Beauty...
Be your own
kind of beautiful
Be your own
kind of beautiful
By Sarah Jio
No matter how you might feel about the mega-giant retailer, you have to admit, it’s kind of hard to imagine life without Amazon (free overnight shipping for paper towels that you’re too exhausted to pick up at the store? Yes please!). But, one thing I’ve discovered over the years as a Prime devotee, is that it’s also a surprisingly amazing place to stumble upon the latest and greatest beauty products. How four-thousand people can write passionate, five-star reviews on their favorite bottle of shampoo is beyond me, but it’s a fascinating take on what’s hot and what works, and it can tell you a lot.
Check out these five Amazon-customer-approved beauty finds that I’ve also become obsessed with:
A few years, I stumbled upon a YouTube video, where a beauty vlogger was singing the praises of what she described as Japan’s No. 1 bestselling beauty product. Of course, I was immediately intrigued and listened as she held up a bottle of something called “The Cure,” which, at first, sounded very … strange.
Basically, it’s this gooey gel that comes in a pump, but when applied to clean, dry skin, the results are kind of … wow. Naturally, I sprinted off to Amazon and ordered myself a bottle to see what all the hoopla was about. I massaged the gel into my skin, and in about thirty seconds all the dead skin cells and icky sebum build-up that had been lingering on my face for who knows how long immediately started to ball up. A Japanese miracle? Maybe, because after I washed it off, I can tell you that my skin had never felt smoother. From that moment, I became a convert, and have been using The Cure ever since. Bonus: It also works as a lip exfoliant, to blast flakiness better than any lip scrub I’ve tried.
When former Bachelor star Michelle Money went out on a limb and admitted to the world that she—gasp—shaved her face, it sent shockwaves through the beauty world. But now, a few years later, as the practice of “dermaplaning” has grown in popularity (and mainstream acceptance), it’s obvious that she was lightyears ahead of the rest of us.
When I finally dipped my toe in the water of dermaplaning, I tried Michelle’s favorite facial razors (the brand is called “Tinkle”) and loved the way my makeup looked without that pesky layer of peach fuzz. Over time, however, I discovered another brand: Schick Hydro Touch Silk Razors. They’re precise, super-sharp (a good thing) and judging by the almost 9,000 Amazon reviews, I’m not the only one who’s obsessed!
If you’re anything like me, the colder months not only wreak havoc on your skin, but also your lips. I dread the wintertime dry lip blues, and I honestly don’t know how I survived without Dr. Dan’s Cortibalm (thank you for the tip, Drew Barrymore!). This lip balm is formulated with skin-soothing ingredients and also super-healing cortisone, and nowadays, I keep it everywhere—in my car, makeup bag, and on my nightstand. I swipe it on this uber-protective balm before I put on my lipstick in the winter months, and my smile stays moisturized and crack-free!
Good news: The answer to clump-free, luxurious eyelashes isn’t some new ridiculously expensive tube of mascara. In fact, getting wow-worthy lashes actually only costs a few pennies. Gals, let me introduce you to your new best friend: the humble spoolie. Of course, we’ve all seen them before, but it wasn’t until I watched Hillary Duff’s makeup tutorial video for Vogue that it all clicked. Essentially, after she applies her mascara, and when it’s still wet, she runs a spoolie over her lashes, smoothing out the clumps and separating each lash.
Well, I purchased a pack to try for myself, and I can confidently tell you that they’re an eyelash game-changer. Keep them in a little jar on your bathroom counter like I do—the pink ones are so cute!
If you asked me what beauty product I’d take with me to a deserted island, it would be a tossup between my favorite brow and eye pencils, the latter being what I want to tell you about. I’ve always had a thing for a lightly lined, smoky eye, but so many of the liners I’ve tried have been in a word, disappointing. But that’s before I discovered Maybelline’s Tattoo Studio Waterproof Eye Pencils.
I have to give credit to the Food Network’s Sandra Lee, who shared the recommendation in a magazine article—and thousands of Amazon reviewers agreed, too, that this is the longest-lasting eye pencil out there and especially good if you sometimes like to glam things up and line your waterline, like I do. True to its name, this stuff has serious, tattoo-like staying power!
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Sarah Jio is a journalist and the New York Times bestselling author of 11 novels published in more than 30 countries. To learn more about her, visit www.sarahjio.com or www.instagram.com/sarahjio.
