Philosophy Back to Nurture Replenishment | Review

I first discovered the Philosophy brand in college completely by accident. I was unhappy with my drugstore facial cleanser and had gone to an even at Nordstrom with a friend. My friend raved about the brand so I decided to splurge and give it a try. I fell in love with the purity cleanser. It’s absolutely amazing!

Over the years of trying different medications for my arthritis my skin became very dry and somewhat sensitive. My skin isn’t completely sensitive but I do react to a lot of products. I’m not completely sure if the medications actually had any affected on the change in my skin but hormones and purity, along side up to 30 pills a day, I believe they played some roll in the change.

Now as an adult, my skin has stabilized for the most part. I’ve found a routine that works and keeps my face relatively clear, with only the occasional breakout or texture on my face. The one thing I had been on the hunt for was a nighttime hydrating moisturizer.

A few weeks back I was on the Philosophy website purchasing my daily moisturizer and had a free gift with a $60 purchase. The free gift was a 2oz Back to Nurture Replenishment Crème. I did a little research and decided to spend an extra $15 to get the free moisturizer.

I’ve been trying this product out for about two weeks and I love it! It marketed to be a daily morning and night moisturizer but I find that’s too thick for me to wear under makeup so I use it strictly  as a night cream. It’s a very thick consistency but is easy to blend in all over the face and neck. The next morning my skin is supple, smooth and hydrated.

The only downside for me is the scent. All Philosophy products have a slight scent and this one is not different. It has a perfume scent to it which doesn’t linger for more than about 5-10 minutes but I could do without the scent completely.

If you struggle with finding products that work, I highly recommend the Philosophy brand to everyone I know! I even got my older sister who is even more picky than I am, to try the face cleanser and moisturizer and she loves them!

One of my favorite things about Philosophy is, if you sign up for their promotional emails on their website, they’re always having really amazing free gift with purchase giveaways. It’s a great way to purchase one or two products and get another for free! And let’s be honest, who doesn’t love a free gift?!

Let me know in the comments how you deal with changes in your skin and what products work for you. Have a wonderful weekend!

Flare Makeup

My annual arthritis flare is upon us. Every year between the end of February and beginning of April, my arthritis decides to remind me that it’s present. We have a fun game going called, “How Swollen Can One Joint Get?” So far, my knuckles are winning.

During my flare ups, my hands are very swollen and sore. It makes doing simple tasks like buttoning pants or fixing my hair incredibly painful. I’ve worked out some simple hairstyles and plan clothing accordingly but makeup is something that I refuse to stop using.

I love makeup! I love watching makeup videos. I love looking at beauty blogs. I love shopping for makeup. I’m a little obsessed. Instead of giving up on makeup all together, because let’s face it, I would never be able to, I’ve adapted my morning makeup routine to be simple, quick but still pretty.

  Painterly Paint Pot | Urban Decay Blackout | Maybelline Fit Me Concealer | Loreal Magic Skin Beautifier | NYX Eyebrow Pencil | Benefit Roller Lash

I can easily do my complete face with this simple makeup.  I love the end result and gives me some confidence when I’m feeling my worst. Here is the finished product from a few days ago. 

  
What are your favorite products for a quick makeup look to feel more confident when you don’t have enough time or are struggling with a flare up? Leave a comment below.

Washi Tape DIY

If you haven’t heard of washi tape, where have you been?! I am addicted to the stuff! I have more rolls than I’ll ever use but it’s something that I just can’t resist. There’s so many uses and it’s so cheap!

I mostly use washi tape for my planner to decorate and make each week look a little more festive and fun (blog post coming soon). But, I also use it to decorate things around the house too. I’ve already done a DIY Computer Decal which I love.

A few months back I found 2 of these square containers at Target for $1.98 each (steal!!). I used them for a few months but they’ve started to be more and more difficult to clean off.

After trying multiple times to get them back to white, I decided to just add some washi tape to make them more colorful and to cover up the scuff marks. I used 2 different colors of washi tape and a pair of cuticle scissors to cut the tape.

The biggest tip I can give is to start each row on the same side of the square. Then just wrap each row around, ensuring they’re straight and evenly spaced. I kept adding rows, switching colors towards the top. If a row is uneven, the washi tape can be taken off and repositioned.

Here is the final product! I couldn’t be more excited about it.

I did a second one using colors that coordinated. I also used a sticker quote to jazz it up a little.

If you love washi tape as much as I do, let me know in the comments your favorite things to do with it.

