How I'm Upping My Skincare Game Now That I'm A Grown-up (or something)

Hello at last! It feels like it's been forever as I've been fighting off jet lag that seems to have hit me pretty hard this week. I'm back in Ireland for the long haul and over the last two days have slept something like thirty hours. It's bizarre but my friends are remarkably understanding and for that I have to thank them.

Traveling, stress, and caffeine are well-known enemies of the perfect complexion and over the last month or so I've been doing battle with all three. While I was home in Seattle last week I stopped in to H-Mart, an Asian megastore, to see what kinds of therapies our lovely Asian friends could recommend. While I was there I stocked up on all my favourite Asian foods, candies, and teas to bring back to Dublin and then popped into Amore, a sort of Korean version of Sephora. I've heard of their luxury line Amore Pacific (available at Sephora and here) but never actually played with any of their products before. The shop was an adorable little place with about a million different girly and colorful products just waiting for me to play with.

I've been wanting to play around with Asian skincare products for awhile, at least since my first order with Kollection K, but didn't know where to start and I wasn't willing to risk ordering something online that could potentially be irritating or just not the best choice for me. Luckily, a lovely skincare consultant in Amore (who, incidentally, had fabulous skin herself) had useful advice. She examined my skin using a strange bit of paper and some blue lights and then fed the results into a computer which spit out my skin analysis. It was bizarre and kind of gimmicky but surprisingly more accurate than the Dermalogica skin mapping analysis that I had last fall. As I suspected my skin is actually very dehydrated, causing it to overproduce sebum in the T-zone. This explains why my skin has always been the obnoxious combination of dry and oily at the same time and why I've had difficulties finding the right balance of products in the past.

The new regimen. Thanks, Laneige!

I left the shop with a few products from a company called Laneige (literally "the snow" in France). See more about the brand and please enjoy the poorly translated story. It very much reminds me of this scene from Zoolander

 and yet I'm still a sucker enough to buy into the marketing. The products from Laneige didn't come cheap (each product was around $30) but the packages are a good size and I expect I won't run out for at least 6 months, maybe even a year for the Yogurt Peeling Mask!

So far I've used the Water Sleeping Pack twice and the Gel Cream almost every day. I haven't had a chance to try the Yogurt Peeling Mask but when I do I'll be sure to report back. The Water Sleeping Pack is a very cool overnight mask that I use on nights when I skip my retinol product. It leaves a weird sticky feeling behind (it is quite a bit heavier than your standard night cream) but I always wake up the next morning with plump, moisturized skin. The Gel Cream is also fabulous and is quite like my old favourite, Chanel Hydramax Gel Creme, but at a fraction of the cost. The only downside is that it lacks SPF. Otherwise it keeps my skin feeling hydrated but never oily and makeup glides on like a dream.

Water Sleeping Pack - ultra fancy night cream, basically

Sidebar: I also left with approximately a zillion sheet masks. They were $1 each!

I look forward to scaring neighborhood children with these

Now that I've got my anti-aging and moisture game on lock I've been exploring a few new avenues for the last of my skin troubles. The most important thing with starting new products is to take them one at a time in case something causes breakouts or rashes. I tend to be a bit impulsive and in my life I don't think I've ever added one product at a time. I'm trying so hard to resist the urge to jumpstart my new skincare obsession NOW, so why don't I share my woes first?

Problem 1: Congestion. I have a few closed comedones on my forehead that bug me. The skin there isn't covered with red cystic acne but it's not exactly smooth. Hours spent on r/skincareaddiction lead me to believe I most likely need an AHA or BHA exfoliating product. I'm a little reluctant to dive in with a chemical exfoliant when I'm using a retinol, though. I've had no adverse effects from my current anti-aging product (La Roche Posay Redermic R) and I don't want to tempt fate by irritating the crap out of my skin. Thoughts? Recommendations? American ladies are partial to Stridex pads in the red box but we can't get those in this part of the world.

