I don’t think it’s exactly a hot take to say that we probably all spend too much money on unnecessary sh*t we don’t need (like when your mom gives you $40 and you immediately go and spend it… plus $60 more… on online shopping). Beauty in particular is one area in life where it’s super easy to overspend. It seems like nowadays, there’s a hyperspecific beauty product for every single minute part of your body and face. Like, we have eye primer and lip primer and face primer, which are (supposedly) all different things that are not interchangeable. Let’s cut to the chase—the makeup industry is full of unnecessary products… products that I’ve purchased and own. But, save yourself! SAVE YOUR MONEY. Here are some useless beauty products you can cut out of your life.
1. Foundation Brush
I own a few. Not sure why, though. To be completely honest, I stopped using foundation brushes when I discovered beauty sponges. Now, those are a MIRACLE. I hate streaky foundation because, well, who likes streaky foundation? A beauty sponge evens out my makeup and leaves it seamless. Everyone talks about foundation brushes and how they are amazing, but beauty sponges are cheaper and do the job just as well. Throw away your “foundation” brushes, and move on, ladies. They are toxic. End your relationship and start dating a beauty sponge.
BEAUTYBLENDER beautyblender® nude
2. Waterproof Mascara
I’m confused on what the point of a waterproof mascara truly is, unless (god forbid) you’re attending a funeral. Why would you want it to last? How long do you want it to last? Did you know leaving mascara on for an extended period of time damages your lashes? If you leave it on for more than your normal day job, you’re destroying your lashes. It’s a fact! You also have to use a makeup remover that will get that type of product off. It’s WATERPROOF. Do you think washing your face with water like normal people do will take it off? No, sweetie. Get yourself a regular-degular mascara and call it a day.
Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara
3. Brow Gel
As some of you may know, I am a beauty guru, and one of the perks of being a beauty guru includes receiving PR PACKAGES! It’s like Christmas every day! Brands love to send products to us, and duh, of course I’m going to try them out! One day, I used a brow gel I received in a PR package and I used it every time I got done doing my brows because well, I GOT IT FOR FREE, WHY WOULDN’T I? Then I came to the realization that if I didn’t get it sent to me for free, would I purchase it in stores? No. Girl, the answer is no. It’s pointless. It genuinely does nothing to my eyebrows but add a little more color. But uh, so does my eye brow pencil and some Vaseline/eyelash serum/clear lipgloss. Use that.
4. Bronzer
BRONZEEEEER! OH MAN! I’m gonna keep this one short, sweet, and simple. Invest in a contour palette. The colors in the contour palette are almost identical to your bronzer shades. Just use your contour palette and bronze with those colors. Remember, bronzer is for giving color to the face and contour is for giving definition to the face. Switch from your contour brush to your bronzer brush and go off, sis.
ANASTASIA BEVERLY HILLS Contour Powder Kit
5. Mini Mascara
Even more so than waterproof mascara, this is the most pointless mascara to invest in. People use mini mascara for the wand because it is specifically made to get into your bottom lashes. Can I be real here? DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY ON THIS PRODUCT! Just use your regular mascara wand. Trust me, it works just as well. It worked before it was a thing and it works now.
MAYBELLINE Volum’ Express The Falsies Mascara
6. Lipstick Primer
We need a primer to paint a house, even a car. But not for your lips. Lipstick primer is another waste of your money. It’s all about the formula. If you find a good lipstick with a solid formula, then you’re good to go. Do you want a matte lip? Test out formulas that work best for you. A lot of people automatically jump to conclusions when their lipstick starts coming off when they eat. “It said it was matte! Why is it coming off?!” Most foods have an oil of some sort, and oil will break up any type of lip product you have. I think any lip primer is pointless. Your lipstick is going to come off eventually and that is okay. It’s a lipstick, not a lip stain!
Stila Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick
7. Moisturizer
The only time I use moisturizer is when I wake up and before I rest my pretty head to sleep. But before my makeup? Na. POINTLESS. I know so many beauty gurus who have publicly put online that they use a moisturizer before they prime for their makeup. But why? Why not use a primer that is hydrating and will do the same job? Remember, primer is the first base you set on your face. It’s supposed to stick to your face so your makeup lasts longer. So if you moisturize before then, it’s not being applied directly on your skin, which is defeating the whole purpose of PRIMER. If you find a hydrating primer, that will do the job perfectly and save you from wasting a moisturizer. Its a 2-in-1. Take my advice!
