The Princeza Guide to Morning Beauty

Apparently you guys loved reading about my bedtime beauty ridiculousness and even though I was almost expecting to have to dodge my little vain head, the response was quite the opposite :-) I might have finally stumbled upon a little slice of this sparkly universe that really understands the feel only a "beauty product" can fool you into and just how comforting a swipe of rose-scented lip treatment can be at the end of a hard day. More importantly my need to over-complicate and over-do anything and everything was not mocked (yay!)

I guess The Princeza Guide to Bedtime Beauty was such a hit that I received quite a bit of emails for an "encore" of sorts however despite the fact that my attention span sometimes resembles that of a goldfish, my 

bedtime routine hasn't changed enough to do a repeat (just yet!) but ever the clever goldfish I am, I came up with an equally complicated (or more?) substitute - Guide to Morning Beauty post. 

So after a night of annoying tossing & turning, unladylike-like sleeping positions, candy-colored kitty (don't ask - i am the weird one!) filled dreams and the occasional creepy nightmare any Princeza worth her crown will need to preform a series of pre-determined tasks that are pretty much required for her to be at least presentable. That's the plan of course, however this does not work out very often and i guess the key feature being is that its at least pre-determined :-) 

The success rate also depends on how early it is, where I have to be that day, the temperature outside, how long will I be away from my abode and how comfortable my bed feels that particular morning. I think we have already established that my high-maintenance nature guarantees that I am bound to be on the lazy side as well so getting out of bed and moving is not my strong point. Beauty products I love using definitively help in that particular department. 

Once again lets break this into steps so the over-complication can be easier to understand!

Shopping Bags For Your Morning Eye Bags

Whether you partied the night away, won the "black-eye" genetic jackpot or mother nature simply refused your sleep request last night, there is no worse start to your beautification routine than having to deal with really-puffy eye syndrome. Your regular eye cream might be able to help disguise some of the lovely purple shading but no matter how good the formula is, its not going to be able to deal  with the puffiness under the eyes one bit. You will need something more powerful, targeted and a lot more specific to banish the dreaded eye "pouf" on those mornings and I being who I am have a number of tried&tested remedies that work every time without a lot of frill or fuss to it 

Mornings that are puffy, sleepy and pressed for time as well I always reach for an eye-serum roller-ball that is usually  in the fridge for that extra icy boost to the the refreshing massaging action under the eye. It literally takes about 60 seconds of quick press action to see results, break-up the "pouf" and wake me up a little more too.

Daytime Beauty Eyes with Live Clean, Frownies, Duwop

My top pics and ones that never disappoint are Garnier Skin Renew Anti-Dark Circle Eye Roller ($12.99), Aveeno Smart Essentials Anti-Fatigue Eye Treatment ($11.99) and Live Clean Fresh Face De-Puffing Roller Eye Treatment ($21.29)

Mornings that are more lazy, on the weekends or on special occassion days I will bring out the big guns and actually use a treatment to really cool and de-compress the entire eye area. The best stuff is natural of course so if there is time and cucamber/tea bag relaxation session is your best bet however these products really are a the next best thing - Skyn Iceland Hydro Cool Firming Eye Gels ($30.00 for 8), Frownies Eye Gels ($29.99) and my all-time favorite Duwop Igels ($25.00)

The Cleansing Party 
Since the Bedtime Beauty Routine already involves a heavy duty cleansing routine followed by a very specific line-up of hydrating-rejuvenating treatments I try to keep my morning cleanse very gentle and as simple as my Princeza genes allow. This includes a generous spray of hydrating thermal mineral water (maid of the mist) to start things off with a grime-neutralizing step which is then followed by a gentle cleanse, pairing  my Clarisonic with a mild non-stripping cleanser. I used to stick to just micellar waters and wipes in the mornings but since i stepped up my cleansing party I find my skin quality has greatly improved.

Morning Cleanse with Omorovicza, Pai Skincare, Mario Badescu Skin Care

The best ones I have used are Omorovicza Cleansing Foam ($75.00 for 5 oz, review here!), Mario Badescu Glycolic Foaming Cleanser ($15.00 for 6 oz) and my current favorite Pai Camellia & Rose Organic Facial Cleanser ($50.00 for 100ml).
The combination of the Clarisonic and gentle cleansing action means that my complexion will be exfoliated gently, cleansed and refreshed, ultimately ready to receive my daytime products with the renewed gusto only clean pores can provide.

