Tag: hair product reviews

Winter Favorites for When Your Skin is Dry and You’re Really Tired

Featuredby liftbakeloveLeave a Comment on Winter Favorites for When Your Skin is Dry and You’re Really Tired

This winter my skin has been extremely dry and textured, and it’s been one of those stretches where a lot of my usual makeup just isn’t cooperating. Everything either clings to and emphasizes texture, or somehow makes me look more tired than I already am. These are the things I keep reaching for when I want to look more alive with minimal effort. In this post, all links are affiliate links (thank you for your support!), but all opinions are my own.

MAKE Beauty Diffusion Dew Skin Tint in 1.5 – Shade wise, this is definitely not quite right on me because it’s way too saturated and too warm. But I still can’t stop wearing it. I’ve mostly stopped thinking of it as a skin tint and started using it as a primer because it makes my (very dry this winter) skin look so much better. It’s extremely sheer, like the original Glossier Skin Tint. At first, I’m wondering if anything is happening. But every time I use it, my skin looks healthier and more hydrated and more even. It blends in about five seconds and so seamlessly, even with the horrible shade match. I’ve found with a bunch of beigey green color corrector, I can get away with this as my only base product, but I do wish they’d come out with more shades. I will note that this has a bit of sparkle/mica/shimmer to it that might bother you if you’re not looking for it, but my skin really needs all the help it can get right now.

MAKE Beauty Diffusion Dew Skin Tint in 1.5

Makeup by Mario Soft Plumping Blush Veil in Berry Punch – This is such a perfect winter blush for me. It’s one of those blushes that makes it look like you slept and drank enough water (couldn’t be me). The shade is such a good berry plum shade that gives that “cold girl” look without looking like you’re wearing a ton of blush. It goes more purple on me than I can get in the swatch but I love how it’s not super bright. The formula blends so seamlessly you can’t see where it starts and stops, and it works really well even over powder. I love to throw it on half way through the day and wake my face back up. I’ve used it alone, under, and over things, and it’s been great every time. It also sets down and lasts pretty well for being a dewy finish product. I discovered during swatching that this actually stains a really pretty soft pink which is one of the reasons it seems to stay so well.

Makeup by Mario Soft Plumping Blush Veil in Berry Punch and Westman Atelier Light Up Highlight Stick in Biscuit

Westman Atelier Light Up Highlight Stick in Biscuit – I normally don’t get this excited about a highlighter but I’ve been loving it so much. Biscuit is a perfect light beige that makes my skin look glassy and hydrated without any weird shifts happening. It also doesn’t emphasize texture and doesn’t mess up any of the products that are underneath. I catch myself in the mirror and think it just looks so pretty. I can swipe it on and blend it out with my fingers or brush or sponge, and it gives that glossy healthy sheen. The only annoying thing is you have to buy the shade Biscuit from the Westman Atelier website, but for me it was worth it because it’s exactly the finish and shade I want and I use it constantly.

Ravie Beauty Soft Definition Longwear Eyeliner in Umber, drawn on (left) and blended out (right)

Ravie Beauty Soft Definition Longwear Eyeliner in Umber – I really need eyeliner to make my makeup look complete, but I am also so terrible at eyeliner. I have given up on it a million times. This is the first eyeliner that has made me feel like I can actually do eyeliner. The formula is soft and blendable, but it still gives definition. I can tightline with it, I can do a thin line, I can smudge it out, I can apply it with 3 hours of sleep. It still looks intentional every time. You have a ton of play time with this formula, which is the main reason I like it. If I mess up, I can blend it away and try to get the look I want without it being a huge mess. That said, once it sets, it sets. I still have proof of these swatches on my arm the next day, even after a shower. I also bought their brush, and it makes it so easy to do my eyeliner. If you want a strong graphic liner, I wouldn’t recommend this. But if you want a soft defined line you can play and practice with that still looks like you know what you’re doing, I highly recommend this.

dae Cactus Fruit 3-in-1 Styling Cream with Taming Wand – I am finally getting into the postpartum hair regrowth stage (yay!), and I have a ton of short little hairs on the top of my head. My hair had been looking absolutely ridiculous no matter how I tried to style it until I picked this up. It smooths everything down so fast, it smells amazing, and it doesn’t make my hair crunchy or sticky. My hair looks so much more put together whether I’m wearing it up or down. I really never knew I needed something like this, but now I can’t go back to not using it all the time.

