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A Detailed Deep Dive Into My Current Skincare Routine

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current skin care top pic
All about retinol these days, babes.

I’ve been meaning to do an updated skin care routine breakdown, and today seems like a good day for it. But before I jump in, I feel like I should let you that I’m standing in my bathroom right now looking into my cabinet, which stands just behind and above the toilet, and having PTSD flashbacks of my Velvet Teddy lipstick falling into the toilet. 🙄

I keep hearing that *plunk* over and over again…

That said, here we go!

Everything I’m doing in my routine now revolves around how sensitive my skin is feeling on any given day, because I started using a retinol with vitamin C recently. It’s called Kate Somerville Retinol Vitamin C Power Serum, and I’m trying to ramp up slowly to be able to use it seven days a week. Right now, I’m at three days, and I find that introducing it slowly over weeks and watching everything else that I use in conjunction with it allows me to keep going without my skin turning red or freaking out.

Morning routine

In the morning, I’ll wash one of two ways. If my skin’s feeling extra tight and red and sensitive and angry, then I’ll do a few splashes of warm water on my bare face, then gently blot with a towel. If, on the other hand, my skin’s feeling OK, then I’ll use a squirt or two of Clinique Redness Solutions Soothing Cleanser directly on bare skin (I’ll work it in with my fingers). Then I’ll remove it with a washcloth dampened with warm water. After that, I’ll do a few splashes of ice cold water to help me wake up.

At that point, I’ll wait…usually between 30 minutes and an hour (depends on how much time I have and what I’m doing in the morning), and then I’ll apply all of my skin treatments.

I wait because I want my skin to be completely dry before I put anything aggressive on there, because if I don’t wait, and my skin is wet when I apply a BHA or benzoyl peroxide, they’ll just aggravate it even more.

So. Completely dry!

current skin care routine
It’s less complicated than it looks, I swear!

At that point, I’ll do an eye cream. (Right now I’m using this one by Nyakio, and I think it’s just “eh.” I’ll replace it eventually with something else when I get around it.) Then I’ll use two pumps of my ride-or-die Kate Somerville Anti Bac Acne Clearing Lotion all over my face to prevent the pimples from taking over.

After that, I’ll apply a thin layer of Avène XeraCalm A.D Lipid-Replenishing Cream (which has been my skin savior ever since I introduced the retinol), followed by a healthy dollop of sunscreen, specifically Clinique Super Defense Moisturizer Broad Spectrum SPF 20 for Very Dry to Dry Combination Skin.

Sometimes, before I do the two pumps of Anti Bac, if I feel like my skin can handle it, I’ll do a little with Fresh Black Tea Kombucha Facial Treatment Essence, just because I like to sneak some exfoliation in during the day if I can. I’ll do that two or three mornings a week, so it’s not an everyday thing for me.

Fast forward to the evening…

First, a double cleanse. On completely dry skin (as in my makeup is still on), I’ll massage an oil cleanser on my face and eyes to break everything down. I like DHC Deep Cleansing Oil or Fresh Seaberry for this.

At that point, I’ll take a clean, warm washcloth and gently wipe everything off. Next, I’ll do a second cleanse with either Clinique Redness Solutions Soothing Cleanser, if I haven’t been wearing a ton of makeup, or if I haven’t been sweating; or the H2O Plus Elements Keep It Fresh Cleanser. I use that one when I’ve been wearing a little more makeup, or if I’ve been perspiring a lot. It’s just a stronger, more potent gel cleanser.

Again, I wait from 30-60 minutes (this generally depends on how tired I am), then apply eye cream, and I’ve been using this one called Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair Supercharged Complex.

It’s OK… I’ve yet to find an eye cream that blows my mind.
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Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll, Vol. 340

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091415-monday-poll

You might be wondering, “So what in tarnation is this Monday Poll thing anyway!?”

Well, it isn’t exactly a poll. It’s more of a constantly evolving (devolving?), somewhat random list of questions I’ve been putting out to readers every Monday morning for the past seven years. (It’s like a kickstart for your brain.) I’ve always enjoyed reading your answers in the comments, and I hope you enjoy reading mine.

