Hey guys! I probably should have had this up like a week ago, but I’ve had bronchitis and a sinus infection and a cranky one year old, so……
Let’s just jump right in. This will be (obviously!) my September faves in beauty. I tossed back and forth between a GENERAL faves (non-beauty related items included) and landed on this. Let me know in the comments if you’d like to see a mix next month or just stick with beauty products!
HERE WE GO!
GARNIER REFRESHING GEL CREAM FOR DRY SKIN $7/WalMart
They have two formulas – one for combo/normal skin, and one for dry skin. In the summer months, I’m all about that combo formula, but as the weather gets cooler and the air gets drier, I always come back to the dry skin formula. I live and die by this moisturizer. It’s non-greasy, absorbs super fast, and it just feels like HEAVEN on your face! It doesn’t clog my pores which is SUPER important to me because my skin is so sensitive and breakout prone as it is, and it just makes you GLOW, like you’ve been eating your fruits and veggies. It’s amazing. Try it. Trust me!
REVLON PHOTOREADY PRIMER $11/drugstore.com
I’ve had a love/hate relationship with primers for as long as I’ve been using them. Some do nothing, some irritate my skin within minutes of application, and some make me look like a straight up greased chicken. This stuff? No. I love it. It fills in pores and fine lines and REALLY helps my makeup last longer, and it doesn’t break me out at all! There are days I’ve worn this alone, with a touch of concealer, and with a full face of foundation and on all occasions it’s really impressed me. It has the wear and staying power of a silicone based primer, but it’s more of a lotion formula. It keeps me matte, and by the end of the day (no touchups!) when I start to get a LITTLE shine peeking through, it’s more of a “lit from within” glow than greasy. It’s like photoshop for real life. I think I’ve found my ride or die.
BRAGG ORGANIC APPLE CIDER VINEGAR WITH “THE MOTHER” $8+/- at most grocery stores
Some of you may be thinking ‘huh?’ while others know EXACTLY what I’m talking about – apple cider vinegar is the BUSINESS when it comes to skin care and hair care. I use this in two ways – in the morning I use it diluted, 1 part vinegar to 3 parts water, and at night I use it straight up from the bottle, full strength, as a toner. Not only has it helped with my breakouts, but I’ve noticed that my pores look smaller, I’m less oily, and my acne scars have faded! It’s readily available in your local grocery store, just make sure it says “the mother” somewhere on the bottle. There’s a sediment on the bottom of the bottle and while it looks, well, gross, that’s what makes it work so well. It’s basically just strands of protein and enzymes and when you see that in the bottom of the bottle, it’s been filtered the least as opposed to something you’d find in say, the salad dressing aisle. It helps acne, scarring, pH balance, it’s basically the be all end all of healthy stuff! But be warned – if you have sensitive skin, please please PLEASE dilute it before applying it to your skin. It WILL cause a little redness, but it will go away. To me personally, it’s totally worth it.
NIVEA KISS OF CARE & COLOR IN SHEER BERRY $5/WalMart
This lip balm was like a gift from the gods when I was sick recently. Not only were my lips super duper dry and chapped, but regular Chapstick made me look like a ghost. Enter this lip balm. It has a moisturizing core wrapped with a tinted lip balm that looks like your natural lip color. And it’s really really moisturizing. I don’t think I could get through being sick without it! It’s great for that everyday no makeup makeup look. I typically don’t bother with tinted lip balms, I’m more a lipstick/gloss kinda girl, but this is now in my bag, readily available. I’m hooked.
NYX MICROBROW PENCIL $10/ULTA
I’ve always hated brow pencils. They were too thick, waxy, dry, fake looking, you name it. I had seen on YouTube everyone raving about the Anastasia Brow Whiz and how it changed their brow game – but was I gonna shell out $21 for a PENCIL? Nope! Then I saw someone compared the ABH to this product, the MicroBrow, and did a side by side comparison, and I decided to try it out – and was glad I did! It’s identical in formula, packaging, and it’s even made in the same place – dupe alert! I’ve been loyal to tinted brow gel and powder forever, so for me to try and LOVE a pencil speaks volumes! I haven’t used any other brow products since I’ve owned this!
E.L.F. FLAWLESS CONCEALER BRUSH $3/eyeslipsface.com and CVS
Usually when I apply my concealer, I was hellbent that the only thing that worked for me was my Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge. And while I still love it more than any tool I’ve used, this concealer brush is creeping up the ranks pretty quickly. I actually bought two of them, and plan to pick up a few more. It’s big and fluffy (for a concealer brush anyway) but it leaves you with the most BEAUTIFUL airbrushed finish that I’ll be totally honest, I DID NOT EXPECT from a $3 brush I picked up in a drugstore. E.L.F. is now being carried at CVS nationwide, so run down and grab 1 (or 4). You’ll thank me I promise.
ANASTASIA BEVERLY HILLS CLEAR BROW GEL $22/ULTA
Now I know what you’re thinking – isn’t this a blog about beauty products for those on a budget? Yes. Yes it is. HOWEVER, I was able to scoop this up for $11 (that’s right!) when ULTA was doing their ’21 Days Of Beauty’ last month. So I got it for half price. Would I pay full price for this product? YES! This stuff is like SUPER GLUE on your brows! I have other clear brow gels, and none of them really hold my brows in place. Or they get flaky and funky by lunchtime. I have yet to find a good drugstore dupe for this product but it’s my understanding that NYX has something similar in formula, which makes sense since the Brow Whiz and MicroBrow pencils are basically identical. I love this brow gel. And I WILL be repurchasing when I run out.
UDDERLY SMOOTH CREAM $7/CVS
As soon as that summer humidity is gone, I have wicked eczema on my hands, more specifically on my ring finger – probably from all the dishwashing with my wedding rings on (I know, I know, USE GLOVES, right?!) and it makes it’s way slowly up my hands to my wrists, and in extreme cases my forearms. Over the years, I have tried EVERYTHING recommended to me for eczema – Aquaphor, Aveeno, Eucerin, Cortaid, even things like Vaseline and Jergens – the problem with all those products was while they were moisturizing to a degree, almost all of them contained some sort of fragrance compound that burned that delicate, cracked skin. Udderly Smooth does NOT do that to me. It takes a couple days of consistent use to really break through all that cracked dry skin but once it does, it’s like a miracle cure. I always recommend it to anyone who has dry skin. Always.
There you have it! I hope you guys found some useful suggestions, and as always I would LOVE to hear about some of YOUR favorite products!! Don’t forget to follow me on Instagram and Twitter – @dlynnesposito
LoTs Of LoVe!!! ❤ ❤
XOXO – Donna
Affordable Gorgeous 