Beauty Bar – The Sol Compass

Beauty Spotlight: Mario Badescu

Welcome back everyone! Mac first introduced me to Mario Badescu by way of this drying lotion, and I’m so happy she did. For a pretty reasonable price, you get really great quality products. While I have by no means tried their whole product lineup, I’ve loved every one that I purchased so far.

Drying Lotion. Acne spots are not my biggest skincare problem, but they are unbelievably frustrating whenever they do pop up. This stuff goes on at night, and by the next morning the problem areas are visibly reduced. If that isn’t pure magic, I don’t know what is.

Vitamin C Serum. The other product that Mac encouraged me to try was this serum to reduce signs of aging (which is hilarious, because she doesn’t age AT ALL). Vitamin C was one of the ingredients I was aggressively searching for in skincare last year. Bright, smooth skin? Twist my arm.

Botanical Exfoliating Scrub. There are few things I love the same way as I love a good exfoliator. The challenge can sometimes lie in finding one that effectively scrubs off the dead skin cells without seriously irritating my dry skin. The day after I used this for the first time, I already could tell that my face was looking smoother and more radiant. At only $26, this one is perfect for using once or twice a week without breaking the bank.

Neck Cream. I mentioned in my last skincare post that I had my eye open for a new neck cream. At that point I had actually forgotten that I had ordered this one from Ulta, so I’ve been trying this one out for a little over one week. I haven’t noticed significant changes in my neck lines yet, but it is really great for moisturizing, and my décolletage seems to be getting firmer already.

Chamomile Night Cream. A silly thing that I wish I was better at is drinking tea at night. It seems like such a great idea to calm myself down before bed, but I honestly just never think about it. Luckily, skincare is something I do think about every night. The calming smell of the chamomile is a really great relaxer for me, and I love using this after the exfoliating scrub, and any time my skin is red and blotchy I reach for it as well. (Mario Badescu does make a few different types of night creams though, depending on what your skin type and interests are!)

Do any of you use Mario Badescu already? Let me know your experience with the brand in the comment section! Hope you have a great weekend!

xo, C

My Old Skincare Routine

Hi everyone, welcome back! For the better part of 2017, I really dedicated myself to trying different skincare products and finding the ones that have that “wow” factor. I’m currently working on a post about my new skincare routines and other products and brands I’ve really fallen in love with, but if you read about my old one skincare post back in the day, you may be wondering why I’m changing it up. I absolutely loved bareMinerals’ Exfoliating Cleanser, and I used it for probably four years. However they discontinued that product, and the ones that replaced it were never quite as good without that gentle exfoliating factor. It made me realize that I’m just looking for a little more out of my skincare.

If you’re looking for a basic cleanser that does a good job and a buttery soft moisturizer, these are really quite good. My skin is dry and can be sensitive at times, but bareMinerals products (both skincare and makeup) have never given me a reaction. The main reason I have changed up my skincare regimen, is that I realized that I really want daily skincare that is exfoliating, or brightened and hydrated my skin with an extra bang.

One of the bareMinerals products that I absolutely will keep on rotation is the Brilliant Future Age Defense & Renew Serum. As advertised, it does a great job reducing wrinkles and fine lines, but the big surprise to me was that it’s actually super hydrating as well. I love using this as an anti-aging component of my routine all year, but it’s especially nice during the winter when my skin is really dry. Over the last week, every square inch of my skin has been dry, except my face, and I swear this is a big part of the reason why.

L’Oreal Advanced RevitaLift Face & Neck Day Cream. To be honest, I’m continuing on with this one for now, but I am going to keep looking for neck treatments. I definitely have seen good results with this one, I’m just not blown away by them. So if you have a holy grail neck oil, cream, etc. let me know about it for sure!

