Facial Oils
Three in particular have captivated my attention in the last 4-5 weeks since I've been dealing with some flaking around my mouth and nose that is highly characteristic of my skin when winter rolls around. Around the time of Sephora's VIB Rouge sale, I started reading up on Herbivore Botanicals, which was recently added to the ecomm mix at sephora.ca; I took interest in the facial oils from this range. The Phoenix and Lapis blends were intriguing, but they were both out of stock by the time the sale began and were never replenished. Aside from the fact that each bottle was steep as hell as far as prices go, I didn't really want to delve into bottles of oil I'd never even felt before, even in spite of Sephora's solid return policy. I actually discovered Herbivore is carried at Bibelot & Token, and this (e)shop actually offers up much more palatably-priced rollerballs of these oils. I nabbed them up in a heartbeat, received them 2 days later and haven't looked back.
Herbivore Phoenix Oil is meant to be cell regenerating, with a blend of rosehip, sea buckthorn, meadowfoam and chia seed oils (omega 3-6-9 all accounted for here!) plus CoQ10 in a base of jojoba oil means you're in for an herbal trip, but it's really good for skin. My skin drinks this stuff up, especially in the random dry patches that have cropped up since the weather's taken a cold turn. I concentrate this rollerball oil application on clean skin around my nostrils, mouth and cheeks, and then I switch to Herbivore Lapis Oil for the rest of my T-zone. The Lapis oil is meant to be skin-balancing with the help of azulene, which is an anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial ingredient found in blue tansy, which gives the oil its subtle blue tint. The formula also contains veggie-derived squalane (moisture barrier enforcer!), vitamin E and kukui seed oil for hydration that all skin needs.
The third oil I've been toying with is Nude Skincare Progenius Omega Treatment Rescue Oil. I received a deluxe sample of this with a recent Sephora order and am blown away by it! The fact that this oil absorbs so rapidly (quickly enough to use it under makeup without compromising everything I apply on top) and applies so smoothly without containing any silicones or petrolatum is wild to me. It claims to contain a natural alternative to retinol, as well as a slew of omega fatty acids that flood skin with nourishment. Honestly, it's a great texture that I'm really impressed by. Definitely going to keep this in rotation in the winter.
I have been into the Charlotte Tilbury range since it launched stateside and I could get my paws on it. I'm super happy the range has since launched in Canada, as I have fallen really hard for the Magic Cream, and I do find it to be an outstanding daily moisturizer. Makeup applies better on top of that cream than anything else I've used in a long time. Being so sold on that moisturizer, I was intrigued when this dual-ended concealer came out because one end was an eye cream. Charlotte has a series of YouTube videos explaining that she created this product because she believes the entire world is tired and I'm inclined to agree. The eye cream provides a mild - but real - tightening effect and can then be followed by the brightening concealer. I'm dubbing it a brightening concealer because it definitely has a bit of a peachy undertone to act as a mild corrector while concealing. It's a pick-me-up in a pen and I appreciate it at all hours of the day.
After finally unearthing my TF Shade & Illuminate Palette from the depths of my closet (it had been misplaced for nearly a year), I wasn't sure if this highlighting duo was merited, but it is pretty stunning. Rest assured, these two products are incredibly different.
This powder highlighting duo is meant to mimic the flattering nature of daylight (the paler shade) and candlelight (the rosier shade). When applied to the tops of cheekbones, these two shades are just awesome. The swatches barely do it justice, but rest assured, it's stunning.
'90s Nude Lips
I held off for a while, but I eventually gave in to the '90s lip trend. I don't mind nude lips when they are the actual shade of lips versus overly pale lip colours that look like concealer or foundation. I've yet to meet anyone who looks better with foundation run over their lips versus not, but that's just my two cents on that whole look. I came across Chanel Lip Liner in "05 Nude Mordore" (top swatch in image above), which I love because it's a brownie nude with a bit of a pink gleam to it, so it doesn't look flat on its own. I follow up with a few light dabs of H&M Beauty Cream Lipstick in "Brunette Ambition" (bottom swatch in image above) and I'm left with an on-trend lip combo that wears remarkably well through the day. The Chanel lip liner is a serious anchor - I actually had a bit of a challenge removing it with Bioderma when I did these swatches.
