5 essential beauty products for every day

Makeup

Dec 24

As we come into December, I decided to take a look at my shelf of skin care and beauty products to see what I had been using lately.

Turns out, I haven’t changed my routine all that much because I have some go-to staples that have been working out perfectly for me. To this day, I haven’t found a need to change them, apart from the random addition here or there if my skin needs some extra TLC one day.

Here are five products that I use regularly.

Live Clean (Baby) Mineral Sunscreen Lotion SPF 45

$17.99 (CAD)

I have been using this sunscreen since early this summer, and I love it. As someone with darker skin, it is harder to find a mineral sunscreen that is available in Canada for a price I can afford. I found this one at the drugstore and it’s great!

Initially, I thought there was a bit of a white cast, but then after working it into my skin, the cast went away. It doesn’t feel very heavy on my skin, even though there is a creamery texture to it.

House of Dohwa Rice Bran Facial Moisturizer

$48.99 (CAD)

I recently stumbled upon this brand, and I like how they use rice in a lot of their products. I was initially hesitant about using this product because it does have some fruit essential oils in it; since I have sensitive skin, certain essential oils can cause problems for my skin. However, I have only seen good things happen to my skin since using it. It always leaves my skin feeling soft and really moisturized and hydrated after.

The consistency of the moisturizer is more of a gel cream, so it works for combination skin!

Neostrata Sheer Physical Sunscreen SPF 50 (Tinted)

(Regular $33 CAD, $23.10 CAD on sale)

$33 (CAD)

On days that I find myself leaving the house, I tend to prefer a tinted sunscreen or tinted moisturizer with SPF. I recently came across the Neostrata Tinted Mineral Sunscreen at a drugstore. This is slightly more expensive than the Live Clean (Baby} Mineral Sunscreen, but it does have a tint to it.

The first time I used it, I thought that the product was quite runny, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. However, the consistency allows it to glide on your skin and not pill like other products I’ve tried with a similar consistency.

The tint is also quite nice and blends to your skin well. The product only comes in one tint, however, so I’m not sure how it would blend with darker or lighter skin tones.

Rare Beauty Perfect Stroke Universal Volumizing Mascara

$11 - $20

When looking for a mascara, I will try to find one that will curl my lashes while giving me length. The Rare Beauty Mascara does exactly that.

I use it on my top lashes and after 2 coats, my lashes look ready to take on the day. The mascara does not feel heavy, nor does it weigh down your eyes throughout the day. It also provides great wear because it doesn’t flake or rub off throughout the day.

Ilia Beauty Limitless Lash Mascara

$13 - $28

One of the major things I take into consideration when buying a mascara is the type of wand as that makes a huge difference during application. When I saw that this wand had two different types of bristles on the end, I knew I needed to try it out.

This mascara is perfect for bottom lashes. It curls your lashes perfectly to keep in ratio with top lashes, and because of the brush, it is good at separating each individual strand of hair to accentuate your eyes.

I typically use the mini mascaras as the shorter wand makes it easier to use and less product goes to waste.

Header photo by (Pavel Danilyuk / Pexels)