Winter Skin Sephora Haul
In the wintertime, skin needs some extra lovin’. Some of you may already be enjoying spring-like weather since we’re on the cusp of March, but as I look out the window, it’s a world of white. And it’s way below freezing today. Oh, Canada.
Whether or not you’re still battling the elements where you are, here are a few things I recently picked up from Sephora to get my face glowing despite the season.
The Goods:
- Fresh Sugar Face Polish
- Smashbox Camera Ready CC Cream
- Guerlain Terracotta Bronzing Powder
- Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Matte Bronzer
Before you can create a makeup masterpiece on your face, you’ve got to look after your skin. Particularly in the winter, skin can get very dry and flaky. A good exfoliating product will get rid of any dead skin and help keep your face smooth as a fresh canvas.
I’m a big fan of Fresh skin products, because they’re made with lots of great natural ingredients and always leave my sensitive skin feeling pampered and lovely. (I love their Soy Face Cleanser, too.)
Their Sugar Face Polish is made with real brown sugar and wild strawberry seeds, which help to scrub off any dead skin cells and nourish the skin, leaving it bright and refreshed.
Sugar is a natural antiseptic and humectant, which means it draws moisture from the environment into the skin, hydrating it. The stuff smells amazing, too. I’m planning to do a post showing you my full skincare routine when I really want to pamper myself, so keep an eye out for that.
Now that your skin is looking radiant, let’s ease into makeup. I have always been a full-coverage foundation girl. None of that tinted moisturizer nonsense for me. And while I swear by my NARS Sheer Glow liquid foundation, I find my skin can’t quite handle wearing it every single day for at least 10 hours, now that I work full-time.
I did a lot of research on what my alternatives might be, and I finally decided to try this Smashbox Camera Ready CC Cream. It has an SPF of 30 (sunscreen is super important to protect your skin – yes, even in winter!) and moisturizes, heals, and conceals your imperfections all at once.
Mind you, I still like my skin looking as close to flawless as possible – so I apply concealer on my spots, and set my whole face with a mineral powder that lends a bit more coverage, too. I’m really happy with the result, and I think my skin is enjoying the change as well. Although I still love my NARS for special occasions or a night out!
Last up: bronzers. I LOVE bronzer, particularly because I barely see the sun, don’t get enough sleep, and have neutral undertones in my skin. This lethal combination means I can easily look ashy and undead if I don’t do anything to warm up my skin. Fake sun to the rescue!
I’ve been using Too Faced Custom Blend Beach Bunny Bronzer until now, and have been very happy with it, so when I was looking for a new contour powder to replace my beloved Hoola, Too Faced is where I looked first.
After many a review, I settled on Too Faced Chocolate Soleil.
I haven’t actually started using it yet, but I’ll keep you posted. Did I mention it smells like chocolate? Yeah, it smells like chocolate. (And is made with real cocoa powder.)
As for bronzer for the sake of actually bronzing, I finally allowed myself to splurge on this one that I’ve longed for for years.
Guerlain’s Terracotta Bronzing Powder. Everyone says it’s the best. EVERYONE. It’s supposed to blend smoothly and look completely natural and radiant. I can’t wait to use it.
It is extremely pricey, so I really hope I love it. It comes in a variety of shades from light to medium/dark, but I got number 03, which is created for more golden complexions vs. rosy ones.
In case the two bronzers I bought look identical to you, here they are side by side. Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Medium/Deep Matte Bronzer on the left, vs. Guerlain Terracotta Bronzing Powder in 03 on the right.
Chocolate Soleil is ever so slightly darker and more neutral toned, making it perfect for contouring, whereas the Guerlain is slightly warmer, more yellow toned, and with the slightest hint of shimmer, making it perfect for giving your skin a warm, “lit from within” glow.
(I don’t deny they are similar, though. But subtle differences actually do make a difference on the skin!)
A quick note on contouring – the shade ideal for me is not necessarily the shade ideal for you. The idea is to create natural looking shadows and hollows on your face, so pick a cream or powder product that is matte and about 2-3 shades darker than your natural skin tone.
Too Faced makes a similar product to this one called Milk Chocolate Soleil, which is a bronzer created for light/medium skin tones. I got the darker version because I intend to use it for contouring rather than bronzing, and so want a slightly more dramatic look.
And that’s all she wrote…er, bought. Do you have any skin care or makeup tips for surviving winter? Share them below.
If you’re not a big fan of haul posts, don’t worry – there’s lots of other stuff coming your way soon. xx
