July Favorites!
I realize we are half way into August, but I really wanted
to start offering a monthly favorites post which highlights some of my favorite
products that I use every month. In the
future I will try to post these within the first few days of the following month
so I can accurately document month to month what I currently love just for
you! So, let’s get started!
HAIR
L’Oreal Elnett Satin Hairspray
I am IN LOVE with this Hairspray! When I say IN LOVE, I mean it’s a true affair
– now, I might not be ready to rank it up there for my feelings for boys;
however, it may be up there with how I feel for chocolate! {ha ha} I purchased this for the first time back in
June and surprisingly it took me until last week to use up the first
bottle. Now, with that being said, it is
pretty pricey for a drugstore brand. I’ve
found the general price in my area to be around $14.99. I know… go ahead and gasp, I’ll wait. I did too when I first went to purchase
it. I saw a lot of my favorite YouTube
gals using it in their hair tutorials and I figured I’d go and grab a bottle
for around $5. Much to my surprise when
I got to CVS and it was $10 more than I expected, I still decided to give it a
whirl. Now I’m hooked and my wallet is
sad, but at least my hair is fabulous!
This hairspray is very lightweight on the hair, but still
holds like the crunchy hairsprays do. I’ve
never been able to find a happy medium when it comes to hairspray – they either
work great and leave my hair crunchy, or are super wet and add too much weight
or moisture to my hair. The Elnett is a
spray and stay without the crunch. It
comes in several holds and the option of scented or unscented. When I got my first bottle, I picked up the
unscented {pretty much because I didn’t even pay attention} and I didn’t really
notice any kind of odor from it. With
this last bottle, I decided to live on the edge a little and check out what it
smelled like by purchasing the scented bottle.
For some reason, I expected a sweet scent from this product; however, what
I got was a time warp back to the days when I spent a lot of time with my
Granny. For lack of a better way of
putting it, it smells like old lady hairspray.
My Granny was a classy lady and went to the salon once a week to get her
weekly style. She slept with a foam head
wrap every night to keep her style shaped and every morning after using her
pick to even out her do, she would go to town spraying away with a spray that
smelled just like the Elnett. Some would
find this to be a negative aspect, but every day when I use the spray, I remember
my Granny and it takes me back.
Wondering how to try the Elnett without paying so much? Well, right now I have three suggestions for
you:
- CVS offers bonus bucks for frequent purchases when using their customer card. I save those extra savings for purchases like these. If you don’t shop at CVS a lot, still grab a card and go in periodically just to swipe your card at the coupon kiosk – they have coupons every week and usually they are geared toward beauty or hair care. This week I got one that was $3 off any hairstyling product of $10 or more. That would allow me to get the Elnett for $3 off… better than the full price.
- Ulta is another great place to buy it. Sign up on their site and they will send you their catalog every other month. There is usually a $3.50 off coupon on the back of the catalog. I used this to purchase my bottle last week. Don’t have an Ulta? Wait until you need several things to justify shipping costs and use the coupon for online shopping.
- Ulta also has travel size bottles of the Elnett for around $6 {I’m sure other stores do, too, I’ve only noticed it there}. To me, I think that is a joke because the bottle is tiny and the size comparison from spending $6 -$15 is not worth it; however, if you are skeptical, it is worth it just to try the spray. If you like it, that small bottle can be your purse/travel bottle when you buy a big one – which I’m sure you’ll want to do!
Tangle Teezer Brush
I had seen these odd looking brushes for a while and just never really felt the need to get one. On the flip side, the longer my hair has gotten, the more difficult it has become to brush – especially when I neglect getting it trimmed and my layers start to grow together. It is also much easier to damage your hair when it is wet due to the elasticity changing with the abundance of moisture. I saw the Tangle Teezer online about six months ago and pinned it to one of my Pinterst boards for later evaluation. When I was at Sally’s Beauty about two months ago, I saw them and decided to just get one and see what I thought. I picked up a hot pink one {the only other choice in stock was purple – I pinned a leopard print one…but, we all have dreams} and tried it the very same night. Amazingly, it runs right through my hair with minimal snags in comparison to a regular brush. I find the top of my head to be the most tangle prone area for me due to the amount of products I use on a daily basis and the teasing I do – this little brush really helps get those tangles out without the breakage. I use this after every shower after I have towel dried my hair and it gets everything smooth. I really recommend this brush for those with long hair or sensitive scalps. These are $13 at Sally’s. I had a $5 off coupon from a previous purchase and I have a Beauty Club card, so my savings were well worth it. They can be found all over the internet if you don’t have a Sally’s Beauty nearby. I did not notice them at Ulta when I went last week {you know I was still looking for that leopard one}.
