Current Morning Skincare Routine

This weekends video is a little bit late (I always try to post on Fridays), but better late than never! It's been quite a hectic weekend being home alone with Edward, and of course I always put him before the blog. But anyway, this is my current skincare routine in the morning. I've been enjoying so many of the products in my routine as of late, so I thought it was time to finally film this. It's a bit of a mish-mash brand wise, but that's just how I roll, I can't contain myself to one or two brands. It seems though, that whatever I'm using at the moment, there's always a little bit (or alot) of La Mer in there. I won't go on right now, and I'll let the video speak for itself. Literally.

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December Favorites

Well then, we are in the final week of December all of a sudden! The month has flown by even faster than usual, and it seems like just yesterday I was decorating our home. You've probably seen by now that I did in fact film this video last week, before we left for our Christmas holiday. That may seem a little strange, calling this December favorites when I filmed it halfway through the month, but I decided it would be okay because I rarely add products that I've discovered in the end of the month anyway. I like to use something for more than a week before calling it a favorite. I hope that makes sense to you, and I hope I appreciate not having to watch a shotty video filmed in my moms guest bedroom. I assure you that even though this was filmed a little earilier than usual, the process is exactly the same.

It looks like my makeup favorites were definetly a bit NARS heavy, which is no shock since it's one of my favorite brands. My blush favorite this month has been Sex Machine that was released as a single in January, and was found in the Virtual Domination holiday palette this Christmas (still in stock at Sephora), and also from NARS I've been loving the Audacious lipsticks that I picked up a few months ago. They're so crazy creamy and they just glide on, and I will definetly be picking up more colours (mine are Raquel and Olivia). Honestly, it wouldn't be December without a mention from a holiday collection, and the Chanel Camelia de Plumes highlighter is the only thing I picked up this year. It is hands down the most beautiful makeup item I own, and it was hard to actually use it for the first time. This is definetly a collector piece, but I don't want to store it away forget it, because it's made to be used! If you come by this I would definetly pick it up, no matter what skincolour or tone you are, because this will look amazing on anyone. I'm not very adventurous when it comes to eyeshadow but I decided to give these MAC Pigment samples in Tan and Blonde's Gold (both permanent) a go, and I couldn't be happier with the result. I love using them wet and using both on my eyelids, with the darker shade on the outer half. To do that I've been using my new Sigma E50 Eye Shading brush, and just spraying it with a setting spray before dipping it into a tiny bit of pigment.

 My one skincare favorite is the La Roche-Posay Physiological Soothing Toner that I just picked up. It really does make a big difference, and even though my favorite toner is The Tonic from La Mer, this is a good second for a fraction of the price. I also had to mention my The Body Shop Frosted Cranberry shower gel that was one of their holiday scents. Saying that I've been obsessed would be an understatement, as it smells too good for words! I'm very tempted to stock up on a few for future years, but I still have half left of this bottle, and that is definetly being saved for next Christmas. I also really like the formula of this, much more than their regular shower gels, so I may check out a few more of these. And last but not least, a little shoutout to a few of my favorite holiday nail polishes. I have a small collection of metallic and glittery red polishes, but these are the two that I've opted for this year, OPI's In My Santa Suit and Dear Santa.

Onto my lifestyle favorites, I only have a few this month, basically since I've been so busy with everything Christmas. In a way, I would easily say that Christmas has been a favorite, but I think that's stating the obvious. My one favorite candle this month has been Marshmallow Fireside from Bath & Body Works. To me this more of a winter scent than one just for Christmas, and I think it's one of their most popular signature candles. The name is pretty explanatory, and it does smell sweet, yet smokey. It's not one of their strongest scents (which is a good thing in my opinion), but it does have a very good throw. My one book favorite felt like a natural choice after last month, and it's Bossypants by Tina Fey. It's not the most well written book, but it's very clever, and of course extremly funny. Now onto my big favorite this month, the one that puts all the other ones to shame, the cartoon show Adventure Time. I'm a big kid at heart and I've fallein inlove with this show. It runs on Cartoon Network, and although I think older kids would like this, it's definetly a show made for adults. It stars brothers Jake the Dog and Finn the Human who go around the post-apocalyptic Earth (now called Land of Ooo) doing heroic stuff. It's funny, dark, cute and just generally brilliant. There are tons of supporting characters (most of them princesses) and my favorite is hands down Lumpy Space Princess (aka LSP) who is a hilarious bratty teenager. I highly recommend this to any of my nerdy and/or big kid readers out there, you will definetly love it.

