Monday Morning Coffee: Weekend Get Away

With the beginning of softball season upon us, both my boyfriend and my birthdays, and just how busy spring/summer can get, my boyfriend and I decided to head out of town for a weekend. We live in such a beautiful place that we decided to explore a little of the Kalispell, Montana area.

We had originally thought we would go into Glacier and get to explore. I use to live in a small town outside of Kalispell when I was very young and haven't been back to Glacier since we moved. This idea excited me! Unfortunately, we had to have a change of plans when we discovered only 12 miles of the Going to the Sun road was plowed! I was really disappointed. Looks like we'll have to plan another trip!!

Anywho, onto what we did get to see! We got up Saturday and headed north! To get to the Kalispell area you drive around a beautiful lake called Flathead Lake. It's massive and so stunning. At the south end of the lake is this cute little lake town named Polson. Just outside of Polson and at the end of the lake is the Kerr dam. I had visited the dam when I was younger with my family and it was truly stunning!

We had planned on stopping and taking the short hike to the observation deck. Unfortunately, our plans were foiled a bit because the road to the trail head was gated off. Umf! We did get to take a beautiful drive!!

My boyfriend likes to drive, he has a beautiful car and he loves to go for drives. Driving and seeing was the center of this trip. After we left the Kerr Dam, we decided to drive up the east side of the lake. It's so stunning! The scenery is beautiful! It's rolling mountains, beautiful homes/cabins, wildlife and then cherry orchards! Yes, cherry orchards! The Flathead lake area is known for producing amazing cherries! We are a little early to get any produce, but the orchards are still beautiful to see.

Once we got around the lake, we stopped at Woodland Park in Kalispell. This place is full of young childhood memories for me! It's a city park, so it has the normal playground equipment, a pool, and then ponds. During the winter, when the ponds freeze, they become an outside skating rink. But when they aren't frozen, they are the home to ducks, geese, and other water birds. The highlight of the park is getting to feed the birds. Some people bring bread, but we had read that bread is bad for birds, instead we brought bird seed. It was so much fun. Here we are 26 and 28, and probably having more fun then the kids!! Ha! I could have fed them for hours!!

After the park, we took the short jump to Whitefish. Whitefish is a small resort town. It's stunningly beautiful. It's at the base of a skiing mountain and on the edge of Whitefish Lake. We explored the little shops in the city center. I say explored for a reason because I think I would have had to sell my right arm to afford something! But it was fun to look around. We ended our exploring with a stop at the Great Northern Brewing Company for a beer and some chips and salsa. So fun and very tasty! I can't remember what beer the BF had, but I got the huckleberry beer. It was so good! Not sweet and in your face, but nice and refreshing! Highly recommend!!

We were quickly coming up on dinner time at this point. So we decided to stop by our hotel, relax, and freshen up for dinner. I was very excited for dinner. We were going to Columbia Falls and eating at The Backroom. Ah! I love this place. We use to go here all the time when I was a child with my family and the food is amazing! They have this breasted chicken and all types of BBQ that was just as good as I remember! It's not exactly a hole in the wall place, but definitely not a fancy restaurant. We relaxed and enjoyed amazing food!!

After dinner, we were unsure what we were going to do and decided to take the drive.  Surprise! Are you sensing a theme?!  We took a mini trip down memory lane and drove past my childhood home and schoo;s and then decided to drive up to the entrance of Glacier National Park and stop on the way at the Hungry Horse Dam! Such a beautiful drive!

Sunday morning we definitely didn't rush to get out of the hotel. I honestly think that we checked out maybe 5 minutes before the cut off!  We were definitely slow moving.  After we checked out of the hotel we stopped and visited the BF's cousin and his family.  I love these guys so much! I wish they lived in the same town!  While we were visiting they introduced us to a new board game.  It's called Ticket to ride.  Essentially the ideal is that there are train routes across the country, which is the board.  There are so many destinations, and it takes so many moves (train spots) to get there.  You get cards that are the destinations (like Seattle to Vegas).  How you move is buy drawing color cards.  You have to have the same amount of color cards as there are spots between the destinations.  The goal is to complete as many routes as possible.  It was so much fun.  It's definitely a game a strategy!! We are definitely picking this up to have for game night!

