Happy winter! NOT. Last winter in Minnesota, we had a wonderful few months where it rarely dipped below 35-40 and didn’t snow very much. This year, however, karma got us back; it’s either bone-cold or snowing like crazy. I hate winter. Makeup makes me happy, so here’s what’s keeping my spirits up as the temp drops. 

Holy grail lip balm Malin + Goetz is the only thing I trust to keep my lipstick-wearing mouth moisturized. I put it on at night and it’s still there in the morning. I like (but not love) the Fresh Sugar lip balms too. 

Recently I have been experimenting with eye cream. I’m 25, I should probably start. I flip between Kiehl’s Avocado, BeneFit It’s Potent! and Armani Regenessence. 

For someone who has over 50 nail polishes (OK, who are we kidding. It’s closer to 70.) I have been using the same three over and over. Essie Lollipop is forever my favorite bright red. Stila’s Stay All Day liquid lipstick in Beso matches perfectly, and it REALLY stays all day. I put it on at 9 AM and was still wearing it 12 hours later. 

A recent bout of too-intense cleansing left my skin flaky and dry. My friend Tyra at Sephora recommended Clarins Cleansing Milk with Alpine Herbs as a more moisturizing option. I adore the creamy mint color and its silky texture. I like to use it alongside Clarins famous Beauty Flash Balm; I’m not really sure what it does exactly, but I always feel prettier and glowier when I use it. I love that the directions say DO NOT RUB IN. Well, I do. (Not pictured: my sample bottles of Clarins Blue Orchid Oil, which I love to smear all over my face like a mask.) 

I bought a great deal of the Marilyn Monroe MAC collection, for obvious reasons. One of my must-haves was the Beauty Powder, even though I’m still not exactly sure what beauty powder is. I like to swirl a big fluffy brush in it and sweep it all over my face. 

On a Walmart beauty supply trip (Psssst! dry shampoo, Am-Lactin lotion … things only found at Walmart lately) I spent a few minutes perusing Drew Barrymore’s new makeup line, Flower. It is ADORABLE. The nail polishes are beyond cute in a perfect palette, the mascara legit (I tried the Extreme Measures lengthening) and the lipsticks surprisingly great for $6.98. This one is Get to the Poinsettia. (They all have flower-theme names, to up the cuteness ante.) All of Flower’s products are made in the US. I would definitely recommend stopping at a Walmart and grabbing a few, because they’re only sold there. Say what you will about Walmart, but I LOVE Drew and am super intrigued by the rest of the Flower line. 

I rotate perfumes regularly; lately I have been using Serge Lutens hay-tobacco Chergui, Chanel No. 19, by Killian Black to Black and now, Chanel No. 5 Eau Premiere. Yeah, I decided on Eau Premiere vs. the real No. 5. It just felt right at the time,  and I really, really love it. Catching a whiff of it on my clothes at the end of the day is delightful. It feels appropriate in the winter and I know it will be even better in the springtime. 

(Other essentials as of late: It’s a 10 Leave-In, GHI flatiron, Dr. Dennis Gross Extra Strength Alpha-Beta Peel)

Yeah, yeah - I’m like three whole days late. I blame retail holiday season, which is, quite thankfully, OVER. Happy New Year! The above is my New Year’s Eve makeup look, featuring feather lashes from Sephora/Pantone and MAC Diva matte lipstick. Oh yeah, and I have bangs again.

The following products were my shining stars for 2012 - what were yours?

Favorite drugstore find: MAKEUP WIPES. Why did I never believe these were genius? You know when you come home wasted and are like, No way am I gonna even try to wash my face with SOAP AND WATER! That’s when the wipes are a particular godsend. Just be extra-good to your skin the next day! Runner up: Maybelline The Falsies mascara, which is a good “purse mascara.”

Best skincare discovery: It is a truth universally acknowledged that I have terrible skin. My skin was great in high school and when I turned 22, it went CRAZY. I’m still figuring it out. I am currently crediting Dr. Dennis Gross Alpha-Beta Extra-Strength peel for saving it at the moment. Runner up: Clarins Beauty Flash Balm

Hair product to die for: I’ve recently bleached my hair back to almost-platinum after being red, so it needs as much TLC as I can provide. I am loving the Carol’s Daughter monoi system because a) it works! and b) it smells DIVINE. Runner up: No. 4 Blow Dry Lotion.

