Josie Maran Argan Oil and My Eczema

 

There are so many great reviews on this stuff.  Although I haven't used this much on my face, I've heard great things about argan oil clearing up acne and other various uses like hair and etc.  There are tons of reviews online where you can read on people using it as a moisturizer.  What I wanted to share, was what I've been using it for.   I've had this little dry patch of eczema on my leg for a while now, and it's really been bothering me during these winter months.  I started using it everyday and it really has helped a lot.  I've been applying two drops onto my palm and then rubbing it into the area right before bed time.  I love that it has a little dropper so that you don't end up spilling too much of it.  It absorbs pretty quickly and does not feel greasy afterwards.  I bought the 0.5 oz one from Sephora for $16, and for a small area like mine, it's lasted me a long time.  I'm glad I tried this!

Brighten Up Dull Winter Skin!

For dull winter skin, try adding a subtle highlighter.  It will instantly brighten you up, and blur and smooth imperfections on your face.  Above are a few of my current favorites.  If you have dry skin, use something with a wetter/creamier base like Benefit's High Beam, or Guerlain's Precious Light Illuminator and Concealer.  For oilier skin, lightly dust a powder one like Diorskin Nude Cosmopolite Illuminating Face Powder or Physicians Formula Mineral Glow Pearls Powder.  For combo skin like mine, my absolute favorite is Nars, The Multiple in Copacabana.  

Make sure to not go overboard with the highlighter.  Lightly add it to raised areas on your face, like the highest part of your cheeks/cheekbone, the middle part of your eyelid, or your cupid's bow.  Adding some to the inner corner of your eyes will make you look more wide eyed and awake.  For a slimmer nose, put a thin strip from the bridge to the tip, and use your finger tip to soften out. I would avoid areas like your forehead or chin, since those areas are naturally more oilier than the rest of your face, which already create a natural shine. 

If you over do it and need to cancel out some of that radiance, just lightly dab a matte foundation to the area instead of wiping it off.  It will be a lot faster, and you won't need to redo your makeup. 

Nuxe Dry Oil

 

LOVE this stuff!  I use it for everything...face, hair, body, and it dries without feeling greasy at all.  I also love the smell and the little spray nozzle because it prevents pouring out too much.  I definitely use this the most in the summer after being out in the sun for too long.  I feel like if I accidentally get burnt in the sun, I peel less when I use this stuff.  If you plan on any summer beach vacations, I highly recommend! Actually... I recommend this all year long:) 

You can find me here!

Fresh Black Tea Age-Delay Eye Concentrate

 

I feel like this product deserves a 3.75 out of 5.  I saw so many great reviews on this product but for me, I really felt that it was just a great moisturizer.  I used this for over a month and did notice some plumpness, however my dark circles are still there.  I'm hitting my 30's so I don't have too many wrinkles to really compare yet, but I do like that it moisturized without being too heavy.   Compared to a drug store eye, its definitely better, however is it worth $85 dollars?... I'm still deciding :)

Get it here!

Amorepacific Treatment Enzyme Peel

 

Okay, I seriously cannot live without this stuff.  As I've said many times before, Amorepacific is definitely one of my favorite brands, and this item is the most affordable, if you were to have to pick only one item in this line.  If you look at the entire line, Amorepacific is pretty pricey, and at $60, it might still seem like a lot, but this little canister takes forever to use up! I also love how it portions the amount for you.  It's a powdery form, and turns into this extremely creamy lather and never dries out my skin.  All my dead skin flakes are gone.  I love this stuff EVEN MORE than my Clarisonic..eek!! Can't believe I said that!  This is by far the best exfoliating product I have ever use, and it never irritates my super sensitive skin.  Another thing about this is that I've noticed my moisturizer works better since it does such a great job taking off the layer of dead skin cells.  The products soak in better.  You will also notice that your foundation/BB creams go on much smoother.  I think I can go on and on about this stuff.... but you get the point...Get this stuff!! <3

Nail Polish for Nails with Ridges

If you have nail ridges like me, try Essie's Fill the Gap!! I love this stuff! In the order shown above, I first use Fill the Gap base coat, then Fill the Gap treatment, next, two coats of the color I want, then Good to Go top coat.  The very last step is a MUST, which is the Essie Quick-E drops!  If you don't use it, it will take forever for your nails to dry!  Because there's so many layers, it almost looks like gel, which I love.  The downside is that your nails chip somewhat faster, but still worth it for ridges!

