summer makeup.

Foundation: Laura Mercier Moisture Supreme Foundation in Warm Ivory (currently unavailable in the U.S.)

Powder: Make Up For Ever HD Microfinish Powder

Blush/Bronzer: Nars Blush/Bronzer Duo in Orgasm/Laguna

Highlighter: Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Dim Light

Illuminator: W3ll People Bio Brightener Stick in Moonstone

Eyebrows: Lancome Sourcils Gel Waterproof Eyebrow Gel/Cream in 05 brun

Eye Primer: Laura Mercier Eye Basics in Linen

Eyeshadow: W3ll People Elitist Eyeshadow Powder in Sparkling Salmon

Eyeliner: Stila Smudge Stick Waterproof Eye Liner in Stingray

Mascara: Benefit They're Real! Lengthening & Volumizing Mascara in Black

Lip Liner: Revlon ColorStay Lip Liner in Natural

Lipstick: Maybelline Lipstick in Bronzed 295

dealing with rosacea.

So, last time I posted, March?!, my face was all sorts of jacked up. I vowed to fix it and planned to keep track of what worked and didn't work. Except, nothing worked. Every single thing -- no matter how highly rated, how expensive, how natural, or how dermatologist-recommended -- irritated my face. I finally did what I should have done years ago and got professional help. I left that first dermatologist visit with a diagnosis of rosacea, a prescription for metronidazole topical cream, and a warning that I needed to start wearing sunblock every single day no matter what.

After that, immediately, I did the following:

Went back to basics. I used only the skincare products I already knew worked: Simple Moisturizing Facial Wash (lukewarm water, no washcloth), the prescription cream, and CeraVe Facial Moisturizing Lotion PM (only when needed). No more experimenting.

Used sunscreen daily. My dermatologist said sun exposure is the number 1 trigger for rosacea. I've tried many sunscreens over the years, and zinc oxide is the only sun protection that doen't irritate my face. (The two I like a lot are Cotz Sensitive SPF 40 and SmartStuff Natural Mineral Based for Face and Body SPF 30. Both contain 20% zinc oxide; both leave a white cast despite the claims. The Cotz has less of a white cast, the SmartStuff is all natural and reef safe. I use a ton of it, let it sink in and then apply makeup and that works on my fair skin.) I also started rocking a straw hat whenever I can, it's been in the 100s here in Texas and I figure my face needs all the help it can get hiding from the sun.

Refocused on my diet. I haven't eaten much dairy since 2011, but I started making a real effort to cut out every bit of it, along with all soy, sugar and non-whole grains. There are exceptions, of course,  but they are definitely exceptions and not the norm. I already drank 4.5L of water daily, made sure to eat at least one fruit high in vitamin c every day (usually an orange or grapefruit), and the only meat I've eaten in the last 5 years is seafood. I'm also trying to remember to take vitamins, but still forget to take them more often than not.

And some, maybe all, of this helped. Within two months, my face was remarkably better. The dryness and the tiny bumps went away for the most part, and the redness lessened to some extent (except when I have a drink, take a hot bath, or eat a cough drop). I had some breakouts, but my dermatologist suggested switching to a metronidazole topical gel instead of a cream and I haven't broken out since.

This isn't to say that everything is perfect, I still need to figure out how to help prevent the effects of my skin's aging without irritating it, as well as deal with the effects of the years of untreated rosacea including broken capillaries and pigmentation, but at least I don't want to cry every time I look in the mirror. And once I got my face back on the right track I was even been able to add in a few extras - skincare products that wouldn't fall in the basic necessities but are nice to have. But that's a whole other story - to be continued.

honey face.

Honey by Nicola Albertini.

