Sheer Makeup Favorites

I do love a good full face of makeup, don't get me wrong - it's always nice to go all out and have your makeup looking flawless, but more often than not I like to go for the quick, sheer makeup look that's fresh, fast and easy. With Spring right around the corner, a sheer and fresh face is right up my alley, so today I'm sharing some of my favorite products to achieve the look.

The Body Shop All in One BB Cream - This gives me the perfect amount of coverage, goes on smoothly, gives great hydration to the skin and lasts all day - perfect for those light-medium coverage lovers.

Maybelline Dream Lumi Concealer - Not only is this my new favorite under eye concealer for covering my dark circles, but I've found it also works great for a light touch of coverage on any blemish you may have. It doesn't crease and blends seamlessly with any foundation I choose to use it with. 

Rimmel Stay Matte Powder - This light weight powder is excellent for adding a touch of coverage and keep skin matte all day. I love it for both setting my foundation and concealer - the perfect all in one! 

MAC Mineralize Skin Finish Natural - This powder is just dark enough that it adds a nice bit of warmth to my face without being too heavy on the skin. During the Summer months this is the perfect all over face powder, but for this time of year it makes for a lovely light bronzed glow.

Elf Blush (Peachy Keen) - This blush adds a nice soft wash of color that perks up my complexion and also adds a nice glow with the golden subtle shimmer it has. 

MAC Paintpot (Bare Study ) - This cream product has been a long time favorite for its stay all day capabilities, and the lovely wash of color it adds to my eyes. It can be easily paired with a little winged liner and some mascara for a simple eye look. 

Revlon Lip Butter (Pink Lemonade) - The formula of these is perfect for when you want just a subtle sheer wash of color and moisture to your lips, this one in particular adds a hint of pink which gives your lips a little extra something. This makes it easy to apply on the go and keeps your lips feeling hydrated. 

What are some of your sheer makeup favorites?

Review | The Body Shop Silky Cleansing Oil

It seems that every brand has been putting out their own version of a cleansing oil lately - the whole thing has really taken off and has become a staple in many a persons makeup removing routine. Today I'm going to tell you about the one I've been loving lately, The Body Shop Camomile Silky Cleansing Oil. 

I originally wanted to try this specific version out because of the numerous Youtube beauty gurus raving about it and even rating it above much more expensive options - you can pick this up for 16$ Canadian. Its purpose is to remove your face makeup (even waterproof) easily, and leave your skin fresh and clear from impurities.

I have been using this for about two months now and I can honestly say it has become a major staple in my skin care routine - I have said goodbye to my Neutrogena eye makeup remover for good! This stuff truly does make removing your makeup a cinch - not just that pesky waterproof mascara, but your foundation, concealer, brow makeup and everything else in between! I begin with a full face of makeup and put about two pumps of the product in my hand, I then rub it all over, starting with my face makeup and then onto my eye makeup. Once I feel I've done a sufficient job I take a tiny bit of warm water in my hands and work it on to my face - the water emulsifies the oil turning it more of a creamy white color - I continue to work it all in for a few more seconds before I go in and completely wash the mess from my face.

One thing I must say is that this is not (for me) a one stop shop in the cleansing department. Although other cleansing oils can be used on their own without a follow up cleanser, this, I feel, is not one of those ones. It leaves a slight residue on the skin - nothing pore clogging or overly annoying, but it's enough for me to still want to follow up with my Aveeno Foaming Cleanser as a second step, just so I know my skin is completely cleansed.

The only other comment I can think to add is the scent - as with all products, scent is a very individualized opinion - to me, the floral/fresh scent of this is in no way bothersome or overwhelming, to be honest I quite enjoy it! I have however seen other bloggers saying the opposite, so my suggestion would certainly be to give it a good sniff test before purchasing if you at all particular about scented products on your face.


Let me know what you think of this cleansing oil take over. Have you tried this specific one? Would you like to?

My Current Skin Care Favorites | January 2015

Although I've had this blog for a number of years now, I don't think I've ever devoted an entire post to skin care. I've certainly included favorites here and there in my monthly favorite round ups, but never have I sat down and gathered together all the products I'm using in combination, which make up my skin care routine. 

Before jumping in to the products I must first give a run down of what my skin type is, and what my mentality is when it comes to skin care and skin care products. 

