It’s 9pm and I’m seated in my living room.  My black cat Salem sleeps peacefully next to me, face nestled on a soft chenille throw, purring contentedly, kneading the air.  Out the window below the street lights cast a yellow light on the wet pavement. There’s another snow fall in the forecast for tonight. I’m just happy tomorrow is my day off.  Snow all you want Mother Nature!

This month was filled with new discoveries and launches from some of my favourite cosmetic brands.  These are the things I loved in February.

Log Cabin In The Woods

Have you ever stayed in a cabin during the Wintertime?  The rain tapping against the windows as the wind howls through the trees outside and the fireplace filling the space with the scent of wood fire; smokey & sweet.  I found this candle at Bed, Bath & Beyond last month while on a kitchen gadget shop. Even un-lit, just open the lid, close your eyes and inhale.  Suddenly you’re in a cabin deep in the forest. Oh, and it crackles when lit to give you the feeling and sounds of a wood burning fireplace.  The perfect scent for a Winter Hygge sesh.   Woodwick Candle in Wood Smoke – Bed, Bath & Beyond. $29.99

My New Favourite Youtuber 

Statement Lip

And keeping on the topic of cosmetics I’ve been loving a simple eye look (just mascara with a good black gel tight line), clear skin and a bold bright lip.  Fuschia or coral red.  The one I’m wearing here is Colour Pop by Clinique in the shade Wow Pop #11.  Another fave is my YSL Volupte Shine lipstick in #12.

Best of the Oscars

The Oscars were this month and I can’t express how excited I was to see Rami Malek take the Oscar for his portrayal of Freddy Mercury in Bohemian Rhapsody.  The music of Queen has a special place in my memories and Rami deserved that honour for his incredible transformation.  When it came to original soundtracks however, no one deserved it more than Lady Gaga.  We watched A Star is Born less than a week before the Oscars (and cried our eyes out) and although Shallow took the prize, my personal favourite and one I’ve been practicing on the piano is I’ll Always Remember Us This Way.

Cupping for Cellulite (and Muscle Pain)

No one wants it but we all have it and if I can find some way to at least disguise it a wee bit, I will try. Cellulite, boooooo.   I’ve had cupping done for my excruciating shoulder pain.  My Acupuncturist puts these plastic suction cups along my back to draw circulation to the area and although they can leave nasty bruise marks, it works wonders on those deep muscle pains you can’t seem to reach even after rolling on a tennis ball.  I recently was reading that these same cups are used to treat cellulite which makes total sense. They feel like a vacuum is being held to your skin and your soul is being sucked out but it also feels amazing.  The idea is that the suction action brings blood flow to the area and as you move the cup around it helps move the fatty deposits under the skin allowing the body to naturally flush it away. You can buy them on Amazon and at Sephora.  I put them on my thighs in the shower and finish off with the Vichy Celludestock Expert.  I’m (almost) bikini ready.

SPF You Can Put Over Your Makeup

I wear sunscreen 60 on my face every day of the year.  The only problem is, I also love to wear makeup and most sunscreens say to re-apply after 90 mins.  Even with the dry touch SPF I wear daily, my makeup would be destroyed if I suddenly slathers a layer of thick sunscreen on my face.  So I did a bit of research and found a few options.  Paula’s Choice sells a great mineral powder sunscreen that you can just brush over your makeup.  Sounds pretty good but Im not a huge fan of the matte powdery skin look.  I have naturally oily skin so  I keep my makeup dewy and natural looking.  I was pretty excited to find this new SPF makeup  setting spray by Coola.  A light weight mist you can apply all over your face and on top of makeup any time of the day.  It doesn’t leave the skin greasy or shiny and is SPF 30.  If it’s still sunny when I leave work and before my walk home, I spritz my face and know I’m protected.  Genius!  Sephora $49

Face Oil for Winter Skin

I notice every year right when the temperature dips low enough that the heating needs to be turned on in the home, my skin changes.  I’ll get eczema flair ups on my legs, sometimes a few days of dandruff and this year for the first time ever,  I had dry patches on my face.  This was truly shocking as someone who’s had oily skin my entire life, to touch the skin near my temples and feel dry, scaly skin.  I’ve been loving Biotherm’s Liquid Glow Skin Best Oil for a while.  A dry oil, perfect for oily skin.  It gives me all the moisture and glow of an oil without leaving my skin slick.  I used a bit more than usual and my dry skin was back to normal within 3 days.  Other brands I’ve tried in the past are Darphin, D’ecleor and Clarins.  I recommend adding oil to your skincare.  It’s the last product I pat on my skin right before I climb into bed.  Then it has 8 hours to work it’s skin smoothing, anti-aging magic.

Thank you for joining me.  I love to hear what trends people are loving, books you’re reading, music you’ve discovered, makeup brands you can’t live without so drop me a line with your suggestions.

Love,

Jennifer