I imagined that by now, well into my 30s, my only skincare concern would be wrinkle prevention. But wrinkles are the last thing on my mind. Redness, irritation, hormonal acne, and sensitivity are things I struggle with more and more. I've been using the simplest bare minimum of products (Simple Moisturizing Facial Wash and Cerave PM Facial Moisturizing Lotion). Besides not being very fun, this regimen has been doing absolutely nothing as far as real skin improvement. I need to figure out how to properly exfoliate, hydrate, and heal my skin, while still keeping it from totally freaking out. I hate wasting money on products, but it's obviously I'm going to have to experiment. I figured that I might as well try to stick to natural stuff if possible. (It seems like the world is getting worse in so many ways, but the trendiness of green, eco, and non-toxic beauty does give me a little hope that it's getting better in a few ways too.)

First up, raw honey.

Spoiler: honey is not a good face cleanser. 

It sounds crazy, but I've read so many people swear how using just raw unfiltered honey to wash their face has transformed their skin. I love the thought of using something so simple and natural to cleanse my face, plus I love the smell of honey so much that I would use it as perfume, so I had to give it a shot. I bought a jar of local honey (Texas Wildflower Raw - unfiltered and unheated and creamy - from Good Flow Honey Co.) for about $12 from Whole Foods. (I made sure it moved easily when I flipped the jar over, since I had read that it can be hard to spread across your face). I committed to using it for at least a whole week before making any decisions.

I really, really loved the experience of using this honey as face wash -- the smell (heavenly) and feel (mildly exfoliating) -- and I loved the way my skin felt afterwards (soft and silky). First off, I poured a small amount of the honey into a small container so that I could keep it in the bathroom and stick fingers into it without contaminating the whole jar (you know, just in case I wanted to use ther rest in my tea instead of on my face). I put my hair back, wet my face with warm water, washed my face as if the honey were actually my face cleanser, then used a washcloth and warm water to wipe it off. I used it in the morning only because I wear makeup and it seemed silly to pre-wash my face with actual face wash and then wash it again with honey. The honey was sticky, but I kinda liked having to be more mindful when washing my face to keep it from dripping everywhere. I kept using it a whole week even though I could feel my face getting clogged right away (is it possible that you can actually feel that? I swear I did). By the end of the week, my face was broken out worse than it has been in many years. Basically, honey totally sucks at actually cleaning a face. The only good thing to come from from this experiment is that I got to test a couple of new spot treatments.

What a big natural fail. I can't really be too surprised because it is a pretty counterintuitive idea, but I am jealous of the people this works for. But I mean, those people could probably wash their face with anything and have it work, right?

natural deodorant.

Almost five years ago, I decided to try to stop using conventional antiperspirants. Since then, I've gone back and forth from conventional antiperspirants, to deodorants that claimed to be safer and only kinda worked, and truly safe deodorants that totally didn't work. For a while I even used the crystal deodorant, which kinda worked as long as I showered every night and used it fastidiously while having wet underarms, but then I read that it works because it contains aluminum. Ugh.

Basically anything that kinda worked well had dubious claims as to truly being safe. I felt like I was trading a long shot at safety for an inferior product. I was constantly self-conscious about being stinky. And I was wasting a lot of money, since most of the tubes I tried from Whole Foods or the grocery were used a few times and discarded. I asked my husband, who is a super skeptical science-y guy, to do some research into it and let me know if I should even be worried about antiperspirants and health issues. So he did, and my "everything is a chemical" guy came back and told me I should try not to use anti-perspirants. Finally, I started looking into higher-end natural deodorants. The kinds that cost more than $10 and aren't available anywhere local. There's no way I was spending $20 plus shipping on a deodorant that I'd use once, so I started reading countless reviews on products and ingredients, even diy recipes. I decided against formulas with baking soda (because of skin irritation) or alcohol (because of health implications). I didn't want to use diatomaceous earth (it grosses me out). I specifically looked for products for sensitive skin. This left me with a short list.

