*Image above from Artis.
EDITORIAL UPDATE: Since the publication of this post, Artis has reached out to me to let me know that Walmart is not an authorized retailer of their makeup brushes, and that they cannot therefore guarantee that any brush purchased there is authentic. They suggested purchasing their brushes from either Sephora or Nordstrom (both authorized retailers). For my part, I did purchase my brush from Walmart and am enthusiastic with the results but wanted to flag for future readers/buyers, as their note left me leery of the price difference. I plan to buy future Artis brushes from authorized retailers.
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This is my third post in a series featuring honest reviews of hyped products: read about the Revlon One Step (and more) here and Billie razors (and more) more here.
Artis Mirror Brush.
Wow wow wow — this makeup brush is a must-own product (<<and it is for some reason a good deal cheaper here than anywhere else on the web). I feel as though I’ve been misapplying and wasting my tinted moisturizer/foundation for my entire life without these! These brushes apply product so smoothly (leaving no track marks/lines) and do not absorb anything, whereas using my fingers or even my BeautyBlender has wasted a lot of product in the past. The key is using short strokes left/right instead of dabbing. I normally hate adding any extra steps to my daily regimen and have for some time applied both tinted moisturizer and concealer using my fingers because of this — but I have made an exception for the Artis brush because it is that good. I bought their branded cleansing wipes to care for it, but I’m pretty sure any makeup brush cleanser would work with it. Of all the products I have tried in the last few weeks, this is my number one pick.
Megababe Deodorant.
I wanted to love this natural and non-toxic deodorant but it just wasn’t for me. It left my underarms tacky and clammy and though its scent is heavenly (sort of like Le Labo Rose), mine while wearing it was not. Several Magpies had warned that it can take a week or two for your body to adjust to a non-aluminum deodorant, and that you kind of have to grin and bear it until your body re-sets and accommodates. I did not have the forbearance! If you are willing to go the distance with it, I do think it smelled great. My sister (a long-time advocate of aluminum-free deodorant and clean beauty products in general) raves about Native if you’re looking for an alternative.
I do, however, love Megababe’s hand sanitizer, and it is one of only a few sanitizers I have been able to find online. It has a much less alcohol-centric scent than most, is not as runny as others (helpful — who else hates when you have gel dripping through your fingers as you quickly try to cap the bottle?), and dries quickly.
Briogeo Volumizing Shampoo and Conditioner.
I liked Briogeo’s shampoo and conditioner — they smell great, lather nicely, and offer noticeable volume. I found that these products left my hair pretty tangly, which is not the end of the world, but explains the “like” instead of “love.” I still believe the absolute best hair products for volumizing are Oribe’s shampoo and conditioner, but they cost twice as much; Briogeo will be a good alternate when I’m feeling guilty about the indulgence.
Laura Napier Wipes.
I really liked these. They are more astringent than my now-beloved Billie Wipes, so I tend to use them more sparingly. I think they’d be perfect as something to throw in a gym bag since they’re individually wrapped and would easily cut through sweat from a workout. On a daily basis, though, I have stuck with my Billie Wonder Wipes (infused with serum) which might just have made my all-time-favorite-product status — they are gentle, effective, nicely scented, and inexpensive. AND they leave vitamin C serum on your skin. Talk about an all-in-one skincare product!
But, I digress. I do like the LN wipes and will probably always keep a few on hand for when I feel I need a deeper cleanse at the end of the day.
Cocofloss.
Loved Cocofloss! It is much thicker than your average floss (almost like SuperFloss) and the material acts like velcro to whatever is between your teeth! It really gets in there — and the coconut scent is fantastic. The dispenser also has a handy little indicator on the back that lets you know how long your spool should be lasting you (sixty days / thirty days / 14 days), which is a helpful motivator to remind me to floss daily. Will definitely be ordering this again.
Feetures Socks.