The time away with the BF was so nice and relaxing.  It was fun to explore and see the beautiful spaces of Montana.  We really need to do more trips like this and cherish the space we have!!  Plus, any time I can get my BF away from the busy everyday life, I enjoy it!! Especially since yesterday was the first games of softball season!! Time starts to get busy from this point on and I cherished the time!!

xoxo,

Mikal-Anne

Friday Favorites:Review of L'Oreal Advance Haircare Products

I am always on the hunt for the hair products that fit my hair the best.  I have lots of hair and it tends to be dry which leads me to look for moisturizing products.  In addition to that, my hair tends to figure out products.  I don't think I'm alone in this, but it leads me to having to change my shampoo and conditioners fairly often.  I change shampoo/conditioner about every time or every other time that I need to buy some more.  I definitely have my favorites that I continuously go back to but this time I decided to venture out to something new.

I picked up a few products for the L'Oreal Paris Advance Haircare from the drug store.  I picked up the Power Moisture Hydrating Shampoo, Volume Filler Thickening Conditioner, and the Total Repair 5 Damage-Erasing Balm.  

Here's some of my reasoning for the products I picked.  I know I've been told before that I should stick within the line of products to get the best results.  Meaning that I should get all the Volume Filler products or all the Power Moisture products, but  I just don’t totally agree with this.  I have hair that has different needs, not just dry and not just flat.  I NEED BOTH!!  So, since I notice that shampoo that truly cleanses you’re hair can be drying, I get the moisture and since my conditioner can cause my hair to fall flat, I get the volume one.  This may not make sense to others, but so far, it seems to work for me!

Now on to the review!!

I must say, I am very impressed with all of these products.  All of them leave my hair so unbelievably soft!  I have actually never had my hair be as soft as it is.  It’s soft but not fine.  Sometimes I have noticed that if my hair is super soft it feels fine and doesn't seem to hold a style.  Fortunately with these products, I don’t notice that.  My curls are soft and bouncy.  It’s been great.    

Now as for the volume ... I have to admit that about the same time I started using these products, I also got a haircut.  I fixed my layers a cut just a bit of length off, not a ton, but some.  Now whether the reason I noticed volume is solely because of these new products or if it’s been helped because of the recent cut, I’m not sure.  Either way, I like what I'm seeing.

Now as for the Damage-Erasing Balm ... I'm definitely not disappointed with this one.  I don’t think that it’s a holy grail item or that it is so much better than every other deep conditioning product, but I still really like it and would recommend it to anyone looking for one.  I think that EVERYONE should have a deep conditioning product, whether it's this one or another one, you definitely need one.  

I like to do a deep condition to my hair at least twice a week.  I like to pair a deep condition treatment with a clarifying shampoo.  Usually the beginning of the week and somewhere in the middle of the week I like to get all of the gunk that tends to build up off.   If I do something to my hair that I feel has caused some extra damage, I will do it again.  If I have styled my hair and done some teasing, I feel good to treat my hair after. Also, the day after a haircut, I also like to make sure I do a deep condition on my ends to make sure I'm protecting them from the very beginning.  This Damage-Erasing Balm is a good product to be using!

So ... What do I think ... I would definitely recommend any of these products and will definitely be repurchasing them ... In addition, I'm also excited to see and try out any of the other products in this line!!

Alright lovelies, hope you all have a wonderful weekend!!  

xoxo,

Mikal-Anne

*** Disclaimer - I have not received any compensation for writing this post.  I have no material connection to the brands, products or services I have mentioned. ***

Monday Morning Coffee: March Ipsy Bag

Good morning lovelies!!  I hope you all had a wonderful weekend! I know I sure did.  However, why do the weekends always go so fast!?

Today I want to share with you I got in my March Ipsy bag.  I'm sure by now everyone is probably aware of what Ipsy is.  But, just in case you don't, it is a subscription service.  For $10 a month you get a bag with delux size samples of products.  Depending on what the product is, sometimes you can get full size products.  As you can see above, I received a few fulls size products this month.  

