NOVEMBER BEAUTY FAVES

It is the best time of the month– sharing my November Favorites! I recap my fave beauty buys of the month plus some things I didn’t like (so you can save your money!) This month I share new skincare I have tried, game-changing makeup, and pain relief alternatives for PMS.

What I Loved!

Beauty

 

Becca Undereye Brightening Corrector | I have seen a lot of people recommending this, and with a ton of reviews on Sephora I decided to give it a try. My under eyes and eyelids are dark and have bags but they are also dry and can be textured with the wrong products. I chose the shade light medium and would probably try the light instead next time. I will consider exchanging this, but it has helped cancel out the purple tones and redness without looking cakey or drying under my concealer. I layer on this holy grail concealer and powder and it doesn’t look creasy, cakey, or dry! 😍🙌

 

 

Inkey List Vitamin C | after a fail with the Ordinary Vit C (which I mention below), I decided to give this a go during the Sephora sale. Vit C is a powerful antioxidant that is a necessity in any skincare routine to help brightness, diminish dullness, reduce signs of aging and give you that clear skin! It is a bit tacky on application, so I will reserve this for nights and alternate it with my Retinol routine. I haven’t had any sensitivity, overly tingly/itchy feeling which is great! Results the past few weeks have been good! My skin texture is even and I have avoided blemishes around that time of the month, which I am prone to. Woo! Keeping this in my routine!

 

Farmacy Honeymoon Glow | I picked this up as a set during the Sephora Sale and have only tried the Honeymoon Glow so far, stay tuned for my December Round-up for the review on the Honey Halo Ultra-Hydrating Ceramide Moisturizer and the Honey Potion Renewing Antioxidant Hydration Mask. I wanted to add this to my routine as I finish off my bottle of retinol. We will be trying for baby 3 in 2021 and retinol is a no-no for pregnant mamas! It has AHA/BHA, a chemical exfoliant to reduce signs of aging, discoloration, enlarged pores, and dullness. I’ve been using it for a couple of weeks every other night and it hasn’t triggered my sensitive skin. I wake up glowy in the mornings after using it, which is the same result as my retinol. That’s all I ask for! My pores do appear to be tighter too!

 

It Cosmetics Bye Bye Pores Set – I bought their line up on sale during their pre black Friday sale. My faves were the bronzer and blush! I got them as a kit, which also came with an illuminating finishing powder. That one is more like a highlight because it has shimmer. Don’t be like me and use it all over your face, or else you’ll feel like a sparkly vampire. Unless that’s your vibe! I especially love that the blush is pore blurring because I do have some texture and visible pores on my cheeks close to my nose. This definitely helps make them ALOT less visible! The bronzer blurred the faint fine lines I have on my upper forehead (no botox here, so I will take the extra help!) Also I loved their superhero mascara. I struggle finding mascara that isn’t waterproof that works for me because most breaks down and gives me bad panda eyes🐼. 

 

Yoni Soothing Balm | talked all about this in this IG post. I’ve been looking for a natural pain relief remedy for my monthly cramps, and my last cycle I went totally pain meds free thanks to this balm! I felt led to reduce my reliance on pain meds because it can be so hard on your liver, and even a bit addictive. I encourage you to do your own research on the lesser known side effects of super popular pain meds, as well as the alternative treatments powered by CBD. A little goes a long way in this jar so this should last me a year! I also have used it on my sore muscles and 🙌 Pick it up here and use code RACHELGERARD for $15 off! It is a seriously good gift idea for the ladies. For guys, they have a whole category on pain relief. I recommend this pain relief stick as a gift for the guy who has aches, stiffness, and tightness.

 

Rosé Toronto Organic Facial Oil | I had been in the market for a good facial oil to add to my nighttime routine and was not disappointed. Hydrating yet light and can even be worn as a primer! Use code RACHELGERARD for $15 off! I use this every night after all my skincare has absorbed and it does not make me greasy or oily. I wake up and my skin is so hydrated and soft!

 

 

nuud natural deodorant | the only natural deodorant I’ve tried that actually works… And I’ve tried alot. I am not making a dramatic statement!! I have tried Schmidt’s, Kopari, Arbonne, Toms, pit crystals (yup, you rub a crystal thing on your pits), glycolic acid on its own, and so many more over the years. Idk if its being postpartum x2, my hypothyroidism, or I am just one smelly mamacita… but most natural deo’s don’t work on me beyond a couple hours. The nuud deodorant lasts me ALL DAY. Yes, you still sweat because it is not an antiperspirant.. but I don’t stink. Tap through to read about the incredible ingredient they have that I have yet to see in other natural deo’s… and the proof is there. IT WORKS. A pea sized amount in the morning to each pit and you can rest east that you won’t have that dreaded B.O. stenching up your day.  This tube is small but mighty!

