My Skincare Routine!

If you have combination or oily skin like me, then this routine will best suit those who have a similar skin type as myself. Many of the products I use are intended for combination to oily skin, so they won’t be necessarily helpful to those that have dry skin.

My skincare routine is pretty simple, but I’ve decided to break it down into two sections: Morning and Night.

Morning

Having oily skin means that I absolutely CANNOT skip washing my face in the morning, as I often wake up with an oil slick all over my face. I know most people prefer to use cold water in the morning to wake themselves up, however, I actually need to use hot water in the mornings to wash my face in order to break down the oils. Another thing that I absolutely cannot do without is facial cleansers!

Here are some of my faves:

Purity by Philosophy

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Burt’s Bees Radiance Facial Cleanser

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Clean & Clear Morning Energy Cleanser

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After washing my face I apply Smashbox’s Photofinish Primer under my eyes to keep that area hydrated throughout the day. I also apply a thin layer of Perfectly Posh’s My Hero sunscreen before applying makeup. And that’s it. No moisturizers, or any other creams or serums, as my skin is too oily and any sort of cream will either increase my oiliness levels or break me out.

Night

I always – always – remove my makeup before hitting the sack. It doesn’t matter how tired I am, or how late I return home, I JUST DO IT. Falling asleep in your makeup is one of the worst things you can do to your skin! Not only will it clog your pores and be the breeding ground for breakouts, but it’ll also cause pre-mature wrinkles! So ladies, if you value your skin, REMOVE THE MAKEUP before bed.

My go-to makeup remover for the past fifteen years or so has been Olay’s Daily Deeply Clean 4-in-1 Water Activated Cleansing Face Cloths (33-ct. $14.19 on amazon.com). Now, there may be some better removers out there, but I’ve been happy with these for so long that I’m not really itching to change it up. But if you have any suggestions, leave them to me in the comments!

Now, once I’m done removing my makeup I use a toner. My currents faves are:

Thayer’s Alcohol-free Rose Petal Witch Hazel with Aloe Vera Toner ($7.99 on amazon.com)

rose water

Everyone Face For Every Day Tone ($4.79 on amazon.com)

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Tip: When choosing a toner, opt for alcohol-free, as any of the toners that contain a high alcohol content or smell like rubbing alcohol will dry out your skin.

After toner I apply an anti-acne cream (my favourite for years has been Neutrogena Rapid Clear Stubborn Acne Spot Cream).

Once I’m done applying a thin later of that, I’ll use top it off with a thin layer of either Clinique’s Even Better Spot Serum (I love this because it moisturizers without being greasy AND it helps eliminate any past acne scars or dark spots) or a thin layer of Isabis Formulae Vitamin C with Vitamin A & E Serum (available on amazon.com for $25.97). I’ll usually use the Vitamin C serum more often when my skin looks like it’s about to breakout, or during moments when I know it’s more prone to breakout (like when I’m getting closer to my period) as this serum is a MIRACLEWORKER when it comes to keeping your skin not only incredibly smooth and soft, but pimple-free!

Last, but not least, I use an eye cream. I’m always changing these up (you can check out some of my favourite eye creams here). At the moment I’m currently using Honest Beauty The Younger Eye Cream ($28 at Target) and so far I’m satisfied with how it leaves my undereye feeling incredibly hydrated and smooth.

This pretty much sums up my skincare routine. It’s nothing too complex but works for me.

What are some of your skincare rituals?

By: Azzurra Nox

Review: KISS Polish Pop

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Remember when a few years ago when Sally Hansen came out with their Salon Effects Real Nail Polish Strips? Well, these are essentially more or less the same thing. At the time, I LOVED the Sally Hansen Strips cause they truly lasted a very long time (for me about a month) and there was no wait time (I can’t tell you how much I detest having to wait the 30 minutes to dry my nails!). I don’t know if the Sally Hansen Strips have been discontinued, but I haven’t seen them around so when I saw these at the shop the other day I knew I needed to try these out.

What It Is: Nail Polish Strips

Verdict: The design is gorgeous, and the application was simple, HOWEVER, I applied the strips around 3PM by 7PM I had one strip literally jump off of my nail, and by the end of the night 3 had fallen off. Also, each packet comes with only 8 strips, meaning that you need to buy 2 packs in order to complete both hands. I guess the plus side of purchasing two packs was that I had extras to apply on the fingers where the strips had fallen off. I applied these on Saturday and today’s Monday, and since the new strips there haven’t been any other strips coming loose, so we’ll see how it goes. Would I repurchase? I can’t state this now, but for me to actually consider to repurchase these they should be able to last about two weeks (that’s the length I’m capable of keeping nail varnish on whenever I put it on for) seeing that the price of two packs was almost the price of a whole nail varnish bottle.

