Romancing the Glow

Something about this Summer has reinvigorated my love of a tan. I have been responsibly beach going on the weekends since my return from vacation and as such have had my first real summer tan in over a decade. 

As such I am starting to dread losing my color. I know a couple of months down the line I'll be loving my Snow White winter complexion with a nice dark lip but for now I'm all about holding on to what's left of my Summer glow. 

Look Alive

 Organic and "all natural" makeup is a tricky thing. With brands constantly on the hunt to find ways of selling customers a more green angle it's hard to know what brands that claim to be organic are legit.

RMS Beauty has long been regarded as one of the forerunners in organic and green beauty products. While this isn't necessarily a huge concern for me when it comes to beauty (I'm an equal opportunity hoarder) when you hear enough about any given product it's hard not to cave and give it a try. 

So when a little coupon code incentive surfaced for DermStore last week I went ahead and finally picked up the RMS Living Luminizer. 

The Hydration Step

Guys Spring has Spring and I can take pictures outside again!!!

So the one "Hirons Approved" skincare routine step that I've always sort of...skipped (shhhh don't tell) was the hydrating toner. Generally applied post exfoliating/acid toner I had spent what felt like AGES (but what in reality was like...8 months.) looking for one that I thought really did anything.

Low and behold a little over a month ago whilst perusing the Sephora website I found something I thought might work. 

Since then I've revisited a handful of other spritzes and toners so I figured I share my thoughts and conclusions.

Ed Note: Summer Hydration

Every year as the weather starts to warm up I like to briefly reevaluate my nighttime moisturizer situation. In the colder months I love to slather as many of the emollient and creamy products on my skin as it can handle but, when the weather starts to warm up I find I like something that sinks in a little more quickly and lets me lay down with a nice hydrated and not-sticky face. 

The newest addition to the Summertime moisture lineup is the Kate Somerville Nourish Daily Moisturizer. 

My Blush But Better

Sometimes a product comes along that is just so basic, so pretty and so easy to use that it's place in your everyday collection is immediately secured. 

Over this past weekend I stopped at a CCO on my way home from a bachelorette party and picked up an item that has been on my list for what feels like ages.

It is just as perfect and versatile as everyone said it was and it is MAC's Mineralize Blush in Warm Soul.

The "Ready for Spring" Wishlist

The change of season means it is definitely wish list time!

Gotta love a wish list. 

On top of that the last two days have been sunny and 40 degrees here in NYC. You would think we'd all lost our minds. All of a sudden everyone is like WooHoo 40 degrees, it's summer! Let's wear shorts!

No joke. 

While I'm not quite there yet the few extra hours of sunshine certainly wants to make me add some springtime sass to my beauty wardrobe. 

These are the things on the list.

The Repurchase| Bobbi Brown Corrector

It has been a hot second since I've shared something I've repurchased. I don't repeat buy all that often, largely because I don't finish things all too often but also because I tend to be a bit slutty with my makeup.

I'm all about trying on different products "for size".

This purchase was also largely un-premeditaed. I like to plan out what I'm picking up, financially speaking, and one night when roaming Sephora I spotted this in the Bobbi Brown display, picked it up and made a beeline for the register without hesitation or second thoughts.

I had suffered through enough dark circles for one winter and it was time to sort them out.

Morning Skin Perfected

 My skin has been a bit of a roller coaster lately. It's been dry and cranky, it's broken out and I can't quite seem to keep my makeup in place much past lunchtime. It gets to this state around this time every year. I think it gets sick of the cold and the indoor heating and it just kind of gives up. 

Despite all this, the one thing that seems to have made things ever so slightly better is the presence of a well rounded morning routine. It has never been something I've quite gotten right and for the first time I feel like I have a lineup of products that are giving me exactly what I need.

Head to Head:Cleansing Water

Nothing has made a bigger splash within the community than the onslaught of the cleansing water over the last few years. 

Not only did people get excited when it was first mentioned but the obsession has had legs. 

With feature's like Into the Gloss' Top Shelf and various other "what's in your bathroom" kind of interviews being commonplace these days its hard for a week to go by without someone mentioning their micellar water of choice. 

There is definitely a front runner, Bioderma Crealine H2O has been the be all end all of models and makeup artists for years but about a year ago myself I cam across something more accessible and just as effective.

....So now that Bioderma is available (and relatively affordable) here in the states how does one measure up to the other?

Find out after the jump.

The Spring Series| Lips

Despite what seems to be another late winter "polar vortex" I am so ready to start breaking out some of my favorite spring shades. 

I don't like to complain, because I do genuinely enjoy the winter months but, I'm at my wits end at this point. It's cold and grey and it snows just enough so that you can't stay home but your journey into work is a nightmare so yes, I'm done with winter. 

So continued from last week I'm going to give you the rundown of all the lippies I'm busting out to get me through the last of the coldest days. 

More Than One Way to Skin

Sometimes hopping on a bandwagon for me means getting stuck in a rut of doing something only one way and, when it comes to your beauty there is always more than one way to get something done.

For the last year and a half, ever since Caroline Hirons made her triumphant debut on my beauty blog radar, I have been obsessed with trialing all kinds of chemical exfoliators. I loved the idea of gently smoothing the skin without irritation.

Lately though I've started to consider the benefit of switching up my product options to get the most out of my skin.

