What I Love Now

I haven’t told you guys some stuff I’m loving in a bit! Don’t worry-I still love lots of stuff. I still love you guys too. <3

So I’m prettttty stoked about some of the items in this edition of “What I Love Now.” I know I have 2 Philosophy skincare products in the same post but OMG. I haz good reason. I love finding products that not only work, but WERK GIRL.

1.) Philosophy Help Me
Gah!!! I’m so excited about this product! It’s been a long time since I saw visible and obvious results from a skincare product! So, this is a retinol night treatment product from Philosophy. I started using it because I am getting old as dirt. Just kidding! You are only as old as you feel inside. If that is true, I am 26! But really, I’m turning 30 next month. I have read multiple interviews with dermatologists that state that not only is retinol proven to work but if they could only have patients use one product, it would be one containing retinol.

I was initially afraid to use retinol because of my very dry skin. However, this product contains bisabol and contains time-release technology to lessen irritation. I have experience zero redness, dryness or peeling. What I have experienced? A certain “glow” to my skin and enlarged pores I thought for sure I’d have for life are now less visible and tighter in appearance! I will have to report back once I’ve used it for a few months more regarding my forehead expression lines.

The kicker was when a woman asked me what highlighter I was using on my face and I had to confess I hadn’t even applied one that day! That was all I needed to hear to know this is legit. Additionally, $47 is extremely affordable for a retinol product considering the prescription product Renova can cost  around $100. I have been applying a pea-size amount at night (as directed) and following with my Sephora Age Defy Night Cream or NUDE ProGenius Skin Oil.

If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, hold off on the retinol. Also-when sleeping with retinol at night, you better be having breakfast with SPF.

2.) Z Palette
I can’t believe it’s taken me this long to jump on the Z Palette wagon! Z Palettes are magnetized palettes you can customize by adding in only the pans of shadow, blush, etc. that you want.
I had noticed I was packing everything and anything for freelance gigs and started to realize a customized blush and eye palette was in order, especially for bridal makeup. It definitely requires some good old fashioned elbow grease (a term I have never understood btw) to depot your shadows and blushes out of their packaging but it’s worth it. I now have a blush and bronzer palette and a neutral bridal shadow palette.

3.) Chanel Chance, Eau de Toilette
This remains the only perfume I have ever truly loved. I recently bought a fresh bottle and I’m so glad I did. I’ve never loved a scent the way I love Chance. It’s a more citrus-based scent, not overly floral like so many and I just adore it. It smells energetic, expensive and sexy to me. No fruitiness or heaviness. The top notes are pink pepper, lemon and pine apple with middle notes of hyacinth, jasmine and iris and base notes of amber, patchouli, vetiver and white musk.

4.) L’Oreal Voluminous False Fiber Lashes
This is a new drugstore mascara I’ve recently been impressed with! You really can’t go wrong with any mascara in the L’Oreal Voluminous line. This one is super-buildable and non-clumpy and gives soft, feathery lashes. It’s easy to remove and even as a contact wearer, I haven’t had any issues with the fibers in the formula. It’s more lengthening than volumizing but creates a naturally long-lashed look!

5.) Philosophy Time in a Bottle
Another anti-aging Philosophy product to round things out! This is so highly-praised on Sephora.com and being a high-potency vitamin C serum, I hoped it could help to fade my post-blemish dark spots.
I started using Time in a Bottle on October 15 and almost a month later, my skin is brighter and dark spots are lessened. I plan to see where I’m at on my birthday, December 15, as that will be 8 weeks. I am using it as my day time serum, before moisturizer and Help Me at night. So far I’ve experienced no irritation, it’s so lightweight so I barely feel it, and my skin seems to be repairing itself! Philosophy-you be killin’ it lately.

Thanks for reading! I am getting ready to start the craziest time of the year at Sephora and have a few other neat projects I’ll be working on and telling you about soon!

Oh, and one last thing!
If you like video tutorials, you might like my YouTube channel where they are all in one place now!

FTC Disclaimer: The Philosophy Time in a Bottle was given to me as a result of my employment with Sephora.