February felt long this year. Maybe it was that one extra day. But my goodness it felt packed for me. It was full of auditions, rehearsals, wedding planning went into full gear, I got sick, I finally launched this blog, AND I went home to Washington for some bridal celebrations with my sister and mom.

In addition to all that I also tried out a LOT of products… But what else is new. I’m always trying out products, that’s half the reason I decided to start writing this fucking thing…. Anyways, here’s some thoughts on a few things I played with this past month.

1. Mario Badescu Facial Spray, With Aloe, Herbs and Rosewater. *

I finally picked up this guy! Funny enough, Mario Badescu was one of the first higher end skincare brands I ever purchased. It was a staple in my early twenties routine (when my skin was MUCH oilier), but I always passed over this cult product. Finally, early this month (and a decade later) I picked one up at Ulta. It’s nice, nothing ground breaking here. It’s decently priced for a rosewater spray, pleasurable to use, and full of mostly good ingredients. Rose is great for the skin, and I like using it to refresh during the day or right before I put on a serum for that added bit of moisture. I think I’m getting sick of rose scents though. It’s everywhere. Any recommendations on an affordable non rose face mist? My nose is bored. get here.*

2. Jurlique Calendula Redness Rescue Soothing Moisturizing Cream.*

This moisturizer came into my life around Christmas. It’s a new favorite, great for using at night, or even during the day (I think it might be to heavy in the summer here in Southern California though) It absorbs pretty quickly, and a little goes a long long way. I’ve even been using it on some problem, itchy, spots on my body and it’s really soothed them down during this dry time of year. It’s got a lot of great ingredients such as chamomile, evening primrose, self-heal, rose hip, honey, aloe, echinacea, and of course calendula (just to name a few.) I might get around to a post just about this guy after I’ve used him for a bit longer, I’ve really enjoyed the results so far. I think its worth its higher price tag. get it here.*

3. Pixi Glow Tonic.*

Another cult favorite I finally picked up, and fuck, do I wish I had grabbed it sooner. This is a total HG for me. I’ve been using it for about 3 weeks now and it’s made a big difference on my skin. OKAY CAROLINE HIRONS… I got an acid in my routine and it was what I was missing! Get that acid in there, everyday! And like she says… I’ve been taking it to the tits… and then some. I am prone to the sporadic spot on my upper chest, shoulders and back, especially after a shitty week of eating (and drinking), and extending my skincare routine to the majority of my upper body has really helped. This toner was the missing link for me in terms of keeping, and calming the spots that come up on my body as well as on my face. Oh, and it leaves that glow too. 🙂 If you haven’t jumped on the Glow Tonic band wagon… get your ass on board! get here.*

4. Kate Somerville RetAsphere.*

I got SEVERAL samples of this from a generous sales associate at Nordstrom back in the fall when I was shopping around for a new retinol. The samples lasted me for a pretty long time since I normally use a retinol only a couple times a week. I was very impressed with how fast this worked. My skin was smoother, more even, clear and dare I say youthful when I was using this on the regular. I had used a few other Kate Somerville products in the past and was not impressed but RetAsphere has sucked me in, and I am curious what other gems are in this product line that I’ve skipped over. I couldn’t justify the wicked price a few months ago but I got a few $$$ in gift cards this christmas and used some of them to add this guy to my stash. This is very much worth the investment if you have the money or the gift cards. here.

5. Amika Perk Up Dry Shampoo.*

I haven’t been wow’d by too many hair products – wait for it – they usually fall flat for me, especially When it comes to dry shampoos. I swear 90% of them have worked the same (but I haven’t tried THAT many). This is a nice little dry shampoo. It does its job. But I don’t know, some people seem to find dry shampoos to be a life saver but I just really really hate the feeling of dirty hair, and then the dry shampoo just makes my hair feel crunchy on top of it all… Anyways, despite my predisposition to dislike ANY dry shampoo this one wasn’t too bad. It didn’t make my hair feel too crunchy and the smell wasn’t offensive, which is my annoyance with the majority of ones I’ve tried. The price to size ratio on this guy was ridiculous, but I knew what I was getting into when I purchased this, and I just didn’t want to be stuck with another large headache-in-a-can that I will never get through. So this guy has been nice to tote around on the days when washing my hair is just not an option and I’m not in the mood for a Reality-Bites-Ethan-Hawk impression. get it here.

Well February you were fun, and not nearly as depressing as you normally are. Off to March and the approach of spring. I leave you with this token of the nineties… so hot but so…

…so greasy……

 

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