10 Products You MUST Try This Winter

I'm a dry-skinned person, so you'd think that I hate winter and love summer. Winter is the harbinger of major snowfall, dry central heat, and cold-cracked hands. What's the love if you're already used to having a tight, flaky, scratchy face?

In my experience, plenty. I've whined about this before and I'll whine about it again: I don't like summer. It's sticky, it breaks my face out in heat and sun rashes, and it makes me sweat a lot. I'm a fussy-fussy-two-by-four and I hate sweating. I'd much rather be cuddled up in a sweater with a cup of hot cocoa in my hands and a layer of mega-rich cream on my face.

Because winter is not easy on the skin, especially if you're normal to dry all year round, I've decided to list my 10 favorite products for getting through the winter flawlessly.

The Skincare

1. Haus of Gloi Pumpkin Butters - There is nothing else like this thick, rich moisturizer when my body feels dry and itchy. Loaded with pumpkin oil and other skin-soothing ingredients, Haus of Gloi's pumpkin butter is one of the only body care products that keeps my skin smooth and soft during the winter. See full review here.

2. MAC Strobe Cream - MAC Strobe Cream is best known as a highlighter, but it's actually created to be, and marketed as, a lightweight moisturizer with light-reflecting properties. Of course, you can use it as a highlighter--I certainly do--but it also works great under makeup to add a glow to your face. Best of all, it's very affordable: a 1oz bottle is just $10! See more info here.

3. Neutrogena Norwegian Formula Hand Cream, fragrance free - My love, my baby, my wooblet. There are plenty of other hand creams I've enjoyed (L'occitane's wide selection comes to mind), but if my fingers are cracked and ashy, and I'm trying to get them back to square one? Nothing works as well as this drugstore gem. I also use it on the end of my nose after a sinus infection or cold to heal chapped skin.

4. Paula's Choice Resist Weekly Resurfacing Treatment - This is PC's most potent AHA exfoliator, with 10% glycolic acid. I've noticed a marked improvement in my skin's texture since I switched from physical to chemical exfoliants, and I'm in love with this thin, lightweight formulation. I use it once a week--usually on Friday nights--and wake up with noticeably softer, smoother, more even skin. More details in the upcoming Sample Rundown #4.

The Base Products

5. NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer - Now that my skin is behaving itself and the "tan" on my face is starting to fade, I can often get away with a spot of concealer and a dusting of powder. This new NARS concealer has quickly become a staple in my routine, thanks to its blendable medium coverage and creamy formula that sits beautifully on the skin. I love it so much that, when my makeup bag was stolen from me a few months back, I immediately rushed out and bought another tube.

6. Josie Maran Coconut Watercolor Cheek Gelee - How have I not written about these little wunderkinds before?! They're one of the newest additions to the Josie Maran line, and I'd argue that they're already cult classics. The lightweight gel-texture formula sits beautifully on even the driest cheeks, lasts for at least 6 hours, and is glowy enough to eliminate the need for highlighter.

7. Ecotools powder brush - My skin gets more sensitive in the winter, so I need the softest tools out there. The Ecotools powder brush tops that list: it's as soft and fluffy as a kitten's paw. It's also very, very affordable! I've had this particular brush for at least 5 years, and I've had zero problems with ferrule glue loosening or brush hairs falling out.

The Comfortable Colors

8. Urban Decay Revolution lipsticks - I wouldn't call any lipstick truly "moisturizing," but the Urban Decay Revolution lipsticks are about as close as you're going to get. These lipsticks sit comfortably on my lips, even when they're cracked or dry, and have decent staying power. As an added bonus, the color range is phenomenal. See full review here.

9. Anastasia Beverly Hills Dipbrow Pomade - I used to live in the Great White Frozen North, where strong winds would whip up the mountains of snow and fling them right in to your face. One of my biggest annoyances with this was how it wiped off my eye makeup. That's not a problem with Anastasia' new Dipbrow Pomade. Although the creamy formula has a slight learning curve, it's a dream once you get used to it thanks to the pigmentation and long wear time. This stuff lasts over 12 hours on my face, through wind, rain, and anything else Mother Nature throws at me. Full review coming soon.

10. NYX Butter Gloss - I'm not a gloss person, but if I was? I'd load up on these. At just $5 apiece, these glosses are just as buttery and smooth as the name suggests. They manage to stay on your lips without bleeding all over the place, but they're not especially sticky, which is quite a feat. And the color range? Phenomenal.

Beauty Sightings: RuPaul's Drag Race, season 5

Does this really need an introduction? Season 5 of RuPaul's Drag Race had some of my all-time favorite queens, including local** favorite Alaska Thunderfuck.

Cripes, I adore her.


The beauty sightings in this season were surprisingly ripe for the picking, although I have to admit that the sponsor brand, Color Evolution, is a bit of an unknown to me. As always, if you can identify a product, please leave a comment!