Problem 2: Makeup Removal. Ugh. I love Benefit's They're Real mascara (it is my one true ride-or-die eye makeup I think) but it is such a bitch to take off at night. It's not waterproof but seems to be highly resistant to all my efforts to gently remove it. Almost every night I'm convinced I'm pulling out several eyelashes at once plus likely damaging my delicate skin around the eyes. I tried coconut oil but kept getting that in my eyes. I'm tempted to try a micellar water. Bioderma is the makeup industry gold standard but difficult to access in Dublin. I saw several good options at Boots though, including this Garnier one which was on offer and a few by La Roche Posay, Avene, Vichy, and L'Oreal. The number of options is slightly overwhelming and they all seem pretty much the same. Probably by this time tomorrow I'll have purchased the Garnier one.

(Update: I did! It was 6 euros and they had 3 for 2 on skincare. I do what I want. Also I got Avene Cleanance K, an AHA/BHA product, and La Roche Posay's Physiologic Toner)

Can't wait to try these out. Updates to follow

How often do you update your skincare regimen? Do you gradually introduce products or go for it at once like me?

xo Caitlin

Shameless Materialism: Really F*cking Expensive Shampoo

Hello and welcome back to Shameless Materialism! This column is all about products I've finished up and re-purchased. It is an ode to the all-time best ever products that the beauty industry has produced and I hope you will enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy writing it. 

Oh my God, you guys, I know I just wrote a Shameless Materialism post about Kerastase shampoo and gushed about how it's basically the best thing that's ever happened in my sad, dark life. And I know banging on about shampoo is lame and boring or whatever. But here's the thing: I'm in Seattle. And that means I'm in my childhood bathroom, where I re-discovered this intense and fabulous shampoo and I need to tell you everything about it. Ready? 

It's by Philip B and called the Russian Imperial Amber Shampoo (available here, here, and I think I saw it at Barney's once). It costs $140 for 12 oz. ONE HUNDRED AND FORTY DOLLARS for a product that literally gets washed down the drain (Pro tip: it's cheaper on Amazon. But there is a theoretical risk that it could be a fake. I dunno, make your choices and let me know what happens). Anyway, yeah it is easily the most decadent product I own and someday I will look back on my twenties and feel ashamed of my wanton spending. I really don't even know if I can tell you that this shampoo is worth the price, because "worth it" is a relative term depending on your own needs/wants/abilities/priorities whatever. I will tell you, though, that a 12 oz bottle lasts me well over a year because it is so goddamn expensive that I use it sparingly and treat it like it's made of gold. I've had strong words with my little brother, who shares my bathroom, about how he is never to touch it. I wouldn't hesitate to remove one of his hands for stealing my Philip B shampoo. 

The second ingredient in Russian Imperial Amber Shampoo is sodium laureth sulfate, a detergent agent that creates the satisfying lather, which some people find irritating or drying. In my experience the high SLS content actually leaves my hair satisfyingly squeaky-clean and is excellent for clearing product buildup. It's never drying and I actually don't ever follow it with conditioner because it's so moisturizing. My hair is left clean and voluminous (product buildup is the natural enemy of volume) and incredibly shiny. The shampoo is a little weird at first, it's a thick paste texture that has to be massaged and warmed in your hands before you can work it into your hair. If I'm honest though, the thing that draws me back year after year is the scent. According to Philip B's website: "the tantalizing botanical scent channels the opulence of the Romanov dynasty, when the healing and calming properties of Amber Oil were treasured by a privileged few." To me it smells decadent and rich. My hair literally looks and smells like a million (okay, a hundred) bucks. Unlike other hair products I've used this scent actually hangs around for nearly two days! Ka-ching! 

Today I was in a really weird mood. I went for my run and then was sitting reading a really strange book (Petals in the Wind by V.C. Andrews, if you're curious) but I just couldn't shake this weird, anxious, blues-y feeling. I blame the random cloudy weather we had in Seattle today. So naturally I solved my problems by taking a Xanax. Kidding, kind of. I couldn't find any Xanax in the house. Instead I took a really long bath and washed my hair with my ridiculously expensive shampoo. I couldn't work up the energy to shave my legs (sorry) or hunt down bubble bath or whatever, but the ritual was meditative and left me smelling like a frickin' Grand Duchess so I obviously felt a good bit better afterwards. Now my weird mood swing seems to have settled and I'd like to thank my Past Self for investing so wisely in my mental health. 

