What was the last life-changing beauty product you tried? Share!
It’s a 10 Miracle Leave-In Spray! Pretty much everything everyone says it is.
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Boscia luminizing black mask. Best mask I have ever tried in my life and I have tried hundreds including masks that cost north of $200.
*Peter Thomas Roth 40% Triple Acid Peel – I leave it on for 15 minutes 1-2x /week, and it dissolves dead skin cells, shrinks pores, and really brightens and smooths my skin. Now I no longer need to wear face primer. It’s pricey, but I stock up during the Sephora sale, and each vial has so much product that I can get 3 uses out of each one, so it ends up being a bargain.
*Paula’s Choice 1% Retinol Treatment Cream -erases YEARS off my face
Living Proof Perfect Hair Day (PHD) system. Absolutely brilliant stuff.
OMG that stuff is seriously amazing.
guerlain pressed meteorites
I love the It’s a 10! leave in spray, also! Made a huge difference in my thick, frequently (painfully) tangled hair without making it a greasy silicone-y mess.
Other life changing product: my first Lush purchase made almost 12 years ago when I was in Italy. Little did I know then when I brought home those sweetly-scented products it would spark a paradigm shift in myself and my family for a fresher, healthier, organic lifestyle.
Completely agree on the Its a 10! I have a bottle at home, one at the gym and one in my travel bag. It’s kind of amazing especially on my permed hair nowadays.
Dry shampoo! Kid you not, it is the stuff of capilary miracles!
Correctors. Concealers are virtually useless without them.
Strangely enough, it’s the ridiculously cheap and gimmicky looking H&M Body Sprays! Very quick refreshing and revitalizing step to my post workout routine, and lightly moisturizing too for when I’m in a rush and don’t have time to apply a decent body butter! 🙂
Life changing? I’m not sure… perhaps actually trying some face oil for my super dry skin – it’s only basic, cold-pressed rosehip oil, but it’s made a big (positive) difference to everything from skin texture, dryness to pore obviousness and number of spots!
Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer. It covers blemishes perfectly. Have used many different concealers to cover up blemishes. But this is by far the best one i’ve tried.
Paula’s Choice skin care products in general. Good skin is essential.
Probably Vasanti Brighten Up scrub (they have a fancier name for it but basically, it’s a scrub/exfoliator). It’s one of the few products I’ve tried that really does live up to its claims and which also seems different from almost every other similar product on the market. Oh, and the CoverFX primer with SPF – no more do I have to shell out biggie bucks for Hourglass when the CoverFX is every bit as good and possibly even better…
Whew, long post! But I wanted to let others know why I like this product so much.
Physician’s Formula Super CC+ in light. I’d been trying for a few years to find a light cover that a) matched my skin, b) had sunscreen, c) didn’t make my face go crazy (and maybe had the added bonus of actually make my skin look better sans coverup). I thought I had found that in Lorac’s CC, but that seems to only last about an hour before it sort of slides (my face does look great afterwards, but…).
This PFCC has been great! It looks great on me, looks good for hours, really makes it look like I’m not even wearing any sort of coverup but that instead I have fabulous skin. The SPF is 30, which works fine for me; I go out right after putting it on and I’m never out and about for long. It doesn’t make me break out, and after a month of using it, I have started to notice my skin looking better.
how light coverage are you talking? I have really good skin except for the redness. Would the PFCC help with that?
The entire Tarte line, period. My skin has never looked better.
Trentinoin.
e.l.f. studio lip exfoliator. I wouldn’t be able to wear lipstick without it! No matter how cracked/dry my lips are, I can use this for a couple minutes and moisturize and the next morning they’re brand new. I love how it kind of plumps my lips and makes them feel fuller/softer even if I just use it on a normal day before applying my makeup. Love love love.
Dermalogica’s Skinperfect Primer! It makes my skin look airbrushed, it’s like magic!
Clinique cleansing balm. I wanted to try the Eve Lom stuff, but it was way too expensive, so I searched Sephora and got the Clinique.
I used to love makeup wipes, but on my dry, rosacea-prone skin, it did its job, but dried me out and left me with “angry skin.” You could see every pore, every capillary.
This stuff? Takes everything off just like the wipes, but leaves a nice protective barrier of moisture after I wash, and doesn’t leave me with rough patches. Seriously, my skincare game has been upped since this stuff.
Caudalie Beauty Elixir. I first purchased it nearly two years ago, I think? Once I added it to my skincare routine, I found moisturizers/oils absorbed in to my skin much better. Which was a divine thing to find with how dry my skin is.
