2017 was the year where I really dove into skin care, makeup, and beauty. I was never really into that world until about the summer of 2017. I was always intimidated by it. I had these misconceptions and never thought I could find my own in it. I thought it was superficial and some of it is but to me, the science behind it is what really interests me.
I realized how easy it can be and it is as simple as you make it. You don’t need to spend a lot of money on good quality products.
Below I have linked some of my favorite products with a brief description as to WHY it’s my favorite.
- Mario Badescu Facial Spray
I LOVE LOVE LOVE this stuff. It’s the perfect spray to set your makeup, add some extra moisture to your skin throughout the day, or even to set in all of your serums and moisturizers after a long day. It is only $7 and I have had this since June. It is the best thing ever! Smells so good too. This can also be used as a toner! - Morphe M439 Foundation Brush
I always thought that makeup brushes had to be super expensive but they DO NOT. Morphe has some amazing products and if you follow makeup youtubers you can get up to 10% off on already amazing products. I LOVE this brush. It makes my foundation go a long way and I even use it to blend out my concealer. It is synthetic and has some really good weight to the brush as well. It’s $14 and available online or at Ulta. - Silicone Face Scrubbers
I found these at Walmart for about $3 and I am so happy I bought them. The tiny silicone scrubbers offer the most gentle exfoliation. I add a little bit of my face cleanser and scrub away. I have super sensitive skin so I only use this about 3 nights a week so every other night. It really gets any extra makeup off, sweat, or dead skin. You can even rub it over your lips to add some extra plump or exfoliation. - Ipsy!
Ipsy is a $10 a month subscription box. It’s similar to birchbox (which I tried and did not like. I may do a post about that as well) and Sephora’s Play Box (which I have not tried). I love the variety Ipsy offers PLUS they come in these really cute bags that are great for travel. I take them everywhere with me and they offer the best makeup storage. If you like to try new products or just like getting new items every month (who wouldn’t?) I would highly recommend this option. - NARS Creamy Concealer
I wear the color Creme Brulee. This was the first concealer I have ever tried and I love it so much. It offers the perfect amount of coverage and once its set there is no creasing whatsoever. The product is buildable which is an added bonus. This is a higher end product but it will last you a long time. - Tony Moly Sheet Masks
I ordered these over the summer and have been obsessed with them since. For $6 you get two skin masks. I love the Lavender one because it is super hydrating. You just put it on your face for 20 minutes or until its dry and then rub the serum into your skin when you’re done. - MicroNeedling Roller
A friend of mine put me on this recently. I love it so much. It looked scary because its tiny needles going into your skin. You roll this 3-4 times over your face AFTER you put on your serum. Be careful around your eye area as that area is super sensitive. What this does it pokes holes into your face and your face goes into a “healing” state forcing collagen to repair it. I have some dark spots on the side of my face and in about 2 weeks I noticed the color disappear. - NARS PowerMatte Lip Pigment
I am not much of a liquid lipstick person but I do have a few from Huda Beauty. I was really excited to try this NARS one. I use the color American Woman which is perfect deep pink. It is similar to my lip color but a little more pink. The color will last all night but I did a wear test on food and it did not hold up to greasy foods which is normal. The applicator is really unique because it gives very precise coverage. - Hydro-Plumping Re-texturizing Serum Concentrate
This is a pricey serum but one pump will cover your whole face. This serum feels better than any serum I have ever tried. It glides on and rubs into your skin like water. It is super gentle on the skin and will go over or under any thick moisturizer. - Glow Serum
So I actually found this at TJmaxx for $4 and bought it off of a whim. I wanted to try a new serum and it was so cheap I figured out why not. It worked out so well. Its become apart of my skin care routine. I use in the morning before I put on my makeup or on my no makeup days. It’s a gem. Its super watery so you need to work fast with it. - Tarte Toasted Palette
I was so excited when I saw this on Sephora’s Instagram. This came out during the fall and the pigment in these shadows is no joke. It is BEAUTIFUL and they blend wonderfully. The mirror in the palette is a really good size too. Every shade of this palette (even the shimmers) have such a high color pay off and there is minimal fall out. - CeraVe Moisture Cream
I recently bought this and ya girl loves a dense moisturizer. My skin ABSORBS this. It doesnt feel greasy. I wish there was a pump version because I am weird about dipping fingers into a tub of product but I love this stuff. I use two finger tips worth of product before my makeup and before I go to bed. Any serum you put under or over will seep in nicely as well. - Pixi Peel and Polish
You only need a tiny bit of this exfoliating scrub. It works wonders. After my 3 week trip in California, my skin felt so dry and I could feel all the deadskin sitting on my face. It was gross. The tiny beads in this scrubbed all of that away and left my skin feeling glowy and restored. Its a drug store product and the packaging is super cute. I also have sensitive skin so I was really nervous considering how gritty it felt on my finger tips. - OUAI Smoothing Spray
I jumped on the OUAI bandwagon so my next couple of products on this list will be from the brand. Jen Atkin, the brilliant celebrity hair stylist and CEO, is such an inspiration. I love her platform and her brand. She really invests into the quality of the products and they are pretty affordable. I thought it was going to be OUAI (i hate myself) more expensive. The smoothing spray looks like a gel in the bottle but makes your hair so smooth when you apply heat to it. It makes my blow outs and straightened hair last so much longer. - OUAI Treatment Masque
I got this as a sample and I LOVE IT. I don’t use the whole packet it comes in because the masque is dense. I use it as a leave in conditioner. If I shower the day before I put it in my damp hair and the next day if I workout the heat really helps penetrate into my hair. After I wash it out I cannot stop touching my hair because its so soft and feels SO healthy. I have long thick hair and you DO NOT need the whole packet. I use it in thirds from my ears down. - OUAI Dry Shampoo Foam
This was the first OUAI product I tried. I was skeptical because a foaming dry shampoo….whaatt? Its great. On the days where I dont want to shampoo and there isnt too much product in my hair in I put a pump of foam throughout my hair. It doesn’t feel sticky or greasy and it doesn’t leave your hair too white and blends in so well. Jen Atkin really killed it with these products. I didn’t like the Dry Shampoo Sec as much because the foaming one worked so well for me. - Elf Highlighter Brush
This is $3 and with some spray your highlighter will be BLINDING. You do need to dig into your product because it is a synthetic haired brush why is why I commend some setting spray or that Mario Badescu spray to add a little bit more pop. I wanted to try it out at first because it was so cheap and I LOVE IT.I hope you all found these products useful. Let me know what I need to try in 2018. DO you use the same products? What products would you try?
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