Yes, I can justify just about any purchase you need me to. I'm officially declaring Philip B Russian Imperial Amber Shampoo better than benzodiazepines. 

image source

What's the most decadent thing you've ever purchased? How did you justify it? Did you have to hide the receipts or dine on ramen after? 

Do svidanya i spokoynoy nochi, 
xo Caitlin

Le Geek, C'est Chic

It's that time of year again. Students will know exactly what I mean - finals season! I've been spending a lot of quality time in the library with my nose in a book and my eyes watering from staring at my laptop screen for hours on end. Fortunately I have my beautiful classmates keeping my company and I'm psyched to share their beauty tips with you. Obviously these tips aren't just for library geeks, anyone working long hours or night shifts can probably pick up a new idea or two.

Your Face

As an out and proud Eye Rubber/Face Toucher/Lip Biter I've pretty much nailed my library beauty routine. I need something that takes five minutes in the morning, requires minimal touchups, and makes me look pulled-together enough that if I run into my ex on my way home I don't have to turn and run (again).

I start with BB cream to even things out a bit. I don't like a full foundation look for the library, in part because I want my skin to breathe and in part because I think library beauty should be effortless. No one wants to be that chick who spent longer getting ready than actually studying. So BB cream it is. I also leave my dark circles alone, they are badges of honour! I earned them and they make me look tough! But if you aren't as twisted as I am you might want to cover them up. I like YSL Touche Eclat because it cancels out the blue shades without looking cakey or orange.

I keep my eye makeup minimal. I know I'll be rubbing my eyes when I get tired so I like products with serious lasting power. I use Bobbi Brown's gel eyeliner with Benefit They're Real mascara. I also swipe a little bit of Benefit Eye Bright in my inner corners and waterlines to look more awake. I love the eyeliner and mascara here because they stay all day and don't flake into my eyes.

For cheeks and lips I like to go with a bright and colorful stain product. You can really use anything you like here, I alternate between Benefit's Benetint, Revlon Balm Stains, and NARS lip pencils depending on my mood. I find that having a colour on my lips keeps me from biting them when I'm concentrating. Also it makes me look a little more awake and healthy! That's super crucial for library vampires. The only product I toss into my purse is the lip product so I can reapply after lunch or coffee - see above re: potential scary run-ins.

In this photo I actually skipped the blush altogether because I felt like the lip colour was pretty bright on its own! I put a tiny bit of navy eyeliner at the corner of my eyes and lashings of mascara. The whole look takes no time at all but makes me look pulled-together and lasts all day. It's not exactly revolutionary to wear red lipstick, but around my friends a bright lip is definitely A Statement and I'm all about making statements without having to actually put in effort.

NARS Matte Velvet Lip Pencil in Dragon Girl, Benefit's They're Real Mascara. 

Your Hair

It's tempting to throw my hands up in defeat and put my hair into yet another ponytail. But a gym-ready ponytail with bright lipstick is defeatist. And that's not for us! Put on Eye of the Tiger and get your comb out, girl.

The goal here is something that will keep my hair off my face, look cute enough for humans to see, and will not give me a headache after 10 hours or so. Enter: magnificent braiding. It takes me less than five minutes to work a braid into my hair in some way and yet people give me credit for it like I'm some kind of genius. It's perfectly simple! I actually take my inspiration from vintage Lauren Conrad on The Hills - remember her pretty little side braids? In this photo I did two French braids right at the hairline, ending in tiny elastics at the nape of the neck. This basically creates the same effect as a headband would but is comfortable for hours on end and looks somewhat bohemian and deliberate. To give hair a little more grip I like to spray it with surf spray or hairspray before and after the braiding magic happens so it'll hold better. As the day goes on the braids will naturally loosen but I think this adds to the subtle IDGAF vibe and I like it.

I don't know how I look more tan in this photo than the other one. iPhone cameras are weird. 

Your Clothes

Again, the temptation is to put on sweatpants, a sports bra, and a T-shirt from your high school drama club. Resist! Unless that's your thing, in which case, why are you even here? (JOKES. Please stay) I am all about comfort and refuse to buy into the idea that comfort and cuteness are mutually exclusive. Now your outfit will vary depending on the weather and the ambient temperature of your actual study or workspace. Our school kindly keeps the library at approximately the same temperature as the surface of the sun while it is typically mid-40s F outside. That means layers layers layers. I like a pair of boyfriend jeans, comfy plimsolls, a loose top, and an optional cardigan. The whole look is effortless and just as comfortable as sweats but also transitions to dinner or the pub easily. Click through to see product info.

