Beauty TLC Kit - Sick But Still Beautiful

Even the best of us beauty queens get sick sometimes! The universe catches up to us and somehow it's summer, boiling hot outside and yet we are in bed with a cold. It happens a lot more than I'd like!
And as a girly girl a set back like that can really cramp my beauty style.
However I am anything but not persistent and you'd be surprised just how much pampering I can accomplish even when I am ordered to "bed rest"!

All beauty enthusiasts, including me appreciate a home facial a lot more than reruns of Jerry Springer or the infamous Days of Our Lives.
Why not take advantage of the time that you have to lay low and preform a few beauty rituals you don't normally have a lot of time for?

Here are some of my favorite rituals and tips that make me look a little less "grey" during those sick days.
Just because I feel terrible on the inside doesn't mean that I need to look like it on the outside :-)

*Washing Your Face in Bed is Easy With the Right Tools"
When you are laying down in bed, sick with no energy at all, the last thing you want to do is get up and go to the bathroom to wash your face twice a day (like you are suppose to). I know its so much easier not to do it, ignore personal hygiene and just sleep it off BUT if your basics are not covered, when you finally emerge from the "sleep coma" the mirror may freak you out!
To improve your chances of looking a little more presentable leave a few essentials by the bed where they are easy to reach and won't require too much effort to apply or use.
If the mere thought of standing up is giving you the bed-spins, remain in horizontal position and "wash" your face with some good quality facial wipes or soak a few cotton pads with cleansing water and swipe them over your face a few times. This is not only going to clean your skin but it will also feel refreshing and cooling, which is something anyone with a fever definitively appreciates.
My favorites and ones I reserve specifically for my "Beauty TLC Kit" are the Simple Skincare Cleansing Facial  Wipes ($6.00 for 25) and the Neutrogena Pink Grapefruit Cleansing Wipes ($7.49 for 25).
The cleansing waters I prefer for sick days are the Koh Gen Do Cleansing Spa Water ($39.00 for 10.15 oz) and the Clarins Cleansing Milk with Alpine Herbs ($34.00 for 6.9 oz).

*Maid of the Mist to the Rescue*
Facial sprays can be your best friend when you are sick! A few things feel as refreshing as a fine mist of a cooling thermal water to rejuvenate your senses and supplement the basic cleansing steps. For some tips on how to utilize facial sprays to their maximum potential check out the Maid of the Mist Feature. Spraying your face with a hydrating version of the facial spray will not only refresh you but will also keep your skin hydrated as you are recovering.
For sick days I highly recommend any toner-like spray with rosewater because those formulations are usually deeply hydrating, give the skin a comforting-soothing sensation and the fragrance is soft enough so it won't interfere with any sickness induced headache.
Two excellent Rosewater sprays are Jurlique Rosewater Balancing Mist ($42.00 for 3.3 oz) and the budget-friendly Reviva Labs Rosewater Facial Spray ($6.30 for 8 oz)

*Bust Out the Balmy Balms* 
Continuing with the hydration theme for skincare you need to choose rich moisturizing skin potions. If your skin is in any way sensitive, dry, red and/or irritated, the best treatment choice for "sick days" would definitively be deeply-hydrating multi-purpose balms. Those with oily skin may stay away from balmy moisturizers (if breakout prone) but still upgrade to a slightly richer formula of their usual cream. Since staying indoors is a prevalent characteristic of being sick, moisturizers with SPF protection are obsolete, which means swapping it out with your nigh-cream will give your complexion extra hydration and more time to engage in natural skin repair cycle. Red, raw noses will need a little bit more help so don't be afraid to layer and pack it on!
Don't forget your hands and neck!
I am a huge multipurpose balm fan and the standouts in my collection are Suti Purity Organic Moisturizing Balm ($41.00 for 50ml), Bobbi Brown Extra Repair Moisturizing Balm ($110.00 for 1.7 oz) and the famous Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream ($23.00, review here!)

*Lip Bomb Kit*

When I am sick the dehydration is always most obvious and prominent on my lips and nose area. I hate the sensation of chapped and flaky lips so no matter how bad I might feel I try to pull out all the stops to fix the problem ASAP. An everyday lip balm simply will not cut it for such extreme conditions so investing in a heavy-duty lip treatment is going to be very beneficial in treating these kinds of lip disasters.
The ones in my arsenal are Einstein Lip Balm Therapy ($12.99), Philosophy Kiss Me Tonight Intense Lip Therapy ($20.00) and my newest awesome discovery Lanolips 101 Ointment ($20.00)

*Bonus Points - lip scrub like Sara Happ Vanilla Bean Lip Scrub ($30.00) and the lip emergency is easily averted!
*More Bonus Points - apply a hydrating facial mask like the FRESH Rose Face Mask ($63.00 for 3.4 oz) and just sleep on it!

