#bblogs

whenever i need to find something on the internet.... eye brows.

beaut.e ~

love the packaging on the holiday collection

excuse my cuticles.

~glowy~

new fave facial spray

my favorite lil bby out of glossier’s entire skincare line, the super pure serum is soothing and calming but works hard to treat and prevent breakouts. you can purchase it alone or in the super pack (with super bounce and super glow, too!) 

gentle enough for everyday use but effective enough that it gets the job done, super pure is the perfect addition to anyone’s skincare routine if they’re looking to treat breakouts.

You read it right.

Put those nightmares about St. Ive’s Apricot Scrub out of your pretty little heads because it’s about to go down. There’s so much more to exfoliating your skin than scrubbing your face so hard it’s red and sore afterwards (yikes!!!). I know this because, ugh, I’ve been there.

One disclaimer here is that over-exfoliation is very damaging to your skin, but the right amount can really help you see a difference in skin tone, texture, and even (ding ding ding!) reduction of acne. Those might sound like some pretty big claims but hey, it’s true, take it from someone who knows.

Let’s just jump right into it, because there’s a lot to cover here. We’re going to start off by distinguishing between physical and chemical exfoliants. Pretty simple stuff, but it gets slightly more complicated so hold onto your sunhats (wear spf every day plz!)

Physical exfoliants are exactly what you think they are, they physically remove dead skin off the top layer of your skin, leaving you with a supple, radiant, if slightly tender-to-the-touch, complexion. Marvelous. The thing with physical exfoliation is that you really shouldn’t do it too often because how frequently can you realistically resurface the skin on your face? It doesn’t turnaround that quickly. 

If you’re considering adding physical exfoliation to your routine, I’d suggest starting with once (MAYBE twice) a week and working upwards from there. It’s all about what you think YOUR skin can handle! Personally, I exfoliate with the LUSH Ocean Salt Cleanser. With something this coarse, you need to be EXCEPTIONALLY careful, because exfoliants like ocean salt can cause microtears in your skin. I barely scrub it in before washing it off, but it really leaves my skin feeling refreshed and clean yet soft and hydrated (avocado butter helps with that!)

Chemical exfoliants come in two categories (for the sake of this post): Alpha and Beta Hydroxy Acids. Trust me it’s not as scientific and daunting as it sounds. Think of the Pixi Glow Tonic, that’s an Alpha Hydroxy Acid (AHA for short) that’s responsible for aiding in wiping away dead skin cells. Simple as that! There are a few different types of AHA’s, but for the sake of length of this post, I’ll let Skincare Addiction handle that breakdown.

Beta Hydroxy Acids (BHA’s) work by removing the nasty dirt, pollution, and **shocker** other dead skin cells from your pores, purging them, in a sense. The most commonly uses BHA is Salicylic Acid, and if you haven’t heard of that what are you doing reading a skincare blog...? Think of those red Stridex containers -- BHA! See? You were all scientific and fancy and you didn’t even know it.

Some BHA’s can be a bit strong, especially with the inclusion of alcohol in the ingredients. I personally tried the Stridex without alcohol and with aloe infused and my skin was a dry patchy mess in a DAY. And I’m combo - oily!

The safest thing to note with exfoliants, physical and chemical, is that it’s not one size fits all, and you definitely need to introduce them slowly into your routine so that you don’t cause any damage (like I did with the BHA I introduced too quickly AND combined with tretinoin.... terrible idea, but we’ll get to tret at another time!)

Happy Monday beauties!

Let’s talk - my go-to AM eye cream.

I got a sample of the Clinique Pep Start Eye Cream when I bought a makeup brush off a girl on /r/MakeupExchange and have not looked back since! I first forayed into eye creams and gels around summer of last year. I figured that it couldn’t hurt to hydrate and potect one of the most fragile and sensitive areas on my face, and I was right!

My PM eye cream is the ROC Retinol Correction eye cream. I’m DEFINITELY not trying to get crow’s feet before my time, so retinol is the perfect power-player to add to my routine. More on that one later (;

As for Pep Start, the key ingredients here are peptides, AKA amino acids responsible for repairing and restoring damaged skin. Whenever I wake up with THE puffiest of undereyes (which BTW is really frequently...) I gently (GENTLY!!!) pat a few dabs of Pep Start under my eyes until it blends in. Then I’m all good to go! Within minutes, I notice my under-eye area is significantly more hydrated and looks a LOT more awake. All in all, my early-morning commute every day doesn’t suck quite as much as it should (:

If you’re never tried it, I definitely suggest getting a sample next time Sephora has it as a Beauty Insider reward (; A little bit goes a long way!