Bliss Triple Oxygen Instant Energizing Mask

The Triple Oxygen Instant Energizing Mask from Bliss (£42/$54/100ml) is a brightening, lightening and tightening mask from Bliss' Treat Yourself skincare range. They claim it is a 'super quick fix for dull, tired and sallow, 'I'm sick of my skin' skin'. It's made to mimic the famous Triple Oxygen Treatment Facial that you can get at any Bliss spa. I bought this on a whim a few months ago, when my skin was looking a bit dull, and this looked, well, fun. It has been featured as an InStyle Best Beauty Buy five years in a row.

It comes in a white bottle with a pump that dispenses very small amouts, and i would say that I easily use 15 pumps for a full face application. The texture is a light coral, almost milky, colour and feels somewhat like a light gel. It has a light and sweet smell, that somehow reminds me of traditional, Norwegian tran, which is cod liver oil with lemon flavour. But in a good way, I promise. You apply it onto damp skin, and once in contact with water it lathers into something resembling a not-so-dense shaving foam and turns white. This is when it starts getting fun. You leave it on for five minutes while little air bubbles pop on your skin. It has a tingling sensation, and at the same time it feels like it's sliding off your face. After five minutes most of the foam is gone, and you basically look like you have a soapy foam beard. I end my session by removing any residue with a warm wash cloth.

I'm not really sure how this crazy technology works, but it does. The results are immediate, and the skin looks bright and refreshed. I love using this in the morning maybe twice a week, or before getting ready for a special occasion or event. I love that it comes in a very generous size too, and this will probably last me a full year. Using it actually manages to give me joy. How is it possible to care so much for a facial mask? Does it give any long term effects though? It's hard to tell, but I wouldn't really think so, although dull skin hasn't been much of an issue since I started using this. I believe it's one of those products where it's hard to know how much it really does until you stop using it. I would still love it even if the effect only lasted a day though, it's absolutely worth it.

Using it has made me wonder about how the actual spa treatment feels like, and what the results are. Surely it must be fantastic? They have spas several places in the US, as well as London, Barcelona, Doha, St. Petersburg and Hong Kong.

I would recommend this facial mask for anyone that needs a pick-me-up for dull skin. Using it is so lovely, and I believe it would benefit all skintypes. To make it even better, the big size makes it an absolute steal. It's impossible for me not to love this, as it is easy, fun, quick and gives great results.

Eve Lom Rescue Mask

Eve Lom's Rescue Mask (£35/$50/50ml) is a deep cleansing clay mask for all skintypes. It comes in a white tube, but there is also a bigger 100ml size that comes in a pot. This is supposedly the star product of Eve Lom's skincare range. I've been using this mask for almost two months now, twice a week in the evenings. I also use this as a spot treatment, and I may use it as often as every other day if I have a particularly pesky spot. It has won InStyle's award for "best mask for congested skin" for seven consecutive years.

