What’s the deal with the Nurse Jamie beauty roller and her weird bear pillow?

I was scrolling through my YouTube feed last night and randomly came across this video by Jenna Dewan Tatum which is funny because I don’t remember subscribing to her channel or ever watching any of her videos.

But what caught my eye was the Nurse Jamie, UpLift Facial Massaging Beauty Roller that she’s using in the cover image.

In the long list of products I’ve purchased because of YouTubers, this one makes my list.

I’ve had it for well over a year, but for some reason, I’ve never mentioned it before today.

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What’s more satisfying than a good scrub?

Not much, IMO. Ever since I was a kid scratching my skin off with way too much St. Ives Apricot Scrub, I’ve loved the feeling of getting my skin as clean as possible.

Of course, now we know it doesn’t have to be harsh to be effective, but I still get so much satisfaction from a good exfoliating scrub.

With winter trying it’s best to flake all my skin off, here are my favorite ways to take control of my exfoliating game and get that so fresh and so clean feeling today.

photo courtesy of dermastore.com

JUARA Radiance Enzyme Scrub

This one is by far my favorite. I’ve mentioned it before in an empties post, but it’s definitely worth bringing attention to again.

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Bonkers products I love!

Right now, it seems like I have a variety of kinda bonkers products that at first blush seem ridiculous, but have become staples for me.

One of these even has pretty bad reviews on Sephora, but I love it still!

So here are some oddball favorites that perhaps you’ve considered–and been scared off–or didn’t even know you needed!

Ouai, Dry Shampoo Foam


Let’s start with the one with the poor reviews. On Sephora.com this doesn’t even have a full three stars, which is pretty bleak. But let me tell you why I love it and why it’s perfect for a specific situation. I have thick, wavy hair. I don’t always want to wash my hair every day, but when I wake up in the morning, it looks insane. And the only way to start over is to get it wet and calm it down. And I feel like if I’m going to have to blow dry it anyway, I might as well just wash it. Enter this amazing time saver! Because it’s a foam, it’s a little damp so I can put it on my crazy bedhead hair and I can get it back under control. It’s a foam, like an old fashioned mousse, and you just give it a shake and then start with a golf ball size or bigger mound and work it through the roots. It doesn’t make you hair sticky or weird like a true mousse would, but it does make it manageable and gives it some texture. I have disliked the scent of Ouai products in the past, but this one doesn’t bother me. I feel like I need to stock up on it in case it gets discontinued–that’s how much I like it!

 

Peter Thomas Roth, Acne-Clear Invisible Dots

I mentioned these in my most recent “empties” post, but I feel like they are so strange, they are worth another mention. Thankfully, my skin hasn’t been a complete disaster that much lately, but I do get the random breakouts here and there. And when I do, I reach for these. One of my issues with acne treatments is I always felt like they mainly just got on your pillow at night and never really were able to work. That’s why these dots are incredible! They are basically stickers that come in two sizes, big and small, and you peel them off a sheet and put them over the problem spot. They are clear, so they don’t look like you have chicken pox or anything. There is a slight problem of finding them again when you go to take them off, because they are clear, they can be missed! But if you pop one of these on a spot early, they have been very effective for me to clear them up before they take over my face. My sister just got me a Korean dupe version that is much cheaper, so I’ll be giving those a try, but even at the high price, I think they are worth it.

Living Proof, Perfect Hair Day In-Shower Styler

Another hair product! I’ve talked in the past how my hair makes me crazy, so I’m always looking for things that make me feel slightly better about it. Couple that with any excuse to stay in the shower for a few more minutes, and I’m sold! This product is very strange, but it accomplishes both goals: better hair and extra shower time. Basically, it’s like a third step after conditioning your hair. You put the same amount of this product through your hair, but then you don’t rinse it completely off. And the balance of how much product vs how much to rinse can seem a little challenging. But I feel like after a couple uses, I could just FEEL when the balance was right. It’s a nice time saver too, you can just either let your hair air dry, which is what I’ve been doing this summer, or it’s ready for blowdrying without having to add anything to the mix. Again–this might just be specifically great for my hair type–but if you’ve got wavyish or curly hair, this might be good for you, too!

YUNI, SHOWER SHEETS Large Body Wipes

Okay–these might seem completely silly because you can just use baby wipes or something that’s not $1 a sheet–but let me explain. I teach dance on Friday nights and class gets done at 6:45pm. Ofter after class–I go out somewhere. And while the Mario Badusco has been a savior, these actually make me feel slightly more confident to go out without a proper shower. They are basically big, body sized baby wipes! They smell good and they are big enough to really feel like you got all your bits covered and are good to go. I feel like it’s $1 well spent!

Do you have any bonkers products you love? Or products other dislike but work for you? I wanna know!!

All products purchased by me. All photos from the product websites. All opinions my own!

