Top 10 Beauty Products Worth The Hype

In the beauty world there seem to be endless products that are hyped up, and a lot of the time it's difficult to decide whether or not their worth the purchase, or if it's all just smoke and mirrors. Here are my Top 10 picks for the beauty products that are most definitely worth the hype.

1. Beauty Blender

When I first heard about this I thought it was completely absurd to spend $20 on a sponge, but of course I had to, especially since it won the Allure Beauty Award for 2013. Let's just say it changed my life - yes, a sponge changed my life. It gives your liquid foundation and concealer the most gorgeous airbrushed finish. I would highly recommend it to anyone, regardless of if you have tons of brushes you love. Well worth every penny.

2. Benefit "They're Real!" Mascara
If my entire mascara collection disappeared and I had to choose only one to still be there, it would be this guy. Mascara is something I usually recommend saving money on and going drugstore vs. high end, but when it comes to the Benefit "They're Real" there is nothing that even compares. If you love the look of falsies without the actual falsies, this is the perfect mascara for you. It definitely isn't a volumizing mascara, so if that's the look you go for this might be something you don't like, but it lengthens and separates lashes like a champ, and because of that, it will forever have my heart.

3. MAC Eye Shadows
In general all MAC products seem to be pretty hyped up, but I think their shadows in particular. For $15 an individual eye shadow and $10 for one in the pan, its not like they're cheap. That being said, you are absolutely paying for a quality product. They are all so creamy and blendable, their pigmentation is amazing, and their color selection is like no other. I have no bad things to say about them whatsoever, and if you're just starting to build a makeup collection, don't feel like you need every color, just get a few you can really get good use out of.

4. Clarisonic Mia 2
I've been raving about this for months, and I will not stop. The Clarisonic has completely changed my skin, and I could never go back to living without it. If you have problematic skin, you've most likely spent twice as much as you would on the Clarisonic on other products that don't work. Invest in it, and see for yourself, your skin will never be the same.

5. Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette
The "Naked" palettes have some what of a cult following in the land of beauty, and it's for a good reason. Out of all the eye shadows that I've tried, Urban decay has some of the best. They pigmentation is out of this world, and they always give you such great color selection in all of their pallets. If I was to only have one eye shadow palette in my collection, I think it would be this one. The bronze hued nudes work so amazing with my skin tone, and I think they would for everyone. Treat yourself.

6. NARS Blush - Orgasm
This blush gives me life. I constantly find myself reaching for it over any other blush I own. It's perfect for summer and gives your skin the most amazing sun kissed glow. It has such a beautiful bronze shimmer, but nothing too aggressive that you couldn't use it on an everyday basis. It's more of a peachy-toned pink as apposed to a baby doll pink, so if you're on the super fair side, this might not be for you.

7. 'It's a 10" Miracle Leave in Spray plus Keratin
As soon as I realized I had spent $40 on this, I felt like a terrible person. But after just one use, I knew it was worth it. Drugstore haircare products are usually not the best, and it's hard if you have color treated hair to find something that isn't going to strip your hair dry. This product is AMAZING. Everyone needs it, regardless of what type of hair you have, you will notice how wonderful your hair feels after. It feels like I've repaired years of damage in a few weeks.

8. Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation
This is, in my opinion, the best foundation around. It's definitely not a bargain, but if you have a special occasion to go to, or you want to feel pampered, look no further. First of all, the line has a whopping 24 colors, which for a foundation, is amazing. It gives your skin such a beautiful luminous and dewy finish, it is to die for. Of course, if you're a matte foundation kind of a girl, this probably isn't for you. The coverage is medium, but buildable, so if you want to add some more to problem areas, you can, and it won't look cakey.

9. Batiste dry shampoo - Dark & Deep brown
Do I even need to say anything about this? If you know me, you know this stuff is like air to me, I can't live without it. I use it almost everyday, even on clean hair, and could never use another dry shampoo. The hint of color is amazing, and doesn't leave me with that awkward white cast in my brown hair. Seriously, you need this right now.

10. Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat
Nail polish is one of those things I think we forget about and kind of neglect, especially top coats. I've used hundreds of different top coats, and I wasn't really on the hunt for one that was amazing, but I found this and OMG. This is like magic in a bottle. It makes your polish dry so fast and leaves your nails shiny for so long. And I know what your thinking, 'Dahlia, are you insane? I am not spending $10 on clear nail polish,' and I get that, but really, once you go Seche Vite, you will not go back.

Top 10 Beauty Tips & Tricks Every Girl Should Know

1. Eye drops are your best friend

They can be used for so much more than getting rid of redness. Put 6-7 drops into your mascara when its starting to dry up to give it a few more days of use or dip your eye shadow brushes into them before picking up your shadow to add serious color pigmentation and hold.


