My Current Skincare Routine

When it comes to skincare, I'm pretty fickle and pretty picky. If a product doesn't work or upsets my normal to dry, sensitive skin, I toss it rather than try to make it work. The products I use have to be (synthetic) fragrance-free, keep my city-weary skin clear and smooth, not contain parabens, and comprised of mostly natural (preferably organic) ingredients. I know, I know. The FDA has said parabens are safe. And the concentration purportedly used in most sincare products falls far beneath the accepted threshold. And natural is not always better--after all poison ivy is natural. And chemical ingredients can be powerfully effective and gentle on the skin. I can't help it though. For some visceral reason I can't get around this preference and feel like my skin looks its best when I stick with products of this ilk. To that end, here is what I've been using lately and my thoughts.

Clinique Take the Day Off Balm ($27)- this solid cleanser in a pretty purple pot emulsifies when you smooth it over your face, breaking down even the toughest eye makeup. I use it all over and then rinse. The directions indicate that a separate cleanser isn't necessary, but I always follow up with one as I am a fan of double cleansing (using one product to simply remove makeup and another to cleanse the skin).
Nude Skincare Cleansing Facial Wash ($34)- Nude uses organic ingredients when possible and the packaging is recyclable. This cleanser smells of bitter orange water and gently foams to cleanse my skin without over drying. I wouldn't call it moisturizing, but because it doesn't strip my skin, in the heat of summer I do not even need a separate moisturizer. I also credit this for keeping my skin breakout free. The price may seem steep but just one little pump is needed and I anticipate it lasting several months.
Kate Somerville Total Vitamin Antioxidant Face Serum ($65)- I've been diligent about sun protection since my early teens so I don't have any age spots or real discoloration to contend with, but I live in NYC where the smog, pollution, exhaust, and general icky grime can really take a toll on skin. Couple this with the amount of time I spend outdoors walking around, and I need a serious preventative antioxidant. This light serum is Vitamin C based, sinks right in, and doesn't irritate my skin or clog my pores. Since I'm using it for prevention it's difficult to tell if it's working, but that is true of all products used for this purpose I suppose.
Kate Somerville ExfoliKate Gentle ($65)- As much as I love it, NYC is really tough on skin for the reasons mentioned above. Your pores fill with all of the muck and some serious degunkification is required! I tried the regular ExfoliKate and it was way to harsh for my sensitive skin, but this is perfect. In 2-3 minutes the product has dissolved the dead cells and cleaned out my pores. You get some manual exfoliation from the little granules it contains and are left with clear glowing skin.
Aveeno Pure & Free Baby Sunblock Lotion SPF 60+ ($11)- this contains all physical sun blocks (I won't use chemical sunscreens) and while it's not featherlight, it hasn't clogged my pores either. It is chock full of chemicals so I have Devita on my list to try next.
Jurlique Balancing Day Cream ($40)- This is indicated for combination skin, but I think it would be too heavy for anyone leaning towards the oily side. It's a bit thick but does absorb, and has a distinct floral smell (though the fragrance is of natural origin). I love using this after the Kate Somerville enzyme treatment. I warm a tiny bit between my fingertips and pat in on to my skin, leaving it moisturized and smooth. It's not a miracle--you won't suddenly look 18--but it's a great basic moisturizer with antioxidant plant oils that creates a good base for makeup.
Stem Organics Hydrating Face Fluid ($58)- I use this in the winter when I need something more hydrating than the Jurlique. Despite its more fluid texture, this is a highly moisturizing product with macadamia oil, shea butter, vitamin E and a host of nourishing extracts and oils. This is definitely indicated for dry skin, though the brand makes a version for normal and a version for oily skin and they come packaged in dark glass bottles with air tight pumps to preserve the antioxidants. You never hear about this line but it is absolutely fantastic!
Skyn Iceland Icelandic Relief Eye Pen with Biospheric Complex ($20)- I suffer from the world's worse undereye circles (so bad that I've had makeup artists tell me there's simply nothing they can do for them when I've sought concealer advice) and even though I logically know better, I'll still try any eye cream that claims to help with my shiners. This one not only claims to do that, but says it combats wrinkles and puffiness and contains optical brighteners. Plus it comes in a hygienic, travel friendly pen and the price is right! This eye cream is fine. Just fine. I've been using it consistently for several months now and have noticed no change in the darkness under my eyes and I haven't seen any of the claimed brightness. Concealer does go on smoothly over this but that's about it. I'll finish it up and move on the next eye cream with lofty claims!

Here is my routine:
AM:
Kate Somerville Total Vitamin Antioxidant Face Serum
Aveeno Pure & Free Baby Sunblock Lotion SPF 60+
Skyn Iceland Icelandic Relief Eye Pen with Biospheric Complex

PM:
Remove makeup with Clinique Take the Day Off Balm
Nude Skincare Cleansing Facial Wash
Moisturize if needed either with the Jurlique Balancing Day Cream or Stem Organics Hydrating Facial Fluid
Skyn Iceland Icelandic Relief Eye Pen with Biospheric Complex

Twice a week:
Kate Somerville ExfoliKate Gentle

That's it!

