QUARANTINE BEAUTY PRODUCTS THAT MAKE ME HAPPY

 Hello from a nearly six month long OOO from the blog! Between working and living in this new normal of the pandemic, I feel like I've been living in a fog these past few months. It's so strange when I really think about how my own life has changed this year, and I'm sure a lot of us feel in the same boat. Living in New York in particular, it's been something going through all these phases of lockdown and re-opening. I do try my best to stay positive and keep routines/do things that keep my spirits lifted, but of course I have my days where I feel really stressed and anxious. 

For me, I've always found joy in beauty products- in my teens this equated to color cosmetics, but nowadays I'm much more into skincare (like most other beauty lovers these days). Here are a mix of products I've been using during lockdown that make me feel happier, including some great products to use in mask makeup looks :)

MY MAKEUP REMOVAL ROUTINE

It's been a whiles since my last post... the last three months have been really crazy! I took a brief hiatus from posting due to just how busy everything else has been in my life. I ended 2019 working two jobs and an extra project, but now things are starting to get back to normal. I'm glad to start off the Year of the Rat back on here writing about my favorite topics again! Last night we hosted a Chinese New Year party at my house which featured me in a full face of makeup... something pretty rare these days! It made me think about how important my makeup removal routine is and how much it's changed in the last few years. I used to just use a makeup wipe and call it a day, then something totally changed that...

PRODUCTS I'M LOVING: AUGUST 2019

August was a great product discovery month for me! This summer got a little crazy, and posting up here on the blog definitely got away from me... BUT I have some really awesome new stuff to share today. Some of this I already shared on my insta account, but I'll get into some more detailed info here. Keep reading for why I love these new additions so much!!

LOW MAINTENANCE PRODUCTS I'M USING ALL SUMMER LONG

NYC has hit the time of the year where even a minute outside leaves me a sweaty mess. DON'T even ask me how I look after five minutes waiting on the subway platform.... Really though, I sweat very easily in general and now that it's actually humid I'm finding any makeup I attempt to do just kind of slides off. At the moment I'm fairly tan and just looking for products that can help enhance my look to a grade above "just rolled out of bed" and keep my skin/hair healthy and happy. Keep reading to see what I have in my routine now!

PRODUCTS I'M LOVING: JUNE 2019

I think it's safe to say we're officially in summertime weather here in NYC! It's so nice to walk down the street in the morning and not have to face freezing cold wind whipping you in the face. Anyways, I shared one of these "products I love" posts a little while back, and after some thought think it will work well as a semi-monthly series. Keep reading for my June favorites!

MY UPDATED SKINCARE ROUTINE

This year has been FLYING by! A little while ago, one of my classmates dm'd me on Instagram asking about my skincare routine. When I sent over my last blog post on my full skincare routine to her, I realized it's time for an update! I'm constantly trying new products and so my skincare routine changes a lot, but there are a few things that are too good to stray from. Keep reading for my breakdown!

NEW BEAUTY PRODUCTS I'M LOVING

As you've been able to see over the years on this blog, I accumulate A LOT of beauty products. What started out as me spending all the money I saved working summer jobs during high school at Target and my local drugstores has THANKFULLY turned into being in a place where I can get some for free. The rest I strategically buy using coupons and sales. Now that I'm officially working in the beauty industry, my love for finding new products and sharing them on here is becoming an even bigger part of my life! Keep reading below for a breakdown of some new products I've recently started using that I'm really digging!

HOW I TREATED MY WORST BREAK OUT EVER

I'm telling a tale of caution today on the blog. Just a day or two before this past New Year's, I had the absolute WORST breakout I've ever had and it was definitely my fault. I don't have pictures because I didn't think to take any, but I'm sharing how I finally got over it right here right now!

MY FACE MASK ROUTINES

Giving the people what they want to read, all my different face mask routines! I put a poll on my Instagram story recently asking who would want to read about the different face masks I use. The response was really positive, and so here I am writing this thing! In the past two years, my interest has taken a big shift from makeup to skincare. Face masks are a big part of my skincare routine, and I'm really glad that other people are interested in learning more about that. Keep reading to see my winning combination of masks (because some I use in a row) and what they're best used for.

