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September Favorites

October 5, 2015 by Alina Avery Leave a Comment

Before we get too far into October and this becomes irrelevant…

I don’t know if I’m going to do monthly favorites. It feels a little repetitive since it’s rare that I find anything life changing, but I haven’t listed my general favorites since my holy grails, so I thought now could be a good time. Here’s what I’ve been loving lately, my September favorites!

Again, the R+Co Badlands Dry Shampoo Paste. I couldn’t not include it after raving here, here, and here. Like I mentioned before, a little goes a long way to help style dry, wet, clean, or dirty hair. It’s so versatile and pretty much the only thing I’ve been putting in my hair lately.

Sticking with hair care, the Christophe Robin Cleansing Purifying Scrub. This is a scrub for your hair and scalp that really does balance any oil, grease, or dryness. My scalp has always been dry and sensitive even though my hair gets greasy pretty easily, and this has really worked for me. It’s a little tricky to massage in the large salt crystals, but they eventually dissolve to create a thick, luxe lather. I use this every 2-3 times I wash my hair, and wash my hair every 2-3 days, so I end up using this a few times a month. It’s expensive ($52), but at that rate this should last me at least 6 months, which seems about right for the amount I’ve used since purchasing in August. I picked this up from BeautyHabit via Amazon, but Sephora just started carrying the brand and I’m so excited to try other products from the line, especially the temporary color masks.

Moving on to skin care, the Fresh Black Tea Instant Perfecting Mask has been on weekly rotation. It has the texture of mashed potatoes, which is kind of strange, but it’s a really lovely product. It tingles slightly but very gently and rinses clean leaving skin soft and smooth. Another pricey pick but again, a little goes a long way.

Similarly soothing and stimulating for skin, the Caudalie Beauty Elixir is one of those cult products that I never really bought into until recently. I’ve been loving using this mist as the last step in my skincare routine or to refresh throughout the day. I only bought the small size since I wasn’t sure how I was going to like it, but I’m almost out, so the big version might be in my near future.

On to makeup products, the Clinique Chubby Lash Fattening Mascara is potentially a new holy grail. It’s a deep black color and a very dramatic look, making lashes look thick and long and defined. Clinique almost always nails it when it comes to mascaras and this is no exception. It’s also pretty affordable for a high-end mascara. I’ve been reaching for it every day. I only wish it was slightly more water resistant.

Jouer Matte Moisture Tint is the perfect summer to fall transition foundation. It’s still light and sheer so your summer tan, faded as it might be, still shows through. It’s matte, but not flat, and hydrating but not heavy. I’ve been mixing it with an illuminator to hang on to summer a bit longer and have been loving the effect. I wear the shade nude.

Finally, my friend Lisa and I have been raving over the Urban Decay eyeshadows all month. I’ve been using my UD palette almost daily. The three staple shades, ABC Gum, Secret Service, and Blackout stay in the palette constantly as I use them as base shadow, eyebrow powder, and liner respectively, but the other shades rotate a bit more. Lately, I’ve been loving Solstice, my newest shade, a “Moondust” formula with pink-green duo-chrome glitter which is a lot more wearable than it sounds. I also have Freelove, a peachy-pink satin, and a Chopper, copper shimmer, in there currently.

Swatches, left to right: Chopper, Freelove, and Solstice.

What have your favorite products been this month?

Products I’ll Repurchase Until I Die

March 31, 2015 by Alina Avery 3 Comments

I mentioned in my previous Kiehl’s Haul that the Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cleanser is my favorite cleanser ever. And it is. I thought I’d do a little rundown of products I feel similarly passionate about.

1) Seche Vite Fast Dry Top Coat, $4.99 on Amazon for .5 oz.

Okay, just now creating that link I realized how much cheaper this is on Amazon than Duane Reade and now I’m kicking myself for ever paying more for it, especially since I’ve gone through like, 5 bottles since I discovered it a few years ago. It dries out quickly and gets thick easily, but honestly, I don’t mind replacing it often because it’s such a lifesaver. I do my own manicures19 times out of 20, and it’s because of this stuff that I’m able to do so. It smooths polish to a professional finish in literally a minute or less. I also find that it’s super long lasting and chip resistant. You do have to be careful because it will shrink the underlying polish if it’s still too wet, but for someone who is impatient like me, Seche Vite is a dream come true.

2) Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cleanser, $19.50 for 5 oz., $10 for 2.5 oz.

