I am going to write an in-depth post about my Calgary shopping adventures next week, but — spoiler alert — it was a bit of a mixed bag. I ended up having some of the best luck at Winners (where we went mostly because my husband was looking for jeans), although my purchases were skincare related, not clothes. I’d forgotten how much random fun Winners can be!
Thayers Witch Hazel Toner (with Lavender)
I currently use the Rose version of this every other morning as a toner, and I love it. It’s super gentle and freshens up my skin post-sleep nicely. I usually buy it on Amazon for about $17, so at $10.99 this was a good deal. The lavender scent is lovely too.
Hempz Body Cream
I had my nails done the week before and once again commented on the hand cream that my nail tech uses at the end – it’s Hempz. It smells so good, and it’s a nice cream. Not, like, Sol De Janeiro nice, but pretty damn good. So when I spotted this, I decided to grab some to have at home. It was $16.99, and the bottle will probably last quite a while. This is a different scent (coconut watermelon) which I don’t love as much as the one my nail tech has (something with peppermint, I think) but it seems to be a hit with my husband – bonus, because it means more foot rubs in my future.
Manna Kadar Body Scrub
You may remember that I got a similar scrub in my last FabFitFun box. Well, it turns out, I really enjoyed it. I’m almost done with my original jar, and have been wanting to replace it. I’m not willing to spend $20+ on this luxury, but $5.99? Heck yeah. I bought 2 tubs because I go through them pretty quickly. This Sea Minerals version is smoother, less crunchy than the Champagne Charcoal one I got in my FFF box, but it feels and smells lovely. I have to say, since I’ve started using these scrubs, my skin is noticeably softer and with fewer dry patches.
Alba Botanica Mango Conditioner
My current conditioner (Joico) is running out and I decided to give this a go. My SIL uses Alba products, and I remember trying some once when I was staying over. They smell so good! Because they’re sulfate free, they don’t lather a lot, which bothers me with shampoos (I know, I know) but not with conditioners. This was $6.99, and that kind of pricing is why I always buy my hair products at Winners (shampoo, conditioner, hairspray); I’m not loyal at any particular brand, and I just want good quality for drugstore prices.
Nuxe Moisturizer
Do I need another moisturizer? Not really. But I’ve heard a lot about this brand and I know it’s typically quite pricey, so I couldn’t resist checking this out for $10.
I feel like I was writing about skincare and make-up yesterday, but in fact it’s been over 8 months … which explains the slight change-up in my routines. I still get lots of questions about this on a regular basis, so this is probably a good time for an update. Before we start, you can revisit my previous skincare post (January 2017) here, or my old make-up routine (May 2015) here.
This post contains no affiliate links.
Skincare
I am at an age now when make-up can only do so much to help me on my quest to satisfy my vanity; proper skincare (and rest, diet, and genetics, but that’s a whole other story) matters a heck of a lot more. The bare minimum I would recommend to anyone in my late-30s shoes is: retin-A, sunscreen, and a basic moisturizer. If you wear make-up, you will also need a cleanser of some sort. If you have prescription coverage, this basic regimen can be relatively inexpensive, and you’ll be set. But if, like me, you want to delve a little deeper into the skincare world, well … read on.
There are a lot of great, free resources out there if you are starting this journey without much prior knowledge. This blog is definitely not one of them, but I recommend forums like r/skincareaddiction and r/asianbeauty. They are a mine of information, which should guide you to selecting the products that work best for your skin and budget.
So let’s talk about mine for a moment. As I’ve mentioned before, my skin is relatively low maintenance. My main issues are fine lines, dryness, uneven tone (with a tendency to pinkness), and the occasional bit of acne. As for my budget … well, I am cheap. I have paid for some expensive procedures (like microblading) in the past, but I am generally reluctant to spend a lot of money on skincare or make-up products. Luckily, these days, that is not a barrier to getting your hands on great products.