With this mask, Eve Lom promises deep cleansing without drying, and it's suppost to help smooth the skins surface, calm redness and irritation and soothe puffy skin and eyes. I mainly rely on this for deep cleansing, and I love it for that purpose. It is hands down the best cleansing mask I have ever tried. I have experienced a bit of oily skin this summer, and this is excellent for oil control. I especially notice that when I use it as a spot treatment, and it just dries pimples so beautifully. Sometimes once is enough for spots, and you can see the spot getting smaller throughout the day. On a regular basis though, I use it all over my face twice a week, but only post shower in the evenings when my pores are open. I always leave it on for 20 minutes, and Eve Lom recommends 15-20 minutes, but I notice that when I have oiliness or spots those extra five minutes make a difference. It dries down to a hard finish that's not uncomfortable. Eve Lom recommends you remove it with a dry cloth in upward movements (which exfoliates), but I prefer just removing it like I would any other dry mask, using a wet wash cloth.  I love that it comes in a tube. Allthough the bigger one gives better value money wize, it seems very unpractical for two reasons. The first being that you have to shake it before use, and you can actually hear that it goes a little bit thinner right away. The other being that the tube gives you great contron of how much product you want to use, it's quite thick, so you won't end up squeezing out too much. The bigger pot does come with a spatula, but it just seems that it would be so messy compared to the tube.

The product itself is a very light gray, almost white, clay with tiny black grains of what I believe may be sweet almond seed meal, but don't quote me on that. The main ingredient is kaolin, which is a white clay often found it clay masks. I know there are many people that react to this particular type of clay, but I have never experienced any problems, even though I have sensitive skin. If you think you may have had a reaction to kaolin before, you may want to get a sample first. It smells very strongly of camphor, which I find quite envigorating, allthough I know it's something that people may dislike.

All in all I have been extremly happy with this mask. It cleanses so well, yet I don't find it drying. I love using it on those days where I can relax in the evenings, and I always feel like I'm pampering myself when I use this. This has quickly turned into a holy grail product for me, and I would easily say it's worth much more than its price. I would recommend this for anyone with normal or dry skin that needs that extra cleanse once in a while. I wouldn't not recommend this to someone with oily skin, it's just that I don't have any experience as to how this would work when you need more oil control than I do. However, it does help with oil, and obviously with impurities and congested skin, so I would give this a go if you're looking for a cleansing mask, no matter what your skintype is.

So I bought a Clarisonic

After probably two years of pondering, I finally took the plunge a few weeks back and bought a Clarisonic Mia2 (£125/$149) in a limited edition pink colour. It is quite an investment, which is why it took me so long to actually get one. But as I mentioned in my skincare post, my skin has been in a bad place this summer and I've been wanting to do what I can to help it return to normal.

After deciding that I did want to go ahead and purchase one, I had to decide which one to get. It was between the Aria and the Mia2. I obviously ended on the Mia2, for several reasons. First of I thought about the speeds. Mia2 har two speeds, while Aria has three, but I thought I would only end up using the slowest one. The other big difference is the fact that Mia2 comes with a travel case, while Aria comes with a drying stand. Now, I really wanted the drying stand, it is very practical, but when it all came down, I didn't think that stand was worth the big price difference. I feel that even though the Mia2 is smaller, it still fits nicely in my hands. And of course I love that it comes in pink!

When you first buy it it comes with the sensitive brush head. That may sound as though it would be perfect for sensitive skin, but it's actually more suited for normal skin. So I went right ahead and purchased the delicate brush head, which is the most gentle one. It also comes with a cleansing gel, which I'm not planning on using.

I've only used it twice so far, and it does of course take longer to see results. I will say however, that it makes my skin feel exfoliated after use. I've only been using it once a week for now, but I'm planning on going up to two times per week. Since my skin is dry and sensitive, and quite delicate and thin, I don't want to use it every day, even though Clarisonic say it can be used every day. So far, I've just been using it with my regular La Prairie Purifying Cream Cleanser.

I will check back and tell you on how I'm getting on in about a month. Hopefully, I'll see my skin starting to clear up a bit, and I hope to see results with some minor scarring I have on my chin as well. If you are using, or have used, a Clarisonic, I would love to hear your thoughts on it, and if saw results over time.

Chanel Hydramax + Active Active Moisture Mask

Chanel Hydramax + Active Active Moisture Mask (£39/$50/75ml) is, as far as I know, the only moisture mask in Chanels skincare range. It is creamy and pale blue, with a thick almost gel-like texture. It has the typical Hydramax scent.

