My Autumn Skincare Routine

Darker mornings (ugh). Rainy weather (yay). Rapid weather changes (ugh). Turning on the heat (… ugh?). There are lots of things about Autumn (or any change in season!) that can throw your skin, and body, and sinuses, into disarray.

A prime example: I spent all day Tuesday with itchy, watery eyes. Did you know Fall allergies exist? Well, apparently they do. One allergy pill later and I felt right as rain, but wow, what a surprise.

Another example: in two weeks, we have gone from summer (80+ degrees every day) to pouring rain (literally, 7 straight days of rain, rain, rain) to colder temperatures (it didn’t get over 45 degrees until 1pm the other day). Those rapid weather changes can do a number to just about everything in your life. Plus, turning on the heat can cause your home to get drier, which in turn can effect your skin.

That’s right: we’re talking about my favorite topic of all time. Skincare!

It’s been a minute since I posted about skincare. To be fully transparent, part of why I stopped posting so much beauty content was because: 1) it wasn’t popular here on the old blog or on Instagram and 2) I kind of fell out of love with skincare for a little while. It started to feel arduous rather than fun—and nothing is worse than when a hobby because a huge pain in the ass, am I right?

However, in the past few weeks, I’ve been getting back into it, slowly but surely. I wanted to share my new, improved skincare routine that is helping me survive these rapid weather changes and the new season. Let’s jump right in.

1. Morning cleanser: ItCosmetics Confidence in a Cleanser | Evening cleanser: Murad AHA/BHA Exfoliating Cleanser

I love ItCosmetics, but I didn’t realize they had a cleanser until recently. And baby—is this a cleanser or what! It smells like lemongrass and is super moisturizing. I use it after I oil cleanse (plain jojoba oil, then wiped with a reusable wipe) and I make sure to wash my face for 60 seconds total. (If you aren’t following the 60 second rule, get on it!) It makes my skin feel so soft and ready for the day.

In the evening, I typically either use ItCosmetics again or my Murad AHA/BHA exfoliating cleanser. I received the Murad cleanser in one of my Ipsy Glam Bag Plus (es?) bags, making the entire Glam Bag Plus experience worth it. (You can read that review here.) It is exfoliating, so I don’t use it every day, but I have noticed with all these weather changes, that my skin texture has been fart noise, you know. Every 2 or 3 days, I use this in the evening. As a note of warning, you shouldn’t use this in the morning because AHA/BHA can make your skin even more sensitive to the sun!

2. Morning toner: Pixi Glow Mist | Evening Toner: Peter Thomas Roth Peptide Peel Pads

I received the Pixie Glow Mist in another Glam Bag Plus (review here). I use it in the morning because I find have a bit of extra moisture helps me apply foundation or concealer, or whatever I’m wearing that day. Plus, it just smells good and feels decadent to put on a face mist.

In the evening, I use the Peter Thomas Roth Peptide Peel Pads. (I reviewed the entire Peter Thomas Roth Peptide collection here.) I repurchased these peel pads because I liked them so much; they definitely help with my skin’s texture and my acne, plus they’ve helped reduce my redness and acne scars. A win-win. They can be quite strong, so if I notice my skin feeling sensitive, I’ll skip them for a night and just use more Glow Mist.

3. Morning Moisturizer: Purlisse Blue Lotus Daily SPF 30 | Evening Moisturizer: Sunday Riley CEO Vitamin C Cream + Purlisse Watermelon Aqua Balm

All three of these are also from Ipsy, which really seems like a shill, doesn’t it? I swear it isn’t, but why waste product?

Everyone should be wearing an SPF 30 or HIGHER, applied in the morning. Period, I won’t be discussing it any further! I like this one from Purlisse because it isn’t too heavy and doesn’t leave a white cast on me. (I want to note here: I have no idea if this would leave a white cast on darker skin. I tried searching for some reviews, but can’t find anything. If you know or have used it, please let me know and I’ll update accordingly!)

At night, I mix a small dollop of the Sunday Riley CEO Vitamin C cream (still reeling that this costs $85 a pop!) with a squeeze of the Purlisse Watermelon Aqua Balm. I love how the CEO cream makes my skin feel, but it is so heavy; the aqua balm helps cut it a little bit and not leave me feeling disgusting.

