The Essentials: January 2024

Happy New Year, friends!!

Instead of focusing on a resolution for the new year, I will focus on a word for the year. This year my word is abundance ✨. And similar to last year, now that I’m healed from my injury, I’ll be training for one marathon and a few half marathons.

With all my upcoming training runs, being a mom, and working in between it all skincare and body care has been a priority. I still love playing with makeup, but it’s more intentional and minimal.

Here are my essentials for the month:

HAIR: Scalp care is skin care and I’ve been paying attention to mine to help stimulate hair growth. I love Aveda’s shampure composition oil to help calm and soothe my scalp in between wash days, plus the scent is amazing.

For curl definition, I’ve been loving Bread’s hair-cream. It acts as a leave-in conditioner and repairing curl cream that gives a semi-defined, soft hold. So good for air-dried and diffused curls.

FACE / SKINCARE: As usual, we got more heavy hitters in this section.

Dermae's vitamin c daily brightening cleanser is another multi-use product that I've been loving. It removes makeup/oil, brightens skin thanks to its clean ingredients, and leaves my skin with a healthy glow + even tone. 

For my acne girlies, Tower 28 has this amazing mist (SOS Rescue Spray) that quickly soothes and purifies angry skin. It uses Hypochlorous Acid which is an anti-inflammatory and antibacterial. I use this daily and am obsessed! It's on the pricey side so if you're looking for a dupe I found this similar mist on Amazon.

Herbivore launched their eye cream, Super Nova, and it's been my favorite! It's a vitamin c-powered cream that depuffs and brightens dark circles. It lays nicely under sunscreen and makeup.

Winter's dry climate means our skin needs all the moisture to keep it hydrated. For me, I am a huge fan of The Ordinary's Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 Hydrating Serum because its two main ingredients for enhanced hydration.

As someone who has struggled with congested and visible pores, an AHA is key. Farmacy's Honeymoon Glow is a night serum, containing 14% AHA/BHA and flower acids, that hydrates, exfoliates, and refines pores. Plus, it’s so gentle!

Because I layer on effective serums, I tend to keep my moisturizers light. Versed Dew Point is a gel-cream that absorbs instantly. It's also super hydrating, has antioxidants that soothe skin, and layers nicely under makeup.

For the days I need to keep my skincare routine super short, because #momlife, I relied on Paula's Choice Youth-Extending Daily Hydrating Fluid SPF 50. It's a sunscreen and moisture in one - it's packed with antioxidants and has a satin-matte finish which my oily skin appreciates.

A good clay mask is necessary, especially after long training runs, so Kiehl's Rare Earth Deep Pore Minimizing Clay Mask is a must. It deep cleans my pores and detoxifies my skin after a heavy sweat sesh.

FACE / MAKEUP: I’ve been all about skin lately, so when it comes to makeup I’ve kept it minimal to eyebrows and eyelashes.

Glossier has this amazing brush-tip pen, called Brow Flick, that leaves feather-like strokes where needed. It looks so natural and won't smear even on my sweatiest days.

I tried Pixi Beauty's Brow Tamer Eyebrow Gel on a whim, mainly because the price was right, and the formula was giving. It sets my brows perfectly, lasts all day long and it only costs $10.

SHOP MY ESSENTIALS:

one // two // three // four // five // six // seven // eight // nine // ten // eleven // twelve

The Essentials: January 2023

Happy New Year, friends!! This year, you’ll find me knee-deep in marathon training for TWO marathons which I kicked off back in early December. I’m not sure how I’ll be able to get all my runs in while running after a toddler, but here’s to trying! 🥂

Last month, I really focused on keeping my breakouts to the bare minimum especially now that I’ll be sweating a lot more. And, making those little self-care rituals feel more luxurious.

Here are my essentials for the month:

HAIR: Aveda’s Smooth Infusion Style-Prep Smoother was an unexpected surprise. I’ve been using it as a base to give my curls an extra boost of moisture during this chilly season and found that it helped make my hair appear less frizzy.

FACE / SKINCARE: As usual, we got more heavy hitters in this section.

Skinfix, not sure why everyone sleeps on this brand, has this amazing eye cream that depuffs and brightens. What’s even more amazing is how upfront they are with their clinical actives and studies. Definitely give this brand a look - they are sold almost everywhere!

For my acne friends, La Roche-Posay has an adapalene gel that is now available over the counter! It’s called Effaclar and it’s a retinoid that helps speed up cell turnover and unclog pores.

For moisturizers, give this one from The Ordinary a try and this one from Nuria is made specifically for nights and has an amazing texture.

After trying, Supergoop!’s Glow sunscreen and loving it, I decided to try their clear version called Unseen Sunscreen. The formula is weightless, colorless, and oil-free that leaves behind a nice velvety finish on skin. It also layered very nicely under makeup.

Indie Lee is a recurring favorite of mine. This time I want to highlight their Clearing Mask. I use it after my runs, or any intense workout, to really deep clean my pores and rehydrate my skin.