2. Don't be afraid to mix your products

Feel free to get creative with your beauty products.

• If you are you going for a more subtle look but want more coverage than your BB cream provides, mix it with a pump of foundation. You won't feel like you have a bunch of product on your face, but you won't bee makes either.

• Is your skin looking extra flawless but you don't wan a go bare faced? Mix some primer with your BB cream to even out that skin tone.

• If you want to give your skin a nice glow for a special occasion, add a few drops of illuminator to your foundation. Just want a glow without a full face of make-up? Mix some illuminator with your moisturizer.

3. Greasy hair be gone

If you're like me and your hair gets greasy easily,  only put conditioner from the shaft of your hair to the ends, leaving it out of the roots and scalp. This will keep it from getting greasy the day after you wash it.


4. Dark circles hate salmon-hued concealers

Mix a salmon-hued concealer with the one you already put under your eyes, to coverup harsh dark circles with no fuss. If you don't want to go spend money on yet another concealer, salmon lip stick works too, just dab it under your eyes before you apply your concealer.


5. Lemon Juice is more than delicious

Suffering from dark elbows or knees? Cut a lemon in half and rub it on the areas your concerned with once a day; follow up with moisturizer and watch that darkness fade.


6. The microwave is a beauty tool

Microwave your body lotion for 5-10 seconds, making sure the oils don't separate and that it isn't too hot; this makes it work twice as well in combating dry skin, especially in these cold winter months.


7. Olive oil and laundry detergent? Yes please!

Use this mixture to deep clean and condition your brushes at home. The laundry detergent breaks down the oil in foundation, while the Olive oil keeps the brush hair conditioned and soft on skin. Make sure you reshape your brushes before you set them down to dry.


8. Bye, Bye puffiness

Freeze your used green tea bags and place them under you eyes to get rid of any puffiness. Allow  them sit for 5-10 minutes and watch them work their magic.


9. Butter your own body

While there are great body butters available in stores, the ones with good ingredients are usually pretty expensive. Go on any bargain website (I like Amazon.com) and order yourself some 100% natural and organic fruit or nut butters. Any combination is amazing, but I like to get Mango butter, Cocoa butter, Shea butter, Coconut Butter, Aloe Butter, and Avocado butter. Empty the containers into a large pot on low heat, melting each one slowly before adding the next. Once all the butters are melted together completely, put it in the fridge to chill. After it has cooled off for about 20-25 minutes, use a mechanical whisk and whip it up. You can put the new whipped body butter deliciousness into the original containers, and now you have a ton of great quality product, at a bargain price.


10. No shaving cream? No problem.

Shaving cream is one of those products you run out of at the worst possible times; like while your in the shower about to shave your legs. Don't fret though, there are tons of substations that work as well if not better. You can use some regular conditioner, baby oil, or my personal favorite, baby oil gel.

Top 10 Beauty Products Under $10

I wanted to do this blog post because I think there is the common misconception that in order to get good beauty products you need to spend a lot of money, and that's just not true. There are so many amazing products that you can find for under $10 that there really is no reason to splurge on all your beauty needs. Don't allow yourself to get caught up in the hype of brand names. Instead, save your money and visit your local drug store.

1. Batiste Dry Shampoo - Hint of Color

If I was only able to use one beauty product ever again, it would be this dry shampoo. I'm really obsessive when it comes to keeping my hair healthy and this is a huge part of my haircare routine. I only like to wash my hair between 2-3 times a week because I don't want to dry it out, and this is a life saver. I know a lot of people who don't like dry shampoos because they can leave a white cast in your hair, especially if you have dark hair like, but thats the magic with this one. It sprays on brown, so you don't need to spend 20 minutes brushing white powder out of your hair. I go threw these like its my job - I use probably 2-3 a month and that is not an exaggeration. If you haven't tried it, I absolutely recommend it, I think everyone will love it. They also have regular ones without tint, and one for blonde hair.
Price: $8.99

2. Burt's Bees Facial Cleansing Towlettes 
I have used more make-up removing wipes that I can even count. I feel like I've tried them all, but these are truly the best. They are all natural so you don't have to worry about smearing harmful chemicals all over your face, and they smell really good. They are super moist, unlike some that I've tried that have felt dry and kind of rough. It says that there is no rinsing required but I still always use my Clarisonic afterwards to make sure absolutely all my make-up is off. If you are in the market for some seriously amazing wipes, definitely pick these up at your local drugstore.
Price: $6.00

3. Wet n' Wild Eyeshadows  

Wet n' Wild in my opinion has the best drug store eye shadows around. They are RIDICULOUSLY affordable, it is insane how cheap they are, and they are great quality. The eye shadows are extremely pigmented and super blendable. You get so much bang for your buck, that every time I've gotten one of the 'Color Eyeshadow' pallets, I've felt like I was an extreme couponer. My favorite pallete is the one picture above, called 'Comfort Zone.' I'm a big fan of neutrals and they're really all I wear so this pallet was right up my alley. They sell the shadows in groups of 3, or 8. You can get a total of 8 shadows, each labeled with where they recommend you put them on your eye, for under five dollars. They are great for anyone who is just starting out with make-up because you can practice different eye looks with tons of colors without feeling like you're wasting money.