Josie Maran Argan Oil Whipped Body Butter — first product ever that’s gotten me to moisturize on a regular basis!
Mario Badescu glycolic toner! Hands downs the best thing I’ve added to my skin care regimen!
It’s a 10 is great stuff! My last major routine update was finally getting a Blinc heated lash curler. I have double lashes (like Elizabeth Taylor) that are extremely long and grow in whatever direction they see fit. Regular curlers “crimp” them too much and make them hit well past my brow arch. My Shu curler is still loved, but that’s for more dramatic looks now. The heated lash curler is comfortable, fast, easy to use (once you get the hang of it), and offer a really nice/more feathery/natural-but-better finish.
Oh, forgot to mention! I gifted one to my sister as well who has sparser lashes (not double, very lovely and black but she can rock mascara and curled lashes much better than me) and it worked beautifully for her. She can build easily to a glamazon wow-effect or keep it more natural. So it definitely works on non-massive lash havers.
Fresh Sugar Lip Serum. I have horribly dry lips and I live in Canada, and I used to never be able to wear lipstick in the winter because my lips were constantly flaking. This product has changed all that. It is amazing and I can’t recommend it enough.
I recently re-discovered Philosophy Micro-delivery vitamin c peel – it is truly amazing.
I may have to try that again because it helped me when I had lots of breakouts and pimples.
Amazing concealer in Medium beige. I discovered it 7 years ago, it erased my dark circles, which are very blue and dark. I try other concealers but this one is the best one I ever found.
I see 3 Amazing concealers on Sephora. Can you be more specific about which one worked for you?
Estee Lauder double wear foundation
Avène SOOTHING EYE CONTOUR CREAM. I have a bit of an eczema outbreak around my eyes. The lady at the cosmetic counter told me it was amazing nd she had eczema too and use it too. OMG, it’s amazing, it’s one eye cream you can actually use on eyelids or the corner of your eyes. It does miracles.
Urban Decay De-Slick mattifying powder. I have to have it with me all the time coz my super oily face gets oily after 2-3 hours :((((((( I guess any brand would works but the case is cute!
Dior Rosy Glow blush. That ish looks good on everyone! It’s hands-down my favorite blush.
Kate Somerville ExfoliKate exfoliator. It works better on me than any other exfoliator. Maybe it’s the strength in the formula, and you should only use it once or twice every week. But it does give me that “freshly peeled egg” smoothness.
Love It’s a 10 Miracle Leave-In Spray, and the Macadamia Natural Oil Deep Repair Masque.
Grateful Body Rosacea Gold serum. This is the only thing that has soothed and kept my rosacea in check.
Tarte maracuja oil. I was always afraid to put oil on my face because I have oily skin and occasional blemishes, but this oil absorbs quickly and feels super light. My skin is now super soft, produces less oil and less blemishes! And I feel like I am preventing wrinkles at the same time. Use it every night now… Life changing for sure!
The Chanel Lotion Douceur toner. It’s the first toner I’ve ever used so I had no idea just how useful they were. It removes the leftover dirt and makeup my cleanser missed and lightly hydrate my skin. It even helps control oil during the summer
Mine is also a hair product 🙂 it is L’Oreal (and a mouthful) Professionnel Tecni Art Fix Design in Fix 5.
First hair styling product that doesn’t weight my fine hair down or leave it scrunchy or greasy, while giving me early ’00 Jennifer Aniston hair. Hello shiny, frizz-free, perfectly styled locks (finally).
Every day! ♥
life changing..hmm..that’s a strong word..not really life chnaging. But discovering using a peach/orange corrector under a brightener for my very dark purple underye circles rather than heavy duty full coverage concealer absolutely changed the way my face looks I used to get that raccoon, reverse circle look, now I don’t!
Absolutely the Urban Decay All Nighter Setting Spray. I never thought my makeup would be able to last through the day the way it does now that I use this.
Oooh, I love All Nighter. I am on my third bottle of it. I also buy the travel sizes to take with me when I travel.
LORAC natural performance foundation. I had finally found a foundation (ha) that didn’t give me an allergic reaction or make my skin itch the minute I put it on.
Silk Naturals Oatmeal Hydration Serum – I have redness that will probably morph into rosacea as I get older. Daily use reduces my redness to the point I can actually wear blush and if my face is red and irritated – hugged the cat, drank too much alcohol – this will bring it down a notch and remove discomfort.