I actually googled "What I Ipsy" hoping that Ipsy would have on their website a better description of the service.  What I found I listed below:

"After captivating countless viewers around the world through her beauty video tutorials on YouTube, Michelle Phan envisioned a vibrant community where women could be inspired to express their unique beauty. ipsy is that community!

“ipsy” comes from the Latin word ipse, meaning “sense of self.” Celebrating beauty of all forms in the world, ipsy provides a platform for anyone to express both their inner and outer radiance. When you become a member, you can learn new beauty tricks, participate along with your favorite beauty stylists in monthly looks, and connect with other ipsters who inspire you!"

Once you get your Glam Bag, you can follow along at home with our stylist-created looks, as well as share your own Looks and videos with the community.

The Glam Bag is only $10 a month, or $110 for an annual subscription. Shipping is free in the U.S. and USD $4.95 for Canada. "

This was kind of fun to find!  I think the fact that Ipsy comes from a word that means sense of self is such a cool thing! Make up is suppose to be able helping someone add to their natural beauty and nothing is more beautiful than someone who has full awareness of who they are!  I loved this!  

I was able to find what Ipsy lists as a description of the service:

"Each month, you’ll receive 4-5 deluxe sample or full-sized beauty goodies (including makeup, skincare, hair care, and nail care), along with a stylish makeup bag. 

What I like about this service is that I am able to try out lots of different types of products that I may not normally try and it's only 410!!  I have found some of my favorite products through this service and this month is no exception!

The first thing in my bag this month was a Pixi by Petra Mesmerizing Mineral eye shadow duo in Apricot Glow.  This is so so so beautiful!  The one shade is a beautiful cooper color.  Right now this has become my go to shadow to put into the crease of my eye with a big fluffy brush as a base or even a blending color.  The other shadow is a light golden color that is great all over the eye as a base or even in the crease as a shadow! So pretty! I am loving this combo!  

This is what Ipsy says about this product:

"Give your eyes a shimmery summer glow with this Pixi by Petra Mesmerizing Mineral Eye Duo in Apricot Glow made exclusively for ipsy. These ultra-smooth shadows blend effortlessly and can be used wet or dry, depending on your desired makeup look."

If you've seen my what I packed for a weekend away blog (link), you have already seen this duo.  I see this being a much reached for product for a while!

Now, looking at the Pixi by Petra website, it looks like this is a small sample size of bigger pallets that they have called the Mesmerizing Mineral Pallet.  There are six different palletes that have have six shades.  I think the two in my Ipsy bag are in the Emerald Gold pallet.  These full pallets are $12.

Pixi by Petra, Mesmerizing Mineral Duo (link) - $12 for 6 shades.  So, $4 for this duo

Equitance brightening serum and spot corrector is the next thing.  This is what Ipsy says about the product:

"This pioneering spot-targeting serum formula zeroes in on the appearance of hyperpigmentation and dark discoloration. It uses patented technology to continuously deliver the key brightening ingredient, linoleic acid. With daily use, this essential step in the brightening regimen brings clarity, brightness and radiance to skin’s appearance.

How to Use: Apply 2 or 3 drops of serum to fingertips. Dab on face and neck and/or targeted area of concern; gently massage. Apply mornings and evenings."

I am a little nervous about trying this product and so I haven't yet.  What makes me nervous is that this is a dark spot corrector and I have freckles.  Lots of freckles.  So, that leaves me a little nervous about how this serum will effect that.  If any of you know, please let me know.  

Equitance brightening serum and spot corrector (link).  Ok, hold your breath for this one!.. For 1oz, this is $125!!!! ... The sample I have is .24 and after doing a little math, it looks like this is about a $30 value! Good golly.  I guess I better do some investigating to see how this would effect my freckles because they are sure proud of this product!! lol

Ah! I was very excited when I saw this next product.  I have seen lot of people using some sort of eye gels and I wanted to try them!  They are the skyn Iceland Hydro Cooling Firming Eye Gels.  There were 2 packages included and each package has two gels.