As my previous post indicated, when I started to get interested in skincare, I used a lot of Asian products; they are inexpensive and effective. The downside, for me, was getting them. They are readily available on Amazon, for the most part, but I found the shipping times to be wildly unpredictable. After waiting for months on end for products to arrive, I gave up. Around the same time I was getting frustrated with that, I discovered The Ordinary line of skincare — and never looked back. These products are even cheaper, and I can usually get them within 2 weeks of ordering them online. And they work great!
I have ended up with a substantial collection of their products — at under $10 per bottle, it’s easy to go a little nuts — which I use depending on what my skin feels like it needs at any given time. My loose schedule looks something like this:
I still use the Biore Watery Essence sunscreen, as I have an bottle of the old formulation left. The last time I purchased a back-up on Amazon, I think I ended up with the new formulation. When the time comes, I will try it and see if I like it. If I don’t, I may try this Shiseido sunscreen next. A quick note: I feel like I need to add a moisturizer directly under the sunscreen, otherwise my make-up really dries out over the course of the day. I should also mention that I wait a minute or so in between applying each product so that it’s not one big goopy mess. I probably should wait longer, but I haven’t got time for that in the morning.
Speaking of moisturizers, CeraVe is my go-to. I bought a huge tub of it months and months ago, and it is not even half empty. It gets the job done very well.
My oil cleanser is this Softymo Speedy Cleanser. I buy it from T&T, a local Asian supermarket. It’s not cheap ($18/bottle) but it works like a dream; sadly, I can’t find it cheaper elsewhere locally, and I don’t like to take my chances with international shipping because I go through my bottles fairly quickly (4-6 weeks). I will say that, post-cleansing, I stretch out my routine over an hour or so; while I read or Netflix, I go through the sequence, allowing each product to dry fully on my face before applying the next. Sometimes, I throw on a Tony Moly mask into the mix.
When I get a zit, I usually dab it with either a teeny tiny bit of retin-A or some CosRx Sol A solution before bed, and it’s usually either entirely gone or substantially reduced in size by the morning.
Make-Up
My “everyday” look hasn’t really changed much in years, as far as my appearance goes, but I have been playing with some new products lately which I have really grown to love. The biggest change has been a switch back to powder foundation. I used to use Bare Minerals in my late 20s, then switched to liquid foundation (L’Oreal) about 5-6 years ago. More recently, I found that I was using a finishing powder for that “blurred Instagram filter” look, and started to wonder if I could simplify things by going back to a powder foundation. My dermatologist’s spa sells Jane Iredale make-up, so I decided to give that a try as opposed to going to Sephora for Bare Minerals — I am the queen of convenience, and I also like to make my life easier by avoiding temptation as much as possible. Sephora is “danger, Will Robinson” territory for me.
Long story short, I LOVE my Jane Iredale foundation. It offers the perfect amount of coverage and line blurring, and it helps to even out my tone. I bought the re-fill package, and skipped the compact. It comes in a plastic tray which has traveled with me without issues. It’s not inexpensive at around $50, but it last for 3-4 months.
For my under-eye area, I use the Essence Colour Correcting Say No to Dark Circles (oof!) concealer stick first, then the Maybelline Age Re-Wind concealer on top (then powder). I also use the Maybelline concealer on and around my nose for extra coverage.
On my eyes, I have recently started using the Tarte Tarteist Pro To Go shadow compact. It was a birthday splurge at, where else, Sephora. I have stepped foot into that store exactly one time this year, and came out poorer for it. I do love the quality of the Tarte eyeshadows though. They are very pigmented and go on smoothly. All of the colours are too dark as “all over” colours for my everyday face, so I use them only in the crease of my eyelids. For “all over” crease colour, I use one of the shades from an e.l.f highlighter quad (which I can’t seem to find online). Yes, I am that pasty. I love the wide pans in this compact, by the way.
I touch up my microbladed eyebrows using the same Essence eyebrow pencil I have been using for the past couple of years. It’s cheap and it works fine. Here’s a link to Amazon, but ignore the price; you can get it for $3 at the drugstore.
