Before I spend money on a product, I normally turn to the internet (Amazon included) for some reviews. After trying tons of products for the past few months, I've decided to give a break down of a few of my favorite staples, repurchases, and throw-aways. I know there are a ton of these reviews out there, but hopefully this adds to making your decisions and your shopping a bit easier!
Let's start with the first thing I put on in the morning, deodorant. I have a long history with Dove products. My grandmother and my mother have both kept
Dove in their homes for as long as I can remember. Soap, body wash, all of it. Stick deodorant was never really my thing, although I have a couple that I like. I have repurchased
Dove's dry spray in several different scents - I love the way it goes on, lasts all day, and doesn't stain my clothing.
Suave is a good alternative, it just didn't impress me the same way.
Suave wasn't a throw away, it just wasn't a repurchase.
Next, cleansing pads. I usually use these before my face wash.
Neutrogena makes a ton of great facial cleansing products that are extremely budget friendly and actually work, which the goal, right?! I started using these pads a couple of summers ago when I constantly traveling. They're great to throw in a Zip-Loc baggie, put in your bag, and use after a long flight, or even after the gym. I'm going to recommend
Neutrogena over Bliss for two reasons. The first, is that I feel like
Neutrogena gets more of the sweat and make up residue and off of my face. The second, I feel like the Bliss pads leave a sticky film on my face. When I don't have my normal post-pad face wash available, I don't want to feel like my face is anything but squeaky clean after I scrub it with a cleansing pad.
I've tried a fair number of BB creams. These three range in price and in coverage.
The Physicians Formula was the most expensive, and did a fair job of evening out my skin tone, without feeling too heavy. The
e.l.f. was the least expensive, and also my least favorite. I was super disappointed because I normally love their products. I tossed this one. It clumped on my skin and peeled off, almost like plastic wrap. Nope, not a fan.
Maybelline was middle of the road with cost and was also a repurchase because this stuff is awesome! It does a great job with coverage, doesn't feel too heavy, evens out out my skin tone, and lays a nice base for my foundation (if I feel like I need some that day.) It is matte enough to not even need powder, and the best part, it is SPF 30. Can we say "winning" ?!
Moving onto mascara.
Maybelline does it again. Their mascara has been in my make up bag since I was 15. Who remembers the pink and green bottle that their mascara (still) comes in? My mother actually still uses it! Anyway, after my luggage was lost last year, I ran to the closest Target to grab the essentials.
This mascara and
this Rimmel one were two that I chose. I don't own any amount of Rimmel products, including this mascara because I tossed it after a week. It gave me great volume, all the while running down my face. I had raccoon eyes constantly. I tend to stay away from waterproof mascara because it's harder to remove, and maybe their waterproof version of this is better, but I'm all set with my Maybelline Colossal. I give this stuff two thumbs up for lengthening, volumizing, and
not smudging.
As far as lip balm goes, these products are both repurchases for me. I keep
Burt's Bees in my handbag, and
Blistex in my desk at work. Together, these will cost you under $6.00 so you can try them out for yourself without feeling guilty if you hate both of them but hopefully you'll love them as much as I do!
Hair and nails are the last two we have left. Amazon Prime is usually my go-to for when I want to try a new hair prouct like this
Bed Head CurliPops Wand. I ordered
this one as well as
Bed Head's Bubble Wand. I immediately knew that I was not going to stick with the
bubble wand because it took me too much time to figure out how to properly wrap my hair around it. I love playing around with hair and make up, but I'm not someone who has a ton of time to do so, especially during the work week. I can put waves in my hair in under 10 minutes with the straight wand; I tossed my curling iron after finding it!
As a teenager, I used to save part of my allowance to buy a new
Essie nail polish each month. Then, gel manicures became the new craze so I moved onto those. In the midst of that, companies started marketing "gel-like" nail polishes with promises of lasting upwards of 10 days. Imagine my excitement when Essie came into the picture with
their own version. I practically ran to the closest drug store to snag some bottles. Womp, womp; how I felt after only two days the polish chipped and peeled. I tried different bases, no base, nothing helped. To me, it's no different than their regular polish. The colors are pretty but it doesn't last a great amount of time.
When I lived in Charleston, a girlfriend of mine introduced me to the
Sally Hansen Miracle Gel. It's the only nail polish I use on my toes anymore; it lasts almost two weeks without chipping or peeling even if you're running every day in sweaty socks and sneakers. If you don't want to do gel, pay for gel, or only want your polish on a week or so, then
this nail polish is for you.
I love hearing from you guys! Do you have a product comparison or question? Leave it below in the comments, or email me! As always, thanks for stopping by :)