My Top Ten Favorite Beauty Products

My top 10 favorite beauty products

Excitement and stress are vying for top billing in my mind this week. With our big move only a week away, and Scoot’s last day of school this week, things are a little nuts! As I start tying up loose ends, making contacts for all the deposits for our new home, it seems I almost forgot to write this week’s post! However, I didn’t, and I’m here, so there’s that!  This week is short and simple. I’m going to review 10 of my favorite beauty products that I have tried within the last year or so. Without further ado, here we go!

1.      Julep’s With a Twist mascara: This is BY FAR the best mascara I’ve ever used. I love so many things about it that I barely know hwere to begin. First, I guess is that there is no nasty, chemical mascara smell to the product. It goes on smooth and is very buildable to the perfect amount of coverage. Second is the brush itself. The wand is adjustable, making it so this mascara both lengthens and volumizes. Third, it actually helps your natural lashes grow. Yes, I said grow. And yes, it’s true. My lashes are quite a bit longer than they were before I started using this product. The only downside to this mascara is that it isn’t waterproof. However, I can live without that (and honestly, I wore it in Fenway in pouring down rain and it didn’t track down my face at all. So there’s that.). I cannot stress enough how much I recommend this product!!

2.      Julep’s Love Your Bare Face Detoxifying stick: I swear, I’m not sponsored by Julep, (But if that’s a thing, PLEASE, Jane Park, hit me up!) I just love their products. This stick is a wonderful exfoliant and cleanser. It’s an easy, one step way to wash your face, and gently sluff off dead skin cells. It doesn’t dry out or tighten my skin, and has helped so much with this pesky adult acne that has been plaguing me for years now. It has a very light fragrance, barely noticeable, and this one tube will last for months with daily use. I think I average about 3-4 months per tube, and I sometimes use it as a mask as well. 

3.      Julep It’s Whipped : This is my favorite lip product. I absolutely love how easy it is to apply, and how rich and pigmented the color is. I have at least 8 shades! One of my favorites is Liplock, a berry red that is the only red lipstick I’ve found that complements my skintone. It’s just the right shade of red! They carry tons of colors, and they feel great on. As most matte lip colors are, it can be a touch drying, but not nearly as bad as some products I’ve tried. Amazon unfortunately only has links for a couple of shades, but you can find others at the Julep website (julep.com) or at Ulta. 

4.       Sara Happ The Dream slip: Okay, this is probably the priciest thing on the list per volume. I realize that. However, this stuff is AMAZING. I’ve been using it for about two months now just at night and it has rejuvenated my lips. From late October of last year until April this year, I had a terrible split in the corner of my mouth. You know, one of those places that will just keep bleeding and opening up because of where it’s at? Yep, that was happening. Every time I’d take a bite of food, it’d split open for days at a time and bleed. Other times it’d almost heal completely, only to open back up again. Needless to say, I was frustrated and wondering if the spot would ever heal. Enter this stuff. Within two weeks of using this, that spot had healed completely. My lips stay hydrated all through the day, and don’t chap as easily either. My lipstick goes on smoother as well. Just a teensy dab at bedtime is enough! This has really been a surprise product for me, and I know I’m going to hate it when my little bottle runs out. And can we talk about packaging? It just looks fancy! It makes me feel like an elegant sophisticated lady. 

      

5.      Lorac 3 in 1 primer:  Let me tell you, this stuff will give you SHIMMER. It goes on silky smooth and truly does illuminate your skin. You’ll feel like a late 2000s vampire….in a good way of course. I like the texture and the ease of application, and I will admit, I love that extra pop of sparkle as well! I haven’t tried Lorac’s blush, which is included in this link, but I’d say give it a go! I actually got this primer in a small gift set from Kohl’s so it’s one of my first experiences with Lorac, but I like it. I’ll be looking forward to trying more of them in the future!

6.  BH Cosmetics Galaxy chic palette: I love this little palette. The colors are really lovely, and they go on great. The packaging is beautiful as well. I use this palette a lot, because it has more neutral colors as well as some wilder shades, just in case I’m in the mood to play around some! It’s a fun addition to my makeup collection. Plus, as far as eyeshadow palettes go, it’s priced well!  

7.    Lumene Valo Glow Reveal Moisturizer: I love, love, LOVE this stuff! Last year, I received a full size sample of the product from the company, and from the first time I used it, I was sold. This is the perfect moisturizer for my skin. It is light, airy, and has the lightest fragrance of citrus. It absorbs quickly into the skin, and doesn’t leave me feeling oily or over moisturized. This small jar lasts months with daily use, and only takes a finger tip’s worth of product with every use for your whole face. I have recommended this to so many people! I will continue to recommend it, because it really is that great. It’s also not super expensive, which is even better!

8.   Nyx Lip Lingerie: This is another of my favorite lip products. When I say this stuff lasts, it LASTS. Once it dries, it ain’t budging! There are tons of colors with frisky little names, as the product name suggests! It dries quite matte and lasts for hours, so it’s great if you’re going out to dinner or drinks. It can be drying on the lips, so I recommend some lip balm before to keep your lips hydrated. The best part? So many places sell this stuff, and it’s a great price!

9.     Physician’s Formula Butter Highlighter: This is a fairly recent find, as I have just recently started my foray into highlighters and bronzers. I love how velvety smooth this is, and how easy it goes on. It’s weightless and provides enough shimmer and color to make you feel glowing and incandescent without looking like a disco ball. Plus, it smells faintly of coconut, so you feel like you’re at the beach every time you apply it! I like that it’s a buildable coverage, so you can have as little or as much as you want! Once again, this is priced well, so it won’t break the bank, but you will still look like a million bucks!

10.      Julep 5 in 1 Cushion Complexion: First things first, finding the perfect foundation is a pain in the ass for me. I’m pale. I don’t know my undertones, and the “helpful” guides that are supposed to help me figure it out only confuse me more. I love this stuff. This little tube with a sponge applicator will apply as little or as much coverage as you want. It works as a concealer or your foundation, or both! I’ve even seen some women use different shades for contouring, and it looks great. The coverage is buildable, and the product goes on smoothly. It blends well with either a brush or your fingers, but I haven’t had as much luck with a beauty blender. In any case, there are actually a range of 3 shades that I can use that match my skin pretty close to perfect, depending on the time of year. Of course they are the 3 lightest shades, but there are 18 shades in total, so there are tons of options. Also, Julep is always adding new shades to their products, so I am sure they’ll add more! I love that this product doesn’t cause breakouts, and isn’t heavy on my skin. I do wish it was slightly more full coverage, but all in all, I can’t complain! 

So, that's it for this week, friends! I really hope that you'll check these products out if you're looking for a new product to try! I really enjoyed this one, and I"m always discovering new products myself, so I may do another post like this in the future!