Beauty Resolutions for 2013

Resolution time of year has hit me at about the same time I've been thinking about some things in my lifestyle that could be prodded into being a little bit, say, more awesome.

One of the things that I'm going to try to be better about is to make sure I'm taking some time out of every morning to do a little beauty routine. Washing my face, moisturizing, and putting on some slap would, I believe, make me feel like more of a person of style and glamor than I have been lately.

In the last few days I've paired my cosmetics routine down to a few items that, when I catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror, really do seem to make me look prettier.

• bronzer -- I have never used it before and man, bronzer is AWESOME. Why did no one tell me I needed this? You don't have to be all contour-happy with it. You just need a little and it makes you look alive. Seriously, you need bronzer. Go get some. I bought the Rimmel bronzer -- no shimmer.
• highlighter -- as a mid-30s mom sometimes I feel a little flat. In order to get that little bit of oompf I've been using Benefit's High Beam.
• blush -- as you can see, I'm a little obsessed with pretending actual blood runs in my veins rather than just coffee. I use just a light light coral blush on the apples of my cheeks to give me a little natural flush. I have a little CoverGirl one that seems to do just fine. For summer, I'll need something a little bit more pigmented.
• concealer -- just sparingly under my eyes and right in the nasal folds (mine seem a little red). Benefit ErasePaste. If you haven't tried it, get yo'self to a Sephora stat.
• eyeshadow -- a light pinky lavender with just a hint of shimmer. Again, just a CoverGirl brick.
• eyeliner -- and this is one I considered optional for a bit, but not anymore. It really makes a difference. I've been using Stila liquid eyeliner in a plain black and it is pretty great. I just do the top lid and if I'm lucky, I get a little swooshy wing on the corners.
• mascara -- after I use my curler, I swipe on a little mascara. I use Maybelline Full and Soft. It's one of the few mascaras that consistently works on my fine, medium length lashes.
• lippie -- Even lip balm will do for me but anything with a little pigment makes my face pop. I've been swiping a little Lipstick Queen in Medieval on lately and calling it done.

I know this seems like more than "a few" items. It's winter and I look ashen. Sometimes you just have to use a lot of slap to feel good. The thing is, it only takes moments to do.

Before all of that, though, is my new skincare initiative.

Morning

• Cetaphil cleanser
• Murad Resurgence Age-Diffusing Serum
• Estee Lauder DayWear moisturizer
• Estee Lauder Verite eye cream
• Rosebud salve lip balm

Night

• Ponds Cold Cream
• Sephora Age Defy Night Moisture Cream
• Rosebud salve lip balm

We'll see if I can keep up the glam and skin care for more than two weeks!

Winter coats, the most unfun shopping experience ever.

Let me be clear. There are things I don't enjoy shopping for. Those things are, in this order:

1). bras
2). bathing suits
3). winter coats

1 and 2 are the real pain in my rear so I'll discuss that at a different time.  Right now, the winter coat is the problem. I just sold my 10 year old Columbia Sportswear jacket at my yard sale and it suddenly got colder earlier than usual and now I'm sans coat.

This Columbia jacket has been with me through thick and thin, rain and wind and storms. It was warm, comfy and functional. Why did I give it up? The silliest reason ever! I wanted a new color coat this year and to justify that, I had to sell this one.

WHY DID I DO IT? Just go ahead and slap Whitney is an Idiot on my forehead.

I have three nice wool-blend "dressy" coats, I cannot in good faith invest in another, so this coat search is strictly down to business for warmth and cold/wind protection. Lucky me, I work at an outdoor program, so I have the benefit of a lot of advice on this type of thing.

My first instinct was to look at REI to see if I could afford another Columbia jacket. I'm a co-op member at REI. The prices are usually pretty good and the reason I like REI is that if you don't like someone for any reason, you can always return it with a receipt AND I love the fact that they have used gear and clothing for sale.  Also if there's an REI in your community, they usually support local nonprofits by allowing them to use their conference room for gatherings.

But I didn't really find what I liked at REI.

So I moved onto some other brands that are highly recommended by some of  my co-workers:

• Patagonia - this is an outdoor industry favorite
• Marmot
• Mountain Hardware
• The North Face

Here's what I found:

Patagonia Women's Micro Puff Jacket $149

 Here are some of the details on this item from the Patagonia website:

• Lightweight, windproof recycled polyester shell fabric is treated with a Deluge® DWR (durable water repellent) finish
• Updated with superwarm, compressible 100-g PrimaLoft Sport insulation that's durable, soft and exceptionally warm when wet
• Full-length front zipper is backed with a low bulk wind flap
• Zippered Pockets: Two handwarmers and one internal storage pocket

• Drawcord hem; stuff sack included 

Some of the things I like about Patagonia, as I have a few of their other products, are:

• Their website has a live chat that can help you sort through some of your questions if you're not sure what you want to buy. 
• Patagonia uses recycled materials in many of their products, like recycled plastic soda bottles, polyester and second hand garments. 
• In my personal opinion, some of Patagonia's stuff runs a bit small, but I have found their fit guides online to be very useful and accurate. 

I went looking for The North Face next. What I found isn't worth sharing. While I think their products look nice and seem very durable, they honestly weren't my style. However, I wouldn't discredit them if you're looking into winter coats, because they consistently get good reviews.