Most-worn lipstick of the year: Forever and always MAC Ruby Woo. When we went to New York in July, that was the only color I brought along. Runner up: Armani Rouge d’Armani 400.

Favorite lipstick launch of the year: Stila’s new liquid lipstick actually stays on all day - it doesn’t claim to last 14 hours and then flake like a baby. I put it on at 9 AM and was still wearing bright red lips at 9 PM. Beso is the only one I own at the moment, but that will change. 

Fragrance obsession(s): Oh my lord … Shalimar Light/Eau Legere, Chanel No. 4 Eau de Parfum, Chanel No. 19, Frederic Malle Carnal Flower. I’m not even gonna link them all - I am growing steadily more and more obsessed with perfume, which will be a fun journey for you all to take along with me!

Amy’s pick: Givenchy Noir Couture 4 in 1 Mascara. ”I have like no lashes, but it makes me look like I do,” she says. She loves the cutting-edge brush and thickening, lengthening quality … I’m gonna see if I like it more than Lancome Hypnose Drama, my old faithful. 

When my dear friend Maritza isn’t taking pictures of her new kitten, Iman, or harassing me to apply for Nordstrom beauty copywriter jobs, she is doing what I do and thinking about makeup. Here’s what she would like to see under her Christmas tree (Maritza, do you have a tree?) this year.

Clarisonic Opal  Right now the only at-home eye treatments I do are the old fashioned cucumber on the eye trick (which is totally legit, by the way) and an occasional mask.  

Black Soap from Blackbird. Blackbird is one of the best men’s boutiques in the nation and it just so happens to be in my backyard. (Editor’s note: She lives in Seattle.) Their apothecary makes me swoon.  I love to try new soaps and this one has mint, olive oil and charcoal—all great for the skin.  It also has cedar chips, so I bet it smells slightly masculine and fresh.  A recent GQ feature on the black soap has wiped out their stash. so I’ll be stalking their website for the next few weeks.

Koh Gen Do Botanical Essence Bath Powder Walkan Herbal Blend. I’ll just let the ingredient list do the talking: lavender, rosemary and clover, shea butter, sea water, jojoba oil. Aaahhhh.

Dior Grand Bal Collection Dior always has the most beautiful holiday makeup collections and this year’s collection does not disappoint.  I love the vintage packaging.  I think my favorites are the Diva nail polish and Shantung red lipstick.  

Phillip Lim ‘31 MInute Cosmetic Zip.  I’ll be flying home for Christmas this year and I would love to put my essentials this chic little travel case—take note, friends! 

For some reason, I really enjoy living out of my purse. I seem to have such an attachment to my favorite things that cramming them into a relatively small bag feels necessary. I mean, who knows where I’ll end up on any given day? Now, I don’t lug all of these around 24/7, but these are (most) of my “holy grail” products, AKA things I constantly buy and re-buy because they are so awesome.

1. Thierry Mugler Angel. This was my signature scent when I was 21 and I’ve fallen back in love with it this fall. I like my perfumes to make an entrance and Angel definitely does that. I had a man tell me, “I smelled your perfume before I saw you,” which I think is all kinds of awesome. Angel is not for everybody, but strippers love it and that’s endorsement enough for me. (If I had to narrow my collection down to three bottles I’d choose Angel, Frederic Malle Carnal Flower and Shalimar Eau Legere or Bobbi Brown Beach.)

2.  MAC Ruby Woo. I’m on my third tube of this perfect ultra-matte bright cherry red. Ultimate favorite lipstick of all time.

3. Lancome Hypnose Drama. My love of Lancome mascara comes via my mother and though we both like to try other brands, none compare to the best of the biz. I always go back to Hypnose Drama for its mad lengthening skills. (FYI: Hypnose Star straight-up sucks.)

4. Butter London Come to Bed Red. Even though I have 100+ nail polishes, I really love a good bright red. This one is basically perfect.

5. Amlactin. You know those stupid little red bumps you get on your arms? This erases those in one night. I’m not kidding! It must be made by the gods. 

