Recent beauty hits and misses…

I love to try out makeup and beauty products. Nothing gets me more excited than a bag full of goodies from Ulta or Sephora. And, even though my husband rolls his eyes at me every night, I enjoy my (sometimes lengthy) beauty routine. Some of the products I have tried recently were total hits and others not so much. I thought it would be fun to share a few products that I have been loving and a few that were misses for me.

Let’s start with the hits:

The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid + B5 serum: If you have ever read any of my blog posts, then you know that I struggle with dry skin. I have always had dry skin but as I have gotten older, it has become much more apparent. My skin often looks like it needs to be plumped up and that is exactly what hyaluronic acid promises. I have tried several products over the years with hyaluronic acid as an ingredient, but I have never noticed much of a difference in my skin. That is until I tried this serum by The Ordinary. It uses 3 different molecular weights of HA to ensure absorption into the skin. It is also combined with B5, which helps to enhance absorption as well. I have been intrigued by this brand for a while. They have a lot of great reviews, and are priced very very low. For instance, this serum retails for $6.80! It is vegan, cruelty free, alcohol free and silicone free. It comes in a nice, thick glass jar. So far, I have been very impressed. When I apply this product, it feels like a drink of water for my thirsty skin. I know that sounds cliché, but I literally couldn’t think of another way to describe it. My skin instantly absorbs the product. I feel like I have noticed a difference in my skin, and I feel like my makeup goes on more smoothly too! Overall, a great product!

Lancome Monsieur Big Mascara: Holy cow this stuff is GOOD. I have seriously tried a million different mascaras and this blows them all out of the water. I have a tried and true Maybelline one that I love and have used forever, but I have to say it has taken a backseat recently. This mascara gives amazing length and volume and does not clump. And it also doesn’t flake, which absolutely drives me crazy when some mascaras flake all over your face. I cant express how much I love this mascara! I can’t say that I won’t continue to try new ones here and there but I can say it would be difficult to beat this one!

Neutrogena Hydroboost Lip Shine: This lip gloss is incredible. I know that may soud intense in reference to a lip gloss, but if you try this you will see! Not only is my skin very dry, but my lips are even worse. I have tried every lipstick, gloss, mask, scrub, and balm known to man. I have tried products that seem to soften my lips but after it wears off, they are dry and flaky again. That is not an attractive look. I can honestly say this gloss leaves my lips soft and not dried out even when it has worn off. I was so skeptical when I purchased this, but now I am a total believer. I am sitting here as I type this in shock at how smooth my lips feel after I have been wearing this all day. I do want to mention, that it is a gloss so the color is not as pigmented as a lipstick. Some reviews also said it felt thick, however, I like the texture and it didn’t bother me at all. It retails for a little over $7 and I cant wait to buy all the shades!

Okay, and now for a few products that were misses for me. Keep in mind that everyone has different skin so these products may work for you!

The Ordinary Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG. I am a nurse by day and was recently having a conversation with a surgeon about some of the skin issues I have been having since having a baby. One of those issues is major dark circles. He mentioned to me that topical caffeine can be really effective to treat dark circles. I had seen this product by The Ordinary and decided to give it a try. Unfortunately, it was a big flop for me. I did not notice any difference in my dark circles, but what I did notice was an increase in dryness. That is a huge deal for me who already struggles with dryness! I can not say with 100% certainty if this product would have decreased my dark circles over time or not because I discontinued use after a few weeks. If dryness isn’t an issue for you and you want to try a topical caffeine, this only costs $6.70 so it might be a great place to start! Bonus: caffeine has been shown to reduce cellulite in some studies so maybe Ill try it on my thighs…who am I kidding, there isn’t enough caffeine in this world to help my thighs 🙂

L.A. Girl HD Pro Concealer color corrector in yellow: This product is supposed to help correct and neutralize purple/blue undertones. I wanted to try this to see if I could use this alone, or in conjunction with my concealer to help me look less like a racoon. Unfortunately, this product did nothing for me. It didn’t even look like I had applied anything at all and did not work in conjunction with my concealer. It has a nice little applicator brush, and only costs $5.00 but for now I will stick with my Becca undereye brightener (its amazing by the way).

Real Techniques makeup sponge. I like to use a damp Beauty Blender to apply my foundation, however, I don’t like paying $20 plus dollars for said sponge. I saw this Real Techniques sponge at Ulta and I loved the case that came with it, so I thought I would try it out. It was a big fail for me. The texture is very different from a Beauty Blender and it did not evenly distribute my foundation at all. Its like the texture of the sponge didn’t mix well with my foundation and it smeared it on my face rather than blending it. I really did not enjoy this product at all. It retails for $5.99 which is great, but it was a no go for me!

These are all the products I am reviewing today! I hope you found this helpful if you have been considering trying out any of these products recently!