One word: USELESS. All 7 of these beauty products are USELESS. We don’t need them. Don’t feel bad that you wasted your money on them, though. Sometimes we get so caught up in thinking we need certain items to make us look poppin’, but the truth is, we already are poppin’. So let’s save, and spend on beauty products that actually work.
Images: Jake Peterson / Unsplash; Glossier; Amazon; Sephora (3); Ulta (2)
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Makeup comes as second nature to a betch. We eat, sleep, and breathe it with our fave beauty vloggers and celebs. We put a new face on everyday using only the best of the best and yet, they say we’re not artistic. My face isn’t in the MoMA so, let’s be real. Who’s the one that really doesn’t know what great art is? Puh-lease. We spend forever and a day in Sephora (or on their website, same shit) looking for the next Urban Decay palette and figuring out which brush will make our contour look 10x better. A million brushes and dollars spent later seems a little ridiculous—there’s no need to keep buying new brushes. Here’s food for thought, when was the last time you actually washed a single brush? I get it, like, we already have to wash our comforter, barely worn jeans, and now, our fucking makeup brushes, too. Life is so hard. Then, we wonder WTF we’re not doing right that we keep breaking out. I’m assuming weekly alcohol binges and cheat days don’t necessarily help but, neither does bacteria build up. Vom. Do yourself a favor and grab your brushes right now, because you def needed to clean them like, yesterday. You gon’ learn today, betch.
How Often You Have To Do This Shit?
The answer may surprise you (or not): pretty fucking often. Foundation, concealer, contour, blah, blah, blah, all those facial brushes need to be washed at least once a week. So, yeaaah, you’ve been fucking up big time for awhile now. It’s okay, though. It’s never too late to start treating your face with the respect it deserves. Doing this will get rid of oil, bacteria, and nasty shit you don’t want to blend on your face.
For brushes you use around your eyes, that’s a bit more flexible, so you can wash those about twice a month. All others should be fine if you wash them at least once a month. IDK, if this sounds like too much already, just do this shit while drinking alone, Netflix-binging, or something.
How To Wash
There are a few different methods you can use to wash your brushes. The cheapest and most convenient is using lukewarm water and unscented soap. Whoa, like, who would’ve guessed. You’ll want to gently massage the bristles and put a very small amount of soap in-between. Wash thoroughly, or until you stop seeing all that shit seeping out of them, because trust me, you’ll see it. After, gently press the bristles with a towel. Reshape and let them air dry while they hang over a sink or counter. This is probs best done on a Sunday night, just before heading into bed so you have fresh brushes to work with for the following week.
1. Sephora Collection, The Cleanse: Daily Brush Cleaner. If for whatever reason soap and water require too much effort (hi), luckily our heaven on earth, aka Sephora, has several cleaners to make you feel less like a peasant. This oil-free cleaning spray in particular can be sprayed on whatever brush you want to clean so you can reuse it as much as possible. Made with fruits and other healthy shit I don’t feel like listing, the spray will condition and protect the bristles from wear and tear. Since it dries super quick, you can do this before you start your makeup for a clean slate.
2. Sephoa Collection, Dry Clean Instant Dry Brush Cleaner Spray. I quote, “like a dry shampoo for your brushes,” this thing is basically a life-saver because we all know what dry shampoo does for our own hair. This spray doesn’t require water so, you honestly don’t have to get up off the couch to use this. Just apply directly and watch it dry instantly. Since it literally takes seconds, feel free to use it daily instead of weekly. Seriously, you don’t really have an excuse anymore for not washing your damn brushes.
3. Sephora Collection, Polish Up Silicone Brush Cleansing Pad. For synthetic brushes, you’ll want something that really scrubs in areas your hands can’t manage. Here’s where this cute AF pink glove-thing comes in the picture. It’s a cleansing pad that fits in the palm of your hand—probs as close to baseball as you’ll ever get—so while your brushes are wet with soap, scrub gently to get all the gross shit off. Just rinse off when you’re finished (fucking duh), reshape the bristles to its original stance, and let them air dry off of a flat surface.
If You’re Brush Stops Looking Like A Brush:
If at some point in the near future your makeup bristles no longer like a brush but instead like drunk Barbie’s hair here:
All the washing in the world won’t help. It’s probs a sign that you should throw that shit out ASAP and get a new brush. Except this time, try washing and taking care of it, you know? You hardly need to exert energy get off the couch in order to save money, have your contour stay on #fleek, and look hotter than ever. I mean, what other incentive do you really need?