A blatantly obvious tube of Maybelline Great Lash. This is a super-popular drag mascara because it never dries out and it doesn't gunk up false lashes. Also, Doritos!

Jinx is using Kryolan eyebrow wax. You can also see some Ru Glue, and I think the white pot you can see is Dermablend. Thoughts?

A vanity shot.

The yellow bottle in the middle is a got2be hair product--it's probably the same bottle you see in the next picture. Also, love Coco's face here!

Duct tape and post-it notes abound all over the labels in Drag Race. But the picture, color, and bottle shape give this away as the got2be Glued Blasting Freeze Spray spray.

Jinx using a Sephora palette.

You can see several jars of Ben Nye powder here, most likely Neutral Set or Translucent. The pink hairspray bottle is Suave.

An Aussie product, Neutrogena makeup wipes, and a can of Coke. I think the nail polishes might be China Glaze, but I can't tell.

Ah, the brand blurring: for when duct tape ain't enough! Anybody recognize the products here?

I am LIVING for that neon pink!

Drag Race, honey boo boo child...ain't nobody here dumb enough to miss a bottle of AquaNet.

While you should never use makeup wipes as your only makeup removal/cleansing method, they're good for getting off really thick layers of paint. This makes them a drag queen staple.

Alyssa Edwards and Detox sparkly red China Glaze nail polishes.

10 points to anyone who can peg this concealer!

Pretty sure this is Kryolan TV Paint Stick.

Tons o' bottles and tubes!


** Alaska has moved to Los Angeles and is therefore, technically, not local anymore. But she's from Erie and she was a player in the Pittsburgh drag scene.

Cold Weather Hand Care, More Purged Stuff, and a FOTD

I'm never going to be a hand model. My fingers are bowed and knobby, I refuse to push back my cuticles, and I can't be arsed to file my nails in to similar shapes and lengths. But I have--after a year of skipping polish and pampering--decided to start taking care of my hands again. I'm not working at a grocery store anymore, so I can't use the inevitable cuts from sharp containers and broken nails from fast-moving canned goods to justify icky digits. I took good care of my hands when I was a teacher in North Dakota, and gaddammit, I'm gonna take good care of them while I'm teaching in Pennsylvania!

This is going to be a quick-and-dirty overview of my tool kit for soft, supple hands and professional-ish manicures. Bear in mind that I'm  not MASSIVELY in to nails, so all of the fancy tools used for removing cuticles and preventing specific nail problems aren't here. But if you're like me and you just want to get a decent at home manicure that's quick and long-lasting, these are the products for you!

Sunscreen is the first ingredient for better looking hands. Yes, I know, I'm annoying with the sunscreen, but it really DOES make a difference. I find that our hands tend to age faster than the rest of us, probably because we don't think to take extra care of them and because we use them so much. So if I'm going to be outside or near a window for more than 10 minutes, I rub some of my Shiseido Ultimate Sun Protection Lotion on to my face, neck, and hands. This should stave off hyper-pigmentation and wrinkles.

That initial sunscreen application can only do so much, however, if you're like me and you wash your hands constantly. I'm still looking for an affordable hand cream with SPF that I can keep in my bag; I'll be sure to update you all when I find one!

Speaking of constant hand washing, it's time to sing praises to Neutrogena Norwegian Formula Hand Cream. Oh my God, why haven't I tried this stuff before?! A dab'll do you if you just want a quick touch-up to smooth and sooth dry skin, or you can apply a slightly thicker layer and cover your hands with gloves for an overnight treatment. My hands have never gotten so soft so quickly. And that's saying something, because I'm openly addicted to sitting in front of a miniature space heater for hours on end. As an added bonus, this hand cream is super-cheap--I paid about $4 for my tube--and it helps with ragged cuticles.

Beyond moisturizing my nail beds and keeping my talons filed, I don't do much for my nails in the way of treatments. My nails don't grow super-long and they break easily; I've accepted that. But a product that has definitely made it easier for me to grow them out is Sally Hansen Hard as Nails. This has been my base coat for years! I always make sure to dab a little bit under my nails, too, if they're long enough to warrant it, and it absolutely prevents breakage. Once that dries, I apply one or two coats of whatever polish I want--I'm wearing Deborah Lippmann Naked in the header photograph--and a coat of Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat before the polish has a chance to fully dry. The Seche Vite stinks, and it gets too thick to use after you've gone through half of the bottle, but it dries completely in less than 5 minutes, so I'll never give the stuff up.

In other news, I've purged two more blushes from my collection: the undeniably beautiful Lancome Cosmopolitan Pink and NARS Cactus Flower. As gorgeous as they are, I just don't use them enough. I'm getting vicious!

