Kris Empties - March 2016

Here are a few of the products I've finished off last month:

Sunday Riley Luna Sleeping Night Oil

I really enjoyed using this, and did repurchase another. Have put it on hold for now, for RF, but otherwise, this is a product I would probably continue to keep using. It did leave my skin feeling sticky, but by morning it made my skin feel very soft and smooth. A great product, and think this brand has a lot of other great items in their line to try.

Korean Shower Scrub
(New one pictured here)

Unfortunately I couldn't find a link to purchase, but these are generally found at a Korean market. I've used lots of different types and kinds, but this one is my favorite! It really leaves your skin feeling extra clean. The exfoliation strength on this shower towel stays pretty strong throughout, and doesn't seem to dull over time. Most of them tend to get softer with use, but I appreciate how this one stays pretty 'rough.' If you're not used to the feeling of a Korean scrub, you might want to try another one and build up your tolerance for the extra exfoliation this towel gives!

Tarte Precision Longwear Liner

It Cosmetics Brow Power

Physicians Formula Eye Booster

Let's start with the two eyeliners. I've already mentioned in a previous post that the PF Eye Booster is one of my 'go-to' favorites. So it should come as no surprise that I do prefer this one over the Tarte felt tip liner. In general I do prefer a brush liner over a felt tip, not to mention the PF liner comes at half the price (even more if you use drugstore coupons!). The Tarte liner was still pretty good, had good staying power, and I appreciated that it was very matte. However I found that the felt tip dried up very quickly and was hard to get a good liquid line in one swoop. 

The It Cosmetics Brow Power was good too, but probably prefer some other products which I'll cover in a later post.

Hope you enjoyed this post, until next time!

Rodan + Fields, Day 31

OK, so here I am one month later. I know there are lots of skeptics out there (myself included), when coming across a before/after photo. So I acknowledge that the lighting is absolutely different here, and of course the 'after' photo appears more soft focused and therefore lightens the imperfections. But as I look in the mirror in person and at my 'before' photo on my phone, I can definitely tell you that my freckles are a lot lighter now! 

Current observations of how my skin has changed in a month:

- Significantly smoother

- Less pore congestion around the nose

- Skin lightening/brightening - I actually was skeptical that this was doing anything to my freckles until I compared the photos today - very encouraging!

- No longer wearing any foundation or tinted moisturizer, have only needed to conceal one spot from a blemish from two weeks ago. Otherwise, just dusting skin off with translucent powder for mattifying effect.

- Have not experienced dryness or flakiness of skin. Possibly because I did follow the instructions closely and only increased usage when I was sure that my skin was reacting well to the products. 

Last night I began to incorporate the AMP MD, which is a micro-exfoliating roller that has all these tiny prickly hairs that you roll across the face. This is meant to improve skin texture, minimize pores, increase firmness, reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, etc. No real thoughts on that yet, but will definitely share after a few more weeks of usage.

Rodan + Fields, Day 8

Not much of an update here as I've only used this 4 mornings in the last 8 days. Today is Week 2, so ramping up to daily AM use!

What I have noticed so far is that my skin does feel smoother, most likely due to the exfoliating wash. The good thing so far is that I haven't experienced any skin irritation yet, still monitoring that to make sure that my skin is acclimating well.

I'll try to take side profile photos going forward so that the spots are more visible.

My Go-To Beauty Faves

We all have those days when we're rushing to get out the door, and need to get our faces on. It's in those moments that we go back to our tried and true, never fail products. We don't always have time to experiment with new looks, new eyeshadow combinations, new lippies. We need something fast, easy, fool-proof. Most of these products I've used and repurchased for years, so I know that these are my long time loves. These are my work horse favorites, my can't live withouts!

From left to right:

Coty Airspun Loose Face Powder: So cost effective, so much product, so classic. A great drugstore alternative to any high-end loose powder.

Benefit Rockateur Box Blush: Comes with it's own usable brush, it's the perfect color that goes with any look. Rosy and glowy, great with my go-to taupey eyeshadow look.

Too Faced Shadow Insurance: I've tried lots of different eyeshadow primers from Nars to Urban Decay to Lorac, etc. I love the thin yet effective consistency of the Too Faced version, and appreciate the sanitary nature of a squeeze out tube. One tube has lasted me at least a year, and oftentimes they go on sale or are included in eyeshadow palette sets.

Maybelline Color Tattoo in Bad to the Bronze: I am NEARLY done with this jar, and will definitely be repurchasing. It is a beautiful shade, and once it sets it is SET. I often use this as a base for most of my day-to-day eyeshadow looks, it helps lock all the pieces into place. I have a very oily eyelid base, so before discovering the magic of of eyeshadow primer/color tattoo combination, shadow and eyeliner were practically up in the crease by mid day. Not a good look. If you also have oily eyelids, I HIGHLY recommend using this combination because it will allow your eye makeup to last the entire day.

Wet N Wild Color Icon Eyeshadow, Nutty: For $1 you cannot beat this color. It is PERFECT for blending on and above the crease, is multi dimensional, and gorgeous topped over Bad to the Bronze.

Urban Decay 24-7 Glide-On Shadow Pencil, Rehab: This is my GO TO under eye shadow. It's the perfect shade for giving some definition to the lower lash line without being too stark or harsh or defined. I use this from the outer edge to about 3/4 in, leaving the inner tear duct bare. I love the thick line, it's the perfect density for under eye, with just a bit of gleam. And since it's a 24-7 pencil, it lasts all day. UD has since discontinued this product, but basically any taupey eyeshadow stick will do the trick. Laura Mercier Caviar Sticks, Mally Evercolow Shadow Sticks, or TarteCream Shadow Wands will product the same effect. Milani, Maybelline and L'oreal also have a similar chubby style budge-proof eyeliner worth checking out as well.

Laura Mercier Caviar Stick, Moonlight: I love this color in the tear duct, combined with the pencil above. Quick and easy to use, I pop on both of these pencils on my undereye and it just effortlessly completes the eye look!

Physicians Formula 2 in 1 Eye Booster, Original, Ultra Black: The brush tip, the opaqueness of color, the price, the longevity of wear. I usually pick up several of these when drug stores are doing a 40% off sale on this brand.

and finally

Nyx Butter Gloss, Peaches and Cream: A great dash and go lippie, neutral with a bit of color. Readily available at most drugstores.

What are your go-to, dash out the door favorites?

Kris Empties - Tarte Amazonian Clay BB Tinted Moisturizer

Can we all agree that there is no greater (beauty-related) feeling than emptying a cosmetics product?? I feel so accomplished when I've hit pan or gotten the last ounce of product out of a tube.

This morning I scraped out the last remains this moisturizer, and it felt so great! The timing is perfect, given that yesterday I just started a new skincare regimen. If you've read my previous post, then you know that I'm currently in Week 1 of the Reverse Regimen, and for now can only use it every other morning only. That means I can still use my existing skincare while I acclimate to the new products.

As I mentioned in that post, my existing skincare regimen is very detailed. So when I can combine light coverage + moisturizing in one step, it saves me both money and time. I usually rotate three tinted moisturizers/ BB creams (more on the other two later), and today I thought I would focus on this particular "empty."

What I love about this product is that the clay helps control the oil and also mattifies the skin. It doesn't produce a flat look, but looks healthy and keeps most of my shine at bay. I usually top this off with a light dusting of Coty Airspun Face Powder, occasionally blotting once in the afternoon.

KrisTIP: As you can see, I cut off a good portion of the tube to access what couldn't be squeezed out. By using this method, I was able to get at least two weeks of product out of the remainder of this tube - that could have been a terrible waste! With just three inexpensive products, you can get more out of your product, and also your money. There are lots of ways that people cut into their products, but this is just my preferred method after my own trial and error.


Using a pair of scissors, cut about all the way across, halfway down the tube. Then using a scraper such as this, scrape the product all the way down to the bottom. At this point you can either use a binder clip (which you can see in the photo), or use one of these toothpaste squeezers to keep the cut end of the tube clamped tight. To access the product, just remove the squeezer and use a cotton swab or that handy silicon scraper to dish out what you need. Re-clamp after use.

Do you love emptying products too? What do you do to get that last drop of product out of the container?

Rodan + Fields, Day 0

The main catalyst for me starting this up was actually to document my experience with Rodan + Fields. I recently purchased the Reverse Regimen through taking an online consultation quiz to see which regimen would address my skincare needs.

I have always been very good about taking care of my skin - my daily skincare routines would consist of differing morning and evening regimens - face wash, toner, serum, eye cream, moisturizer. Weekly masks. Every other day exfoliating. I was/am dedicated!

However, in the last year I've taken up a lot more hiking, and have noticed more freckles appearing on my face. Intrigued by a friend's before/after photos of using this skincare line, I decided to give this a go.

I'll be posting my weekly results, and for now thought I'd post my pre-R/F skin - aka DAY 0. My skin is generally normal-to oily, an oily t-zone with normal skin elsewhere, some enlarged pores on the nose and cheek area, as well as the chin. Freckles have started to appear in the cheek area, redness around the nose, as well as some hyper pigmentation on the cheek. Main concerns are congestion in the nose area, sunspots/freckles, and general prevention/slowing down of aging skin (I'm in my mid-30s).

The Reverse Regimen includes 4 steps: Exfoliating wash, Toner, Dual activating Serum, and SPF 50 Moisturizer. The system does require for your skin to acclimate so that you build up your tolerance for the products.
In Week 1, you only use the products every other day in the AM only.
Week 2, every day in the AM only
Week 3, every day AM, every other day PM
Week 4, every day both AM and PM

If any of you are interested in the line yourself, feel free to email me at emailkrispicks@gmail.com.

First inaugural post!

Thank you for visiting this page -

For me this is the start of something totally new:
to put in my two cents about what I think and have experienced with various products,
to have a voice,
to document skincare progress,
to have a place where I can archive my thoughts,
to say anything I want to say!

Stay tuned....

Kris