I purchased this about a month ago, because my skin was suddently feeling dry and stiff. I had a sample of this years ago, and remembered loving it. I'm particularly weak for the Hydramax scent, probably since my first ever high end skincare was from that range, although I believe it had a different name back then. I'm happy to announce it is as good as I remembered.

Upon application it goes on like a regular cream, but leaves a sticky feeling as if you were wearing a very thick cream. Chanel recommends you wear it for ten minutes before washing off. I have always just worn it over night, and my skin feels very moisturized and a little plump in the morning. It's almost completly absorbed in the morning. I don't have a routine as to when I use this, so I just apply it when I feel that my skin needs it.

One thing I have to mention about this facial mask is that the second ingredient is glycerin. Glycerin is very often added to skincare so that you won't have any reactions to the other ingredients. I have sensitive skin, and I often notice a reaction sooner or later anyway. When I use this I sometimes start to itch on my cheeks, which is how a breakout usually starts for me. Now, I've never broken out when using this, but I wouldn't want to use it too often.

Even with the glycerin and the looming though of breakouts, I still really like this. Mostly because it does what it's suppost to do. I don't have to use it several days in a row to get good results, I feel them the next morning. It's a nice little treat to use once in a while, and it just feels very luxurious. A must have for an evening of pampering. With my use this is surely going to last me a long time, which is a big plus (is there anything more annoying then having to replenish the same product every 2 months?).

On a last note I want to remember you that this is a treatment for when you need that extra boost. If you have dry skin, start with a good moisturizer and the right cleanser to give you balanced skin, don't rely on masks and overtreat your skin.

My Skincare Routine

This summer, I feel like my skincare routine has been in a good place, so I thought I would share it. I take great pride in having beautiful skin, and I easily see skincare as an investment. You will never catch me falling asleep with make-up on because I was too tired to remove it! I have some old favorites in this post, as well as some new products that I am quickly falling inlove with.

The Removers

Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water (£4.99/400ml) I initially bought this cleansing water because I am a big fan of the Bioderma cleansing water, and had heard good reviews of this claiming that it was basically just as good. Since it was cheaper and easier to get  hold of, I though why not. At first, I felt that the two were very similar, but over the course of time I noticed that this didn't remove make-up nearly as well as Bioderma. At this point, I'm basically just using it becaue I hate throwing away products. Even if I'm not wearing very heave make-up, I feel that I have to go over my face twice when I'm using this.

Chanel Démaquillant Yeux Intense Gentle Bi-Phase Eye Make-Up Remover (£22/$/100ml) After I've removed my make-up using a gentle cleansing water, I have to go over my vast amounts of mascara and eyeliner using this remover. It's hard to describe exactly how much I love this product, but it has been in my holy grail selection for many years. Everything just glides off, and it doesn't leave an oily filter around my eyes like so many other similar products.

La Prairie Purifying Cream Cleanser (£52/$80/200ml) Not pictured. I'm a firm believer in the double cleanse, and for years now this has been one of my favorite cleansers. It's a rich, creamy texture that smells very luxurious. It's extremly gentle, and I even use it on my eyes. If you're in need of a deep cleanse, this is not for you, but if you have very sensitive skin this may be what you're looking for. It's not often that I come across cleansers that are this rich, and it's one of the reasons I love it so much. For me, cleansing is such an important step in my skincare routine, and it may be easy to think that a product that is washed off right away makes a big difference, but it really does. When I was younger I would just by a random, cheap cleanser and think it didn't matter, but once I started actually caring about my cleansers, I noticed a big difference in my skin at it got much clearer. If you're wondering, the reason this isn't pictured is because I didn't plan very well, and since my two tubes were almost empty I cut them open to remove the leftover product.