My Winter Facial Cleansing Routine

Winter for me equals super dry and flaky skin.  I try so many facial cleansers but I always end up going back to this one.  I always thought it was popular amongst old Asian ladies (my mom used it for years...so did my bffs moms lol) until I realized that I loved it too!  It gives a great lather without drying out my skin.  I've found that using this with the clarisonic gets me great results because I buff off all that extra flaky skin without that dry tight feeling on my face after I shower.  I'm supppper lazy so what I do is bring the clarisonic into the shower and smear a pea size amount onto the bristles, wet it, and then press the button.  After you're done, make sure to take the brush off the clarisonic, rinse off the face wash and take it out of the shower, otherwise it's easy for bacteria to grow when it stays in the shower.  I also periodically like to detach the brush and let it sit in rubbing alcohol for a little bit to kill any bacteria that may grow between those tight bristles.  Happy brushing!

Shiseido foaming face cleanser
bergdorfgoodman.com

Clarisonic face cleanser
beautybar.com

Clarisonic face cleanser
beautybar.com

Ups and Downs, Hopes and Wishes

2014 was an extreme year.  It was full of the lowest lows and the highest highs.  I went through a constant state of anxiety and the stress was almost too hard to handle.  I lost a loved one.  There was tons of family drama.  I also wanted to quit my full time job but the thought made me feel even more lost and anxious because it was the only steady thing in my life.  Have you ever felt so overwhelmed that you know you need to make a change but can't bring yourself to do it?  That's how I felt.  I work for the California Department of Public Health and oversee the Contracts and Administration Unit.  We dealt with everything emergency related, from H1N1, to the California drought, fires, the Napa earthquake, the infamous Norcal #hellastorm, to then the Ebola activation.  (Btw, only in California do you have severe drought then severe flooding lol.)  Anyways, my job made me feel important, yet I hated it all at the same time.  It's difficult to explain and express what I was feeling because I didn't even know what I was feeling being so overwhelmed. 

Then, mixed in with all my lows were some extreme highs.  Highs also come with a different kind of stress.  It's exciting, stressful and tiring all at the same time.  All my best friends got married this year. My girlfriends are like my sisters and we love each other so much that everything wedding related had to be EPIC.  From the engagements, to the parties, showers, bachelorette parties, to the actual weddings....all was fun and exciting but add that with the other stuff going on in my life, I became overwhelmed.  I bought my first house this year too.  A super high for me but buying a house is soooo stressful too.  Looks so freaking easy on HGTV and I actually have a real estate license but even understanding what was going on was still so hard and unpredictable.  I was also blessed to travel A TON this year.  Then, to end the crazy year with my highest high in my life, I got married.  Planning the wedding through all the ups and downs was the toughest thing I had to do.  LIFE was just sooo crazy.  I didn't get my dress completely made til the Thursday of my wedding!  We were anxious all the way up til the wedding date since it was supposed to rain and we were having an outside wedding.  Although it was so stressful, everything eventually fell into place and it really was the best day of my life.  The day went by so fast and I really really wish I took a moment to really take it all in.  The funniest thing was that so many things also went wrong during our wedding but I didn't even notice.  I'll have to share that on another post along with the beautiful pictures my awesome photographer, Augie Chang took :) Anyways, at that point all I realized was what was most important.  I married my best friend and my soul mate.

This picture symbolizes so much for me.  I always try to finding beauty and meaning to things and my cousin happened to capture this beautiful candid shot (on an iphone, duh, of course lol) during the release of our wishing lanterns (btw we almost burnt down the mansion-will need to share on another post!) It was so dark that night, but the glowing light from our wishing lantern and the wishes and hopes we made for it meant everything to me. 

This year I hope for stability.  I also want to get back to my old self and do the things I WANT to do.  I want to feel confident again and be happy.  It's been so long since I've written a post and it feels so liberating just to vent.  I know I hold in too much, worry too much and care about what others think too much.  This year, I am going to take care of myself.  This year will be my happy year. 

xoxo,
Enid