I’m constantly switching up my routine for morning and evening in hopes that I find the best products for my skin each season and because I simply get tired of using the same thing over and over.
The last few weeks I’ve been testing some items sent to me from Garnier that I’ve worked into my morning routine.
Let’s start with my first step; cleansing. I love cleansers that have citrus scents especially to help wake me up in the morning and the Clearly Brighter Gentle Smoothing Scrub* is really nice for that.
I don’t usually do exfoliating cleansers everyday because of their rough texture but this is surprisingly really soft and gentle on my skin. The formula is like a gel cleanser with argun nut shell. I find the the shells feel really smooth. Garnier claims that this can be used for all skin types including sensitive skin.
It helps to smooth my skin and prep it for my next step which is whatever face spray I have at hand.
Recently, I’ve been using a sample of Jurlique Rosewater Balancing Mist. This spray is really nice to hydrate my skin and prep it for moisturizer. 
It has a beautiful rose scent that I personally like. I also love the mist this creates, it’s very fine but wide so two-three sprites will cover my whole face.
My next step after that is moisturizer. There usually isn’t a moisturizer I don’t like and the Moisture Rescue* is no exception.
This is simply a great everyday fragrance-free and oil-free moisturizer that feels really light on the skin and absorbs really quickly.
It has Vitamin C and E and an SPF of 15. I appreciate the SPF, even if in the summer I’d want a bit more, I like that it has any coverage.
My stand out product for the morning is the Ombrelle Ultra Advanced Tinted Lotion with SPF 60*.
I did try a tinted lotion last year from Clinque which I quite enjoyed for my face but this one from Garnier has a higher SPF. This is non-comedogenic (won’t clog pores), water resistant for up to 80 minutes, and hypoallergenic. I also LOVE that this is fragrance free. I really don’t like the smell of sunscreen so I’m glad I don’t have it here. This is a mineral sunscreen which is new to me.
Upon further reading I found that unlike most sunscreens mineral sunscreen doesn’t get absorbed into the skin but instead sits on top and reflects the suns rays. I mostly just love this because it feels really nice on the skin and the tint gives me a little bit of coverage. For the summer I move away from foundation so I use mostly BB Creams to add a bit of coverage and then use concealer around my eye area or where I need more coverage. This does the same thing but has a really high SPF so I won’t need to worry if I’m out in the sun all day.
My next steps after this are to add my makeup which I might post since my makeup over the summer is pretty minimal but great for those who like to rock a simpler look like I do!
What’s your morning routine like? What steps do you take?
Lots of Love,
Dal
Ah! This colour is so fun! It’s a nice raspberry that is perfect for summer. I have quite a few nail lacquers from Essie because I like the formula. It’s a bit thinner so you need about 3 coats to make it opaque but I like that it dries pretty quickly in between.
I did a swatch of this on the back of my hand and I find this dries down to a pretty matte. I love the dark nude shade, it’s very pretty although I think I might save it to use in the fall. PLUS I have a few other lipsticks in this colour so I’m not rushing to use this just yet.
Ya! A new Benefit product! This is meant to be a soft-focus, lightweight concealer. To apply you pat and blend this under the eyes or around the face. I used this about a day or two ago and it reminds me of Becca’s Under Eye Brightening Corrector in consistency and it’s as lightweight as that formula but it’s a concealer. I like a little more coverage under my eyes but I do think that it’ll work fine if I’m wearing a full coverage foundation.
I love receiving Glamglow samples because the full size of any of their products is so very expensive in my opinion. For this treatment, you apply a thin layer over the skin and after 5-20 mins wash it off. I would probably use this as a spot treatment every week or so and I think this will last me quite a long time.
I absolutely love this little moisturizer. Garnier surprised me lately with their products and I’ve been enjoying them ever since. If you’re curious of my thoughts on Garnier BB Creams or skincare products you can read them 
On most days I wear makeup so I will use micellar water and/or makeup wipes to remove it. I have been using Bioderma’s Sensibio H2O to remove my eye makeup. I did a review of Bioderma which you can see 
These wipes have a rough texture so it would irritate my skin if I used it too often but I do love the wipes whenever I want to deep cleanse and exfoliate my skin.
It’s gentle so I can use this around my eyes and doesn’t feel harsh on my skin but it really helps remove any remaining residue and leaves my skin feel squeaky clean.
After cleansing I like to use the Peter Thomas Roth Retinol Fusion p.m. oil since purchasing this from Sephora 6 weeks ago (see the haul 
The last step in my routine is to apply a night cream and I’ve been using the Estee Lauder Nutritious Night Vita-Mineral Intense Nourishing Creme/Mask. This is also designed for all skin types and it’s a very thick cream. I love Estee Lauder skin care and this feels really nice on the skin. I notice in the morning I’m a lot more hydrated since I’ve started using this.