Last, but not least, here's a FOTD from this past weekend that I almost forgot to upload. I was hanging out with my friends for their Alma Mater's Homecoming celebrations, and I...maybe...kinda...didn't cleanse this off properly at the end of the night? FORGIVE ME!

BASE: MAC Face & Body foundation in N1 + White, MAC Pressed Blot Powder, Kevyn Aucoin Sensual Skin Enhancer in Sx02, Skindinavia setting spray

EYES: Wet n' Wild Fergie primer, Shu Uemura Hard Formula brow pencil in Seal Brown, Benefit They're Real! mascara, Clinique Brush-On Cream Liner in True Black

CHEEKS: Kevyn Aucoin Creamy Moist Glow in Isadore

LIPS: Elizabeth Arden Lip Fix primer, MAC Satin lipstick in Betty Bright [LE]

Vanity: Sarah

Vanity: Lipsticking Vicariously Through Others

Sarah, Chemistry Ph.D Student

Makeup ended up becoming a way that I could feel good about myself when I was struggling with classes and exams in an environment that is made to make you realize that you are not as smart as you thought you were.  I found painting my face with all sorts of colors and textures to be relaxing and something in my life that I had control over.  In highschool, I was the stereotypical art student, but I gave it up in the pursuit of chemistry.  While I may no longer be covered in clay and paint on a daily bases, makeup allows me to create something every day.

    I love the transformation of both applying makeup as well as removing it.  When I come home from a long day in the lab, there is no better feeling than removing my makeup and washing my face.  (Tangent: I believe that everyone should remove their makeup every night, and just washing your face doesn’t cut it.)  I have a very minimal routine that works for my non-finicky skin.  I've been using the Neutrogena Makeup Removing Wipes for a few years now and they get the job done. Then I wash my face with Cetaphil Cleanser for Normal to Oily Skin. Last, I moisturize with Olay Sensitive Skin Beauty Fluid, which I've been using since I was in middle school. It's really the only product I've repurchased over and over.

 
 I've never used up a makeup product...I guess I should be ashamed of that, but I'm not. I've only really been using makeup for the past 3 years and don’t use the same products everyday.  I do feel guilty about some of my purchases, like the Guerlain Rouge G lipstick I've returned twice.  It’s a great lipstick, but I guess I just don’t think I can justify any $50 lipsticks.  We all have our limits, and it would seem that's mine. But I have spent over $50 on an Urban Decay eyeshadow palette with out a second thought, as it just seems a better value.




Most of my stash is made up of mid-end products with an equal smattering of high-end, indie, and drugstore goods.  I have to admit, I love packaging, and most drugstore packaging just isn’t as nice as high-end. But if a cheap product really is just as good as a high-end product (ie, Maybelline Color Tattoo cream shadows), all the better! 

I love eyeshadow, and I love to depot my eyeshadows (with sufficiently not-pretty packaging)--it's like craft time for adults with fire! I feel the compulsion to have all of the eyeshadow colors and textures that exist. While others may be content with only one shade of a color, I want them all...and I'll use every single one of them. Iironically, most of my wardrobe is black. One of my favorite brands for bright eyeshadow colors is Sugarpill.  They make super bright and saturated eyeshadows that are such a pleasure to work with. I've also hit pan on another favorite, NYX Highlight. It’s the perfect matte yellow browbone highlight for me.  I also use it as an “eraser” if my crease color has gotten out of hand or if I've gone too far past the edge of my eye with a color.

Duochromes are some of my staples, eyeshadows like MAC Club, Urban Decay Fishnet, and my favorite, Fyrinnae Rapunzel Had Extensions. I've also discovered an amazing color shifting gloss, LORAC Vivid; it’s my favorite gloss in my stash.  It a smooth gloss that doesn’t get sticky or funny after you've worn it for a while.

I really dislike repeating myself.  I hate to do the same look every day; to me, that’s just boring.  There is nothing that I won't try at least once. I feel like people tend to forget that it’s only makeup and can be easily washed off.  Colored brows, mega-winged liner, strange shades of blush...why not? I love to search the internet for images of dramatic editorial and “un-wearable” looks and find ways to incorporate them into the everyday. I'm the type of person who likes to play, and playing takes time. If I had an hour to do my makeup every morning, I would somehow find a way to fill that entire hour.

Realistically, I tend to have about 20 minutes where I spread all of my colors and palettes out on my living room floor (where I do my makeup daily, as it has natural light) and try and put something together. Most days, I do try to paint my face in a manner that won't get me “spoken to” by my adviser. This doesn't mean "just taupe eyeshadow," more not coming into work with those purple eyebrows.
 

 
 
I also love to sew and to knit.  I've sewn everything from apparel to costumes, corsets to quilts. I like knowing that no one else has the exact same item I've made.  There's a lot of pride that goes into sewing and knitting items that are higher quality than what you can purchase in a store.  One of my favorite sewing quotes is: “pressing can be the difference between home-made and hand-made.” 