The first product I decided to order, based on reviews (and my love for cats, what?) was Meow Meow Tweet's Grapefruit Baking Soda Free Deodorant Cream. It's vegan, all-natural, organic and it worked better than anything natural that I had used before. I liked the smell which, unlike some of the floral or coconut-scented deodorants I've tried, helped mask rather than accentuate my natural body odor and didn't interfere with my perfume. I didn't mind rubbing it into my (clean) pits at all, although that was a common complaint on a lot of deodorant cream reviews. And did I mention, it worked? (I mean, mostly worked. I had to reapply after workouts or excessive sweating, but I could live with that.) I had initially ordered the mini size (for $8), and when I actually used that up, I re-ordered a big size (for $14). I loved it. But the downside, besides the price and inconvenience of having to order my deodorant off of the internet, was that it was hard to rub in. It sort of gathered in the underarm creases and left white marks on my clothes. Also, I had read that using starch in warm damp places could cause problems (underarm yeast infection? yikes) although those issues were not specifically about Meow Tweet products.

Soooooooo, I decided to try to make my own. This was the first time I've diy'd anything really, but I figured I didn't have much to lose. I used the ingredients that worked for me from the deodorant cream, minus the arrowroot powder, and consulted many different online diy recipes as as rough guidelines for ratios of powders to carrier oils to essential oils. I spent a few days making batch after batch of creams until I found the right recipe for scent, consistency and protection:

Shea butter, 1 tablespoon
Coconut oil, 1/2 tablespoon
Grape Seed oil, 1/2 tablespoon
Magnesium oxide powder, 2 tablespoons
Bergamot essential oil, 5-10 drops
Grapefruit essential oil, 10-20 drops

Sweet orange essential oil, 10-20 drops

Lemon essential oil, 10-20 drops

Since it's super easy to make -- just melt and mix -- I can make a super tiny batch at a time and not worry so much about homemade beauty product issues like lack of preservatives and bacteria growth. I also make sure to sterilize the jar and utensils used by boiling them. I've been using this recipe now for about 6 months and I still really love it. It's actually much different in texture than the Meow Meow Tweet cream, this one's softer and less paste-like. I like that it melts in a bit better and wipes off a bit easier if I use too much. Of course, it still doesn't work quite as well as antiperspirants containing aluminum, so I have an teeny tiny jar that I keep in my purse for really long days. I can live with that.

It's sort of weird to have come to the end of the great natural deodorant search, but that's where I am. For those of you still on it, I would highly recommend starting with Meow Meow Tweet.

bouquet of roses.

Untitled by Krišjānis Kamradzis

I've been on sort of a scavenger hunt lately for a new favorite perfume, reading reviews and description online for hours, sniffing bottles at Sephora until my nose is numb, and even ordering samples of the obscure scents I want to try. I haven't quite found a new signature, but I have found a new love for rose scents. Rose perfume isn't something I ever thought I would like, but I've become sort of obsessed with it (and right in time for Valentine's day!). Rose can go wrong in a hurry, but here are some good ones I've tried and loved. I'd pick any one of these over a box of chocolate or literal bouquet of roses any day.

Serge Lutens La Fille de Berlin eau de Parfum - I can't get this mix of peppery garden roses and raspberries out of my mind

Maison Martin Margiela Replica Lazy Sunday Morning eau de Toilette - the description says is soft skin and bed linen, it's a soft musk blended with a long-stemmed red rose

Lush Imogen Rose Solid Perfume - an earthy, hippie rose in a portable tin

L'Occitane Roses et Reines Hand and Nail Cream - a pure rose that's so old-fashioned it smells modern

Andalou Organics 1000 Roses Soothing Hand Lotion - silky moisturizing lotion with a light, sweet floral scent

slapper

I decided my summer “wild card” color would be teal blue and this time I tried Butter London’s Slapper. I hadn’t used Butter before, and was wary to spend $15 on a nail polish from a brand I’d never tried, but it’s fantastic. I love the Butter polish so much I’m ready to replace all of my nail polishes with Butter polishes!

