If I’m being real with y’all (when am I not?), I have no clue when it comes to beauty products. I get the cheapest makeup I can find while I’m grocery shopping, and it makes my beauty-informed friends cringe. I’ve never heard of these trendy brands until recently, when I met Julia.
Julia is a senior graphic design student at SCAD, and former Urban Decay intern. Julia used to run a beauty instagram, where thousands followed her mega cool tutorials, and still amazes me with her effortlessly put-together looks. Needless to say, she is very informed with the best beauty products to use. I thought I would sit down and let her not only inform my naïve self, but share her product wisdom with my readers.
Here are her thoughts and feelings about her 9 favorite beauty products:
- Mario Badescu’s Rose Water Facial Spray
“I’ve probably bought at least 20 bottles of this. It’s a good toner. I use it in the morning and at night, and I use it after I put on makeup to set it. This spray super hydrating and refreshing. I use it after I wash my face to cleanse and refresh it. It feels so good on your skin.”
You can get this spray at Ulta or Urban Outfitters.
2. NYX’s Butter Gloss
“This is just your standard lip gloss. The name is créme brûlée, and it tastes exactly like that. It has a hint of color, making the perfect fit for an everyday lip. It’s hydrating and also looks cute.”
You can get this lip gloss at Target or Ulta.
3. Fenty Beauty’s Match Stick
“This is one of those multi-sticks, you can use it on your eyes, you cheeks, your lips, anywhere. I’ve been using it as eye shadow lately, and it is absolutely fool proof. I just put a little bit on my lid and blend it with a brush, and it gives a little bit of shimmer. It’s super easy to smudge on your eye lids, to give you a finished look, but in reality, took you only like 30 seconds. I recommend this product to anyone who might not know how to style your eyes or apply eye makeup. This product is super forgiving and easy to apply.”
You can get this match stick at Sephora.
4. The Body Shop’s Tea Tree Oil
“I use this tea tree oil as a spot treatment. I’ve tried other spot treatments for breakouts, and they don’t work on my skin. This one is 15% tea tree oil. You usually don’t want more than 15-20% because it is a very strong, intense ingredient that can burn your skin if you don’t dilute it. This one is already diluted, so you can use whatever is in the bottle. I usually drop some onto a Q-tip, and after I moisturize, I’ll put it on. If I feel a pimple coming on, I’ll rub some of the oil on, and usually it prevents the pimple from forming. Tea Tree Oil is anti-bacterial, so it kills bacteria growing in your skin and dries it out, helping prevent breakouts. Sometimes I’ll use it to clean my skin if it needs cleansing. I’ll mix this product with the rose water spray as a toner for my skin in the morning when I feel like my skin is dirty.”
You can get this Tea Tree Oil at Ulta.
5. Kat Von D’s Liquid Lipstick
“I’m really into the concept of a liquid, bright orange lipstick, especially for the summer. You can do simple, natural makeup and throw on a bold lip, and it makes all the difference. I’m a big fan on liquid lipstick. Some are better than others, but I like the longevity of them, and how you can eat and drink without messing it up. It stays for an extended amount of time. Especially for a bold lip, liquid is the way to go.
You can get this liquid lipstick at Sephora.
6. Glossier’s Boy Brow
This is a recent purchase for me, but definitely a favorite already. I used to have such an intense brow routine, to the point of the process not being realistic to do it everyday. Using a tinted brow gel can fill in your brows in less time, working in the hairs, and give the same effect of spending lots of time filling in your brows. I used to use the Benefit brow gel, but now I use this Glossier kind and I like it even more.
You can get this Boy Brow on Glossier’s e-commerce site.
7. Urban Decay’s Naked Skin
“As you can tell from the picture, this is a product I use often. This is my forth bottle. It has SPF in it, which is good because I find that I will not put SPF on my face otherwise. It’s really natural, with not a lot of coverage, just the right amount. It’s not cakey, and it lasts awhile. Like I said, this is a really natural foundation. I used to wear super full-coverage foundation, but honestly, what’s the point? Doing that everyday gets exhausting. This foundation is natural and easy, and acts as a toner as well as a foundation, which is why they call it one and done. I love it.”
You can get this foundation at Ulta or Sephora.
8. IGK’s Jet Lag
“Dry Shampoo is a life saver. I only wash my hair once a week. Hair stylists recommend not washing your hair a lot, so dry shampoo gets rid of the built-up grease. It also adds volume to your hair. This is a perfect dry shampoo for dark hair because it’s invisible, so you can have jet-black hair and it will not show up. I’m always open to trying new dry shampoos, but I really enjoy using this one. I’ll definitely re-purchase it.”
You can get this dry shampoo at Sephora.
9. Urban Decay’s Naked Heat Eyeshadow Palette
“This palette has a really special place in my heart. Not only are the eye shadows amazing, it comes with an amazing brush, you can do a variety of looks with the warm hues, and it’s what everyone wants in an eyeshadow palette. It’s special to me because when I first started working at Urban Decay last summer, this palette had just come out, and I got to see everything that went into the creation of this product, and the events of the launch. On my first day, they were celebrating with champagne because it sold out on their website. It was such big launch for them, and to see everything that went into making it was really cool. I wore it everyday over the summer to my internship, and I’ll probably keep it forever, no matter how beat up it gets. I’ll probably frame it one day.
You can get this Naked Heat eyeshadow pallet at Ulta or Sephora.
If you want to learn more about Julia and her fab life, follow her on instagram @juleezz, or check out her professional work at juliadesigns.work.
Zany Lady 