Price: $4.99

4. Milani Baked Blush

Milani is one of my all time favorite brands at the drug store, the quality is amazing and it's very budget friendly. Their baked blushes have amazing pigmentation and are very blendable. My favorite shade is 'Luminoso.' It's very comparable to Nars' 'Orgasm' in the sense that it has the same bronzed glow to it. Another one of my favorites is 'Coralina' which is perfect for the summer when your skin is tanner than usual. The entire collection has a lot of color versatility which means regardless of if you're of a lighter complexion or a darker one they'll have a shade that will compliment you.

Price: $7.49

5. Revlon ColorBurst Matte & Laquer Lip Balms

I am OBSESSED with these. I suffer from dry lips and 9 times out of 10 it's a serious struggle to find a lipstick or pigmented lip balm that isn't going to accentuate that. Revlon hit the nail right on the head with these bad boys. The entire collection contains 10 different colors and they are all gorgeous. They are so pigmented it is insane & they go on like BUTTER. They also have a relatively long wear time for a balm, and every time I've worn them I have been pleasantly surprised by how long they've lasted. My favorite shades at the moment are 'Unapologetic,' 'Standout,' 'Shameless,' and 'Elusive' (these aren't the same shades as pictured). They are very similar to the Clinique Chubby Sticks, except the color pay off is much better in the matte balms and they are a third of the price.

Price: $8.99

 6. L'Oréal True Match Super Blendable Makeup

Anyone who knows me knows I live and die by my True Match foundation. While I have been leaning more towards the newer 'Lumi' version, the original is amazing. Finding a good drug store foundation is always difficult for me because my skin gets really dry in certain areas and a lot of them just cling to those dry patches - this one does not. It's a medium coverage foundation that gives a relatively dewy finish but nothing too excessive. It is by far one of the easiest foundations to work with, its very blendable and can be used with either a beauty blender or any type of foundation brush.

Price: $6.96

7. L'Oréal Telescopic Mascara
While I don't use drug store mascara that often, just because I'm madly in love with my Benefit 'They're Real" mascara, this one is really amazing. I have pretty long lashes naturally so I look for mascaras that don't just lengthen but volumize as well. This was the first mascara I ever really bought for myself and it will always be the one I go back to when I'm looking for something that I know will give me good results. They have three different shades but I use the shade 'Blackest Black.' The wand is a rubbery one with small bristles and those are my favorite - they get every single lash and don't let them clump.
Price: $9.99

8. Maybelline Great Lash Mascara

I honestly could not live without this stuff. I know it looks very strange but it is AMAZING. I don't use it as mascara, I use it as a clear brow gel. There is absolutely no reason to spend more than $10 on brow gel for your everyday stash. You can just go to any drug store and get this baby. It works just as well and lasts forever. The 'Great Lash' line is amazing in general but this is by far my favorite one - they also have tons of fun colors like blue, pink, and purple. 

Price: $5.99

9. Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Eraser - Dark Circles Concealer & Treatment

Everyone I know that has tried these is in love with them, and I am no exception. There are two version of the 'Age Rewind' erasers - one that is for dark spots, and one for dark circles. I use the one for dark circles because fortunately I don't suffer from dark spots. Depending on how dark my circles are, I will either use this by itself, or pair it with a full coverage concealer. I use the shade 'Brightener' because it really helps to bring life to my face significantly more than a regular flesh toned concealer. I also really like the applicator which is rare for me in a drug store product. If you don't have really dark circles, but you just want to brighten up that under eye area, I would absolutely recommend trying this out.
Price: $7.49

10. Sally Hansen Hard as Nails

If you haven't heard of this product you literally need to stop what you are doing and go buy it. I have been using this nail polish since I was probably 6 years old. My mom always had it in the house and I just fell in love with it. I am constantly begin told how insanely thick and strong my nails are, and I am not lying when I tell you it is because of this. When I do an at home mani, I always use this as a base coat and a top coat. It comes in two shades, the clear one that I use, and a pinker tint called 'natural.' Never in my life have I felt like I have had such amazing results from a nail product. There will never be a time in my life where this is not in my nail polish collection and I strongly recommend you make it part of yours ASAP.
Price: $2.47