Shea Moisture hair products – My heritage is mixed so I got incredibly dry, thick hair that will form dreadlocks if left on it’s own. Unfortunately my mother had thin, oily hair so I didn’t get any useful instruction on how to care for my hair growing up and I’ve had to teach myself. The deep conditioner mask every other wash and smoothing oil spray in between has worked wonders for softness, manageability, and detangling. I can actually leave my hair down sometimes and not spend hours detangling after.
I really have been loving L’Oreal’s CC Creme in the green tube to help combat the redness around my nose and on my cheeks, that combined with Maybelline’s new primer in redness control have been my go to for over a month now. So much so that I have 2 back ups of each product!
I really love this stuff too! Not the green tube, it’s way too dark for me. -_-; Even the “fair” color is more medium-toned, but I’ve been self-tanning lately, so I MAKE it work because I love it so much.
Damn, I’ve been wanting to try that leave in. If you like it, it must be good! I’m using some skin care from Derma E that’s pretty good right now. As for life changing, the only two products I can think of in the last year were Fresh Black Tea Toner and Sonia Kashuk Radiant Oil.
Oh and Sibu Body Cream and my Salux towel!
Nothing shocks me generally but this does. Christine, you must have thick or med thick hair. I didn’t like It’s A 10 at all. It smells great but left my hair so droopy and blah. This was with very limited amount too. I even asked certain ladies that sell it in the salons they have said the same thing. They don’t understand why it’s so popular
I have very thick hair, if that helps? It works really well for detangling, smoothing, adding shine, protecting from heat, and softening.
Yes, it works great with thick hair. Fine hair, not so much
Yeah, I can only speak based on my personal results since I have very thick hair, lol 🙂
I started using a 3-1 facial moisturizer called Jouviance 3 in 1. It’s quite popular up here in Canada, especially in Quebec. After a year of use my skin is now smooth, clear soft and radiant. I have had countless comments the last few months about my skin and I owe it all to Jouviance. A brand I would have never tried except for a very passionate sales person who insisted I take a sample.
The last life-changing thing I tried was Lush Full of Grace serum. Oh. My. God. It is ridiculously cheap, so gentle, so moisturizing and it’s a bar. I’ve never had a serum bar before! Seriously so underrated. I’m probably ever going to buy another serum and this is under $20!
Tinted face bases with all-mineral SPF. Before tinted moisturizers, sunscreens made with zinc oxide and titanium dioxide as the active ingredients were uniformly bright white, thick, sticky, and ugly. But my sun-sensitive rosacea demands mineral sunscreen in order for me to go outside at all. I could choose between being bright red or being all white and shiny. I know this happened several years ago and I’m showing how old I am, but, seriously, being able to go out in public with a normally colored face does count as life-changing in my book!
Well, I don’t know about “life changing.” I have found a few products to be amazing in the last year:
Eslor Collagen Day Cream does a remarkable job of firming the face, especially on those jowls we start to get at a certain age.
NuSkin Truface Line Corrector has almost completely gotten rid of my eyelid crepiness and crow’s feet.
Oh! And L’oreal Lash Boosting Serum. My eyelashes are getting shorter and sparser due to aging and allergies (I take oral meds and use antihistimine drops, but my eyes still burn a lot). I’ve (mostly) broken myself of rubbing my eyes and tried this stuff.
I started seeing results within a week. It’s really helped my lashes grow longer again.
Cetaphil Moisture Cream. I have extremely dry and sensitive skin and develop patches of eczema every winter. Last winter, I did my absolute best to find a cleansing/moisturizing routine that worked for me (as opposed to simply avoiding makeup in winter and washing my face with warm water). That was a ridiculously expensive attempt. This winter, I didn’t have that sort of money to spend, so I just got the biggest tub of moisturizer at the drugstore, and it happened to be the Cetaphil. My skin is so ridiculously well-moisturized now! I’m just sad thinking of all the money I spent last year… 😛
Have you tried the Cetaphil cleanser? I use it and I have sensitive dry skin. It leaves my skin moisturized and not tight after cleansing.
Hourglass Ambient Lighting powders and blushes!!!! I never knew how fabulous these were on the skin till I tried them. They are all of that and a bag of chips!!!!
The NARS Audacious Lipstick line. I love absolutely every color and it is so long lasting. Beautiful. I literally threw away every other lipstick I owned.
IT Cosmetics Illumination Foundation!!!!
I will be sticking with this one for a while.