Also, I collect stuffed purple hippos. :D

This project is greatly indebted to the Top Shelf section of IntoTheGloss.com, which was my inspiration, and to every beautiful person who participates. This article has been slightly modified for clarity and length.

Review: Neutrogena Healthy Skin Compact Makeup SPF55

Note: image from Drugstore.com

Sigh. I really don't want to do this.

It's not that I suddenly dislike writing reviews, because I've got a lot of opinions and I'll probably always love stating them in loud and obnoxious ways. But I like to do reviews with a mixture of positives and negatives, pointers for using a product, who this might work best for, etc...unfortunately, I can't say too many nice things about this product. It has a very high SPF and it's not the worst foundation I've ever tried--that's about as nice as I can get.

I was really excited to try this product, partially because it was a gift from Miss Scarlet Fairweather, partially because it was advertised as a comfortable, light-coverage cream foundation with excellent UV protection. I adore MAC F&B, but it can get a bit old having to wait for my sunscreen to sink in first, then blending two foundation shades together, THEN buffing it all in to my skin for a good 5 minutes. Sometimes I just wanna rush out the door, and I figured this foundation would be the key. And hey, I really loved the Neutrogena Healthy Skin liquid foundation in Natural Ivory 20! I only stopped wearing it because it looked bad in most photographs and didn't last as long as I needed it to.

This product looks so much worse, not just in pictures, but in real life. I think the only people who could really make this foundation work would be people with inordinately perfect skin (and hey, mine ain't that bad) that isn't oily or dry and has a bit of an orange cast to it. That's it.

Quick backtrack here. I received this foundation as a gift in the shade Classic Ivory 10. My experiences with the liquid foundation suggested that shades starting with an odd number (10, 30, 50, etc) were warmer, while shades starting with an even number (20, 40, 60, etc) were cooler. Sure enough, this shade looks like a light, creamy yellow in the compact, about NC15 in MAC terms. It's actually a decent compact; it comes with a sponge and a mirror, and it's pretty sturdy.

While the mirror is handy, the sponge certainly isn't: it's the worst way to apply this foundation, especially if you use it dry. Dampening the sponge helps a bit, but not much, and you'll still end up with too much product on your face. It applies a bit better if you rub it in with your fingers, but then you'll get pretty much zippo coverage. The best way to apply this foundation--and the way that I applied it in these pictures--is with a dense flat-top brush, like the ELF Studio powder brush. It blends the foundation as much as it can be blended (more on that later) and will actually give you some coverage.

Here are pictures of my skin after applying a layer of the Neutrogena Healthy Skin Compact foundation with the flat-top brush. Yes, I look horrible, and it's perfectly apt, because this foundation feels horrible. It's not necessarily heavy, but it's greasy to the touch and a complete pain to blend out, as it clings to any skin that's even remotely dry and slides right off of my oilier areas. You can't really layer it for more coverage, because...well, that would take forever, first of all, but even more importantly, it cakes up easily. As you can see in these pictures, it lightens up some of my small blemishes and freckles, but it certainly doesn't cover them; you'll need a really good concealer if you plan on using this product. It also as a bit of an orange cast to it--super flattering, yeah? To make matters worse, this foundation absolutely reeks of sunscreen, even after you've applied it.

The sunscreen smell isn't exactly a surprise. After all, this IS a high SPF product, and the listed ingredients are pretty much all sunscreens. And as a sunscreen, it's not too terrible. I took a half an hour walk wearing this product and no other sunscreen and didn't burn at all...but the very slight sweat on my face made it cake up even more, and I came home looking worse than before and feeling completely disgusting.

The last straw, for me, was trying to blend powder products on top of the foundation. It's basically impossible. I used a satin-ish blush today, and dear God, the amount of buffing I had to do JUST to make it look decent! It still isn't completely blended in to my cheeks. Even setting powders end up looking horrible, because this foundation stays slightly wet and just CLINGS to any dry substance that floats within a 6-inch radius of your face. (Yes, that includes cat hair.) The amount of work I had to do to make today's super-simple look passable is unacceptable.

My face today, only looking decent after ridiculous amounts of buffing and copious quantities of concealer.

Again, this isn't the worst foundation I've ever used. You can get a bit of coverage out of it, the sunscreen in it actually works, and it didn't make my sensitive skin break out. But did it make my skin look good? No. Did it last long? No. Was it easy to use, or did it provide such a beautiful effect that it was worth the extra effort? No. This is just an unflattering, unusable product that I can only see working on an Oompa-Loompa super model. I can't wait to get it off my face and toss it in the trash, because there is no way I'm donating this awful product to my sweet cousin or drag queen sisters.

Rating: 0 out of 5.

EDIT: just realized I never posted the swatch picture!