My skin has, for as long as I can remember, been combination - slightly oily on my forehead, nose and chin, with normal to dry skin elsewhere on my face (slightly more dryness during the winter months as well). 

My entire mentality to taking care of my skin is less is more - I know that seems unbelievable considering my love and lust for beauty products, and my constant need to try new things, but when it comes to my skin I find something that I like, and I stick to it. There seems to be nothing my skin hates more than the constant switch up of products, and me using a whole suitcase full of products on my skin during my morning/evening skin care rituals. The products/brands I'm currently using are ones that are tried, tested and true. They may not work for everyone, but for me (and my skin) they are what works best. Bottom line for me is that if my skin is looking good and I'm generally pleased with it, I'm not going to mess with what's working!

Removing Makeup
I am a recent cleansing oil convert after trying out The Body Shops Chamomile Silky Cleansing Oil. It is the most amazing makeup remover I've ever tried and I really don't think there is any going back to my old ways after using this product. It gets all of my face and eye makeup off in about a minute and leaves my skin feeling amazing and silky soft.

Face Wash
I use two different face washes - one when removing my makeup at the end of the day (after using the cleansing oil), and one in the morning prior to doing my makeup. I use the St. Ives Fresh Skin Apricot Scrub when removing my makeup. It's an exfoliating wash so I feel it gets my skin extra clean after a long day, and also helps to remove any dry/dead skin. In the morning I prefer to use the Aveeno Clear Complexion Foaming Cleanser. It is much more gentle on the skin but still leaves your skin feeling clean and fresh and ready for whatever the day has in store.

Toner
I've been faithful to this Nivea Purifying Toner for combination skin for about three years now. I typically only use it once a day, but whether I use it in the morning or evening really just depends on how I'm feeling, how many breakouts/problem areas I have at the moment, and how much makeup I did or didn't wear that day.

Moisturizer
This is another product I've been using for numerous years, and even though I've attempted to use others, I always end up coming back to the Neutrogena oil free moisturizer for combination skin. I use it both prior to applying makeup, and after I cleanse my skin in the evening.

Face Masks
I actually have a number of face masks I do enjoy using, but my number one has always come down to the St. Ives Timeless Skin Mineral Clay Firming Mask. I really enjoy how this both removes impurities and also leaves my skin looking firmer and younger. I use this about once a week, but I also gauge that on how my skin is feeling/looking.


I hope you all enjoyed this little insight into my skin care favorites, and a little taste of how my skin care routine works.

Comment below and let me know some of your current skin care favorites!

A Little Body Shop Haul | January 2015

This past weekend I was out running some standard errands and decided to pop into the mall to browse. While walking around I passed The Body Shop and realized that it had been simply forever since I was even into the store, let alone bought something for myself. I felt as though I had let down an old and faithful friend, so to make up for my neglect I picked up a couple things in hopes of making amends (anything to justify buying beauty products!). 

I picked up two of my old favorites in my absolute favorite scent The Body Shop has - Coconut Body Butter and Coconut Cream Body Scrub. Both of these products are so super moisturizing and smell AH-MAzinggg! There is something about using coconut scented products during the winter months that I'm absolutely obsessed with. Maybe its because the scent makes me miss the summer sun a little less, and makes me forget about the snow outside, at least for a minute or two. 

I love this body scrub because it isn't as abrasive as others that have larger granules of sugar etc. It does the job without being to harsh on my sensitive winter skin. 

I decided to try a couple new products that I've been thinking about for a while now. First is the Camomile Silky Cleansing Oil, which I have seen Amelia Liana rave about on her YouTube and blog many times. I've tried it several times now and although I'm still in the testing stages, I believe I am a cleansing oil convert and I may become obsessed with this. 

I also decided to try out the RainForest Radiance Detangling Spray. I heard of this a long while back from a couple different friends of mine but I had never bothered to try it out. I recently ran out of the Garnier one I was using so I decided it was time to give this stuff a shot. After using it about three times now I can say I think I'm going to really enjoy it, and its been great for using on my daughters' hair as well. The scent is lovely, like blueberries, and I can see myself spraying this on my hair purely for the scent. 

I also received a little sample of their Vanilla Brulee hand cream, which I pretty much instantly stashed in my purse (if you can't tell by the dent I already have in it), although I have yet to try it out yet.

Hope you enjoyed this little haul on what I picked up from The Body Shop! Leave comments regarding your favorite Body Shop products because I think I've fallen back in love.