My Spring Beauty Favorites

Some of you may know I’m a bit of a cosmetic junkie who worked in the beauty industry for seven years. Because of that, and for the blog, I am always trying new beauty products. Some are meh and others are great finds. I’d like to try to share with you the gems and hope to publish a regular post of my latest obsessions.

 I am an almost 50 something, who was kind of a disaster skin-wise. I’ve had bouts with acne, rosacea, dryness, wrinkles, enlarged pores, dark spots and everything else. Right now, (knock wood), my skin is the best it’s been in years. I feel like I’ve finally found a few products that really work, and  an IPL treatment at SkinSpirit helped too. (I wrote about that here.) I have my regular arsenal of Retin A and such, but I do try and switch things up. I’m forever reading up on what is new and I strive to look for products with less harmful, more natural ingredients.

So here’s my current crushes I thought I’d share..

First, I’m in love with a fragrance that is so pretty, it’s truly like spring in a bottle. This Tracey Reese Eau de Parfum, was a Christmas present from the husband.

Why I love it…

It’s soft and light floral that lasts without being too strong.

The main notes are lavender, magnolia, green tea, sandalwood and musk!

Prettiest packaging- love the bottle.

My boys tell me I smell good! I love that.

Mine was bought at Anthropologie and it seems like they may be carrying it exclusively right now.

My other favorite new thing is the Color Control Cushion Compact from AmorePacific.
I first tried their products in Hawaii. It’s a Korean based company and AmorePacific is their high-end line. They also make Laneige products sold at Target. If you are reading up on skincare you’ll know that Korea is on the cutting edge right now of everything skincare related and have the latest and greatest!

My friend Kim and I both bought foundation, $60, which is liquid below a screen that becomes a soft finish when patted on the face with their patented puff. Each comes with a second refill for the compact as well, which means this will last quite a long time. Kim found the twin of this compact at Target for about $35, made by their lower line Laneige. You can take home a sample there, but are limited by only three colors!

The higher end Amore compact has the addition of their special green tea, bamboo and red ginseng, with an 8 hour release to continuously nourish the skin and revitalize it as you wear it. It’s skincare in a compact. Currently there are only four shades. I used the Tan 104 and I’m more yellow undertones with some redness and fair. It goes on invisible to me which I like.

This product won the Elle magazine genius award and also Allure’s Best of Beauty. After wearing both versions for several days, I prefer the Amore version as the Laneige changed color and darkened on me during the day. It also looked a bit heavier to me.

Why I love it.. 

SPF 50 with 4.5% titanium dioxide and 9.8% zinc oxide, which are good sunscreens.

Made my pores look virtually invisible and did not need touching up later in day.

Convenience of patting it quickly on and adjustable coverage, you can layer on for more cover.

It’s without parabens, sulfates and phthalates.

Makes my skin look the best it has in a long time.

Amore version available at here at Nordstrom.

While I was buying my compact, the ever alluring MAC counter was next door and I tried a few lipsticks on. I’m always on the lookout for a pink that isn’t too bright or barbie like. I think I have found the best yet. It’s called Hug Me from MAC and it’s soft, pretty and flattering.

 Why I love it..

Neither too dry nor glossy- the perfect soft finish.

Stays on well and leaves a nice color even after eating.

The perfect neutral pink, but still gives a good pop of color. It’s not a nude.

I sometimes use the Etcetera liner with it, but looks modern alone just a fresh slick of color.

MAC’s Hug me available here, at Nordstrom and their own boutiques.

Thanks to friends I often get tips about new things and even samples! My chic friend Leasa recently gave me a little goodie bag from Guerlain and now I am hooked on some of their products as well. I never would have known!

Guerlain, a French company around since 1828, and has been a beauty innovator. They were creators of the world’s first bronzer which still has a cult following, and their Meteorites highlighting pearls, which do as well. They are branching out using the Meteorites fabulous effects in other products.

