It’s been a while since I talked about beauty on here so today I’m sharing some new to me beauty products and things I have been loving lately.
I have to admit, most of these items are recommendations from my sweet friend and fellow Charlotte babe Lindsey Regan Thorne – she’s a boss and has made a whole fantastic career in beauty. Ever since I left my job in cosmetics, I’ve gotten a little lazy about keeping up my beauty routine and trying new products so I pretty much buy whatever she recommends. I would say 9 out of 10 times, I agree with her 100%. Occasionally I won’t love something on me as much as I do on her and that’s ok – we’re not all clones!
I have really missed the beauty world and exploring new products so I want to start getting better at sharing the new to me beauty products I am loving. For each one I’ll be sure to include info like details about the product, why I love it, if it replaced something else I was using, my recommendation on whether or not to purchase, and how long I’ve been using it/ testing it. This post (and any future posts like it) will not be 100% positive. There are some stinker products out there & I promise to share all of that with you.
If you are a blond woman in her early 30s with hazel eyes and neutral to tan skin like me you just might find this post helpful. If they are helpful, I’ll keep doing them. Unlike Lindsey, I am no expert or professional. I am merely sharing the new to me beauty products that I have tested and tried and have loved this year.
cheers,
taylor
New to Me Beauty Products
Tarte Colorsplash Lipstick – This is an LRT product that I’ve seen her share a lot but held off trying because I need a new lipstick like I need a hole in the head. A couple of months ago I finally decided to add it to my cart and I’m so glad I did. MAC has been my go-to lipstick for years and years but now I find myself reaching for this one over and over again. It goes on so smooth, doesn’t dry out my lips & the color (salt lyfe) is universally flattering. It literally looks good on everyone. I never know how that is possible for beauty products but with this color it is. There are a few other shades I’m planning to switch over to when I run out of my MAC versions.
Tarte Maracuja Tinted Moisturizer – Last year I found my forever favorite & perfect tinted moisturizer (shown above on left) only to find out at the end of my first bottle that it was discontinued. Now I’m on the hunt for a replacement that I love even half as much. I’ve been using the Tarte Maracuja tinted moisturizer for 6 weeks now and have to say I’ve been pleasantly surprised. This is an LRT recommendation that I was skeptical about but decided to try anways. It hasn’t become my go-to yet but the way it goes on so light and evenly while providing good coverage and a healthy glow makes me like it a lot and keeps me coming back for more.
Tarte Marajuca Lip – Once LRT got me hooked on the Tarte lip products I decided to explore a little more and see what other great finds are out there. I found these lip glosses in the new section on the Tarte site and, once again, am obsessed. I have been a religious carmex user for the better part of my whole life. Not because I’m that loyal to it, but because I haven’t found a product that I feel moisturizes my lips the same way without leaving them sticky. Well friends, this is the first product that has got me ditching my little tube of Carmex. This lip product goes on so smooth, is nourishing to the lips and leaves them feeling clean while providing a nice sheer tint (similar to the Tarte lip quench). I love that it is a thicker formula but 100% not sticky and lasts a while – I cannot stress this enough. I really hate a lip product that is designed to wear off and dry your lips out so you are forced to reapply 100 times a day. I purchased the rose, strawberry, hibiscus & raspberry to try a variety of shades. Now that holiday sets are live, you can purchase the Maracuja juicy lip trio for $29, a $57 value! It also comes in this duo set with the tinted moisturizer for $35, a $48 value – two of my fave new products!
Winky Lux Tinted Moisturizer – This white tea tinted moisturizer is another great find. Winky Lux isn’t a new brand for me. I worked with them at Belk during my time in beauty but only ever tried their lipsticks & eyeshadow palettes. I recently found them in Target and decided to give this tinted moisturizer a try. I love this one because it goes on velvety-soft and smells incredible. It doesn’t hurt that it comes in the prettiest bottle & packaging either.
Winky Lux Flower Lip Balm – This is such a fun product y’all. Idk how often I have said it or can say it but I am definitely one of those people who has to have something on my lips to keep them from getting chapped. This is a great nourishing balm that goes on clear but adjusts to the perfect pink tint based on the pH in your lips. It ends up being the perfect natural looking shade of pink for every skin tone. The balm comes in a pink, purple, blue & green that all offer different shades of tint.