The Beauty TLC Kit will help you look a little bit better but in order to feel better you will need some soup, hot chocolate, tea, extra sleep, a downy comforter, a good book, a favorite DVD and if you are like me, your Mommy :-)

To our good health

Do you bother with beauty products when you are sick? What makes you feel better?

XOXO

ANJA

P.S. If you enjoyed this post and want some more Princeza Beauty Musings, please consider following me through GFC, Bloglovin, Pinterest or Twitter! Insert "happy dance" here :-) 

Eye Cream Series - Bobbi Brown Extra Repair

Skincare is very important to me today but that doesn't mean that I was always diligent with my complexion. I shudder when I think about the times when I thought a baby wipe was suitable for "washing" my face and let's not even talk about all the sunscreen-free days I used to enjoy.

One exception to this terrible skincare fiasco was eye cream - for some reason the importance of moisturizing and protecting the delicate eye area had been ingrained in me by my glamorous grandmother (see previous post!) so I have quite the experience in that department.

I almost always have several eye creams in rotation and which ones I use depends on the  time of day, weather season, specific concern I might be "battling" and whether or not I plan on wearing eye makeup. It sounds way more complicated than it really is but even if your eye cream just hydrates then you are already ahead of the game.

The delicate skin around the eye area is much thinner than the skin on the rest of the face, which means that its usually a lot more sensitive and as such requires a little more help to stay hydrated and protected. Seeing how your under eye area has to deal with specific issues like dark circles, puffiness and fine lines, it just makes sense that it would require specific, targeted treatments.

One of the eye creams in my collection is the Bobbi Brown Extra Eye Repair and seeing how little is needed for proper hydration I am guessing that this little fancy glass pot will stick around for a very long time.

In Bobbi Browns own words;


Do your eyes need something extra? Packed with peptides, natural plant oils and humectants that target fine lines, wrinkles, dark circles, puffiness and dryness, this rich, concentrated cream visibly revives eyes. Use morning and night - warm between fingers, then pat gently around eye area. Once cream is absorbed, follow with Corrector and Creamy Concealer. Dermatologist tested. Ophthalmologist tested.

The most prominent feature of this eye cream is the thickness and richness of the said formula. Despite that the texture itself is more like a mousse that melts between your fingers. making it very easy to pat on but also very easy to use too much of. It does take a few minutes to sink in as the hydration is very intense, which is one of the reasons I would never use this under makeup or concealer. The eye cream's richness will prevail and adding makeup on top is only bound to end up in caky-melty mess, which is the last thing you would want. For me this Bobbi Brown concoction works wonderfully as part of my evening skin care routine and its especially helpful in the cold Canadian winters.

In terms of anti-aging properties, that's a claim that is very difficult to prove and/or disapprove so I am not sure how much I can vouch for that. but effective hydration plumps up the skin anyways, thereby reducing the size and look of fine lines and wrinkles. The results are of course temporary but regular use definitively gives that youthful kick we are ll searching for.

The promise of treating dark circles does however hold up beautifully, with the results being slow but steady. I noticed that my eye area appeared brighter at the two month mark and even though i worried about new milia outbreaks due to the richness of the formula I am happy to report that there were none. Each morning i was greeted by fresh, bright eyes with noticeable puffiness reduction and no redness at all.

The only negative comment I have is that you have to be very careful with application because the melting balm travels quite a bit so if it does make its way in the eye the irritation can last for days. That being said, I can't hold that against Bobbi Brown since really, that side effect is primarily driven by human error and has nothing to do with the effectiveness of the eye cream itself.


In conclusion I can comfortably recommend this eye cream for anyone in need of an extremely rich formula targeting both hydration and dark circles. I am trying to switch my facial skincare to more natural alternatives but the Extra Eye Repair will always be there for those moisturizing emergencies.

You can get more information and purchase this and other Bobbi Brown products here or at our trusty beauty mecca also known as Sephora


Have you tried anything from the Bobbi Brown skin care line up? What is your favorite eye cream - I would love some suggestions?


XOXO

ANJA



P.S. If you enjoyed this post and want some more Princeza Beauty Musings, please consider following me through GFC, Bloglovin, Pinterest or Twitter! Insert "happy dance" here :-) 

My Girliness on Display - Wishlist

Oh La La - China Glaze Pink Voltage with Chantecaille, By Terry, Guerlain

I obviously have no shame and a big problem BUT everything is so pretty and packaged so well :-)


Whats on your wishlist these days?


 XOXO


ANJA

P.S. If you enjoyed this post and want some more Princeza Beauty Musings, please consider following me through GFC, Bloglovin, Pinterest or Twitter! Insert "happy dance" here :-)