Welcome back to another cosmetics article! I know it’s been a while since HC was on the routine summer hiatus, but that gave me some time to try some new stuff over the summer season. I tried a lot of great products and went through quite a few, so here’s what I tried and loved this past season.
Neogen Bio-Peel Gauze Peeling Green Tea Pads
These pads are amazing for exfoliation. While I don’t have one to show you, basically in the jar is a stack of green pads that have a fresh green tea smell and have both a gauze side and soft padding side. After cleansing and toning, you rub in circular motions the gauze side all over your face for about thirty seconds and switch to the soft side repeating the process. Once you’re done, you wash off the product and your skin becomes hydrated and soft. This stuff is great at removing any dead skin while also healing acne because of the green tea and antioxidants in the pads. You should only exfoliate your skin about twice a week, but I found I only used these if I felt my skin needed a good pick-me-up about once a week. Listen to your skin and find the time that works for you to use them. You can find these guys on Sokoglam.com and at your local Sephora for $27.
Klairs Freshly Juiced Vitamin E Mask
This mask might sound a little intimidating, but in Korean skincare, a “mask” doesn’t always have to mean a sheet mask or a mask that makes you look like an alien for thirty minutes. This mask is actually a “sleeping mask” meaning you put it on your face, and you go to sleep with it on. It’s basically a nighttime moisturizer that you let absorb as you sleep. With sleeping masks, you don’t want to wear these during the day because they are thicker and can definitely feel heavy on your skin. As you sleep, this mask helps your skin to produce more collagen and renew the skin’s barrier while also lightening dark spots and helping to cure acne. I love this mask because of its jelly or custard consistency and the way it absorbed into my skin. It goes on clear and doesn’t leave any residue on your face or pillow. Since it’s a vitamin e mask, this works well with vitamin c products since both help to reduce dark spots and help brighten the skin. This guy can be found on Sokoglam.com also for $27.
Glow Recipe Watermelon Sleeping Mask
Sorry, but I got another sleeping mask for you. This little gem was one I heard about from one of my favorite Youtubers, Ingrid Nilsen. I’ve been following her since I was in high-school, and in her recent skincare videos she was raving about this one. This mask is similar to the Klairs one in that you were it before going to sleep. Compared to the other one, it has a more gel-like consistency, is pink (but goes on clear), and has a lovely watermelon scent. This mask was super duper hydrating. Honestly, way more than the Klairs one. Only slight downside is that when I would wake up, I sometimes found the residue leftover on my skin. I looked as if my skin was peeling but it wasn’t anything major and easily came off after washing the next morning. Also, it is a little bit of a splurge at $45. You can buy it at Sephora or on Glowrecipe.com.
NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer
Moving on to makeup, this concealer is the concealer that almost everyone into makeup from amateurs to pros have heard of before. This NARS concealer is by far one of my top favorite concealers. I own about 3 of these and finally managed to get down to the last little swipes left in the tube before finally deciding to let it go. I wear the shade Ginger, and in this swatch, I know it looks really pale on my much tanner skin. I’ve been spending a lot of time in the sun, so I’m very brown right now. But believe it or not, my face is still very pale and that concealer is great for under the eyes and for spot concealing. Love this stuff, but it is a little pricey at $30. Definitely worth it in my opinion. You can find it at Nordstrom, Sephora, and Ulta.
Too Faced Primed and Peachy Face Primer
As someone with super oily skin, I have struggled to find a primer that kept my oily skin at bay. Then one day, I stumbled into Sephora and found this little gem and suddenly I had found one of the only primers to help my skin stay less oily for longer. As you can see, it was very well loved since the label is practically gone and that is because I squeezed the living crap out of this to get every single drop of this product out. It’s that good. This primer is a mattifying, slightly siliconey primer that comes out pink and has a cooling effect to it. It feels so refreshing before putting on makeup and helped my skin stay reasonably matte for at least 6-7hrs which is impressive to me as someone who looks like an oil slick after only 2hrs without primer. If you struggle with oily skin too, definitely try this guy out. A little goes a long way. You can get this off the Nordstrom website, at your local Sephora/Ulta, or on Toofaced.com for about $34.
Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara
And we’re continuing with the Too Faced. Can’t lie, I love Too Faced. This mascara is also a very raved about mascara in the beauty community. While the name is a little intimidating, this mascara is one of the only mascaras I have tried that actually gives both volume and length to my short, sparse, Asian eyelashes. While it might seem pricey at $23, Too Faced always does friends and family deals from 20-30% off if you’re subscribed to their emails and Ulta/Sephora will have a sale. Keep your eye out. This only comes in black, however, but everyone needs a good black mascara. It also comes in a waterproof formula, so if you’re into that, you also have that option with equally cute packaging.
Anastasia Brow Wiz Pencil
Now this brow pencil and the NARS concealer are two products that I always need multiples of because my brows always need help. They are not twins or sisters, but rather grandchildren from two different families, so I always need a brow pencil in every bag just in case something goes wrong. I use the color dark brown and love the precision I get and how long it lasts, especially with my oily skin. My one complaint is that because it’s so thin, the spoolie part of this pencil always. breaks. off. always. I have four of these and all four spoolies have broken off. It kind of makes the packaging seem more cheap, but at least the product is still great. At $17, you’re paying for quality. Find it at Ulta, Nordstrom, and Sephora.
And that’s it for my Summer ’18 empties. Hopefully this inspired you to go out and try a new beauty product and if it did, I hope it works out for you. I’ll be back with more fun beauty stuff for you guys as we get into all the new fall makeup looks and skincare routines. Stay tuned!