Fab Five Fridays: Skin Care Emergency Edition!

My skin has gone absolutely haywire this past week: I had an allergic reaction to a lip balm {and now I have puffy, dry, irritated lips}, a bad reaction {though I don't think this was an allergy related} to some wax strips I used on my upper lip {don't judge me}, and some other general tomfoolery going on along my jawline. So I took some decisive action last night and went in to emergency mode with my skin care while the lil bits bathed. Some of these products I've used before and are sort of tried and true, others are new, so while I'm not quite ready to do a full review on them, I have to share, because this morning I woke up to a markedly improved complexion!


Because if my aforementioned skin issues, I haven't worn a full face of makeup all week, but yesterday I wanted to spruce up a little bit before going to the bus stop and to look semi presentable when the hubby got home. So I swiped on Rimmel's ScandalEyes 24 Hour Waterproof Shadow Stick in Bad Girl Bronze {which is steadily becoming a favorite of mine; sent for review}, lined my upper lid with Rimmel ScandalEyes Waterproof Kohl Kajal Liner in Black {sent for review; it's right on par with my HG Milani Liquid Eye Eye Liner}, and a coat of Smashbox Full Exposure Mascara. I soothed my poor lips with a Burt's Bees Ultra Conditioning Lip Balm and called it a day.

Now I'm not gonna lie, had I not put on that little bit of makeup, I probably would have just swiped my face with a cleansing cloth {currently, I'm using and loving Joey New York Quick Results Bye Bye Blackheads Cleansing Wipes, sent for review} , but the Rimmel products require something a little more heavy duty to remove. I wanted to use something gentle, yet effective to remove my makeup, and since I was a huge fan of the Melvita Rose Nectar Fresh Cleansing Milk, I decided to go ahead and try the Le Couvent Des Minimes Rinse-off Cleansing Cream with 3 Beneficial Roses {$17 from beautybar.com; sent for review}. It was light, soothing, and refreshing on my skin, non irritating to my eyes, yet removed every trace of eye makeup and grease and grime from my face. When I rinsed it off, my face felt soft, smooth, and clean-so I could've stopped there, but I decided to take a few extra steps.

I followed it up with Mama Mio's Clean Slate Cleanser, a wonderful, foaming, deep cleansing gel, in an effort to show the pesky blemishes on my skin who's boss. I then applied the delectably aromatic Montagne Jeunesse Hot Chocolate Self Heating Face Masque {sent for review} and left it on for 15 minutes {even though it sort of freaked out Kenzie and Lo kept telling me "that makeup doesn't match your skin mommy!"}. It was honestly a delightful experience for me; it smells of yummy chocolate and orange and warms pleasantly on your face once applied. It utilizes Mediterranean Clay to cleanse dirt and oils from deep within pores, so it was just what I needed to get to the root of my skin ailments.

But I didn't stop there! I then applied Skinetica Anti-Blemish & Super Toner {sent for review; available at http://www.skinetica.co.uk/}  all over my face with a cotton pad.  Skinetica is a unique new treatment for acne, spots, pimples and blemishes that does not use highly toxic chemicals {like benzoyl peroxide, salicylic acid etc}. It promises to give "significant results within 2-3 days of use – sometimes faster, giving an almost immediate clearer complexion with absolutely no side effects (dryness, redness, chapping, etc)." Honestly, from the results I saw this morning, I have to say that those promises held true!

Since I did all that deep cleaning and treating, I felt that I really needed to treat my skin to some deep hydration as well. So I pulled out one of my favorite facial products, L'Occitane's Angelica Instant Hydration Mask {sent for review; originally featured here}. It is a supremely refreshing, rinse-free gel that rehydrates skin in minutes. Though it is called a mask, I actually rub it into my skin and leave over night {I don't rinse it off} and without fail I wake up to fresh, plump and radiant skin.

Moral of this long story, my skin was straight trippin' yesterday, and this morning it is definitely on the road to recovery. I'll probably repeat this routine tonight {without the Hot Chocolate Mask}, and every night until my skin returns to some semblance of normalcy. It was honestly a lot of fun poking through my extensive stash of products to try and find something to help my situation! I think I definitely need to take the time to do that more often, so that I am more thoughtfully going through my products. What does your current skin care routine consist of? Do you switch it up when skin issues flare up? My inquiring mind wants to know! Leave a comment below and let me know what you think! Until next time...