Chantecaille

I think everyone knows by now that I have a strong love of cleansers. Balms, oils, gels are in regular rotation but I’ve recently been adding in cleansing milks to my routine and enjoy the way they make my skin feel. I know many times cleansing milks are targeted more for those with drier skin, but I find they help to give me a nice cleanse without stripping the skin. I’ve found 4 that I like from various price points, and could easily work well with any skincare routine.

1. Chantecaille Flower Infused Cleansing Milk – Soft does not even begin to describe this formula. Whatever word means softer than soft, that would describe this cleanser.  It has a creamy consistency that envelopes the skin, immediately calms and soothes it, but does not leave it heavy with residue. In fact, when I first tested it out on the back of my hand, I was able to just rub it into the skin without using any water to rinse it off. THAT is how soft and lovely this cleanser is to use. If my skin is feeling particularly dry or irritated, I find that just rubbing this on the skin and removing with a cloth leaves my face feeling balanced and smooth.

2. Sunday Riley Charisma Creme Cleanser – As an oily skinned gal, the Sunday Riley Ceramic Slip Cleanser has been a favorite for a long time. But I was curious to give this creme cleanser a try to see if I would like it as much. It’s a much thinner milk texture that works best for me when applied on dry skin as a second cleanse or morning cleanse. The formula has fruit acids which give the skin a mild exfoliation and  make it look incredibly bright and radiant. I like to spend time massaging it into my skin when dry and then again when I add water to really allow for the ingredients to work their magic. Little did I know that the Ceramic Slip Cleanser wouldn’t be my only favorite Sunday Riley cleanser. Seriously, this skincare line can do no wrong in my eyes.

3. Sisley Cleansing Milk with White Lily – If a cleansing cream and milk had a baby, it would be this Cleansing Milk from Sisley. It’s not too thick and not too thin, it falls perfectly in the middle. I can use this to both remove my makeup or as a second cleanse. While I have been gravitating towards oils and balms recently as my first cleanse, I was amazed at how great my skin felt and looked after using this milk to remove makeup. On nights when I am feeling particularly lazy, this is actually the cleanser I reach for first because it removes my makeup and moisturizes it all at once. I actually did a test with using just this cleanser and no other skincare to determine how my skin would feel. Surprisingly, it felt soft, hydrated and smooth as if I had done a few steps. Yup, I’m impressed.

4. Neutrogena Extra Gentle Cleanser – It’s been a while since I’ve used a drugstore cleanser, but I picked this up on a whim one day and found it to be a great addition to my routine. It’s a very no-muss, no-fuss cleanser that has little to no scent, gives a refreshing and soothing feeling to the skin and is perfect for those times when my skin is acting up/having a reaction/irritated. It is the epitome of gentle and I think it’s absolutely necessary to have something like this in one’s arsenal at all times. This cleanser paired with my all time favorite holy grail moisturizer for emergency skin situations makes for a first aid kit type of skincare routine that I can always count on.

I’ve said time and time again that Chantecaille eye shadows are some of my favorite shadows. They never have too much or too little pigment and blend beautifully. And so many of the colors are perfect for daily use that I find myself reaching for them regularly. There are a good selection of both matte and shimmer shades, though I will say the shimmer is never too glittery. It’s a refined shimmer that is perfect for any occasion day or night and any age. Often older women shy away from shimmer because it can look unflattering and make lids look crepe-y or very textured. However, Chantecaille shadows are soft enough that the shimmer blends seamlessly on the skin and never emphasizes imperfections. They have the option to let you create your own palette with 3 or 8 shades (both eye shadow and blush), and I have both a 3 and 8 sized palette but only have the 8 sized palette filled at this time. You can buy the eye shadows individually but you will need to buy a case to house the shadow, so it’s a better option to simply buy the palette.

I’ve accumulated quite a few great neutral shades that work well together or separately. I like to have a selection of shades which I can just throw in my bag if need be that will create any look I may need. I have a good mixture of both matte and shimmer shades that are in neutral brown, plum, green and beige tones. Below are swatches of the entire palette I have created. The top row swatches are on the left side of my arm and the bottom row swatches are towards the right side of my arm.

1. Granite -This is the a beautiful brownish-gray shade that I love to wear in my crease. When I pair this with Opal, it creates a perfect eye look for every day.

2. Olivier – I’m making a concentrated effort to seek out other colors that are suitable for the office and every day but are not part of the brown family. This olive shade is a great alternative and looks beautiful as a liner, lid or crease color.

3. Patchouli – One of my favorite shades to wear in my crease is a deep plum, and this is exactly the color I’ve been looking for. It creates a smokey eye in two seconds when added to the corner of my crease and looks great with almost any lid color.

4. Ginger – In the summer, I love wearing this matte peach shade on the lid with bronzer and a coral lip. In the winter, it looks lovely paired with a natural flushed cheek (love this By Terry blush shade), a few coats of mascara (this is my current favorite) and a bold red lip (love this shade).

5. Opal – This is by far one of my favorite lid color of all time. When built up, it can give a bold opaque look, but can also be dusted on for a sheer wash of color. Everyone needs one of these lid color shades that they can pull out any time to build an entire eye look around.

6. Coriander – Somewhat similar in tone to Patchouli, this is a bit lighter and not as pigmented which makes it great for an everyday crease color. I can apply this right above my lid through the crease and it gives my look some depth and dimension with creating a look that is too dark. Every makeup collection needs one of these crease colors that serve as the backbone of creating any eye look.

7. Bois – I call this my bronzed goddess shade, because it the perfect golden brown for my lids. It doesn’t skew too orange, too yellow or too brown and is an easy wash of color that looks good worn alone or paired with a darker brown.

8. Sel – This shade is very similar to Granite, but has a bit more silver in it so I prefer this on the lid alone as a subtle, daytime smokey eye.