hello there!
Before I leave for college I am determined to finish up a few items in my makeup and skincare collection, so I thought I would share a few of the items that I have used up recently. I have been trying lots of organic and natural skincare, and I also finished up a few of my holy grail favorites that have since been repurchased.
{skincare}
[8] Trader Joe's Spa Face Wash:
This is my all-time favorite cleanser. The tea tree oil makes it super tingly and really cleanses my pores. It's great to use after I take off my makeup, because it takes off the oils used to remove heavy eye makeup without stripping my skin of its natural oils. It's also produced without any animal testing and parabens or strong chemicals that could hurt the skin. Plus, it's really inexpensive and great at clearing up acne. I've purchased so many bottles of this cleanser, and I'm going to miss it when I'm in DC.
[3] Boots Botanics Microdermabrasion Polish:
If you like a deep scrub, then this polish is for you! I didn't use this scrub on a regular basis because using it too often can hurt your skin, but once a week it was really nice to use to revive my dull, often tired looking complexion. It's also an organic, botanical scrub, with gingko leaf extract to give me radiant skin. It works wonders and it's pretty inexpensive. I will absolutely repurchase.
[9] No7 Beautiful Skin Cleansing Balm:
This is one of my favorite products to remove makeup. I've tried a few cleansing products from the No7 range, and this is my personal favorite. It's not necessarily an oil-based makeup remover, but it has cocoa seed butter that pulls off heavy waterproof makeup easily, and it doesn't irritate my eyes. A little bit goes a long way too. I squeeze about a dime-size amount into my hands and rub it onto my face like I would with moisturizer. After that I use a cheese cloth to rub the balm into my skin in circles, and then I blend away. And it's all gone! I've never seen a product take makeup off so easily and quickly. It's a great comparison to the Liz Earle Hot Cloth Cleanser, and it's a third of the price.
[7] St. Ives Blemish Control Apricot Scrub:
This is my favorite everyday scrub. It's really brilliant because it's part cream, part scrubbing particles, so it's exfoliates without irritating the skin. The best part is that it's 100% natural, with no parabens or sulfates. It gives deep exfoliation, but it leaves your face feeling so clean, radiant, and smooth.
{makeup}
[2] Garnier Skin Renew BB Cream:
I fell in love with this BB cream because it's perfect for summer! It's so lightweight on the skin, but it gives just enough coverage to blur imperfections. Fortunately when I wear it you can still see my skin through the makeup. The BB cream I have is for combination to oily skin, so it wears well throughout the day, and even without a primer it doesn't make me look greasy. It is one of the more expensive BB creams in the drugstore, but you get two full ounces of product, so it lasted me a long time. Overall, a really lovely product and perfect for hot summers.
[1] Rimmel Match Perfect Foundation:
This is, hands down, my favorite foundation. It's perfect for the girl with oily skin who still wants a glowy complexion. It's a medium coverage foundation, but you can build the coverage if you need to cover more imperfections. It's a great foundation for summer because it feels like a BB cream but lasts all day. I have bought bottles of this foundation because it works so well and I love it so much.
[10] Rimmel Stay Matte Powder:
This powder is incredible! It is six dollars and possibly the best thing since sliced bread. For someone with oily skin, it's long-wearing, mattifying, and keeps my makeup in place all day. The only issue I have with it is that it doesn't come in a very wide range of colors, so if you have a dark complexion you may not be able to find a color that matches your skin tone. There is a translucent shade, but on someone with really dark skin it may appear ashy. Other than that, however, it's a perfect powder. It's in anyone's budget, and I would highly recommend it.
[4] Stila Smudge Stick \\ Damsel:
Stila Smudge Sticks are fantastic, but I can find something from the drugstore that works just as well. But what separates this liner from the rest is the color, which is just perfect. It's a deep brown, almost black, which is the perfect shade to put in the waterline. It's also very creamy, pigmented, and a long-wearing formula, so I don't find it way below my eyes by the end of the day. It's also a retractable pencil that doesn't require sharpening, which isn't a deal breaker but sure makes my life easier. It's one of the more expensive liners I've tried, but it's definitely worth the investment.
[5] Rimmel Exaggerate Waterproof Liner \\ Noir:
This liner, honestly, was a bit of a bust. It was one of those liners that I grabbed at the drugstore out of curiosity and immediately regretted purchasing. This liner was not very creamy or pigmented. On the upper lashline, it was fine, but on the waterline it was awful and I would not recommend it. There are plenty of other liners from the drugstore that could do the job better.
[11] Loreal Voluminous Million Lashes Excess Mascara:
Loreal has some fantastic mascaras, and this is certainly one of them. It builds volume and length quickly and keeps a curl quite well. If you like really thick, almost chunky lashes, like me, then this mascara is absolutely for you. Loreal has a lot of mascaras, some which are better, but this one is really nice.
[6] Physician's Formula Organic Wear Mascara:
This is definitely one of my top five favorite mascaras. You can build this mascara, coat after coat, and you won't get spider lashes. It holds a curl and doesn't flake or smudge throughout the day. It is also an organic mascara, so it doesn't irritate my sensitive eyes. It's around ten bucks and works like a department store mascara, so I would suggest putting it in your shopping basket next time you're in the drugstore.
Most of these products are items that I have purchased again and again, but one of two of them were busts. They can't all be winners!
What products have you finished up recently?
xx bb