Favorite quarantine beauty products
The last 5 months have been anything but easy. We have all done our best to adjust to staying at home more than we ever have. I’ve realized that self-care during this time has been more important than ever. I learned to cut my hair along with the girls, given ourselves manicures, and discovered new ways to take a mental break from the stress of everything that has been going on. So I’m taking a little detour from DIY to share some of my favorite quarantine beauty products.
Just FYI, I’m not being paid to promote anything. I’m just sharing my honest reviews and happy to promote a friend.
Back in late April, my friend Carmel from Our Fifth House sent me some Beauty Counter products. I saw her talk about a new product that helped reduce the look of dark spots. The day after I turned 40 last year, I woke up with a couple of dark spots on my face. I’m not even kidding! I told her that I needed to use whatever secret potion that was and she generously sent it my way along with a few other products.
I have heard wonderful things about Beauty Counter but had never used any of their products up until that point. They are known for their safer and cleaner use of ingredients in their products.
Since the end of April, I have been using the vitamin all bright C serum, Counter+ Overnight Resurfacing Peel, and the brightening facial oil. The combination of the resurfacing peel and Vitamin C serum is supposed to help reduce the appearance of dark spots while brightening your skin. I was most interested in using the serum since I noticed dark spots immediately after turning 40 last year.
Here are a few photos of when I started using the products. You will see freckles and some sunspots. I have also always had a lot of moles. 🙂 I’m not wearing anything on my skin in these photos except for eye makeup.
I also want to disclose that I’ve never had any botox, laser treatment or cosmetic surgery. If you do those things, no judgment here! I just want to give you information on what you’re seeing here. I’ve been tempted to remove my gazillion moles but haven’t done that either. I did have them checked by a dermatologist just because I wanted to make sure they weren’t any irregular looking ones that could potentially be cancerous.
Here is a friendly reminder that you should never compare yourself to anyone on the internet. If you think they have super flawless skin, chances are they don’t. It’s not common to see skin without visible pores, wrinkles, freckles, sun spots or blemishes once you are past 40. If you do, there is probably a great filter added or you’re JLo. 😉
After a couple of months, I told Carmel I didn’t see a big difference in my dark spots. However, I did notice better texture in my skin as it felt smoother. I also didn’t gain any more dark spots. I have two dark spots and I think those are only going to disappear if I ever try laser treatment in the future. She told me to keep going and give it more time.
Now it’s been almost 4 months. Do you know what I did notice? I haven’t had any of my hormonal breakouts. I usually get a chin pimple every month and I don’t remember having one the last few months which has been so so nice. My skin also appears cleaner and brighter even without the use of any foundation. I usually wear IT CC cream as my foundation since it’s light and provides additional sunscreen protection. Here’s what my skin looks like today with just eye makeup and lip gloss. There’s nothing on my skin except moisturizer and sunscreen. I love that there is an overall brightness and a glow to my skin without the use of any foundation.
The Vitamin C serum is a bit pricey but I noticed that it lasts almost 4 months with daily use. I just ordered a new bottle yesterday after finishing my first one. If you’re interested in trying their products, send an email to carmel@ourfifthouse.com. I’m happy knowing I’m using safer products on my face.
Another fun thing that I have been loving is painting my nails. With all the DIY projects that I’m constantly working on, my nails are usually a hot janky mess. My friend, Jennifer told me about how she started using this nail hardening and keratin strengthening kit and it has made the biggest impact on my fingernails. I always had a problem with my nails chipping but they are as strong as ever. My nail polish usually looks great for at least 7 days too which is a miracle.
We painted them at the cabin a few weeks ago using the kit. My hand is the bright tangerine color. Look at them now a couple of weeks later.
Holy smokes! I actually need to trim them. It’s been a great little activity for me in the evenings one night a week after the kids are in bed.
My friend, Jennifer introduced me to these clay masks from Absolute and they are so so good! There are about 3-4 uses from each pack and your skin feels amazing afterwards. I have had experiences with clay masks drying out my skin but this makes your face feel smooth like a baby’s! I think Koreans make the best face masks out there. Jimmy and Jules love doing them with me.
As always, I religiously wear my MD Solar Sciences sunscreen every day. If you don’t do anything, please do this! It’s the best way to protect your skin from sun damage and melanoma. You can also find more of my favorite facial products like my homemade toner and moisturizer on this blog post.
Thanks for reading, friends!
xoxo,
Let all that you do be done in Love. 1 Corinthians 16:14
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