This is what Ipsy says about this product:

"When you're run down and stressed out, the delicate skin under your eyes really takes a beating, resulting in puffiness, dark circles and premature wrinkling. In just ten minutes, this cooling transdermal gel patch infuses the eye area with highly potent actives and Icelandic glacial water to firm, tone, brighten and reduce the appearance of puffiness and wrinkles. Eyes are revived, soothed and rejuvenated.

ipsters who sample skyn ICELAND Hydro Cool Firming Eye Gels will receive two pairs of eye gels."

skyn Iceland Hydro Cooling Firming Eye Gels (link) are listed on their website as $30 for 8 pairs.  So for the 2 pairs I have it is a $7.50 value!

Concealers are a difficult product for me.  I have horrible under eye circles, so I need a product that can pack a punch. In addition to that, I am so fair skinned and can have a hard time finding a product that matches my skin.  So, when I pulled out this Evelyn Ion Cosmetics Concealer I was a bit skeptical.  I am still testing and will do a full review later.

This is what Ipsy says about this product:

"Vitamin E, Cocoa Seed Butter, and Organic Coconut, Jojoba, & Castor Seed Oil...your skin is going to LOVE this Concealer! All-natural with certified organic ingredients formulated for sensitive skin makes for one line softening, moisturizing, and imperfection-hiding extravaganza!

Concealer is Made in USA, Gluten Free, Natural & Organic and Cruelty Free.

ipsters who sample the Evelyn Iona Cosmetics Concealer will receive the shade Flawless (medium ivory)." 

The Evelyn Ion Cosmetics website (link) lists this product as $18.75. 

Ah! I love this next product! I was so unbelieveably excited when I pulled this one out! Not only do I love NYX products but this product is great! Ah!  The name couldn't be any more perfect.  It is the NYX Butter Lipstick in Rose.  This is the softest lipstick! It is so creamy and my lips feel so mosturized.  Plus the color packs a punch!! It's great!!

This is what Ipsy says about this product:

"Pamper your lips with a hydrating kiss of smooth Butter Lipstick in 22 luxurious shades. The delicate texture of satin fused with the high color saturation creates an even finish on lips that’s long-wearing and beautiful.

ipsters who sample NYX Butter Lipstick will either receive: Hunk, Little Susie, or Pops."

The NYX website lists (link) list the price of this product as $6.  And let me tell you this, I will DEFINITELY be investing in more colors of this lips stick.  This is quickly becoming my go to lipstick.  It practically lives in my purse!!

So, what kind of value are we looking at in this bag?

Pixi by Petra, Mesmerizing Mineral Duo - $4.00

Equitance brightening serum and spot corrector - $30

skyn Iceland Hydro Cooling Firming Eye Gels - $7.50

Evelyn Ion Cosmetics Concealer - $18.75

NYX Butter Lipstick - $6.00

Total: $66.25!!!

For essentially a $10 investment, I got $66.25 in product plus a make up bag! Amazing!

Friday Favorites: Nivea In Shower Body Lotion

Good morning Lovelies!! Here's the good news, we made it! It's Friday! TGIF to all of you!

Today's I am going to review one of my new favorite products! The Nivea in Shower Body Lotion for very dry skin has become a stable in my shower.  I struggle with very dry skin.  Some areas of my body are definitely worst than others! I am always in search of a product that can help me manage that dry skin and this in shower lotion has become a staple in my routine.

This is what Nivea says (link to website):

In-Shower Nourishing Body Lotion helps revolutionize the daily skincare routine and transforms body care with a different take on moisturizing.

• Conveniently moisturize your skin in the shower
• Moisturizes instantly with not sticky feel
• Leave skin feeling soft, smooth, and moisturized for 24hr+
• NIVEA In-Shower Body Lotion has received the Good Housekeeping Seal

How it works: The patent pending formula absorbs into wet skin in seconds and provides 24hr+ of moisturization.

1 - Use your normal shower product and rinse off

2 - Apply In-Shower Body Lotion on wet skin while still in shower. Avoid applying to bottom of feet.

3. Rinse body. Thoroughly clean tub/shower with hot water after usage to remove residue and avoid slipping.

4 - Dry yourself, get dressed and go.