Library Time by callmecate. Alternative outfit: scrubs.

How do you stay cute when your instinct is to hibernate? Weigh in below. Also as I edited this post I realized that I rapidly switch between first person and second person in the narrative. If any English teachers are reading this (or, God forbid, my former English teachers) I apologize, sincerely. I haz all the dumbs from studying too much. In medicine 99% of my writing is abbreviated anyway.

xo Caitlin

Retinoids: A Case Study

I love talking dermatology more than almost any other subject. It combines my passion for Evidence Based Medicine with my...er...passion for beauty? There is no way to phrase that sentence without sounding like a geeky ditz. Anyway in my ongoing quest to learn about the products I put on my skin and in my body I've been turning a lot to resources like UpToDate and PubMed to get a feel for the safest and most effective options to make my skin look prettier without unwanted side effects (unnecessary expenditures count as a side effect, too). Up to now I've mostly played it safe with my skincare routine, sticking to gentle cleansers and moisturizers that don't irritate my skin but also don't make any promises. Now that I'm in my mid-twenties (*gasp*) I've seen the light! It's 2014, I should be using products that actually have active, hardworking ingredients. I love buying foundations and BB creams and playing with makeup, but I want my skin to be so amazing that I never ever hear the dreaded phrase "you look tired" ever again. I want to glow, like a cute little baby or something.

Gratuitous photo of a famous baby with great skin. I want skin like his but maybe more hair and teeth. 

Now, to abruptly change the topic. Last summer in Atlanta I worked with a large group of extremely attractive female doctors all in their late 20s to early 30s. Every single one of them was brilliant, compassionate, and excellent at their jobs obviously but at the end of my rotation my burning question was, "how do you all have such amazing skin?" The Georgia humidity was wreaking havoc on my face, I was in a constant battle of new blemishes and random dry patches that wouldn't resolve no matter what. The very sweet attending who was clearly wearing no makeup at all apart from mascara and lipgloss, informed that her dermatology colleagues prescribe everyone Retin-A long before any wrinkles appear.

The Science Bit

"Retinoids" is a generic term for any product derived from Vitamin A. It encompasses Retin-A (available by prescription only, also called tretinoin), retinol, retinoic acid, and retinyl palmitate. Those of you who suffered from severe acne as teenagers may remember taking Accutane (isotretinoin), an oral formulation also derived from Vitamin A. All Vitamin A-derived products work in a similar way to exfoliate skin (keratolysis) and stimulate collagen production (collagenesis). This means the skin will feel softer, hyperpigmentation will be reduced, and wrinkles will disappear. Retinoids have been used for decades in dermatology for conditions like severe acne, psoriasis, and keratosis pilaris. In fact, their use as antiaging products was only investigated in last 20 or so years when dermatologists noticed that their acne patients had very youthful skin.

When choosing a retinoid product everything boils down to potency. Tretinoin is available by prescription from your doctor and is about 10 times more potent than retinol, the over the counter equivalent that is present in many anti-aging serums. Tretinoin's potency means that its effects will be evident more quickly but this is associated with an increased risk of side effects. Some patients note that their skin becomes sensitive, dry, and flaky when they start using tretinoin. Depending on your tolerance for pain and the "severity" of your skin's "condition" (sarcastic quotes because normal aging isn't a pathological process in my mind) it may be worthwhile to discuss a prescription with your doctor.

Retinol is a lower potency because after application it has to be converted to retinoic acid by the body, so it's a less efficient delivery system of active ingredients. It's present in a lot of over the counter formulations up to a maximum concentration of 2%.

It is also important to note that high dose Vitamin A is a known teratogen. Please discuss it with your doctor first if you are planning to get pregnant. Also retinoids are delicate little molecules so are packaged in foil containers and if exposed to sunlight will be deactivated. Apply them at night time before your moisturizer. It's a common misconception that retinoids cause an increased risk of sunburn but they definitely don't. Every single woman (and man, but I guarantee there are no men reading here) should wear SPF on the daily. There's no point fighting the first signs of aging all night with your hard working retinoid and then causing more photo damage during the day.