  1. Are you currently using any serums?
    Yes! I’ve got two in rotation at the moment…sort of, except for not right at this second, because I ran out of one of them and need to replace it ASAP. But when I do, I’ll have two in rotation again. The first is Clarins Double Serum Complete Age Control Concentrate, which I use mostly for hydration and to even out my skin tone. I’ve gone through two big bottles of it, and I still love it. The second is good ol’ Skinceuticals CE Ferulic, another anti-aging serum which I’ve been using for years because it’s high in antioxidants and helps my skin texture.

  2. What was a game-changing makeup product for you?
    I really wasn’t into lash primers AT ALL before I met Estee Lauder’s Little Black Primer. Basically, I thought they were a waste of time and money, but Little Black Primer totally changed that. Now I feel like it’s a necessity for me and my lashes. Whenever I use it under mascara, it kicks things up several notches. My lashes look longer, curlier and more lush. I just finished a tube (Why does it seem like I always run out of batches of beauty products at the same time? It’s so weird…) and need to replace it ASAP.

  3. Do you have a favorite pair of boots?
    YES! I love boots, which is a little funny because I’m all about toe freedom in spring and summer, but I don’t mind confining those bad boys when it gets cold.

    I have a pair of sassy suede olive green boots by Fergie (as in the singer! — Fergalicious) that I’ve worn for the past few seasons. They’ve held up well, and they’re my favorite pair to wear in fall, although I don’t know how much use I’m going to get out of them this year because they have also have a heel, and I keep noticing that my lower back gets all wonky when I wear high heels. Baby Girl has been keeping me in flats these days.

  4. Do you do oversized rings?
    On a daily basis, no, because I can’t type with ’em! They’re too heavy and distracting, but I do like to wear a tasteful cocktail ring on special occasions.

  5. Have you ever had a disaster with bangs?
    Honestly, when have my bangs not involved a disaster? It seems like every time I get bangs something goes awry. I have wavy hair, and the shorter it is, the more unruly it gets. All of my bangs disasters have come about because of this. You’d think I would have learned this lesson by now, but noooo. There’s one variety of bangs I can handle, and that’s the side sweep. I love me a good side sweep…

Le List

Your turn. 🙂 Just copy and paste the following questions into a comment with your answers. I look forward to reading ’em!

1. Are you currently using any serums?
2. What was a game-changing makeup product for you?
3. Do you have a favorite pair of boots?
4. Do you do oversized rings?
5. Have you ever had a disaster with bangs?

Hi! Helloooooo! *waves from my desk in Northern California* 🙂 Happy Monday to ya. I think that today will be the day when I get my first fall pumpkin spice latte from Starbucks (decaf, of course). It’s actually overcast and cool outside right now. Are you in?

And P.S., I won’t refuse to split a brownie with you. Just putting that out there.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

How to Look Great During Childbirth

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This post was written by Kate
Is it possible to birth a baby and still look cute? Kate thinks so, and she shares how in today’s guest post.

How to Look Great During Childbirth

When I found out that my due date was May 1st, my first thoughts weren’t of baby blankets and onesies. All I could think about was, how am I going to avoid looking like a wet dish towel in one of those post delivery photos? — the ones that someone always manages to snap at the exact moment when you’re the most sweaty, the most tired, and the least ready to have a remotely flattering picture taken. I’m talking about that moment when after 12 hours of intense labor, the cameras start clicking like crazy!

I never really thought of myself as a particularly vain person, and I know that when the time comes, it’s supposed to be all about the baby, but I was determined to hang on to some shred of my former makeup loving self, and come out of the whole experience glowing, despite the stretch marks and imminent hemorrhoids.

About a month before my due date, I became the lone pregnant lady haunting the aisles of my local Sephora. I rarely took a friend on these occasions, mainly because I could not have any distractions from what I saw as my personal mission. I was determined to put together a look that could withstand whatever curveball Mother Nature decided to throw my way, be it C-section or 24 hours of labor. Whatever happened to be going on below my neck, I was hellbent on keeping what was above it well controlled and looking its best. I needed the makeup equivalent of an Earthquake Prevention Kit.