“Empties” reviews: shower products, toothpaste, La Mer and more

Some of my favorite YouTube videos to watch are the “Empties” collections. Why do I want to look at other people’s trash, you ask? Perhaps it scratches the itch I’ve had to be a private investigator—an ambition born spending my youth watching Magnum PI, Moonlighting , Remington Steele and the criminally underrated, Riptide (i wanted both the robot AND the helicopter, sadly, i still have neither) with my mother.

But more likely, I find it helpful to get insight on products that were taken the distance. I like knowing if the trusted YouTuber plans to repurchase items, especially when it requires spending their own money on a product they might have gotten sent to them gratis from the company.

So I thought it might be fun to do my own “Empties” post and go through some products I’ve finished and give my take on them. Continue reading

Undercover Hero Products: or three things we can’t live without that you might not know exist

Magicians keep their tricks close to the vest. And while we believe our patron saint, Gwen had it right when she sang “magic’s in the makeup” we are more than happy to spill our secrets!

Each of these products serves a specific purpose, but also acts as a secret multi-tasker and makes life easier all-around. But surprisingly–we were each unfamiliar with the others’ selection!

So here are the products we are dubbing our personal “undercover hero”–and perhaps just what Bonnie Tyler’s been holding out for all these years:

Pamela

Dermalogica Skinperfect Primer SPF 30

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I’ve tried lots and lots of primers through the years and have never really seen the benefit of them… in other words, none of them seemed to do anything for me. Until this one. If I had to guess, this is just totally different because of the dual purpose it offers. We all love killing two (or in this case more than a few) skincare jobs with one product.  Dermalogica’s Skinperfect Primer does just that with an SPF30 for sun protection, silicones paired with soy protein to create a smooth “primed” texture to the skin and peptides to improve the firmness of your skin. It also has a neutral tint which helps even out skin tone. In addition to all those awesome properties I feel it is by far the best primer I have used in regards to increasing the longevity of my makeup.  I use this daily, over my moisturizer – sometimes on it’s own for a “no makeup” day, otherwise I wear my foundation or tinted moisturizer over it. Pro tip: Dermalogica loves to sample their products. If you can find a salon/spa that retails their products, swing by and see if you can get a sample!

Jess

Urban Decay Ultimate Ozone Multipurpose Primer Pencil

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This is seriously one of those products that you look at on the display at Sephora and roll your eyes. What the hell do you need a clear lip pencil for?? Lucky for you, I bought one during a sale where I needed one more thing to get free shipping, and now I’d be pressed to live without it. Here’s why:

As a lip primer, this thing is priceless. It is made with jojoba oil (my favorite!), so it adds some moisture to the lips, which I need-always. The formula, though, is more tacky than slippery, so it really works well to grab onto any pigment (lip color) that you put over it. This little pencil is a godsend underneath drying liquid lip or matte formulas, since it gives you that protective buffer layer and fills in any cracks or bumps in your lips that get magnified with a matte lip. Think of Ozone like double-stick tape for your face- I also like to use it in my waterline to help grab onto eyeliner and prolong the wear, or over a blemish to help concealer grab on.

But that’s not all! If you have issues with feathering, you can line outside your lip line to create a magic “fence” your lipstick won’t cross! If you didn’t do that, and have some feathering, or your lip color went off the rails and you need to clean it up, YOU CAN USE THIS AS AN ERASER. Did I just blow your mind?!?! You can also use it to erase non-lipstick emergencies, like when you sneeze just after putting on your mascara.

Both Sephora and Milani have great dupes for Ozone if you’re interested in giving a clear pencil a try. As we head into fall trends of deep, matte lip colors, I think it’s worth having in your makeup drawer!

Lyn

First Aid Beauty Eye Duty Triple Remedy: Brighten, Depuff and Smooth

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I was born with dark circles under my eyes. And if I get  three minutes less than my requisite eight hours of sleep a night, my bags are packed and ready. Plus I’m always running late in the morning. And by always–I mean–ALWAYS. Thank goodness I found this First Aid Beauty under eye treatment!

I use the light/medium, but it’s also available in medium/deep. As soon as I dry off from my morning shower, I dot a little of this pink cream under my eyes and smooth it across my under eye area with the flat metal applicator. The cool metal helps to settle down any puffiness and the pink cream has a little shimmer that brightens the dark circles and smooths out fine lines.

On low make-up days, I put on a little mascara and lipstick, and I’m done. When I’m going for a more polished look–after I brush my teeth to allow the cream to sink in–I’ll cover the area with my foundation or tinted moisturizer and maybe dot on a concealer. But the great thing is that I really don’t have to use anything else. It’s a fabulous product that accomplishes a bunch of stuff at once–just like the name suggests–and is a huge time saver on days when I need to get moving quickly! I get to moisturize my under eye area, reduce bags, and cover the circles in one sweep. Who doesn’t love a triple threat!

What’s your Undercover Hero? We can’t wait to give it a try! Share in the comments below!

These heroes were purchased with our very own hard earned cash–and are worth it! All photos courtesy of the brand websites.