Thanks for stopping by! I’d love to hear your story of skincare evolution if you have one, so definitely leave me a comment or send an email to TheSolCompass@gmail.com! I could talk about skincare for hours, and I love hearing about other people’s experiences as well!

xo, C

Tuesday Ten: Influenster Product Reviews

Hello everyone, welcome back! Today’s post is going to be a beauty product review. From time to time, Influenster sends me complementary products to review and over the past few months I haven’t shared most of them on the blog! With Sephora’s VIB Coupons rolling in (20% off for members starts on Friday!) it’s the perfect time to test out some new things at a lower price!

Laura Mercier Flawless Fusion Ultra-Longwear Foundation. I’m always excited to try a new foundation out, but I never knew how much I would love a foundation until now. I have zero complaints about this one, even the price tag is worth it (though I certainly wouldn’t complain if it dropped in price a little bit…) I only need two pumps to cover my entire face, and it gives amazing full coverage while feeling super lightweight on my face. The formula blends out like an absolute dream, and the matte finish lasts all.day.long. This would be my number one recommendation to buy during the holiday sale, I plan on buying another in my winter shade!
Laura Mercier Translucent Loose Setting Powder. I had been a fan of this before I received it for free from Influenster, so I was beyond giddy when I saw the full size sitting in my box! This cult-favorite really locks in your makeup for the whole day, without adding on any heaviness or settling into any fine lines. I find it really minimizes the appearances of my pores as well, which is such an added bonus since I first purchased it only expecting it to set my makeup!
Amika Undone Texture Spray. As a lover of Amika products (you can see my post here to see what other products I love), I was stoked to see more Amika products come through the mail. This spray is great whether you’re looking to lock your curls into place, or just hold on to that messy tousled look that you woke up with. I hate the smell of conventional hair sprays, so this is a super replacement which actually adds volume, instead of just keeping what you already have in place. As with all Amika products, it uses rice starch instead of aluminum which I absolutely *love* – that alone would place them leaps and bounds above every other hair care company in my book!
Amika Nourishing Mask Mini. You all know I love a good mask, and I think hair masks don’t get nearly enough play. This one may be the best one I’ve tried yet. The first time you use it, you won’t even believe how smooth and shiny your hair is! I know 20 minutes is a long time to leave something in your hair, but if you can swing it you’ll thank me. You can also buy it in an 8.5 oz tub, to save a little bit of money in the long run!
Aquis Lisse Luxe Hair Towel. I try to avoid using heat on my hair as much as possible (I probably only use a hair dryer or straightener twice a week), so this fast drying towel is an absolute life saver for me. The texture of the towel dries your hair so much faster than a bath towel would, with the added benefit of not being as heavy and hard on your neck!
GrandeLIPS Hydrating Lip Plumper. I have extremely thin lips, so the thought of a lip plumper that’s also hydrating is extremely inciting to me. Unfortunately, I’m not totally sure this is the one to do that. I didn’t notice many results from using it for a week straight. It has almost four stars at Sephora, so some people have definitely had more success with it than I did. If you do choose to give it a try, I would recommend going with a color and not the clear. I received the clear and the shimmery finish gave me terrible 90s flashbacks!
Dr Brandt No More Baggage Eye De-puffing Gel. This product is amazing for under eye bags. It gets the puffiness down in hardly any time. I love using it especially on days when I’m heading out to shoot! That being said, it doesn’t do anything for eye wrinkles, which is what I really look for in an eye cream. If you have puffy eyes, I’d definitely recommend it, but you might have to still use a conventionaly wrinkle-combatting eye cream at night.
These next three didn’t work great on my very dry skin, but B loved them so much that he has since ordered a replacement trio, so I’m letting him do the honors of describing them to you!
Ole Henriksen Find Your Balance Oil Control Cleanser. I’ve used a lot of different face washes and this is the only one that noticeably removes oils from my face. I like that you can use a very small amount to spread on your entire face (it comes out really thick). It gets rid of oils without making my skin dry and tight like other cleansers, and doesn’t leave bleach marks on my towels like benzoyl peroxide does, as an added bonus. I don’t love the smell of it, but it’s not too strong and once you wash it off the smell is gone, but that’s the only negative of it.
Ole Henriksen Balancing Force Oil Control Toner. Toner is the toughest one for me to describe because I had no idea what it was until Caitlin told me it was the extra step in between cleanser and moisturizer. It’s gotten rid of nearly all of my clogged pores, and is a great extra step to get rid of dirt and oils in my skin.
Ole Henriksen Counter Balance Oil Control Hyrdator. I really like the moisturizer, I wish they made the bottle twice as big since it doesn’t last as long as the cleanser does for me. I use it all the way down my neck so it does great work on razor irritation, for any guys who want to use it. It’s very lightweight, and easy to not put on too much. This one smells great, it’s very subtle so you wouldn’t really notice it if you weren’t putting it on your face, and the smell doesn’t last very long. It doesn’t leave any residue behind, and doesn’t add shine to my oily forehead, which is nice and hard to come by in a moisturizer for oily skin (from what I’ve found).

Have you tried any of these products? Let me know what you think of them in the comments!

xo, C

7 Summer Beauty Must Haves

Hello everyone, welcome back! Today I’m going to be sharing my seven must have beauty products for summer! Let’s jump right into it, shall we?

Lush Silky Underwear. This dusting powder has an amazing smell and infinite uses. It’s a bit pricey but totally worth it once you start realizing everything it does! You can use it to help with thigh chafe, as an underarm deodorant, to help with boob sweat, and to get rid of stickiness after applying hand cream! It’s a pretty good replacement for Body Glide (my fellow runners) and you can sprinkle some in your bed sheets during the summer to keep them soft and dry

Miracle Heel Stick. I am always self conscious about my feet during the summer because of all the sandals I wear. This little stick restores any cracked, dry, rough heels with a mix of aloe, shea and cocoa butters!

Supergoop Sunscreen Mist. Supergoop! is my favorite sunscreen (last mentioned in my Anniversary Sale guide) and this mist is no exception. I always keep a spray on hand during the summer, since B and I tend to spend lots of time outside and it’s so quick and easy to apply. I linked to the single one above, but you can save $19 on a pack of three during the Anniversary Sale, which translates to getting one for free!

Not Your Mother’s Sea Salt Spray. This super affordable beach spray is a life saver if you want a quick and easy curly look with minimal effort. As an added bonus, it smells amazing!

Tangle Teezer. I first mentioned my Tangle Teezer in my hair care post, and it is still my go to wet hair brush. After the beach it’s great for working through wet hair without ripping or tearing.

bareMinerals Complexion Rescue. A tinted moisturizer with SPF 30 is really all you need in the summertime. As an added bonus, this one is super hydrating and lightweight, which is perfect for the hot summer months!

Too Cool For School Blotting Papers. I keep these in my bag at all times during the summer. They are great for dabbing sweat off your face while keeping your makeup intact.

What are your favorite summer products? Share them in the comment section below!

xo, C

SaveSave

5 Steps to Great Hair with Amika

Hey everyone, welcome back. Today I’m sharing five tips to help you get the maximum shine out of your hair, and the new products that have helped me take the best care of my hair!

Step One: Cool It. Step away from the blow dryers, straighteners, curlers, etc. I know there are a million reasons why you need them, but they reek absolute havoc on your hair. I try to use mine only twice per week – usually on days of important events or when I’m shooting photos for the blog! When I do use a heat styling product, I make sure to use a heat protectant spray to conserve the shine and texture!

Step Two: Get Dirty. With the invention of dry shampoo, not washing your hair every single day has been easier than ever. Experts recommend only washing your hair three times per week! This is where Amika’s Dry Shampoo and Dry Conditioner come into play. They deodorize your hair while conditioning and adding texture and volume between washes, plus they smell amazing. You can buy them together to save $12 here or check out the travel size trio here.

Amika products use a natural rice starch to absorb excess oil and dirt, which means they do NOT use aluminum, sodium chloride, talc, parabens, sulfates, and phthalates! This is the reason their dry hairstyling products are my number one go to, over some more chemical heavy products.

Step Three: Momma Said Take Your Vitamins. These OLLY vitamins are a total game changer. They are rich in Biotin and Vitamins C & E, so they’re great for promoting hair, skin, and nail health. Plus they’re gummies and they taste delicious!

Step Four: The Cold Shoulder. I always end my showers with a quick cold water rinse. This is not only great for your pores, but great for your hair as well – it helps keep it shiny and strong all day! It’s also best to not take too hot of a shower as that can be really damaging to your hair (see step one).

Step Five: Take The Pressure Off. These hair ties even out the breakage of conventional hair ties by distributing the pressure out evenly. It’s also great for split ends! To all my fellow ponytail girls out there, I highly recommend you giving these a try – the difference you’ll see is incredible!

Thank you so much for stopping by! Do any of you have any great hair tips to share??

xo, C

Skin Love with Ulta

Welcome back everyone! Today I want to talk about some of the shower and body products that I have been loving recently. My motto has always been “skin first, makeup second” which is why I don’t wear makeup at least 50% of the time. You all know I pay a lot of attention to my face, but I never really talk about the body scrubs and lotions that I like. I think it’s especially important to share the wealth because I use some crazy affordable products that work absolute magic. The best part about these is you can find them all at Ulta (read about my love affair with Ulta and why I shop there first here). So without further adieu, let’s dive in to some of these body scrubs, washes, and lotions!

Michaela got me hooked on Nivea this winter, and it has been so pleasantly surprising! It all started with this Essentially Enriched Body Lotion. It’s soft and smooth and easy to apply, but what really sealed the deal was that the first day I wore it two people told me how soft my legs were! (I should explain that I was wearing destroyed jeans and happened to be sitting around a bunch of people who felt the need to play with the holes in my jeans on the aforementioned day). Since I had so much luck with that lotion, I went back for the Cocoa Butter In Shower Lotion. I love that you don’t have to worry about the lotion drying since you rinse it off in the shower, it’s perfect for days that you have to throw your jeans on right out of the shower! I also love the smell of cocoa butter, and the one I got was particularly formulated for dry to very dry skin (there’s also an in shower body lotion for normal to dry skin). Lastly, we both went in to try the Sun-Kissed Radiance Gradual Tanner and Body Lotion to try to get a little faux tan going on that winter white skin of ours. I have never used a self tanner before, so I’ve been a little nervous, even though I chose to go with Nivea based on how much success I had experienced with their other products. I love that this one moisturizes your skin as well, and the smooth easy application ensures that it doesn’t streak.

The next line I love for skincare is eos. This body lotion is my staple, it absorbs quickly and makes my skin feel so soft. I also love this shave cream. The shea butter base is packed with nutrients and vitamins so it keeps your legs smooth and soft for 24 hours. The best part is it doesn’t rust all over your shower. Major win!

The last lotion I love from Ulta is the Soap & Glory Righteous Butter. It is a smooth and soft Fairy Godmother for those of us with very dry skin!

My go to body wash has always been Neutrogena’s Pink Grapefruit Body Wash. It’s not only affordable, but effective; and I always feel refreshed and clean after I use it. (I actually need a new bottle, which is why it’s not pictured here!)

The latest addition to my skincare has been this shea sugar scrub from Tree Hut. Holy cow you guys. This stuff is the bee’s knees. It smells great and does wonders exfoliating your skin.

Are there any products you guys can’t live without and think I should try?? Let me know in the comments! Have a great week!

xo, C

Hair Care

Welcome back everyone. Today I’m going to be sharing my all-time favorite hair care products. A few weeks ago I shared my favorite Verb products in this post, but I have so many others I like that I felt I should dedicate a post to the rest of them. I tend to gravitate towards drugstore products, since I have a lot of very long and thick hair, and using high end products can get really expensive really quickly. I do have a few high end products I know I love, but I wanted to dedicate this post to the products I use on a regular basis.

Conair is my go to brand for hair tools. I have three of these gel grip paddle brushes (because I walk around and leave them in places they don’t belong and inevitably can’t find them at 5 am when I need them) and they are the bomb.com. I also love this classic comb, and I have been trying to get better at using it over my brush, since I’ve heard it’s kinder on your hair.

Pantene is to shampoo as Conair is to brushes in my book. For the price you absolutely cannot beat their products. I personally like to use the smooth & sleek line with argan oil, but it’s all dependent on your hair and preference. I always use this shampoo and conditioner not only because I love the way they smell (seriously I am ALWAYS smelling my own hair, to the point of it being kind of weird), but also because they are amazing at keeping my hair soft and smooth, even during the dry winter months.

Pantene 3 Minute Miracle Smooth & Sleek Deep Conditioner. This stuff is the real deal – it’s unbelievably effective and only $5 a bottle! When I was down visiting my family in New York over the summer we were talking about dried out hair from the salt water and chlorine, and I was raving about this so much I practically ran down to the store and grabbed a bottle for my aunt and grandmother to assure them of how much I love it. Plus, who really wants to spend more than three minutes deep conditioning their hair, amiright?

Pantene Pro-V Repair and Protect Overnight Miracle Repair Serum. This little bottle is a miracle worker. If you want your hair to be healthier and shinier, this is all you need. It’s also great if you have a lot of heat damage!

L’Oreal recently launched two different clay based product lines; the Pure Clay Masks, and the Extraordinary Clay hair products. I was so beyond excited about being able to find great clay benefits in the drugstore at a great price point, I picked up two of each (mask review coming soon). The Extraordinary Clay hair products are intended for oily roots, which I don’t tend usually have, but every once in a while I find they need a little more attention. I love the idea of this pre-shampoo mask. It soaks up all the oils in your scalp and then you can wash it out with your shampoo! The dry shampoo has a similar concept (ridding your scalp of unwanted oils) but with the added benefit of not requiring a shower and shampoo after!

Kristin Ess Weightless Shine Leave In Conditioner. I was so excited when Kristin Ess launched her full haircare line at Target a month ago, I wanted to buy every single thing. Unfortunately without an unlimited budget, I told myself to just try one thing at a time, so I decided to go with this Leave In Conditioner. I love that you just spray it on your wet hair after the shower, so it makes a great alternative when I don’t want to use a leave in conditioner that has to be rinsed out. My hair no longer has to suffer on mornings that I’m tight on time. Of all the extra hair products I’ve been using, the functionality of this one is by far the best for a girl on the go.

The Tangle Teezer is 100% worth the hype. I bought mine a while back at Sephora, but Target even carries them now. I will not go to the beach without throwing this rockstar in my bag. They are so amazing for detangling your hair, especially when wet, without ripping or tearing. They’re also cute and fun to hold so… Win/win.

My cousin recommended this Moroccanoil hair treatment to us years ago when she was in cosmetology school and we have used it nonstop ever since. There is really nothing that competes. It tames your fly aways, smooths your hair, and keeps it healthy and shiny. If you have dry hair like I do, you will not regret buying this. It’s definitely the most pricy item I use, but is 100% worth it and since it’s a treatment you shouldn’t use it every day and it won’t burn a hole in your wallet too quickly. Oh, and did I mention it smells amazing?

What are your favorite hair care products? Leave your recommendations of things to try in the comment section!

xo, C

Ride or Die Makeup Tag

Hey everyone! The post I had planned for today fell through to some photoshop problems, so yesterday I last minute decided to do a post loosely based on Ride or Die Makeup Tag, even though I’ll be doing it as a blog post instead of a video, but the general idea is the same, so I’ll be sharing my number one product in each category!

I know it is SO typical Caitlin to not be able to decide on the very first category. I promise this is the only one that I have two products for, and there is a very good reason for it! My favorite makeup primer is the Becca Backlight Face Primer. It does a great job of giving my skin a glow from within and keeping my foundation in place all day, but I only wear it for special occasions because it tends to make my skin break out a little bit if I wear it every day. That being said, my skin’s favorite primer is the Marc Jacobs Coconut Face Primer. The refreshing feel of coconut is amazing on dry skin and it absolutely does extend the lifetime of my makeup. I feel like the Becca one just works the tiniest bit better for extending wear, while the Marc Jacobs one is much kinder to my skin.

Too Faced makes my all-time favorite eyeshadow primer. It keeps my eyeshadow in place all day, is easy to apply, and doesn’t clump at all. The best part is my eyeshadows and eyeliners NEVER smudge when I apply this primer first.

My favorite foundation and concealer duo is this Urban Decay Naked pair. My number one requirement for a foundation is being lighweight, because more than anything else I want to not feel like I’m wearing 18 pounds of makeup on my face. This one has the added benefit of being extremely bendable and easy to apply.

I bring this Anastasia Contour Kit with me pretty much everywhere. I use ‘Java’ for contouring and ‘Banana’ to set my under eye area, but I also frequently use ‘Havana’ and ‘Vanilla’ so there was no way I couldn’t include this gem.

IMG_8929 (1).jpg

My favorite bronzer is the NARS Laguna bronzer. I know I can always use this to add a bit of color to my face, even if I am a ghostly winter shade of translucent white. The Becca Opal Highlighter never fails me and is my go to shade 100% of the time. My favorite blush is also by Becca, in the shade Flowerchild, which is the perfect peachy-pink shade.

My eye makeup routine has really evolved over the years since swiping on brown eyeliner and mascara. I start with the Urban Decay Subversion eyelash primer, which has been a total game changer for me. Then I coat my lashes with the Urban Decay Perversion mascara, and line my lids with bareMinerals Lasting Line Eyeliner in ‘Lasting Brown’ or ‘Absolute Black’. I do my brows with Anastasia Beverly Hill’s Brow Wiz Pencil in ‘Taupe’ and the Tinted Brow Gel in ‘Caramel’.

Eye shadow palette was possibly the hardest category to choose. There have been so many great palettes that came out last year (both of Anastasia’s are on top of my list) and my friend Kelsey gave me a Vice palette a few years ago that I absolutely adore, but at the end of the day the Naked Smoky is the one I always turn to when I need to do a quick look that I know will look great. Whether I’m going on a date or to a basketball game or just out shopping, I know I can always create different levels of sexiness and intensity with this palette.

My favorite lip products are always rose or mauve colored, and these ones are no exception. I have been absolutely obsessed with the sheer finish on this matte mauve lipstick by NARS (in the shade Catfight) and the rose color of Marc Jacobs’ Pretty Thing.

I am not a huge liquid lipstick fan at all, but this Kat Von D Lolita II Shade is a total exception. This shade is so pretty and unique it’s totally worth wearing a liquid lipstick.

Last but most definitely not least is this Urban Decay All Nighter Setting Spray. They recently revamped the packaging so mine looks a bit outdated, but I can assure you this quality is the best out there, bar none.

Primer: Becca, Marc Jacobs
Eye Shadow Primer: Too Faced
Foundation: Urban Decay Naked
Concealer: Urban Decay Naked
Contour Kit: Anastasia Beverly Hills
Bronzer: NARS Laguna
Highlighter: Becca ‘Opal’
Blush: Becca ‘Flowerchild’
Mascara: Urban Decay ‘Subversion’ Primer, Urban Decay ‘Perversion’
Eyeliner: bareMinerals ‘Lasting Line’
Brows: Anastasia Brow Wiz in ‘Taupe’, Anastasia Brow Gel in ‘Caramel’
Eye Shadow Palette: Urban Decay Naked ‘Smoky’
Setting Spray: Urban Decay All Nighter

Evening Skincare Routine

Welcome back everyone! Today I’m going to share my nighttime skincare routine. I’m not as religious about going through my nighttime routine as I am my morning routine, but I’m working on getting better.

