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 :-) 

Cleanser Hall of Fame - Philosophy Microdelivery Exfoliating Wash

First of all - Philosophy and me have never been able to get along! Pretty much every single product I tried by them caused some kind of a problem so eventually i gave up on the brand and purposely avoided everything they made...even the yummy smelling stuff!


Enter the Microdelivery wash! I received my first bottle as a Christmas stocking stuffer a few years ago - grateful and gracious as always I thanked my Mom and proceeded to push this way-way back in the bathroom cabinet. During clear-out time I stumbled on the bottle again and decided it to pass it on to a cousin who was eager to try anything beauty-related (ahhh to be 15 again!). I don't know what possessed me to try this but I am very happy I did - I liked it so much that its now a staple cleanser, used almost daily and luckily Clarisonic compatible.

For reference my skin is combination dry, clog-prone and has some rosacea in the cheek/nose area. So for me this worked like a charm - cleanses beautifully, lightly exfoliates, soothes, plumps, does not dry out, does not cause breakouts, reduces blackheads and best of all rinses of very easily (i have a weird thing about rinsing!). Its so gentle that i can use it with the Clarisonic or alone on a daily basis and has never caused any irritation or additional redness.


I suspect the low ratings (Makeupalley, Sephora etc.) on this are related to expectations one may have of this based on the name itself. If you expect dramatic results overnight then this is not for you - this will exfoliate and refine your skin but it does take some time to appreciate. Its not a peel or a strong chemical exfoliant so it wont blow your socks (or your face) off with a single use but if you treat it as a refining daily cleanser then it will deliver everything it promises. Give it a week or 2 - results will surely follow!

I am so happy with it that my Philosophy ban is relaxing a bit - although i would never give Purity or Hope in a Jar a try again, i might be open to trying the Vitamin C peel...or the Banana Nut Body
Wash (yum)

Ingredients;
Water, Decyl Glucoside, Sodium Cocoyl Apple Amino Acids, Diatomaceous Earth, Acrylates/Steareth-20 Methacrylate Crosspolymer, Glycerin, Disodium Cocoamphodiacetate, Borago Officinalis Seed Oil, Tocotrienols, Panthenol, Sodium Magnesium Silicate, Tetrasodium Edta, Sodium Hydroxide, Citric Acid, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone.

Philosophy Microdelivery Exfoliating Wash ($31.00 for 8oz) and other Philosophy products can be purchased at Sephora here and directly from the brand website too!


What do you guys think about Philosophy skincare?


XOXO

ANJA