5 Tips for Better Skin

I used to be of the ranks of those who only wash their faces in the shower with bar soap. The horror. I never had terrible skin, so I really didn't give it much thought. But as I slide through my twenties, I've picked up a few habits that really made my skin go from "fine, I guess" to "awesome, I don't even need any concealer today."

Always Wash Your Face
I know we all fail at this, myself included. But the improvement I see in my skin when I wash my face morning and night every day is undeniable. Even if you haven't worn any makeup during the day, just walking through the world will get some grime on your beautiful mug, so why not take five minutes at the end of the day and refresh yourself? I'm an advocate of the double cleanse for days on which I do wear makeup, using a cleansing oil first, followed by a balm cleanser of some kind. My favorite oil is Julep's Bare Face Cleansing Oil, although I know a lot of people like The Body Shop's Chamomile Cleansing Oil, which is much less expensive. (Unfortunately, I am not a fan of the scent, so I don't use the TBS one.)

Avoid That Squeaky Clean Feeling
I feel like a lot of people, particularly those with oily skin, like to wash their face until it has that tight feeling when it dries. But that's actually not so good for you. Stripping the skin of all it's natural oils can dry it out unnecessarily and cause a rebound in oil production to make up for it. As far as I'm concerned, the gentler the cleanser, the better.

Exfoliate
One of the most important steps I added to my routine was some gentle exfoliation. In addition to using a warm washcloth to remove my cleanser, which adds a bit of manual exfoliation, I am absolutely devoted to chemical exfoliants, glycolic acid in particular. Any number of products are available that feature different concentrations of this star ingredient, which helps remove dead cells from the surface of your skin. I happen to love both Pixi's Glow Tonic and the First Aid Beauty Facial Radiance Pads. They're on the gentler side, and I find that with regular use my skin looks much brighter and evenly textured.

Moisture, Moisture, Moisture
In my personal experience, there are quite a few skin problems I've been able to solve simply by amping up the hydration steps in my routine. First and foremost, drink water. No kidding, you gotta be hydrated inside as well as outside. Then, I try to put as many moisturizing steps into my routine as possible. My most loved products are Trilogy Rosehip Oil and Bobbi Brown Hydrating Face Tonic. I don't hear what the haters say about expensive water, that tonic makes my face look better, end of discussion.

Sleep
No doubt about it, when you're tired, your skin looks tired, too. Getting enough sleep every night will go a long way towards improving your overworked face. As an added benefit, your mind will feel better, and when you feel good, you look good, right? Right.

Gift Guide: Beauty Stocking Stuffers

Hey everyone! After taking a week off from my iPad, my migraines have definitely gotten less severe, so I'm feeling much better today than the last time I wrote. I also turned 26 on the 2nd! I am not at all sure where the last three years of my life went, but I finally cleaned my room yesterday, so I've accomplished something.  ANYWAY, this week, I thought I would take a break from my normally scheduled NOTHINGbecauseI'mtheworstbloggerever and bring you some gift guides! These are all gonna be pretty reasonably priced, since I'm barely an adult with money and most of the gift guides in the magazines are geared toward functional adults with high credit limits.  Onward and upward!

Bioré Self-Heating One Minute Mask $6.99 at drugstores Who doesn't like a little pamper at the holidays? If you're anything like me, you've been hitting the makeup game pretty hard for the holiday season, so getting a little extra cleaning in can't hurt!

Color Me Essie Mini Polish Set Walgreens I'm sorry I don't remember how much this costs, and it doesn't appear to be for sale online anywhere, but I remember it seeming really reasonable for such lovely colors from the range. It's got four classic Essie colors, plus a glitter topper from their Luxe Effects collection.

Revlon Colorburst Lacquer Balm $9.49 at drugstores A quick pop of color for the lips that feels absolutely lovely while you're wearing it, plus it's that fun twist-up crayon thing that pretty much every brand is doing these days. I think it'd look nice and cheery peeking up over the top of a stocking.

Sephora Sheet Masks $6 at Sephora I haven't tried these, but they just look like fun! Again, a pamper is always necessary around the holidays, and during the winter in general, and these single use sheet masks make it awfully easy. I almost bought one not too long ago, but I had just had an MRI that left me feeling claustrophobic and the thought of putting something over my face made me feel a bit panicky :/

L'Oreal Paris Infallible Silkissime Eyeliner $8.99 at drugstores Smooth application plus a wide range of colors make these eyeliners perfect for some makeup fun this winter. Check out the full range in drugstores and pick one for a friend that you think will compliment her eye color perfectly.

L'Oreal Miss Manga Voluminous Mascara $7.99 at drugstores This has been my favorite mascara release of the year for the long, fanned out lash look it gives. I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a bit of a dramatic eye!