How I use it - I follow the directions.  I don't use this every single day.  Mainly because it's an extra step in the morning routine, and I would rather sleep a few more minutes! Ha!  The days that I use this are the days that I shave, exfoliate, and then I use this to moisturize. I think of it as, when I strip my skin by shaving and exfoliating, I need to add a little bit back into it.

I do make sure to step out of the stream of the shower and let it set for just a second.  No super long, but just to make sure I am absorbing as much as I can.  Then it's just rinsing it off and then doing a simple rinse of the shower.  I'm sure this warning is because it could make you're shower slippery.  I haven't experience that, but I have also made sure to rinse the shower first.

I must say, I do notice a difference between when I use this and when I don't.  I also love using this product whenever I exfoliate my feet.  I don't use the in shower lotion when I am in the shower doing my normal routine, but I will sit on the edge of the bath and exfoliate my feet and then apply the in shower lotion.  It is awesome!  Then I just dry off and apply lotion. 

Simple as that!

If you are considering testing out this product, I definitely would suggest it!! For my fellow dry skin girls, check this out! Your skin will thank you!!

Hopefully everyone has a wonderful weekend!  I am excited for the weekend because the Boyfriend and I have a mini trip away for our birthdays!! Yay!!  Both of our birthdays are at the end of the month, but they fall right at the start of softball season.  So! To get some time in together, we’re heading out of town a few weeks early!! I am very excited! 

xoxo,

Mikal-Anne

Monday Morning Coffee - Weekend Away

Good morning lovelies! Hope all of you had a wonderful weekend.  I know I did!  I got to visit my parents and my parents this weekend.   Which is way this blog is late getting up!  Technology just wasn't my friend!  Maybe it should be Monday Evening Wine instead!

My parents moved from Montana to Washington almost four years ago now.  I remember when they told me they were moving, I had a moment thinking, hey, isn’t it the kids that are supposed to move away, not the kids?  I feel like we’re doing this backwards! I was a grown adult and had been living on my own for years, so I was stable and good.  But, I had always lived in the same town as my parents and had made choices after college to stay in town so I could be close to my family.  I have a younger sister and wanted to be able to stay active in her life.  Thankfully, they only moved about 3 hours way, so I get to see them on a fairly regular basis!  I am thankful for that!

Anywho!  I headed over to Washington to spend the holiday with my family and thought I would share with you what I packed! 

When it comes to packing, I will NEVER be accused of under packing! I am very much so an over packer.  I have this fear of forgetting something and being in need of it.  I don’t know why, it’s not like  I’m out in the middle of nowhere and couldn’t get my hands on something, if I did happen to forget it!  But I commonly will throw something else in my bag, "just in case".

This trip had nothing special planned, so I just needed my everyday things, clothes, makeup, and bathroom stuff for me and then dog food, some treats, harness, and leash for the little man. Seems simple, but yet for being gone for four days, I still managed to over pack!

Lets start with my first bag. I like to separate my stuff out by when it's used.  My frist bag is my bathroom stuff.  So I have the stuff I have to take with me to shower in the morning or get ready for bed at night.  I like to separate this from my make up because I don't always need both at the same time. Plus who would want to lug a bag that's big enough to lug all of that stuff around?!?!?

I have had this pink and black bag forever! I'm not positive, but I think I got it at the drug store. The bag has the following:

- Shampoo and Conditioner.  These are just refill able bottles.  I haven't had to refill them in a long time, so I'm not totally sure what brand is in there, but I think it's the volume version of  Tresemme'

- Refillable pink squeeze bottle with the Mary Kay shave lotion/body wash.

- Travel size lotion.  

- Travel size bottles of both Tresemme' dry shampoo and hair spray.

- Refillable white bottle with Mary Kay Blemish Control Toner.

- Contact solution, case, and spare lenses.

- Toothpaste and floss.

- Carmex

- Orange container with small clear hair elastics

- Pink container with Mary Kay Timewise Moisturizer.

- Mary Kay Day and Night Solution

- Mary Kay eye cream

- I have repurposed a lotion container (the white one that the pink conttainer is on top of), and now I put my normal sized hair elastics and bobby pins in it.