Next I went onto Marmot. I have some Marmot items already and like them. Believe it or not, I found some Marmot rain coats at TJ Maxx, but they were in some pretty awful colors. But I know some people don't care about that.  They have a beautiful selection of coats in the Marmot section of backcountry.com, which is a fantastic website that I know about through work.

I really liked the functionality of this coat, the Marmot Jena Down Jacket-- even though I'm not crazy about the quilting. And it was onsale on the backcountry.com website for $131 and comes in a ton of colors (although some of the colors might not be at the price). This jacket is normally a lot more expensive.

I know my outdoor enthusiast friends would say the quilting is one of the important parts of the functionality, though. I wouldn't consider myself an expert in that field, so who knows.

From the backcountry.com website: Jena packs a surprising amount of warmth into a trim fit at a light weight. Keep your fingers warm in zippered hand pockets while you peruse cold weather campsites or shop windows.

• Angel-Wing movement allows full range of motion without ride-up
• Elastic drawcord hem helps seal out cold from below

Mountain Hardwear is my next venture. I know that they are an very reputable company that outdoor enthusiasts love. My work uses some of their products. 

The Mountain Hardwear Women's LoDown Jacket is the one I liked the best. it's $181 on the Mountain Hardwear website.

Some of the details:

• Insulated with lofty and warm 650-fill goose down
• Soft and cozy Velboa lined collar
• Fleece-lined zip handwarmer pockets
• Interior zip pocket stores ID, keys, other small essentials
• Inner stretch cuffs seal in warmth

It also comes in a ton of colors and the reviews for it are excellent.

So thus completes the research I've done online for the jackets I like, now I'll be looking at reviews to see which one I want to buy. I had my Columbia Sportswear jacket for almost 10 years, so I intend to have this one for a long time as well, so you can understand why I'm cautious.

About my face...

I've been in and out of dermatologists offices since I was little.

I have cranky skin.

It is sensitive, prone to breakouts, prone to rashes, and apparently now I get pre-cancerous spots that have to be frozen off.

I started getting my first little pimples when I was around 10. My mom took me to her dermatologist and they gave me some topical benzoyl peroxide to put on the spots.

And thus my life trying to solve my skin's problems began.

I've been prescribed:
Benzyol peroxide treatments in different percentages (the one that you put in the fridge, too!)
Retin-A
Antibiotics
Azelaic acid
Accutane

What worked? Accutane.

By the time I hit college, I had cystic acne that I was upset my scar my face and I'd have to live with my hormonal baggage from my youth on my face. Accutane always seemed like this MAJOR drug that only people with horrible all-over terrible acne cases would use. We've all seen the pictures of these unfortunate souls with the inflamed, almost unrecognizable faces covered with acne. That wasn't me. I never had that. I just had pimples. All the time. A few would clear up, a new batch would insidiously crop up. It was never ending and it was upsetting.

So I took courses of Accutane and it worked.

After that, the dermatologist gave me a topical cream to help keep things smooth and pretty. The Azelaic Acid product worked beautifully and wasn't as uncomfortable as the retinyl treatments. It was the first time in my life that people told me what beautiful skin I had.

I've learned is to be incredibly wary of products, which is tough because I am a cosmetics and product junkie. I LOVE THEM.

Even if the product is labeled non-allergenic and non-comedogenic I know we may battle. I cannot use any of the Benefit skin products, Neutrogena is out, and so is Oil of Olay. Clinique skin systems and I do NOT do well together. The stripping cleanser along with the irritating toner followed by their greasy cream create problems for me (though for a week my skin looks great, thus throwing me into a cycle of trouble where I think, "Maybe I'll get Clinique again...") Their exfoliating scrub is excellent, though. I even gave Clarins a whirl, but it gave me whiteheads, which were new for me.

Cleansers prove to be too drying or leave a film, so finally, after so many years of trying sexier formulas (the Chanel cleansers smell HEAVENLY) and things the dermatologists always say are an option, like Pure, Neutrogena, etc., I have disciplined myself to stick with what works without fail and apparently for everyone:

Cetaphil Cleanser

I have started washing my makeup brushes in baby shampoo and rinse them well.

I find the Origins moisturizers work well. I like the Dr. Weil mushroom face moisturizer for day and the Night-a-mins for night time.

HOWEVER, I have not repurchased their products because the packaging is terrible. The night cream now only comes in a jar, which I find incredibly unsanitary. The Dr. Weil comes in a pump that you can't get the last 1/3 of the product out of.

So I'm looking for something that works, has some treatment elements to it to help slow down my wrinkles and age spots. I like products with vitamin C in them. (Science backs this up, apparently. My dermatologist has me slather my face in vitamin C-based serum before going out in the sun to help fight the damage.)

The Estee Lauder products I've selected have been excellent so far. It has only been a week, though, and so I'm going to use up the samples and see how things are going. I haven't yet gotten the greasies that telltale tickle that I'm about to breakout, and thus far no rash or allergy bumps.

Other things I'm mindful about are washing pillowcases frequently, rinsing my hair conditioner away from my face and then washing my face AFTER I condition, and keeping my work surface wiped down. Your keyboard, phone, and mouse are the most disgustingly corrupt places you probably go and THEN you probably touch your face. Stop that cycle and you'll not only keep pimples at bay, but cold and flu viruses as well.

What are you all using? What is working?