Face Oils and Candles

I woke up this morning and it was 20 degrees. Ugh. I know it is just a cold front and it won't stay QUITE this frigid permanently, but it is still jarring when yesterday had a high of 50. Today it isn't supposed to get much higher than 25. I suppose at least the rain finished yesterday?

Two of my cold weather saviors are face oils and candles. I use face oil all year round, and recommend it to everyone I meet. If you have oily skin, most of the time adding a drop of face oil to your routine at night will help calm down your skin because it won't feel the need to overproduce. If you have dry skin like me, it is a no-brainer. Nothing has improved the tone and texture of my skin so drastically. I use it year round - I just finished a little size of the Josie Maran Argan Oil Light, which I was using over the summer for a slightly lighter feel. This is available for less than $20 at Sephora in a small size, which I can attest will last you for at least three months. I use a drop underneath moisturizer, more if I am struggling with a dryness issue. This oil is routinely in various sets as well.

Another must are candles. Candles make the cold weather a lot more worth it to me. The house smells nice and cozy, and the look of the flame is soothing to me as well. I recently purchased four Diamond Candles on special. I have used them before, but they tend to be a bit pricey at $25 and shipping is never cheap. With my 40% off deal, and a promo code, I was able to get 4 for $60 including shipping which made them basically half price. They are huge, and are well worth it. I am trying my very best not to get sucked into the Bath and Body Works money pit candles this year, as they don't last as long as soy blends do. Also, Diamond Candles have a fun ring packaged inside the candle with a code to type in online to see if you win a ring worth something more than costume jewelry.

I have never won, but I don't buy the candles for the ring. It is just a fun extra. I like how unique my ring is for this Pumpkin Chai candle, but it isn't super practical or my style. I save my rings in a little jar - I am thinking they could be fun to use for decor or something someday.

Empties: Argan Oil and Concealer

It is a miracle when I manage to finish a beauty product. I go through items like conditioner, shampoo, and body lotion with regularity because I use them the most often, and I have a pretty sizable surface area for body lotion. But I seriously never finish the vast majority of my cosmetic items. Financial revamp is definitely a part of what I am trying to change about my life, although I have been working on that much longer. Little things, like trying to waste less food, purchase less when I have no need (particularly when my urge to goo hoard backups upon backups of things is so strong), and use up what I have can go a long way. I will always want and purchase new beauty related things, but I feel way better doing so when I have used up some things along the way.

These two items are go-to for me. The first is a small bottle of the Josie Maran Argan Oil Light. I use facial oils every night as a serum before bed. I have combo/dry skin that tends to be sensitive. In the past 6 months, I have had some issues with hormonal breakouts. Nothing mediates all of the problems the way oil does. It calms redness, makes my skin look more even toned, seems to reduce the appearance of any acne scars quickly, and obviously hydrates my skin well. In the summer, I was using a drop of this with a drop of rosehip oil. I am glad to finish this, as late fall/early winter is upon me which means using 4 drops of oil, and a switch to using the regular version of this oil. It really solves the dry skin winter issue to the point where if I could go back in time and tell my past self 3 things, how to properly prevent/treat dry skin would be one. Luckily thanks to subscription boxes, I am never without a good facial oil, and this brand is easily accessible.

The second one is even more amazing. I don't think I have ever finished a concealer before. This Bobbi Brown Undereye corrector was the right tone to counteract the crazy blue circles I get on even my best nights of sleep. Nothing holds up so well, covers and counteracts so effectively that I have ever found. And I know I bought a replacement two months ago when it looked like I might run out. But my replacement is currently lost in the abyss of the student teaching mess, and even with the Sephora VIB sale I managed to force myself to hold off on replacing. I still have the concealer I use over the top, and have been layering another concealer underneath as double duty...but it just isn't the same. I am giving myself a few weeks after student teaching to clean and reorganize and hunt down my new one before I replace this one. I don't really hesitate on dropping 25 bucks for this one.