I decided that my best course of action was to treat my baby’s delivery like a really long and painful spinning class. I knew to expect a lot of huffing and puffing, and most of all, a lot of sweat. That meant that I needed a face that was waterproof and sweatproof. I wanted to strike a balance between no makeup and being a Real Housewife of Beverly Hills. To me, that meant glowy and flushed, not sculpted and painted. Even if I spent whole days in oatmeal splattered pajama pants and my husband’s wife beater remembering the days when I could count on a morning shower, I would feel secure in the knowledge that I didn’t go down without a fight.
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I’m Celia San Miguel of Sicka Than Average, and This Is My Makeup Life

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The charming Celia San Miguel of Sicka Than Average
The My Makeup Life series asks beauty biz insiders, bloggers, makeup mavens and artists to share their holy grail products, tricks, tips and favorite beauty tools. Is there anyone you would like to see featured in My Makeup Life or questions you think I should ask? Let me know here.

Name: Celia San Miguel
Location: New York, NY
Day job/current gig: I’m a freelance writer for a number of magazines (mainly LATINA), and I’m also a social media manager for a leading digital agency in NYC. In addition to that, I’m also an on-air style and beauty expert, working mainly with Telemundo here in NYC.
Hangouts online: sickathanaverage.com, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube
Current favorite product: Make Up For Ever Aqua Rouge lip color and Ouidad’s Moisture Lock Leave-in Conditioner
Beauty inspirations: Markets, flappers, can-can dancers, Chinese hibiscus flowers, pink peonies, parakeets, butterflies, Mick Rock’s glam rock photographs, Brazilian samba dancers, punk fashion…. The list is endless!
One word that best describes your outlook on beauty: Exuberant 😉

What makeup/beauty products can’t you live without?

The list of products is endless! Starting with the basics, I can’t live without my Clarisonic Mia 2 for a really deep and thorough cleanse. I’m always testing different facial cleansers, but I tend to come back to the Korres Wild Rose Daily Brightening Cleanser, the Pacifica Sea Foam Complete Face Wash, the Caudalie Instant Foaming Cleanser, and the L’Occitane Immortelle Precious Cleansing Foam. As far as moisturizers and anti-aging products, I like using the Caudalie Vinoperfect Day Perfecting Fluid SPF 15 over the Estée Lauder Idealist Even Skintone Illuminator during the day and, at night, I apply the Clarins Double Serum and then add my nightly moisturizer (either Caudalie’s Premier Cru or L’Occitane’s Immortelle Precious Night Cream). And that’s just skincare!

As a makeup junkie it’s so hard to pick just a handful of products! For the face, I love Tarte Cosmetics’ BB Cream, Make Up For Ever’s Pro Finish Foundation, Hourglass Cosmetics’ Veil Fluid Makeup, Tarte’s Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Full Coverage Foundation, Hourglass Cosmetics’ Ambient Lighting Powder, and NARS’ blushes (Orgasm is still one of my all-time fave shades). For eyes, I swear by Urban Decay’s eye shadow palettes (the Naked 2 palette is so fantastic!) and Make Up For Ever’s Aqua Shadow pencils. And, since I’m all about bright lips, I tend to gravitate to Illamasqua’s lipsticks and Make Up For Ever’s Rouge Artist lipsticks or, for a more liquid, slick look, I’ll use Make Up For Ever’s Aqua Rouge lip colors or OCC Makeup’s Lip Tars.

When did you start getting into makeup?

I think around the time I was five or six! I remember watching my grandma getting ready in the morning, and she had this ritual that seemed so glamorous to me as a wide-eyed little girl. I still remember the facial massages she gave herself while applying her Pond’s Cold Cream and the way she’d blot her lips after smoothing on her favorite shade of lipstick (a wine-ish red from Estée Lauder). It was magic to me.