Some Hot Fall Products (courtesy of the new Bloomingdales Catalog)

I received my Bloomingdales Lights*Camera*Fashion catalog in the mail today and it features some interesting new fall makeup.


Trish McEvoy Instant Pick-Me-Up Lips ($28)- according to the description this is supposed to give "sheer, complexion complementing lips." It's touted as long lasting and the color looks to be a sheer vivid pink.
Prescriptives Limited Edition Well-Suited Eye Color Compact ($40)- a limited edition palette with 5 colors in 3 shade families: Cool, Neutral or Warm
Shiseido Luminizing Satin Eye Color in VI399 Amesthyst ($25)- this limited edition shade created by Dick Page is exclusive to Bloomingdales. It is a vibrant wisteria color.

The catalog also features Bobbi Brown Metallic Long-Wear Cream Shadows ($22 each). The shades look like Goldstone, Mercury and Starry Purple to me but it's tricky to tell. These are absolutely stunning in in the pots. They glisten and glimmer and are almost mesmerizing! I was prepared to purchase several but I'm glad I decided to try them first and I ended up leaving empty handed. I found the base colors of these shadows to be very, very sheer, with a pronounced chunky glitter. The glitter wasn't so much the deal-breaker--it was the barely-there pigment. Even layering didn't do the trick since that just seemed to add more glitter without kicking up the base shade. Layering Cream Shadows over another pigmented powder or cream shadow did the trick and made the underlying color shade of the Cream Shadows show up more, but I'm admittedly lazy with my makeup and want the product to appear on my lids the way it does in the pot. That being said, I can see these being perfect to keep in your makeup bag during holiday season to quickly take your work look to a party! Head to Bloomingdales to see these for yourself!

Images are photographs of images in the Bloomingdales catalog. Click to enlarge.

Glass Half Full?

For fall, J.CREW (which I adore) is carrying two shades of Essie nail polish ($8) at select stores (the J.CREW website says that they are a catalog/jcrew.com only item but my local store on 45th and Madison is carrying them). I picked up the shade called Eternal Optimist (both because I liked the color and I appreciate the irony of me, a decidedly glass half empty type, owning a polish with that name). Eternal Optimist is a perfect fall shade--it's a nude color which is very on-trend, but it isn't a taupey nude that can prove so unflattering in real life as opposed to in glossy magazines. There is a good dose of warm pink with a bit of putty that makes this both a wearable and a fashionable shade. (The other shade is called One of a Kind and is an orangey red).

A Surprising Rave!

Earlier this week I picked up my pre-ordered Clinique Gift with Purchase at Bloomingdales and one of the extra samples included for pre-ordering was Clinique Quick Eyes Cream Shadow in Rock Violet ($15 for full size). These shadows come in lipgloss-style tubes with wand applicators and are designed to last up to 10 hours. I normally just toss these samples aside to give to my mother or friends, but I decided to try the shadow this morning and am very pleasantly surprised!

Rock Violet is a gorgeous pearly lavender on the cool side. I find that warm purples can make my eyes look tired and so I always choose one with a cool undertone despite having a warm-toned complexion. I had only two hours of sleep last night and boy did I look it this morning, but this shadow managed to brighten my face and make me look wide awake! I applied it with my fingers, layering on two thin coats to achieve my desired depth of color, added some liner and off I went. When I got home, I discovered that while some of my liner had faded, the Quick Eyes Cream Shadow still looks perfect--no fading, creasing or smearing! What a great surprise from a free sample! Have you received any samples that turned out to be favorites?

Click images to enlarge.

Designer Fragrance and Cosmetic Company Outlet

Tucked away in some outlet malls and in the Loreal Building in New York City you might find true gems--Designer Fragrance and Cosmetic Company Outlets. The Estee Lauder owned Cosmetic Company Outlets receive a good deal of attention on various message boards for the 30% off retail, limited edition and discontinued products and undistributed gifts with purchase available for sale, but I always make sure to check out the Designer Fragrance and Cosmetic Company Outlets (DF&CCOs) for some amazing deals. DF&CCOs carry high end Loreal brand products (from Lancome to Giorgio Armani to Kiehls) and while the typical discount makes the shops worth a trip, their frequent blow outs draw me in. I picked up the following during one of their "4 for $40 sales."
They also frequently have prepackaged kits at unbelievable deals. I scored all of these brand new, perfect condition Shu Uemura products (4 shadows and 2 blushes) plus the palette for under $40. At retail, these would have cost me nearly $150!
You can Google for outlets in other areas of the country, but for NYCers, you'll find one at 575 5th.

Click images to enlarge.

Jouer Cosmetics

click on the images to enlarge

This is the second incarnation of Jouer Cosmetics. The first version was available at Sephora and featured a variety of cream-based products in small, white, rectangular, windowed compacts that could connect to one another along their sides. That version disappeared, and the current Jouer line emerged, available so far exclusively at Henri Bendel and at jouercosmetics.com.

