Happy New Year everyone! My mom brain is so real that I actually asked Alix what year we were going into LOL.. not kidding. Allegedly, it’s 2019! Excited for a fresh start and to bring new content to the blog. But to close out 2018, I’m including my December favorite finds.. and my beauty products this time around are all SO inexpensive but tried and true. You really don’t have to spend a fortune on products. Some, yes.. you splurge. But then you find some everyday oils in your grocery store and realize they’re just as good as the pricey oil from Sephora. So I am excited to share those with you! Enjoy 🙂
First up.. some new athleisure. Living in these high waisted camo leggings by Alo.. they’re similar to our Spanx ones (which we LALALOOOVE) but the Alo pair are made for workouts and can transition from the gym to the grocery store. Paired it with this cute Zella pullover for a day of errands with my guy gang.
Puffer coats… all. the. rage. Alix got this red one from Abercrombie (currently half off!) and mine is the Urban Outfitters one from Nordstrom. Perfect for lower temps, which we are currently experiencing here in the PNW. And to my California girls complaining of 62 degree weather.. I have no words for you. Actually I have a few but they’d need to be bleeped out.
On to some very inexpensive but effective beauty products:
Rosehip Oil: Most days, I don’t wear a full face of makeup. If anything, it’s a mascara and bronzer with lipgloss kind of day so I don’t need a full blown cleansing balm (this one and this one are my two favorites) to take off the day. Also, makeup wipes tend to dry out my skin. Instead, I use a little bit of rosehip oil on a makeup pad to take the little bit of product off before cleansing. It’s inexpensive (under $15!), effective and pure/organic. I got mine off Amazon after listening to a Skinny Confidential beauty podcast.
Thayer’s Witch Hazel Toner: This is one of Amazon’s top beauty products of 2018 and for good reason. First of all, it’s under $7. WHAT! Secondly, it gets 4.5/5 Stars and has over 4,000 reviews. MMMK must be good. Now, I haven’t always been a believer in toner. Some of the experts have said it’s a waste while others swear by it. After listening to some podcasts, I decided to work it back in to my routine to balance the PH of my skin before piling on my expensive products. What I learned is that unless you use toner, your other products probably aren’t getting into your pores as much as you want them to and thus making them less effective. So now I’m sold and use this religiously every day and at $6.12 a bottle (it’s huge by the way), it’s a no brainer.. and now that song is stuck in my head.
Lerosett Spot Treatment and Mask: This is another Amazon find after listening to a podcast about inexpensive beauty products that I decided to try. Now to be honest, I haven’t experienced a ton of breakouts in the last few months, which I credit to pregnancy “glow” and being consistent with my skincare routine; but the couple times I did have a blemish here and there and used this spot treatment, I woke up the next morning and it had either completely disappeared or dried out so much that it was barely noticeable. And this product from Sweden has TWO ingredients in it. Clay and water. Nothing fancy here. But that’s why I love it. The label says to apply it for a few minutes but I actually wear it as a spot treatment overnight and legit my zits were bye bye. It’s $28 and I think it’ll last me over a year as long as I don’t break out a ton.. wishful thinking I suppose as I navigate this postpartum world of losing my hair and breaking out (F you, hormones).
My skincare is ever-evolving and I love to try new products but overall, my routine remains consistent. Remove makeup with a balm or oil depending upon how much product is on my face, then I cleanse, tone, apply serums and collagen (C during the day and glycolic/retinols at night), lotions, oils and SPF (in that order). I think as long as you keep up the same routine every day, you’re doing your face (and neck and chest.. yes, bring it down to the boobs) proud.
I love hearing your favorite finds so leave a comment on our Insta or down below 🙂
xx, H
loooove 😉