The most recent life changing product that I have tried was this past Summer when I switched skincare lines and started using the Super Aqua line by Guerlain. I have sensitive and combination skin that now behaves!! It’s a God send!:)
MAC’s essential oils and Dermalogica’s pre-cleanse!
Both are now part of my
Daily routine!!
Lipstick Queen Saint and Sinner lipsticks! Been wearing lipstick since 1963. Never found any formulation better at staying true to the bullet color and staying power is phenomenal.
Finding my correct foundation shade – that I have pink undertones
Using primer under my foundation
Using serum on my skin for the night time.
Estee lauder matte perfecting prime. I was walking around super oily before I found this product and MOM was clogging my pores. Definitely worth the price and is a staple product.
Oribe Maximista Thickening Spray. This stuff is such liquid gold I immediately dropped 150$ on a gallon of it. That took the cost from about 5$ an ounce to 1$ an ounce, so in the end it was worth it. My hair has thinned more than 50% over the last 6 years with no explanation found by multiple doctors. I resorted to wearing wigs, which are great, but I am growing tired of them. I decided to give my real hair a chance again, and while researching volumizing sprays, I came across Oribe on Amazon. The reviews were stellar and the ingredients list was unique (copolymers, amber resin, edelweiss extract), so I bought it. It is unlike any hair product Ive ever come across (my mom has been a hairdresser for my entire life and Ive always had curly, problematic hair, so Ive seen and used it all). It volumized my hair to at least twice what it was looking like without it, and humidity cannot penetrate it. That is an absolute miracle for curly hair. I barely use any other products, wash my hair sparingly with baking soda and water every few days, and even have been using a hair dryer for the first time in years! I stopped using heat to dry and/or style my real hair because I didn’t want to lose any more than I already was. I think Ive finally found the main culprit for my hair loss (caffeine), and this Oribe spray is allowing me to wear my real hair with confidence. I recommend it to anyone, people with curly hair do not need to be afraid. It not only volumizes, it defines the curl beautifully and holds it.
http://www.oribe.com/index.php/products/view/55/maximista/
Thanks for the recommendation! My hair is thinning with age, and if it ever gets to that point, good to know there’s a product out there that can help.
-It Cosmetics Bye Bye Redness! I used to be so self-conscious about the redness around my upper lip. Now I feel much more confident.
-I second facial oils. Especially Tarte Maracuja oil. Actually, make that oil in general. I have super dry skin, but I always though oil was evil, so I avoided it. Now I’m slathering it everywhere – face, hands, pregnant belly!
I’m still looking…
None, nothing! I wish I could find something that good!
The original Moroccan Oil line. I use the hydrating style cream, frizz control spray and if course the oil treatment. Ahh the smell…They are sold in exclusive salons.
Also Clinique moisure surge. I use it in the winter for dry skin and in the summer after being in the sun. It feels as if you are giving your skin a drink. It is not too hydrating so it doesn’t leave your face oily nor cause breakouts.
I think I would have to say Colour Pop eyeshadow!! I’m a total palette addict 100% and I barely reach for my palettes anymore! I’m a stay at home mom to two toddlers so I LOVE how convenient and easy the CP shadows are! Plus,, $5 each!!??
Palmetto Derma 2x Collagen Booster & Restoration Serum – I got it in a subscription beauty box and have since repurchased twice! I never believed serums really worked until I tried this one. It makes my skin bright and keeps it acne-free!
Paula’s Choice skincare and Burberry Fresh Glow Luminous Highlighting Powder.
This past year I have been experimenting with making my own skincare and it really is life changing. I now use a DIY vitamin c serum and I can’t believe how great it is. Better than all the expensive products I used to spend my money on. I also make a scrub out of honey, sugar and olive oil. It is moisturizing and gentle enough to use all over my face, lips and neck with no problems, leaving it soft and smooth. I follow up with my Clarisonic used with Johnson’s baby wash.
I’ve also recently started using It’s a 10 and I love it!
Definitely Sexy Hair Root Pump Plus mousse. I have stick-straight flat hair. This product gives me great volume like nothing else I’ve ever tried. I’ve been using it for over a year and at least once a week I still say to my husband, “Look how poofy my hair is today!”
Garnier shampoos and conditioners – least hair loss from these.
Tinted brow gels cover white hairs.
Becca moondust highlighter. Its seriously everything.
