Staying Fresh With Secret

Deodorant isn't really something talked about too often in the blogosphere because talking about sweating isn't exactly pretty. But the fact is, we all do it and it's not the greatest. Especially during these horrible summer months, it's a pain to have to think so much about what you can and can't wear. I've been a long-time Secret user, so when they reached out to me to try their new product I jumped at the chance!

Secret's new Invisible Sprays* are perfect for me this time of year because they provide long-term protection and the spray makes it super easy for on the go (although honestly, you won't need a touch-up)! The semester has started up again, so I'm walking around campus in blistering heat all day, and then I have to drive straight to work! Not to mention having to get up and speak in front of people (the horror).  This is 100000% tmi but I'm not a "glisten" kinda person, I'm a sweat patches in a grey t-shirt (or any t-shirt, let's be real) kinda person. So I need a proper antiperspirant that'll actually work. Which is surprisingly hard to find! I generally like the roll-ons but they take forever to dry and often end up leaving faux-patches when it inevitably gets on your shirt before drying. Oh the joys! Secret Invisible Sprays prevent this, you just spray it on and go, no dry-time, no hassle, no worry.

The sprays come in four fresh scents, Boho Berry which smells of bright raspberries, Glam Grapefruit is citrusy and pepperminty, Cool Waterlily is a very clean lily, and Luxe Lavender feels very calming with lavender, lily, and freesia. All four are delicious, but my favourite so far is Luxe Lavender. The sprays have Fade Resistant Technology so you smell totally fresh all day. It's also activated by sweat, replacing that odor with the scent. I'm always a little wary of deodorants that claim to smell good all day, but I was pleasantly surprised to find these last through a full work and school day!

Because of the Invisible Spray, I don't have to sacrifice my wardrobe! I don't think a grey t-shirt will ever be my go-to (backpack back is a no-go), but I don't have to worry about wearing silk shirts to work. In the winter light-coloured turtlenecks won't be a worry either. Plus there's no white streaky stains left on your black clothing, and no residue left on your underarms! A win-win. Having one less thing to worry about is definitely keeping me a bit more stress-free this semester. With my thesis on a roll and a huge presentation at the end of the semester, I've got enough to sweat (but not literally)!

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*This post has been sponsored by Secret. As always, this in no way affects my thoughts or opinions towards the products and I am always one billion percent honest with you. Sponsored posts help me to put more resources back into our little space!

Detox Day

About once a week I have a biiiiig detox day. It's usually Sunday because I generally have the evening off and it's the perfect opportunity to get all of the week's gunk out of my pores. Thinking about how much crap gets stuck down in my pores makes me a little sick, and even though I double (sometimes triple) cleanse every night you know there's dirt deep down. SO, detox day is the day that I slap on hella skincare products, sit down with some tea and a book, and get it allllll out. (*note that I don't use all of these products at once, these are just a few things that I do use on detox day*)

I don't really stick to a routine on these days, I kind of just use whatever products I feel like. But there are a few things that I keep on rotation. I generally cleanse with the Sunday Riley Ceramic Slip Clay Cleanser. This contains French Green clay and Moroccan rhassoul clay to help pull impurities out of the skin. I generally don't believe most claims from cleansers because they aren't on your skin long enough to do much, but I swear my skin feels and looks smoother after using this. I also really love the Origins Clear Improvement Active Charcoal Exfoliating Cleansing Powder, which is a water-activated powder cleanser. This one is pretty gentle and light, but buffs the skin and makes it feel super clean but not stripped. I love that it's customizable because you can mix in less water for a real scrub, or more water for a nice bubbly creamy cleanser. I'm honestly about to start using this every day, because my skin seems to really love it and looks beautiful after using.