Since getting the Bambi eyelashes of my dreams, courtesy of the EyEnvy serum, I have stopped wearing my old crayon eyeliner. Combine with my eyelashes, I found the thick line too overwhelming for daytime. I did recently splurge on a Kat Von D Tattoo eyeliner (see above) which I use from time to time to add a veeeeery thin line on my upper lashline. I am waiting for a special occasion to try a proper cat’s eye. So far, it does seem to be better than most liquid eyeliners I’ve tried before. The pen hasn’t dried out immediately, and it has good pigmentation and staying power. I am not sure I want to spend $27 on eyeliner on the regular, but we shall see.
As for mascara, I still use my trusty L’Oreal Voluminous though I have branched out to new versions of it. I use two different mascaras, which yes, is ridiculous, but eyelashes are my obsession. First, I use the Voluminous Butterfly Sculpt. I find that it separates my eyelashes nicely, and adds a good, thick-but-not-too-thick base layer of colour. I find that more than one coat of this mascara leads to gloopy results, so for the next coat, I use the Voluminous Lash Paradise. This one builds colour nicely without clumping even after 2 coats. Yes, I do add up to 3 coats of mascara, especially on the tips of my lashes, because they are very feathery and almost invisible otherwise. This is not for the faint of heart, for sure, but I’ve got it down to a 2 minute science.
While I wait for my first coat of mascara to semi-dry, I add a little bit of blush. This is a new addition to my make-up routine. After switching to powder foundation and running out of my old Benefit blush, I kinda gave up on finding a replacement. When I was at Sephora, the birthday gift I received included a mini Tarte blush (similar to this but small) which happens to be a great colour for me. So I’ve been using it, sparingly, most mornings. Like the eyeshadows, it’s very pigmented, so I recommend applying with a light hand.
Last but not least, lips. I have nothing exciting to recommend here. I am still working through my old stash of beloved (and discontinued) Rimmel Colour Rush lip crayons. I haven’t found a single other lip product to take their place, though I do quite like the following 2 products. L’Oreal Infallible lipstick in Rambling Rose looks like a lipstick but goes on almost like a crayon. It dries semi-matte, and has really good staying power. The colour is quite pigmented, so it’s a good alternative for a day when I want a bold-but-not-red lip. Wet ‘n Wild Megalast Liquid Catsuit Lipstick in Give Me Mocha is another product I quite like. It’s a brown-leaning pink; the formula is a matte lipgloss. Decent staying power, though not as good as the L’Oreal. I have also bought another tube of Clinique Black Honey, but I don’t find myself reaching for it too often. After my Rimmel lip crayons, I find it a bit too sheer and smear-y; the colour is still a classic, though.
And, since pictures are worth a thousand words and all that, here is my before and after. Yes, this is the first time I’ve put my naked face on the internet so y’all better catch it quick before I inevitably regret my decision.
before, obvi
And after:
the Everyday face
Questions? Product reccs? Hit me up in the comments.
A new year ought to feel like a fresh start, but I thought it might actually be a good time to talk about the old … old favourites, that is. Perhaps “old” is the wrong term; what I mean is, simply, favourites. I enjoy reading other people’s (unsponsored) opinions and recommendations, because you never know what useful information or good tips you may get. I solicited prompts on Instagram, and am sharing the list here.
Favourite quality brands that hold up: This is tricky because, with careful laundering, most things can hold up fairly well. I also have an extensive wardrobe, which means my wears are spread out over a larger number of items; I have very rarely “worn out” items, apart from shoes. So my experience is limited in that sense.
However, here are some brands which I think tend to have consistently good quality (in my experience) and are relatively inexpensive secondhand: MaxMara (apart from coats, which have high resale prices), Ralph Lauren, Marc Cain, COS.