What’s your best beauty time-saving trick?

A healthy, glowing complexion and a bright lip goes a long way. When in a rush, I’ll typically reach for one of my favorite tinted moisturizers (I adore Hourglass’ Illusion Tinted Moisturizer, NARS’ Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer, and Tarte’s Amazonian Clay BB Tinted Moisturizer), and then I’ll mix that with a drop of luminizer, like the NARS Illuminator or one of Make Up For Ever’s Uplight shades. When you apply the mixture to your face, you’ll get that nice bit of coverage with an added glow that makes you appear lit from within. Add a nice, creamy lip color in a vibrant shade and you’ll be good to go!

What’s your favorite beauty tool?

I’m currently obsessed with the TRIA Hair Removal Laser. I always suffered from ingrown hairs on my legs and, since I started using the TRIA a year ago, it’s ceased to be a problem (and, of course, there’s less hair growth overall, which cuts down on shaving time). Given how costly in-office laser removal treatments tend to be, this tool is as an absolute lifesaver.

What’s the best beauty advice you ever received?

Hmmmm… So many things come to mind! I think some of the greatest advice I received involved the art of using concealer. For example, to cover a reddish patch or a blemish, you want to use a concealer with a mint-y, light green tint so as to neutralize the redness and then, afterward, dab on a neutral shade that matches your skin tone. Similarly, to cover purplish or blue under-eye circles, you’ll want to reach for an orange-tinged concealer and, again, dab the neutral shade above this one. It’s all about make up color theory and learning which hues neutralize each other, which complement each other, and so forth.

What’s your skincare routine?

Check out the answer to the No. 1 question. 😉

What’s the weirdest thing you’ve tried in the name of beauty?

There were several peels that were a bit scary (to say the least), but I think some of the weirdest things have involved at-home, DIY treatments that I attempted (like coffee scrubs and hair masks with egg yolks and mayonnaise and avocado). I’ve learned over the years that I’m not particularly gifted at whipping up these all-natural beauty remedies and treatments, so I pretty much steer clear, since having to clean up the mess afterwards is never fun.

Do you have a trademark look (hair/styling/makeup)?

Not really! I love to experiment with different looks — it’s part of the fun for me. That being said, I love color, so you’ll usually find me wearing either bright eye colors or vibrant lip hues.

Are there any beauty decisions you’ve made that you look back on and ask yourself, “why?!”

Of course! I wore acrylic nails as a teen and twenty-something and I thought I looked so fly but, really, it was a hot mess! And then, of course there is the plethora of botched hair color experiments, which include a jet black color that left me looking like Wednesday Adams and a bright, orange-tinged red that was Carrot Top all the way.

Where are your favorite places to shop?

I love Sephora, of course, as well as Ulta, but I also love going into drugstores and roaming along their beauty aisles — whether it’s Duane Reade, CVS, or Walgreens.

Anything else you want to share?

For one, I own over 50 perfumes, and I wear them all since I firmly believe in switching up scents depending on your mood, your outfit, and your destination. What else? I have tiny feet, so even my 11-year-old stepdaughter wears a larger shoe size than me (it’s kind of embarrassing). Oh, and you’ll never catch me without earrings on — I even wear tiny studs when I sleep! What other random factoid can I give you? Oh yeah: some kids used to call me Punky Brewster as a kid, which I secretly loved since I always thought she was so scrappy and funky. Oh, and I used to have the hugest crush on Q-Tip from A Tribe Called Quest when I was a teeny bopper, and I still get hype every time “Scenario” comes on!

The Weekly Roundup: Posts You Might Have Missed

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The Makeup and Beauty Blog Weekly Roundup

This week was hands down one of the funnest weeks I’ve had blogging since 2007. My tiara goes off to MAC for coming up with such a cool creative concept (Wonder Woman) and for going all out with the idea. I can’t wait to see more.

