We all have those beauty products that we simply cannot live without! It takes a lot of trial and error (and sometimes a lot of $) but when you find the products that work best for you, it’s the best feeling ever and you want everyone else to know about it! Year after year, beauty brands come out with more stuff to step up their game – and step up our beauty routines! Some of it is – meh, and some of it you wonder how you ever lived without! Here are some of my babies that play a huge role in my beauty routine that I use regularly, travel with, and own a special place in my beauty kit. Enjoy!
My Favorite Beauty Products
1. Bobbi Brown Vitamin-Enriched Face Base
This can be used on it’s own if you’re going for a natural look or as a primer. I LOVE using this as a base under my makeup. It has a beautifully light citrus-y type scent to it and provides just the right amount of moisture on your skin. A little goes a long way which is great as this guy’s a little pricey (but SO worth it!)
2. Clarins Double Serum Complete Age Control Concentrate
This is THE best serum, hands down, in the ENTIRE world. I decided to jump onto the Clarins bandwagon a few years back like my Mom once did many moons ago (plus my mom has great skin so it was a no brainer!) and I honestly am such a fan. I love that their products, like this serum, are plant-based which really help to calm my acne-prone skin. But, back to the serum! It smells good, it feels good on the skin, its calming, its ANTI-AGING, hello! I like to apply this under my night cream (one big pump on my palm, rub between hands, and smooth all over face) and, I swear, when I wake up the next morning, my skin is glowing! Worth every penny 😊
3. Tarte Shape Tape Concealer
I’ve been blessed with dark under-eye circles (yay!) and I feel like no other concealer out there can cover them up like this one does! It’s thick formula hides all of your life’s worries, comes in many shades, and a little goes a long way. Win-win! It’s also great to prime your eyelids with before eye shadow application.
4. Clinique Stay Matte Oil-Free Foundation
I’ve used many liquid foundations in my lifetime, but I ALWAYS come back to this one. It’s fantastic! I love a good matte face so this product is right up my alley. It doesn’t oxidize (change color when drying) or have any pore clogging ingredients in it. It blends in beautifully into the skin and, although it’s noted as a ‘Sheer to Medium Coverage’ foundation, I find it more on the full coverage side. If it’s covering up my acne scars I know it’s legit! Love that it’s vegan and cruelty free too!
5. Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Nail Polish
If you’re down to do your nails on your own (and if so, check out my manicure routine here) this is for you! This comes in so many awesome colors, is easy to apply, and LASTS longer than you think! I would say my nails have lasted 7-10 weeks using this polish. How awesome is that? It also doesn’t require a blue light to set.
6. Benefit Hoola Bronzer
I’ve had so much trouble finding the right bronzing powder for my skin tone. Often times they’re too shiny, too orange, too – wrong! Enter, the Hoola Bronzer (ahh!) My bronzing and contouring life is complete! This is a matte bronzing powder, so I love using this to contour. It also comes in cute little packaging, with a brush and mirror – amazing!
7. MAC Blush in Pinch-O-Peach
I love MAC (although I’ll always be slightly mad at them for not being cruelty free) and like most of their product, I LOVE their blush. Their colors are awesome but the one I love the most, Pinch-O-Peach, is the perfect neutral while also providing a subtle hint of color to your cheeks. Like, you’re naturally glowing from within.
8. Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Eye Liner
I love a good winged liner every now and then! I used to rock a winged liner on a daily basis until I decided to simplify my everyday routine a bit (check out My Everyday Makeup Routine here). This one is SO good – it’s a true black, the foam applicator maintains it’s shape and makes it easy to apply, and its WATERPROOF. Hells yeah! Funny story – I was in a Hammam spa in Morocco when I was wearing this liner and after being dunked with endless buckets of water, my liner was STILL. IN. PLACE. The ladies in my travel group were shocked! Lol. BUT with that said, it does come off easily with Micellar Water. Speaking of Micellar water…
9. Garnier SKINACTIVE Micellar Cleansing Water All-in-1 Makeup Remover & Cleanser
THE best for removing makeup HANDS DOWN. Even removes eye makeup in a breeze. No need for the constant rubbing which is so bad for the skin around our eyes! I use this religiously to remove my face, lip, and eye makeup and even use it as a toner after cleansing. It’s oil-free so great for my acne-prone skin too!
10. Too Faced ‘Better Than Sex’ Mascara
OK choosing my fav mascara is tough because I’ve been a long time user of Benefit’s ‘They’re Real’ mascara which is the best ever but lately, my new obsession has been this beauty from Too Faced. I love the packaging, and this literally takes your lashes up to Jesus! See my before and after above – need I say more?
11. L’Oreal Brow Stylist Definer
I used to be a huge fan of the Anatasia Brow Wiz, until this guy came along! It’s almost identical to the Brow Wiz but retails at half the price (yes!). I love this pencil for filling in my brows as it’s so easy to use and I love that it comes dual ended – spooly brush on one side and pencil on the other. The thin pencil allows you to get into those little sparse areas between your brow hairs.
12. Benefit 24-hour Brow Setting Shaping and Setting Gel
To complete the setting of the brows, this is a wonderful product that truly keeps your brows in place for 24-hours! I love the brush for this product – it’s kind of rubber-y so it really combs those stray hairs back. It’s also a clear gel that doesn’t leave any white residue behind when dry – yay! I have curly hair so my eyebrow hairs tend to bend or get wavy (I know, so weird!) especially in warm weather which, is basically all year ’round for me here in San Diego!
13. NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream
For a drugstore product, this is the best matte lipstick I’ve come across. It’s so affordable and can be found at pretty much any drugstore which means that I definitely have more then one of these in my kit – hehe. LOVE the color offering too! Lot of beautiful neutrals which I’m all about. It’s long lasting too!
14. Clarins One-Step Gentle Exfoliating Cleanser
I use this in the shower every day, after I’ve taken my makeup off. It’s gentle enough to use daily and has a beautiful orange scent to it. A little goes a long way too! I truly feel that this does the trick in taking off any makeup residue that may be left behind.
15. Urban Decay All-Nighter Long-Lasting Makeup Setting Spray
Remember when I talked about how to make your foundation last longer in this post – well this special friend of mine has a LOT to do with that! It’s fantastic in making your makeup truly last and stay fresh looking ALL. DAY. LONG. My only wish is that it smelled a little nicer. What can I say, I like nice smelling things! Another great way to use this is when applying eyeshadow as a liner – dip any angled brush into the spray then apply your fav eyeshadow in a liner technique!
16. Burt’s Bees Herbal Blemish Stick
O.M.G. Do I love this product for treating blemishes! It’s infused with tea tree oil, so it gives you that slight burning sensation (nothing crazy!) so you know it’s working! I find my blemishes will reduce in appearance, significantly, within a few days.
Are there any products you simply can’t live without? Which products have you used FOREVER that still meet your needs? Let me know in the comments section below!
