One of my favorite things to do during a stressful school week, is to take an hour or two, step away from the mountains of essays and projects, and take time to relax. During that time, I like to take off my makeup, put on a mask, and either read a book or paint my nails (Essie's Leggy Legend and Geranium are my current favorites).

Recently, I've been loving the Origins Clear Improvements Charcoal Mask. It has charcoal which draws out deep impurities, white china clay to absorbs environmental toxins, and lecithin which dissolves all the impurities.

I use this about once a week, after I've cleansed my face, and before I moisturize. It definitely has helped to clean out the New York City "gunk" from the air, and keep my acne under control! Plus, it's a great way to de-stress!

Oct 15

Oct 15 Drugstore Foundation Comparison

Audra Koch

Reviews

As most of you know, I've been in college in NYC for about two months now, and with the college life, comes the college budget! That said, I've had to trade my beloved Dr. Jart BB Cream for a more budget-friendly option. And so the search for a new drugstore foundation began! Here are the 4 that I've been testing out over the past few months:

Sep 27
Sep 27 Clinique Almost Lipstick - Black Honey

Audra Koch

Reviews

The ultimate your-lips-but-better product! I picked up Clinique's Almost Lipstick in Black Honey from Sephora about three weeks ago and I've reached for it almost every day since!

Don't be fooled by the dark color, it gives a sheer wash of berry, which can be built up to a darker shade if needed. The genius of Almost Lipstick shades is that they look good on virtually everyone and can be as sheer or as dark as you'd like!

Clinique brought back Black Honey by popular demand (though I've found Pink Honey at Sephora)

Jul 28

Jul 28 LORAC Skinny Palette - Black

Audra Koch

Reviews

One of the things I picked up from the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale was this lovely LORAC Skinny Palette in Black. The colors are highly pigmented, except for the lightest shade, which matches my skin tone exactly (and makes it very hard to see). I've only started playing around with the colors, but the first, third, and fourth shadows make a lovely matte contoured eye

Jun 27

Jun 27 Bare Minerals Bronzer Review

Audra Koch

Reviews

I was in need of a summer bronzer, and as I browsed Sephora.com, I stumbled upon the BareMinerals Loose Powder Bronzer in Faux Tan. I'm always a bit weary of buying bronzers online because I have very fair skin, but since it's a loose powder, and I use a less dense brush (RealTechniques Duo Fiber Face Brush) to apply, it worked out beautifully! I've always preferred loose powder bronzers to pressed powder, because I find it easier to control how much product I put on the brush (very important for us "porcelain" girls). For more medium-olive skin tones, using a more dense brush, as well as building it up a bit, would work very well!

Overall, it is a gorgeous product and definitely a new favorite! If you want to try it for yourself, you can find it here!