Winter Travel Skincare

When I packed (last-minute, of course) for Canada, I really had select what I consider to be winter essentials to cram into a teeny suitcase.

I recalled my spring break in New York and realized how fricking dry my skin gets in the chilly weather. So of course, my travel stash has a strong emphasis on moisture-retention and hydration.

Starting with cleansing, I chosen a cream cleanser, because cream cleansers are known to be richer than other face washes. I picked up Salma Hayek's Nuance Chamomile Facial Cream Cleanser in hopes that it won't overstrip my skin's oil, which is my body's natural way of maintaining moisture.

Next up is exfoliation. I find that daily exfoliation has a larger role in skin clarity for me than even cleansing. I have oily/combination skin and my skin regenerates quickly. I find that if I even skip a day or two of exfoliation, my skin gets scaly quick (especially my nose) from dead skin cell buildup and bam! Clogged pores galore. :(

If you live by daily exfoliation too, try to look for a gentle physical scrub, meaning fine grains. I'm
using up my St. Ives Green Tea Scrub, which works pretty well.

Before I left, I was sure that a hydrating serum would be my savior in the weeks to come. I was dead wrong.

Serums always end up costing more than the rest of my skincare, sometimes combined. Eeek! I always figured they were worth it. But sometimes, I wonder if serums are some sort of marketing ploy to convince us it was worth paying an obscene amount of money for a tiny bottle with a glass dropper.

There's a weird glorification of serums, and we expect some magical transformation from it like it's a potion from Harry Potter. I'm not saying serums don't work, but they aren't the ones doing your heavy lifting. It would be like saying toners clean better than face wash or that Garfunkel is more important than Simon. It's moisturizers FTW, baby.

I'm using Genie in a Bottle Hyaluronic Acid Moisture Serum. It's pretty cheap for a serum, only around $8 for a set of four 1-oz bottles and I got it in a BOGOF sale. Score. It offers a boost of hydration. But I'm fine if I hadn't brought it with me.

Before I left, I picked up a tube of German-made Nivea Creme to try because of the raves I read online, especially, Rae's. I was after an uber rich moisturizer that would work in sub-zero (seriously) conditions. The stuff I used in California just wasn't going to cut it. I'll write more about it soon but it's an amazing moisturizer. Because I'm traveling, it doubles as a day and night face cream. It keeps my wind-chapped face supple. My face is cold and numb here, but it sure ain't dry!

Most importantly, I brought sunscreen with me. Even though I only see the sun every three days (never thought I would miss it), I want to practice constant vigilance against sun damage wherever I go. Plus, the Badger SPF 30+ Baby Sunscreen is super rich and thus functions as an additional moisturizer. I would never use this in California, but it works perfectly here.

Lastly, I brought along an eye cream, because the skin around your eyes is extra delicate and prone to damage. I usually use anything my mom gives me. Currently I have RoC Retinol Correxion Eye Cream.

Sorry for my serum rant, I don't know what came over me, lol.

Do you have any skincare travel staples or recommendations? Your thoughts!

ByTowne Cinema

We went to this theater last night to watch Shame. Man, is that so not a date movie! Hope you all have had a wonderful weekend!

Where in the world is Angelica?

I have been MIA for a while (understatement) due to the usual reasons: grad applications, classes, stress over applications and classes, sigh.

At first, I thought I might be over blogging. But truthfully, I missed it terribly. When I went about my skincare routine, I thought about how I would write about the products I use. When I saw new stands at drugstores, I took pictures, but they stayed stagnant on my phone. :/ I love the makeup blogosphere and am eager to be a more active participant once again!

Here's a snapshot of my current daily life.

Isn't San Francisco just gorgeous!

Lol, I've actually been chilling (literally) in the Ottawa, Ontario region in eastern Canada. I have been here since Christmas Eve to spend some time with my partner and his family. I will be in Canada until mid-Janurary when school starts again.

Snowshoeing. The snow is soo fluffy! Like walking in cornstarch.

I'm trying to enjoy myself and just relax. Physicially being thousands of miles from school helps a bit. But I still need to work on some app stuff, so I still have to be on top of some school things!

Here's some snapshots of Canada (mostly food-related).

I'll be back very soon with more posts. I hope you have had a wonderful holiday! :D

Eastward Bound!

At this moment, I am sitting and typing in SFO, waiting for my flight to JFK at 10:30.

I am really sorry for my absence! I say this a lot, but this semester has been soo draining so far. Not a week passes without a test, group project, or long essay. :/ So this is why people don't take 19 units a semester!

My self-enforced beauty budget has been cutting down on the addiction. I might not buy anything, even if there's a great sale or the alluring words "limited edition". To be honest, a little of my interest has died. I see my many drawers of makeup and skincare unused (and maybe they will stay that way) and it makes me feel ashamed. Before my budget cap, I think I spent more on makeup than food! :o

But that's not to say I'm over makeup. I still love reading blogs and writing about it. I think my focus will be broader. I will start writing about older products that I have been using and already have. I am also interested in DIY and will blog about my attempts in formulating skincare. I would also like to make soap once a month and show it to y'all. Be kind, I'm an uber noob still! :)

I also started making over my mom and introducing her to cosmetics. At -redacted out of fear- years old, my mother still knows little about using makeup and skincare. I like helping her since I can unload some products I haven't been using and learn more about working on aging skin. Figuring out how to cover age spots, matching foundations and looking for primers to help with deep-set wrinkles have been new and exciting challenges for me. By teaching someone else how to use makeup, I'm actually getting better! :)

I'm glad to spending the week in NYC to unwind. I might do some hauling for Ben Nye and NYX, as it seems to be more plentiful there. Mostly I'll be chowing down on great food and trying to walk it off, lol. 

Any and all suggestion for activities, dining, or makeup shops etc. will be greatly appreciated! If anyone wants to meet up in NYC, I'm game. :)

Thanks and have a lovely week!

Mes vacances en Canada/My vacation in Canada

Your ever humble, ever sorry blogger is back!

It's been hectic these few weeks, getting back into the swing of school. I just wanted to do a writeup on my getaway in mid-August before I forget!

I spent two days in Toronto, two in Montreal, and one and a half in Quebec City, a day in St Thomas for a wedding and the rest near Ottawa, where my bf's family lives.