6. Malin & Goetz lip moisturizer. If you wear as much lipstick as I do (all waking hours), your lips can’t be all flaky and nasty. If you live in Minnesota and the winters blow, it takes a toll on your lips too. How sad! I converted all of my coworkers to this amazing stuff. Put it on at night and you’ll have a gorgeous mouth when you wake up.

7. Clinique Even Better foundation. Though I love Boscia’s BB Cream in the summer when my skin looks tan and pretty, I need foundation in the colder months. I like to flirt around with others but this one is a mainstay. It really does fade dark spots after several weeks of continuous wear.

8. Aveda Be Curly. My hair is naturally wavy, but it doesn’t always look perfect when left to its own devices. This enhances my curl and beats down stupid unruly frizzies, making my hair look way sexier than it is.

Honorable mentions: Arcona Problem Skin kit, MAC Fluidline gel liner in Blacktrack, MAC Kohl in Teddy, Urban Decay NAKED I palette, Essie Bahama Mama polish

Granted we haven’t had a winter on par with the hell on earth that was last year, but winter still sucks. It sucks to drive, it sucks to wear Uggs (OK, it sucks 50% of the time) and it sucks the life out of my skin. I’ve been battling with the cold and dry weather and believe me, working retail does not help the cause. Here’s how I’ve been fighting stupid old winter.

Lac-Hydrin Five AHA lotion. ($15 at CVS) Since I have KP (keratosis pilaris, aka those tiny red bumps on my arms), I’ve been using Lac-Hydrin/any version of Lac-Hydrin faithfully for about two years and it’s the only thing that has ever worked. During the winter, I mix it with oil (see below) after I bathe/shower and slather it all over. In the summer, it’s only necessary for me to use this wonderful gem on my arms.

Palmer’s Cocoa Butter Body Oil ($5 at drugstores) Generally I pour Trader Joe’s Vitamin E Oil in my baths, but I’m fresh out. (That being said, it’s awesome and please, add it to your repertoire. It erases scars too!) I grabbed Palmer’s Oil on a whim on a Walmart beauty supply spree and have been adding it to baths and body since. It smells kind of chocolaty, which is why I only use it at night. I’m a girl, not a dessert.

Malin & Goetz lip balm ($12) THE GREATEST AND BEST LIP BALM EVER. I promise. Cough up the $12 and buy it.

By Elizabeth Dehn Shea Butter (discontinued) You can’t get it anymore, sorry, but I’ve got enough to last me a few years since all you need is a tiny tab. My cuticles and rough heels love this stuff.

For Working Hands balm (HOME DEPOT) I wrote about this last year - it was the only thing that saved my split skin on my poor, tired shopgirl hands. Thanks to my mother for discovering it. It works just as well on my dad’s farm hands as it does on mine. 

What a sweet gift! This pretty package arrived a few weeks ago from the lovely ladies at Kiehl’s Nordstrom MOA and duh, I love pretty packages. (Almost as much as I love Instagram. SORRY. Instagram makes my life look so nice!) 

I am a big Kiehl’s girl. The $7 lip balm in those cute little squeeze tubes? Love them, and I finally broke my mama of her Blistex habit (bad!) with them. I lost two tubs of the Olive Fruit Oil conditioner to my mother and baby brother and I like to give the aforementioned product stealers the Imperial Body Balm (mama) and Ultimate Man bar (bro) as gifts. 

I have long been interested in the idea of eye cream and I’ve definitely dabbled, but I haven’t really decided if I need one. I guess being 24, I probably do, so right now I’m using the legendary Creamy Eye Treatment (when I remember, anyway.) It’s made with avocado and looks so lovely and pea green and feels deliciously creamy.

What I’m REALLY loving, which comes as a complete surprise to my picky ass, is the Amino Acid shampoo and conditioner. We all know the sob story that comes from being post-platinum. My hair is kind of a mess right now, but it’s trying. The Amino Acid duo, which are full of my beauty love coconut oil, actually make it feel soft. For me with my coarse horse hair, that is absolutely HUGE. I’m buying these in full-size.

I love face sprays. I think I own five - they’re especially great in the summer when it’s hot as balls and you need a pick-me-up/your makeup is globbing all over your sweaty face. The Acai Damage-Protecting Toning Mist promises to protect against free radicals and all the bad things floating away in the air just waiting to get all up in your pores … I just really like to spritz it all over. I’m a child.

A few more items that have made their way onto my beauty wishlist.

Kerastase Elixir Ultime - When I went brunette last winter, I bit the bullet and bought a bottle of this (it’s about $50) blend of three oils to help nourish my hair. I’ve been using it steadily since going back to blonde - and I went PLATINUM blonde, which is way more harsh to your hair. I’m not sure that it’s working miracles, but my bottle is almost gone and I’m kind of afraid what my hair’s going to do without it. It smells good too; not as good as Moroccan Oil, but that dried my hair out. Santa could slip this in my stocking … or a bottle or two of the It’s a 10 leave-in.

Rescue Beauty Lounge polish - This is the best nail polish ever, bar none. It’s $18 a pop, which is kind of nuts, but I’ve been lucky enough to score them during the yearly 50% off VIP events. (I used to skip class for it, I was that dedicated.) Chinoise is my favorite red polish of all time; I wish it came in coordinating lipstick. But there wasn’t a big sale this year, so I’m forced to add a few to my Xmas list. I got my mom into RBL too - the only polish she’ll ever wear is their Coral and she’s getting two bottles from me this Christmas. This year, Santa/Mommy, I’d like Grunge, Bruised and Opaque Nude. 

Arcona “Problem Skin” Five - Arcona is skincare you dream of and yearn for. Mommy bought me the five-step “problem skin” set on Black Friday, when the whole kit & caboodle went 40% off. It’s still expensive, but I’ve used it for two days and honestly, 100% honestly, I am madly in love. The Cranberry Gommage scrub alone is worth its weight in gold. I feel like a whole new girl when I use it. Detailed review to come after a few weeks. 

Diptyque Tubereuse candle - Merry Christmas to me, from me! I bought the $28 mini at Nordstrom. Diptyque, Voluspa, Illume - I love me a fancy candle. 

I’m not going to apologize for my lack of posting lately. Let’s just be happy that I’m back - and hopefully, finally to stay!

I’m 75% done with my holiday shopping, which most definitely means I can buy myself a gift or two, right? Obviously my utmost wants & wishes are beauty related - here’s what I’d like to see under my (imaginary) tree.

La Mer The Concentrate - At $275+, this is a total wish. I’ll never ever get to call La Mer The Concentrate my own, unless my student loans just magically disappear into thin air. (THAT’S my Christmas wish, Santa.) But oh is it heavenly. I can’t even describe how pleased and swoony I feel when I get a sample to use for a day or two. My bad, temperamental skin is in love with this stuff.

Caudalie Beauty Elixir - I am obsessed with face sprays! (Currently I’m alternating between By Elizabeth Dehn, Wyndmere and All Nighter, Urban Decay’s makeup setting spray.) I think Caudalie’s version will make its way into my Sephora cart very soon - it’s just $16 and if supermodels are using it, I should be too. It’s half-toner and half-serum and just the thing for a little spritz during a manic Saturday at the MOA.

Cartier Baiser Vole - Lily perfume. ALL lily. Florals are not my thing; I belong to the spicy/sexy/warm/oriental/gourmand perfume camp judging from the fragrances I use (Prada Candy, Angel, YSL Elle, Prada, Shalimar), but I fell hard for this elegantly feminine green floral when I smelled it last fall. I think this is my Spring-Summer 2012 fragrance. Plus the bottle! I mean, just look at it! The lid flips up like a Zippo!

NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencils - I’ll take Damned, Cruella, Red Square and Dragon Girl, please. I don’t know how I resisted Dragon Girl for so long - it’s my third or fourth favorite red of all time. Besides the fact that you have to sharpen them with a special NARS sharpener, these things are my new lipstick jam. It’s like a lipliner AND lipstick (matte, of course) in one. Obsessed.

You’re like, OMG Kara, what IS that? It looks like some weird granola bar, but it’s not. It’s soap. African Black Soap to be exact, and it is the greatest skincare discovery in the history of my life. The soap, which I purchased via Amazon and paid about $15 for a huge pound of, has changed my skin. I’m not kidding. I use it day and night (occasionally with the Clarisonic) and wake up glowing. I have terrible skin, but the African Black Soap is turning it around like an angel from heaven. Essential.

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