 

Ouai Super Dry Shampoo | I struggle with dry shampoo, for me it just gets greasier than I started by the end of the day and leaves my hair also looking ratty at the same time. But this is awesome.t adds thickness and texture to my hair if it’s gone a bit flat and limp. A little spray really does the trick. Bonus that it doesn’t dry my hair out, leave build up, or give my hair gross grungy texture (if you know what I mean, then you KNOW. Not cute!). I wash my hair ONCE a week (don’t worry, I still shower LOL) so finding a dry shampoo that can extend my wash time without making me feel gross is the BEST. I picked up the trio set because of the great value and figured I could gift the mini travel size to one of my sisters. But now… maybe I will keep it! Haha! jk.

 

Jaclyn Hill Palette | It took me way too long to jump on this bandwagon for the extremely popular cult fave eyeshadow palette collab between Morphe and beauty youtuber Jaclyn Hill. It has amazing color payoff, pigmentation, but also incredible application and easy blendability. Mattes, shimmers, satins, foils, and glitter. I love the range of neutral shades but also some fun pops of colour! Right now I am loving shadows Pooter, Pukey (yep, you read that right), Enlight, and basically any bronzey shimmer shade. If you have been waiting… now is the time to just GET IT.

 

It Cosmetics Serum Primer | On the hunt for a less expensive alternate to my fave Dior primer, I picked this up during the It Cosmetics sale. It claims an infusion with more than 50 beneficial ingredients to nurture your skin and lock in moisture as it prepares it for flawless makeup application. Honestly, the formula is GREAT. It absorbs quickly, hydrating without the greasy feel of typical primers.  Under makeup it minimizes the appearance of visible pores and without the product settling into lines and wrinkles. I am 30 now… so the texture and fine lines are real. Not just any primer will work (like it did in my 20’s, lol!). Its not AS smoothing on my nostril area as the Dior… but with the money I save I can live with how awesome it is everywhere else!

 

 

It Cosmetics Vitality Lip Flush Hydrating Gloss Stain | This is such a naturally pretty flush of color without ever feeling sticky or tacky! I got the shade Je Ne Sais Quoi, and was initially skeptical of how light of a pink shade it was. It was great over my lip pencil, but also amazing without! The colour takes a few minutes to really develop, IMO, and shows as this gorgeous cool pink flush. Its comparable to the Fenty gloss in Fu$$y but not glittery! The formula for this smooths your lips with essential butters and oils including shea butter, jojoba and avocado, plus anti-aging collagen, peptides and hyaluronic filling spheres. Even once the gloss fades, the stain gives your lips a nice colour the whole day long without reapplication and nice hydration that gives your pout that pillow-y soft look!

 

Products I Returned

Jouer Soft Focus + Set Powder | With so many stellar reviews of this self-proclaimed hydrating setting pressed powder, I thought I would branch out and try it. I’ve been burned in the past by powders and honestly hate using them, LOL. My skin has some really dry patches, and my under eye pulls dry and has texture that becomes SUPER obvious when powder is applied (and makes me look 10 years older. No shame in that…but I just want to look my age right now haha) The only exception is my Hourglass Setting Powder. Sadly, like all powders I’ve tried.. this Jouer powder made my under eye look dry and textured, even after a few different tries and approaches. Sticking to my Hourglass loose powder, it has not done me wrong!

Bite Beauty Micellar Foundation | I wanted to love this after seeing Samantha Ravndahl rave about this on YouTube earlier this year. Unfortunately this was just not compatible with my skin and didn’t give the look that I like. I’ll be sticking to my it Cosmetics cc cream, which is still my holy grail!

The Ordinary Vitamin C 20% | I have had great success with TO products and was excited to add this Vit C product to my routine. It was friendlier on my budget than the Ole Henrikson cream I had been using (which I do love!). My skin is a bit too sensitive for this very potent product, it made around my nose very itchy. I used it maybe a dozen or so times and just could not keep up with it because of that. So I switched this out for the Inkey List one, above!

 

Some things I ordered to try and share IN December!

– I will be trying the Magnetic Lashes and liner from Glamnetic. If you follow on IG you know I love my Amazon inexpensive magnetic lashes! Giving these a try for comparison and I will do a full video review and complementary blog post! I got some short and medium length ones so I’m excited to see if they’re worth the splurge!

– heated insoles for my Doc Martens. Docs aren’t built for the Canada cold winters… But I’m hoping the wool socks and heated insoles make it possible to rock them all winter! Might be my coolest Amazon find of the year!

– of course black Friday means clothing hauls 😚… I picked up some staples from Spanx, American Eagle, Knix, and Abercrombie. Including winter jackets!! Also eying up some Nordstrom rack winter waterproof boots and plan to do a round up of my top picks that are on major discount!

 

Join me on the ‘gram, where I share IRL in stories the products and finds as I test them out! I also share daily finds and deals!

Christmas is on the horizon.. have you checked out my gift guides? I have one for every person on your list!

 

Disclaimer: this post contains affiliate links. All opinions are my own and completely unbiased. If you buy something through my link you won’t pay a penny more, but I will get a small commission that helps keep me blogging and sharing my awesome finds with you all!