sephora play box.

For a few months now, I have been receiving the Sephora Play Box. Similar to Birchbox, each month you get around 5 samples from various brands that are sold in Sephora stores. Each month there is a theme and the samples in the box coordinate to that theme. Previous themes have been "No Appointment Necessary" (D.I.Y. spa treatment samples), "Now and Later" (long lasting makeup samples), "The Perfection Collection" (skincare and makeup samples that cover up imperfections and help perfect skin). This month's theme was "The In Crowd," samples that have reached "it-girl" status in the beauty industry, and to be completely honest, I loved every single thing in this month's box. So without further ado, here are this month's samples.

Milk Makeup Sunshine Oil - Milk Makeup is like the Coachella of Makeup Lines. It's achieved cult status quickly, a ton of models use their products, and it's eco-friendly and cruelty-free. And their products are amazing. I use this sunshine oil on my face at night and I wake up in the morning with a glow to my skin. And it smells exactly like it would sound. It's calming and mood-boosting enough that it even puts a smile on my RBF. This is definitely a product that I will be investing in in the future.


Sephora Collection Colorful Cheek Ink Gel (in Peony) - Not many products could make me abandon my NARS Orgasm blush, but if I am going for a more natural look during the week, this is a product that could do just that. And it only requires a tiny amount to get a natural flush. While I don't see myself buying the full product, this is definitely a good option for girls out there looking for a quick and easy, natural looking blush.


Sunday Riley Good Genes Lactic Acid Treatment - Used as a serum or a face mask, this product helps reduce the appearance of dark spots caused by wrinkles, gives skin an immediate radiance, and fights visible signs of aging. And as expensive as the full product is, I may have to invest in it. The smell is a little lingering, but in just the past few days that I have used this sample, I have noticed a difference in my dark spots and the overall texture of my skin. My Caudalie Vinoperfect Serum might just have a product that's fighting for a spot on my vanity.


NARS Satin Lip Pencil (in Rikugien) - I have actually received this pencil before in my Sephora Birthday gift and I love it. It's a great rose pink neutral that give the lips just a little bit of color and sheen that is great for day or night. If you're new to lip products or looking for a great pink neutral then this is a great product to start with. My love for NARS lip pencils is no secret, I have probably around 6 now, so it's always great to get one in a sample box.


Clinique Pep Start Eye Cream - Fun Fact: even though I suffer from extremely dark circles and bags under my eyes, I don't use an eye cream. Why? Because usually they're so expensive and in all honesty, I like simple routines that I just forget to use them. So getting a sample of one is kind of like a win-win for me, it lasts long enough to see if it has made any difference and you don't have to shell out a ton of money for it. What I have found in the short amount of time testing this product, is that it makes me look like I got 10 hours of sleep when I usually only get 6 during the week. Plus the $26 price tag makes me want to invest in this, especially since people at work have noticed that I look more awake before I have my cup of coffee.


Derek Lam 10 Crosby 2AM Kiss Perfume - Nothing and I mean nothing, could make me give up my Roses De Chloe Perfume, but I do like receiving samples just to switch it up a tad and I enjoy pretty smells. While I can't see myself as someone who would wear this fragrance, the smell of salty caramel and amber makes it almost impossible to not smell. Almost, masculine in a way, this perfume is definitely not for the girl who leans more towards floral scents (i.e. Me), but I can see the girl who goes for the more sensuous, strong scents to want to give this a try.


If you haven't tried Sephora Play Box, I highly recommend it. I used to love Birchbox, but month after month I was getting samples that I just didn't end up using or didn't like, so I finally made the jump over to my beloved Sephora. In addition to great samples, you also get a "Play Card" that gives you 50 extra Beauty Points when you use it in Sephora stores. For the same price and better, bigger samples? What's not to lose?


Until next time, Stay Beautiful!

Glossier.

Here's a very well known fact about me: I'm addicted to trying new skincare and makeup products. My bank account and my husband can attest to this. In January, I legitimately purged a Hefty bag worth of products out of my bathroom that consisted of un-unsed BirchBox samples, products that I bought and ended up not liking, and products that I hadn't used in years. So, very much like my journey to better clothing, I began my journey to better skincare and makeup. But in this journey, I made a vow to myself to use a product that I had bought for 30 days straight and then if I decided that I didn't like it, then I could chuck it and buy something else I had my eye on.

Enter Glossier...

Created by the beauty minds behind beauty blog Into the Gloss, Glossier switches gears and focuses on making skincare a priority and making the approach to makeup more simple and natural. I love that this brand takes all the opinions and suggestions of their costumer base seriously and really works to make the brand not only affordable and natural, but effective as well. So needless to say, I've built up quite the arsenal.