Price: 3.82 per pack

Where To Buy It: https://www.walmart.com

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Left Hand

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Right Hand

By: Azzurra Nox

2018 Goals

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Happy New Year, peeps! This week I’ve read so many posts on New Year’s Resolutions. Usually I don’t do resolutions because I feel like if there’s a change that needs to be made then you should change it asap, and not wait till New Year’s Day. However, I do believe in setting goals for the year, and here are a few of mine:

Writing

  • Publish a collection of poetry
  • Complete my novel Wicked Game
  • Write a screenplay
  • Participate in Pitch Wars in August
  • Stick to a consistent blogging schedule (I update my blog twice a week but not always on the same days so I’m going to try to pick 2 days during the week and stick to those only)

Beauty

  • Try new eyeshadow or eyeliner colours
  • Sleep more

Reading

  • I plan to read 40 books in 2018. Last year my goal was for 24 and I ended up reading 39.

What are some of your goals for 2018?

By: Azzurra Nox

My Life In Books: All The Books I Read In 2017

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The Hellbound Heart by Clive Barker – This is the novella that later inspired the movie Hellraiser. Chilling and dark.
The Wicked Girls by Alex Marwood – Two eleven-years old girls meet one fateful summer day and by the end of the day, both girls are charged of murder for the death of a younger girl. Twenty-five years later their paths cross again in the most unexpected ways.
Revenge: Eleven Dark Tales by Yoko Ogawa – Truly dark and macabre short stories that will continue to haunt you after the last page.
The Merciless by Danielle Vega – The Exorcist meets the Mean Girls. Disturbing for those that don’t like gore.
The Merciless II by Danielle Vega – Sequel to The Merciless. More exorcisms and gore. Not as compelling as the first.
Pet Sematary by Stephen King – The nearby woods holds a chilling secret about an ancient Indian burial ground and the powers found there that are much more of a curse than a blessing.
Our Chemical Hearts by Krystal Sutherland – Henry has never fallen in love till he meets Grace, a girl who walks with a cane wears men’s clothes and hides a dark and painful secret.
The Moth Diaries by Rachel Klein – A girl is convinced the new girl Ernessa is a vampire. Is it true, or is she simply losing grip of reality?
Whatever Happened To Baby Jane? By Henry Farrell – A has-been former child star Baby Jane lives with her disabled movie star sister, Blanche. Things begin to escalate when Blanche decides to sell their Hollywood home, unleashing Jane’s cruel streak.
Whatever Happened to Cousin Charlotte? By Henry Farrell – A southern belle refuses to leave her manor where a hideous murder took place years ago.
Hotel Iris by Yoko Ogawa – A young girl begins an illicit relationship with an aging translator.
Survive the Night by Danielle Vega – A rave turns into a nightmare for three friends who go out for a night of fun.
How To Hang A Witch by Adriana Mather – The Crucible meets Mean Girls, when a modern-day witch hunt unfolds in the heart of Salem after descendants of the women who had been tried for witchcraft.
All The Bright Places by Jennifer Niven – Theodore Finch is fascinated by death, and he constantly thinks of ways he might kill himself. But each time, something good, no matter how small, stops him. Violet Markey lives for future, counting the days until graduation when she can escape her small town and her past. When the two meet, their lives are changed forever.
Milk & Honey by Rupi Kaur – Poetry that is both lyrical and short.
Palo Alto Stories by James Franco – Short Stories inspired by life and people James Franco knew growing up in Palo Alto.
Actor’s Anonymous by James Franco – A study about the actor as an individual and amusing anecdotes.
Girl in Pieces by Kathleen Glasgow – An ex-cutter who tries to piece her life back together, despite being in a dozen million pieces herself.
The Fireman by Joe Hill – A highly contagious deadly spore spreads across the nation. No one is safe from the infection and the healthy try to eliminate the infected before the whole world goes down in flames.
The Reminders by Val Emmich – A girl who can’t forget befriends an actor who has recently lost his significant other who wishes not to remember. Read book review here.
Ten by Gretchen McNeil – Ten teens. Three days. One killer. Inspired by Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None, now a Lifetime Original Movie.
Among the Shadows: 13 Stories of Darkness & Light – Even the lightest hearts have shaded corners to hide the black thoughts that come at night. Experience the darker side of YA as 13 authors explore the places that others prefer to leave among the shadows.