Fun fact: high dose Vitamin A is also used as a treatment for certain lymphomas and is being investigated as a potential treatment for malignant melanoma as well. Is there anything this humble vitamin can't do?

Picking A Retinoid

I'm going to focus on the over the counter retinoids at this stage, since Retin A/tretinoin is only available by prescription. I personally opted to start with an over the counter retinoid since I'm young and my "problem areas" don't bother me too much. I'm saving the tretinoin/big guns for when I'm a bit older and need something more aggressive.

The number of anti-aging products on the market are truly mind-boggling and it can be difficult to sift through the marketing mumbo-jumbo to arrive at something resembling the truth. Lots of products use vaguely science-y words ("Nanotechnology! Proteoglycans!") accompanied by photographs of attractive people in lab coats. I'm sure in a few years one of these companies will emerge the triumphant winner but in the meantime I'm sticking with retinols because the data is there to back it. Plus I feel a little better knowing that the FDA has approved tretinoin as a pharmaceutical, rather than a cosmetic. My feelings about cosmetic labeling is a completely different rant though so I will spare you the details.
When hunting for an anti-aging product in my opinion simple is better. As products start offering more and more benefits such as moisturizing, antioxidants, and sunscreen the whole thing becomes a little more dicey. Complex serums that claim to multitask are more likely to contain irritating fragrances or frustratingly low concentrations of their active ingredients. Right now the maximum that any non-prescription retinoid can contain is 2% retinol, so I set out to find a product that was exactly that and nothing more.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, retinoids are expensive! I presume this is a conspiracy to keep us all either youthful and poor or haggard and wealthy. My feeling is that if your skin looks flawless you save money on foundations and concealers, so justification of the price is easily had.

The Contestants

My first Glossybox arrived, containing a sample of Vichy's newest anti-aging product called "LiftActiv Advanced Filler." The website doesn't list the concentration of retinol and mentions some proprietary product called "LR2412" which is also present in Lancome's Visionnaire serum but must be an industry secret because I can't find any information about what it is. At 37 EU for 30 mL, this Vichy serum is a little more expensive than I'd like. Also I don't like the idea of investing in a product that I don't know enough about, so when my sample runs out I might hold off on repurchasing. I've used it for a few nights now and I'm happy to report no side effects at all. I also had a few nasty little stress-induced blemishes on my chin and this cleared them right up within a few days.

Pros: available at your local Boots, contains retinol, non-irritating, cleared up blemishes
Cons: $$ what am I, an heiress?

In two weeks my darling little brother is coming to visit all the way from New Orleans! Obviously this means I'll be using him as a mule and demanding that he bring me some Sephora products because this trip isn't about family, it's about skincare. I'm having him bring me Dr Brandt Overnight Resurfacing Serum and Philosophy Help Me. Both contain 2% retinol and very little else. I'm also glad to see they are formulated without parabens and phthalates, though I haven't done enough research about those ingredients to really make my mind up about them. Still, safe rather than sorry, etc etc. I chose these 2 from Sephora because I was happy with the cost:benefit ratio and I've used products from each brand before with no problems.

Two Retinols enter...

...this metaphor doesn't work

Since retinoids can take several weeks, if not months, to have a visible effect I won't likely be able to do any kind of review of their efficacy for awhile. The scientist in me is tempted to do one side of my face with the Dr Brandt product and the other side with the Philosophy product, sort of a cosmoceutical Hunger Games where the arena is my face. I probably won't, though. As much as I love a controlled trial I'm kind of worried that the difference will be dramatic and the phrase "this is my good side" is going to take on a scary and literal new meaning.

The Before

So what's my starting point? I'm tempted to upload a photo wearing zero makeup in the name of science but that is quite frankly kind of scary and you never know what handsome millionaire might stumble across it and decide not to marry me. I took a "before" photo for posterity with my cell phone though, so stay tuned in a few months and we can track progress together. By then I'll have convinced the millionaire to marry me and I can expose my scary face to the Internet. At the moment I'm dealing with some hyperpigmentation around my mouth, some post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation (fancy talk for acne-related dark spots) on my chin, and a bit of redness on my nostrils and cheeks. I don't have any wrinkles and my skin is in pretty good condition. I've been breaking out quite a bit, likely because of stress, and I'm glad the retinols will take care of that too. Ain't nobody got time for the ravages of time and the problems of puberty, right?