Meteorites Light Diffusing Perfecting Primer looks like their famous meteorites but in a bottle that you pump out into a light liquid primer. I adore this stuff. You need very little to create a soft base for your foundation.

Why I love it..

Takes away that dry flat look I sometimes get with foundation alone. Brightens the face with it’s prism of colors.

Can be used as a highlighter-works wonderful around the dark corners of eyes and tops of cheeks.

Is a perfect canvas for your foundation and calms redness and sallowness enough to be worn alone for a pretty natural look.

Lovely for evening -use it on your bare shoulders or mix it with a bronzer for a glowy tan on the face.

Find it here, at Nordstrom, and other high end department stores.  I also want to try their Meteorites Baby Glow foundation which looks perfect for summer travel as it’s sheer and has SPF 25 and comes in a little tube.

The other little surprise in that bag was the Guerlain Cils d’Enfer Maxi Lash Mascara. Unlike any mascara I have, it’s light and pretty on the eye. I have straight blonde lashes and this makes them pop without weighing them down like so many of the new heavy formulas. I’m fair, but I always go with black. It might be fun to try the marine or violet colors available for evening out! This mascara is $30, but I figure it’s worth it if you use it for 3 months which I usually do, sometimes longer.

Why I love it..

Curls and lengthens while making the lash line stand out.

Pretty and striking lashes yet natural.

No clumping or flaking.

Has a special formula to set the curl of your lash.

Easy to remove!!

As above available here at Nordstrom, and also at higher end retailers.

Something I really love having in my bag all year is a face spray.

Jane Iredale Pommisst Hydration Spray is addicting. It’s a ultra fine face mist that I have carried in my bag now for almost 2 months. If you read about my recent makeover at Halo, they used Jane products on me and it’s where I purchased it. It’s wonderful to mist your skin if you live in a drier climate as I do and I especially appreciate having this in the car as I tend to flush and get red.

Why I love it..

Calms my skin and cools, especially on dry days.

Helps prevent flushing and redness. I use it after exercising and tennis and it really helps.

Smells lightly of a pomegranate and feels like a treat.

Mist is so fine it’s perfect to set makeup and lasts 3xs as long as an Evian small spray.

Jane Iredale is now fortunately sold at some nicer salons like Halo, which I adore, and can also be bought at Nordstrom and nicer beauty supply shops.

Because it’s been a dry year here everyone I knows is looking for a good moisturizer, especially for night. I love waking up to dewy and soft skin.  During Whole Foods Beauty week I bought the cute bag they had created for the event and inside was this great little tube of cream from New Zealand skincare company Trilogy.

I pat this Vital Moisturizing Cream on at night alone or sometimes over my Retin A or a serum. I always wake with wonderful results.

Why I love it…

It’s key ingredient is certified organic rose hip oil, which is Trilogy’s signature ingredient in many products, and which fights environmental aggressors.

The whole line uses natural plant oils and botanical extracts.

Trilogy is huge supporters of the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation and other
environmental charities.

This company is completely organic and eco driven. Read more about them here.

You can find it at Whole Foods, so it’s easy to throw in your cart when your doing a milk run!

It can also be found at Amazon.

Lastly,  one more product I’ve really grown to love is NUXE Micellar Cleansing Water. I originally bought this in Paris at a pharmacy and just found it again. It feels like water and is excellent to remove face, lip and eye makeup with just a cotton pad.

Why I love it..

No oily residue like other removers, just fresh soft skin.

Does not sting eyes and safe to use over lips too.

Wonderful alone when I’m too tired to wash, or perfect to remove makeup and sunscreen before using with a face wash.

I saw improvement in my skin after using this. When using daily sunscreen on the face, you need another step to help remove it before washing so your pores can breathe. Sunscreen can be very hard to wash away.

I found many of the lovely NUXE products at our local  Walgreen’s in store beauty boutique. If you don’t have one, it’s also at Amazon where it’s a little cheaper as well.