Obviously the most important part of detox day is a mask. A good ol' purifying, digs deep mask. I'm usually not big into charcoal products in general, and charcoal masks are really not my jam because I find them to be quite drying. However, the Clinique Pore Refining Solutions Charcoal Mask... that is my jam. I'm not kidding, the first time I used this I was shocked at how incredible my skin looked afterwards. So clean and bright, I was thinking what tf was in my pores that made me look so dull?! This contains charcoal (obvs) to draw out impurities, and also mineral clays to soak up excess oil. But it also somehow doesn't dry me out at all? It's a miracle in my books honestly and I'll continue to purchase this forever. Speaking of, I need to repurchase the Complex Beauty The Godmother Enzyme Mask because I finally used up this baby jar. This stuff is a godsend. It's not really a traditional detox product, I guess, but it leaves my skin feeling soooo smooth and squeaky clean that it's a very very regular part of detox day. Pumpkin and Glycolic Acid exfoliate and dissolve dead skin (and also fight free-radicals wooo), while Vitamin C brightens, and Meadowfoam Seed Oil hydrates. It's like supermodel skin in a tub. No joke.

If I need products that are a little softer, but still get the job done, I'll reach for the Origins Original Skin Retexturizing Mask or the Glossier Mega Greens Galaxy Pack. Original Skin contains Mediterranean rose clay to deep clean, Canadian Willowherb to cleanse pores, and jojoba beads to exfoliate (without destroying your skin or the environment!!!). This is like my OG detox day mask so it's clearly pretty incredible if it's still hangin' around. It leaves the skin glowing and tight, but without that horrible dry feeling. Win! Glossier's Mega Greens is one that I reach for several times a week, not just on detox day. I've been through three pots of this stuff in the last year. Three. It is truly a juice cleanse for your face. It balances skin and helps reduce inflammation, but also detoxes and leaves my skin feeling incredibly clean. It's a clay mask, but doesn't crack and dries softly, almost sinking into the skin. Parsely, Spinach, Cress Sprout, and Kaolin White Clay help to clean and purify, while Avacado moisturises and Bitter Orange Peel gently exfoliates. Definitely one that I'll never be without, I think it's really transformed my skin (along with the Moisturizing Moon Mask).

Do you guys do a detox day? What are your favourite products to use?
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Fragrance Favourites

I just want to start off this post by saying that I suck at describing/talking about fragrances. So I'm not really sure why I'm attempting to write this post. But fair warning, alright? I've never really been a perfume person. When I was younger I used one up then bought another and so forth. Then I wore Elizabeth and James Black Nirvana for a few years and it became my scent. Which was really nice, if I changed it up people would be like oh you don't smell like you. I liked having a signature fragrance, but after finishing another bottle of that, I decided to branch out.

I think Bobbi Brown Beach was the first thing I started wearing after that phase. This is a serious love or hate fragrance, but I adore it. It's probably my number one favourite. Their site says it's a blend of sand jasmine, sea spray, and mandarin but it basically smells like the beach (shocker). It's a little sunscreen-y which is where the hate comes from, but I think it smells super fresh and clean and divine. I also adore Bobbi's Almost Bare, which I bought because someone told me it smells like almond. I am 100000% obsessed with my almond scented cleansers and I needed a perfume. Long story short this doesn't smell like almonds at all, but I still love it! It's also super fresh (you'll see a theme here), but freesia florally with a bit of kick from bergamot and amber.

My first 'real' fragrance purchase was the Chanel No. 5 L'Eau. Not gonna lie, it kinda crushed my soul to pay for the tiny bottle. I'm not sure how people spend hundreds on fragrance. Anyway, my grandmother has no sense of smell anymore, so has always worn the original Chanel No. 5 because she knows it smells good. So it's a scent I've grown up with and associate with her. It is pretty strong, and while I love it not an everyday fragrance for me. The more modern L'Eau is reminiscent of the original, but much fresher. It has tons of notes, so I'm just going to list them out for you straight from the Sephora site (lol): top notes of lemon, mandarin, and orange, heart notes of rose, jasmine, and ylang ylang, more modern than ever. And then base notes of cedar, and soft and cottony musk notes. Basically it's my heaven and I'd love to spray it everywhere always. But I try to conserve it at least a little.