They could have said, “I know! We’ll get a Wonder Woman license, throw the logo on some compacts and jack up the price.” That would have been the Happy Meal approach, but it’s not the approach they took. They decided to focus on an era from Wonder Woman’s comic book past (the more contemporary WW is stylistically completely different), carefully selected the colors for the collection, and put everything together with great products and original promo artwork to form a cohesive creative concept.

I’m not a fan of everything MAC does, and sometimes I think they rush things out the door, but when they do go all out with a clear vision like this, they’re awesome. This is makeup, after all, and it’s rarely revolutionary. It’s about ideas, concepts and stories just as much as it’s about colors, brushes and light. At least for me, it’s the concepts that fill my head with ideas, the stories that fill my heart with desire, and great products that make me want to seal the deal. Yes, that was a little corny… 🙂

The Weekly Roundup: Posts You Might Have Missed

The Dolce & Gabbana Secret Garden Ultra Shine Lipsticks and GlossesTHE DOLCE & GABBANA SECRET GARDEN
ULTRA SHINE LIPSTICKS AND GLOSSES

As promised, here are those swatches of the two lipsticks and two lipglosses from the new Dolce & Gabbana Secret Garden Collection.

What do you think? Ultra shiny, right? I’m gonna go out on a limb and say they’re aptly named. Read more…

$59 Smashbox Style Files: Eyes, Lips and Cheeks!$59 SMASHBOX STYLE FILES
FOR EYES LIPS AND CHEEKS

The three portable palettes in the Smashbox Style Files ($59) are totally easy to crack. What I mean to say is, there’s no 128-bit encryption or complex p@ssW07ds here. Just a batch of beauty bits (in shimmery neutrals to deep jewel tones) for eyes, lips and cheeks.

For my makeup today, I felt like something fun and fresh, but I didn’t want to think too hard.

Enter the Smashbox Style Files, a new limited edition Sephora exclusive set.

These colors aren’t as pigmented as I’d hoped and suffer from some pretty mean fallout, but I do like how easy they are to blend. In all, you get eight shadows.

Each of the cream liners double as bases for the shadows, so that’s pretty cool. And the pencil liners cling to my lash and water lines like true champs. With this set, you get four Cream Liners and two Limitless Eye Liners.

The lip and cheek palette comes with two Lip Glosses and two Cheek colors (my favorite things about the entire kit!). I LOVE how effortlessly these blushes melt into my skin. The non-sticky lippies, however, I could probably live without. Both unscented, unflavored colors look almost identical on my pigmented pucker. Read more…

Are you a MAC Wonder Woman?ARE YOU A MAC
WONDER WOMAN?

Unless you’ve been holed up in your secluded superhero lair (every hero needs one, yo!), chances are you’ve probably heard rumblings about the new MAC Wonder Woman Collection, which twirls onto shelves February 10 in North America and internationally this March.

MAC teamed up with DC Comics this time to create a limited edition makeup collection inspired by one of the toughest ladies in comic book history. She fights crime in foxy hot pants (and sometimes a skirt) and has a penchant for practical accessories, like bullet-deflecting bracelets, magic lassos and boomerang headpieces, too!

There’s no denying it — this girl is tough AND cute.

Not bad for 2,000 years old (I wonder which face cream she uses).

Just like Diana Prince right before a beam of magic light transformed her into Wonder Woman, I’ve been practically spinning in circles in my knee-high boots ever since I saw the first promo pics for this super-sized 33-piece collection for eyes, lips, face and nails. Read more…

MAC Wonder Woman Collection Lip CombinationsA FEW MAC WONDER WOMAN
LIP COMBINATIONS

What up, fellow Wonder Women? I thought you gals might like to see some potential lip combinations with the Lipsticks and Lipglasses from the soon-to-be-released MAC Wonder Woman Collection.

These are just to spark some ideas, of course. Let’s get those creative juices flowing!

About that, what’s your current favorite lip combo (liner/lipstick/gloss)? Or do you like to wear just one thing at a time? Inquiring minds want to know. Read more…

Clarins Neo Pastels and My Monday Face of the DayMY CLARINS NEO PASTELS
MONDAY FACE OF THE DAY

Sooo, guess who’s procrastinating? 🙂 Yeah, I have about a billion things on my to-do list, but none of them are as much fun as makeup.