Holding Up The Universe by Jennifer Niven – When a boy who suffers from face blindness meets America’s Ex-Fattest Teen, the last thing he expects is to fall in love.
The Host by Stephenie Meyer – The world has been invaded by an alien species that take over human minds while leaving their bodies intact, but things get strange for Wanderer, the invading alien, when her host Melanie refuses to give up her body.
Follow Me Back by A.V. Geiger – Eric Thorn is a sexy musician afraid of stalkers that falls in love with obsessed fan Tessa over Twitter, only she doesn’t know he’s Eric, because he’s been hiding under the name Taylor. A suspenseful tale of love gone wrong in The Catfish era.
The Merciless III by Danielle Vega – The origin of the evil that possesses Brooke is finally explored in this chilling prequel of the series.
How To Murder Your Life by Cat Marnell – At twenty-six, Cat Marnell was an associate beauty editor at Lucky, one of the top fashion magazines in America—and that’s all most people knew about her. But she hid a secret life. She was a prescription drug addict. She was also a “doctor shopper” who manipulated Upper East Side psychiatrists for pills, pills, and more pills; a lonely bulimic who spent hundreds of dollars a week on binge foods; a promiscuous party girl who danced barefoot on banquets; a weepy and hallucination-prone insomniac who would take anything—anything—to sleep.
One Of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus – The Breakfast Club meets Pretty Little Liars in this thriller told from four points of view of a murder that occurs during an afternoon detention.
3:59 by Gretchen McNeil – Josie discovers a parallel universe and jumps at the chance to live in that new world till she finds out that the dangers of the new universe are far more worse than the horrors she left in her previous life.
The Sun & Her Flowers by Rupi Kaur – Poetry about how to be a woman in the modern world.
This Darkness Mine by Mindy McGinnis – Sasha Stone’s world turns upside down when she discovers that she had a twin that she absorbed in the womb. Now her twin, Shanna wants to take reigns of her life back, even if it means eliminating Sasha’s in the process. Read the book review here.
The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena – A couple goes to a dinner party next door, leaving their infant in the crib, when the couple returns, the child is gone. Who has taken baby Cora?
All The Missing Girls by Megan Miranda – Ten years ago Nic’s best friend went missing, now a decade later another girls missing and the only way to find out the truth is to uncover the past.
Turtles All The Way Down by John Green – Aza and Daisy pursue the mystery of what happened to missing billionaire Russell Pickett in hopes of winning the ransom money. But Aza begins to feel differently when she starts having feelings for the billionaire’s son.
I Wrote This For You by Iain S. Thomas – Love poems for the heartbroken.
The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina Vol. 1-7 by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa – Terror is born anew in this dark re-imagining of Sabrina the Teenage Witch’s origin. On the eve of her sixteenth birthday, the young sorceress finds herself at a crossroads, having to choose between an unearthly destiny and her mortal boyfriend, Harvey. But a foe from her family’s past has arrived in Greendale, Madame Satan, and she has her own deadly agenda.
Afterlife with Archie Vol. 1-10 by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa – When Jughead’s beloved pet Hot Dog is killed in a hit and run, Jughead turns to the only person he knows who can help bring back his furry best friend—Sabrina the Teenage Witch. Using dark, forbidden magic, Sabrina is successful and Hot Dog returns to the land of the living. But he’s not the same… and soon, the darkness he brings back with him from beyond the grave begins to spread, forcing Archie, Betty, Veronica and the gang to try to escape from Riverdale!
Snowblind by Don Roff – When four Army Rangers are stranded in the woods due to a snow storm, they seek refuge in an abandoned chalet, not knowing that a sinister evil awaits them. Soon to become a major motion picture starring Ashely Greene.
A Madness So Discreet by Mindy McGinnis – Grace finds herself in an asylum, and a quirky doctor fakes a lobotomy to help her escape and employing her as his assistant in his new endeavor of criminal psychology.
*I read 39 books this past year. I enjoyed the majority of the books read, and probably the only two I didn’t enjoy that much were The Wicked Girls and The Couple Next Door.

What are your book resolutions for the new year? I always aim to try to read 2 books a month (roughly 24 books a year, and this past year I surpassed my goal).
By: Azzurra Nox

Poetry: Hollywood Summer

Hollywood-sign

We got high at Griffith Park

Looked up at the Hollywood sign

and felt alive.