From Left to Right: Coconut Balm Dotcom, Generation G (in Jam), Priming Moisturizer, Boy Brow (in Blonde), Stretch Concealer in Light & Galaxy Pack Green Mask

 

Coconut Balm Dotcom - I have gone through my fair share of lip balms and chapsticks and I've never truly found one that I love. This stuff is a legit miracle. It smells like a summer vacation and instantly hydrates your lips. Unlike other lip balm products Balm Dotcom sinks into your lips and skin and doesn't just sit there making a mess of everything. I also really like to blot a teeeeeeny tiny amount onto my cheek bones as a subtle highlighter and to give my skin that dewy glow look.

Generation G Lipstick - I didn't really start liking lip products aside from lip balm until the past year and a half or so, and since I made that dive I've been slightly obsessed with trying out new products. Unlike other matte lip products, Generation G is very similar to a lip balm that gives a matte stain effect to your lips. The best part is it's build able so if you want to go more subtle, just stick to one swipe and if you want to go more bold, build from there. It gives you that effortless French Girl worn in lip color that with other products you have to blot a million times to get the same desired effect. The color Jam (a wine shade) has been my new go-to lip color, but there are three others currently on the site.

Priming Moisturizer - I've written about this product already in one of my previous posts, so I'll keep this one a little shorter. But I really love this product. For combination/sensitive skin type folks out there, this moisturizer is heaven sent. It eliminates redness and give your skin the perfect base for makeup or for going au naturel. 

Boy Brow - Holy mama jamma. If there is one thing I always do in my makeup routine it is my brows. I love this product probably the most out of any makeup product I own. I used to be a Anastasia Brow Wix loyalist, but when the spooly brushes kept breaking month after month I decided to give something else a try. I stumbled upon this bad boy while reading an article on Garance Dore's blog about eyebrow products (go figure) and decided to make the dive. Let's just say the 10,000 person waitlist that it once had speaks for itself. This stuff is holy grail material.

Stretch Concealer - I love my YSL Touché Eclat for under my eyes. And a lot of the time I love it to cover up barely there blemishes, but I wanted something for when my hormonal pimples popped up that would make them unnoticeable and Stretch Concealer does just that. It melts into your skin and basically becomes part of your face and isn't noticeable at all. I still use my YSL religiously under my eyes, but if I need a little extra coverage than this magic product does the trick. 

Mega Greens Galaxy Pack - I've recently become one of those girls who twice a week will soak in a bath filled with a Lush bath bomb or bubble bar with a glass of wine, French music on, and a Vogue in hand. And what better to go with all that than a face mask? I've had my fair share of face mask affairs, but this mask puts all others to shame. 20 minutes after putting this mask on (and comparing yourself to the alien emoji on your phone) your skin feels completely detoxified of impurities and any that were existing are minimized. My week is not complete without slathering this on my face at least once. 

So in case you didn't get the Glossier love I was sharing above, I'm pretty much in love with this beauty line. And if you were wanting to try any products you can get 20% off your first order by using this link (http://bff.glossier.com/dD_Kn) because trust me, you're missing out on a whole new world of beauty products if you don't try something from this company. 

So until next time, stay beautiful!

Makeup.

My general philosophy when it comes to makeup is less is more. I like to look like myself and only enhance the features that are my favorite on my face. To me, skincare is the infinitely more important. When your skin is healthy and really vibing with your skincare regime, you honestly don't need much makeup. Not to say I dislike the look of smoky eyes and contours, because I shamelessly am still mesmerized by the tutorial videos whenever I stumble across them, it's honestly, just not my style. I like my natural face and, as an added bonus, less makeup means I get to sleep in like an extra 30 minutes in the morning (because being in the Military makes you appreciate when you can get any extra shut eye in).

After my skin is clean and moisturized, I use my Yves Saint Laurent Touché Eclat under my eyes, down my nose and under my nostrils, and on any imperfections that may be bugging me that day. I hate the feel of foundation (although Glossier's Perfecting Skin Tint is one product I am dying to try, if they ever get re-stocked in my shade) so I never use it. Then I use Glossier's Boy Brow (in Blonde) to fill in my brows and to give them more definition. Even if I'm extremely tired in the morning and don't want to go through with my whole routine, I still use Boy Brow. In my opinion, brows are the frames of the face and if those are on point, you look like you're ready to take on the day. After my brows are imperfectly sculpted, I use my handy dandy Clinique Chubby Sculpting Highlight Stick, which I received in my Sephora Play Box, along my cheekbones and just below and above the ends of my eyebrows. During the week, I don't really wear mascara because my allergies can act up and I rub my eyes like an onion addict, so I generally curl my lashes and then I'm off to work.

