It has been a pretty wet winter up here in Montreal. That’s typical of the winters on the coast I’m used to, but it’s pretty darn weird for Montreal. I’ve been changing up my rainboots and winter boots about as often as I change my undies and it’s definitely not easy on the make-up routine.
I kept it pretty simple this winter, just making sure to wash my face and add moisturizer (with a drop of foundation stirred in) every day, plus mascara and lip balm. I never wanted to do anything more intensive than that just in case a big truck came along and soaked me with gutter slush. Which did happen. The cold temps also meant lipstick was out of the question, since it dries up too fast and gets flakey. Ew. I will say that lip gloss was my saviour for days/ nights when I had to glam it up.
I also somehow developed wrinkles under my eyes while writing my Master’s thesis in the fall, and so I’ve been using various night-time concoctions to try to deal with that...
Products I used through the winter:
Please ignore the messy desk....
Daytime:
Facial cleanser: Cetaphil Gentle Cleanser (in shower, applied with face brush). Also as first step
in make-up removal.
Toner: Neostrata Toning Solution (applied with cotton pad)
Facial moisturizer: Cetaphil Daily Facial Moisturizer, SPF 15
Foundation: CG trublend (usually I just swirled a drop or two into my moisturizer, unless thesituation is dire.)
Concealer: CG "invisible" (for around the nose, on the chin, and under the eyes). Doesn’t blend
as well as I’d like, and tends to dry too fast and get flaky.
Mascara: Rimmel MAX VolumeLash (pretty awesome, but I'll likely get something different next
time for kicks. I think it may also have expired :P)
Lips: Carmex (Strawberry) Lip Balm plus 1 of 4 different lip gloss/lipsticks (Left to right in photo:
Rimmel "Stay Glossy", JacobCare gloss (unknown name), CG Lip Perfection in Kiss, Maybelline
Moisture Extreme in Roseberry). The Rimmel gloss is the same colour as my lips, which is pretty
amazing considering it came in a bag of free swag at a fashion event.
Facial cleanser: Cetaphil Gentle Cleanser (in shower, applied with face brush). Also as first step
in make-up removal.
Toner: Neostrata Toning Solution (applied with cotton pad)
Facial moisturizer: Cetaphil Daily Facial Moisturizer, SPF 15
Foundation: CG trublend (usually I just swirled a drop or two into my moisturizer, unless thesituation is dire.)
Concealer: CG "invisible" (for around the nose, on the chin, and under the eyes). Doesn’t blend
as well as I’d like, and tends to dry too fast and get flaky.
Mascara: Rimmel MAX VolumeLash (pretty awesome, but I'll likely get something different next
time for kicks. I think it may also have expired :P)
Lips: Carmex (Strawberry) Lip Balm plus 1 of 4 different lip gloss/lipsticks (Left to right in photo:
Rimmel "Stay Glossy", JacobCare gloss (unknown name), CG Lip Perfection in Kiss, Maybelline
Moisture Extreme in Roseberry). The Rimmel gloss is the same colour as my lips, which is pretty
amazing considering it came in a bag of free swag at a fashion event.
Nightly:
Heavy-Duty Make-up Remover: Pond's Cold Cream. Yeah. I kinda smell like a grandma, but my face is crazy soft, so I win.
Eye cream: L'Oreal Paris Eye Defense sometimes with a tiny bit of ProX Eye Restoration Complex mixed in (it makes my eyes itch like mad...probably the silicone)
Heavy-Duty Make-up Remover: Pond's Cold Cream. Yeah. I kinda smell like a grandma, but my face is crazy soft, so I win.
Eye cream: L'Oreal Paris Eye Defense sometimes with a tiny bit of ProX Eye Restoration Complex mixed in (it makes my eyes itch like mad...probably the silicone)
I also apply Lush Dream Cream all.the.time. to take care of my eczema. It’s amazing. Cleared it up in 2 days! :)
This is a pretty basic routine (really, it only takes a few minutes!), so I’m pretty pumped for spring so I can be a little more playful with colours. I know it’s still going to be wet and rainy, but at least with warmer temps I can put on lipstick and other products without risking flakiness. Here are products I’m looking forward to getting, OR have just bought for spring and am loving.
Sephora Colour Flip – Have you seen this?! It’s ADORABLE. I played with it in the store and wanted it immediately. We’ll see if I can justify it to myself. There are actually much bigger versions for not a lot more dollas. What to do...
Sephora by Opi Glee nail colour in “Slushied” – amazing. Cornflower blue toenails? Oh yes.
New foundation – this one is up in the air. I really like my foundation, but it doesn’t have any SPF. I don’t need a great deal of coverage but I also don’t want it to be pointless. I just want to even things out a bit. Also, a pump top is necessary. If you have suggestions, please share!
Face brush - I have a cheap one made by Sephora, because I’d heard such good things about the Botanics Face Brush (which I can’t find here in Montreal). It actually is working. My face is soooo soft. I use it with my cleanser in the shower. Loooove it.
Can you tell I’m smitten with Sephora? I discovered we have a Sephora store here in Montreal and I can’t stay away!
What are you guys excited about for spring?