We shared kisses in Venice Beach

You strummed your guitar

and sang to me.

We danced along the streets

of Sunset Boulevard

While people watched with smiles.

It was summer,

The height of our love.

When winter came,

It took you away.

And I drove alone at

night in the lonely streets

of L.A.

Crying over our hapless Hollywood love

that no longer was.

By: Azzurra Nox

Review: Dior Diorshow Mascara

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I was very excited when I received this product in Allure’s December Beauty Box! I’ve always wanted to try out Dior mascaras, since many people rave about how amazing they are and how much better your lashes will look. But I also never was willing to shell-out the money needed because, what if it was just all hype ya know?

What It Is: Lenghtening/Voluminizing Mascara

Distinguishing Factors: It was specifically designed to grab the right amount of mascara product from the tube and position it on the bristles in a way that each and every lash gets coated with the same amount of product. Absolutely no clumping!

Verdict: This mascara DOES deliver, there’s no doubt about it. And I can see why many celebrities and beauty gurus swear by it. However, as much as I do love it, for the price, I don’t think it’s that amazing. The mascara does lengthen lashes and give them volume (always a bonus!). And the brush itself is the shangri-la of mascara brushes (no clumps and perfect product distribution throughout the lashes). But I don’t know if the mascara itself (meaning the actual black goop) is that revolutionary or radically different from a drugstore brand. All in all though, I would recommend this product and am enjoying it very much.

Price: 28.50

Where To Buy It: Dior.com

By: Azzurra Nox

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Poetry: Siren

girl

You were devoured by her eyes.

I saw how you allowed her to grasp your heart.

She reeled you into her world.

Persuaded you to fall into her bed.

You prayed for that moment to never end.

I could sense her in your mind,

While you slithered in my bed.

I could hear her voice while you slept.

Slipping her name from your tongue.

She bore her power into your mind.

She swims in your veins.

I could smell her scent on your flesh.

That mixture of musk and peony

It clung to you so well.

I saw how she held onto you.

How you followed in her steps.

You prayed for time to stop

As she kissed your silky lips.

I knew it all along,

The reason for your neglect.

You were devoured by her eyes

As I hid behind a veil of icy lies.

All I wanted was to reject, the burning truth.

But her presence was ever more in flesh

And there was nothing left for me to do.

But to give into the murderous truth.

By: Azzurra Nox

 

Poetry: For You Always

I suppose I had hoped that my memory would’ve crippled you

Not to move on.

Instead, I see you smiling with your wife.

Your children remind me so much of you, with those

crooked smiles and messy curls.

I guess I just wished you had wanted those things with me,

Instead of her.

I break my phone’s screen so that I don’t have to witness your happiness

Without me.

By: Azzurra Nox

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Poetry: Late

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I’ve arrived too late.

You’ve used up all your love and

outrageous displays of affections on someone else.

So that when Valentine’s Day passes by,

There are no flowers or romantic adventures.

You tell me, “I’ve done this all before—I’m tired.”

But you’ve done nothing with me

For me.

I’m left picking up the crumbs,

cause I’ve come too late.

And someone else has already eaten my cake.

By: Azzurra Nox

Review: Sugar Pill Liquid Lip Color in Trinket

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What It Is: A long-lasting liquid lipstick

Perks: Cruelty-free and made in California

Verdict: I’ve tried out several liquid lipstick brands since they’ve gotten popular over the past year or so. I was looking forward to trying out Sugar Pill cause I’ve always been a fan of the brand, plus I’ve been trying to find the perfect rose gold shade with subtle glimmer. The colour I got, Trinket is simply gorgeous! The awesome thing about this specific liquid lipstick is that when applied, the colour is a rose shade, but once you press your lips together, the gold shimmer is activated. So, the more you smack your lips together, the more gold shimmer will be visible. It’s a very flattering metallic shade, and it can be worn both casually or for an evening night, especially now with the holidays, the gold glimmer will give you that much needed holiday vibe without going too overboard. As for the formula, it is lightweight, but long-lasting (and when I say long-lasting I truly mean it! I can apply this lipstick at 7a.m. and not need to reapply even once and it stays put till I remove it around 9p.m.). Another plus is that the formula doesn’t dry out your lips, your lips actually feel uber hydrated throughout the day (a much-needed bonus during the harsh winter temperatures!). So give this shade a try, and liberate your inner sugarplum fairy!

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Price: $18

Where To Buy It: I got mine at the Dolls Kill site (https://www.dollskill.com/) or https://sugarpill.com

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By: Azzurra Nox