Here’s an almost finished bottle of Marc Jacobs Kumquat. I found it the garage… not sure how it ended up in there. 
It smells fresh and like kumquats without being too orang-y. It’s a great fresh splash for when you don’t really want perfume. I really wish I had kept the bottles of cucumber and rain, but I don’t know if I did. I’m not a hoarder, so there’s a chance that I got rid of them when I was done with them.
Oh well.
Indeed Labs is a Canadian skincare brand that aims to bring scientific skincare solutions to the drugstore. Their products are pretty reasonably priced considering the formulas and you can find them at Shoppers Drug Mart. We have been having the hottest summer, and I’ve been keeping a nice mist beside me so that I can cool myself down.
A skincare mist – like the Hydraluron one – is better than using just plain water on your face. This one has a dose of hyaluronic acid in it, and antioxidants. It leaves your skin looking dewy and feeling fresh, but if you live in a dry climate, you want to lock that in with moisturizer, or an oil.
This is available at Shoppers Drug Mart for $24.99.
Three tips instead of one in this marker-type pen from brow authority Benefit Cosmetics. It makes filling in brows so easy but runs out after I’m done 1 eyebrow, so I have to give it a chance to recharge before I use it on the next one. It’s pretty standard for eyebrow pens, to be honest.
Available a Sephora or where Benefit products are sold. $33.
I got a smaller size of this Ole Henriksen C-Rush Vitamin C Moisturizer in the 3 Mega Wonders Set, and I’ve been using it as part of that set every morning. I use the toner and then apply this moisturizer and I like the both of them together.
The moisturizer is great for all skin types because it’s hydrating and not greasy.
They haven’t listed how much vitamin C is in this moisturizer but I did find it to be brightening.
The full size is available at Sephora for $59.
Masks are something that I use in dire conditions. When my skin is tight, or overheated. When I can feel that it’s dry, I know that using a mask in the morning and at night can help to calm and soothe. I like to use sheet masks when I travel but use a mask in a pot while I’m at home.
This Skinceuticals Phyto Corrective Mask is filled with antioxidants, hyaluronic acid, and gets the green colour from botanicals like cucumber which can further help soothe skin.
Available where Skinceuticals products are sold. $72.
A night time routine that’s easy and nourishing.
I start with the Ole Henriksen Glow2Oh Dark Spot Toner, as long as I’m not putting retinol on my face. Take it out if you’re using the retinol. It’ll be too much.
Then I use Heavy C – this is a vitamin c serum that promises to add some brightness to your skin and helps promote collagen development while you’re sleeping.
Finish it off with a nourishing face cream and oil. I love Antipodes. It smells amazing. Herbal and like a spa, but both are very moisturizing.
This is dry shampoo that’s not white or drying. It absorbs excess oil but does it in a way that also deodorizes. Think of it as a gentle dry shampoo. If you normally avoid dry shampoos because they’re too much, then this might be the one for you to try.
This is an empty bottle of Dirty Rose by Heretic Perfumes.
It’s not because I loved it so much but because it was easy to wear. Easy to wear is not really my style though. I like things that are different. This is rose with a bit of bergamot and apricot. This tiny bottle was $98 and not really worth it but I’m using it more than something big and brash and more than my Tom Ford perfumes so there’s something to be said for that.
When I posted this on my Instagram, the perfume responded by saying that they wanted to create a perfume that was easy to wear, so that’s what we have here.
I got it from the Goop pop-up in Toronto last summer. You can read my original review here.
Guys, I know that everyone says that you should only get your teeth whitened at the dentist, but Crest 3D White Whitestrips are affordable and they work.
So many people that I talk to say that whitening doesn’t work but the truth is that the only way to know for sure is if you take a before and after picture. I inadvertantly did that last summer, and definitely saw a brightening of my teeth in just 2 uses. I kept using them and went through the whole package and they definitely worked.
You can get them online or in drugstores. $24.97 for 10 treatments.
Time for a quick morning routine suggestion.
The routine is this: wash face as usual.
Then use The Ordinary Retinol Oil all over the face. I know that many people suggest using Retinol in the evening and something else in the morning, but Retinol can be used any time of day depending on what other skincare you’re using with it. I’m just on the retinol at the moment, and I like this formula because it is intensely moisturizing which makes it perfect for the winter weather. This is a very gentle retinol because it’s in oil and if you use this, you have to promise me that you’re going to use sunscreen! Ok? Ok!
I let that sink in while I get dressed and then I apply my Cerave Day Cream as sunscreen. To be honest, this isn’t my most favourite sunscreen formula. It’s thick and it can come off as white on the skin, even streaky, if you don’t rub it in very well. So I don’t love it because of that but it has retinol in it and ceramides which help nourish the skin so I keep using it. As it happens, it applies beautifully on top of the Retinol Oil, so it works.
Then I apply the CoverFX powder foundation on top. I’ve been experimenting with a few options. MAC Mystery Powder was one. The bareMinerals Blemish Rescue was another, but I think this CoverFX Pressed Mineral foundation wins the prize. It’s light, but pigmented, it matches my skin and it lasts the whole day. Best of all, it blends seamlessly on top of the oil, sunscreen combo so I like that.
Feel free to share your morning routine in the comments!