The whole Ultra Facial line is pretty great. The toner has a more substantial consistency than other toners, a bit thicker, which feels like it’s doing more than just wetting your face with water. The moisturizing cream has an almost gel texture, but it soaks into skin and really does moisturize for 24 hours. But it’s the cleanser that stands out. It checks all of the major requirements: non-stripping, makeup removing, nicely foaming, clean rinsing, gentle, and effective. Your face feels actually clean afterwards, but not tight or flaky, and without any weird residue or build up. It doesn’t have any fancy claims or technology, but I always feel like those anti-aging ingredients are better left to serums and creams that stay on your skin for longer than 60 seconds. For cleansers, all I want is something that will get the job done quickly and prep skin for other products. People rave about Cetaphil and other inexpensive gentle cleansers, but I never feel like those actually get my skin clean. Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cleanser is the perfect balance.

3) StriVectin-AR™ Advanced Retinol Day Treatment with Broad Spectrum SPF 30, $99 for 1.7 oz.

Yes, okay, this is expensive. Too expensive. Confession: I originally picked it up hugely discounted from a Birchbox employee sale because it was a good value and I’ve liked StriVectin products in the past. I didn’t expect to get hooked. To me, it’s worth the full price since I use it in the morning as a 1) serum, 2) moisturizer, 3) spf, and 4) primer. All in one. If I were to buy 4 products to do the same job as this one, it would definitely cost more than $99. It also does amazing things for my skin. It’s been clearer, smoother, and glowing. I have gotten more compliments on my skin since starting to use this in January than probably ever in my life. Even my husband asked what I was doing differently. One tube has lasted me over two months with daily (generous) use. Also here’s a tip: If I squeeze out too much in my early morning, pre-coffee, stupor, I put what’s left on the backs of my hands. My mom always says that you can tell someone’s age by checking out their hands, so a little extra anti-aging boost there can’t hurt. Seriously, an incredible product.

4) Becca Mineral Blush in Gypsy, $32 for .2 oz.

Described as “ballerina pink”, this blush is my holy grail. The slightly lavender tones do something with my skin tone to make it look naturally and innocently flushed. It also has a golden sheen that makes it work as a blush and a highlight in one. I never have to worry about putting on too much since it blends out so easily and it’s both pigmented enough and light enough to work for a large spectrum of skin tones. The formula itself is very soft, so you will kick up a good amount of powder when you go in with your brush. I know that bothers some people, but I don’t mind it. I bought this for the first time about a year ago and it hasn’t left the rotation. If the one in the photo looks brand new, that’s because it is. My original is shattered beyond repair, too embarasing for photos, but I continue to use it even though I bought a brand new one weeks ago, simply because I can’t bear to waste it. It’s that good.

Unexpectedly Great Eyeshadow Colors for Brown Eyes

March 29, 2015 by Alina Avery 1 Comment

One of my favorite things about having brown eyes is that they are incredibly neutral, and allow for lots of experimentation with different eyeshadow colors. Here are a few I’ve tried that I wouldn’t expect to work, but found surprisingly beautiful. Of course, these are shadows where I found the quality to be impressive, too.

1) Clinique All About Shadow in Black Honey

I have this in the single, but can’t find it on Sephora. It’s a hero color for Clinique, especially for their lip products, but works amazingly on eyes as well. The blackened burgundy, slightly shimmery shade has just the right amount of warmth and depth to make eyes pop and the red-brown tone is surprisingly wearable and neutral. I especially liked this one when my hair was either very dark or very light. I don’t reach for it as often now that my hair is a bit redder since that’s sometimes too much red, but it’s still a gorgeous shade. It looks great with a slightly heavier contour and a super shiny lipgloss.

2) Marc Jacobs Beauty Style Eye-Con No.7 in Night Owl

Specifically, the third shade in this palette is BOSS. This goldenrod shade is so unique. I haven’t seen a true dupe for it. Probably because no one would expect a yellow-gold eyeshadow to be wearable, let alone pretty, but it looks amazing on brown eyes, and the formula is super soft, blendable, and pigmented. It brightens eyes and draws attention to them without being too bold. I’d finish the look with a shimmery nude blush, a matte lip, and a whole ton of black mascara. Confession time: I bought the whole palette just for this color. And I don’t regret it.

3) ARDENCY INN MODSTER Manuka Honey Enriched Pigments in Peacock

This is a duochrome shade that shifts between metallic brown and shimmery green. It catches light beautifully and works especially well as a liner, but since it shifts color based on what angle you’re looking at it from, it can be blended all over the contours of the eye to give a seamlessly blended multi shade look with just one product. The color isn’t super unique; I think MAC Club and Blue Brown pigment (a loose pigment) are similar, as well as Nars Malacca and Kat Von D On the Road (maybe discontinued?), but the Ardency Inn formula is spot on. Pair with a red lip for a night out or a soft pink blush for the daytime.

Here are swatches of 1, 2 and 3 from left to right. I took shots in natural light from a few different angles so you can really catch the duochrome in Peacock:

And a quick snap of me in the Marc Jacobs shadow (an actual stealth snap from my desk) to let you know just how passionate I am about this color: