Makeup Mondays--Skincare

Maria asked me to talk about my skincare routine, and I’m very happy to oblige! My skin is the sort that is very sensitive and easily irritated, and I struggled with it in my teens and early 20s. I began using cold cream at that time, and my skin loved it—it cleared right up, in fact. I was a loyal user of Pond’s from that point forward until about two years ago, when it seemed that cold cream no longer agreed with my skin. It was back the drawing board then, though I never really found a suitable replacement for my beloved cold cream. A few months back I read that Pond’s had changed the formula of their classic cold cream, and had added a number of potentially irritating ingredients. Apparently, the store brand cold cream (CVS or Walgreen’s) continued to be made using the original formula. Intrigued by this bit of information, I picked up a tub and tried it out—and the skin issues I’d been dealing with (mostly excessive oiliness) disappeared in just a few weeks, and my skin is back to normal once more. So, I wholeheartedly recommend trying cold cream—for anyone who tried Pond’s and didn’t like the results, you might try the store brand and see if that works for you!

My routine is fairly simple: morning and night I apply cold cream to dry skin, massage it in, and then remove it with a warm, damp washcloth. In the mornings, I follow cleansing with a light moisturizer and sunscreen—my morning routine is quite simple, which is a good thing as I am usually running behind (I wouldn’t describe myself as a morning person.) In the evenings, I follow cleansing by exfoliating with an BHA product, and then apply moisturizer and a retinol cream. That’s it—my skin stays smooth and clear and I’m quite happy with the results.

I adore Arcona’s Magic White Ice serum; this lightweight moisturizer is wonderful for normal to oily skin types. It applies easily and absorbs quickly, and it smells delicious too (like grape Nehi—I love the scent, as does my Sweetie.) It’s the perfect base under makeup, and I like to mix it with any treatment products I apply in the evening, to buffer the active ingredients. I’ve already repurchased it twice, and plan to purchase another bottle when I run out of my current—and for someone who is a product junkie, and is always trying new things just because, that really says something!

For sunscreen, I use BurnOut’s Clean and Clear SPF 32 sunscreen. I’ll confess to avoiding sunscreen for many years (having temperamental skin makes one shy away from it, it’s a catch 22 for sure—wearing it can cause breakouts, not wearing it means skin damage in the long run), but now I use it faithfully. It took a number of tries for me to find one that works for my skin—chemical sunscreens are out (as they cause major irritation for me), but most physical sunscreens are thick, greasy affairs—not an elegant product to apply on their own, and absolutely horrid worn under makeup. I finally found an excellent product in BurnOut’s offering—a physical-only sunscreen that feels light and non-greasy and works fabulously under makeup. Oh, and it does its job well—the only sunburn I’ve gotten in the past six months that I’ve used this was due to me missing an area when I applied it (at the military benefit I forgot to apply sunscreen to my chest, and had a delightful red “V” for a few days. Lovely, it was.) Again, I’m already on my second tube, which really says something! If you’d like to try this product, it can be found here; it applies best on damp skin, so I apply moisturizer and then follow with sunscreen right away.

In the evenings, I use Arcona’s Raspberry Clarifying Pads—I cut the pads in half, as they are quite large. I adore these as well—they are well-suited to sensitive skin, and have a light, fruity scent. The other product I swear by is Avene’s Ystheal Emulsion, a retinol product that is the only one my skin has ever been able to tolerate. I mix a pump of it with a pump of Magic White Ice and apply after using half of a clarifying pad; this has been my nightly routine for the past few months and I am very pleased with it.

That’s it—my skincare routine is fairly basic and streamlined. It took me a number of years to find the right products, but I’m quite happy now, and recommend all of them. I'd love to hear your favorite products--what works best for you?

xoxo,
Amanda Lee

Ruby Red Lips

I'm wearing Lip Ink Energy Red in this photo

I’ve mentioned before that I’ve been a long-time fan of Lip Ink liquid lipstick, and Riika’s comment on another post inspired me to write a full-fledged review about it.

I’ve been a loyal user of Lip Ink for three years, and it is pretty much the only lipstick I wear anymore. Though I do adore Besame’s lipstick (Red Hot Red is my fave shade), and though I admit to the occasional impulse purchase tubes of ‘regular’ lipstick (just bought Revlon’s vintage-style tube of Fire n’Ice), I almost always reach for my Lip Ink! I love not worrying about my lipstick smearing, bleeding, or transferring to my coffee cup (and of course my Sweetie appreciates the fact that he can kiss me and not end up wearing lipstick too!) Over the years I had tried a number of indelible lipsticks—Cover Girl Outlast, MAC Pro Longwear, Revlon Colorstay—and was never very pleased with any of them. For one thing, they felt like I’d just applied a thick layer of lacquer to my lips. They also cracked, peeled, and dried to a lighter shade (and for someone who is addicted to bright red lipstick, having your color fade to a dull shade of red just won’t do.) On a whim I tried Lip Ink, and found it to be a true stain—but one that was comfortable to wear. The color stays true, it doesn’t crack or fade, and it’s non-drying as well (I find it actually heals dry lips.) I also find that it photographs like regular lipstick (instead of looking like you’ve applied a coat of paint to your lips), and so I wear it for nearly all of my photo shoots and fashion shows (it’s fantastic to not have to worry about smearing your lipstick on your clothing.) My favorite shade is Energy Red, a rich 1940s shade that I think of as very “Hedy Lamarr”, though I am also fond of Red (a bright pink-based red), Hot Pink (a shocking pink shade), Fuchsia (a deep raspberry shade), and Coral (a bright, true coral shade).

Lip Ink is a two-product lipstick—you apply a layer of color, let it dry for a few moments, and then top with a coat of their Lip Shine gloss. If you decide to try Lip Ink, I do recommend picking up a tube of Lip Shine as well—I love the LemonMint flavor—but unlike the other type of long-wearing lipsticks, you don’t need to reply it multiple times over the day to keep the color from cracking off. It just moisturizes and adds a nice shine to the lips. Lip Ink also sells a remover for their product, as most cleansers won’t take it off—but I discovered that plain ol’ rubbing alcohol removes it with ease. I realize that this sounds very unglamorous and drying to boot, but as I said above, there is something in the color that keeps my lips nice and soft (and my lips definitely are on the dry side to begin with), and I’d rather save my pennies for another tube of color or shine.

Lipsense Blu-Red
Now, I will say that it appears as though Lip Ink has changed their formula slightly, as the lipstick isn’t quite as indelible as it was when I first started wearing it. I still prefer it to regular lipstick hands down, but I do wish they would go back to the old formula! This led me to another product though, a similar liquid lip color made by Lipsense. I ordered a tube of Blu-Red over the holidays to compare (I read that this is Christina Aguilera’s favorite), and I find that in terms of staying power, Lipsense beats Lip Ink soundly. Applied once in the morning, I don’t need to touch it up all day, though I do refresh the gloss after lunch. There are two things that I don’t like as well though—the smell/taste (a horrid fakey rose scent that unfortunately lingers), and the finish (it dries to a very tacky finish, though the gloss remedies this fairly easily.) But on the whole I’ve been very pleased and will most likely purchase this again (I’d like to try the Cranberry shade next, I think.)

Lip Ink Red
So, that’s my two cents on this subject—I’d highly recommend either of these products to anyone on the hunt for a long-wearing red lipstick!


xoxo,
Amanda Lee

What's Your Scent Style?

Do you remember your first perfume? I do; I vividly remember receiving a bottle of Malibu Sun and Old Navy for my 13th Christmas (hope I haven’t dated myself too badly *tee hee*). It felt so grown up to have my very own perfume—even though it was one that wasn’t at all “grown up!” (But what did I know, right?) A few years later, when my middle sister moved out, she gave me her bottle of Lady Stetson and Charlie, and even though I don’t recall ever wearing either of these, just having them on my dresser made me feel ever so mature *smirk*.

Now my tastes have developed quite a bit, and I find myself drawn to floral and oriental scents. I particularly enjoy trying out vintage perfumes, and generally seek them out over modern creations. Chanel and Guerlain’s famous creations don’t agree with my chemistry (sadly, as I adore Shalimar on others—on me it smells of acrid powder), but as I’ve learned what scents suit me (both in style and chemistry), I’ve found a few that I love. One of my favorites is Tabu; this one was created in 1932, and though it has a negative rep these days (it is not a perfume that can be applied heavy-handed), I enjoy its spiciness. It’s a “man-magnet” too; whenever I wear it men seem to go crazy!


For something a little sweeter, I adore violet fragrances, particularly those of the candied variety. Two favorites are Violetta di Parma (created for Napoleon Bonaparte’s second wife) and Violettes de Toulouse (created in 1932); both are delicately sweet and perfect for spring and summer. My only complaint is that neither is very long lasting, but one can’t always have it all ;-)


I do wear a couple of modern perfumes as well—I’ve recently discovered two that I enjoy very much: Kenzo Flower and Caron Aimez Moi. Kenzo Flower is a delightful bouquet with a soft powdery tone; it has a definite vintage feel and I think that is one of the reasons I am drawn to it. It is a fragrance that people—both men and women—always comment on, and it’s fairly unique as well. Caron’s Aimez Moi was inspired by one of their famed scents, N’Aimez Que Moi, a perfume created in 1916 for soldiers to give to their sweethearts before they went off to war (. The latter is no longer readily available, and is said to be a more complex version of the Aimez Moi. However, I am quite taken with the warm, sweet rose and violet bouquet of the new version. The original is on my “someday” list though!

So, now that I’ve told you my scent style and history, do tell me about yours! What perfumes do you love, and what was your first perfume?

xoxo,
Amanda Lee

Beauty Finds

The beautiful Dolores Moran primping for the camera

I've been obsessed with cosmetics for many years; I've always suspected this had something to do with my mother not allowing me to wear makeup until I was a teen. She and my sisters are beauty minimalists (and are quite beautiful in their natural state, I might add, and of course being brunettes they were blessed with eyebrows that need no help), but I've been a glamour girl for many years! For me, applying makeup is an enjoyable experience, one that makes me feel feminine and well, glamorous, and I am always searching for the latest and greatest product (I attribute this to my grandmother, who was always trying the newest magic potions--it's got to be an inherited trait!)

A vintage look by Kryolan

So, I thought I would share a couple of my newest finds with you today! The first is a fantastic foundation made by Kryolan, a cosmetics company that started in 1945. As someone with very pale skin, finding a color match has always been a challenge. Because of this, I much prefer pro “stage” makeup lines, as they offer much wider color ranges (and I think we can all benefit from a greater variety of shades). Though they have a rep for being thick, “pancake” heavy makeups, the finishes and textures are actually quite lovely when properly applied. One needs a much thinner layer of product due to the higher pigment-to-filler ratio, and the high pigment concentration also means that the products wear very well (they need to survive under hot stage lights, making them great for hot/humid days.) I tried Kryolan’s TV Paint Stick on a whim, and have been thoroughly impressed with it for the few months I’ve used it. The finish is fantastic; it has lovely, buildable coverage; and the color TV White is a perfect match for my skin tone (which is about a MAC NC/NW5-10, if MAC made that color.) You can’t beat the $11 price tag, either! I've strayed a couple of times, but I always come back to this foundation--and dare I say it *gasp* I've lost all interest in trying more foundations!

The second product that I’ve recently tried is Proclaim Foaming Wrap Lotion. I cold set my hair using perm rods, and on occasion use setting lotion for extra hold (though on the whole, I set my hair with water only.) In the past I’ve been very loyal to Lottabody, but I may now be a convert to Proclaim! My hair is thick and fairly straight, and though color treated, it's in very good condition and now more reluctant to take the curl than it has been in the past. Enter Proclaim Foaming Wrap Lotion--and bam, my hair is curling like a dream! And the set lasts even better and longer than before--I am very pleased with my new solution. A mere $4 at Sally's sets you up with a generously-sized bottle that is easy to use (3-4 pumps of product, no diluting required) and pleasantly scented. Call me hooked!

So there you have it--my two latest beauty "wins"! What beauty finds have you come across lately, dear readers?

xoxo,

Amanda Lee