for you lazies, so that you don't have to read multiple paragraphs trying to figure out what I'm saying. Basically, any skin type can become dehydrated, including oily skin. It's caused by external factors, where dry skin IS your skin type, and that's just the way it is.

Before I got this facial, I noticed that my skin gets somewhat oily throughout the day, like normal, but random dry patches were showing up on my face. I would get dry around my nose, mouth, eyebrows, and hair line. I think the cause of my dehydration was the cleanser I was using (Yes to Cucumbers Calming Facial Cleansing Gel), because I switched over from the Yes to Carrots Daily Cream Facial Cleanser and did not have a problem with dryness at all.

Exfoliating is essential. You can moisturize all you want, but if you don't get rid of the dead skin cells, your moisturizing will only help the dryness on the surface.

If your skin gets dehydrated often, it might be good to invest in a good facial hydrator, which is something you either mix in or put on before your apply your moisturizer. The hydrator will help replenish nutrients in the skin and pull your moisturizer deeper into your skin so you get maximum moisture. The only one I've tried is the SkinCeuticals Hydrating B5 Gel, and it worked amazingly for me but I'm sure there are cheaper alternatives.

Drink a lot of water. Probably didn't need to be said.

Stop using any facial products that may be harsh on your skin. Look especially for products with hyaluronic acid in them, which will help the water bind with your skin. I started using CeraVe's Hydrating Cleanser with hyaluronic acid and it's definitely helped to keep my skin hydrated throughout the day. Look for other products such a moisturizers or skin boosters that contain hyaluronic acid.

I hope this helped clear up some confusion! Has your skin ever been dehydrated? What products do you use to keep you flake-free?