It's that time of year again when the season changes and our routines with it. For me, my issues are that my combo skin goes crazy. My cheeks become extra dry and my tzone stays pretty oily but it gets dry and flakey at the same time.  It's a learning curve but i've learned to deal with my skin in the following ways

• wash everyday with a gel cleanser
• for daytime moisturizing: sensitive skin oil free moisturizer with a day cream that contains SPF, and if necessary add a layer of baby lotion over it after the     day cream dries and is absorbed.
• For night time: wash with a gel cleanser or use a Dove facial wash cloth (if face is feeling a little flakey or looks dull)
• Use a night cream or baby lotion, slather it on generously.
• Once a week designate a day to use a gentle facial scrub to cleanse the face and get rid of any dry flakey skin.
• after using the scrub follow up with a gentle face mask to help keep the skin cells turning over.

Here are the products i use:

Pretty much what i've found for me personally, is that during the transitioning period (fall/winter weather), the best thing is to not use a lot of products, and to use milder products that don't contain chemicals that will irritate your skin. Your skin is already irritated by the wind, cold and fluctuating temperatures when you go in and outside throught the day. If you have any tips or tricks for winterizing your skin do tell below in the comments.

Hi Everyone!

This is just a quickie haul post, nothing exciting or new.

i got both the 88 ultra shimmer and warm palettes from Coastal Scents (finally i know), Gilt by Association and blue flame from the Style Black collection by MAC, Maybelline cool effects shadow liner in a brown, Essence of Beauty Powder brush with a free eye shadow brush in the pack, and Essence of Beauty concealer brush set.

There are soo many people who have already shown the CS palettes and the MAC e/s so i am not going to waste your time swatching them (if someone requests i will gladly do it of course!).

Here is a swatch of the cool effects shadow liner though, you can't see it in my pic but it has a very subtle shimmer. Excellent for everyday wear.

i wish you should see the shimmer. And it looks like a regular brown here but it is very creamy and almost bronzey in person. Also, it does have a cooling effect that you feel immediately, it doesnt last long so its not even a necessary feature but whatever.

Here's a look at the powder brush and the free e/s brush (don't you love freebies?)

The powder brush is very soft and alittle wide, i thinkt his would be best used for applying face powder all over the face. Definitely not for applying blush. Just so you can get an idea of the shape of the bristles i held it up next to my APt5 powder brush:

Wider spread of the bristles for covering more area. They are both labelled as powder brushes but there is obvious difference in size and shape of the brushes.

Top view:

As you can see the EOB brush is flater and the shape is best suited for "painting" in one direction and not for buffing in or swirling. Also i think the bristles are more densely packed together. The Apt5 brush has a rounder shape for swirling and buffing.

FInally a quick shot of the concealer brushes:

Sorry for the pic quality. These brushes are perfect for eye area and spot coverage of scars or acne. They are so cute and little.

Thats my lil haul for this week. Hope you enjoyed.

Ciao~

You know how every beauty mag gives tips on how lipgloss or lipstick can be used as blush, or baby lotion can be used as a quick fix moisturizer for your hair? Well i'm curious about any other products that can be used in multiple ways. So ladies, if you have any products that you use for multiple purposes do tell!

I can tell you baby lotion is my multipurpose product. I use it as a face moisturizer and it emergency situation i have even used it on my hair.

Sooo, This post has been a couple of days in the making. I actually made these purchases on Monday but i have been soo lazy this week (hey i'm on vacation, what do you expect? lol).

Lets start with MAC because i didn't buy anything exciting, just some basics

I bought Style Demon (thanks to Retail_therapy i have been lusting for this for awhile), a MSF in natural, and studiofinish concealer, which btw i didn't notice had SPF35, which is excellent especially for my eye area which has been severely damaged by eczema (hence my perpetual dark circles).

Okay, on to the good stuff :)

Again most of the items are nothing overly special, from left to right: Kinerase sample, Too Faced e/s palette in Natural, Metro Chic regular & Matte (i was really looking for the pink OPI Matte shade but they didn't have it so i got Metro Chic since i had liked it as well. ANOTHER Sophia influenced purchase), and Too Faced Shadow insurance.

Okay so what's so exciting about this purchase? well its the Too Faced palette of course!

ooh very pretty colors. here are some swatches:

L to R: heaven, classic, fashion, velvet revolver

L to R: Push up, honey pot, Sexpresso, Erotica, Cocoa Puff.

It also comes with instructions on how to create 3 looks:

Awesome right? I tried the Classic card, i did this in like 10 seconds so excuse the sloppiness of it:

I didnt use any base or anything, this was on bare eyelid so excuse my dark circles.

I love this palette, all the shimmer colors are soo pretty. I am not loving the mattes but there are only 3 and i can still make use of them. I am glad i picked this up, it was ona  whim of course but so glad.

Have a great weekend!

I had a thought. Who influences you the most right now when picking and choosing makeup?

I have to say right now the people who influence me the most are none other then you lovely ladies here on onsugar. I love the honesty and unbiased opinions. I sometimes worry when watching the youtube gurus that they are only giving positive reviews because these companies have paid them to do so. I mean when 5 guru's all of a sudden post videos of the items from the same company, and they all rave about it and have discount offers with their names as the code, i don't trust the review. matter of fact i have just stopped clicking on such reviews. Now im not saying all the guru's are doing it, there are honest guru's such as ricebunny and lollipop26 who either will not post products they don't love, or just straight up tell you the product is trash.

Anyway i digress. I wanted to know you influences you when it comes to purchasing beauty items? Leave a comment below.

Just a quick Post before i go to bed since i was soo happy when i got home and found a lil package :)

Yayy! got my Sleek palettes (obviously, look @ the post title silly. Oh yeahhh... :P)

I bought both the Storm and Safari palettes, yes there are same/similar colors in both palettes but since i am a repetitive person i can't help but buy the same shades but with slight variations. (btw there is a freaking thunder storm, lots of lightning and i am on my laptop by the window....i'm freaking crazy). I love all the colors, they look soo good in person. Thank you Retail_therapy for putting these palettes on my radar, you're the best! :)

Holly was great, she sent the products out right away and they were well packaged. Definitely will frequent her site as it was a good experience all around. If you are looking for these palettes purchase from her! her site is here

Okay, i'm getting away from the window before i get struck. Have a goodnight (day for some of you) ladies!