lavanila


Winter beauty must-haves for skin and hair

winter beauty skin care hair must haves

Winter beauty must-have’s from top left: Aveda hand cream / Revive eye cream / Elemis face cream / Colleen Rothschild retinol supreme / Revive neck cream / LaVanila body butter / Tan-Luxe body drops / Tan-Luxe face drops / Chanel fall nail polish / Bobbi Brown crushed lip color / Aveda scalp cleanser / Aveda shampoo / Aveda conditioner

Despite the fact that is technically still fall, I have already started my winter beauty routine. The fall season here in the San Francisco Bay Area is half summer, and half winter. We don’t really have an in-between. This means my summer beauty routine continues until the cold front hits in November; and we are here!

My skin takes a beating during the winter season, not from sun exposure, but from the dry, indoor climate. The furnace in my house, combined with heaters everywhere I go, are really good at drying out the air. This leaves the skin on my face and body desperately thirsty. In order to ensure I don’t become a prune during the winter season, I need to make sure I am using the right skin care products.

For my face, I have been using Revive’s neck cream since I was twenty-eight years old. You read that right! It has kept my neck in a perfect state; and I won’t use anything else on it! I have fallen in love Elemis’s face cream. It gives my face the perfect amount of moisture and balance. For my eyes, Revive has a fabulous eye cream which does wonders for reducing fine lines, and adding just the perfect amount of moisture. Colleen Rothchild’s retinal serum is perfect for keeping my skin balanced and youthful.

When it comes to my body, my skin is ghostly white and dries out easily. Thank goodness for Aveda hand cream and LaVanila body butter! They keep my body from drying and flaking off like snow! As for the white part, have you tried new Tan-Luxe? O-M-G! It is a gift from God! These fabulous drops add just the right amount of tan to my legs. They also have a version for the face which is perfect for adding some sun-kissed color back to my cheeks. Love it and can’t live without it!

Hair also takes a beating during the cold winter months. The heater dries out my hair like crazy! In addition to my hair, it dries out my scalp; which is super annoying! To combat dry scalp, I use Aveda Pramasana scalp cleanser which gets all that extra yuck off my scalp, leaving it squeaky clean; and not dry! Shampure shampoo and conditioner by Aveda are great for keeping my hair clean during the winter months. It keeps my hair from getting greasy without drying my scalp or ends. Love it!

Now you might be wondering why I included Chanel’s fall nail polish and Bobbi Brown’s lipstick in a skin care slash hair post. Well, I can’t leave home without wearing these two beauty products, so I just thought I would throw them into my seasonal skin care post. I hope you don’t mind. 🙂 This lipstick is great since it holds color well throughout the day without drying out the lips. I’m addicted to it! And. . .well. . .Chanel needs no explanation 😉

Which products are you using to combat winter dry skin and hair?

Thanks for stopping by!

XOXO

Cathy


LaVanila Body Butter review

lavanila body butter review

Pictured: body butter c/o LaVanila. Review of LaVanila Body Butter in fresh vanilla lemon

One of my favorite perfumes is LaVanila. When I found out they also made a body butter, I was thrilled! The fabulous thing about LaVanila’s products isn’t just the amazing scent offerings, it is the fact that their products are made from organic ingredients, and not harsh chemicals. Love that!

As a Mother of three, I care a little bit about what I put on my skin, but it is the skin of my children I care A LOT about. This means that I need to be extra careful with their skin since they are young, and what I do to their skin now will last a lifetime.

Summer is upon us, and living in Northern California means my kids will have plenty of outdoor time now, and throughout the summer months. Their skin will take a beating from sun, sticky sunblocks, chlorinated pools, the beach, and more. After they take a bath or shower, I want to be able to nourish their skin, and mine, with something free of harsh chemicals, and made from organic ingredients. I am so happy to be able to use LaVanila Body Butter on their skin!

Not only is the LaVanila Body Butter made from organic ingredients free of harsh chemicals, it actually works to hydrate skin; love that! We all end up with well-nourished skin after using it; especially after a day in the sun or the pool when our skin gets visibly dry.

I am quickly going through my LaVanila Body Butter in fresh vanilla lemon, so when I replace it, I want to try out one of the other scents. They all sound so good! I think vanilla coconut is calling my name to try next; doesn’t it sound perfect for summer!!

You can find LaVanila Body Butter online here. Which scent do you plan to get?


Top five classic spring fragrances

best spring perfumes

My top five classic fragrance from top left: Creed Spring Flower / Dolce Floral Drops c/o / LaVanila Vanilla Coconut c/o / Escada Turquoise Summer c/o / Bond No 9 Chinatown

Spring has sprung! This means it is time to think about which fragrances to wear in the warm spring months. So, I thought I would share with you my all-time top five classic spring fragrances from my collection; it also happens to be National Fragrance Day 😉

One of my favorite indulgences is fragrance. I love trying new scents, and adding new perfumes to my collection. Over time, I have found I always gravitate towards classic, seasonal fragrances which work for the weather, the occasion, and the outfit I am wearing.

The five spring fragrances pictured above are my top five picks for the spring season. I love these fragrances due to their complex fragrance experiences (with the exception of LaVanila, which is just a beautiful, two note perfume), their long lasting scents, high quality ingredients, and beautiful compositions.

LaVanila Vanilla Coconut is the perfect, everyday scent for the spring season. It has a warm vanilla base, which when combined with the coconut heart, creates the perfect, gourmand scent for the warmer weather. It is definitely my everyday go-to fragrance of the season!

Creed Spring Flower is serious business. It was Audrey Hepburn’s favorite perfume. It is a green floral which is ideal for warm, and hot weather. I love wearing it with dressier ensembles. Creed Spring Flower is great for evenings, and special occasions!

Dolce Floral Drops is such a pretty floral scent! It is my go-to fragrance on casual days when I am out and about. It is great to wear to fundraising luncheons, business meetings, and anytime you want a lighter floral fragrance in the spring. Love!

Escada Turquoise Summer is really a fabulous spring/summer scent. I love the combination of florals and woods. This is a great scent to wear to the beach, a backyard BBQ, a pool party, or a girl’s night out. It is a fun, and lighthearted fragrance. I love fun!!

Bond No 9 Chintown is my heaviest spring fragrance. Actually, I wear this scent throughout the year. It really transcends season. I chose to highlight it for spring because of the pink pepper top notes. There is something springy about pink pepper top notes! I love the spicy floral composition of this fragrance. It really cycles through different combinations of notes. If you like complex, heavier fragrances, this is the spring perfume for you! I reach for Chinatown when I am dressed up, or attending a formal event; but have found myself wearing it on random, casual occasions too. It is simply beautiful.

What are your favorite classic spring fragrances?

My top five classic spring fragrances: