My Favorite Acne Products

 

I mentioned in my May Favorites how during that month, my skin freaked out. I have seriously never experienced this before, and never seen my face look like this. It feels like I have had more breakouts this month than all of my life combined. Normally, my skin is very dry, so this was new to me. Therefore, I did lots of research and made lots of purchases of skin clearing products. These are the products that I found worked. So many acne products seem like you use them and they either do nothing, or they make you break out even more. These were the products I kept going back to, and saw results from. Here are my new skin clearing standbys:

May Favorites

I haven't blogged much of May, and that's because I have been super busy. Super busy had lead to stressed, which apparently lead to my skin freaking out. I have had more acne this month than most of life combined (or so it feels), so I have not been wearing a ton of makeup and have been focusing on trying a ton of new acne products instead. So many actually, that instead of including any of them in this post, I am going to just do another whole post soon on my new favorite acne products. Since my skin has been freaking out, I have been trying to play up things like my nails, lips, or eyes in order to divert any attention from the skin on my chin and forehead. Here's what I've been using all month to do so.

Maybelline Colossal Chaotic Mascara

I love Maybelline mascaras. Simple as that. They are not only the best drugstore mascaras, but they can stand up against some very high end mascaras that cost four times as much. I mentioned their The Falsies mascara in my March Favorites, and a couple Maybelline mascaras were in my list of My Favorite Mascaras, but holy cow you guys, this one is awesome! I might almost call it a drugstore dupe for the very popular and very loved Benefit They're Real mascara. The wand does not have plastic bristles, but it is packed very dense, and makes your eyelashes equally as dense, with very few coats. The wand also bends at the end, and if you hold the wand vertically and just use the bent end to really get the ends of lashes and in the corners, you can quickly and easily pack on very dense volume without clumps, which is always my favorite. It does a nice job with lengthening too, which a lot of mascaras designed for volume don't.

Tarte Amazonian Clay Skintuitive 12-hour Blush-Energy

I saw this on the Sephora website and got super excited because I love the LipSurgence Skintuitive Lip Tint which "responds to your skin’s natural pH and energy, giving you a personalized tint that is truly your own unique shade of pink". I love the color the lip tint gives me, and I love seeing my very olive friend wear hers, because it truly does come out a completely different shade on both of us. It develops into a soft, baby pink on me, and almost a bright-rose on her. Naturally I had to try the blush, which says it "reacts to your skin’s natural energy and pH to deliver a custom, natural-looking, pink shade flush", much like the lip tint. It comes out a pale, peachy-pink on me (on my finger in the swatch it barely shows up), but I love the shade it creates. It is soft enough that I can wear it with minimal makeup, but it gives enough color that I can really wear it with any look. I already own a few of the Tarte blushes, and know I love the formula, but I really did like the shade this left on me. I want to have my olive friend try it as well and see what shade it creates on her. If you've tried this or the lip tint, let me know how it comes out on you!

DevaCurl Light Defining Gel

 I raved about this in my Best Styling Products for Naturally Curly Hair back in October, and it is still the holy grail. It is strong enough to beautifully define my curls with no frizz, but not so strong that it leaves my hair crunchy. It is the only product that is absolutely the best of both worlds. The perfect balance of definition and hold, without being crunchy. It also does an amazing job of maintaining my curls overnight when they are slept on, and I still have perfectly defined, frizz-free curls on day two (or three, or four).

Anastasia Beverly Hills Liquid Lipstick in Craft

Everyone has been raving about the Anasatsia liquid lipsticks for a while, and I have been trying not to buy more lip products until I use a few up, but this color was such a gorgeous berry, and unlike anything I own, that I had to try it. It comes out a gorgeous berry shade that is gorgeous for summer, and will definitely transition well into fall. The formula is nice and long lasting without being drying. I like this shade especially because it's unique, will wear well for multiple seasons, and will look good on a lot of skin tones.

Tarte Amazonian Clay Waterproof Brow Mousse

I have been really liking this formula as the humidity is starting to set in. I really like brow waxes or pomades because they give you color and hold in one product, but a lot of them feel really heavy, or can move when it's warm or damp, but this one stays put. The mousse texture of it makes it feel a lot lighter than some other brow products which come in pots, jars, or pans, and the waterproof part of the formula definitely stays put. It seems like with brow products you often have to choose light feeling, or waterproof, you can't get both in one, but this one finally has both a lighter texture and staying power.

Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Polish in Sugar Fix

These polishes are so good, and I am obsessed with this color! I reviewed these Gel polishes in my very first blog post, and I have built quite a collection since then. They are still amazing, and after trying other two-step non-UV gel polishes (several new ones have come out since I reviewed this even), these are still my favorite. I won't go into too much detail about why I love them so much (you can read that in depth in my review) but they are so strong, last at least a week without a chip, dry quickly, are easy to apply and easy to remove. And can we talk about this color? Blue is my favorite color to begin with, but this is one of the best blues I've found. It's somehow neon and pastel at the same time, and somehow baby blue or kind of a purple-blue periwinkle at the same time depending on the light. In the sunlight in the photo at the top it looks like a bright baby blue, but sitting at my desk in the photo on the bottom, it looks like a pastel purple-blue, and both colors are gorgeous, and so much fun for the warmer weather.



What have you been loving this month?

Noteworthy: Morphe Brushes

I heard about Morphe brand brushes about six months ago and decided to order a few and try them out (I'm always nervous buying a brush if I can't feel it first). I figured I would try just a couple, and since they are so cheap, I wouldn't be too upset if I did not like them. They came in the mail, and I was instantly addicted. The quality is amazing! Even more amazing considering that they are all under $20 and feel better than some $50 brushes. Over the past 6 months both my addiction and my collection have grown.

Look of the Day: Spring Trend-No Makeup Makeup

A huge trend for this Spring is the "No Makeup Makeup" look, which after a winter of dramatic contouring, and bold, vampy lips, is extremely refreshing. A lot of people describe this look as "you, only better", which I think is actually a great way to look at it. You are not trying to change any of your features, you are just enhancing them. You still look like you, just a natural looking, best version of yourself. This look is great for absolutely anyone. For people like me who feel (more?) comfortable with a full face of makeup, this is a refreshing way to look more natural, which is perfect for spring, but still feel like you have enough makeup on to be comfortable. For people who don't wear a lot of makeup (whether that's because you're not comfortable with it, or because you don't like doing it), this look is a great way to not feel overly-done, but still enhance your natural look. It really is a win-win look. I am really comfortable in this look, and I think it is the perfect, fresh look for Spring.

March Favorites

I have been really liking a more natural look lately, and I will be doing a post about the "no makeup makeup" look very soon. I have been wearing relatively the same look all month, which for me means I really like it. That's even weirder because the look has been pretty muted and neutral, and I usually love very bold eyes. I'm not sure what happened to me this month, but I have been consistent with a natural look. To take that look from day to night, or just when I feel like punching it up a bit, I will add a bright lip. Here are the products I have been reaching for on the daily throughout March.

Spring Fever!

So I know I haven't posted in a couple of weeks, and I'll be honest, I was in that February Funk that seems to happen yearly. As I mentioned in my Current Obsession: Coconut Oil post, it has been nothing but cold and dark here. I can handle that most of winter, but toward the beginning of March, I am over it and just feel so blah. However, both the sun and temperatures have finally broken now, I feel like my perky self again, and I am getting super excited for spring! I love this time of year when I start bringing color back into my makeup routine, and move from the deeper, vampy shades (which I do love too) of winter to brighter, sunnier shades of spring. I dug through my makeup and pulled out some of my favorite eye and lip shades (and of course included swatches) to lighten up, brighten up, and look festive for Spring, which does officially start later this week. I know pastels for spring isn't exactly revolutionary, but I get so excited to bring some more colorful, softer hues into my makeup routine this time of year. Here's what I'm excited for at the moment.

Eyes

Review: Too Faced Better Than False Lashes

I had been curious about lash fibers for a while. It seemed like a really easy way to beef up your lashes more than just a mascara primer (which I'm often disappointed in) and not as over the top as most false lashes (which can sometimes just look too fake). It did seem kind of weird to brush hair-like fibers onto your eyelashes. Wouldn't they get in your eye? Finally my curiosity got the best of me one day while I was in Sephora, so I grabbed the Too Faced Better Than False Lashes Extreme and decided to give it a try. I've tried it a few times now to figure out how I really felt about it before I reviewed it for you, and after those few times, I am totally wowed. This stuff is fantastic, gorgeous, amazing, quick, easy, beautiful, noticeable results. Shall I go on? Indeed, I will...