Category: Product Reviews

11 Beauty Product Must-Haves Without Breaking the Bank

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I’m all about finding good deals and beauty products are no exception. Here are my favorite budget beauty products that I’ve tested and trialed and absolutely LOVE!

  1. Rimmel Lasting Finish by Kate. For matte lipstick lovers, this is the BEST. It seriously stays on all day, it’s hydrating, smells good AND it’s only $4.99 at Target or Walgreens. My go-to color is 104.
  2. Nailtiques Formula. My mom heard about this through a friend so we tried it out together. My nails have always been a little weak and brittle, but after using this for a couple weeks, they were not only growing like crazy, but also growing out strong! Now, I only need to use it every few times I paint my nails.
  3. Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Nail Polish. Obsessed. I am an avid nail painter as all of my past roommates know, and I have to peel off everything and repaint anytime there’s a chip. While this isn’t as good as getting a real gel manicure, it lasts way longer than normal polish…about a week on fingers (without any chips) and up to a month on toes. Get it from Target since it’s $3-4 cheaper than other stores.
  4. Rosehip Oil. This is seriously a miracle product. I was searching for something to get rid of my melasma on my forehead and have tried both crop serum and lavender oil to no avail. I came across this formula and after about 3 months of using it fairly regularly, not only is my melasma almost gone, but I also have totally noticed that any small wrinkles I had are gone. Just a few drops a day does wonders for your skin and also makes it smell oh-so-good.
  5. Loreal Future-e Day Lotion with SPF 15. I’ve been using this for years because it doesn’t make me feel oily like a lot of other moisturizers I’ve tried. I apply this after the rosehip oil every morning. I only wish it came in SPF 30!
  6. St. Ives Blackhead Clearing Green Tea Scrub. I love this scrub because it totally keeps blackheads at bay but also keeps my face really soft and smooth. Get it at Target for less than $4.
  7. Benefit Gimme BROW. For someone who just wants a little extra brow definition, this stuff is great and easy to use.
  8. Shikai Color Reflect Platinum Shampoo. Perfect for anyone with blonde hair or blonde highlights that wants to keep that blonde nice and bright. Your stylist has probably used purple shampoo on you before and this is a cheap way to do it at home a couple times a week! Don’t worry, it’s not going to turn your brown hair blonde…it’ll just focus on the blonde parts.
  9. Shea Butter and Coconut Oil Hair Mask. For $4.99 at Trader Joes, this stuff is seriously amazing. My hair was instantly silkier and I ended up stocking up on more tubes because we all know that sometimes our favorite products may go out of stock for months at a time.
  10. Explore Naturals Deodorant. After trying out multiple different natural deodorants, this one is my favorite thus far. It leaves no smell, goes on smoothly.
  11. Loreal Ever Pure Shampoo/Conditioner. I looked for a good sulfate and paraben free shampoo and conditioner for awhile and tried out many different shampoos and conditioners. I have pretty fine hair and all of those I tried tended to leave my hair very flat, while this one leaves the volume but doesn’t come with the toxic ingredients.

What are your favorite beauty products? Comment below!

ClaudettesCorner

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PiperWai for the Win

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What would you say if I told you there’s an all-natural, charcoal-based deodorant that keeps you smelling fresh all day? Sounds a little sketch, right?

Well, I tried it and would definitely recommend doing the same! My fellow blogger friend Julia from Sprinkles and Saturdays loves Piperwai too! After seeing PiperWai on SharkTank a few months back, I placed my first order immediately. They were on back order, so I waited patiently and eagerly for over a month. At first I was nervous to do anything that was even slightly active with just PiperWai on but after about a week of using it, I got used to not reaching for my antiperspirant “just in case”.

Now it’s been about 4 months since I started wearing PiperWai and I feel great knowing that I’m not using a product that contains aluminum and parabens, which could ultimately cause cancer. *The FDA hasn’t determined there to be risks associated with these, but I personally think it’s better to be safe than sorry.*

What’s to Love:

  • It smells great…clean & simple with a twinge of mint.
  • It lasts all day.
  • It works naturally by neutralizing odor without plugging up your sweat glands.
  • It comes in a charcoal color, but rubs on clear. How fun is that?!
  • I swear that after a couple weeks of using PiperWai, my body started to adapt to not having toxins from my regular deodorant block that natural thing we all do…sweat. Now, I can go a couple hours without any deodorant, without being completely grossed out by myself.
  • I’m a sucker for cool branding and I’d say they nailed it.

What’s Not to Love:

  • Since it comes in a jar, you have to apply with your fingers. Time to love your armpits more than you did before!
  • When it’s cold, the deodorant tends to ball up under your arms after you apply. I  can easily solve this by rubbing it in again or warming it up between my fingers first.
  • Piperwai doesn’t back up your sweat glands, so can end up getting a little wet (even though they say it keeps you completely dry) BUT you don’t smell and it dries quickly after you’re done breaking  a sweat.

Have you tried PiperWai yet? I’d love to hear what you think!

 

ClaudettesCorner

Flat Tummy Tea-Ache

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IMGP1414.jpgWhen I first heard about a tea that can help flatten out your tummy and get you bikini body ready, I was intrigued but definitely not sold. Then after seeing some of my favorite Bachelor Nation Instagrammers talking about it too, I decided to give it a go.

After one week of this “miracle” tea that everyone is raging about, I am so over it. And frankly, I’m a little annoyed that no one mentions the main reason for any sort of tummy flattening.

Flat Tummy Tea is…a laxative.

I can’t find one blogger or reviewer who is admitting to this, which is why I feel the need to share. When you search Flat Tummy Tea on Google, all you see is positive reviews. Everyone is praising the tea for their loss of water weight and belly bloat. Well I wonder where it all went. Bet you can guess…

Every day I was on the cleanse, my stomach was majorly unsettled. I didn’t feel good all week and actually ended up eating less than usual because of this. On top of that, I’d suddenly have to bolt to the ladies room. It was extremely unpleasant. And I wasn’t the only one who felt like this so I know it can’t just be me who’s had this experience. My boyfriend said he’d try the cleanse with me and hated it as much as I did. On top of the negative effects I had, he also got headaches and felt dizzy from dehydration. Sounds super fun, right?

I’m no expert on the ingredients in the tea, but after a bit of research, it looks like the main perpetrator for such negative effects is dandelion. Dandelion is a natural laxative used to treat constipation. When you think about it, that can’t be good to use over the long haul, especially when your goal is to lose water weight and tummy bloat.

I can see that the tea works and I’m sure I would’ve achieved my flat tummy goal if I had continued using it. But for all the wrong reasons. Personally, I’d rather drink less alcohol, eat less sugar and do more cardio to get the same results. Better said than done though, right?

 

ClaudettesCorner