Beauty Routine: Cleanse

Over the years I’ve gone through the struggle of trying countless beauty products and being disappointed in them over and over again.  However, in this search I have been able to find a fair amount of products that I love and truly believe in- and I think it’s only fair to share these products with you!  My first selection is the beauty basics, the every day products that no one should ever settle with.

I have been using bareMinerals’ Exfoliating Treatment Cleanser and Purely Nourishing Moisturizer for about five years now, and I cannot say enough good things about them.  It shouldn’t really be such an excitement that an exfoliating cleanser actually exfoliates AND cleanses, but it is.  I have a hard time recounting exactly the differences I noticed when I first started using it since it was so long ago, but I do know that my pores shrunk and my skin evened out quite noticeably in the first few weeks that I started using it.  I only use it once a day because my skin would dry out way too much if I used an exfoliating cleanser twice a day, but I know a lot of people do have success with using it every morning and night.

I recently read somewhere that the skin under your eyes ages exponentially faster than the rest of your skin.  I had never used an eye cream at that point, so naturally I panicked and ran out and bought three different eye creams at Ulta that very week.  I used the fact that I’m only 23 to justify the fact that I only bought eye creams that were under $20 (because it’s a bonus that I’m using any at all, right?!), but in reality I knew I couldn’t shell out $60+ dollars for eye cream on a regular basis.  Luckily for me, this Burt’s Bees Renewal eye cream fit the bill perfectly without, well, a hefty bill.  The skin under my eyes has been firmer ever since I started using it and the dark circles and bags I chronically have from sleep deprivation are less visible than they have ever been before.  At under $20, this one is a definite keeper, my friends.

Burt’s Bees lip balm is hands down my number one beauty product must have.  I have one in my purse, car, desk, and vanity at all times.  It’s the most soothing and refreshing lip balm I have ever used and I can’t say a single bad thing about it.  The traditional peppermint is my personal favorite, but the superfruit pack is pretty great as well!

I have never found a makeup remover wipe that I liked until tarte’s fresh eyes waterproof makeup remover wipes.  For starters, they smell great, which is the opposite of most makeup removing products I’ve tried.  But they also manage to take off makeup really easily, without any vicious scrubbing, and they never agitate my skin- but actually soothe it while removing even the heaviest of eye makeup!  Nothing about these is not great, and the fact that they have converted me into  a makeup remover believer after 8 years of resistance is really saying something!

Stay tuned for more of my favorite beauty products, coming soon!

Thanks for reading, and have a great week!

xo, Caitlin