Above is what I would consider to be the perfect nail polish wardrobe: sheer pink/nude: Pink Ribbon, opaque light pink: Teddy Girl, hot pink: Primrose Hill, orange red: Ladybird, wild card (teal!): Slapper, bright red: Pillar Box Red, blood red: Saucy Jack, navy: Royal Navy, white: Cotton Buds, and black: Union Jack.

summer beauty basics

While everyone else is ready for back to school, I feel like I’m just now getting into a summer routine. Luckily for me, I still have a month or two of almost-hundred-degree weather. Here in Texas, summer is definitely still here. And these super hot days always necessitate a change in beauty products. These are my favorite summer beauty products right now.

  

Marcelle Golden Glow BB Cream

This was a Birchbox find and may be exclusive to the site. It has great coverage for a bb cream, and a golden shimmer that’s not really noticeable except for adding a brightening or dewy effect. It’s perfect to use in place of a foundation during the summer when my skin is tanned and doesn’t need quite as much coverage.

Urban Decay Naked Basics Eyeshadow Palette

Not just for summer, this is the perfect palette for a basic neutral eye. I use the matte colors only for combining with the dewy face and cheeks. Walk of Shame (very light nude) and Naked2 (taupe) on the lids, and Crave (deepest, darkest brown/black) smudged across my lash line. These warm colors are great for summer, and I’ll definitely check out the cooler-toned Naked2 Basics palette for winter.

CoverGirlCheekers Bronzer in Golden Tan

This is the first year I’ve ever tried using a bronzer, and I’m hooked. It took a lot of looking before I found this little guy. It’s inexpensive (less than 4$) and shimmery without being glittery or sparkly. Throw out the little brush it comes with. I use it in place of blush on my cheeks and as eyeshadow too if I’m in a hurry. Fun fact: I used Cheekers blushes all through high school.

L'OrealParis Voluminous Waterproof Mascara in Black

Ok, this mascara isn’t actually waterproof. I’ve worn in the pool and looked like a raccoon after a few dips. But it is more natural-looking than my usual (let’s be honest, few mascaras are less natural-looking than Diorshow BlackOut http://www.sephora.com/diorshow-black-out-mascara-P175208), and can stand up to the sweat and sun. It’s impossible to remove with just soap and water; I use almond oil to remove it before washing my face.

Nars LipGloss in Stolen Kisses

I’ve gone through three tubes of this sparkling caramel pink gloss. It’s the perfect nude gloss for my skin tone, and a staple for casual style. Your perfect nude will probably be a different shade, but you can't go wrong with Nars glosses.

TarteLipSurgence Natural Lip Tint
 in Spirited

This is summer’s answer to a red lip, although it’s a staple year-round. It’s the perfect glossy orange-red shade, buildable so it can go from sheer to bold, and as easy to apply and wear as chapstick. This is one of my all-time favorite lipstick shades, so of course they discontinued it. Next, I think I’ll try Urban Decay Super-Saturated High Gloss Lip Color in Punch Drunk as a possible replacement.

Banana BoatAloe Vera with Vitamin E Sunscreen Lip Balm, SPF 45

On no-lipstick days –  whether I'm jogging along the river to heading to the pool –  this Banana Boat lip balm with SPF 45 replaces my strawberry Chapstick.

Supergoop!Everyday Sunscreen SPF 50

I put this on instead of moisturizer in the morning under makeup. It’s not greasy, absorbs right away, and doesn’t leave a white residue, even though I use a lot of it. It doesn't irritate my eyes and, most importantly, doesn’t cause breakouts. It’s also water-resistant, although I always add a wide-brimmed hat and sunglasses when I go to the pool or the beach. It’s pricy, but less expensive than the moisturizer it’s replacing, and totally worth it for protecting my face.