Philosophy Purity Made Simple cleanser. I always had VERY oily, acne prone skin. As I’ve gotten older, my skin has remained acne prone, but also is now prone to looking dull and dehydrated. Over the past few years, I stopped using cleansers targeted to Acne and switched to oil free cleansers geared towards normal skin or all skin types. I used the Neutrogena Naturals Makeup Remover + Cleanser for about a year and this winter, once again, my skin was dry and peeling. Nothing helped. I found Clinique Turnaround Moisturizer, which got rid of the dry patches, but I decided that I needed a less drying cleanser. I was always afraid to try Purity because of the oil, but on impulse I bought the 3 oz size at Ulta to try. It took me a few days to work up the courage to use it and rather than wake up with a face full of zits as I feared, my skin felt softer and more glowing. I LOVE this stuff and have ordered a HUGE bottle from QVC on Auto-Delivery. It really removes all my makeup without leaving my skin feeling tight and dehydrated. Since I started using Purity, my skin looks hydrated, my makeup goes on smoother and my face looks so healthy!
Dior Instant Cleansing Oil. It made me want to wash my face in the evening and it gets every bit of makeup off without leaving my face feeling oily.
With cystic acne, I’m always looking out for good products but I have yet to find a *consistent* beauty product that really could be called positively life-changing.
Over time, I have been impressed by some of the NARS Audacious lipsticks, the Burberry No. 25 Gold eye palette (wowza!), MAC’s Refined Golden in the Alluring Aquatic packaging, Dior’s Sunset lipstick and Blue Lagoon palette, Marc Jacob’s Intro(vert), Chanel Beige Felin RC lipstick, YSL RV and RVS lipsticks and Avon’s quick dry top coat.
Several weeks ago someone mentioned Sally Hansen’s Diamond Strength hardener. Oh wow! It is a miracle! I’ve always had trouble with polish chipping & now my nails are peeling (thank you Mother). This stuff keeps my polish from chipping for over a week. If I’m not wearing polish, then it protects my nails from peeling. It is wonderful!
Laura Geller’s. Pink Tuxedo lipstick. Gorg deep pinkish rose would look good on everyone. I wear it every day, or find a reason to!!! Love it!!!
With rosacea I have discovered a couple products that have made a big difference for me. They aren’t listed here and maybe someone else could use them. For the nasty red spot breakout I apply a little o3 oil and let it sit for a couple of minutes then use a cleansing oil, which I make myself, to wash it off. For overall redness the product I like best but because it’s expensive I use up a bottle when I can splurge on it, once every couple months or so. That product is E’shee #7. The hyaluronic product that I like is Kate Somerville Dermal Quench Liquid Lift. The peptide product that I like is Brad multi-peptide youth regenerating serum. My daily cleanser and moisturizing lotions are CeraVe. And after a long long search I finally found Dermablend Smooth Indulgence Foundation just in time for them to change the formula. After finishing this first tube I will buy the new formula because it may be even better with my wildly fluctuating rosacea skin. Oh, and what’s been rocking my world? Because my foundation works for me I’ve been wearing classic bright bodacious lip colors. Yay.
This deserves three honorable mentions! 😀
1. Snail everything.. A life changer for skin! LOVE my snail creams!!! <3
2. Oribe Soft dry conditioner.. I cannot live without this! I go through it like crazy but it's all that works for me! (Super stoked about that!) So I don't mind the cost, saves my hair which creates dreadlocks by the second, and my scalp is so sensitive that it's often painful to comb my hair, no matter what tool, or how gentle. Life changing! Life affirming!!
3. Agave oil. I can load this deliciously scented oil into my hair until I look like a wet greased slicked hair tragedy, but wake with it all absorbed, scalp no longer itching, and a cleaner hair all together! Sometimes hair looks dirty because it needs more emollients! This has saved my life and hair by giving me more time between washing and seriously soothing aromatherapy. My mom came to me one night because she wanted to know if I could help her horrific itchy scalp, which was driving her totally cray.. I told her just load it on in rails and rub gently into scalp with fingers.. She awed and oooh'ed.. She also felt so much better!
FYI: I have to use humidifiers all year round, but even with them, the heating and cold weather sucks life from hair, skin, everything.. And I'm constantly drinking water, constantly. These products have really helped me. I hope they can help you as well! 🙂
I guess it would be “life-changing” since I haven’t used anything else since I purchased this over a year ago. My Salux towel is awesome. I love it so much more than sponges, puffs, mitts, etc. Cleans, exfoliates, does everything I expect it to and it’s cheap.