4. Products I Might Use

Dr. Lipp Original Nipple Balm: It’s actually just lip balm, but honestly, you could use it on your nipples if you’re breastfeeding (or just feel like you need it, no shame). I use this for my extremely dry lips that I get whenever the season changes, the dry spots I get under my ears in the winter (it’s eczema, I know it is, please), and anything else that might call for it (like a sore nose from a cold). It’s unscented and lovely. I actually used all of the tube I received as a sample and bought another one. I’m very cheap, so that’s a testament to how much I like it.

Hello FAB Coconut Water Cream: I love moisturizers and this one is very, very light. If my skin is feeling sensitive, but not exactly dry, I like to use this one. It’s great for when I’m breaking out and don’t want to feel even more like a grease ball. It is a little expensive, but I feel like it’s worth it. (And if you can snag a sample from Ipsy, it’s even more worth it!)

NEOGEN White Truffle Oil Serum: When my skin needs a little extra TLC, oil is where it’s at! I use this before my moisturizer and let it dry for 10 minutes. It’s technically an oil, but it absorbs like a serum, so it won’t act like a sealant. I like to use this at least once a week, just for that little extra added boost.

IBOM Lemon Verbena Clay Mask: This is one of my favorite masks at the moment. It smells amazing and, like any good clay mask, helps suck all the impurities out of your skin. Oil, acne, whatever you need to purge, this mask is ready and waiting. It does have some exfoliating elements so I don’t use this when my skin is particularly dry or sensitive, and I rinse very gently.

There you have it! My skincare routine, start to finish, morning and evening. How do you switch up your routine in the Fall?

Beauty Review: I Tried Ipsy Glam Bag Plus So You Don't Have To

I waited patiently—anxiously, even—for this: I finally got off the waiting list for the Glam Bag Plus.

I’ve been an Ipsy Glam Bag subscriber for over a year now—probably 18 months total, minus a few months where I skipped or put my membership on hold. I have reviewed nearly every single Ipsy bag I received; I quite liked a lot of them, but started to find them boring in the last few months. (You can read all my Ipsy reviews here.)

When they announced the Glam Bag Plus, I immediately signed up for the waiting list; I knew I wanted to try it, even if $25 was a bit steep (compared to $10 a month that is!) Mostly, I just wanted to see what they would actually send.

The Glam Bag Plus is, like Boxy Charm, 5 full-size products every single month. The regular Glam Bag promises a mix of sample size, deluxe sample size, and full-size products. The full size products in the Glam Bag are usually masks or single eyeshadows. The Glam Bag Plus is $25; comparatively, Boxy Charm is $21 per month and seems to be primarily name brand products.

How does the Glam Bag Plus compare? Let’s see what I got in my first box.

(As a note, I did receive 2 bonus items that I received through trading in my points on Ipsy. I will include small reviews for them!)

If you’d like to try the Glam Bag Plus, you can sign up here.

1. Tula Major Glow Cooling & Brightening Sheet Masks, $26.25

Here’s an interesting note: these Tula masks usually come in a pack of 4. I received 3 (and the package says “pack of 3 masks”). Now, to me, if the standard pack includes 4 masks and this pack includes 3…. that’s not full size. I don’t know what size it is, but it’s not full size, that’s for sure. Already, that makes me highly suspicious about the “full size” aspect of this box! But I digress; a pack of 4 masks costs $35, making each one worth $8.75. That makes 3 worth $26.25.

The plus side of all this: I really like these masks! I love masks that are two pieces, because they tend to fit better. I also really like the hydrogel feel of these masks. It’s been pretty hot already this summer, so I like to pop them in the fridge and wear one in the evening while I watch TV.

2. Suva Beauty Hydra Liner in Grease & Six Twenty Brush Set, $26

This is interesting because this “item” is actually two items: a Six Twenty Brush (for eyeliner) and the Hydra Liner in the shade Grease (black). The brush is $12; the liner is $14. They might be sold as a set, but I can’t find that option on this brand’s website. So, I guess that’s pretty nice; it’s technically two full size items. Personally, a $12 brush is a bit much for me, especially as it is a teeny tiny liner brush.

This eyeliner is activated by a wet brush. It seems nice, but I haven’t gotten a chance to experiment with it a lot yet. I love winged eyeliner, but I personally prefer an all-in-one tool; it’s just easier for me, especially as I won’t have time to wash a brush every single day.

3. Tetrix x Ipsy Game On Eyeshadow Palette, $15

This is an interesting one: an eyeshadow palette specifically by Ipsy. Not any other brand, but… Ipsy.