Real Techniques Duo Fiber Collection $19.99 at Ulta and Kohl's Real Techniques brushes have been an excellent addition to my makeup tool collection. Created by Sam and Nic Chapman of Pixiwoo on YouTube, they're so reasonably priced, they wash beautifully, and they're all synthetic for those who prefer to avoid animal hair brushes. This collection features duo fibers, so they're great for the friend who's just getting into makeup application or suffers from a bit of a heavy hand with the blush.


I hope this gives you all a few ideas for your holiday shopping. The drugstore is a great place in general for little gifts all year round, and most brands have stepped up the quality of their offerings a lot in the last two years. Happy holidays!

My Favorite Vloggers

When I first started getting into the wild world of blogging, I was mostly a reader. There was something about vlogs that just seemed weird to me, plus I couldn't listen to music at the same time. In retrospect, I think it had something to do with the fact that I hear a very specific voice for each writer, and I didn't care for the reality to interfere with whatever sound my mind manufactured.

Of course, you can only be beauty blog obsessed for so long before you start dipping your toes into other arenas. I now have a full blown YouTube addiction, so I thought I'd share with y'all my top 5 vloggers of the moment.

Anna of Vivianna Does Makeup
The OG, my original love, the first vlog I ever got into, and one I still watch religiously. Anna seems so genuine, and I am completely enamored of her makeup style, with her mix of high and low maintenance looks. But mostly I'm just obsessed with her unfailingly good taste in products and all the beauty bumf (as she would say) to which I've been introduced through her channel. (Not gonna lie, also obsessed with the gorgeous reflection from her ring light that she gets in her eyes.)

Amelia of Liana Beauty
Gorgeous flowing locks? Check. Videos ranging from everyday life to beauty? Check. Adorable fluffy dog? CHECK. Love this gal. Another entry from across the pond (as all of these are, natch), Amelia brings her very sweet and constantly amused person to the masses in all of her videos. I particularly love her haul videos, as she covers a wide variety of products and I get to look forward to all of her reviews to come.

Jonesing for Summer

That season is almost upon us!  With the heat this past week, it could be argued that it already is, but I like to count a few consecutive days without the threat of thunderstorms before I commit wholly to the summer.  But, in preparation, I've assembled some goodies that will totally make for a great summer look.

Perfect Summer Prep and Wear by strandedinchi

You've got to keep your hair out of your face if you want to rock a summer glow!  I love this simple headband from BCBG, adds a little glam without being too dressed up for casual beach time.  Of course, you've gotta protect your skin, so lay on the sunscreen and go for an ultimate self-tanner.  I've had my eye on the No Sun Tanner by Perricone MD for quite some time, and I'm hoping it will join my summer kit soon.  Keep those lips moisturized with a fruity lip balm, and don't forget to exfoliate your legs to keep 'em looking nice and healthy!  My favorite scrub is Soap & Glory Flake Away Sugar Scrub.  Tough enough to do the job, but soft enough not to irritate, plus it smells exceptional.

To jazz things up, I've been eyeing the Hourglass Opaque Rouge Liquid Lipstick.  Long-lasting and hydrating, with a big punch of color, I think it would look stunning with a tan.  Swipe on some black mascara, accent those nails with a summer orange like Nina by Julep, and you're good to go!

What look are you going for this summer?

Burberry Lip Velvet Long Wear Lipstick

Oi, this is my lovie.

Burberry's Lip Velvet Long Wear Lipstick in No. 306, Pink Amber. I am not even going to pretend I have any other love for texture in the lipwear department.  What a sinful mouthfeel (I know that's supposed to do with food, but fuck you, too, eh?).

The color is the perfect, like, my lips, but in the perfect shade of pink.  Am I going to show you? No, you loon, I'm camera shy and I have a huge honking stress zit/wound on my chin on account of the sun never coming out here.  Here's a swatch, just because I'm feeling nice.

But I tell you, I have rarely been so enamored of a texture.  It's the perfect combination of a moisturizing lipstick, such as Bite Beauty's offerings, and the NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencil (and the wear time is much better, oooooo, I'm such a bad girl, betraying NARS like that).  Someday soon, I mean to hop my way down to that beautiful new Burberry flagship on Michigan and do some striking damage to my bank account at their makeup counter.  But I'll have to wait until some kind of free food month, natch.

Have you fallen for any Burberry products yourself? Aside from their sinfully wonderful trenchcoats...

Things that smell good.

Guys, I filmed a video for you all!  It's all about some of my new favorite bath time treats!  For the names of the products, check out the video on YouTube.  I apologize for the low quality of the video.  Anyone who wants to make fun of it can just save themselves the trouble and head straight to hell :)  Enjoy!

Check out Vivianna Does Makeup for great beauty product reviews from across the pond!

I like you guys enough to show my face,
Harris