Welcome back to another week of the PIB shenanigans! This post is brought to you by my unhealthy obsession with online shopping and being a product junkie!
One thing you should know about me, if you don’t already, is my unwavering tendency to enable shopping and sharing my favorite finds with my friends and anyone who would listen. While this sounds like not the worst thing – my friends would disagree because I am the sole cause of their over-purchasing. It’s all fun and games until their Sephora bag is endless and their shopping addiction is crippling.
SO, for the sake of giving them a break, today I am sharing my top 10 most influenced purchases that my friends have approved. These are all things that I will recommend till I am blue in the face. Time to sit down, pull out your card, and be prepared to make some purchases (sorry not sorry).
*None of this is sponsored (obviously), just genuinely my favorite things*
This is my number one most recommended skin care product! Something about this formula is literally magic in a bottle. It’s a great chemical exfoliant for oil control and keeping your skin nice and glowy. I will say, please be cautious when using it because although the packaging says you can use it everyday/twice a day, I would not recommend that, as it can be very harsh (especially if you have sensitive skin). I recommend starting 2-3 times a week at night and then increasing if needed. PLEASE be sure to put on sunscreen on because this does make your skin a little more sun-sensitive than it typically is. But this is literally my holy grail skincare product and I’m just going to leave it there!!!
2. Fenty Beauty Lip Glosses (Heat + Cream)
One thing I’ve learned to adopt into my makeup collection is an abundance of lip glosses, and even though I’ve tried a lot – the Fenty Beauty Heat and Cream lines remain my all time faves. They are some of the least sticky and most long-lasting lip glosses ever. If you’re a lip-plump girlie, the Heat collection is one my favorite for just giving a plump look. If not, the Cream collection is also great because it genuinely lasts for so long and even when the gloss wears off, the color very much stays! My two favorite shades right now are: the Hot Chocolit Heat (very fall) and the Fenty Glow Cream (super cute pink!).
3. Curlsmith Bouncy Strength Volume Foam
For all my curly haired peeps, this product has been a saving grace for me because despite having curly hair, I have very fine hair that tends to get product build up really quick. Although I love very defined curls, it took me so long to find a product that does both define and hydrate my hair all in one, without feeling so heavy on my hair! This, however, came to me recommended from a hairstylist back at home and I have recommended it to everyone since! It’s very light and great for styling and hydration – especially if you follow up with an oil after it drys. Also, its great for beginners who are starting to get into hair care but haven’t exactly found their groove.
4. Morphe Continuous Setting Mist
If it isn’t obvious already, I’m a huge makeup fanatic and a recent great find is this setting spray! I used to be a huge Urban Decay setting spray person, but I hated the smell of it with a passion and I feel like the spray wasn’t applying evenly. With this setting mist, I love how it’s a continuous mist (rather than a spray) because it applies so lightly and evenly + it smells good. My only critique about this product though is that I feel like I run out so quick, but that’s my own fault because it applies so lightly that I keep spraying because I can’t feel it lol. I highly recommend this product, especially if you love a solid glowy look!
5. Capezio Hold & Stretch Stirrup Tight
With the winter coming up, I am a massive fan of tights and long socks. However, since my youth, I’ve had a huge issue with socks and tights and the seams not fitting right. I would genuinely sit by the door in the morning before school and adjust my socks until the seam lined up just perfectly on my foot because if it didn’t, that an instant sensory overload for me. With that, I had such a hard time finding tights that didn’t make me want to crawl into a hole or rip them off me because tights are notoriously uncomfortable on your feet. One day, last winter, I was having such a hard time because whenever I’d buy a new pair of tights, I’d hate the layering of socks on top and they would always rip so quickly. I was thinking about how my tights never ripped when I used to dance and then I had this genius idea of ordering dance tights because a) they hold so much better b) they don’t rip as quickly and c) you can order stirrups (which means they come footless) so that the seam issue wouldn’t be a problem. BAM! All three problems were solved. I’m currently wearing the same pair I’ve had since last spring and they’re in tiptop shape!! Yes, they can be a bit pricier, but for lasting this long without rips – so worth it!
6. Narciso Rodriguez For Her Forever Eau de Parfum
My most favorite and most flattering compliment of all time is: “you smell good” – and it’s the one thing I’ve gotten so much these past couple of months (I am eternally flattered)! For the sake of not gatekeeping, I NEED to share this gem with you all because if there’s anything I’m going to splurge on – it’s going to be a good fragrance. I honestly came across this fragrance so randomly a couple of months ago, I walked into Sephora in Saudi and it had just released so it was being heavily advertised. I picked it up and it was love at first smell. Instantly sold. The notes of the perfume are osmanthus, patchouli, and frangipani (if that means anything to you). In layman’s terms, it smells very musky and peppery with hints of sweetness but not the kind that makes you sick. It lasts all day and I kid you not it sticks so well on clothes! My new thing is mixing it with the glossier “you” solid perfume, and it is has become a quick signature scent.
8. Uniqlo Ribbed Cropped Sleeveless Bra Top
Another obsession of mine is this top from Uniqlo. If you’re into layering – this top is for you! First of all, it comes in all the basic shades and the quality is spectacular. Second of all, the built-in bra is everything, especially with the white one because its so hard to mask “the line” under white tops! I get a lot of questions about this one, and I can guarantee it is a purchase you won’t regret.
9. MERIT Clean Lash Lengthening Tubing Mascara
Hate taking make-up off at night? Dread putting on mascara because it’s a menace to take off or it runs throughout the day? SAME, and boy do I have a product for you! MERIT’s tubing mascara is one of the best purchases I’ve ever made because I am a person who literally DREADS taking mascara off at night. The whole process is so unnecessarily messy and annoying. You have to really rub your eyes to make sure you got all of it off, and for me, I was not having it. However, I came across this tubing mascara and it has been incredible because the thing with tubing mascara is that it comes off in lumps. You literally just need water (although I still advise to use a makeup remover) and once you start rubbing, it will come out in little chunks that wash away so quickly. There’s no smearing, running, nor raccoon eyes! I will say that this mascara is more of an everyday natural looking mascara, so if you like the dramatic mascara effect, I’d recommend the Benefit BADgal BANG! Volumizing Mascara.
10. The Hair Edit Sleek Chignon Pin
Last but not least, THE hair accessory of the fall. I have not had long(er) hair that goes past my shoulders in 2(ish) years, so when I came back to campus this fall with longer hair and would want to put it up it would give me a really bad headache. Having longer hair too means that styling takes A LOT more time than it used to, and sometimes I just don’t want my hair down. I was in Ulta when I saw this hair pin and I decided to give it a try. First of all, as a gold girlie, this is perfect for tying outfits together. Second of all, it will not give you a headache at all once you learn to use it. Lastly, it is the perfect hair accessory for when you want your hair up but are aiming for an effortless look. For my fellow curly haired friends, I’ve noticed that this also minimizes the stretching out and matting of curls!
And just like that, we conclude this little blog post of my current favorite things! I hope that if you decide to make any poor financial decisions because of this, that it’s well worth it! Thank you so much for making through another one of these, talk to you soon 😉
With Love,
Danyah
THE PIB 