- You may not be able to see it in the picture, but there is also my tooth brush, a wide tooth comb, and a nail file in there.

To save space in my bathroom bag, I take my normal containers and put the product in small travel sized containers.  My moisturizer, eye make up remover, and toner are all put into travel sized containers to save space.  I also have a baggie that has some q-tips, cotton squares, and face cleanser towels. 

Now, I keep my make up separate.  This is for ease and space.  For camping weekends or weekends at the softball fields, I pack a little lighter on the make up, but heading to my parents, I bring whatever I need for a full face.  Just in case we head out for a girls day shopping or anything, I know I can put together a full face!  Here's what I brought with me this weekend:

- I pack all of my make up in a Glitzy Glam make up bag.  This is the online store of YouTuber's Elle and Blair Fowler. (Click here for the website).  I like this bag, it's big and durable and is the perfect size!

- Rimmel Fix & Perfect Pro Primer

- Cover Girl, Ready Set Gorgeous in shade 105

- Cover Girl, Outlast Stay Fabulous Stay Fabulous 3 in 1, in shade 820.  I'm currently mixing foundations to get the right shade and combining these creates the perfect foundation!

- Real Techniques beauty blender sponge.

- Rimmel Match Perfection 2 in 1 concealer.  I use this one to cover up my dark circles and any other spots that are acting up.

- Cover Girl, Ready Set Gorgeous concealer in shade fair.  I use this one to highlight.  I am really fair skinned and it have to work to make sure my face doesn't fall flat. 

- Tarte Smooth Operator -  This is a small sample size that I got in a holiday collection.  I'm currently using this to set my under eye concealer. 

- Revlon Nearly Naked pressed powder in Fair 010

NYX Matte Bronzer in Medium - To be honest, this is probably a bit too dark for me, I have to use a light hand with it because it packs a punch!  It is a beautiful bronzer though!

- Jane Iredale, Bitty Brow Kit 

- Mary Kay eye shadow primer.

- Z Pallet with blushes and shadows.  I grab this almost anytime I travel because it has many shades of blushes and some staple colors of eye shadows, plus a bronzer and a highlight.  It's perfect

- The original Lorac Pro eye shadow pallet.  I like to take a pallet that has a full spectrum of colors, so that way I can do any eye look I may want.

- Pacifica eye shadow in Ethereal.  This is the perfect highlight for the inner corner of your eye!

- Pixi by Petra eye shadow duo in Apricot Glow.  I got this in my Ipsy bag this month and it's a current favorite!

- Revlon, Color Stay, eye liner in black brown.  This is a long standing favorite.  I have been using it for years and can't run out of it.  I always have an unopened back up waiting to be used!

Now, don't judge me here, I use three different types of mascaras!  Yes, three! they each do something different!!

- (first) Revlon, Lash Potion in black brown.  This us a great lengthening mascara!

- (second) Almay, Get Up & Grow in black brown.  Great for separating and avoiding spider lashes!  This is a great multi benefit mascara!  It does it all.

- (third) is a Revlon mascara in black brown, but it's so loved that I can't read the name!

- Travel container of all my favorite brushes!

Wow! Ok, I definitely don't travel light!! Please tell me I'm not the only one!!

Here's a picture of a look I put together with what I packed!

I love going out of town and having adventures, but hate the prep!  It seems like on either way of the trip there is always lots to do!  I work full time, so I have to do most of my errands and chores on the weekend.  So, when I’m gone, I have to get those things done during the week before I go and after I return.  I do see laundry in my future tonight!  I have to say, that is one of my least favorite things!!  I do wish I had the life of my little man though (pictured above), he’ll sleep all day today after being with my parents’ pups all weekend!  He has some recovering to do!!  

Hoping everyone's Easter was wonderful and blessed!!

Wishing everyone a wonderful week!!

xoxo,
Mikal-Anne

Friday Favorites - My Holy Grail Skin Cleansing Products

Ok, so I have finally experienced my karma!  I have always been that girl who walked around saying, "I'm lucky, my face is low maintenance".  Mind you I do have semi sensitive skin and have to be careful what products I'm using, but for the most part, it's taken very little work... Well, that was until a few months ago.  All of the sudden my face broke out all over the place.  I had pimples and zits come out of no where.  One on my check I swear was big enough to probably be named.  No joke, seriously!  My little sister told me this was my karma, and, she's probably right.  

