Beauty Product Follow-Ups: Vol. I, No. Two
Jul 5, 2022
Sometimes it’s nice to check in on products I’ve recommended in the past. Am I still using them? Did I rebuy them when they ran out? Or did I love them and leave them? Here are a few follow-ups on my spring 2022 favorites.
K18 Hair Treatment // When I realized that I was running out of this fantastic, damage-reducing product, I hit re-buy immediately. If you color treat your hair, expose it to chlorine or the sun all summer, or (like me) use too much heat, this is the product for you.
The Treatment functions like a leave-in conditioner. You dry your hair til just past damp (I like this microfiber turban for quick drying, which I put on while still in the shower), and then apply. The key is to use it for several washes in a row to get maximum results. This is especially important post-color treatment. I cannot recommend this product highly enough.
Westman Atelier Blush Stick // This is a product that I did not keep using after the initial crush wore off. Cream blush takes a bit more effort to apply, and I just don’t have that in me right now. Instead, I switched to Bobbi Brown’s Nectar blush for summer. I’ve been wearing it for years, and while it looks scary in the package (very neon), it goes on as the perfect pop of coral-pink.
Finishing Touch Facial Hair Remover // After nearly a decade of use, my Finishing Touch finally broke. Best $20 you can spend. Quickly cleans up chin hair, upper lip hair and whatever else you need removed. It’s the best.
Zitsticka Dark Spot Healer // I’ve been lucky with the pregnancy skin changes, but if you saw my Instagram stories last month, you know I had two dark spots on my chin that.would.not.go.away. Which was so deeply annoying. I picked up these healing patches from Zitsticka, and four applications later, one was gone and the other dramatically lightened. So if you have an old scar or dark spot you need zapped, this is the product for you.
GrandeBrow Hair ReGrowth Serum // We all did a lot of damage to our eyebrows in the 90s. It’s a miracle I have any at all, but this hair growth serum bringing them back to life. I recently emptied my trial size, and re-upped to the full-size.
LipoFix Neck Tightening Cream // I use the Lipofix Double Chin masks, and I really like them, so the neck cream seemed to be the next obvious step. I shared it on Instagram after a week of use (which broke my one-month rule), and I’m sorry I did. By week-three, I was awash in neck acne. And if there was ever a thing I did not need in my life, it was neck acne.
KVD Good Apple Foundation // I have repurchased this product three times since my original review. I love it. And since it’s summer, I’ve mastered applying it with a light hand to get just as much coverage as I need without sweltering in a full-face of makeup in the hot, hot sun.
This product is a miracle for acne scarring and other texture issues. It also covers redness like a dream. I need so little concealer when I wear it that I haven’t bought a new tube in months. And once you learn how to get just enough on your foundation brush (or sponge if you want heavier coverage), you will be so happy with it you will never go back.
Any products you have tried recently that you love and want to recommend? Any you loathe and want to tell people to shy away from? Leave your thoughts in the comments.
Any tricks for using the Finishing Touch? I loved it at first, but using it seems to cause acne on my upper lip. I’m not sure if that’s from irritation or ingrown hairs. Do you need to do something to keep the blades sharp?
You likely need to exfoliate the day before. I often use a nubby glove exfoliator the day before I use it just to get the dead skin off.
Good to know. Thanks!
I’m curious if anyone has tried vegamour or any of the million different hair serums on social promising thicker hair and/or less grays. Still having a lot of postpartum hair loss and my youngest is almost two…
Abra, thanks for all these reviews. I bought the K18 based on your rec. and love it (I only use it once a week though). I even put it in my daughter’s (unprocessed) unruly curly hair once in a while and it turns her hair into springy shiny curls.
I also bought the Westman Atelier Blush Stick in Poppy – I like it but not sure I am putting it on correctly! When I use my fingers, it just kind of disappears, so I use a blush and kind of dapple it in. Decent staying power and I typically don’t use a setting powder. Not sure I will re-purchase due to the high price.
Last summer, I bought the Wander powder foundation and really like it. My main issues for my somewhat combo skin are slight redness on my cheeks and uneven skin tone, and this works well. I just use this, some of the Wander blush/highlight and some mascara and call it a day most of the time.
“brush” not blush to put on the Westman!