How To Tell If You Have Dry Skin

Since I can't seem to stop making decision trees at work, here's one for a recent discovery that I thought might be entertaining:

In case you couldn't guess, I used the Origins Drink Up™ Intensive Overnight mask today as my normal daytime moisturizer. It sunk right in (no excess tissue-ing needed). My makeup lasted all day (about 12 hours). No dryness around some post breakouts. Basically, something that never happened, happened with a product that is meant to be a mask. I find that funny, really. But also, yeah, I have dry skin. So, if you also have dry skin, I might consider trying this as a daytime moisturizer, since it really didn't do much for me as an ultra hydrating overnight 'treatment' (for that I go to the big guns, oils and humectants).

This is brought to you by the workaholic who very occasionally decides it's hilarious to combine blogging and work. And I know I didn't use the right shape for the "decision" because the shape doesn't allow much in the way of text.

Review: L'Occitane Cleansing And Softening Shower Oil With Almond Oil

A rare moment occurred which made me cash in some of my Sephora Beauty Reward points. It was the L'Occitane 500 point perk from March. Primarily because it contained a pretty generous sample of the above product, the Cleansing and Softening Shower Oil with Almond Oil (yikes! Mouthful) and second because it contained a pocket or book bag friendly size hand lotion, which I accidentally got my husband addicted to (he won't use anything else - though he won't even try the scented ones).

Anyway, I recently used up a shaving cream (massive empties post on the horizon btw) so I thought I would give this a whirl. I do really like it. I was a bit surprised at the scent. I was thinking it was going to smell like marzipan, but it's more of a fresh scent, it doesn't even really remind me of almonds, but that's ok. I like that it rinses away fairly clean but still leaves my legs soft and not irritated, but it reminded me of shaving with something else and that something else somehow compelled me to blog after a nearly 7 months hiatus.

The L'Occitane is pretty luxurious and priced accordingly. The 8.4oz bottle will run you $25. I actually find that rather reasonable but only if you plan to use this sparingly. I can't even imagine someone using this as a daily full-body cleanser, though I'm sure some do.

So, you're going to think I'm a little crazy when I say what this reminded me of. But back during the winter months when my legs were so itchy that during the day, I would try to find ways of getting a good scratch at them under my work pants without anyone noticing, I tried using The Body Shop's Beautifying Oil to shave with and aside from not foaming up and rinsing away, it is very similar. You're probably thinking why I would be so excited since that product is even more expensive per ounce. Well, of course you've heard of The Body Shop's sales and promotions. And then you know that you get more than one scent option... and well. The L'Occitane is nice but I foresee getting tired of the scent. What if I want strawberry or mango or satsuma? Tough cookie.

Not so fast - I can get a similar product, pay less (more than likely) and still get a close shave which doesn't leave my legs looking like the sidewalk (and probably a similar result with any body oil on the market - especially for us dry-skinned folk).

So there, hiatus officially broken. What's up, oh beauty world?

Favorite Flawless Base Combo

This has been one of my absolute favorite foundation combinations as of late. The Revlon Nearly Naked (in 010 Ivory) and the Revlon Colorstay Whipped (in Ivory). I love the finish of the Nearly Naked but it doesn't cover as much as I'd like and I love the coverage of the Colorstay Whipped but I've found that too many passes with my beauty blender causes it to get cakey and a bit drying on my skin. I've found the way both of these products look best is to use both of them. First, I apply a thin layer of the Nearly Naked with my fingers over well moisturized skin all over. Then I take a damp beauty blender and apply the Colorstay Whipped on my problem areas and/or breakouts. I've found that not using it all over and not using too many layers allows it to cover without looking mask like. I then spray generously with a makeup setting spray.

The combo lasts all day* but still looks natural and fresh. In a perfect world, we would want one foundation to do it all, but it's not always possible. At least this duo is fairly inexpensive especially with sales and coupons!

Do you have a magic duo? Share your combos below!

* Most foundations last all day on my dry skin, just for the record

How To Shave During the Winter and Survive* to Tell the Tale

*over dramatization

If you weren't already aware, I have super dry sensitive skin, especially on my body. In fact, when growing up, my doctor at the time recommended that I not shower everyday and when possible, take colloidal oatmeal baths. As you can imagine, shaving dry sensitive skin does not yield great results. I mean, sure, the hair goes away, but I'm left with irritated skin. Dry, itchy skin that often burns when taking a warm shower.

It got to the point this winter where my husband was making fun of the "forest" I was growing on my legs and I had to take some action.

My regular "moisturizing" shaving cream just wasn't cutting it. In my palm of my hand I added some oil and then mixed in my shaving cream and spread that on my legs. After shaving, I spread on a generous amount of Albolene and then hopped in the shower. Between the moisturizing properties of the Albolene and the steam from the shower, my legs didn't get complete dried out. I showered as normal and exfoliated/cleansed my skin with my exfoliating gloves. After stepping out of the shower, my legs were soft and most importantly, didn't itch or burn.

I know it's normally recommended to moisturize after showering, but using a protective barrier if you are prone to dryness, has saved my legs this winter!

December Empties (2013)

Happy New Year everyone! I have to admit that I've been a bit of a slacker with the blog in 2013, but I hope to turn things around in 2014 though no promises, of course! This month came to end to several products...

Bath & Body Works Japanese Cherry Blossom Shower Gel - This is one of the small travel sizes (I like to change it up). Isn't it interesting how tastes change? A year ago, I wasn't really a fan of shower gels and now I can't get enough!
Philosophy Purity Made Simple - I use Purity to clean my makeup brushes. I know what you're thinking. That's a pricey product, but this enormous 12oz bottle came free with a Sephora order 2 years ago and I recently repurchased another one with my Birchbox points. Plus, I depend on this to keep my Beauty Blender spotless. It pretty much looks brand new and I owe it all to this!

Missha The Style Nail Polish Remover - I bought a ton of these when they were on clearance and I recently discovered a few leftovers in my stash. This is a nice nail polish remover and I'm trying to use up random brands so I can focus on Zoya Remove+ which is my favorite of them.

Tarte Pure Maracuja Oil - I featured this in my nighttime skincare routine and loved it until I ran out. This is a great oil and left my skin looking great. I'm not sure I'd repurchase right away as it's quite pricey. I'd recommend trying it if you haven't (I prefer this over the Josie Maran for face).
Caudalie Lip Conditioner - I've really come to love this lip balm. I even converted one of my friends at work. Even though it's pricey, I've found this balm very effective. I tend to purchase when Caudalie comes out with holiday sets as I can grab the balm and the hand moisturizer for a reduced price. Love.
Physician's Formula Healthy Wear Healthy Wear™ SPF 50 Powder Foundation - I still really like this, though I've since switched to another brand for the moment for a little change. Great, inexpensive powder, although - if you're dry, make sure you moisturize well prior to using!

So there you have my December empties. What did you use up in December?