Stay tuned for updates on my retinol experience! Share your grown-up skincare secrets too, I'm all ears.

xo Caitlin

New Feature: Shameless Materialism

Hello and welcome to my new feature: Shameless Materialism! This column is all about products I've finished up and re-purchased. It is an ode to the all-time best ever products that the beauty industry has produced and I hope you will enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy writing it. 

Kerastase Bain Satin 1 (for normal to dry hair)

Liquid gold

At about $20 USD for a small bottle this stuff doesn't come cheap but the difference it has made to my hair has been incredible. My hair is pretty thick and dead straight so it gets weighed down by product easily and can start looking lank and tired the day after I wash it. I also have a thrice-weekly spin class habit that leaves my hair disgusting at the roots but somehow tangled and dried out at the ends. This shampoo has been a total game-changer and I wish I had bought it sooner! For years I've used basic drugstore shampoos for colour-treated hair and they were completely fine but nothing really blew me away. Then back in February my friends and I started talking shampoo at brunch and it emerged that I was the only one at our table of five women who used drugstore shampoo. Everyone else either used Kerastase or Bumble & Bumble products. I only recently recovered from the burning humiliation.

Initially I scoffed, pitying them for buying into the hairdressers' pitch about drugstore products causing buildup and everyone should be using this really expensive shampoo that their salon happens to sell. But soon I ran out of my 1 L bottle of generic shampoo and found Kerastase on sale at a nearby salon. I decided to try it out, assuming that if I hated it I could always abandon it or return it or give it to a friend. Instead I'm on my second bottle and planning to marry it. I love it more than any boyfriend I've ever had, and will be true to it always.

Bain Satin is formulated for "normal to slightly dry hair" which I like because I'm all about achieving Middleton-level glossiness so I go for moisturizing formulas. The scent is a lovely, unisex perfume that smells sort of sexy and clean at the same time. After I wash my hair I find myself running my hands through it all day and enjoying the swishy feel that I assume comes from how squeaky clean my roots are. The lather is much richer than any other shampoo I've used before too, the whole experience just feels more expensive and luxurious than your ordinary hair cleaning ritual. It's never drying and I follow it up with the Lait Vital conditioner from the same line. My bathroom is a graveyard of half-empty bottles of hair products that I've given up on so the fact that I not only finished a bottle of shampoo but then repurchased it is pretty amazing.

As far as ingredients go I can't decipher anything in the label that makes it any more remarkable than your garden-variety shampoos. I assume the secret ingredient is unicorn tears. What more can I say at this point? Buy it. Your hair always looks better after a salon visit and I'm now convinced it isn't their superior blow dryer technique, it's the shampoo.

What is your favourite hair splurge? Do you buy salon-quality hair products too? Was I the only person keeping drugstore brands in business?

Stay tuned for more moments of Shameless Materialism!

xo Caitlin

Korean Beauty Buys

Recently I went a little crazy reading every single article and blog post about the latest Asian beauty products. Our friends in the Far East are evidently way ahead of us in terms of skincare technology, new trends, and adorable packaging. Obviously I, a functioning beauty addict, needed to get in on the game lickety-split. My options in Dublin were somewhat limited, I poked around the Asian markets a bit but mostly found haircare products. Fine, but my hair is more or less acceptable to me as is. I was yearning for experimentation! Luckily for me KollectionK ships worldwide and had the things I needed. After more meticulous research than I've ever done in my academic career I selected my favourite goodies to try. Shipping took about 3 weeks but it was well worth the wait because now I have some new toys to play with, write about, and change my face!

Ordering beauty products online is always a gamble because I'm never certain the colours are going to work. My skin has both yellow and pink undertones, so I am particularly reluctant to order things like foundation or concealer without testing them first. I was really hesitant about picking a BB cream without getting to try it out first but apparently most BB creams are formulated with a "one shade fits most" principle so I was willing to give it a shot.

So what did I pick up?

My preciousssss...