First thing I had to do was stop committing the cardinal sin... going to bed without washing my face..  Yes, let the shaming begin.  I know you aren't supposed to do that, but I did! But that had to stop immediately.  With that begun the hunt for the perfect skin cleansing routine!  After many trial and errors, this is what I have found!!

Face masks:

What I have found is that my face requires to one deep clean my pores regularly and then also moisturizing it.  The deep clean drys out my face and my face reacts and breaks out.  About 2 times a week I do a double mask combo.  I use the Charcoal & Black Sugar Polishing Mask and Dead Sea Mineral Anti-Stress Mask from Freeman.  These are great.  I first use the polishing mask to get off any dead skin and any build up on my face.  I then follow that with the Dead Sea Minerals mask.  These seem to be the perfect double punch to take care of what ever I already have developed, clean up any of the dry skin around problem areas, and then clean out anything that's developing.

Daily skin care routine:

My face will figure products out fairly quickly and whatever I'm using will stop working.  Because of that, I use a combination of things.  I usually split up things with morning and night products, to stretch out the time before my face figures the product out. 

I'm going to start at night, because to me this is the most important part because you have to get off all of the make up and grim for the day.  I have to say the thing I've found that has honestly been the most amazing is the Garnier Nourishing Cleansing Oil.  I love this stuff so much, that as soon as the bottle gets to about the half way point, I buy a back up to ensure I wont run out!  I have always felt in the past that when I am washing my face at night that I was really just getting my make up off and not getting a good cleansing of my face.  What I love about this oil is that it removes my make up before I start cleansing.  First, you apply the oil to your face and rub it in all over your face.  This stuff is amazing!! It takes everything off.  With about two pumps I am able to take off all of my face and eye make up.  After you have evenly distributed the product over your face, you then wet your hands, and then rub your face again.  Adding the water causes the oil to emulsify.  Finish by rinsing off.  Honestly, my face feels so great that I could probably stop with this step.  The cleansing oil makes my face feel so clean and moisturized, it's awesome!!

Next I use a product that has been in my skin routine for years!! I have Emily from Beauty Broadcast on YouTube (click here to check out her YouTube) to thank for this one!  What is picture above is the store brand for the Olay 2-in-1 Daily Facial Cloths.  This is one product that I have found that both the name brand and off brand products are great!!  This is a cleansing product in a cloth, it's dry and when you add water is suds up and you use it much like you would a wash cloth.  One bonus, after you're done, you just toss the cloth into the trash and don't have to worry about germs and constantly having to wash towels!!  It's the perfect lazy girl's product!

After I have completely cleansed my face, if it's a night when I am not doing a mask, sometimes I will follow this step with the Mary Kay Timewise Microdermabrasion.  This is a super super gritty face scrub and isn't something I do often because my face is WAY to sensitive for that.  But sometimes a good scrub is needed!

Finally, I follow all of this with my night prep and moisturizing routine.  I will talk about those in another Friday Favorites blog!

Morning:

It is super important for you to cleans your face in the morning too.  Clean anything that was pushed out of your pores during the night and prep for any make up you may use for the day.  My morning routine is fairly simple and I only use two products!! Yep, lazy girl here!

I start with the Cetaphil daily cleanser.  I know I'm not the first to rave about this product, but is amazing!!  I wet my face and hands, suds up the product with my hands, and then apply to my face.  That simple!

Finally, on mornings when the night before I hadn't used any kind of scrub I will use the St. Ives Blemish Control Apricot Scrub.  This is a very mild scrub and is good at removing any build up that my pores pushed out during the night.  I do have to say I only use this on mornings when I shower.  It is easier to make sure that it is all washed off when in the showers.

And folks, that's it!  I am so thankful that I have been able to find a combination of products that has enabled me to get my skin under control.  I have found, keeping the every day steps simple makes it the most productive!!

Have a great weekend lovelies!! 

XOXO,

Mikal-Anne