However, on the weekends, I always use my Diorshow Iconic Overcurl Waterproof Mascara. I think that this is the best volumizing and curling mascara out there, and even though the brush is large, I have yet to get any mascara on my eyelids when applying this product. Even though it's waterproof it comes off easily with my Dior Cleansing Oil or my Bioderma Sebum H2O. Also on weekends, I hardly ever go out without a lip color. In years past, I've been a NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencil addict (in the shade Cruella and Dragon Girl), but when Glossier came out with a makeup line, I knew that I would love their lipstick. Fighting off the urge to buy every single color, I opted for the Glossier Generation G in the berry/wine shade Jam. What I love most about Glossier and their makeup products is that they show the same product on models with various skin tones, so you'll easily be able to tell if the color of the product will suit you or not. 

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is my simple and quick makeup routine. One day, perhaps, I'll change my ways and contour and cat-eye on the regular, but for now I'm enjoying my sleep and my natural beauty. 

routine.

Don't we all wish we could go back in time? Maybe tell ourselves what's to come or develop better habits so we wouldn't have to struggle as much later on in life? For as long as I can remember, I have struggled with finding my skincare routine. Unlike most of my friends, or much of the population for that matter, I didn't really have issues with acne when I was a teenager. I probably would've scoffed at someone if they asked me what my skin care routine was and asked them if it was for women in their 30's and 40's who were trying to prevent wrinkles and aging without botox. I didn't know much about skin care in my teens aside from a Noxzema Pad and if I was feeling adventurous, stealing some of my Mom's Estée Lauder Perfectly Clean Foaming Wash.

Then my 20's happened. And BOOM, just like that, deep, cystic, and extremely painful acne hit my chin and jawline like a ton of bricks. My first thought was because my skin was oily, I needed to dry my skin out, so I bought all the drugstore acne washes and treatment gels that you could possibly imagine. Needless to say, that didn't work, and in fact, made my skin worse; think tight, dry, and dull. Thankfully, years and many trial and error sessions later, I have found my routine, my holy grails of skin care, if you will.

In case you didn't already know, here's a spoiler alert: I am an absolute Francophile. Ever since I could read a Vogue, I associated anything fashionable with the French. So obviously, the majority of my skin care routine consists of French products. Simply put, the French know what the hell they're talking about, and honestly I've worn less makeup and felt more confident in my skin since using these products, so the proof is in the pores.

So without further ado, say hello to my little friends...

Dior Gentle Cleansing Oil - Three pumps of this bad boy on my skin does wonders and instantly puts me in a spa state of mind. The lily extract that is used in this formula not only calms your mood, but any inflammation or redness that may be present in your skin. Not to mention, it removes makeup (yes, even waterproof mascara) with ease and without burning your eyes. My skin is feeling clean and fresh, without the natural oils being stripped. I thank the skin care gods every time I wash my face for the chipper British Saleswoman at Nordstrom pushed this product into my hands because I don't know what I'd do without it now. 

Bioderma Sebum H2O Micellar Water - One thing that I've learn about skin care during my journey to facial zen, is that toning is extremely important and where a lot of the cleaning and refining takes place within the pores. And Micellar Water is not only a toner, but a cleanser (which is great for those late night when one is too lazy to go through every step of a regime) and a makeup remover. My favorite way to use this is an extra cleansing step (double cleansing is apparently the new craze in skin care straight from Korea) after washing and as a toner before I use my serum. This potion smells quite nice and leaves your skin with a tingling feeling that just subtly lets you know that it's working. This stuff truly is a French god send and is the stuff of lazy girl's dreams. 

Caudalie Vinoperfect Radiance Serum -  As a wine lover, I never would've guessed that the properties in wine would be good for your skin. But the Viniferine within this silky serum reduces the appearance of acne marks (please and thank you) and helps boost radiance and improve complexion. The smell isn't for some (it literally smells like a vine) but it doesn't bother me, and I like to think of it as a nice glass of wine for my face. Since using this serum, my skin definitely has a nice natural glow that wasn't there before.

Glossier Priming Moisturizer - Say "Hey there" to the only American product in my everyday skin care routine. Glossier, brought into this world by the same people who brought you Into The Gloss, is the ultimate Cool Girl's skin care and makeup line. This gooey goodness is packed with hyaluronic acid (for moisture), tea and honey extracts (for redness), and an oxygenating agent (for stressed skin) creating a cult favorite product on beauty blogs and celeb Instagrams alike. The Priming Moisturizer actually helps boost the effects of the Vinoperfect Serum, so I feel like I have the perfect skin of Gigi Hadid.

So to all my Beauty Obsessed girls out there, if you're in a skin care rut or just looking for more products to hoard on your amply supplied vanity then definitely give these products a try. I can 95% guarantee you won't be disappointed.