Mondays call for cocktails.
I typically focus on makeup on Mondays but I wanna switch it up this week. Let’s talk about beauty cocktails. Most products are great on their own but they’re even better when mixed together. These concoctions have less calories than a vodka-soda but give just as much of a buzz.
Full-coverage foundation & moisturizer
Some days I don’t want it to look like I’m wearing *~f0UnDati0N~* but I need a little somethin’ to camouflage redness and hyperpigmentation. I like to mix full-coverage foundations with moisturizer to achieve the perfect level of coverage. A lightweight, cream-based moisturizer — like Glossier Priming Moisturizer — works best.
Liquid highlighter & foundation, moisturizer
Mix liquid highlighter into foundations, moisturizers or really anything to give an extra glow without being seen from space. If I’m going for subtle, a little goes a long way for NARS Illuminator in Copacabana (or its drugstore dupe NYX Born to Glow Liquid Illuminator in Sunbeam). You can use a bit more of solid Glossier Haloscope in Moonstone — just use a knife to cut off a thin slice and mash it up with a skin care spoon into your product. For a sun-kissed looked, I like a bronze shimmer like Drunk Elephant D-Bronzi Anti-Pollution Sunshine Serum. (Bonus: D-Bronzi is a mix of antioxidants that boost the skin’s defense against pollution and environmental stress.)
Powder pigment & Glossier Balm Dot Com
Combine powder eyeshadow or highlighter with Glossier Balm Dot Com, vaseline or any clear, petroleum jelly to create a custom lip color. Add more powder for a more intense pigment or less for a sheer wash of color or shimmer.
Skin care
Facial oil & AM moisturizer, foundation
Winter feels like a distant memory but cold weather lasts three quarters of the year here in NEPA. If you experience dry skin, especially in the wintertime, adding some facial oil to your morning moisturizer, foundation or both, can help with 3 p.m. flaky skin. Look for a fast-absorbing oil like Youth to the People Superberry Glow Oil, Drunk Elephant Virgin Marula Luxury Facial Oil or The Ordinary’s 100% Plant-Derived Squalane Oil.
Facial oil & night cream
Your body undergoes major restoration while you sleep, which is the best time to use products to really seep in and absorb into your skin. A few drops of your favorite oil to your night cream gives you an extra boost while you’re dreaming.
Chemical exfoliation treatments & gentle cleanser
Resurfacing masks can be tough on skin, especially if yours is sensitive. I belong to several social media beauty groups and got this great tip from a fellow skin care addict. She mixes a few drops of an exfoliation treatment like Drunk Elephant TLC Sukari Babyfacial or The Ordinary AHA 30% + BHA 2% Peeling Solution with a cleanser with no actives or harsh ingredients such as Glossier Milky Jelly Cleanser, and massages it into dry skin for a few minutes. I tried it myself with Babyfacial and, instead if rinsing, used a lukewarm microfiber washcloth to wipe it off. I would definitely suggest this to anyone with reactive skin.
Drunk Elephant products
Drunk Elephant as a brand was practically made to be mixed. A few of my favorites:
C-Firma Day Serum + B-Hydra Intensive Hydration Serum
C-Firma’s Vitamin C is proven to work better when mixed with B-Hydra’s pro-vitamin B5. Plus, this gives you extra hydration.
Shaba Complex Eye Serum + C-Tango Multivitamin Eye Cream
C-Tango combines peptides, five forms of vitamin C and cucumber extract for brighter, firmer, stronger-looking skin. Mixed with Shaba’s antioxidant Co-Q10, smoothing black tea ferment and copper peptides and more delivers anti-aging, de-puffing and brightening to your undereyes.
Protini Polypeptide Cream + T.L.C. Framboos Glycolic Night Serum + Virgin Marula Luxury Facial Oil
DE calls this the “Beauty Sleep Smoothie” thanks to resurfacing glycolic acid and soothing, penetrating marula oil and creamy, cool anti-aging peptide moisturizer.
What are your favorite beauty and skin care cocktails? Let me know at gmazur@timesshamrock.com, @gmazurTT on Twitter or @miss.gia.m on Instagram.
Gia Mazur is an award-winning staff writer and beauty obsessive who joined The Times-Tribune’s Lifestyles department in 2015. She’s a product enthusiast who can’t live without an eyelash curler. A proud Virgo, Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution Lipstick in Pillow Talk is her go-to. Contact: gmazur@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9127; @gmazurTT