Even though it’s only January, any sunny day feels like spring is right around the corner to me.  I pop on a fun dress, cover up with a cozy sweater, and then grab a hot tea to keep warm–ha!  Since our California weather can be sporadic from time to time, I’m always hoping that a sunny day is a sign of spring.

Now that the holidays are over it feels nice to get back into the swing of things and focus back on ourselves and our goals which is one of the things I like about the start of a new year.  It’s fun to plan out your goals (I did some new goal setting in my 2017 planner I showed you here) one of which being to hit the reset button with some skincare and makeup products and do a bit of spring cleaning to find some new favorites!

I’m very thankful to say that I haven’t fallen asleep with my makeup on in years–the thought of makeup on my face all night makes me cringe.  However, I often fall into the habit of using a makeup wipe to wipe it off and calling it a night.  Since I love trying and playing with new skincare, I’ve set a goal for myself to take the five extra minutes on those tired nights to actually apply my skincare instead of just wiping and hitting the pillow.  So far, so good!

To entice myself this year to refresh my skincare and makeup game for the spring, I popped over to Bloomingdales Stanford in Palo Alto (where I hosted their store opening a couple years back, here!) to pick up some goodies that I’ve been wanting to try from some of the beauty world’s most iconic brands.  Check out some of the new products I picked up and my thoughts on them below!

SK-II Pitera Essence: I’ve always wanted to try SK-II because of its cult following but I had never gotten around to it.  Since I’m a newbie to the brand, I opted for the starter kit that includes a bottle of the facial treatment essence, clear lotion, and a facial treatment mask.  The essence that everyone raves about is made from Pitera which is a blend of vitamins, minerals, and amino acids that help draw moisture into your skin and improve texture (my #1 concern!).  I’ve been applying this after my toner day and night by applying about four or five drops into my palms and just pressing into my face.  I’ve noticed that my naturally red-tinted skin (my #2 concern!) becomes clearer and brighter after lightly pressing it into my skin for about a minute.  I’ve also barely put a dent into the bottle so I feel that this product lasts a long time and really helps add radiance to skin!

Bobbi Brown Extra Illuminating Moisture Balm: I always need a moisturizer on top of my skincare otherwise my skin will feel tight and dry (it can be so needy!).  This moisture balm from Bobbi Brown is the big drink of water my skin needs to bring it back to life and give it an extra youthful and plump appearance.  It contains lychee extract which helps give the skin an energy boost.  I used to think that any ol’ moisturizer would work but this one has changed my mind.

Yves Saint Laurent Touche Eclat Blur Primer: Primers are a great way to prep your face for makeup–no matter what your skin type.  I’ve been so impressed with the YSL Touche Eclat concealers so I was intrigued to check out the blur primer as I walked past the YSL counter.  This primer can be worn alone to enhance your #wokeuplikethis look or under makeup to perfectly smooth your skin for an airbrush finish.  I take one pump (start with half a pump and see if you need more) and dot it around my face and gently smooth in circular motions.  It’s easy to go overboard on primer, but this formula leaves a very soft finish once you work it in.  I also love the little gold specs to add some luminosity if you’re going bare faced!

Estée Lauder Double Wear Stay-in-Place Liquid Makeup: Wow you guys, just wow.  Cutting to the chase, this foundation is my new favorite and I absolutely love the velvety finish it gives my skin.  Having a flawless finish is my top makeup priority and this one just looks divine.  The woman helping me color match this actually used a device to scan my skin (forehead, jaw, cheek, and neck) to perfectly match my foundation color to my skin.  I matched to the shade Fresco which is one of the most universal and popular shades.  It appears a touch darker in the bottle but once you apply it and blend during application, it matches perfectly.  I’ve been wanting to try this foundation for a couple years now and I can’t believe I didn’t discover how amazing it is until now!

Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick:  I love a subtle glow and shimmer and the Bobbi Brown shimmer brick does just that.  I can add a bit of shimmer to my look by blending it into my contour and blush which makes it very wearable and a look that is easily everyday without feeling like a disco ball.  Want more glow? The shimmer brick very buildable and you can add additional product to achieve your perfect level of glowy!

Lancome Grandiose Extreme Mascara: Lancome has been making stellar mascaras for as long as I’ve been playing with makeup, so I was intrigued to see this bent-brush Grandiose Extreme mascara.  Blame it on my multi-tasking when I’m getting ready in the morning, but I somehow still accidentally bump my face with the mascara wand and end up with a rogue black mark on my face (Tip: wait for the mascara to dry completely before trying to remove so it wont smear!).  I love how the angled brush makes it easier to get in close to thoroughly coat my lashes and it helps provide extra volume and lift for that false lashes look.

Trish McEvoy Cream Lip Color in Pink Nude: There are so many variations of a nude lip and I’m constantly discovering new shades to add to my weekly rotation (anyone else have around five nearly identical lipsticks floating around in their purse?–ha!)  I like that this Trish lipstick almost feels like lip color and a moisturizing balm in one–and at the same time long wearing!  The shade Pink Nude is such a universally flattering color too!

The Makeup Date Event:

I love trying out new skincare and makeup…and I want you to get in on the fun too!  I’ve partnered with Bloomingdale’s and would like to cordially invite you to their annual The Makeup Date event–hosted by yours truly!  The event is coming up on Saturday January 28 at Bloomingdale’s, Stanford Shopping Center at 1pm (12pm check in).

Please join us at their next The Makeup Date event for an exclusive runway show featuring spring’s best new beauty trends and indulge in a one-on-one session with an expert makeup artist!  We will have experts from these amazing brands on hand to give you the best tips on what products to use, how to use them, and how to put your best face forward this spring.  I’ll share some of my favorite makeup tips too, and there will be amazing prizes (try not to laugh as you visualize my best Oprah impression of  “and you get a car…and YOU GET A CAR!).  Check out the invite below and RSVP soon to save your seat for this major event.

Can’t wait to see you at The Makeup Date!