Our winter feels more brutal than last year’s, so I wanted to give a special shoutout to Glossier’s Moisturizing Moon Mask - our skin is going to need a weekly (maybe biweekly) re-up of hydration to make it in one piece this spring.

FACE / MAKEUP: Last year, I decided to dive back into my stash of foundation and CC creams and will continue the tradition this year to cull through my collection. One of the standouts was the Juice Beauty Stem Cellular CC Cream. The glowy formula blends so nicely and can build from light to medium coverage.

For my eyebrows, I decided to try out Colourpop’s $8 Brow Gel, and you guys - the price for the formula is unreal. It has a flexible, lightweight hold and never flakes. Will definitely buy this again.

I feel like we’ve all heard about Kosas amazing undereye concealer. Their Revealer Concealer first appeared on my FYP early last summer and has been a staple in almost everyone’s makeup routine for good reason. The concealer does not cake or crease - instead, it brightens and leaves a dewy finish.

BODY: It’s become a tradition to stock up on Glossier goods during their Cyber Week sales. I want to highlight their Body Hero Dry-Touch Oil Mist. Not only does it feel so luxurious, it’s one of the few body oils that are truly mess-free and the scent is intoxicating. On super chilly (dry) days, I like to layer this over a body balm to lock in moisture.

SHOP MY ESSENTIALS:

one // two // three // four // five // six // seven // eight // nine // ten // eleven // twelve

The Essentials: September 2022

So... It’s a lot harder to maintain a lifestyle blog with an infant (who is now a toddler 😭). However, I’ve never forgotten about this little corner of the internet I’ve carved out for myself. It’s always in the back of my mind along with content ideas, products and places to share, and outfits too good to live within my memory.

In fact, there’s a basket at my desk that collects all of my empties. Just need the energy to spill the tea. I still don’t have a ton of energy tonight, but traces of my former life are starting to creep in and that’s a really nice feeling. I even posted to my Instagram this week. The post didn’t get many likes but the fact that I did it deserves a pat on the back. And sometimes I get to wash my hair TWICE in a week. Baby steps; but your girl is coming back.

Now onto the good stuff:

HAIR: After falling in love with Bread’s Hair Mask, I took a chance on their hair oil with the assumption it would be just as great. I wasn’t wrong, friends! Lately, I’ve been using the hair oil as the last step in my wash day routine (and to tame flyaways) but I may try the recommended suggestion of applying it on sopping, wet hair and as an intensive scalp + hair mask. The scent is very sweet (reminds me of sweet tarts) so if heavily fragranced products aren’t your thing you may not appreciate this guy.

FACE / SKINCARE: Sometimes your skin needs an extra-gentle cleanser that can still wash away makeup and sunscreen. Farmacy’s Clean Bee checks off all the boxes for me - skin never felt tight or musty (ha). The soft scent of honey was a nice touch.

My skin has been on the dehydrated side lately (I’ve been really bad about drinking water) so I’ve been reaching for Juice Beauty Prebiotix Instant Flash Facial to add a boost of hydration and a subtle summer glow. It’s a 3-in-1 product (cleanser, exfoliator, and mask) that makes packing for long weekends easier. I thoroughly enjoyed using the mask and will be rebuying it again!

For sunscreens, I’ve alternated between SkinMedica’s Essential Defense (mineral sunscreen) and Supergoop!’s Glow Screen (chemical sunscreen). If I plan on being active, outdoors, or after a skincare treatment I’ll reach for SkinMedica’s sunscreen. And on the days I want a nice glowy base for under my makeup (or in general) then I go with Supergoop!’s sunscreen.

FACE / MAKEUP: My day-to-day makeup no longer contains layers of contouring, color correcting, or falsies. It’s been pared down to what some may call the no-makeup makeup look: light coverage and a dewy, bronzy look. To hide the lack of sleep on my face, Yves Saint Laurent’s Touche Eclat does wonders and highlights the skin without a shimmering effect. And the one-click application is a godsend for those days you have a literal 10 minutes or less.

Another product that gets an A+ for application is Glossier’s Solar Paint. It’s buildable, melts into the skin, and has a nice finish. Sometimes I use it as a contour and other days more as a bronzer.

Honorable mention goes to It Cosmetic’s Je Ne Sais Quoi Hydrating Lip Balm Treatment - it leaves lips fully hydrated and with a nice flushed color, however, I wish they would reconsider the price as it’s a bit steep for lip balm.

BODY: I finally got to test out Blume’s Hug Me natural deodorant and friends - it deserves more hype! I ended up purchasing 3 more during a sale to stock up. It rolls on like a deodorant (I love an easy application), and kept my underarms dry and stink-free. There were days that were more active than others which called for reapplication but overall I am so happy I decided to try this out.

A few other heroes you need to know about: Kopari’s Coconut Melt and La Roche-Posay’s Cicaplast Mains. The Coconut Melt is very rich and great for days when your body is craving extra moisture. I like to use it after spending a day at the beach or pool. The same goes for the hand cream. I actually use this year round and have one stashed on my person at all times.

SHOP MY ESSENTIALS:

one // two // three // four // five // six // seven // eight // nine // ten // eleven // twelve