My 2016 Favourites (so far) !

Hi guys,

Wow, its been so long since I’ve done a post!

First of all,

HAPPY NEW YEAR! I hope 2016 is treating you well so far!

I wanted to do a post on my winter favourites because I don’t know about you, but where I live we are in FULL BLOWN WINTER MODE right now! The weather here went from 13 degrees (celsius) to like -20 degrees (celsius) in a matter of days, and when the temperature changes so much in such a short period of time, my skin and my hair go mental. Its like they don’t know whats happening and instantly dry out. My skin has been impossible to deal with. Between breakouts from all of the holiday goodies, to extremely dry because of the change in temperature. Thankfully, I have found the most amazing products that are just right for my skin and have helped TREMENDOUSLY in keeping my skin hydrated and clear of blemishes.

FIRSTLY, if you don’t own a cold air humidifier already, I highly recommend going out and buying one! Not only does it help make the air in your house less dry, but I SWEAR its helped tremendously in putting moisture back into my skin as well! I know some of them can be pretty pricey, but I found a few at Wal-Mart for under $50!

Next, invest in a good facial cleanser! Usually, my ‘GO-TO’ cleanser is just the ST. IVES Apricot Scrub! I decided to change it up a bit, and purchased the ‘Soap&Glory Peaches and Clean Deep Cleansing Milk.’

This is one of the best decisions I’ve ever made! Its a special clogged pore formula with Peach&Go Juice extracts! Honestly, as soon as I use this facial wash my skin feels smooth, hydrated, and energized! I will definitely be using this throughout 2016, not just the winter months!

For a facial moisturizer, I am actually using one that came in the November issue of Ipsy. It is called the First Aid Beauty Intense Hydration for Dry Parched Skin!

Right now, I only have the small sample bottle that comes in the Ipsy Glam Bag, but I will definitely be purchasing the full sized bottle as soon as the little tube runs out! It makes my skin feel extremely hydrated and healthy! I am so glad I decided to use this. Also, if you don’t know what Ipsy is, I highly recommend checking it out! It is a beauty subscription and every month they send you the hottest products based on your skin type and style of makeup! At first I was a little skeptical on joining, because Im not a HEAVY make-up wearer. I really like my makeup to be simple, but before you join, you take a make-up quiz and they send you the makeup that best suites your answers on the quiz! Its really great!

Now, for a skin moisturizer I have been using Dream Cream by Lush for ages!

This is always my ‘go-to’ skin moisturizer and it does such a great job keeping my skin hydrated and healthy that I don’t think I will switch it up anytime soon! I have definitely spoken about this on my blog in a different favourites post, so for more information on that, check out my Lush Favourites from earlier in the year! This is definitely a moisturizer you want to have in your life!

Now, moving on to facial masks there are a few I’m absolutely loving this winter! The first one is the Origins Clear Improvement Charcoal Mask.

I have definitely spoken about this mask before because as I am typing this I remember typing about it before on a previous post! I am sorry for repeating myself but this mask is so good it deserves another shout out haha! This mask was developed to help clear pores and oh my goodness does it ever do a good job! Its designed to help remove all of the dirt and debris your skin might encounter on a daily basis! The Active Charcoal is used as a magnet to pull out the gunk hanging beneath your skins surface!  I usually use this mask while in the bath or right before bed. It is a little bit messy because it is a dark charcoal colour and gets on EVERYTHING. So I definitely suggest taking it off in the shower or bathtub so you don’t make a mess on everything!

Another mask I have been LOVING is the Boscia Luminating Black Mask.

This is a peel-off mask, which is something I’ve never experienced before. When you apply it, its a liquid and as time goes on it hardens and you are able to peel it off. I remember the first time I applied it I thought there was no way i’ll be able to peel it off later! The mask delivers powerful, detoxifying, purifying and brightening results. It is filled with natural ingredients such as clay, to exfoliate skin and refine your pores. Powerful antioxidants go to work to shrink pores, firm the skin and reduce inflammation! As you peel the mask off, it strips away dead skin, impurities and excess oil! My only suggestion is to make sure you keep the mask away from sensitive areas on your face such as your eyebrows! Peeling the mask off of the eyebrows is EXTREMELY painful because all of your little eyebrow hairs want to come off as well, OUCH!