This is a big of a rankle for me. To me, the point of this beauty subscription is to receive either indie brands or major brands… not Ipsy products. It’s like signing up for a beauty subscription and getting Target’s generic brand items in it. They’re great, but I can buy them for cheaper on my own.

As well, apparently there is a second palette that has colors I would much prefer.

I estimated this price at around $15. If I’ve being generous, that’s about $2.50 per eyeshadow (the cost of Ulta Beauty’s individual eyeshadows, for comparison). However, the full Tetris x Ipsy Collection retails for $158 total. Since this palette isn’t sold anywhere else, I have nowhere else to link to!

It is a fairly decent palette. I quite like the shade Game Day, which is foiled; Stack It Up is pretty and so are Block Party and Game Night. However, I don’t wear navy eyeshadow, so Game Over is a bit much; and orange eyeshadow makes me look ill. I’ll use a fair number of the shades so it’s not a total waste, but I am disappointed to receive essentially a generic palette. C’est la vie.

4. Tréstique Matte Color + Shiny Lip Balm Lip Crayon, $25

This one is actually pretty nice, if a bit gimmicky. In the picture on Ipsy, it looked like it was actually 3 products in one. But when it arrived, I realized the packaging is literally just shaped like a giant lip crayon with a smaller lip crayon inside and then the teeny tiniest little lip balm to ever exist. Both are quite nice; I like the color of the lip crayon and the lip balm feels nice. My only annoyance is that I have to carry around a giant lip crayon to use a little balm! The shade I received is: Belize Bordeaux & Grenache Balm. The pictures look absolutely nothing like the color it is. The website make it seems like a dusty rose pink; it’s more like… red wine. Burgundy.

5. Sunday Riley C.E.O. Vitamin C Rich Hydration Cream, $65

OK. OK. OK. Maybe… maybe it’s worth it just for this. An ENTIRE tub of Sunday Riley C.E.O. Vitamin C cream! I can’t! Miraculous! Marvelous! Extraordinary!

Am I being dramatic? Yes. But a tub of this alone costs $65. I can see why they perhaps cheaped out on the eyeshadow palettes and masks (I see you, Ipsy), because whew, $65!

This is one of those creams I’ve dreamed of trying but didn’t have the actual cash. I’m never going to drop $65 on just a moisturizer. Especially one that is all about Vitamin C.

Oh, have I mentioned? Vitamin C makes me break out. Bad. I’m still going to try this ($65!!!) But I don’t have my hopes up. In fact, my hopes are… low. I’m probably going to break out. But who knows? Maybe this will be the vitamin C cream of my dreams; I have heard excellent things about it.

A word on my points items! I received the Neogen White Truffle Oil Drops and the Billion Dollar Brows Eyebrow Brush. I love an oil on top of my moisturizer at night to help with my dehydrated skin and I am so far loving these oil drops. I’ve been meaning to get an eyebrow brush for ages, but just never got around to it; I like that this one is angled slightly and has both types of brush that I need. In total, I traded in like 1200 points for both of these and the brush alone is worth $16. Worth it.

Final Thoughts

In total, the value of this first box is… $157.25. Ok, DANG! That’s pretty good!

Let’s compare, however. If we review my “One Year of Ipsy” blog post here, we know that in July 2018 I received a bag that had a value of $93. That’s a difference of about $64. If a $10 Ipsy bag has the potential to be worth $93 (and that was a slight outlier of a bag; my lowest was a $45 value bag in October 2018). The average value of my Ipsy bags has been $65, which is pretty good for a $10 purchase.

Looking at it logically, of course a $25 box is going to have a higher value than a $10 bag; but I actually don’t feel like it has enough comparative value. In this first Glam Bag Plus, I only received one recognizable brand (Sunday Riley) and the value of that product greatly inflated the value of the bag. Remove the $65 cream and this Glam Bag Plus is only worth, wait for it, $92. So 4 products total is worth the exact same as a 5-product Ipsy bag that cost only $10. I feel like, again, this is a box of filler products with one extreme high end product thrown in to inflate the value.

However, that being said… despite my criticisms, I do quite like every thing I received. Was it worth the $25? Sure! I’m really happy with everything, even if I’m suspicious of it all as a whole.

If you’d like to try the Glam Bag Plus, you can sign up here.

Have you received the Glam Bag Plus? What did you think? What did you receive?