Hello my name is Katie and I'm a product "whore"

I will be the first person to admit that I am somewhat of a beauty product "whore".  My friends know this to be true as well, and  a good friend of mine asked me to send her my go-to face routine.  I made it a show-and-tell over multiple texts for her.  I hope she likes my suggestions.   Skin care products are something that I get very excited about and love to talk about so I'm going to share some of current favorites and go-to's for your viewing pleasure!

Favourite cleanser at the moment

Old faithfuls, and what I like to call the daily holy trinity

Followed by the ALL IMPORTANT SUNSCREEN

Here are some go-to's I like to use in between my regular facials as needed.  This also helps to extend the visible benefits of my regular facials.  

Is your skin a bit dull and dry?

FHF Pajama Paste soothing active yogurt mask 

Is your skin feeling congested after a bit of "not-so-clean" living?

Boscia luminizing black mask

Is your skin in need of a boost in the overall tone and appearance?

Boscia bright white mask

One of my skin struggles is with tone and even pigmentation and this helps to reduce my redness and really brighten up the overall appearance of my skin

Products with glycolic acid (which is an alpha hydroxyl acid) helps to remove dead skin cells, unclog pores and leave skin feeling softer and smoother. However, it can leave your skin a little sensitive at first and you have to stay out of the sun when using this. I usually get a mild peel with my full facial so I don't use this about four days before going in (too much of a good thing.....) 

I have a daytime and nighttime duo that I like 

Daytime: kiehl's ultra facial cream 

Nighttime: epicuren glycolic lotion skin peel 

Sometimes I use one, sometimes both, but I never use them more than 2-3 times one week. Then I'll take a week "off".  

You may be reading this and think this chic is a product "whore-der".  The jury is still out on that one. So just pick one or two and see how they work for you.  

And that's all I have to say about that...for now 

Ummm, I don't camp........

This past weekend was a long weekend here in Auckland.  Monday was a day called Auckland Anniversary Day.   Friday my husband got a call from his BF and in the span of an hour we were packed and on our way to somewhere on the Coromandel peninsula. The convo between the two of them went something like this, Hubbie: "Do we to bring anything?", BF: "No, we have everything." Hubbie: "Do we have a place to stay, " BF: " I have booked you a cabin."   famous last words........

Upon arrival to the campground (did i mention I don't camp) I was informed that our accommodation for the night was the cabin of BF's boat.......hmmmmm (did I mention I don't camp).

So time to harden up buttercup, and I decided to smile and make the best of it.   After all, let's be honest I'm already a bit of a stand out as the only American in the group (as always) and don't want to add to that "prima Donna with a bad attitude"...however tempting it might be. 

So over the weekend we found a winery, saw a few beaches, spent some time on a fishing boat (did I mention I don't fish), attempted to drive the boat and stretched the limits of my comfort zone (a lot).  As the great Elizabeth Taylor once said, "I poured myself a drink, put on my lipstick and pulled myself together."  While I'm not signing up for camping any time soon, no actually, EVER again, sometimes life puts me in situations to teach me something. Maybe my hubbie needed some time on the boat to destress after a hard couple of weeks at work.  Maybe I needed to be reminded that it's not always about me.   Perhaps it was just to confirm the fact that camping and fishing are not on the top of my list for vacation ideas, lol.  I was certainly reminded that I like comfort, nice sheets, a hot shower, etc. and for that I will never apologize.  

I did manage to get some cool pics-enjoy! 

One glass for each child I spent the day with :)