October 2019 Favorites
1. Becca Backlight Priming Filter, $39 / 2. Pointed Cotton Swabs, $3 / 3. The Ordinary 7% Glycolic Acid Toner, $9
/ 4. The Ordinary 10% Lactic Acid + 2% HA, $7 / 5. Makartt Nail Drill, $58
It’s been six months since I made a favorites post. Ayeee. Just in time to take advantage of the November Beauty Insider sale, though, if the prestige items intrigue you! Let’s jump into it.
#nofilter
I’ve been religiously using MISSHA Perfect Cover BB+ Cream for years now. Sometimes, when my skin needs a little something extra (and going into these gloomy seasons, I do), I cocktail some of this primer with my BB cream for a little glow that isn’t even remotely, “Hey guys, I’m WEARING HIGHLIGHTER.”
Nothing wrong with wearing highlighter. I’ve been known to do so. But I don’t need to bathe my entire face in it for a glamorous day at the office.
To the Point
They’re for everything, really. Fix eyeliner? Check. Lipliner? Obviously. Tidy up errant nail polish? Craft projects? Rescue a spouse’s electronics projects? Clean really obnoxiously tiny detailed things on…whatever? (Around faucets, anyone? ?) Really, no need to say more. They’re practical, I dig it. I’m completely brand agnostic; I just pickup whatever wherever has at a reasonable price.
Anything But Ordinary
+10 points to Gryffindor Sephora for carrying products at a drugstore price point. The Ordinary’s products perform like prestige, but oh is the price right!
I really, really adore Tarte Knockout. It’s an excellent product, and one I’ll happily recommend. But I’m always looking to economize where it makes sense – and in this case, it made sense. For a fraction of the price, I scooped up both the 7% Glycolic Toner ($8.70, and the 10% Lactic Acid + 2% Hyaluronic Acid ($6.80) of these and they’ve all but replaced my Tarte usage. At $40 vs <$10, who could really challenge the switch? I still love Knockout, but I’m focusing on using it up in favor of economy.
You Know the Drill
I bought this shortly after I started dabbling with dip powder manicures and really, my world hasn’t been the same. I’ve come to use it for SO much; prep, cuticle care (carefully), removal, shaping. I can get gel polish off my fingers so fast by breaking the top layer with this and then soaking off the remnants. It has a nice speed slider, forward and reverse direction control, and a foot pedal (though its only forward). It was inexpensive and seems reliable. Watch the prices with a tool like Keepa or CamelCamelCamel; I got mine for around $42.