Olaplex Bonding Oil – I talked a lot about this hair oil in my post on the Olaplex Hair System but it’s so good it’s worth mentioning again. It’s also still a relatively new-to-me beauty product that I’m obsessed with. In Olaplex’s scientific terms: this bonding oil works by finding single sulfur hydrogen bonds and crosslinking them back together to form disulfide bonds. Translation: I use this oil on my hair every single night and have noticed the biggest difference in the length, health, and shine of my hair.
Olaplex No. 0 – This is also a new-to-me beauty product that I covered in the Olaplex post but it’s pretty great. No. 0 is really the new step one and provides an extra layer of bond maintenance and preps your hair for all the magic that the bond maintenance treatment, shampoo & conditioner do.
Tart Amazonian Clay Bronzer – My MAC cosmetics bronzer has served me well for many years now. I’m completely happy with it but just felt like I wanted a change. Once again, LRT recommended this bronzer + the brush that goes with it and I’ve been pleasantly surprised. Full disclosure: I only use my MAC bronzer in the summer & apply it to the whole face when I’m trying to get a longer life out of my winter foundation shades. This foundation is a darker shade than my MAC and provides good coverage. I’m pretty sure the recommended way to use it is as a contour. I’ve used it both ways and been really happy with the results. If you do use it as a foundation tint/powder, use it sparingly. It layers and builds well so start with a little and adjust to your desired shade.
MAC Oh So Gilty eye shadow – A while back on my Instagram stories I shared my woes over my long-time go-to eye shadow (MAC Retrospeck) being discontinued. I was utterly depressed because this was the best shadow for wearing alone or layering and building with a more sophisticated look. It also had a subtle amount of sparkle that really brightened the eye. I wasn’t really sure which color or finish would be comparable so I bout and tested 10 different nude/ neutral colors that looked similar. I finally landed on “Oh So Gilty” and have been obsessed. I am on my second pot of it and fell as I may even love it more than “Retrospeck”.
Charlotte Tilbury Night Cream – This is one product I cannot wait to get rid of. TBH, the only reason I’m still using it is because it was kind of expensive and I cannot bring myself to waste that kind of money. I purchased the CT Magic Night Cream close to a year ago and am still working through that first jar. I had high hopes for it because the CT Magic Cream is SO good. I mean really good! It is still an investment for skincare but it is a more affordable yet comparable alternative to the La Mer creams. In my opinion, the CT Magic cream has a similar feel, is lightweight on your skin, and leaves your skin feeling nourished & healthy after only a few uses. The night cream is nothing like that. It does do a great job at moisturizing my dry skin but leaves a weird film/ residue that I cannot wait to get off in the AM. I really don’t know how to adequately describe it but I highly recommend staying away from this product & stick with the CT magic cream for both day and night.
Supergoop Glow Screen & Unseen Sunscreen – This is a product I’ve seen so many people recommend. I resisted purchasing it for a long time because most of my products have SPF in them and they are a little pricy ($36-38 each for a full-sized bottle). However, the more I age, the more aware I am of aging skin, and the more I want to preserve what I have with great products. In the interest of self-preservation, I’ve started layering on the SPF and finally decided to give these two screens a try. Supergoop has a great selection of sunscreens for the whole family but I wanted to start with these two to make sure it was good for me. The last thing I wanted to do was spend $$$$ on some sunscreen that I hated. I have been alternating these two screens into my beauty routine to figure out which one I like better and the Glow Screen is far and away my favorite. As its name suggests, it has a subtle glow and tint to the formula which transfers to your skin. I like it because it acts as another tinted moisturizer (which we’ve already established I’m obsessed with). The unseen is great for a primer but is as it seems, unseen. It is a clear formula that goes on sheer. Now that I have tried the Unseen, I honestly wish I would have tried the Matte Screen. Of the two, I would prefer a matte primer with SPF vs the sheer of the Unseen Screen.
Check out the photos below for a visual of the difference between the two.
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