We Aim To Slay

I’ve been using this quarantine to clock some serious time improving my skincare routine, making adjustments to everything from products to application techniques. I placed an order with Ulta Beauty for some new skincare goodies on Saturday, April 11, and my package promptly arrived on Saturday, April 18.

One such change has been the introduction of the #60SecondRule, which I’ll be delving into in an upcoming post.

Developed by esthetician, Nayamka Roberts-Smith, LE, the technique simply asks that you use your bare hands to massage your cleanser into your skin for a full 60 seconds. Sounds simple enough, right?

One of the products Roberts-Smith swears by is an oil cleanser so I decided to give one a try. I turned to Formula 10.0.6, a brand I’m both familiar with and fond of, and purchased the Bare Face Beauty Skin-Hydrating Cleansing Oil.

Formula 10.0.6 recommends using two to four pumps of cleanser, but on first use I ended up using six in total. I tend to have normal, acne prone skin so I concentrated the product on the areas suffering from the worst breakouts; my temples, cheeks, jawline, and chin. 

Even though this cleanser is an oil it feels very lightweight on the skin. After cleansing for about sixty seconds I added some warm water to my hands and returned to cleansing. I did this several times until I could no longer feel residual cleanser, at which point I switched to my regular cleanser.

One skincare concern that I’m always hoping to alleviate are the dark circles under my eyes. I know that drinking more water and getting more sleep will help, but I also know that dark under-eyes runs in the family, so I’m always on the hunt for a product that will diminish them.

With that in mind, I purchased the Origins GinZing Refreshing Eye Cream which is supposed to brighten and depuff. Truth be told, I don’t need to depuff the under eye – in fact, I have some fine lines that I think may be made worse by using a depuffing cream, but the jury is still out on that theory.

This product felt very creamy and silky to the touch and under my eyes. It was absorbed quickly, but still left a noticeably “dewy” look under the eye which was less obvious once I applied moisturizer. I’ve been using this product for a few days now, but I know it will take longer to truly see any effect.

I’m not a big fan of change, especially when products or tools work well for me. But I noticed that several of my makeup brushes were not performing as they used to, which brought me to the E.L.F. Cosmetics Ultimate Eyes 5 Piece Brush Collection and the E.L.F. Cosmetics Blush Brush.

The blush brush is super fluffy, and compared to my old brush, is way better at picking up and distributing product. I like that it’s a little tapered at the end, so I can either concentrate product directly onto the apples of my cheeks or I can sweep the blush back towards the hairline.

Of the five eye brushes in this set the contour brush and blending brush alone made this purchase worthwhile.

The eye contour brush is super precise and allowed for application in a much more controlled way and area all at the same time. The blending brush is super silky and worked so well that I had to continuously reapply my shadows. That may be a draw back for some, but I much prefer gradually building up the eyeshadow shades and colors. Don’t get me wrong, I love full glam as much as the next fashionista, but I tend to stick to more “everyday” color families.

Also included in this set was a spoolie brush which is a tad shorter than my current spoolie – I think it will be perfect for cleaning up clumpy mascara. The spoolie is actually a double ended brush and the other side is intended to be a brow brush, but I think I’ll prefer using it when I use eyeshadows as eyeliner (code for “I didn’t realize it was a double ended brush until I had already applied brow powder with my usual brow brush”). There is also a “flat eyeliner” brush and an “angled” shadow brush, neither of which I’ve used so far.

The next two products in my order are tried and true staples in my beauty routine – the Not Your Mother’s Curl Talk Defining Cream and the Urban Decay Cosmetics All Nighter Long-Lasting Makeup Setting Spray (in travel size). Because these products aren’t new to my arsenal I won’t be reviewing them here, so keep an eye out for them in future posts!

Let me know how you’ve been passing time in quarantine in the comments section below! Don’t forget to get some fresh air, and to take time to feel at peace during these difficult and strange times. Remember to SLAY my loves!