6 Beauty Products I Can’t Live Without

I have no shame about the fact that I loooooove beauty products. I’m constantly switching up my skincare routine, freaking out my boys with the latest and greatest mud mask or wacky skin treatment, haha. But over the years, I’ve stuck with a few favorite products. In this list, I’m sharing the top six products I cannot live without. Most are old timers (as in, I’ve been using them for years), but a few are kind of newbies on the scene for me. The list:

  1. Dr. Dennis Gross, Alpha Beta Peel Pads: I’m telling you, use these daily and you will see results. Glow, texture, all of it. I use these every night before bed.
  2. Skinmedica .25 Retinol: When I turned 35, a friend of mine told me I needed to be using retinol daily. I was like “what is retinol?” Figured out fast that this stuff is the ultimate anti-ager and skin perfecter. It has literally transformed my skin in the years I’ve been using it. But, be careful that you don’t use a strong formulation. I found that anything higher than .25 will make my skin flakey and dry–no good. Also, use only at night as it breaks down in sunlight, which is a total waste of money. Also, I make Brandon wear this stuff every night. Get your guys on board!
  3. Isle of Paradise tanning water spray. OMG, where has this been all my life. As a pale girl who has tried EVERY sunless tanner on the market, this new product is the absolute best I’ve ever found. No streaking. No scent. Just really glowy skin. Word of advice: Mist all over (I even do my face with it), then immediately apply a body moisturizer everywhere to blend it in. Then, wash your hands (and the bottoms of your feet–the other day I forgot and well, the sitch on my feet isn’t pretty.)
  4. Emminence Clear Skin Probiotic Moisturizer: An esthetician put this on me at a recent facial and I fell in love, love, love with this stuff. It feels so healthy and nourishing and isn’t overly oily in any way. A perfect day moisturizer. Kind of pricey, but then again, we only live once, and I believe good skincare is worth every dime. Are you with me, or are you with me? (P.S. I also love a good drugstore find and will be posting a bunch of budget friendly products I love soon.) Oh, and also, Emminence’s Facial Recovery Oil is also everything and worth the splurge.
  5. DHC Deep Cleansing Oil: This is the facial cleanser of my dreams. It just works. I use it morning and night, and I swear I’ve had zero breakouts in the year I’ve used it. You can find it on Amazon and it lasts forever. Tip: Apply to DRY skin. No water.
  6. The “Cure” water exfoliating gel: Guys, this is such a weird and bizarre product (from Japan, I think) that I found on some beauty blog years ago, then ordered on Amazon. At first I thought it was a gimmick, and to be honest, I have really no idea what ingredients are in the bottle (it’s all in Japanese), but, I’m telling you, the stuff is epic. Clean your face, then, when dry, apply a dime-size amount all around and really rub everywhere (do your lips too!), and the dead skin literally balls up before your eyes. Like, there is NO other exfoliant that gets the dead, icky skin cells off of your face like this. It’s kind of magic, and really fun! I use it once a week as any more might be too harsh on my skin. And sometimes I use it on my feet or hands, or in places when I’ve gotten too crazy with sunless tanners (happens a lot, oops), and it works like an eraser. I don’t use any other exfoliators and my pores have never been more clear. Life changing.

Honorable mentions go to hyaluronic acid (I use this most nights before retinol) and vitamin C serum of any kind (no need for a pricey brand, just order something simple with good ratings online. I’ve used this and like it. Reminder: vitamin C in the day, retinol at night. xoxo

What are your favorite products? I want to hear!

3 Comments
  • June 10, 2018
    reply
    Amanda Stempel

    Sarah-I love the dr. dennis gross peel pads..need to add the retinol into things-what order do you use the products?

  • March 11, 2019
    reply
    Marissa Morgan

    Hi Sarah – I love your beauty blog suggestions. I also love the DHC oil and have tried the Cure exfoliation gel stuff too. I end up collecting so many amazing products – but I always get confused with order of operations and which products to use together and how – and alas they all end up unused in my bathroom cabinets! Hoping you can clarify what your suggested morning/evening routine is for how you use all these great products together.
    I’m excited to try The Dr. Dennis Gross Alpha Beta pads which I’ve been hearing about for a while, and you’ve convinced me to splurge ($150 for 60 pads isn’t cheap) . But do I use that under my retinal before bed? And also with the hyaluronic acid, do you use all three of these together before bed, or do you rotate nights? Help!
    Lastly, what is your morning routine…you mentioned Vitamin A…do you use this first, then do you apply moisturizer after, then sunscreen?
    So many questions…I know! But I truly need help going from the collecting and “trying” products phase to knowing how to actually use them and developing a routine!
    Thanks!!

POST A COMMENT

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.