First up for makeup removal is a collection of face wipes. My go-to’s are YesTo, but I also have some Sephora Collection ones on rotation and I’m looking to try the Koh Gen Do ones next (what Eva Chen says, Caitlin Hummer does, clearly).

Hands down the best addition to evening skin care has been micellar water. I use it with cotton rounds after face wipes and it takes off any makeup that the wipes missed and also cleanses the dirt and oils away from the day. I never liked using my cleanser twice a day, my dry skin is just too irritable, so I was so happy when I found something gentle that still cleansed the impurities of the day without the negative impacts on my face. I have this one on my vanity and picked up a travel size of this one for my travel bag.

If I’m not wearing makeup (about 50% of the time) but my face still needs a bit of extra attention, I’ll use these First Aid Beauty Facial Radiance pads in place of face wipes. They act as a toner with a very gentle exfoliator, but also gives dull skill a little extra zing. I honestly have no idea how FAB put all of that goodness into these little pads.

If I want to use a traditional toner, I always reach for this Origins Renewal Serum. It’s really great for restoring your skin to your maximum vibrancy.

I always have a tube of Aquaphor on hand. It’s such a great do-all tool to have, and at night I use it in the corners of my nose when winter leaves that area super dry, my lips, and my hands when I have an eczema breakout.

I love using this YesTo night cream for super moisturizing over night (the cucumber is really calming after a long day) and the neck oil to keep combatting that tech neck situation I mentioned on Monday. I don’t love the smell of this one, so I use it at night and stick with L’Oréal’s during the daytime. (Since we’re on the subject of YesTo, I also love this hand and cuticle cream!)

Last but not least is an eye cream. Currently I’m loving No.7, but as I mentioned I’ve been trying lots of different ones including this Burt’s Bees one.

Thank you all so much for reading! What does your evening routine look like?

xo, C

Morning Skincare Routine

Welcome back everyone! Today I want to bring you through my morning skincare routine. We are definitely not reinventing the wheel or doing anything groundbreaking here, because I’m pretty sure every single one of us just wants to help our skin in the shortest amount of time (I am also reasonably confident that no one has time to waste in the morning). My morning skin care routine has to be something I can easily do at the gym with a dozen other women in under three minutes (because I really tend to zone out in the shower pre-coffee and lose track of time). Anything more than the basics gets saved for my nighttime routine (check back on Friday to see that one!)

First up, I start with my cleanser and moisturizer. Lately I have been using Pure Plush and Bare Haven. I’ll be 100% honest with you guys, I do not love these ones as much as I loved the old bareMinerals cleanser and moisturizer. That gentle exfoliating cleanser is what got me into a good skin routine because the results were just impossible to ignore. These ones have been doing the job fine, so I don’t have any complaints, they’re just not as good.

Next up, I go to my neck and eye cream. I am super self conscious about my tech neck and under eye bags, so I hit those areas two times a day. Without wanting to drop a ton of money on designer creams, I’ve been experimenting with all different kinds lately. Currently I’m using the L’Oréal RevitaLift Face & Neck Day Cream and am pretty happy with the firmness I’ve been seeing and the amazing price point! For my eyes I’ve been using Clinique’s Pep-Start Eye Cream. It’s great for de-puffing my tired eyes, but absorbs quickly so it doesn’t irritate my eyeballs or club up underneath my makeup.

Lastly a few times per week I use Sara Happ’s The Lip Scrub to exfoliate and get rid of that dead skin. Especially in the winter, because dark lipstick does not agree with chapped lips. After I’ll usually swipe on some of The Lip Slip to start my day off with a lip balm, but they are currently backordered and I’m all out!

If there are any products you love to use in your morning routine and think I should try let me know about them in the comments! Hope you all have a wonderful day!

xo, C