Go-To Beauty Products I Can’t Stop Reaching For

          

Most of the time, I just like to keep it simple. Here are the products I’ve been reaching for the most lately. Keep in mind that I rarely wear all of these products together and instead mix and match the products depending on what I want to hide or let shine that day. Most days when I’m not really going anywhere special, I skip product all together, opting instead for a thick coat of rich moisturizer like Cerave cold cream and filled-in brows. 

{MUFE HD Primer and Full Cover Concealer are the perfect combination for hot summer days where normal foundation feels too heavy. I dab concealer on trouble spots and blend excess out onto the entire face.}

{Dallas Box O’ Powder by Benefit is hands-down my absolute favorite year-round cheek color. It delivers the BEST au naturale, flushed cheeks.}

{MAC Mineralize. It’s a classic for a reason. Dust on light or build up coverage with staying power.}

{ALERT: THIS IS A MIRACLE PRODUCT! TheBalm’s Stainiac in Beauty Queen is a lip-stain lover’s dream! My favorite lip product EVER, with a water-based formula which gives you time to smudge into lips with your fingers so that the color always looks natural!}

{I rarely wear mascara because I think it’s such a pain to get off so I don’t usually splurge and instead opt for drugstore classics like Revlon and Maybelline. As for liner, I’m a Stila and MAC fan til death.}

{I’m a stickler for filled in brows if anything. This Smashbox one is great but right now I’m using a great NYX alternative which is less than half the price, does the job well, and includes a brow brush!} 

{For August, as a transition into fall, I usually don pale pinks and sheer nudes on my nails. As for the award of best top coat ever invented? HANDS DOWN, Essie’s Good To Go which can make even the cheapest nail polish look like a $14 one.}

3 Beauty Splurges Turned Must-Haves

        

My Clarisonic Mia has done absolutely everything it promised to do for my skin. Beyond the soft skin that you could get just from a good exfoliant, the Clarisonic literally leaves my skin glowing. I was a total non-believer at first, but with the encouragement of the 90-day money back guarantee, I gave it a shot. I was totally wowed. It feels great, almost as amazing as brushing your teeth when you first wake up, and now it’s an absolute must have for my super sensitive and acne-prone skin. 

        

No joke. I SWEAR by Dermologica’s Clean Start line. In fact, I’m constantly fearful that they will cancel it. Yes, these are the things I worry about. I didn’t photograph the cleanser, Wash Off, though I use it religiously, because I think these are two products from the line that people might often choose not to purchase. The All Over Clear toner is another beauty ritual. I spritz it all over my face right when I get out of the shower and let it dry on it’s own while I apply body lotion. It has a surprisingly natural, plant-y smell and feels so refreshing and slightly tingly. I think people often overlook toner because it usually isn’t a product you can see working, but this one has been an integral part of my best-skin-ever routine. Finally, at 22, I have banished most of my acne and I will always have Dermalogica’s Clean Start line to thank for that. Usually when I do have pimples now, they occur right before that certain time of the month, so I picked up the Hit The Spot acne treatment which literally stamps out breakouts. I apply it nightly and sometimes in the morning under my makeup if a pimple is really stubborn. I know we all say we’ve tried everything from acne, but I honestly have tried almost every drugstore and department store brand as well as home remedies like baking soda and apple cider vinegar, and this acne treatment is lifechanging. You will actually see the pimple reduce in size and redness within 10 minutes of applying it. A day or two later, it’s completely gone and best of all, not one scar is left behind. Another Dermalogica favorite of mine is the microfoliant! Best texture while you cleanse and glow afterward. It’s like a turbo boost for your face wash. 

        

Anyone who knows me knows that foundation is the one part of my beauty arsenal where I tend to overlook price and buy based on quality. I usually pick up drugstore mascaras and shadows, sometimes even blush and bronzer, but foundation for me has always and will most likely continue to be a high-end purchase. This foundation is no exception. In my own experience, I feel like it took Make Up For Ever’s HD Foundation a while to catch on, but once it did, girls went crazy for it. Before this, I was swearing by Laura Mercier’s Creme Smooth foundation but when my skin lightened during the winter, I need a less-than-summer shade and decided to guy this a try. My favorite part about this foundation? No matter what you use to apply it—sponges, brushes, fingers—it always delivers the same great coverage. I always mix in my Nuxe oil (another beauty splurge) and it gives the best dewy glow for my insanely dry skin. Not to mention, it comes in so many shades, I always find one that works for me no matter what time of year it is.