The Creams

La Mer The Eye Concentrate (£135/$190/15ml) When my skin is nice and clean, I start by applying eye cream. For about three years now this has been my only eyecream, and with this your really just need one. For about a year now I've only been using this in the evenings and only on occasions when I really need that extra moisture in the mornings. In my eyes this is a must for everyone that has dry skin or gets dry patches around their eyes, and you should start using it in your 20s. I started using this a few weeks into beauty school, when my skin was becoming unbarable because of the constant application and removing of eye make-up, and within days my eyes were moisturzed and comfortable once again, and stayed that way during the rest of the school year. I still use on extra dry patches, like around my nose after a cold.I always use the silver tipped applicator that comes with, and I just dip that into the pot and glide it around my eyes, avoiding the actual upper and lower eyelids. This may sound very silly, but the eyelids will absorb the amound of cream that they need. If you apply directly on your eyelids, it will get absorbed too close to your actual eye. Avoid the inner corners of your eyes as well

La Roche-Posay Remedic [R] Eyes (£24.50/15ml) This little 5ml sample has been my morning eye cream for the past few weeks, and it contains retinol. As I've been starting to get a few lines around my eyes these past few years, I was hoping to see results because of the retinol, but I've honestly haven't noticed anything yet. When applying this I squeeze a tiny bit onto the tip of my ring finger, and lightly dab it around my eyes, avoiding the actual upper and lower eyelids, for the same reason that I mentioned with The Eye Concentrate.

La Mer Creme de la Mer (£200/$295/60ml) Do I really need to say much about this? It truly is amazing, and as long as I can afford it, I see no reason to try anything else but this. It took me a while to get a hang of it, and how to warm it with your hands before application, but now it's no turning back. I use the little spatula that comes with to get a pea sized amount, which is enough for my whole face. It's hard to describe the warming procedure my text, but you basically rub it between your hands or fingers, and the consistency changes and it becomes lighter. Then you pat it onto your skin. If you don't get it right the cream is going to feel unnecessary heavy, and you're not going to see good results, so be sure to ask your SA to show you how it's done when purchasing. So far in life, this is the only cream that can keep my dry skin moisturized, and I can easily call it life changing. Even during the west coast winters it's enough.

The Extras

Bliss Triple Oxygen Instant Energizing Mask (£42/$54/100ml) For about a month now I've been enjoying this fun mask, and I use it about twice a week in the mornings. It smells a bit odd, but it's so fun to use and it leaves me looking better than I did before. The point of this is to mimic their famous Triple Oxygen Facial at the Bliss spas, by allowing tiny bubbles to burst on your skin. Sounds scary, but it feels very nice. Full review to come later.

Chanel Hydramax + Active Active Moisture Mask (£39/$/75ml) This mask is an old favorte that I recently repurchased. I don't really have a schedule as to when I use it, I basically just put it on in the evenings whenever my skin feels parched. The box says to leave it on for 15 minutes, but you can easily leave it on over night. The texture feels light and thick at the same time, and feels like it's somewhere between a cream and a gel. It also has that typical Chanel skincare scent, which I think is amazing. Full review to come later.

Eve Lom The Rescue Mask (£35/$50/50ml) I've been suffering from not-so-perfect skin this summer, and picked this up on a whim during my summer holiday. I had never tried Eve Lom before, but heard good things, and when the SA told me that she though this was their best product, I went for it. I use this twice a week in the evenings after a shower, once a week on my entire face, and once a week on the areas that need a little extra attention. I even like it as a spot treatment, and after 20 minutes I can actually see that my pimples have dried out. It really helps with oil control too, and have to say that this product is an absolute star. Full review to come later.

Ole Henriksen Walnut Complexion Scrub (£26/$24/50g) First of all, let me say that this smells absolutely amazing! I've been using this twice a week in the shower for about two months now, and allthough I like it, I'm not so sure that I love it. After my all time favorite scrub (MD Formulations Face & Body) got discontinued in Europe, I've been on the lookout for a new favorite scrub, and this doesn't really fit the bill. I can definetly call this 'nice', but it leaves me wanting more.