Welcome to This Shit Rules, wherein members of the Autostraddle team open up to you about the beauty products they couldn’t live without.
I’m not much of a beauty maven. I’ve eschewed mascara permanantly after realizing that it’s not worth the effort for my super haphazard short lashes, and I’ve got no clue about BB or CC creams. It’s more likely that an extra 10 minutes in the AM will realistically be spent sleeping, if not figuring out what to wear once I roll out of bed. That’s not to say that I don’t have a slew of products that help a lazy Lyd look as though I put in a smidge of effort, even though I probably didn’t. Shall we?
Hurraw Lip Balm (Any Flavour)
So one product I know a lot about is lip balm. I’ve always been die hard for a good balm (Bubblegum LipSmacker, my first love), and this is my platinum pick. I thought I had it good until I met you, Hurraw. The consistency is smooth, not sticky, and the flavour selection is immense and delectable. Moisturizing enough to only require one or two applications through the day, Hurraw is my trump card of lip balms. It doesn’t hurt that it’s all natural + vegan + raw. I can’t go back! Sorry Bonne Bell.
Buy It on Amazon: .15 oz ($5.75)
Revlon Colourburst Balm Stain in Smitten
What can I say? This crayon lookin’ lipstick stays put for most of the day, smells minty fresh and is the closest I’ve come to a “natural” or “just kissed” (whatever that means) lip color for my deep complexion. Hear, hear, for subtle lip color!
Buy It on Amazon: 0.1 oz ($6.15)
Meow Meow Tweet Bergamot Vetiver Tonic
I snagged this face mist on super clearance, since I’d been in the market for a face tonic. In the winter my face gets weird dry patches, and this elixir has been holding down the moisture now that the temperature has dropped. I usually do a quick spritz before adding moisturizer to the really dry spots. The herb-y scent is a nice bonus!
Buy It on Twisted Lily: 2 oz ($22.00)
Nutiva Organic Virgin Coconut Oil
If you don’t love coconut oil, I’m not sure we can be friends. I was a major skeptic of the widespread coco-love, but after going natural hair wise, this has become my new best friend. It’s the last step in my wash and go routine, as well as my new favourite moisturizer. I’ve run into issue with product irritating my sensitive eyes, but coconut oil is now my go to as a make-up remover, among other multi-tasking properties. It smells so delicious and the tub lasts forever!
Buy It on Amazon: 2 pack of 15oz containers ($19.38)
Shea Moisture Coconut & Hibiscus Curl Enhancing Smoothie
When I decided to chop off my relaxed hair 7 months ago, I had no idea what my natural hair texture would be, or how to take care of it. Luckily, I discovered that Shea Moisture’s Curl Enhancing was made for a natural hair newbie like me. I didn’t know that I was capable of springy spiral curls until I started using this lovely goop. You only need a pinch, so the tub goes a long way! Added plus: I get to smell a tropcal smoothie each morning.
Buy It on Amazon: 12 oz ($14.00)
Vaseline Cocoa Butter Deep Conditioning Body Lotion with Cocoa Butter & Vitamin E
This lotion keeps my skin lookin’ luminous and smellin’ delicious, and I can’t argue with that. It goes on non-sticky and is moisturizing, something that is super important when the temperatures are at their extremes (super hot or super cold).
Buy It on Amazon: 20.3 oz ($4.36)
Atelier Cologne Vanille Insensee Cologne Absolue
My favourite scent is vanilla, but I don’t want to smell like a cookie all the time. This is perhaps the most complex vanilla based scent I’ve sniffed, and I’m sold! It has notes of amber, jasmine and vetiver, which are always on my must-haves when it comes to choosing perfume. Soft, warm and a teensy bit musky (but not in a grandma way). I might just have to spring for the full size once my wee tester runs out!
Buy It on Amazon: 1 oz ($68.00)
what would we do without coconut oil?! delicious smelling, fabulous tasting and also excellent lube. has helped me through some unfortunate sunburn incidents too.
i also love jojoba oil as an easy and non irritating cleanser/make up remover/moisturiser. coconut oil on my acne prone face made me break out and jojoba is my perfect alternative.