Favourite colours to wear: Aqua/turquoise/teal, pink, magenta, and rainbow (of course). My palette has changed a lot in the last few years, and continues to evolve. I mean, I’m wearing orange these days … who am I, even??
Favourite skincare: I am currently battling winter skin and mask-ne, and struggling to tweak my daily regimen to these challenges. But the one item I consistently use and would never give up is my prescription retinoid. I use the Micro gel, but I believe Differin is similar and, in some places, available over the counter.
Favourite things to thrift: Dresses, skirts, jewelry, and art.
Favourite nail colours: Classic red (Chanel “Dragon”); white; and a dark forest green.
Favourite suspense/mystery/keep-you-guessing books for cold weather snuggled up reading: Anything by Ann Cleeves, PD James, or Agatha Christie. I re-read my favourite mystery novels every 3 years or so. It’s just enough time to forget the intricacies of the plot; even if I remember the culprit half way through the book, I still find them very satisfying to read, in a “comfort food” sort of way. For new suspense/mysteries, Lucy Foley, Tana French, and Anthony Horowitz are usually reliable. Oh, and Sophie Hannah’s continuation of the Poirot series.
Favourite Zoom styling tips: Undereye concealer, eyebrow pencil, red lipstick — these are key to helping me avoid looking like the undead.
Favourite royal biography: Tough one, because I love royal biographies and have so many favourites. If I had to pick, it would be between The Wives of Henry VIII by Antonia Fraser, Born to Rule by Julia Gelardi (about granddaughters of Queen Victoria), and The Four Queens by Nancy Goldstone (about 4 Provencal ladies who all went on to become queens). But I could easily add a dozen more to the list, don’t tempt me!
Favourite fashion moments: I love Tilda Swinton’s red carpet moments, and a lot of her editorial spreads. Going way back, Audrey Hepburn’s “transformation” in Sabrina. I used to dream about going to Paris for a few years, and then returning as an infinitely more chic version of myself, to the surprise and amazement of all, hahaha! Can you tell that I wasn’t a popular kid in high school? But I think the idea of reinvention and transformation through clothes that has never stopped fascinating me, to be honest.
Favourite textiles, balancing wearability and washability: I love silk-linen and silk-wool blends, though they can be trickier to care for (hand-washing and air-drying, all the way). Otherwise, cotton or rayon blends which can be machine-washable and also machine-dryable (always on low heat!).
Favourite art supplies and inspo: I love buying embroidery floss — I always buy way too much, because I want to get ALL the colours. Beads is probably a close second. In terms of inspiration, nature is probably my no. 1 source, but I also find inspiration in art very often. For example, I am currently working on a series of embroidery pieces inspired by the water lilies I saw last summer on my vacation, and I have been looking at Monet’s paintings as well.
Favourite home office item: Stationery, hands down. I love pens (gel pens and fountain pens) and colourful inks. Colourful sticky notes … notice a trend here? In this category, I will also include my day planner. My therapist recommended it for me as a technique to address my anxiety. I have a basic one, nothing fancy, but it has each day broken down in hour blocks, plus room for To Do lists. I find it helpful to write-in both work and personal commitments, including chores and leisure activities; it makes my days feel more manageable.
Favourite season for style: Fall and spring. Basically, any time when the temperature is between 10-18 degrees Celsius. Cool enough for sweaters or cute coats — basically, interesting layers — but warm enough for bare legs, in a pinch. This is the weather when you can experiment the most with style, IMO, because the weather isn’t fully dictating what you have to wear.
Favourite Netflix binge: I don’t watch a lot of Netflix, to be honest. I haven’t even seen the newest season of The Witcher. I mostly only watch new shows if they feature one of my favourite actors (Stay Close, for example). My favourite things to binge-watch are mostly old British shows on BritBox — period dramas, Poirot and Miss Marple, that sort of thing. And I watch The Vicar of Dibley Christmas special whenever I need cheering up.
Want to find out more of my favourites? Or have some of your own to share? Hit me up in the comments.