When I went to New York earlier in the year on my Glossier trip, my babe Miran gave me this lil Byredo Gypsy Water sample and I fell in love. I know it's the basic Byredo scent but it is for a reason. It has top notes of bergamot, lemon, pepper, and juniper berries, heart notes of incense, pine needles, and orris,  and base notes of amber, vanilla, and sandalwood. I love peppery scents (like EJ Black Nirvana), but the combination of lemon and juniper berries makes it feel really light and airy. This one is in the books for purchase, but I think Lou Lou has convinced me to try Mojave Ghost first, or maybe Black Saffron (if only I could afford all three!). My most recent fragrance purchase is the beautiful Blackberry & Bay from Jo Malone, which I bought at their flagship store in London! Another basic-girl fragrance, but I freakin' love this one. The blackberry comes through pretty strong, with a hint of citrus, and smells fresh but not too fruity. I will say that I go nose-blind to this one really quickly which makes me want to cry, so I probably won't buy the full size (maybe a candle?).

What are your favourite fragrances?
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Dynamic Duos

I've realized lately that when doing my makeup I tend to reach for little coupled-up product duos. It's not that I don't use these things separately, it's just that they're better together.

This post has been on the to-do list for a while, but tbh I was waiting for Glossier to two their buy-two-save-$6 Cloud Paint deal again. And wa-la! Ask and you shall receive, the deal is back! And this time you don't even need to use a code, just go here, add two cloud paints of choice to your cart, and they'll be on their way to you! Plus free shipping! What a win! Too many exclamation points in a row! Okay. But really, Beam and Dusk... you gotta have them. Cloud Paints in general are basically like watercolour for your face. They blend effortlessly, are sheer enough to not look like makeup, but make you look super healthy. Beam is my all time favourite, it's a coral-orange that really warms up the skin. Dusk is beautiful on the cheeks or as a bronzer, it's a gorgeous almost pinky brown. These two together scream healthy summer skin and I haven't put them down! They're also incredible mixed together, in fact any of the Cloud Paints mixed together are amazing so you should probably get them all.

I realize these are mostly cheek products, so let's just continue with that theme. I picked up the Topshop Glow while I was in England expecting to adore it, but I was a little meh. Two years ago, I would've loved it, but it just seems a little too icy not enough glowy. However, if combined with the MAC Cream Colour Base in Hush, we're talking maximum glossy glowy goodness. Sometimes Hush can be a tiny bit too warm on my pale skin, so the two together are super dreamy. Speaking of glowy goodness, I couldn't leave the dream team out of this post. I've loved the Charlotte Tilbury Bronze & Glow Palette from afar the past few years, but I thought it couldn't possibly be worth all the money. I bought it back at the start of the summer and I have never been more wrong. It is heavenly. The powder is the the finest I've ever felt in a bronzer, and the highlight is soooo smooth it looks like a cream on the skin. I honestly don't think I'll ever be without this, but I do kind of wish they sold refills because I think I'll run out of the bronzer first. I've never in my life found such a perfect bronzer. This sounds kind of crazy, but it's kind of sheer? Like you can see my freckles and my skin through it, but it makes your skin look beautifully bronzed. True love honestly.

We all know how much I adore the Glossier Stretch Concealer, it's probably the product I would choose to use if I had to one use one thing. It's the bomb. But sometimes I just need a lil something extra. I do like the NARS Soft Matte Complete Concealer, it can just look a bit dry and the colour is somehow a bit light for me. So usually I'll put some of the NARS down first to cover up really pesky blemishes, and then layer Glossier's on top to even out and make the concealer look more skin-like. Last but not least on my dynamic duos list is the Glossier Boy Brow and Benefit Precisely My Brow Pencil. I do switch my brow pencil up quite a lot (but I love the Benefit), but I'm in a steady relationship with Boy Brow. I have kind of sparse brows, so I like to fill them in with pencil first and then reaaaally fluff them up. I feel like not keeping them really straight and precise tricks people into thinking they're my natural brows, which I will never complain about.

Do you guys have any products you like to use together?
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