I don’t think I’ve ever done a favorites post in all my three years of blogging, but after spending a whole afternoon watching YouTubers do them I couldn’t resist. They honestly sound so boring and I always thought people just made them to generate more affiliate sales, but now I’m obsessed with watching them and get almost all of my beauty/skin/hair recommendations through favorites posts or videos!
I mean, it kind of makes sense. I’m more inclined to trust someone I’ve been following for a while about their opinion, versus an anonymous person on a product’s recommendation thread. Despite what a lot of people think, most bloggers and vloggers don’t lie about their experience with products! I’ve turned away so many sponsored opportunities knowing I would never use the product, partially because it’s no fun to write posts about something I don’t even like.
One thing I realized while watching favorites videos was that I was more drawn to vloggers who also commented on products that didn’t work for them. It never felt like they were bashing brands, because there were usually other products from the same company that they loved, and it made the whole video feel more genuine. I want to try incorporating that into my favorites posts by mentioning a few products I tried that just didn’t quite work out for me, and hopefully help y’all form a good opinion about a product before buying it yourself! Of course, not everyone has the same skin, hair, or beauty needs as myself, so I recommend checking out other bloggers and vloggers to diversify your sources and form the best review possible.
With that, here are my favorite products from January!
Note: This post contains affiliate links. You can read my disclosure by clicking here.
Hair + Body
LUSH Rehab Shampoo – For those of you who don’t know, I have naturally curly/wavy hair. I used to wear it natural all the time, but after cutting it to my shoulders last year I quickly realized that short curly hair is not my thing. I’ve been waiting for it to grow out for months, and straightening it almost much every week, so my hair is pretty damaged now. It’s finally at the point where I want to start wearing it curly again, but all the heat has totally dried out my hair and scalp (basically a nightmare for curls). I saw that this shampoo is made specifically for treating damaged hair, and after about a month of using it I’m hooked. My dandruff disappeared after the first wash, and my hair feels so clean and fresh after using it. The smell is addicting (it’s made with peppermint, juniper berry, rosemary and lavender oils), and I only need about a quarter sized amount to cleanse my hair, so I can see this 3oz bottle lasting quite a while. Bonus: it’s vegan!
Dr. Bronner’s Lavender Soap – Y’all, this stuff is magical. They’re not kidding when they call it all-in-one, because I use it for just about every cleaning activity imaginable. I keep this bottle next to my sink and use it as hand soap (you need like, two drops to get a good lather going), a calming face wash, and body wash. When my makeup brushes need cleaning, I’ll put a couple drops in my hand and swirl a brush in it under running water. There are tons of other uses for it, and I’m still finding more ways to incorporate it into my daily routines. I personally like lavender the most, but they have several other scents and even an unscented one if you have sensitive skin!
Beauty
Essie “Lady Like” Nail Polish – I’m always drawn to nudes and pinks, and this color is a beautiful blend of the two. It’s dark enough to wear in the winter, but still super casual and works with any outfit. And of course, it’s Essie, so you already know the quality is great!
Tarte Young, Wild, and Free Palette – I don’t actually think this is being sold anymore, so take this as a review of Tarte eyeshadows in general. I’ve been slowly transitioning over to natural beauty products, and Tarte has become one of my favorite natural beauty brands because their products tend to go really well with my skin tone. This was my first eyeshadow palette from them, so I wanted to keep it small in case I didn’t love it, but I am totally pleased! These shadows have a great pigment, and I use “weekend” (top right) almost everyday with “virtue” (bottom left) in my crease. Oh, and the whole palette smells like chocolate. Not in a cheap, overwhelming way, but in a very subtle and pleasing one. I’ll probably try out their classic Tartelette next!
Skincare
Cosrx Low Ph Good Morning Gel Cleanser – I bought this cleanser after hearing about it through Joan Kim, a Korean beauty vlogger, who raved about it in several of her videos. I wanted a simple morning face wash that would leave my face feeling fresh for the day, and this cleanser worked out perfectly for me. It’s very gentle and has a nice citrus scent that wakes me up, and while I don’t know if it’s helped get rid of any acne I have, it definitely hasn’t made anything worse, which still means a lot! If you’re looking for a cheap morning cleanser (this one is only $10!) that doesn’t need to remove makeup, I would definitely recommend trying this one out.
LUSH Mask of Magnaminty – A new LUSH store opened up close to my house a couple months ago, and this is one of the products I bought during my first visit. I’d never tried any LUSH products aside from their bath bombs before, but I’d heard great things about pretty much every product they had, so I expected this face mask to be just as good. I’ve used it about ten times now, and I will definitely be purchasing it again! The peppermint oil gives your face a very cool, tingly feeling the whole time you have it on, and the ground aduki beans exfoliate your skin as you wash it off. My skin feels so clean after using it, and the exfoliation is a great addition. I’m planning to go in again and ask one of the employees to help me pick out one of their fresh masks, so you’ll probably see more of LUSH’s face masks in my future favorites posts!
Banila Co. Clean It Zero Sherbet Cleanser – Another purchase I made after watching Joan’s videos, and this stuff is now a staple for me. It’s called a cleanser, but I use it solely for removing my makeup. It’s similar in consistency to coconut oil, and you basically just take a dime sized amount, rub it all over your face, and take it off with a towel or regular face wash. This stuff melts off every bit of makeup I have on, including waterproof eye makeup, and doesn’t clog my pores the way coconut oil always does! It’s a little expensive compared to other makeup removers at $20, but I’ve had this for months and still have half the container left.
Things That Didn’t Work Out
bareMinerals “A Little Sun” Face Color – After falling in love with their mineral powder matte foundation, I decided to try their version of bronzer. This stuff comes off really orangey, which is not the look I was going for whatsoever. It should’ve been obvious from the picture, but I didn’t want to give up so soon!
Coconut Oil as a Makeup Remover – I’m all about using coconut oil for skincare, and I do love it for removing eye makeup, but I won’t be bringing this stuff anywhere near the rest of my face again. It’s really hard to take off, so I’m left with a super oily face and I can just feel the oil seeping into my pores. No thanks.
I can’t actually think of anything else I didn’t like this month, so I guess that’s a good thing?
If you liked this post and want to see more like this in the future, it would be so helpful to me if you let me know in the comments or tweet me your thoughts!