Jouer has a variety of cosmetic items from concealers to foundations, blushes, tube glosses, shadows and more, many of which click together not only along the sides, but front to back so that you can create your own personalized travel stack.

I currently have two powder eye shadows ($20 each). Caramel is a soft warm brownish gold with a tiny hint of copper. It creates a lovely natural but defined eye look, but I find it prone to getting that hard "layer" on the surface of the shadow that I often have to scrape away. It is also not particularly pigmented and needs to be applied with a stiff, dense brush for color payoff.

Amaretto, on the other hand, is smooth an pigmented and glides on and blends wonderfully. It is a very complex pewter taupe with gold shimmer and a hint of bronze and plum. It's perfect for a soft smokey look or in the crease, with Caramel or another base shadow, for a subtle defined smolder. This is a unique shade and a favorite.

The Tint in Petal is another product that I like. The Tints ($20) are designed to be creamy multi-use lip and cheek colors. Jouer describes Petal as a "soft rose pink" but there is definitely a warm, almost hint of coral undertone to my eye. These blend onto cheeks with fingertips and have no sticky afterfeel.

I use the Age Repairing Brightener ($32) and Age Repairing Concealer ($24) under my eyes, the Brightener followed by the concealer. The Brightener has a thinner consistency with more slip and comes in a swivel up tube. It is designed to illuminate and fight free radicals. I don't notice an illuminating effect, but the emollient ingredients keeps the concealer, which is heavily pigmented but has a very dry texture, from caking under my eyes. These aren't holy grail products, but do a fine job. I'm not a huge fan of either alone, but they work synergistically.

I bought the Eye Definer ($20) in Olive after reading that it was used on Frieda Pinto for an awards show where her eye makeup was particularly gorgeous. It's a pretty gold-shimmered olive and glides on, but isn't pigmented enough to create a real definition or me. The color is lovely though, especially when layered over a black liner.

Feature Focus: Unsung Heros

I wanted to highlight some unsung heroes--tried and true never-fail products that seem to fly under the radar. Products that you never see in magazines, rarely hear raved about. I'm sure that everyone has some of these unsung heroes in their arsenal--please post about them in the comments!
Darphin Blush Sensation in Soleil Sublime:

This is bar none the most beautiful, natural looking bronzer I've ever used. I'm quite fair and on the pinker side, and this has absolutely no orange in it. It features a gentle color gradation so you can customize your look depending on how much 'sun' you want that day! The shimmer is super-subtle and doesn't accentuate lines and wrinkles, just lends itself to a gentle glow. It costs $40 and is available at Neiman Marcus and Bergdorf Goodman.

MAC Lilicent Blushcreme:

This cream blush has a unique love it or hate it texture. It's almost akin to a potted lipstick in that it's somewhat thick and remains dewy on the cheeks. This helps you look 'fresh' all day but if you're used to a cream to powder formula, this may take a bit of getting used to. The color is a real face brightener, and never fails to brighten my complexion with its warm, peachy rose hue. It is $18.50 and available on maccosmetics.com and at MAC counters nationwide.

Lancome Artliners:

Colors left to right are: Socialite, Brown, IceBlack, IceCarob and Star Shower
In my opinion, these little wonders stand alone in the liquid liner category. They are the easiest liquid liner and you can easily create a thin line right at the base of the lashes or thicker cat eye due to the unique flexible applicator that allows you to control the product. Unlike felt tip dispensers where the product may flow through inconsistently or only with pressure, these unique wands dip into the product and just enough comes out to create a perfect line every single time. The shades are gorgeous, although many of the unique ones are available on a limited edition basis. These are $28.50 and available wherever Lancome is sold.

Eye Necessities:

-Bare Escentuals Eye Shadow in Soul- the perfect vanilla base, this shadow is shimmer free (you can see the faintest glimmer in the pot which prevents lids from looking crepey but doesn't add a sparkle).
-Laura Mercier Eye Basics in Linen- the palest pink that brightens lids, creates the perfect base so your shadow lasts and the pigment appears true, and even works on its own for a natural eye look.
-Laura Mercier Baked Cakes Eye Liner in Key Lime/Dark Green Apple with Brush- gorgeous, baked, shimmery greens and a perfect brush for application. Use these wet or dry for a look less harsh than black but still achieve ample definition. I use the dark shadow on my upper lid and the light shadow to line underneath.
-Benefit Kohl Pencil Eye Liner in Sable- the only product I use on my inner rim. It lasts and lasts without iritation and glides on smoothly. The shade of brown is spot on--not too light or too dark.

Tools:

-MAC 208 brush- a very thin synthetic angle brush for precise gel eye liner application.
-Chanel Brush 3- a great brush for applying shadow to the outer corner. The bristles are densely packed and the thicker handle is weighted for easy application.
-Fresh Eye Definer Brush 20- the BEST crease brush, this is soft and perfectly shaped for the perfect placement and depth of color.
-Sephora Brand Professionnel Flat Blush Brush #42- perfect for small faces and the tapered point places the blush exactly where you want it to go.
-Tarte Eyelash Curler- this has never pinched my lids the way other highly-touted brands have and the lilac is so cute!