Makeup and Skincare Hits and Misses

So it has been awhile since we discussed makeup favorites, but I just had some Makeup and Skincare Hits and Misses I had to get off my chest!

As I’ve been slathering my face with products, I’ve been taking mental notes. The Misses aren’t just me nitpicking, I promise. They’re those items I used and thought: “This is awful! I want my money back! Wahhhhh”

And the Hits? Total slam dunks. Or the products that helped me undo what the Misses did.

Let’s start with the base. Skincare.

Hit: First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream. I bought a little trio of this, a cleanser and toning pads around Christmastime. I have used them all up! They are all GREAT but this moisturizer is the star of the show. It’s very thick and absorbs quickly! It doesn’t leave my face slick or coated which is just nasty. It has kept my face almost completely flake free during this awful winter weather. I usually have very very dry skin in the winter, flaking off and really itchy, but this moisturizer (I use it morning and night) has totally saved my skin and prevented all of that. [I said almost a few lines back because the skin around my nose is slightly flaky but that’s from over-Kleenex’ing. Totally repurchasing this (which rarely happens for me).

Miss: look familiar? This is the Andalou Naturals eye cream I loved just a few short months ago. Well, not anymore. At first, I loved that it was brightening and not drying…until after over a month of use, suddenly the skin on my eyelids became SO dry and sensitive that putting on this product only made it worse and worse. So, I got rid of it and things started to get better again. Product, trashed.

[hits] 

Hit: Estee Lauder Enlighten serum. Love this stuff! I got this tiny bottle as a point redeem at Sephora and I’ve loved it. I feel like after a few weeks of use, my acne scaring is slightly less noticeable (I’ll take anything I can get!) and it even helps clear up blemishes overnight when I use it. It isn’t filled with harsh chemicals though like most acne medications because it’s not for acne. I’ll be keeping my eye out for it to be back on the 100 point redeem list since I’m a point hoarder and won’t spend money when I don’t have to.

 

Miss: These Revlon eyelash curlers. I have a tendency to buy the cheapest curlers on the rack, and they usually do the trick just fine. Well these were just awful. You have to press REALLY hard and then…nope, no curl. SO frustrating. Totally not worth the extra 5% off the Cartwheel app gave me for purchasing them.

 

Makeup!

Hit: Smashbox Full Exposure Mascara. I love this stuff! I’ve gone through 4 tubes of it over the last few years. I keep coming back to it, which is the best sign. I love natural bristle brushes, not silicone, so this fluffy brush is the bomb. Totally combs out lashes well and leaves them long, lovely and not clumpy. Done.

Miss: I’ve heard so many great things about this Voluminous mascara from L’oreal but I hated it. I had to comb through my lashes with a lash comb every time I used it. I would get random clumps that were so frustrating and then it would flake down into my eyes during the day. Hated it. If you liked it, maybe you got a better tube than I did? But my mom brought me a tube of the Smashbox mascara I loved as a little surprise gift and I immediately pitched this one aside.

  [misses]

Hit: Maybelline Age Rewind concealer. This is made for under eyes and comes with a sponge tip applicator. I rip off the sponge because it’s unhygienic and you get more product when it’s not caught up in a sponge. I love this drugstore concealer! I usually buy Kat Von D Tattoo concealer, but I needed a lighter version for the winter and didn’t want to splurge on a shade I couldn’t wear in a few months. This stuff is perfect! It seems thin yet it covers SO well and stays put. I totally recommend it. Minus the sponge. 

 

This is not a sponsored post. All of this is my own blabbing. The Amazon links are affiliate links and the Sephora ones are not. I was not paid by any of these companies to talk about their products, I bought them all with my own pennies…except for what my mom bought me, as indicated in the narrative.