I honestly don’t know what I would do if I went to school out of state. That’s a lie, I do know – I would have a normal college dorm instead of the crazy, cozy cave that I have built here at Harvard… but that’s a possibility I don’t even want to consider. Because I live a mere five miles away (and because I have very patient parents), I get to have all the furniture and trinkets and pillows (so many pillows!!) that I like to have in my space (see below for proof of my packrat habits).
As a result, whenever one of my friends comes to see my room for the first time (or when one of my roommates wants to procrastinate), they often spend a lot of time wandering around and looking at everything I’ve managed to pack into my little Mather single. What happens most often as a result of these explorations is someone picking up a weird beauty product and innocently asking what it is, not knowing that I’m going to go into an endless diatribe on why this specific nail polish/hair product/lipstick is the best one they will ever try and where they can buy it and how absolutely necessary it is that they get it right away. I promise it’s more fun than it sounds…
The point is, I love beauty products. Doing theater makeup is my primary extra curricular, and my favorite way to procrastinate is to scour blogs and books and articles from all over the world to find the coolest, most incredible things that are being produced in the world of beauty right this very minute. As a result, my makeup case (and my shower caddy… and my vanity… and half my bookshelf…) is stuffed with things I’ve picked up in the far corners of mass beauty supply stores or ordered from questionable websites or coerced international acquaintances into bringing me from what for them is their friendly neighborhood drugstore and for me is a veritable treasure trove. Because not everyone has the time, energy, or volition to be as crazy as me about beauty, I’ve collected my best finds from over the years into one handy guide for beauty products you never knew you needed, but totally do.
First of all, hair products.
When most people see Mane n’ Tail Shampoo and Conditioner, they assume it’s a joke and that the horse cartoons and name of the product are all just for fun. Not so, however. Yes, this system is primarily designed for our equine friends but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t work wonders on human hair! Trust me on this one. It’s sold in the (people) beauty section of drugstores and Target, so it has begun it’s transition into mainstream product but so many people still don’t believe in the miracle that is horse shampoo and conditioner. Designed for super thick, super unmanageable hair, Mane n’ Tale, when used in dorm showers as opposed to in the stables achieves the elusive trifecta: it deep cleans, de-tangles, and texturizes, all without the normal drying effects that other intense shampoos tend to bring to the table.
Next up, hair oil. Mine is from Nuxe, which is pretty hard to find outside of Europe at a reasonable price, but drugstore brands such as Garnier and Pantene have been developing their own, easier-to-find versions. I have naturally oily hair, so I understand if you’re hesitant to add more oil to the mix but again, trust me. “Dry oil” products, such as these, add shine, softness, and manageability to your hair that will be hard to find elsewhere and as long as you apply the bulk of the product to the ends and save only the residue on your hands for your roots, you’ll be fine.
Now, on to skin care!
Again, these products are most easily found in France (my summer abroad in Paris was partially spent in the beautiful, famous parfumeries scattered all over the city and I developed some hard-to-break habits…) but I’ll of course include American dupes to help out all you collegiettes stateside! Any good skin care routine starts with thorough cleansing. This is where products like Bioderma come in. Bioderma is a “cleansing water” which is basically just a fancy way of saying no-rinse toner that will take off literally all makeup/dirt/mess on your face with a simple swipe of a cotton pad. Bioderma can be found in the States as well, but Sephora’s own brand “Triple-Action Cleansing Water” is a lot more common and a lot cheaper. I also love aerosol spring water as an added moisturizer (does it get more basic than that last sentence?!). My favorite brand is Avene, but Evian also does a great version.
Finally, supplements!
Beauty is not skin-deep. This is both a very true statement about the benefits of being a good, kind person and the way that I’m going to sell implementing supplements into your beauty routine… Lame intro aside, hear me out! Kusmi tea is the last Paris import item on my list, I promise (this list may as well have been called “Amazing French Beauty Products and Their American Counterparts” but I digress). Their BB Detox tea has lots of great ingredients that somehow (I don’t do science…) get your blood pumping in a way that positively affects your skin. I’m not usually one for homeopathic solutions but I can’t deny that drinking this tea once a day not only makes me happier (it is, hands down, the best I have ever tasted) but also keeps my skin literally glowing. Yogi Tea, which is available at Whole Foods and online at Amazon, has a Skin Detox tea that is slightly less delicious but does all the same great things for my skin. The last item on the list is cod liver oil pills. While this may bring up weird visions of 1950s school nurses wielding large bottles of the noxious liquid, cod liver oil is back in a big way. In pill form, there’s no issue of taste and taking these pills daily is supposed to be good for strong nails, healthy hair, and clear skin. Again, I’m not necessarily a reliable resource for the science behind these pills, but I’ve been taking them for several years now and can’t sing their praises highly enough!
There you have it, collegiettes! Happy beauty buying!