To Tone Or Not to Tone 

I have always used some kind of toning step or even an astringent so skipping it makes me feel awkward or like I am missing out on something. Since the discovery of exfoliating toners and all their amazing benefits (see here) I can't see myself skipping this step anytime soon. It might not be a must-have part of a skincare regiment and I wouldn't endorse it just for the sake of using yet another product but for me there are obvious benefits so I continue to make time for it (its only takes 10 seconds tops!).
Besides I am probably brainwashed into it at this point but at least its a good kind of habit to "get into"!

Skin Toners with Biologique Recherche, Clarins Skin Spa, Pixi

My favorites continue to be the Pixi Glow Tonic (review here!), Biologique Recherche (review here!) and Clarins Gentle Exfoliator Brightening Toner (review here!) but my recent discovery Liz Earle Instant Boost Skin Tonic might be taking over pretty soon.

Protection Serums Are a Go! 

Just because I tend to go overboard during my Nighttime routine you would think I would try to take it easy and skip a step or two during the day! Um nope! My facial serum choices shift from rejuvenation and renewal at night to protection and radiance during the day because I feel it's important to have all my skincare needs and basis covered. However daytime serums also have to be light, fast absorbing and layer friendly. Since I will be adding a moisturizer, a sunscreen and possibly even makeup on top, this means that all of these need to play well together and one "pilling" culprit can wreck the entire process completely and that can really suck if you don't have time for the reset button. 

Serums that fit really good in my routine are - an old stand-by Indeed Laboratories Hydraluron ($19.99 for 1 oz, review here!), Biotherm Source Therapie 7 ($64 for 50ml) and Trilogy CoQ10 Booster Serum ($44.00 for 20ml)

Hydration with Indeed Labs, Trilogy, Biotherm

Hydration and More Hydration
Everyone has to moisturize every day is a statement we can all agree on (even you oily skin gals!) and not just to soften and hydrate the skin surface. Properly moisturized skin cells are balanced, plump, comfortable, renewed and strengthened but more importantly hydrated skin is stronger and finds it easier to renew itself over time. Its kind of like skin insurance if you know what I mean.
Canadian weather can go from one extreme to another quite frequently and if you have sensitive-reactive skin like me then you already know what kind of havoc that can cause! I try to keep the reactivity in check by keeping a variety of skin moisturizers in my arsenal to fill and fix any need my skin cells come up every day.
Taking sunscreen into consideration, which is worn separately if I am not wearing makeup, my favorite moisturizing creams are Oskia Nutri-Active Day Cream ($85.00), Zelens Z Matrix Energy & Moisture Infusion ($140) and Vichy Aqualia Thermal Balm ($24.99).

Bonus Morning Brownie Points 
If my facial moisturizer doesnt already have a sunscreen built in I normally apply a light layer in the morning even if I don't plan on being outside for too long - remember skin cancer and the leathery look will never be trendy (i hope!).
The best ones I have found are Clarins Sun Wrinkle Control SPF 15 ($34.00) and Supergoop Endless Summer SPF 30 ($45.11).
On the days I don't have to wear makeup but want to be somewhat polished then my beloved tinted moisturizers are the key because when paired with the right cream-based blush I can end up looking healthy and "glowy" even though I might not feel that way. My current obsession is the Hourglass Illusion Tinted Moisturizer ($64.00) and its a perfection in a tube which I will review very soon!


Other bonus point tasks include a layer of hydration and protection by Nuxe Reve de Miel Ultra-Nourishing Lip Balm ($19.99, review here!) or the Josie Maran Argan Lip Treatment Duo ($34.00) for the lips and when i am feeling extremely ambitious some lash and brow TLC conditioning by Lashem Eyelash Boosting Serum ($70).

Bonus Brownie Points Beauty with Hourglass, NUXE , Lashem

The obligatory perfume spray of my signature PRADA Candy ($96.00 for 1.7 oz, review here!) is the finishing touch regardless of whether I am staying in or out.
Its cheesy I know but it really does complete me!

I hope you enjoyed yet another glimpse it to my completely over-saturated beauty world - please tell me if i need to add any more things to this routine! I feel like i can always elevate it you know...

What is your favorite part of morning beauty routines?

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 :-)