Suave Professionals Dry Shampoo Spray
I have tried a lot of dry shampoos over the past year and there was only one that I was really unhappy with {Got2b Rockin’ It Dry Shampoo – it was too powdery for my dark hair}, and I can honestly say most of the ones I have tried all work the same. The reason I think this one tops the list is because it’s super cheap {under $3}, works just as well as the $6 brands, and it smells GREAT. It has a very citrus/fruity smell, but clean. My hair is very prone to becoming limp and oily after washing and I also use Moroccan oil when I blow dry if I’m using a straight style. Sometimes only a little bit of that oil can really ruin the volume and body of my hair. I can spray a little dry shampoo at my roots once I’ve blow dried and it sucks out a lot of the oils and leaves my hair looking super clean, volumized, and smelling great. I also use this after a long work day if I’m going out or to an event and don’t have time to wash my hair – it makes it smell so good, sometimes people ask what shampoo I’ve used. I highly recommend it as a competitor for the more expensive brands. The only small downside is that is does run out faster than some of the others I’ve tried. Not super fast, and not enough to matter for the price, though.
MAKEUP
L’Oreal Telescopic Carbon Black MascaraI mentioned this mascara in a first impressions post back in February and I’m still involved with it. The mascara and I are taking things slow, but I really see a future! Really, I’ve purchased three of them since February. I love it. It makes my lashes so long and full. The only downside I have found about it is that it is very wet and slow drying. I have to really pay attention to blinking quickly and looking up for a few minutes after I’ve applied so that it doesn’t deposit onto my lower brow bone. I’m usually pretty mindful of this and it isn’t really that much of a burden; however, I have had some surprise sneeze attacks immediately after applying that have really done a number on my shadows that I applied beforehand. I couple this mascara with it’s cousin, L’Oreal Telescopic Shocking Extensions, and they really do make my lashes look flawless. Save by waiting to shop until your drugstore does it’s L’Oreal BOGO for the month – buy one and get one half off. If you only want the Carbon Black, get two and put one in your stash for when you run out!
L’Oreal True Match Foundation
Wow, I just realized just how much L’Oreal I have purchased lately – they are really climbing the drugstore brand ladder! This foundation is great. I’ve had a lot of issues with dryness lately. It’s very strange. My skin is oily, but then it gets super dry on the tip of my nose, so I combat that with some super moisturizer {Clinique Moisture Surge – heart it}, which then makes me a little too oily. It’s a process I cannot explain. Either way, I get really cakey when it comes to foundation. I was using the Covergirl 3 in 1 for a while and I do love it, but I think it will be more of a winter makeup for me. The True Match has really proved to be a great little foundation! It goes on easily, is buildable, and sits on my skin nicely. I do have to powder after a few hours, but when I do, I rarely see any buildup like I do with other foundations. They also have a wide variety of color choices and a diagram for choosing based on warm, neutral, and cool skin tones. I do find that when swatching on your hand in the store that the foundation does go on lighter at first and changes once it has set to a shade slightly darker. I had to exchange the first color I chose in the store due to this. I use shade W5 Sand Beige. I would suggest swatching the color you think would best match your skin, go do your other shopping for a few minutes, and then look at the swatch again and see if it is too dark. This foundation is under $11 at my CVS and you can also take advantage of the BOGO sales with it and the mascara {or go cray cray and get a new liner or eyeshadow}!
Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Eraser Dark Circles Treatment + Concealer
Umm… the name is aMOUTHFUL, but the product is aMAZING! {see what I did there?}
This is another flashback from my February first impressions post. I LOVE the product, but I do very much dislike the packaging. It comes with a sponge attached to the end and you simply twist to replenish product into it. This is very wasteful and I honestly don’t feel like the sponge does much good. I removed it and I just twist out product and apply with my finger tip or with my concealer brush. This product really does brighten my under eye area and doesn’t accentuate lines under the eye. I set it with my Ben Nye Banana Powder, but you can use any translucent powder you’d like. I chose the Brightener 160 shade. I paid around $8.99 for this at CVS and I will purchase another when I run low.
NAILS
My most recent nail polish purchase is made by Essie. It is in the shade Turquoise and Caicos.
I love the pretty minty shade and it's perfect for summer! This polish was $8 at CVS.
That's all I have for my favorites for July. Check back next month for August favorites!
Have a pretty day, y'all!
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