Hi friends! I am SO excited about today’s blog post because we’ve decided to start a new series all about beauty products I’ve tried out and either LOVE, or decided it wasn’t my fave. Part of my job as a content creator entails trying out TONS of products. As I’m sure you’ve seen in “unboxing” stories on instagram, PR companies send bloggers a lot of product to try out and potentially share on their channels. In addition to that, I’m constantly trying out new products at Sephora or Ulta. So I thought this blog series would be a fun way for you guys to kind of “try out” the products along with me and hear a totally honest review of them! That way, next time you’re in Sephora and see a product I’ve reviewed, it might help you decide whether it’s worth the purchase or not! Or, if you read this series you might buy a product I’ve reviewed and love and then have a new fave in your makeup bag!
For now, we are thinking this will be a once a month series. But if y’all totally love it and want more, we can do it bi-weekly! I’d love to hear YOUR feedback on what you’re wanting! What products do you want me to try out and review? Let me know in the comments on this blog post or comment on my IG post! The more feedback the better!
Some weeks I might have tons of hits and very few misses, or visa versa, or all hits no misses, etc. This week I have several products that I’ve tried out recently and love and am super excited to share with you…and a few that weren’t so great in my book. So, let’s get started!
LKS beauty HITS:
- Charlotte Tilbury complexion brush – I bought this brush when we were in NYC because I don’t really like traveling with a beauty blender. It takes up a lot of space in a makeup bag, and if you’re on the go it can be tricky to get it damp, etc. So I was wanting a really good brush to apply my foundation and concealer with and LOVE that this brush has one side for foundation, and one for concealer! It’s two in one for a really decent price. So I love it for the convenience factor and that it doesn’t take up a lot of space in my makeup bag, but I also love it because it makes your foundation and concealer go on so smoothly + evenly. It blends the makeup really nicely so you don’t see brush strokes or any weird lines. I’ve tried out a lot of foundation brushes and this is definitely the best one I have tried thus far!
- Becca under eye brightening corrector – this was a product I bought after hearing sooo many people rave about it. I decided to see if it was worth the hype and I gotta say…it’s 100% worth the hype and more. I actually apply this underneath my eyes before applying concealer. It kind of “neutralizes” the dark color under your eyes (for me, my dark circles seem a little purple-ish). So it neutralizes that dark color and kind of preps that skin for your concealer. It also smoothes the look of fine lines under your eyes, without settling into the creases. I wear this in the color “light to medium”.
- Fresh rose deep hydration sleeping mask – I have a few products from Fresh on this hits and misses list because I had a meeting with them in NYC and they gave me a lot of product to try out! And I found a few new things I am OBSESSED WITH! Honestly I could’ve made this entire “hits” list stuff from Fresh I am loving, but decided to give the list some variety haha. Anyway, this mask. First of all look at the reviews here – almost 1,000 reviews and almost 5 stars. Amazing! So this jar actually has TWO separate sides in it. It’s a two step mask you apply before bed that will hydrate your skin overnight…making you wake up with the most dewy + glowy skin. After cleansing your face you’ll apply the amber colored gel and let it soak into your face. Immediately follow with the silky water cream mask and leave over night and wake up with insanely smooth and glowy skin!
- Drunk Elephant “lala” moisturizer – if you’ve been keeping up with my skincare faves, you probably already know how obsessed I am with the DE “protini” moisturizer. The line has two different moisturizers and I previously always used protini because my skin isn’t super dry so I didn’t think I needed “lala” which seemed to be better for dry skin. Well! DE actually just reformulated “lala” and tbh…I can’t tell you exactly how they changed it, I just know my skin LOVES it now. This is typically the last step of my nighttime skincare routine and I’ve noticed less fine lines and much smoother / softer skin since I started using it. I also love the whipped texture of this cream. It feels so light and moisturizing on your face without feeling heavy or suffocating. [I still love protini too though – I kind of alternate between the two depending on my skin that day].
- Colleen Rothschild creamy oil body wash – I got this product from CR at the rS conference back in April and have been loving it ever since. I have pretty sensitive skin and am prone to breakout in rashes very easily, depending on what body wash I use. Also, living in CO has made my skin super dry and itchy. I’m obsessed with this body wash because it’s SO moisturizing and leaves your skin feeling really soft. It also hasn’t made my sensitive skin break out in any kind of rash which is kind of a miracle these days! This body wash has tons of amazing oils in it which will do wonders for your skin, and has just a subtle fragrance that I personally love!
- Tarte amazonian clay foundation – okay y’all I feel like I have breaking news for you. We are currently traveling and this is the FIRST trip I have EVER gone on where I didn’t bring my it cosmetics cc cream…because I found a new foundation that’s similar to the it cosmetics that I REALLY love! I love that this tarte foundation is full coverage, but still feels really light like a cc cream. I also love that it has SPF in it and lasts all day long! You can wear it on its own for just smooth / natural looking skin on a “no makeup” kind of day…or, wear it like you would normal foundation with a full face of makeup. I am a HUGE fan. Tough to say if I like it MORE than it cosmetics yet, but it’s ranking pretty high up there at the moment!
LKS misses
[FYI – anything on my ‘misses’ list is totally subjective! I’m sure there are people out there who love these products that didn’t necessarily work for me! I’m just sharing my own personal experience!]
- Charlotte Tilbury liquid lipstick – I really wanted to love this because it comes in so many beautiful color options. But I really didn’t like the texture. After wearing it for maybe half an hour, it kind of like creased / cracked on my lips [hard to describe haha but not a good look], and made them feel dry – which I’ve found is typically the case with most liquid lipsticks. The colors are really pretty but I didn’t like how it made my lips look or feel. It’s a weird texture / consistency IMO
- Fresh brown sugar body polish – I am ALL about a good body scrub and particularly was looking for a body exfoliator to use pre-spray tan or pre- self tanner. I think this one can get the job done as far as exfoliating, but the texture/consistency of it is really strange. Part of it is really liquidy and then you have the brown sugar part, so it kind of separates if that makes sense? It’s also hard to scoop out with your hand. I wasn’t a huge fan of this!
- NARS tinted moisturizer – this is a product I know a ton of people love so take this for what it’s worth! I’m personally not a huge fan of it because I feel like it doesn’t offer any coverage at all. Kind of just gives your face a slight tint. But if you like something that looks extremely natural and doesn’t cover much, you might like this! It just wasn’t for me.
Okay this post turned out to be a lot longer than I had anticipated haha. But, since it’s the first one in our new series, I had a lot to write about! Make sure you comment below and share any feedback about this new series! I’d love to hear any ideas you have or requests!
This month’s hits:
This month’s misses:
Thanks for reading! Hope y’all have a great Thursday!
xo Lauren
