Thursday, August 3, 2017

Favorite Youtubers On My Subscription Feed

While other people regularly binge watch Netflix episodes, I find myself streaming Youtube beauty videos on the daily. While getting ready in the morning, doing laundry, cleaning, you name it and I probably have a Youtube video playing in the background. Though I follow the more well-known youtubers such as Jaclyn Hill, KathleenLights, Fleur deForce, etc, I also enjoy finding smaller youtube channels with less followers. Often times, I find these videos to be more relatable and personal, without the big production efforts and editing that takes place. Here are some of the channels I follow and would without a doubt add to my Watch Later playlist when they show up on my subscription feed.

  1. Carah Amelie
  2. Abby Esbenshade O'Keefe of ColorSweptBeauty
  3. Amy Macedo
  4. Jamie Paige
  5. Mrslolalynn
  6. Tanya Cheban - great tutorials! Especially for eye looks
  7. Zabrena - awesome reviews of affordable drugstore products
  8. elanna pecherle
  9. Lisa J
  10. Dacey Cash
  11. HotandFlashy - her videos are geared more toward mature women but I love watching them for a different perspective
  12. Shelbey Wilson - I found her channel through how to videos for BareMinerals and have loved all her content
  13. michele1218 - love this channel! One of the first youtubers I followed
  14. Kelly Gooch - recently found this channel, really like her project pan videos
  15. The Small Things Blog
  16. Roxette Arisa
  17. IamJustaMakeupLover
  18. Jessica Braun | JAMbeauty89 - great channel, especially love her declutter series
  19. Allana Davison
  20. ttsandra 
  21. KathleenLights
  22. Nicole Elise
  23. Gothamista - super thorough skincare reviews, has taught me a lot about skincare
  24. Marnie Goldberg - love her videos and vlogs! 
  25. Bailey B
  26. Jenny Sunshine
  27. emilynoel83 - have also been following her for years! I always trust her opinion on products
  28. Casey Holmes
  29. Danna Ann
  30. Katerina Williams

Wednesday, August 2, 2017

Products I've Repurchased Over and Over Again



While I enjoy trying new things from time to time, there are certain items that I have been loyal to for years and have repurchased again and again over time. For this round-up, I've decided to focus more on body/hair/nail care products:

Philosophy Purity Made Simple One-Step Facial Cleanser the most gentle yet effective cleanser. I love the herbal scent of this and know that it will never break me out.

Aussie 3 Minute Miracle Deep Conditioner - a good deep conditioner with a heavenly coconut smell for only $3. I've been using this since high school.

Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Nail Coat - the BEST top coat ever. This dries your nail polish so fast that it makes doing your nails less of a hassle. Every other top coat I have tried just does not compare to this, will repurchase again and again. Although, there are two cons about this. One is that there is shrinkage around the edge of nails after it dries. However, an additional swipe or two along the nail tip should fix this. Two is that the bottle gets extremely thick and goopy when you're halfway through. I find that if I add some nail polish thinner I can extend the life by a couple of months. But even then, I've never been able to fully use up an entire bottle before buying a new one. 

The Body Shop Body Butters - love these as rich body moisturizers. These are not for you if do not like the feeling of thicker lotion on your skin. I personally love to slather up in a rich body butter before bed. My favorite scents are Mango, Raspberry, and Blueberry.

The Body Shop Camomile Sumptuous Cleansing Balm - a great cleansing balm for removing eye makeup. I used this specifically to remove my eye makeup and then go in with an oil-based makeup remover for the rest of my face. 

Queen Helene Mint Julep Masque - a great clarifying clay mask at an affordable price!

Skintimate Skin Therapy Moisturizing Women's Shave Gel with Vitamin E for Dry Skin -  great moisturizing shave gel, lathers up nicely and actually leaves my leg feeling moisturized after shaving.

Neutrogena Anti-Residue Shampoo - my favorite clarifying shampoo from the drugstore. The scent of this is interesting, leaning more masculine. I love to use it occasionally to remove buildup or when my hair just feels weighed down.



Tuesday, August 1, 2017

Summer 2017 Empties




SKINCARE

Vichy Aquaria Thermal Serum - I bought this after reading reviews from Caroline Hirons and various Youtubers. The texture of this is very watery and lightweight. It is however, heavily fragranced. I grew accustomed to the scent but overall, did not see significant changes in my skin for me to buy again. 



Neutrogena Oil-Free Acne Stress Control Triple-Action Toner - This is great at smoothing out textured skin and attacking clogged pores. I have attempted to stray away from using this due to the high alcohol content but somehow always find myself reaching for this. Hoping to find another toner with less alcohol content. 

Fresh Lotus Youth Preserve Face Cream with Super 7 Complex - Decent morning and night moisturizer but did not like the unhygienic jar packaging.

Dr. Dennis Gross Dark Spot Sun Defense SPF 50 (deluxe) - I don't recall either loving or hating this, so I guess the overall impression was meh. 

Peter Thomas Roth Max Sheer All Day Moisture Defense Lotion SPF 30 (deluxe) - Super oily! This was too oily to use under my makeup in the mornings, I finished the rest by applying to my neck and chest. 

Algenist Genius Ultimate Anti-Aging Melting Cleanser - Great at removing face makeup but burns my eyes. For this reason, would not repurchase.

Supergoop City Sunscreen Serum SPF 30 - Loved this! Lightweight and absorbed quickly to a semi-matte/satin finish. 

First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Hydrating Serum - This was highly rated by Paula's Choice. It was pretty good, might repurchase

MAKEUP


Essence Eyeliner Pen Waterproof - Pretty good eyeliner for the $2-$3 I paid for it at Ulta. Really fine point makes it super easy to draw a winged liner.

Lancome Cils Booster XL - This really does help to volumize and lengthen lashes in addition to mascara! Have repurchased it at least 2-3 times but now I am using the lash primer from L'oreal which is just as good and cheaper.

It Cosmetics Hello Lashes Extensions (deluxe) - Good everyday mascara but would rather pay less $$ for a drugstore mascara that works the same, if not better.

Urban Decay Perversion Mascara (deluxe) - Decent but would not repurchase

Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Concealer (light) - Loved this concealer! Using it in the shade neutralizer now, it's more yellow-toned which I like

Maybelline Color Tattoo Eyeshadow Tough as Taupe - Didn't really end up using this as eyeshadow. It dried up fairly quickly but then I started using it as an eyebrow pomade. Worked pretty well! It's a cool, ashy tone for the brows.