Skincare Routine: Tara

My skin in a nutshell; oily, hyper-pigmentation, dull. I have tried everything on the market that claims it will combat my breakouts and make my skin brighter, and keep the oils at bay. Yeah, my skin has it's bad days, but these products- my skin seems to love. 

Morning: After crawling out of my fortress of pillows in the morning, I cleanse my skin with Kiehl's Rare Earth Deep Pore Cleanser. I have Lani to thank for this, she raves about it all the time! And I love the "deep-pore" feeling this gives my skin. Spritz a little bit of Caudalie Beauty Elixir and you're ready to moisturize!(yes gals, even with oily skin you need to slap on some kind of moisturizer) and I love the gentle Aveeno Positively Radiant moisturizer and SPF 15 protection is always a good thing. Benefit It's Potent eye cream is perfect for that bit of moisture I need for under my eyes, and my adored Aquaphor saves my lips, I go through those puppies like it's no body's business!

Night: To remove makeup, I either use one of two products : Simple Cleansing facial wipes which remove my makeup with one wipe! I love how saturated the product is and unlike other makeup wipes I've tried, it cleanses- I hate when makeup removers just spread makeup around your face!
If my skin is feeling like it needs that extra bit of cleansing, I take a cotton round and soak it in Bioderma just to take any leftover residue off my skin, and use as a cleansing water. If I feel like going to my sink to cleanse instead, I once again use the Rare Earth Deep Pore Cleanser for a nice little scrub. I follow up with 4 drops of Josie Maran's 100% Pure Argan Oil to moisturize, it's so simple and natural and my skin soaks it up and keeps it hydrated all night! I again apply Benefit It's Potent eye cream and Aquaphor to my lips. If I have a few blemishes, I treat them with Lush Grease Lightning Tea Tree Cleanser (this also helps any hyper-pigmentation I have) it's super gentle and works amazing on blemishes without being too harsh. 

Extra: For a little extra skin-pampering, I love masks! Origin Clear Improvement is a charcoal-clay mask that is supposed to work wonders for your skin to not make it more clear, but brighter and more even- which is what I crave! 

What product could you not live without in your skincare routine? Any holygrails of yours I need to know about for my skin type?

Mini Mid-Summer Haul!

Tara's Haul

Sephora
Soap & Glory Hand Food: 
For the love of my hands I desperately needed to upgrade to the 4.2 fl. oz size, this hand cream not only keeps my hands nourished throughout the day, but also does not leave the sticky residue that other hand creams leave behind.

Caudalie Beauty Elixir:
This summer, I find myself spraying this lovely elixir all throughout the day to keep my face cool and hydrated, one spritz of this will make you feel like you're at the spa! This is a must-have at all times, your face will thank you later (:

Kiehl's
Rare Earth Deep Pore Daily Cleanser:
I was on a search for a new cleanser after I found myself stealing my sisters face wash... hehe! Lani recommended this amazing clay cleanser to me, and I've been loving it ever since! It really makes my skin feel fresh and the gentle scrubbers and clay base gives a perfect daily exfoliant to reveal smoother skin after the first use!  
 
Olive Fruit Oil Nurishing Conditioner:
Another thanks to Lani for opening my eyes to the power of great conditioners... The sun has not only been drying out m skin, but my hair as well! I apply this conditioner thoroughly to the ends of my hair and leave it on for 3 minutes. After only a couple uses I find that my hair is stronger and feels less dry at the ends! Thanks Lani :D

Macy's 
Laura Mercier Rouge Nouveau Lip Colour (Star):
Only Lord knows how we somehow got into the makeup department of Macy's... but I'm so glad! After lusting over Chanel's new cream blushes, on the other side of the counter we saw new Laura Mercier lippies! Hands ready to swatch, we went in with full force... I loved them! I ended up purchasing the color Star which is part of the sheer formula of these lip colours. It's truly a "my lips- but better" color and the natural finish makes these an ease to wear !

CVS  
Wet n Wild Matte Lipstick (Smokin' Hot Pink):
Since I had coupons to CVS I thought that I'd go a little bit out of my comfort zone and pick up this matte, coral-y pink to add to my collection. It is truly a HOT  lip color, but applied sheer it can give a pop to any makeup look ! Plus, it's 2 bucks...
 

Covergirl Outlast Stay Fabulous 3 in 1 Foundation (825 Buff Beige):
I have been interested in this foundation since it appeared in my local drugstore, but I have never used a foundation by Covergirl so I had no idea what to expect. After trying it, it applies very nicely and blends well. I will say that it does oxidize throughout the day, and becomes a darker color than once applied. I guess i'll be saving this until I get some more sun!

Sally Hansen Xtreme wear Nail Color (Breezy Blue): 
I have a few other colors from this Sally Hansen range, and when I saw this creamy light blue, I needed it in my life! Definitely my next polish color change (: 

Lani's Haul

Sephora

Soap & Glory's The Righteous Body Butter Lotion:
I had a wee sample of this from Sephora a while back and I was swooning over the scent-it's so feminine without being sickly sweet or too overpowering. Such a perfect scent to have on if you don't feel like wearing perfume during the warmer months!

Kiehl's

Ultra Facial Cleaner (travel size)
Kiehl's is one brand that I swear by-it never fails to impress! I decided to try this on a whim because I need a moisturizing cleanser for when I go to Kauai. Despite the warm and humid climate, my skin tends to get really dry and flaky because I'm always in the ocean.

Macy's

Laura Mercier Rouge Nouveau Lip Colour (Mink)
This product really caught my eye when Tara and I were carousing through the Macy's makeup department! I had never seen it before and was really intrigued by the formula-it felt so weightless and we ended up standing there swatching the same colors for who knows how long. The color is a gorgeous muted red-a bit of a brick red but more faded. Perfect for summer and fall!

CVS 
NYC Long Wearing Nail Enamel (Plaza Plumberry 139)
Thanks to Tara, she got this nail polish for me for free with her CVS coupons! FREE. Deep vampy reds and burgundy's are my absolute favorite nail colors for fall and winter so I'll definitely by debuting this the minute September rolls around.