Winter Skincare and New Eye Makeup

"Whether I'm wearing lots of makeup or no makeup, I'm always the same person inside."
(Lady Gaga)

For some reason, when I went to Sephora the other day, they gave me a complimentary birthday gift. It's not my birthday month, but I'll take it -- especially when it's a product I buy and use anyway. Below, I will also highlight a few other favorite and new products.

Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment SPF 15 and Advanced Therapy

Before I knew I'd be receiving the mini tubes of Fresh Sugar Rosé and Clear Lip Treatment (brown case), I had already picked up a full-size sheer pink Rosé and clear nighttime Advanced Treatment. I really like these because they are very moisturizing and non-tacky, and free of parabens, sulfates, synthetic dyes, petrochemicals, phthalates, GMOs, and triclosan. I can't live without lip balm -- especially during the winter months -- and am totally a lipgloss girl as opposed to a lipstick woman. Maybe someday I'll grow-up and mature to a ladylike lipstick, but my kisser tends to takeover my entire face when too much attention is brought to it.

L'Occitane Shea Butter Hand Cream

My hands have been really dry lately. I keep forgetting to use hand cream, but my hand cream of choice is any one of the L'Occitane hand creams, which is supposedly sold every 3 seconds worldwide. They contain pure shea butter and essential oils to moisturize hard-working hands without being greasy, and one tube lasts a long time.

The Body Shop Shea Body Butter

As great as the L'Occitane shea butter line is, it doesn't come cheap. For body lotion, I go instead to The Body Shop's Shea Body Butter made with Community Fair Trade shea butter from Ghana. While not inexpensive, the 6.9 oz. size costs $19, which is more affordable than the $40 you would pay for L'Occitane's 5.2 oz. (Pure Shea Butter), or the $42 for their 7 oz. (Body Cream). The thick, smooth texture of The Body's Shop's body butter is a cross between the L'Occitane products.

Smashbox Camera Ready BB Cream SPF 35

After an unimpressive experience with a well-known Asian brand of BB cream that I received in an event gift bag, I was a little skeptical of this Korean trend that has become an international standard. Still, I decided to give Smashbox's version a try. Free of parabens and with SPF 35, it claims to "prime, perfect, protect, hydrate and control oil in one step." I've only tried it once, but so far it feels light and not at all chalky.

FAIRYDROPS Scandal Queen Mascara

I've also just started using FAIRYDROPS Scandal Queen Mascara, a Japanese fiber mascara with a special brush that really works -- I know every mascara claims to have a unique brush, but this one truly does! My last mascara was d.j.v. beautenizer Fiberwig LX, but I find FAIRYDROPS to be better for both length and volume, and so far it has not gotten flaky and fiber-y like Fiberwig sometimes did. It is free of sulfates, synthetic fragrances or dyes, phthalates, GMOs, and triclosan.

Laura Mercier Artist's Palette for Eyes

Last but not least is Laura Mercier's Artist's Palette for Eyes, a limited edition gift I received from my friend Christine. It is filled with classic, universal shades in both shimmer and matte finishes with very rich, finely milled pigments -- I'm not sure if that's the correct terminology for eye shadow, but hopefully you understand what I mean.

I just finished semi-watching The People's Choice Awards. I haven't seen an awards show in quite a long time... I'd like to watch more movies first, so I'm looking forward to seeing Les Misérables this Friday!