Category: beauty

New Scented Bodycare Favorites

Post author By crystal
Post date November 21, 2017

One thing I sometimes miss (that my hair doesn’t necessarily miss) is using heavily fruit-scented shampoos. When I was a kid, the stronger the artificial fruit scent, the better. But now, picking fragrances in general is an endeavor in subtlety or simplicity. Although my perfume tastes may vary, I gravitate towards single-noted or pure, distilled scents in my bodycare products.

This post will break down some of my latest favorites by fragrance. But really it’s a “what’s in my shower” kind of post, because it’s hard to commit to just one body wash for months!

How to Get the Most Out of a Hydrating Serum

Post author By crystal
Post date November 16, 2017

Previously, I wrote about some of my favorite serums for specific skincare concerns that come from everyday life scenarios (see article here). However, addressing skincare concerns seasonally is also a good way to approach the serum game. For Winter, you’ll want a hydrating serum. But you can also supplement that baseline hydration. Today, I’ll be sharing a few mix-in boosters and how to use them to really make a hydrating serum work doubly hard for you this Winter.

beauty crystal skincare

3 Serums for Everyday Scenarios

Post author By crystal
Post date October 30, 2017

“Serum” is one of those skincare terms that is so ubiquitous in product labeling that it almost doesn’t mean anything. We all know that we’re supposed to be using one, but it can be confusing to pick one to address our immediate skin concerns. I like to think of serums as the most specific kind of skin treatment I can apply. I’m looking to correct specific problems like hyperpigmentation.

Serums are definitely where I recommend paying for the best since they’re lightweight, which allows them to really sink in and penetrate the skin for maximum potency. Read on to see what kinds of situations would call for a specific serum.

For City Dwellers: Ursa Major Brighten Up Vitamin C Serum is perfect for counteracting free-radical damage caused by environmental pollutants. Personally, I notice that this kind of accrued damage manifests on my skin in the form of dullness in appearance and uneven, rough texture (different from breakouts). The vitamin C in this quick-absorbing serum is good for brightening skin tone, especially in conjunction with the other ingredients: rosehip (pigmentation and uneven texture) and aspen bark (exfoliation for fresh, new skin). I like that this serum has a very thin texture, which allows it to be layered under other skin treatments, like my overnight masks, without getting greasy or clogging my pores.

beauty crystal nail polish

Modern Fall Colors from JINsoon Art Nouveau

Post author By crystal
Post date October 26, 2017

I like to get gel nails a few times a year. They look amazing and help my nails grow longer, but it’s hard to commit to wearing one color for a month especially in the Fall. Fall collections are my favorite in fashion and beauty because of the richer colors, textures and finishes. The JINsoon Art Nouveau collection completely embodies that look for me in a very modernized way.

beauty crystal lipstick

Playing with Kosas Weightless Lip Color for Fall

Post author By crystal
Post date October 23, 2017

Thanks to Kylie Jenner, the trendiest lip products have been lip pencils and powdery matte colors. I’m happy that we are nixing sticky lip glosses and have worn my favorite MAC lip liner down to a stub to celebrate. Nowadays it takes something really special for me to want a traditional lipstick, but I think that the Kosas Weightless Lip Color gets it right.

Maybe it’s the Instagram-worthy branding of the line. Or maybe it’s the hefty and luxurious packaging. Either way, Kosas is convincing me to put down the matte lipstick and adopt a sheerer lip look this Fall.

beauty crystal skincare

The Beauty Oils You Need Right Now

Post author By crystal
Post date October 18, 2017

With my combination-oily skin type, venturing into the realm of beauty oils was a totally unexpected move. But since every trusted resource I turned to reassured me that I too, with my mid-day shine, could reap the benefits of facial oils, I had to give them a try. This was two years ago, and since then I haven’t looked back. If you haven’t caught onto beauty oils yet, you absolutely have to give them a go. Frankly, there’s no better time like now when the seasons are transitioning and your skin needs some extra TLC.

The only catch to incorporating beauty oils into your skincare routine is that there’s a slight learning curve. Don’t give up on them until you figure out:

1) At which step in your routine to massage them in

2) Which beauty oils to use for which purpose

Let me share some of my tips and my current arsenal of beauty oils after the jump!