I put the new Clarins Neo Pastels Collection to work today for this here face of the day.

I loosely based the eye portion of the look on the Neo Pastel makeup tutorial here, and the edgy look of the black liner along the waterline is one of my favorite parts.

The Eye Quartet Mineral Palette’s shiny finish makes these dramatic and fun, but I observed some patchiness from both of the purple shadows (but not as much as the pastel quad in the Dolce & Gabbana Secret Garden Collection). Read more…

MAC Packed To Go Travel Exclusives for Spring 2011THE MAC PACKED TO GO
TRAVEL EXCLUSIVES FOR SPRING 2011

Planning any trips soon? If you are, and they happen to involve a short airport layover, you might be able to MAC 🙂 good use of your wait time with the new MAC Packed to Go travel Exclusives for spring 2011.

Travel exclusives are limited edition sets, and sometimes individual products, special to travel hubs like airports and duty free stores (you won’t find them at regular stores or counters).

A lot of the bigger beauty brands like MAC, Dior, Estee Lauder, Chanel and Guerlain (to name just a few), have them, and they’re a boon to beauty obsessed travelers like us.

MAC Packed to Go is being released in two “phases” for spring.

The first, available now, features three MAC Look In A Box kits, each one designed with a different themed look in mind using products for eyes, cheeks and lips.

The second phase, which launches in March, will encompass 11 MAC Packed to Go sets organized by category, like lipstick, Lipglass, mascara and brush.

I always try to keep an eye out for travel exclusives because some of them contain hard-to-find limited edition pieces from long lost (but not forgotten!) collections, making them great opportunities to snag something you might not have had the chance to get the first time around. Read more…

Meet Clinique's Conservatively Sharp Milly PaletteMEET CLINIQUE’S CONSERVATIVELY
SHARP MILLY PALETTE

Greetings and salutations, mon amie. I wanted to quickly show you the new Clinique Milly Pretty in Prints Palette ($36) in action.

What do ya think? I followed the tutorial that comes with the eye and cheek palette this afternoon, and the whole thing took only about 10 minutes to do.

The palette comes with four shadows and a blush; the shadows contain just the right amount of pigment, and all of them are super easy to blend. Heck, I’d call the palette downright perfect if it wasn’t for the matte brown shade, which left mad fallout on my cheeks when I used it as a liner today (which is what the tutorial suggests). Read more…

What are your top 5 MAC must haves?WHAT ARE YOUR TOP 5
MAC MUST HAVES?

I was digging through my MAC favorites this morning when I remembered a question asked by reader Sheila Z in the comments yesterday.

“Karen, I’ll be getting my makeup done this saturday at MAC for my brother-in-law’s engagement party. Part of the process requires that I buy at least 5 items. What are the top 5 you recommend?”

Hey, Sheila. Pardon me for this, but right now I feel Ready For The World! “Oh, oh, oh, oh, Sheila!”

(Please tell me you’re familiar with that song.)

With that out of the way, let’s get back to beauty. 🙂 You’re going to have such a blast at the MAC counter on Saturday. For what it’s worth, here are my five (current) MAC must-haves. Read more…

Have you seen the new Zoya Intimate Collection?HAVE YOU SEEN THE NEW
ZOYA INTIMATE COLLECTION?

If you’ve yet to get your fill of purple, this spring’s prince of the color-sphere, feast your eyes on the sweet new shades in Zoya’s Intimate Collection ($7 each; available in six colors).

These make me want to play dress-up…like I should be wearing a floral print dress with sky-high pumps as I sport them on my nails.

And for some reason I can seem them going well with the Laura Mercier’s Silk Road Collection…

I only just put these on, so I can’t speak to wear time yet, but the other Zoya polishes I’ve tried resist chips and fading exceptionally well, especially when worn with the Color-Lock System (THE BEST!). Read more…

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

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