Beauty Tips

dry shampoo and retinol

Chin Dimples: Chimples.
by Michelle Nachtigall

I’m always on the lookout for affordable new beauty products, and my new faves are actually things that have been around for a while- but are finally getting their due, namely foundation primer and dry shampoo, which have now become staples in my arsenal of beauty gear.

Dry shampoo sounds kind of strange, but it’s a lifesaver if you were out the night before and your hair reeks of cigarettes. Also, the less you wash, the less you damage your hair. You also get the benifit of amazing volume, which is something fine-haired gals like myself crave. My current favourite is John Frieda’s Luxurious Volume, a dry shampoo you can use anywhere that gives your hair a fresh, clean scent and can bring new life to limp hair when you have to go from work to play. I keep mine in my bag at all times and reuse it throughout the day. At around 10 bucks, it’s a steal and works as well as the more expensive salon products. I also love their Go Blonder line, but be careful if you use the new Go Blonder Controlled Lightening Spray (around 10$) when you’re not a real blonde to begin with. Though I’m naturally a medium ashy brown, I use it very sparingly to refresh my face-framing highlights, and it has a built in heat protectant and lavender tint to offset brassiness, but yeah, this is made for blondes and will give you more flattering results than the gradual lighteners you grew up with.

If you are one of those girls who DOES NOT leave the house without foundation on, but notice it pulls a disappearing act by midday, you may want to consider a primer. It can smooth lines, and give you a fresh, poreless finish, not to mention making your foundation last much longer. L’Oreal Studio Secrets Professional Magic Perfecting Base (around 10$) lives up to the hype. My makeup still looks decent at the end of the day, and the visible pores on my nose all but vanished.

Another thing I love: RETINOL. Retinoids are still the gold standard for fighting wrinkles. Now, it’s not prescription strength, and retinol is not as strong as Retin-A, but it may be easier for your skin (and your wallet) to handle. Anything from the RoC line is great, and the price is right (at around 20$). I recently bought their Retinol Correxion Deep Wrinkle Filler, which also has the magic ingredient Hyaluronic Acid, which attracts water to the skin, thus plumping it up. But again, if you are not using sunscreen, you might as well flush your hard earned money down the toilet. I recommend using this product at night (the sun can break down retinol), perhaps under a mild moisturizer, as it can dry skin out a bit.

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