MY MAKEUP ROUTINE

There's a reason why I haven't seriously bought any new makeup in a very long time: I always end up using the same handful of products! Back when I started blogging, I tried really hard to keep up with new releases so I could review them. About a year and a half in, I realized that wasn't sustainable because it would take me forever to actually use those products up. So I stopped buying new products and worked on using stuff up. Even with that, between gifts and press bags, I still accumulated all this stuff. Now I resort to giving it away to friends and family, and even though I try to switch things up myself I always seem to go back to this one makeup routine! Keep reading for a breakdown of all the products and my favorite uses for them.

BEST MOISTURIZING PRODUCTS FOR WINTER

WOW-- I think as I've gotten older, my skin has become way more sensitive to cold weather. I have reoccurring patches of irritated skin on my hands which become just awful in cold, dry air. Constant lotion helps, but I actually have an ointment to take care of that. As for other parts of my body, like hands, nails, and lips, I have a whole fleet of products to keep me from turning into a real life raisin. Keep reading to see all of my favorites!

BEST SUMMER LIP GLOSSES

Helllooooo!! I'm having such a great time in this summer weather-- the humidity and temperatures have finally leveled off a bit out here on Long Island, and it's nice to be able to sit comfortably outside again! I'm so much in the summer spirit (#SALTLIFE) that I'm showing off some of my favorite lip glosses for this time of year. Between general summer skin things (sweatier skin = healthy gleam) and makeup trends right now (dewy/glossy everything), this post should be pretty helpful. Keep reading for my top 5 lip gloss picks!

MY FAVORITE MOISTURIZERS

Happy Sunday! I have mentioned before that my skin gets very dry very easily. That's why I thought it would be nice to share some of the best moisturizers I've come across for anyone else in the same position! Keep reading for pictures and my little commentary!

MY HIGHLIGHTER COLLECTION: PICS + THOUGHTS

Hello everybody! I was brainstorming up some post ideas this past week, and it came to me that I've never really talked about highlighters before! I do have a post on how to make highlighter pop, which you can read here, but nothing on the all the ones that I own. Keep reading to check out the highlighters I've invested in and what I think about them!

FENTY BEAUTY HAUL/REVIEW

I think it's definitely safe to say at this point that between Rihanna's Fenty Puma and Fenty Beauty collections, I've spent enough to buy the woman at least two first class dinners. Last weekend I finally splurged on two Fenty Beauty products I have been dying to get! Keep reading for my full review of the Match Stix Trio and Gloss Bomb!

CURRENT HYDRATION FAVES

Happy Sunday everybody! The inspiration behind this post comes from a series of conversations I've had over the past week with different friends. Yet another blizzard hit New York this past week, and with it some really miserable, dry cold. I've spoken to quite a few people about how this weather just dries out skin and hair. I'm someone who's really prone to dryness, especially on my hands which get eczema flair-ups. So I've put together a little list of products that help me keep my body hydrated, keep reading for the breakdown!

MARIO BADESCU MASKS REVIEW

Happy Saturday guys! Last week some of you may have seen on my Instagram that Ulta was having a 50% off sale on Mario Badescu masks. Of course, I had to head over and pick up a few new treats for me. My family loves Mario Badescu masks, so after buying a few more I decided to make this post. Of the five masks in my household, two are mine, two are my mom's, and one is my sister's. Keep reading for our opinions of these five masks!

MY FAVORITE TREAT YOURSELF PRODUCTS

Anyone close to me (and anyone who watches my Instagram stories for that matter) knows how much I love pampering my self. Skincare has had a special place in my heart for a long time, so usually my special at-home spa nights focus a lot on face products. Keep reading to see my favorite special occasion products!

MY TEETH WHITENING ROUTINE

Hello again everyone! I'm so happy to be sharing my teeth whitening routine today, and actually I don't know why I haven't done this sooner! I had a negative experience with at-home whitening strips in the past, so I won't be sharing any harsh products like that. My routine is easy, accessible, and effective. Keep reading for the breakdown!

HOW BIO-OIL SAVED ME

Hey everybody! My bad I've been kind of lacking on posts this month, between finals and the holidays it's just been crazy! But I'm back and sharing this post by popular demand. At the beginning of this month, I picked up a bottle of Bio-Oil from Target kind of on a whim. I didn't do any research on it or seek it out on the shelves, but spotted it as I was looking for allergy medication. Keep reading to hear my story on how bio-oil saved my face!