1. Tony Moly Cristal Blush in "Emo" - initially I was tempted by the pale lilac and bright coral shades but landed on this bright pink. It's quite a lot of product for the price ($5.99) and the colour payoff is phenomenal. I'd say this shade could work on most skin tones and I'm particularly excited to see how it pops against a tan this summer! *obligatory doctor's warning: don't tan. Seriously* I limited myself to one because I'm trying to institute a "1 in, 1 out" policy in my makeup collection. Obviously now I regret that massive error and wish I had splurged an extra $12 for the lilac and coral shades too. The blush itself has a nice velvety texture, blends easily, and goes with every makeup look I've tried. I can see this becoming my new go-to blush for spring and summer, especially with a bit of bronzer to really nail that "Miami babe" vibe.

Meowww that's sparkly

2. Holika Holika "Hello Holika" Blush & Highlighter - this bad boy is marketed as a highlighter but I'd caution interested parties to beware because it is straight up glitter. Not strictly hospital-appropriate ("Hi my name is Dr. Sprinkles Fairy Princess, I'll be doing your surgery today") but I'll be swiping it on my cheekbones for music festivals, holiday parties, and probably on my eyelids during the work week. Plus look at that adorable cat! I don't even like cats and I am totally on board.

3. Holika Holika Pig Nose Pore Cleaner 3 Step Kit - I've never seen anything marketed for blackheads that looked quite so charming. My nose is actually doing pretty well right now thanks to my good friend Glam Glow SuperMud Clearing Treatment which sucked all the gunk out of my pores last week and then slammed the door shut to other nasty invaders. Alas, my skin is totally predictable and I'm sure it won't be long until I get to try the Pig Nose Cleaner out. I only bought the 3 step kit because my skin can be a little sensitive and I want to test it out before I buy the full size products.

4. Missha M Vita BB Cream Matte - I know I know. I'm just as tired of reading gushing reviews about BB creams as you are. There is probably nothing left to say about BB creams so I, a practiced skeptic, waited for the trend to pass. Now it's 2 years on and the trend is still going strong so I decided to cave and see what the fuss is about. BB creams claim to combine cosmetics with skincare and allegedly improve the appearance of skin over time. I decided to try out one of the original Asian manufacturers of BB creams rather than the Western versions that are just tinted moisturizers by another name. I'm coming from a place of privilege here because, as an Asian gal, most BB creams will work for my skin tone. If you have any concern at all about colour matching I'd advise picking up a drugstore brand or getting matched at a department store. This one wasn't expensive ($15.99) but I'm not about to throw cash at futile endeavours. I'll give it a few weeks before I comment on any improvement on my skin tone. Right now work stress plus changing seasons plus excessive caffeine intake isn't making for controlled experiment conditions.
I chose this BB cream because of the matte texture, in the summers my skin can get excessively "dewy" so I wanted something with a bit of oil control if possible. It's also SPF 20 which isn't too bad but I'll still be layering another sunscreen with it.

5. Missha M BB Boomer - This was described on the Kollection K website as a BB cream "enhancer" which seems to be a fancy word for primer. I have combination skin and a bad habit of touching my face excessively so I wanted to give the BB cream the best possible chance of holding on to my skin and making me prettier. Further details pending, see above re: controlled experimentation. BB Boomer is made with pearl, antioxidants and mysterious moisturizing ingredients that are meant to enhance the appearance of skin and contribute to its overall health. One of my goals this year is to learn more about the ingredients in the cosmetics I use and educate myself (and you, my darling readers) about what ingredients actually work for me and are worth the investment. So stay tuned for that!

I'll be doing in-depth reviews once I've taken them for test runs but I wanted to share my excitement first! I highly recommend Kollection K for anyone who doesn't have access to Asian beauty stores nearby. Everything there is adorable but very dangerous for your wallet. I only stopped at 5 new products because the other things I wanted were sadly out of stock. I'm sure I'll be hearing the siren song of the website soon and will be adding to my collection with some new eye makeup products and more shades of that TonyMoly blush. Kollection K also very nicely threw in some samples of their face mask sheets and a cleansing oil.

Have you bought into the BB cream hype? Or are BB creams over and we've all moved on to something else now? Share your secrets!

