Summer Skin Care Must Haves

Hello friends! I'm happy to report that it has been consistently sunny and warm in CT! Unfortunately, I got a little too adventurous with my sunbathing and I'm slightly lobster-like at the moment. As I was rummaging around my bathroom in desperate search of some much needed aloe vera, I thought I would pull out some of my favorite products for when my skin needs a little extra love in the summer time!

When I'm a little low on cash, Pond's is my savior. The Classic Cold Cream is perfect for removing make-up and it comes off so easily! I just put a little bit on my eye area with my fingers, rub it in, and then wipe it off with a tissue. My favorite part is that it doesn't irritate your eyes so you can actually open your eyes without fear of it stinging.

The Dry Skin Cream is a great moisturizer which is super important for me since I have dry skin, which gets even worse in the summer from all the sun exposure. A little bit of this stuff goes a long way and I also find that it's really gentle. I've never had a problem with it breaking me out and I've been using it on and off for about 2 years now.

This Lush combo also works great for me, but much to my dismay the products are much more expensive than the Pond's products from the drug store. I use the Ultrabland as a cleanser, but it also completely removes all of my make-up. It's an oil based cleanser so it's almost the consistency of a lip balm type deal. I usually just apply it to my face before I hop into the shower and it just chills there until I wash it off with a wash cloth. It is perfect for me because it doesn't give me that tight and dry feeling that a lot of cleansers (especially those with salicylic acid) do.

The Eau Roma Toner Water is literally going to last me a life time. I just mist it right on my face before I moisturize. I actually thought the sales girl was just getting the best of me when I bought it, but it's actually my favorite part of the trio. It has a cooling effect that is perfect for dry skin (and it's just fun in general).

When I bought Skin Drink, I had asked the sales associate to show me something that would really help with my skin because it was getting so dry it was actually flaking a little which is not cute. So she showed me the skin drink and I liked it a lot! Not super keen on the scent (it has sesame oil in it) but it did help and the smell didn't linger more than a minute or two. This product in particular is pricey though considering the amount of product you're getting (that's why it does help to use it with the toner), so it might be awhile before I can replace mine.

The main reason I wanted to include my foundation in this post is because for me it's really important that I wear sunscreen on the daily. I've never been super picky about foundations, but I do always look for ones that have SPF and the Revlon Photoready has SPF 20. I'm not someone who avoids foundation in the summer and I tend to go for lighter coverage year round (I mean I've never really found something from the drug store that wasn't light coverage...) but I think the Photoready is light enough for summer. 

The Maybelline Dream Wonder Powder doesn't have SPF in it, but it leaves me with a good finish when paired with the foundation. I've never really worn powder before though, so I don't really have too much to compare it to. I think when I finish this one I'm going to try out the Rimmel Stay Matte because I've heard great things about that one!

What are your go-to summer skin care products? Anything you think I need to try? Let me know in the comments!

Target Make-Up Haul

It's been a few days since I came back to school after spending a week at home for Spring Break. While I would have loved to have been lounging on the beach last week, being at home means having access to a car which also means shopping!

I hit up Target before heading back to campus for some affordable new make-up finds and I wasn't disappointed!

Sonia Kashuk Perfecting Luminous Foundation in Creme

First off, let me just say my skin has NOT been my friend lately. I've been desperately looking for a foundation with more coverage than the other drug store brands I've been using. Unfortunately they were out of what probably would have been my color for this foundation, but I really wanted to try this brand! I decided to go a shade darker as opposed to a shade lighter, but it is definitely too orange for me. I've been blending it with a lighter shade of the Revlon Photo Ready and it makes it match my skin better. It also has more coverage which I am very pleased about! Definitely needs a setting powder though, it leaves me pretty shiny without.

E.L.F. Studio Small Stipple Brush

I wouldn't say this is the best brush ever made (the top is already a separating from the handle, nothing a little dot of super glue can't fix), but I guess that's what you get for $2.99! Overall I'm a fan of the brush though. I think the new foundation combined with the new brush have definitely made a difference in the coverage I've been getting. I stipple it on and then blend it in by doing circular motions which works out quite nicely.

Maybelline Dream Wonder Powder in Ivory

I've never used a powder that really provided real coverage on it's own before and I love it! It advertises build-able coverage and I would say that that is pretty accurate. I have dry skin in general so I don't need a lot of mattifying, but the foundation does leave me a little shiny as I mentioned and this takes care of that. I'm used to translucent powders so I didn't realize that a little goes such a long way in terms of color payoff, which as nice but be sure to use it sparingly! 

NYC Sun 'n' Bronze Bronzing Powder in Fire Island Tan

I love this as an affordable bronzer. NYC is notoriously inexpensive even within the drugstore realm. This particular bronzer works pretty well, but if you don't like shimmer than you won't like this. It definitely has a little bit of sparkle to it (not glitter) but I think it will look awesome in the summer when the sunlight catches it!

Let me know your favorite drugstore products and if you have any secrets to clear skin!