 

Holy Grail Beauty Products

As I’ve gotten older, I’ve become more and more obsessed with beauty products and makeup. It wasn’t until the last year or two of college that I really started experimenting with makeup and taking care of my skin. That being said, I’ve tried a lot of products over the last 8 years but always come back to the same favorite products.

Reading blog posts or watching videos of monthly favorites or holy grail products fascinate me. Trying out new products and seeing what other people are really loving is getting to be a little out of control. Here are my absolute favorite, keep coming back to, beauty, hair and make up products.

Purity Face Wash. I first discovered the philosophy brand back in college and fell in love. However, since I was in college, I was on a strict budget and couldn’t really afford the expense of $28 for face wash and $47 for moisturizer. I rediscovered the Purity face wash about two years ago and haven’t used anything since. It’s gentle and doesn’t break me out while cleansing my face without stripping the moisture.

Lush Mint Julep Lip Scrub. I have really dry lips in the fall and winter. So dry that no amount of lip balm was helping. After watching a few favorite videos, I decided to try this lip scrub and I fell in love! The mint scent is lovely without being over powering and the scrub is gentle but removes dry skin from lips.

Coconut Oil. If you haven’t been using coconut oil, you are missing out! I use coconut oil every night to remove my makeup, even mascara. Not only does it gently break down the oils of the makeup and mascara, but it moisturizes eyelashes and skin at the same time. I also occasionally use coconut oil as a hair mask overnight to give my hair a jolt of moisture.

Benefit Roller Lash Mascara. I was given a sample of the Roller Lash Mascara after getting my eyebrows done at the Benefit Brow Bar. I loved They’re Real mascara so I decided to give it a try. I fell in love. It gives volume and some length. But my favorite part is that while it’s easy to remove, it stays put during the day and doesn’t make me look like a panda by the time I get home.

Clear Shampoo/Conditioner. The Clear hair line are products that I continue to come back to after trying out new shampoo and conditioner. The shampoo gives a good lather and cleans my hair without stripping the oils. The conditioner moisturizes without weighing down my hair. And the scent of both is amazing!

Seche Vite Top Coat. I use this top coat every time I paint my nails. I’m impatient and this top coat dries so fast that I’ve been unable to find anything that works better. I know that a lot of people don’t like it because of the chemicals in it but I guess I’m just a rebel.

Loreal Julieanne’s Nude Lipstick. I loved the nude lipstick trend from afar for a long time. Having red hair and light skin, I struggled to find a nude lipstick that wasn’t too brown or too pink. I had heard a lot about this color before trying it. I was skeptical but gave it a try anyway. I fell in love! This color is the perfect nude for me. I loved it so much I bought another for myself and one for my sister.

Let me know what some of your holy grail products are. I love trying new things!

Simple Weekend Summer Makeup

This weekend, my sister and I spent some time shopping and checking out some yard sales around town. The last thing anyone wants to do in the summer is spend hours on makeup that’s going to melt off after an hour in the sun. I work in an office so and wear makeup everyday but on the weekends, I don’t always want to spend a ton of time on it. I want to look put together without caking on the makeup. I use 7 products to create a simple put together look.

Sunscreen is a must for me year round but especially in the summer. The CC Cream I use has SPF in it but I like the idea of extra protection so I use this Neutrogena one as a primer as well. It has a sunscreen smell, you know the one I mean, but it doesn’t linger. This sunscreen is available in SPF up to 100 which is crazy!

I actually use two different shades of CC Cream to get my correct shade. I mix Very Light and Light/Medium together. By the end of summer, I’ll be using mostly Light/Medium because I tan very slightly, seriously most people can hardly tell.

The Maybelline Fit Me Concealer is perfect for a little extra coverage where I need it (usually my dark circles from lack of sleep). A little under my eyes and around my nose to cover some redness and I’m good to go.

I don’t really like to use a lot of eyeshadow because it defeats the purpose of a quick easy summer look. However, I do like using this Naked Basic 2 just to even out the color on my eyelids. Sometimes I’ll add a little definition to my crease but usually not.

Next come the eyebrows. Being a redhead, it’s actually very difficult to find an eyebrow pencil or shadow that matches. I’ve fallen in love with the NYX eyebrow pencil in Taupe. Not only is it an almost perfect match for my brows, but it’s waxy so it stays all day!

I finish my look with some Benefit Roller Lash mascara which I am obsessed with! This mascara stays when I want it too but isn’t really difficult to take off at the end of the day.

Some days, when I want a little something extra, I like to add some Revlon lipstick in Julieanne’s Nude which the perfect shade for us gingers. Otherwise, it’s whatever lip balm I have lying around the bottom of my purse.

Here is the finished look. Let me know what you think!

See you soon!