Tangential sidenote: I just learned how to pronounce “jojoba” last week. I’ve been reading its name for years, then I was watching a girl discussing her hair routine on YouTube and had a, “she uses hoho-what?!” moment. So yeah, I’m starting to question everything I thought I knew.
I am OBSESSED with Hurraw! I have 3 at any given time. I really like the tinted black cherry one. Also coconut oil, what can’t it do?
TANIS!!
all of this is so neccessary to me and my aesthetic. (especially the shea moisture…that is life)
I’m all about the coconut oil and Shea moisture products for my hair! I’ve just started using avocado oil as well and it’s been treating me very well.
Smitten is amazing. Nyx just released a bunch of great matte chubby crayons that are pretty rad as well.
Do y’all find that crayons tend to be more or less lasting than lipstick? I’ve got naturally dry lips that I pick at constantly, so I’m always on the hunt for long-wear lip products, or something that’s easy to reapply without a mirror throughout the day, that aren’t stains. (Those tend to look ridiculous on me bc the stain settles into cracks and gives me red wine lips)
Have you tried putting the stain on and then putting a tinted lipgloss or chapstick over it? It makes it so that the weird color patches even out, but you don’t completely lose the color when your gloss (or whatever) comes off.
What stain have you used? I like covergirl’s outlast lipstain because it’s basically like a big marker. On top I like those tinted balms from burt’s bees!
This works for me because I just put the stain on in the morning in the mirror, and then I can put the gloss/balm on top throughout the day without the mirror. The balm’s not opaque like lipstick so it doesn’t look funny if it isn’t perfect, and it’s moisturizing!
Good luck! :)
~buys all the things~
I used to use a sort of face tonic/mist. After I realized that it was mostly just a blend of witch hazel & essential oils I already own/use, I just started mixing those things into my coconut oil. It eliminated a step in my face routine: time saver!
For those of us with a straighter and finer hair texture and short hair, I love Box o’ Bollox from Evo. It’s a bit pricey but it lasts forever. It turns floppy hair weirdness into magic.
How is that it’s name!?! Wow!
It’s Australian in origin. Says it all, really.
Amazing, you’d never get that in the UK, too sweary. Ha.
Oh coconut oil, I love you so. In fact, I love many things on this list!
Also I’ve never smelled velvetier but it has such a sexy name that I think you’ve convinced me to go out and smell the heck out of it.
Yay for seeing products for natural hair reviewed on here; more please! I want to love Shea moisture so much, but my hair disagrees. Every time I read another glowing review of it I think I must have been mistaken the last time I tried it. And every time, I give it another go and it slides across my scalp like old yogurt. I do love the way it smells, though. And I have like 3/4 of a tub of it left, so might as well try it again. :D
And I’m going to have to try the Colorburst; I love a good lipstain.
FACE MIST
spritzing: a fancy start to my day
I am still trying to work out exactly how much coconut oil to use on my hair, having grown out my short back and sides/quiff, to natural past shoulders rats nest of curls and frizz. I seem to over grease at the root and still have frizz at the end. I love the smell of it especially with my cocoa butter moisturiser. I haven’t had long hair for any part of my adult life so it’s a definite learning curve. I’m not sure it’ll last. Any tips to help a soft butch out?
Also chai hurraw is AMAZING! Life changer.
I like this new This Shit Rules. I hope there’s a member who can showcase some fragrance-free products for those with sensitive noses :)
Shea Moisture products are AMAZING! I always get compliments on how good I smell when I use any of the coconut and hibiscus products!
That face mist. I am guaranteed to go bonkers over anything with vetiver or bergamot in it. I’ve already located a store in town that sells it (and it’s only 12 blocks away).
I use raw coconut oil on my armpits as a deodorant. Works like a charm.
Very sad the curl enhancing smoothie doesn’t ship to the UK, it looks so much better than my current hair products! I shall search for something similar in hair shops.