Banana BoatSport Performance Lotion Sunscreen in SPF 30

Most drugstore spfs cause major breakouts, but not this one. If you read the fine print, you’ll notice it is fragrance free. It absorbs easily and is inexpensive enough that I can slather on as much as I want to, and I use a lot of it. (This is for when I’m going to be outside for a little while. If I’m going to the pool or the beach, I use the SPF 50 or 100.)

Not YourMother's Beach Babe Texturizing Shampoo

The first shampoo that my husband and I both love to use. It smells like a day at the beach, and not in a fake coconut-scented way. I have to wash my hair much more often in the summer and this stuff combined with some surf spray makes it seem like I didn’t, but in a good way. Tips: Skip the matching conditioner – it’s no good – and make sure to swap it out for a clarifying shampoo about once a week to prevent build-up.

birchbox favorites

My sister gave me a gift subscription to Birchbox for Christmas last year. Birchbox is a monthly subscription service that sends you a box of 4-5 beauty samples a month for $10 a month. To be honest, I wasn’t sure if I was going to like it.

I’m not really an experimenter when if comes to beauty, in fact I’m the opposite. My goal is to find the perfect version of whatever I need and never have to look for it again. Turns out that I love getting a present in the mail each month, and I really look forward to it. Even on months when I don’t like most of the samples, I still love getting my box. But there is usually one standout that I’m so glad to have tried (hello bb creams!). Here are my favorite new products from the first half of 2014:

Paula’s Choice RESIST C15 Super Booster

This stuff is supposed to be mix into your moisturizer or serum and used to fade dark spots. I used it directly first on two small recent burn scars (on my arm from my curling iron and on my hand from a hot pan), and I swear I could see the difference right away.

Supergoop!® Everyday SPF 30 with Cellular Response Technology

Supergoop!® Anti-Aging City Sunscreen Serum SPF 30

Supergoop! is my new favorite sunscreen brand. It goes on smoothly and absorbs without leaving a white residue. I used it after washing my face in place of moisturizer when I’m going to be outside or exercising and haven’t had any breakouts or dryness. I’ve sampled the Everyday and the Anti-aging City Sunscreen Serum and they are both great, but I prefer the Everyday because it’s water-resistant.

COOLA Tinted Matte SPF 30 for Face

I adore the matte texture of this spf, and it’s one of my sister’s favorite products. It goes on so smoothly that I was ready to order the first time I used it, but then my face broke out right afterwards. I’m not sure if it was this product, my new exercise routine, or just a coincidence, but I’ll probably hold off on using it, just in case.

ORIGINS Smarty Plants™ CC SPF 20 Skin Complexion Corrector

The first (and only, so far) alphabet creams I’ve ever tried came in Birchboxes. This one is comparable to a sheer tinted moisturizer – it doesn’t provide much coverage – mixed with an illuminating lotion and is great for a very natural look. Bonus: It’s got a nice scent and SPF.

Marcelle BB Cream Golden Glow

This BB cream is thicker than the Origins and provides a bit better coverage, with the same glow effect. I don’t know if the one universal shade with self-adjusting pigments would actually work on everyone, but it did on me. I like to mix it in with my liquid foundation (to get the coverage and the glow) and I love that it’s perfume- and oil-free.

Coastal Scents® Revealed 2 Palette Set

I’d never heard of Coastal Scents before, but I loved the 4 eyeshadow colors in my sample so much that I found myself looking for duplicates of the colors at a beauty store, then ultimately decided just to purchase the Coastal Scents palette when I finish my Urban Decay Naked palette. This is the most excited I’ve been about eyeshadow in a long time.

PIXI Beauty Shea Butter Lip Balm

Even though the Pixi Pink I sampled wasn’t the best choice for my coloring, I still really loved this lip balm. It’s soft and moisturizing, but not greasy, with buildable color that really lasts. Bonus: it’s inexpensive and available at Target.