Signed,
The Tragically Un-Hip

Nails So Pretty I Want to Eat Them

Another Easter has come and gone, bringing with it memories of egg hunts and pastel frothy dresses and little baskets full of candy. This year I spent Easter on my own (working, alas) but I wanted some way to get into the Easter Bunny spirit. I love pastel colours but for whatever reason tend to shy away from them in my wardrobe choices. My solution? Manicure time, of course!

Sunday afternoons always bring a certain ennui and occasionally the pre-Monday Blues. Douglas Adams referred to Sunday afternoon as "the long, dark tea-time of the soul." Yesterday it was rainy and gloomy and I could feel the long dark tea-time coming on. I cranked up the heat, turned on NPR and got down to business painting my nails.

Initially I wanted to do some kind of Easter egg nail art that I have been seeing around the web (here and here) but those felt sort of literal and also require some fine dexterity that I do not possess. Instead I opted for three pretty pastel shades and at the last second decided to go over them with a thin coat of gold glitter. The finished product actually reminds me of a box of Laduree macarons, which isn't quite what I intended but I dig it all the same.

Note: my cuticles are totally busted from a very violent manicure I had back around Valentine's Day. They are just now starting to recover so I didn't push them back much. I also keep my nails short for work. Ain't nobody got time for MRSA under their nails, amirite?

Deliberately mismatched too! 

Midi rings by Topshop, crooked lines by Caitlin

I sort of love that you can see my reflection in the Chanel bottle caps. So arty, much skill. 

The base colours are :
Nouvelle Vague by Chanel - discontinued now, try China Glaze's For Audrey and Essie's Turquoise and Caicos
She's Picture Perfect by Essie
Lilac Sky by Chanel

For the gold glitter I used a Revlon polish called Sequins that I received free with a magazine purchase (hence the enormous free sticker on the bottle. I wanted to remove it for the photos but that would mess up my manicure #struggle).

I hope everyone had a happy Easter! How did you treat yourself this weekend?
xo Caitlin

The Perfumed Court, for your inner (French) commitmentphobe

Many moons ago (okay, last month or something) one of the commenters over on xoVain started a thread about finding your "signature scent."In theory I'm all about the signature scent because it evokes memories of my ultra-glam high school French teacher who trailed a wake of Chanel No. 5 so thick you could choke on it. However reading the thread made me realize that I'm not ready to commit to a signature scent just yet. Lately I'm partial to either Stella in Two (apparently discontinued, thankfully I buy in bulk) or anything by Jo Malone but life is short and I'm still young - why settle down before I have to? I'm on the hunt for some more grown-up scents that convey a bit more sex appeal. I'll probably rotate them and layer them depending on my moods. Identity crises are tres chic, mark my words.

A bit of Internet detective work (okay, a quick Google search) led me to The Perfumed Court, a cool website that sells decanted samples from a variety of brands. I always love getting perfume samples with my Sephora orders so The Perfumed Court takes me to a new level of pleasure heretofore unexplored. I spent hours clicking around the website picking out the perfect samples and I'm sure I'll be writing about them in more detail as I experiment with them. For now, here are the new fragrances that made the cut. All are readily available at most department stores, Sephoras, or airport duty free shops (my preferred beauty destination).

1. Mahogany by Demeter
2. Salt Air by Demeter
3. Paperback by Demeter
4. Flower Market by Maison Margiela
5. Lazy Sunday Morning by Maison Margiela
6. Beach Walk by Maison Margiela
7. Addict by Christian Dior
8. Le Baiser du Dragon by Cartier
9. Agent Provocateur

Since it's exam season I think I'll be wearing Paperback by Demeter to the library tomorrow, maybe layering it with Agent Provocateur to create a sexy librarian vibe. In a few weeks I'll be sunning myself leathery in Turkey and plan to wear Beach Walk on the daily to help me channel my inner surfer babe. I wish someone would make a beach-themed perfume that smelled like sunscreen, coconuts, and Spam musubi to take me back to my misspent youth in Hawaii.

Do you have a signature scent? Or, like me, are you still finding yourself and therefore not ready to settle down yet? What makes a signature scent The One?

Also - can I market my Sunscreen As Perfume idea? What is your inner surfer babe named?

A demain, mes petit freres! 
xo Caitlin