A Magpie reader recommended these running socks over Bombas and I have to say I love them. They have a cushion on the sole that makes them absolutely dreamy to wear. They never slip/slide around in your shoe and I like the height of the sock — almost no-show but still tall enough to offer a little comfort around the opening of your running shoe. I ordered several more pairs after trying my first.
Glamorous Laundry Detergent.
So many Magpies have raved about this detergent! It seemed to clean linens beautifully but the scent is very powerful — to the extent that Mr. Magpie will not let me use it anymore (!) I used it to wash our sheets after receiving it and our bedroom has smelled of its scent since. A reader wrote to say “a little goes a long way,” and she was right: if you do buy this, you might want to “cut it” with a more neutral-scented detergent.
Klorane Dry Shampoo.
Another standout from this month’s roundup — THIS DRY SHAMPOO IS AMAZING. In fact, we might have a tie between this and the Artis makeup brush this month. I have never had a dry shampoo that really worked wonders for me — I remember people raving about Oscar Blandi’s formula maybe a decade ago and I bought it and thought it was fine although irritating to apply (it’s a powder). I then tried DryBar’s Dry Shampoo which I worked hard to convince myself worked — but the truth is, I liked the scent but it always left my hair looking even dirtier than before, as though I had way too much product in my hair. So I was skeptical about Klorane. BUT MAN DOES IT DELIVER. WOW. You apply this spray to your hair, let it sit for a full few minutes, and then brush out and I kid you not, my hair looks better with it than it does just minutes after I’ve showered and blow-dried my hair! It’s unbelievable! It even offers a little volume and does not leave hair feeling gross/crunchy from too much product.
Billie Shaving Cream.
I am so-so on this shave cream. I’d prefer something that lathers a bit more and think I’ll go back to my drugstore variety cream or possibly upgrade to L’Occitaine’s Almond Cleansing Oil, which one of you strongly recommended (and the reviews seem to concur with your assessment)! Apparently this oil lathers up beautifully, and almond oil is deeply hydrating to begin with.
Davines’ Oi All in One Milk Lotion.
OBSESSED with this hair product. The scent is insane — I cannot stop smelling my hair whenever I use it. I use it as a detangler and heat protectant after I get out of the shower, before I use my Revlon One-Step. It was a great partner to the Briogeo shampoo/conditioner, which left my hair a little tangly.
Items I plan to review in the coming weeks: Drunk Elephant bronzi drops, Hourglass eyebrow gel,* and Hyper’s Skin Brightening Serum.
*I recently polled Magpies on Instagram for the absolute best eyebrow gel, and the most common responses were either Hourglass and Anastasia. There were also a few votes for Glossier’s Boy Brow, which I used to use, but I found that the product dried out super quickly and that the tubes were so tiny (they almost feel like a sample size) that I was reordering constantly. LMK if you have any other brow suggestions before I take the plunge with Hourglass, which I favored over Anastasia because I’m looking for something with color to help fill in a couple of sparse spots (yikes, home grooming disaster!)
I also solicited input on the best undereye cream for dark circles (I have alternated between various eye creams in the past but none seem specifically to target the dark circle problem), and the surprising thing was that there were NO DUPLICATES in the responses, and there were literally dozens of responses! I usually go with whatever one gets the most upvotes, so the absence of multiple entries for the same product was strange and confusing. However, one of you pointed me in the direction of my friend Grace’s post about this exact subject, which I had somehow missed. I am leaning towards trying her recommended First Aid Beauty’s formula though I know a few of you have urged me to try the Olay undereye cream (which Grace also recommends) in the past. Might try them back to back.
P.S. This sweatshirt always sells out in the fall, but is currently fully stocked in all sizes in a range of colors. I own it in the ecru and love it. So cute with skinny jeans!
P.P.S. More under $100 finds here.
P.P.P.S. I went through and updated my Best of Beauty post, which is now an exhaustive list of all of my favorite skincare, beauty, and hair products of all time.