• Self Care Beauté Picks • Post-Hormonal Birth Control •

So far, this month has been absolute garbage - all the more reason to take care of yaself; breathe, put on a face/hair mask, and float away from reality for a hot second. It felt like about time to share some new finds I'm enjoying- especially now that I've made some health adjustments. Here are my favorite discoveries from the past few months and my favorite uses for said discoveries:

Skin

Well, folks, I've gone off Nuvaring. After 8 years of being on hormonal birth control, I'm switching to an IUD because 1) who knows what's going to happen to women's health regulation, 2) despite making my hair, skin and nails nice (and my boobs a whole size bigger), Nuvaring killed my libido and of course, 3) Holy shit do I not want to think about my birth control for a while.  

I mention this because after a month of estrogen withdrawing from my body, my skin and hair has revolted against me. My skin's significantly oilier and more prone to breakouts, especially where my bangs hit my face and on my nose (now ya know why the photos in this post were shot from below), so I've had to make some skincare adjustments:

•Biossance's oil cleanser is still my favorite - My skin may be oilier, but oil cleansers are still the best as far as improving appearance goes for me. I've also really come to like Trilogy's cleansing balm,  which comes with a lovely wash cloth that you wipe away stubborn makeup with. I remember the first time I tried it, my skin was noticeably more even when I woke up the next morning, much like with my Biossance- so yes, I am a believer in oil cleansing.

•Dr,Jart+ clay mask cleansing trio is great for travel - Over Thanksgiving, I brought one of these creamy clay mask-to-cleansers with me to stay at my aunt's, and I was able to use it as a mask, a cleanser and a spot treatment. My skin became a liiiiiittle dry in some areas after 4 days of paying attention to some zits on my face a little too closely, but when used once a day rather than twice, I liked how refreshing it felt.

•Peter Thomas Roth invisible pimple patches  - Great for traveling. As effective as Mario Badescu's drying lotion, these flesh-colored stickers cover zits and sorta act like bandages to keep zits medicated and free from more bacteria. I've tried the Cosrx ones too, and I just find these to be more effective and less sightly, even if the price is a little higher, worth it. 

•Origins Energizing facial spray and eye cream - OK apparently eye cream is a bogus concept, but I love this line. I'm looking at a damn screen all day, so I've become a sucker for anything that feels refreshing and tingly to wake me up and take some pressure off my eyes. The eye cream is a little pearlescent, so it's brightening from the get-go, and the facial spray is full of orange and grapefruit extracts, which feel brilliant. I likes me some Evian spray, but this takes the cake.

Hair

Post-hormonal birth control life has made my hair thinner too, which sucks, but eh, still having fun.

• Goldwell's color depositing mousse in 8K has saved. my. life. Red hair color fades quickly, so I've been looking for ways to extend my color in-between salon visits (I go to Janelle at O&M NYC btw). 

My dear friend Jake Alfonzo (formerly of Drawn & Quartered jewelry) was a hair stylist for many years, and he helped me match my color after insisting I try it. It's an airy color-depositing conditioner that you leave in your hair for 5-15 minutes once a week and wash out. Tons of salons use Goodwell and should be able to help you pick which will work for you. There's no going back on this one, I highly recommend everyone ask their hair stylist which color they will need and grab a can. The packaging says it lasts 5-6 uses but hell, I've used one can like, 15 times.

•Ouai wave spray is the shiiiiiiet - Nothing refreshing my waves like this stuff- nothing. My bangs tend to straighten out and look weird after a few days, but this spray perks them back up.

•Amika dry shampoo and conditioner are a revelation - Plus they smell good as hell. Actually, the.. 

•Amika Nourishing hair mask is the best thing since the Goldwell mousse for sure, just a nice weekly treatment that lasts forever.

Makeup

•Cynthia Rowley's Liquid Eyeliner marker is fuggin' foolproof - I am NOT usually good at drawing eyeliner on, but this particular eyeliner pen has helped me see the light, holy crap. The tip of it really just much, much longer than the usual pens, so it's a little more precise. I do still very much like Eyeko's pen because the formula has better staying power (I can apply it to my water line and it stays!), but it's harder for me to use 'cause I suck.

•Marc Jacobs Soft Glow duo in Flesh & Fantasy is my favorite blush right now. Inspired by the flush you get when you dance all night, these blushes were designed to be worn on the apples of your cheeks and along your neck. I usually just wear this to work and nothing else 'cause I look far more awake.

•Milk's Ubame Mascara is the most natural-looking mascara I've ever used. The brush is nuts, so I was worried it was going to just be a gimmicky thing, but nah! It's great! I tried it via Birchbox and I'm deff buying a full size.

Self Care

When I say self-care, I mean massages, home fragrances, spa treatments, anything that makes you feel more relaxed and comfortable after a stressful day/election

•Biossance's remodeling mask - Yes, this could be listed under skin, but really, this is an experience that I indulge in once a week/share with my boyfriend if I have any left over. You use a fan brush to mix the pouches of ingredients together, and what's left is a detoxifying, holy-crap's-worth of moisturizing face mask that solidifies into a rubbery shield on your face. They do BOGO sales and I simply must insist you try this, out of anything in this post.

•LUSH's massage bar & Farmaesthetics Soy oil for massages - My boyfriend and I give each other back rubs after a long ass day of work and sometimes in the morning if we didn't sleep very well. Even before I had him to help, I used the LUSH bar to rub muscle aches and knots out of my legs and lower back because I sit in a chair for most of the day. The massage orb I included here is discontinued (which sucks because mine is halfway done), but their formulas are generally pretty foolproof and I would recommend any of them. I especially like the Farmaesthetics soy oil for hand and neck massages.

•Deep Sleep Pillow Spray - This....this works. I can't even begin to tell you how surprised I was, but this stuff smells like sleep. I'm also a sucker for rituals so that might have something to do with it. Just a nice blend of relaxing herbs that feel like they're hitting your brain when you lay down and breathe deep. I tried this via Birchbox and it was my favorite thing in the box that month for sure!

•Blackbird incense pyres in Blood Countess - This was a bougie-ass purchase but OOF is this incense sexy/powerful/makes your room feel like a smoky vice den. you're encouraged to use the tin lid to burn the pyres on, so it's not messy either.

•Tea tree oil cinnamon toothpicks are something my boyfriend Jevins introduced me to. They taste amazing, and tea tree oil is a nice antibacterial thing to introduce to your mouth after a meal or just when your mouth is starting to feel gross. I also wear Invisalign and like to have these around to keep my mouth fresh/give myself something to do.

•NUXE dry body oil is something I don't know what I can do without. For one thing, it's an essential component to the fragrances I wear every day, and I need something now that the weather is getting cold as heck. I put some in the ends of my hair sometimes too. Necessary for sure.

And there you have it! Please take care of y'allsselves, be attentive and kind to one another, make yourself feel good when you can and donate your time when you can.

Instagram / Twitter / Facebook / Bloglovin'