Oil Slick

I'm pretty sure that anyone reading this blog right now is enduring the most frigid temperatures to hit NJ in a while (blerg). My skin, which is normally very oily and hydrated has been flaking off my body. I am 100% percent serious, skin has been flaking off my hands-I can't live like this. I've been trying to rehydrate my skin in the midst of trying to wrangle my newfound acne (this is a post for a whole 'nother day). I've really been gravitating towards oils for a while now, and the love affair has only deepened. I noticed that they've found their way into many steps of my skincare routine, with the help of Petit Vour sending me a new option nearly every month. I had to gather them all together to share.

I'm still on the hunt for 2 more types of oils, so help a sister out if you know of any good cruelty-free cuticle oils or dry oil sprays for hair.

1. S.W. Basics Makeup Remover-$14.00- I have to admit that I'm not a nighttime face washer-spare me the lecture, I know it's terrible. For many a year I have loved and used makeup removing wipes for their convenience and lack of wetness. One of my absolute pet peeves in life is washing my face outside of the shower, so wipes have been my go-to. Well, a few months ago I received this makeup remover in a Petit Vour box and I dutifully unpacked it and stowed it in my bathroom cabinet. Once I noticed that my current makeup removing wipes were pulling out my eyelashes, I gave this oil a try and I have not looked back. It's comprised of Sweet Almond oil, Olive oil, and Jojoba oil. While gentle on my lashes and skin, its super effective at removing makeup, even waterproof mascara and I love the light sheen it leaves behind once I've finished.

2. Earthbody Sacred Skincare Dream Body Oil-$23.00-This is yet another Petit Vour find that I unpacked and tucked away for a couple months before giving it a try. Well, recently I noticed that the skin on my shoulder blades felt tight and patchy, so I began smoothing this oil on after showering and before bed. The scent is so light, fresh, and a bit minty; and it doesn't leave me feeling like I'll slide out of bed-it soaks into my skin so quickly. This is the second Earthbody product that I received and I adore it just as much as this mask! The bottle states that this little beauty is meant to "enhance mental clarity and restore moisture", which sounds like a dream to me! (I'm sorry, I had to)

3. Yes to Coconuts Cooling Lip Oil-$4.99 (Target Exclusive)-This lip "oil" is so creamy and delicious. Not creamy in the sense that its milky or like traditional gloss, but in the sense that it feels so smooth and slick on the lips. I don't get much of a cooling feeling from it, but that's totally fine by me, I'm trying to keep it nice and warm over here. It goes on super smoothly and stay put, with just the right about of stickiness. The scent is very light and tropical and reminds me of beachy vacations every time I apply it. Its a bit heavier than most glosses, which makes it perfect for nighttime and bed. Usually, I'll apply this oil before getting into bed and once I've given goodnight kisses to the husband and both pugs, it's gone-but hey, sharing is caring.

4. Aura Cacia Organic Argan Oil-$10.55-Now, everyone and their mother makes Argan oil, but I purchase Aura Cacia because it's really easy for me to get my hands on it. I can grab it at Fairway or Whole Foods while on a food shopping trip-convenience is a big deal for me! I purchased my first bottle of oil last winter to smooth into my hair before blow drying. My hair is so thin and fine that I walked out of the ordeal with that "sweaty" look that was seen all over the runways-not a good look for moi. Then I became determined to use this $30 oil that I now owned and began smoothing it onto my face at night and that's when the real love affair began. I truly believe this oil helped smooth my skin and grow my eyelashes and eyebrows. Basically, I'll smooth this shit on everything (I don't do Frank's Hot Sauce).

5. Aura Cacia Tea Tree Oil-$8.32-The same sentiment applies here, I can grab this stuff at any time, so Aura Cacia wins out. I was first introduced to Tea Tree oil in September of 2013 when I began working at Powerflow Yoga (back then it was Garden State Yoga), where all communal yoga mats, blocks, and straps were sprayed down with a tea tree and water solution to disinfect them. After a bit of research I learned that Tea Tree oil is a natural anti-fungal and anti-bacterial oil. The first time I brought it into my home was to create a spray very similar to that used in the studio to ward off mosquitoes from my precious pups on summer nights. This method is great, unless you are in the woods of Ontario, then unfortunately, you've gotta spray on some Off Deep Woods despite your morals and concerns. All that back story aside, I love to take a bit of straight up (this may be too harsh for some) on a q-tip and use it as an acne spot treatment. Basically, like Argan oil, this stuff can be used for SO many purposes.

6. Caru Skincare Co. Rose Facial Serum-$32.00- This facial oil makes me feel so dainty, I imagine myself as a true lady, sitting in my boudoir applying this lightly scented rose oil. Really that image could not be further from the truth-I've been living in uggs, ratty red pj pants, and a perfectly broken in t-shirt. Either way, I love this oil-I'm not sure if its really done anything to repair my skin, but it smells lovely and makes my face feel so soft. Also, my husband doesn't complain about it much, so that's a win-win (he gripes about the scent of most of the things I smooth on my skin).

*Vitamin E capsules-$12.50-When I was little, my grandmother would use a pin to pop one of these vitamins to smooth the oil on any cuts or scrapes I had. 20 years later, I've realized that she was an absolute genius. I'm currently nursing two burns on my hand from holiday baking I need to get some of these babies ASAP to heal my skin. I may even do before/after pics to show how effectively this works!