A Look In My Makeup Bag - Secret Helpers
Here are some products I use "behind the scenes" to help me out! ^.^ These products help me look less tired, less messy, and more put together! I will tell you about the products I use, and my reviews on/experiences with them!
In the top picture, I have all the secret helper products I own and have used. The bottom picture shows the products open/inside the packaging.
There are some in this collection that I love and use often, and then others that I don't use as much and aren't the best in my opinion. However, all these products are super afforable! Since I am a broke college student... ;) But I would have to think that a more expensive brand for any of these products would probably work much better.
First my favorites! :)
My two favorites in this collection I use all the time, and they are really handy! I love the Swisspers Blotting Paper, and the Hollywood Deodorant Removing Sponge so much! The Swisspers Blotting Paper gets rid of minimal oily spots on your face, and I say minimal because I don't think it would work as well if you are prone to very oily skin. It is very easy to go through two or three of the small sheets at a time just using the paper on my forehead and sides of my nose, so I don't think the pack would last long if you need more shine removal. They are however easy to throw in your purse and carry around for touch ups when needed, and I use them quite often. They are also pretty cheap- $2.50/pack. The pack comes with 100 sheets that are about 3 x 2 1/2 inches. As the package says, all you need to do is "gently blot shiny areas, use clean sheets until the shine has been lifted." The sheets will turn clear as you take the oil off of your face, so you can tell when the paper has been used up. I also use them at the top of my forehead where my hairline is to get the oil out of my hair at the hairline. Overall, I love this product and use it often, but the product's success depends on the type of skin you have. Here is a website that has highly recommended blotting papers, that are a bit more expensive, but still affordable! The winner on this website, The Cut magazine, was actually cheaper than I thought the best one would be, and I'm going to have to try them out! The winner was Clean & Clear Oil Absorbing Sheets. The price differs slightly depending on where you purchase them, but here are some from Target at $4.99 for 50 sheets/package.
My other favorite product is probably the one I use the most out of this collection. Honestly, I wasn't expecting it to really work as well as it does, so I think it's a great buy! I definitely recommend purchasing Hollywood Fashion Secrets' Deodorant Removing Sponge. It comes in handy all the time to get rid of deodorant stains on shirts/blouses, cardigans, dresses, and sweaters! According to the packaging, and my testimonial :) the sponge removes deodorant marks, most makeup powder, and dirt & dust. It also says it removes pet hair, but I have not tried the sponge for that yet...I'm going to have to go home, love on my cats, and test out the sponge! ;) Again, this product is pretty small, so it's portable, and you can just toss it in your purse! My two favorite things about this product though is that one, it doesn't require water, so all you do is just rub the sponge briskly on the fabric where the stain is, and then two, it lasts forever! I have had this product for probably two or two and a half years, and it still works great! It's really a life saver, especially for my favorite cardigan that I wear all the time and is prone to deodorant marks! ^^
Next, I have the Hard Candy Sheer Envy Skin Perfecting Primer. According to the bottle, this primer "evens out skin tone and creates a flawless, smooth finish to skin." While I feel that this product gives a smooth feeling finish, it did not even out my skin tone. I always have a red area- my nose spreading out to my cheeks, and this product didn't bring down that redness at all. Therefore, I don't use this product that often. I would have to think that maybe a more expensive primer might work better. I also felt like the actual product gets gritty easily if you use too much or rub it in too much. The product's smell is a bit chemically as well, so that's not really pleasant! While I love Hard Candy's concealer, I would recommend a higher quality primer instead of their primer product. When looking up the best primer's I noticed on sites like Vogue and Marie Claire that both Benefit Cosmetic's The POREfessional Face Primer and Smashbox's Photo Finish Foundation Primer were always first. However, these come at a steeper price, $31 and $36 respectively.
Another product I have of Hard Candy's is Eye'm Tired. This product is used under the eyes to de-puff, brighten, and firm your undereye bags. It is not available at Walmart anymore, which is where I purchased it, but I have linked to the prouct selling on Amazon. The bottle has little metal balls on the top (as you can see in the picture), and you squeeze a little bit to get some of the gel out, then gently rub under your eyes. When I first purchased this, I used it everyday when I did my makeup, but I feel like it never really made a significant difference. I actually found out that the gel provides a cooling sensation, but that wasn't for me either. It felt like it was burning instead, and it was uncomfortable. It is also easy to get too much product, and I feel that it takes a long time to dry, so don't try to do your makeup quickly when using this product! Unlike Hard Candy's primer, this product doesn't really have a scent at all, so it's nice that it doesn't have that chemically smell. Overall, I would not recommend this product to de-puff your eyes. Here are some eye creams recommened by Allure to get the job done!
Lastly, I have Maybelline New York's Baby Skin Instant Pore Eraser. I talked about this product in my Daily Look post, so I will keep it short here and you can go check out that post for more information! :) Basically, I feel like this product didn't do anything for my pores. It definitely isn't instant like it says in the name. I repeatedly used it, and it didn't seem to really shrink my pores. Maybe you have to use it for a REALLY long time, but who wants that slow of results? I don't recommend it, but I do highly recommend their Baby Lips lip balms! :) lol Here is an article from Good Housekeeping that claims Clinique's Pore Refining Solutions Instant Perfector is the favorite among users and the beauty staff at Good Housekeeping.
Thanks for reading! What are your favorite fashion/beauty secrets? Any DIY remedies or products you love? Let me know in the comments section!
xoxo~ Ashley
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