0817: My Beauty Essentials (right now)

I have been asked a couple of times what my skincare routine is and what I use in my hair so I thought I would do a quick little post about what I'm using right now.

Things to note before you take all of this seriously: I change beauty products fairly often and have only been loyal to three products: mascara, volumizing spray and at home brazilian bikini wax - YES I SAID IT. But this is what I'm using right now that make me fairly happy.

My Hair:

My hair is naturally very oily and wavy. After a couple of days of not being washed, I get dandruff and the ends are very dry. I wanted to find a routine that gave me volume, moisture where I needed it and would also take care of dandruff.

I LOVE what I'm using right now. My routine is as follows:

1. Two-fingers full of Lush Big Shampoo in my palm mixed with Lush Cynthia Sylvia Stout: Big gives me moisture and cleans my scalp while Cynthia Sylvia Stout is really moisturizing so it counteracts any dryness I get from using Big. Used alone, Cynthia Sylvia Stout makes my hair too oily, but when I mix them it's perfect.
2. Lush R&B Hair Treatment after my shower: I don't use conditioner as it makes my hair way too oily, so when my hair is still wet just out of the shower, I add R&B to everything but my scalp and leave it in. Makes it feel like I used conditioner without weighing my hair down.

I only wash my hair every other day and it NEVER gets oily with this routine. I love it and I will definitely buy these things again.

My Skin:

This is a fairly new routine for me. Before this, I was using Murad and I just didn't like it all that much - it felt too heavy and stopped being effective after awhile. So I wanted something natural (vegan) instead. My skin is naturally sensitive/combination and I get break outs every now and then. If I have a zit, I PhotoShop it out - so don't think this will get rid of acne! I'm just a liar and PhotoShop my face hahaha. I'm still trying to find stuff what works but here is what I'm using right now and what I think so far -

1. Lush Aqua Marina Cleanser - I don't love this one. I was using Lush Coalface before this and I liked it so much more because it took off make-up and actually made my skin feel clean. This one doesn't remove make-up at all and my face just feels okay after using it; nothing special really. I'm going to finish the pot but will be trying something else when I'm done.
2. Lush Tea Tree Water Toner - I use this as a toner, just spritzing it on my face after cleansing at night and using it alone as a cleanser in the morning. Things I like: really fast to use, tightens pore, absorbs oil, smells good.
3. Lush Grease Lightning - I use this all over my face as my "acne treatment." It works pretty well to get rid of tiny break outs after using it for a couple of days, but doesn't do anything to prevent future break outs. The only product I ever used that PREVENTED breakouts was Proactiv. Also birth control helps... but as I'm not using either anymore, I'm still trying to figure out a suitable replacement (hahaha TMI). It's too drying when used as a spot treatment (it makes my skin peel) but when I spread it thinly over my face it works fine; no peeling. Also helps to tighten pores.
4. Lush Enzymion Moisturizer - Finding a good moisturizer is always a tricky game for me because either it will be too moisturizing and make me break out or won't be moisturizing enough. This is a really light moisturizer that is just moisturizing enough. I'll keep using this one.
5. MD Skincare Alpha Beta Daily Face Peel - Exfoliating is an important part of my routine because my pores get clogged and I'm prone to black heads. This has been my favorite exfoliating treatment EVER but I'd like to find a more natural alternative without all the chemicals so I'm going to wait on buying another kit.

Things I learned are important:

Your face routine needs to include cleanse, tone, treat, moisturize, exfoliate.

Cleanse at night, moisturize in the morning, exfoliate once a week.

My Top 3 Products Right Now:

Lush Big Shampoo + Lush Cynthia Sylvia Stout Shampoo
Lush R&B Hair Treatment
Lush Enzymion Moisturizer

So that's it! Hope this helps anyone looking for recommendations for hair or skin!