What other products would you like me to review? Let me know if there’s anything else you’d like to see here, and thanks for reading! As always, some links may be affiliate links that support the blog and some products may have been gifted, but all reviews/opinions are completely my own and unsponsored.

Brand Review: The Inkey List Haircare

by liftbakeloveLeave a Comment on Brand Review: The Inkey List Haircare

After watching Kayley Melissa’s review on The Inkey List Haircare products, I really wanted to know if they were really as good as she said they were. Since her video was sponsored, I was a little skeptical, but 5 products for less than $60 shipped seemed like a great thing to review for all of my readers (thanks for being here!). I used the website’s “recipe builder” to get a routine recommendation and bought 5 of the recommended products. I’ve been testing these since May to make sure I can give a thorough review of their effectiveness and also took a break from using them for the last week to if there was a difference not using them (spoiler: there was!). All links are affiliate links in this post.

PCA Bond Repair Hair Treatment ($12.99) – I really struggle with breakage and split ends, and this product has completely changed that for me. I use this after every shower and now have way less breakage and almost no split ends despite not getting a hair cut for a long, long time. My hair also feels much softer and less frizzy even if I only used just this product. I’m used to needing to use a couple of different products to get my hair to look and feel great, so that really impressed me! The only con for me is that I can’t stand this packaging – it’s so hard to spray the product. I even had my husband try it to see if it was just me, and he struggled with it too. I love everything else about this product so I will definitely continue to use it and likely repurchase it, but I wish they made it way easier to use.

Peptide Volumizing Hair Treatment ($9.99) – In addition to my hair being super dry and brittle, it’s also really flat. I usually need to give myself a blow out or curl my hair to get any kind of volume, and I’ve been loving that I now can get volume without doing either of those things especially since it’s been so hot here. My hair looks thicker and bouncier whenever I use this and actually has some movement to it. I notice a huge difference when I skipped this, and it’s my go-to for when my hair is looking a little lifeless.

Caffeine stimulating scalp treatment ($14.99) – This product is really unique and was the only one of these that filled an actual gap in my collection. You are supposed to see best results after using it for 3 months, which I haven’t hit yet, so these are my initial impressions. It doesn’t create any issues for my hair even using it every night, and I can definitely already see a different in how fast my hair is growing and its strength. I’ve been seeing a lot less hair coming out onto my brush and in the shower since I started using this, and I’m excited to see the effects over time!

Shea Oil Nourishing Hair Treatment ($9.99) – This is meant for dry and brittle hair (which mine is!) and feels like a serum for your hair. It’s very lightweight and instantly makes my hair look way more hydrated and healthy. It also adds so much shine without destroying any volume I have. I like it a lot better than something like the Moroccanoil Treatment or the Verb Ghost oil which both feel much heavier. Even though it’s incredibly lightweight, I still found that if I applied too much, my hair did feel weighed down and greasy. While this happens much less than with other oil-based hair treatments, I still always try to use less than I think I need to avoid that.

Hyaluronic Acid Hydrating Hair Treatment ($9.99) – This is another product meant to add hydration, boost shine, and reduce brittleness. Everything I said about that is true about this, and I used this interchangeably with the Shea Oil Nourishing Hair Treatment. I don’t think you need both, and this works just as well and also doesn’t add any heaviness or weigh my hair down. I found that I didn’t have the same issue when adding too much so I prefer this treatment for that reason, especially when I’m on day 2 or day 3 hair.

This whole haircare routine was less than $60, and I am so impressed by each of the products and how they work together. My three favorites are the PCA Bond Repair Hair Treatment, Peptide Volumizing Hair Treatment, and the Caffeine Stimulating Scalp Treatment because they are incredibly effective and I don’t have anything I can think of that’s remotely similar in the price range. That said, they’re all amazing, and I’m very glad I decided to try them out since I now have affordable stapes for myself and that I can recommend to you. Are there other hair products or brands you’d like a review of? Let me know in the comments below or on Instagram @liftbakelove!