Cynthia Rowley Beauty Eyeliner

I am a die-hard jet black liquid eyeliner fan, but Birchbox sent me this eyeliner in silver and it’s absolutely beautiful. The pencil is more like a gel than a pencil –  it’s creamy rather than hard It glides on and blends well, doesn’t break, and hasn’t dried up after several months. What more can you ask for? Plus, the silver is just so sparkly and shimmery. It won’t replace my stila, but I would definitely recommend it to others.

Camille Beckman Glycerine Hand Therapy™

In Midnight Monarch, which is described as having “top notes of jasmine and bergamot over a base of patchouli and sweet vanilla amber”. This is really thick and way too scented for me to ever use as a hand lotion, but I love the scent and wore it on my pulse points like I would a solid perfume. (This is the only perfume/scented product that I’ve gotten from Birchbox and liked.)

Klorane Dry Shampoo with Oat Milk

Hands down the best dry shampoo I’ve used, and I’ve used a lot of different brands. Expensive relative to most, but this is one product that lives up to its reputation.

Birchbox isn’t perfect. Annoyingly, their website never lets me write product reviews (using my computer, although I can from my hubby’s iPad). And these 11 products are the only ones I’ve liked, less than half of the samples I’ve received. (This could be improved greatly by asking about scent and color preferences in the user profile.) But, it’s still a fun experience and I’ve found some products that I love, so I consider that a win.

better skin in two hard steps

Step 1: Find the right products. A girlfriend talked me into getting a facial (my first) with her about four years ago. While I don’t think the facial itself did anything to improve my skin, I think it was really beneficial to speak with someone knowledgeable who could look at my skin, recommend a skincare regimen, and have access to better products than I could find at the drugstore. (I would suspect a dermatologist could do an even better job.)  I bought all the basics that day and used them religiously; then went for another facial a year later to fine-tune and update my regimen. I don’t know if spending a lot of money on products made me take it more seriously and do a better job taking care of my face, or whether the more expensive, tailored products just worked much better-- maybe both.

Current lineup (shown above): Refreshing Facial Wash Gel by Simple, Toleriane Riche by La Roche-Posay, Redermic Plus Normal to Combination Skin by La Roche-Posay, Retinol 0.5 Refining Night Cream by SkinCeuticals, Sheer Physical UV Defense SPF 50 by SkinCeuticals, Lip Quench by DermStore, Clarifying Clay Masque by SkinCeuticals.

I wash my face day and night with a gentle cleanser, use the toleriane moisturizer each morning (or sunscreen if I'm going to the pool), alternate the retinol and redermic creams at night, and use the clay mask in the bathtub once a week. I'm obsessed with lip balm and moisturizers, and lip quench is the best I've ever found. I use it constantly.

I buy most of my products from Dermstore. I love them. Shipping is superfast, free for $100 purchases, and they usually have a fun bonus. Here’s a picture of what they sent as a free gift last time; I was pleasantly shocked:

And all keep-worthy. My favorites are the Stila Sparkle Waterproof Liquid Eye Liner in Sequins (Stila's liquid eyeliner is my daily go-to, and I love the slight silver sparkle for getting a bit more fancy), Dermstore Lip Quench (smart to include this as a free gift, as I will be buying it for life now), and the Mirabella Shimmerati powder in Afterglow. I wear these a lot and will buy again for sure.

Step 2: Cutting out dairy. One year ago, I stopped eating meat. Then eggs. Then dairy.* It took about two weeks of being a vegan to notice that my face looked really good. Like not even the tiniest breakout. I commented to my husband, who correlated it to the veganism. I cut foods out in stages, and my skin only noticeable improved after removing every last bit of the dairy. If you read about it one the internet, many sources claim going dairy-free can improve your skin and it was true for me. (TMI: it also lessened my PMS symptoms, like, a lot, which come to think of it is probably all tied in together. Hormones.)

*I’ve since added in bi-valves (clams, oysters, mussels) and let myself be a bit lax about the dairy when I’m eating out at a restaurant. I really need to make the effort to be super strict about dairy in my diet, for the sake of the animals and my face.