Another mask I’ve been using religiously is the Boscia Sake Brightening Hydrogel Eye Masks.

For some reason, as soon as winter hits, my eyelids and underneath my eyes become EXTREMELY dry and itchy. I remember it being such an issue for me last winter and I just didnt know what to do to fix it! When I was purchasing the Boscia Luminating Black Mask I came across the Eye Masks as well and figured I’d pick them up to see if they would help at all and OH MY GOODNESS DID THEY EVER! After one use the dryness and itchiness around my eyes just disappeared! I also noticed they help with the dark circles under my eyes and just make me look and feel more awake! I try to do an eye mask once or twice a week to help brighten my eyes and make me feel and look more awake!

The last beauty product I want to tell you guys about is the Living Proof Restore Hair Mask Treatment.

Not only is it winter time, and my hair automatically goes dry and staticky in the winter, but I also got my hair done right before the winter and got a ton of highlights and lowlights which always has in impact on my hair. I wanted a hair mask that would make my hair feel lighter, less staticky and more ALIVE and this mask was definitely my answer! Now, on the tub it actually says to apply the mask on wet hair while your in the shower. But when I was purchasing it at Sephora, the saleswoman actually recommended applying the mask on dry hair before getting into the shower and I will receive better results. So I’ve been applying the mask that way, and oh my goodness does it ever help! I have noticed my hair is not dry at all anymore and its so easy to style now! I highly recommend trying this mask. It is on the pricey side, I think I paid around $60 Canadian, but if you have hair problems like me, its definitely worth it!!

NOW, I’d like to move on to my non-beauty related favourites for the winter season!

The first one I’d like to share with you guys is my Erin Condren Life Planner!

 

I have never been an organized person, and never in my life did I think I would personally go out and purchase a planner, but I heard about this planner from the YouTuber Anna Sacconne. She was talking about it in one of her videos and how it changed her life and helped her be more motivated and organized and I knew I had to have one! One of my goals for 2016 is to be more organized, & more motivated to save my money and pay off my student loan! This planner was definitely a step in the right direction. First of all, you can personalize it and have your own name written on it, HOW COOL IS THAT?! You can also choose which kind of layout you want. I went with the vertical layout just because I like to portion each section into the time of day. It also comes with a bunch of stickers and stuff you can put on each page to categorize it! This planner is super fun and easy to use! I also find that when I write something down, I am definitely more inclined to acheive it. For example, last week before the week even started I wrote that everyday I was going to go to the gym, and everyday I was going to drink at least 3L of water a day! And everyday I would open my Planner and see those reminders and instantly get started on achieving those goals for the day!

 

Another cool thing that came with the Planner is a little journal that says ‘Celebrate Someone or Something Everyday’!

Inside the journal are all of the months of the year and each day of the year is a line for you to write one sentence a day about someone or something that made you happy that day! Not only is this a great reminder to help appreciate your loved ones but I think it’ll also be a great thing to keep and look back on in a few years to help remind me of different memories and great things that happened in 2016!

Finally, the last thing I want to mention is a colouring book I got for Christmas from Steves sister Leah! Now, you guys already know how much I love colouring books because back in August I did a whole post on my love for them! This one is super fun and the pictures are just so big and it gives you so much space and opportunity to really put your imagination to work and colour how you want to! Here is an example of one I did the other day, Its just so fun!

That is it for my favourites of 2016 so far! Please let me know if you guys like these kinds of posts and I’ll be sure to do more! One of my goals for 2016 is to post more on this blog, so I’m really going to try and put out more content for you guys! I’m going in for my gallbladder surgery in two weeks, so I’ll have some time off work to hopefully focus on my blog and get some posts out for you guys! Thank you to my subscribers for sticking around during my hiatus and I will see you guys again soon.

– Keer xo