These are some of my current skincare and quick complexion favorites. I had to change around my skincare a touch due to being 21 weeks pregnant. Oddly, when I moved from dry, cold Montana to humid, hot Texas this January I figured I would be purging all my heavy creams and just using light products again. However, my skin has been so dry so this hasn't happened, must be hormones. I have also had to put all my salicylic acid products in storage for future use after pregnancy, I was staying away from retinol anyway so that was never an issue.
Drunk Elephant's C-Firma Day Serum has been my hands down favorite antioxidant day serum since discovering it in August. I talked about it here. OSEA Malibu's Eyes & Lips is fabulous, I even keep it by my bed at night right now. My eyes have been so dry lately and this is rich yet not greasy. It soothes, and I put it on multiple times a day, even over my normal eye routine. It's like my as needed moisture boost. I have discussed it some here.
OSKIA's Nutri-Active Day Cream has become my day lotion. Despite the name it's a lotion texture not a cream. It's thin, lightweight, easily absorbed yet it has great moisture and ingredients. I plan on reviewing it soon. I normally use Drunk Elephant's TLC Night Serum as my night Alpha Hydroxy Acid(AHA) exfoliant, but it has salicylic acid so I have been using two glycolic acid replacements during pregnancy. Paula's Choice 'Skin Perfecting' 8% AHA Gel Exfoliant is cheap, which is a plus, it's really similar to the Renee Rouleau glycolic serum I used to use as well. It's a lightweight, non greasy gel that absorbs quickly. If you're looking for a cheap glycolic serum this one is well done. I have wanted to love Alpha-H's Liquid Gold forever, however I have this big sample and every time I use it my face turns beet red the next morning. It's got to be the glycolic acid concentration or the denatured alcohol they use in the base dries me out and irritates. Alpha-H's Instant Facial spray has similar ingredients to Liquid Gold, minus the alcohol, and I can use this with no issue. So I'm using either the Paula's Choice or Alpha-H right now. I've been meaning to make a serum exfoliant comparison post, so I will talk about these in depth more coming up.
Su-Man's Purifying Gel Cleansing Gel-Oil has been my most reached for cleanser right now. It's nice it doesn't dry me out because of the oil, yet it washes off clean and doesn't need a muslin cloth for removal so it's good when I'm more lazy. I have talked about it here. Omorovicza's Mineral UV Shield SPF30 is a new physical sunscreen that's excellent. I haven't gotten around to reviewing it yet. It's thin, non greasy, absorbs quickly, and it doesn't pill under my makeup or leave me with an obvious white cast. Downside is the price, it's high. Since I'm not using my usual La Roche-Posay chemical sunscreen right now because of the pregnancy, this is a great alternative, and it's a large tube I imagine it will last the whole summer until I can switch back.
With my skin being so dry I have been slathering on the oils as well. Tata Harper's Replenishing Nutrient Complex is great, it's lightweight and absorbs quickly. I use it over the OSKIA lotion. I have talked about it here. Every pregnant lady has to have a stretch mark oil or cream. I have chosen OSEA's Undaria Algae Oil. It's relatively cheap and has great natural ingredients. I briefly touched on it here but will have to do a post solely on this product coming up.
OSKIA's Renaissance Mask have been my favorite exfoliant mask since I discovered it last year. It's fabulous and nothing else beats it(Omorovicza's Blue Diamond Peel is very similar but I choose OSKIA for the cheaper price tag). I have talked about it here and here. Su-Man's Rehydrating Toning Essence has been nice, it has a gel that turns liquid texture, hyaluronic acid, green tea and hazel which I can use right now. I have discussed it here.
Now onto the quick complexion fixes. I have been extremely lazy with pregnancy and more so even the last three weeks with the addition of my Dane pooches who currently keep me up at night a lot. I usually use two concealers, Cle de Peau's and Surratt's, but recently got the Omorovicza Mineral Touch Concealer in Beige and have been playing with that. I pictured all three as I use all three depending on my mood. Cle de Peau's Concealer is the heaviest so for high coverage I use that. Surratt's Surrealiste Concealer is creamier and lighter in texture, great for blemishes and sometimes under my eyes depending. Omorovicza's Mineral Touch Concealer is light as well yet less emollient than Surratt, it's almost in-between Cle de Peau and Surratt. I plan on comparing them all soon in a post.
I have been using Urban Decay's Eyeshadow Primer Potion in Anti-Aging forever, but the addition of Enigma was an excellent choice. The color is neutral and so much better for me than Eden is. I can use this with or without eyeshadow just to even my coloring on my eyelids and keep the shine down. I'm so sad this is limited, but hopefully after many good reviews it won't be. Under my eyes I use Shiseido's Sheer Eye Zone Corrector in Natural Ochre for dark circles under my concealer, this brightens the area. It's my cheaper version of YSL Touche Eclat. I have talked about it here. I always feel better if my eyebrows are a bit polished and I've been reaching for Hourglass's Arch in Blonde a lot lately. The powder is Suqqu Nuancing Natural Loose Powder which I talked about here. I've been using that for just a quick dusting. It's a nice powder too bad it's been discontinued as a loose powder.
Tata Harper's Be Fierce lip balm is one of my favorite balms. It's very similar to Fresh's Sugar Balm texture wise. I'm on my 3rd or 4th tube since last summer. I talked about it a little here. It has a slight fruity scent and barely a taste. I can't make out what it tastes like it's that faint. I prefer this to my Sisley and By Terry lip balms, which are more expensive anyway.
Last I realized after writing this post that I couldn't leave out my Omorovicza Nourishing Hand Treatment. I am almost out of my first tube, it's lovely. I discussed it some here.