To start, I’ve been forgoing foundation and sticking to tinted moisturizers or BB creams. My current fave is Garnier’s Ombrelle tinted SPF which I’ve mentioned in my morning routine. After BB cream I’ll use concealer to add coverage to the areas under my eyes and around my nose. I have been using my Nars Radiant Concealer because it gives good coverage without being heavy and blends easily into my skin. I do about 3 dots under my eyes, a little line down the bridge of my nose to highlight, and then on the sides of my nose to cover redness I get around there.
I’ll do a quick eye look using only two shadows from one of my Smashbox Covershot palettes (review coming very soon).
I have been loving Ablaze for summer. I put Throwback in the crease and Moccasin over the lid and blend it together.
I have pretty full brows but for extra impact I’ll add Benefit’s Goof Proof Brow Pencil. It really is goof proof for me because it’s a thicker angled pencil that I can quickly swipe in-between the hairs in my brow to give it a soft definition.
After, I take a fluffy brush and put Physician’s Formula #InstaReady Bronzer all over the perimeter of my face. I love that this bronzer is light and buildable. It’s surprisingly smooth and never looks patchy. This is more cool toned which works great for my skin tone and leaves me with a more natural look.
I like keeping my look bronze so I’ve been wearing Sephora’s blush in Apricot sheen. I recently bought this because it was on sale and I’m so happy I did! It is a nice peachy-bronze with gold reflex that isn’t in your face but adds a bit of sheen and highlights my cheeks. This is also a light blush so I can build it up or keep sheer.
Last is lip balm. I have two that I love equally and keep in my bag. One is Bite Beauty’s amazing Agave Balm. It smells great and feels super comfortable on the lips. It has no colour but gives shine to my natural lip. The other is Fresh Sugar Balm sample in Rose which has a light red tint. I like this as a pick-me-up if I’m going out after work. It also has SPF 15 adding a bit more protection for my lips.
Garnier SkinActive Moisture Bomb
Benefit They’re Real Tinted Primer
This is the very first BB Cream I purchased and I’ve become accustomed to using it on its own and mixed with foundation. I think since I last bought this they’ve changed their shade names because I have 710 which I think is equivalent to 810 now which is light to medium. It’s a bit darker than my natural skin tone but once blended in it helps to give my face a bit more natural warmth. It also leaves a satin finish and leaves my skin hydrated. This has a creamy texture which is really light weight.
It wasn’t until I was looking up some info on this product that I realized how old my actual tube of the Benefit BB Cream is. Not sure if the formula was reformulated or if it’s just the packaging but the one currently on Sephora has an SPF 35 and I can’t tell if mine ever was. You can see in the photo below from Sephora that now Benefit has changed the packaging to include a note that it has an SPF.
Of all the BB Creams I own, I use this the least. It has a really mousey texture which I don’t like and I find it doesn’t blend super well for me. This is a liquid to powder bb cream that doesn’t work well for my dry skin because it’s supposed to balance out the oils in your skin. I should have probably read the labels before picking this up.
This is the newest BB Cream in my collection and currently my favourite because as well as having added moisturizers this also blurs and perfects the skin. I like wearing this on its own and under makeup as a primer too. The formula of this is liquidity so I find it blends into the skin easily (more like a light moisturizer would). It also has a light fresh scent which I am loving. The finish on this is a velvet matte so it doesn’t look completely matte on the skin but more matte than say my Covergirl BB would. I have this in the shade light which I find matches my skin nicely.
Do you have any BB Cream recommendations? Do you wear BB Creams? Let me know!
This is a pretty orange/peach blush that has shimmer. I was trying to find information on this company because I had never heard of them before but couldn’t really find anything on their website BUT! I did find some info on Birchbox.com. Manna Kadar spent 15 years in the beauty industry as the owner of sleek cosmetic stores and salons. In 2012, she launched her own line of multi-tasking products. I love girl-bosses!
This is the first time I’ve received a foot mask! The Mud Masque is the 3rd step in a 4 step pedi-system by Voesh (the steps include; a salt soak, scrub, mud mask, and massage). I hope this will help with my dry skin.
This was a really sweet bonus to receive in my box! I love using micellar water and have never tried Garnier’s before.
I love this brick red colour! The formula reminds me a bit of the colour pop formula. The swatch on my hand below dried in about one minute and was smudge proof and did not transfer! 
Although it dried matte, it didn’t settle into any lines which is always really promising to me. This brand is cruelty-free, paraben-free, hypo-allergenic and made in Canada!