Foundation Chronicles|Benefit Hello Flawless

I am a big fan of a nice light weight base product and when Benefit launched their Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow (dumbest name ever.) a few years back  I was immediately drawn in. Unfortunately on it's initial launch there was not a shade light enough for me in the lineup. Since then Benefit has added and subtracted shades one of which being the lightest of the bunch called "I'm Pure 4 Sure" Ivory.

Now purity puns aside this color is perfect for my winter pale complexion and when I made my last and only Sephora Purchase from the month of January I added this to my cart from a promo code so I could finally text the formula.

Do You Believe in Magic (Cream)?

Before I launch into my review I think it's really important I give a shout out to the AMAZING staff at Beautylish. I placed my first order with them over the pre-Holiday sales and not only did I recieve my goods in a timely and beautifully packaged manner but the staff followed up with me on my purchase and inquired about whether or not I wanted to try some samples. 

I can't say if it was because I featured them on Instagram or here on the blog but none the less the follow up was a lovely touch. 

As such I was sent a very generous sample of Charlotte Tilbury's Magic Cream and although I probably could have told you how I would feel about this before I tried it I had to satisfy my curiosity.

My First Facial and Follow Up Skincare

 This year my lovely father treated myself, my mother and, his mother to a beautiful post Christmas pamper session.

 He booked us in for facials and mani-pedis on the 26th and while we were all looking forward to a lazy day I don't think any of us were prepared for this kind of relaxation.

My feet are finally feeling like feet instead of sandpaper but the Dermalogica fueled facial seems to have me completely skipping my hormonal break out this month. Now that doesn't mean there wasn't some residual purging for my skin after the thorough and deep clean but since then it's been smooth sailing. 

Some of the consultant's advice seems to have been really working well for me too.

The Every-look Blush

I may have accidentally bought myself a Chanel blush this holiday season. I say accidentally because it wasn't initially for me.

I knew I wanted a Chanel blush for my mom's stocking and really wanted to give her the cream blush formula but, when I went to Bloomingdales to find it for her they were out of the color I really wanted for her. A little disappointed and thinking I wouldn't have anymore time before the Christmas to shop I picked up the next best thing:the powder blush in the shade #68 Rose Ecrin.

Ultimately I did find the cream color I wanted for her and since my receipt for this was already gone I found myself with an new very expensive blush.

One of their bestselling shades according to the very aggressive pre-Christmas sales associate but true or not it is a welcome addition to my cheek round up.

The Winter Bronzer

 

I rarely reach for a bronzer. It's not a product I feel adds a lot to my makeup experience and often creates more problems for me than it creates benefits for me. 

Until now.

Essiebutton of the YouTube variety has talked at length about the Body Shop Honey Bronzer in  Light Bronze and over the Pre-Holiday sales I picked one up to test drive.

Apples of Your Cheeks Part Deux

This is not a new beauty concept for me.

The idea of Snow White-esque pinched cheeks just make me weak at the knees. In fact looking at this I think I may have doubled up on a product here...whoops. 

In fact we're just going to make this a follow up post.

Not sorry. 

Back in September I talked all about the beauty of a windswept cheek and now I'm going to do it again. 

There is nothing quite like a healthy glow gained from rushing in out of the cold. 

Faking it, however, is way less drying and way more fun!

The first up to bat is Benefit's Bella Bomba Box Powder. This puppy is a finely milled, delicately scented watermelon shade with a hit on pinky-gold sheen running throughout. This shade is nicely pigmented but not difficult to use and looks especially good on fair cool toned cheeks.I've heard wind that the brand may be letting this one go so it might not be a bad time to look into it.

For something a little bit darker I like to reach for the Sleek Makeup Blush in the shade Flushed which true to it's name gives a nice soft flush across the cheeks. This one is a satin finish like the Bella Bomba but doesn't seem to be as gleam-y which might make it more friendly to those of you who shy away from shimmery blushes.

...and finally my repeat product is the Milani Baked Blush in Bella Rose. It is a matte finish bright magenta pink. It's terrifying if you've never tried anything quite this bright before but with a light hand and a fluffy brush this can look SO pretty and effortless. For the accessibility and the price this could be a great place to try out a product like this if you are a little hesitant.

So now that I've throughly beaten this topic to death expect a more exciting dose of beauty business tomorrow.
...but I still hope you give these a try.

Use Protection

It's COLD.

The worst part is that here in NYC it is only going to get worse before it gets better. 

Yeah there is something warm and fuzzy about the Holiday Season but come January 2nd we'll all be counting down the days until Spring.

As it is my skin is screaming for hydration and I am slowly including things into my morning routine to help defend against the painful winter winds. 

The Joy of Giving...To Yourself

Now this is of course the time of year to treat the ones you love to things that you know they'll love. 

Whether that means a plate of homemade cookies or an extravagant store bought item it always feels so nice to pass a little extra love around this time of year. 

...but I would be lying if I said I didn't treat myself to a few new things between gifts for others. 

With all of the sales, my inherent willingness to spend (amplified by Christmas music) and the convenience of getting things done from the comfort of my couch how is a girl supposed to resist?

On top of all that I have been eyeing up one of Charlotte Tilbury's eyeshadow palettes since her brand launched in the states back over the Summer.

This past weekend I bit the bullet and hit "checkout".

The Winter Highlight

I never understand why people always champion fuller coverage and powder products in the colder months.

When my skin is feeling parched and dry I love to reach for cream products and cream highlights in particular. They just seem to make the skin come to life in a way that other products can't and highlight is my favorite beauty defense against the cold!

 It may not help with chill chapped skin but when used correctly they certainly can hide it!