I’m such a beauty product junkie. I can spend hours in Sephora and I’ve tried almost every dry shampoo on the market. The thing is that not all products can withstand a whole day of teaching in classroom with no air conditioner, running around from IEP meetings to focus groups, and are priced to fit into a teacher’s budget.
I have tried a BUNCH of different makeup and hair products and I’m excited to share with you the ones that have stood up to the test of a full day of teaching.
*Note: I am getting absolutely no compensation for this, like at all. I have personally used and bought these products (most of them multiple times) and I genuinely believe they are a great value and fit into my teaching lifestyle.
1. Colourpop Ultra Blotted Lip
I absolutely love Colourpop liquid lipsticks. I have tried most of their lip products (their classic Lippie Stix, Ultra Matte Liquid Lipsticks, Ultra Satin Liquid Lipsticks) but I have fallen, deeply, deeply in love with their Ultra Blotted Lip liquid lipstick.
The blotted lip formula goes on smooth and light. It dries quickly and has a dry feeling, almost like not wearing any lipstick at all, but stays on all day. You might have to re-apply a little at lunch, especially if you ate anything with oils, but besides that, it is transfer-proof so it won’t wipe off or leave a lipstick ring on your coffee cup!
Additionally, what I love about the Ultra Blotted Lip is that they are perfect for the classroom, they have a variety of fun colors that go with any outfit, but the colors are diffused and muted so you can even wear a red lip without feeling like you’re wearing too much makeup.
Now, I never shy away from bold lipstick, I have been known to wear a bright red lip on a Tuesday, but I know that a lot of people like to stick to more natural or less bold look for the classroom.
Colourpop Ultra Blotted Lip is everything you need; it lasts all day long, it has a very wearable amount of pigment, and it costs $7.
My tip: Colourpop frequently has sales and if you sign up for their newsletter you will get an email for their sales. A few times a year they have sitewide sales where the lipsticks go on sale for around $5. When I buy from them, I wait for a sale, then stock up on all the Colourpop I need (they have free shipping with any order over $30.)
Additionally, if you use my code, you can get 20% off your first purchase!
Click here for 20% off: https://www.talkable.com/x/XrHz9F
2. L’Oreal Infallible Pro-Matte Foundation
I’ve tried a lot of different foundations from various drug store brands to high-end brands that cost $30-50 a bottle. However, the one foundation that really WOW’d me was the L’Oreal Infallible Pro-Matte Foundation. Not only can you easily pick it up at any drugstore for about $12.99, but it also meets all my criteria for a teacher-approved makeup product!
I love how it goes on super smooth and once rubbed in is dry to the touch. I have oily/combination skin, so I love how the matte finish and medium coverage feels breathable and covers my blemishes while still having my skin look like my skin. If you have dry skin, or like a more dewy look, they also have the Pro-Glow formula that promises a glowy look. I haven’t personally tried it, but I do love the Pro-Matte formula!
The Infallible foundation label promises that it lasts up to 24 hours, and I can definitely say that it does hold up to a regular workday. If I am going out after work, I usually need to re-apply a little on my (hello dark circles!) or on any particular pimples that have decided to annoyingly pop up, but for a full day of regular coverage, it’s good to go!
Since the L’Oreal Infallible Pro-Matte foundation has a light, dry to the touch feel, lasts throughout my whole workday, and has a drugstore price, I can say that this is one of my back to school beauty essentials!
3. Too Faced Brow Quickie
Too Faced Brow Quickie is a brow gel with fibers that swipe onto your eyebrows with a tapered brush. I started using this when I realized that I didn’t have the time to fill in my eyebrows every day with a pencil or powder and, honestly, I could never quite get it right. On a regular morning, I’m rushing out the door. I have about 5 minutes to do my make up and sometimes, I even do my make up on the train (eeek!). When I used to use a pencil or a powder, I always felt like I could never get it quite right; I would either draw on my eyebrows too bold or I wouldn’t be able to make both of them look the same.
Then I tried Too Faced Brow Quickie and I loved it! It is so easy to use and impossible to mess up. You just swipe it on your brows and the fiber gel makes your lashes darker and fuller. It feels like mascara for your brows. If you like a bold brow look, you probably want to use this over a pencil or powder, but I use it by itself for a more natural look.
The advertising boasts that it lasts 12 hours and while I definitely still have product in my brows when I wash my face at night if you are going out after work, I would reapply after 3 pm.
At $22 a tube, this Too Faced Brow Quickie is one of my splurges, but I did like it better than similar drugstore products.
I’ve tried Maybelline New York Brow Precise Fiber Volumizer and it was very goopy and the wand distributed unevenly. It left me looking like Groucho Marx, yikes!
I’ve also tried Revlon Brow Fantasy Pencil and Gel, and while I actually really did like the product, I hated the packaging. The plastic caps kept falling off and making a mess in my makeup bag. I throw my make up bag in my purse because I don’t always have a chance to finish my make up before I leave the house in the morning, so products that make a mess are a no-go for me. However, if you have your life together and don't need this product to travel well, for $9, I would recommend it as a cheaper alternative!
4. IGK First Class Dry Shampoo
Ahhh dry shampoo, how I love thee. Is there anything that goes together better than dry shampoo and lots of coffee on a rushed morning where you are dead tired and too rushed from oversleeping to shower?
If you use dry shampoo, then maybe you are familiar with my journey to find the perfect dry shampoo? I’ve tried so many. I think I’ve tried most major brands you would find in a drugstore (Dove, Tresemme, Batiste, Suave, Not Your Mothers) and I’ve tried a few higher-end brands as well (LUSH No Drought, Living Proof, Dry Bar).
I’ve tried all these different dry shampoos because I was never totally happy with one. I found the lower end ones like Dove and TRESemme to feel very heavy, chalky, and leave my hair SUPER staticky and honestly, I still felt greasy enough that I would always end up putting my hair in a bun anyway. Even with Dry Bar’s dry shampoo (which, by the way, is my second favorite), I would still be left with a white, powdery residue.
I felt that I could never wear my hair down unless it was freshly washed until I found my ultimate fave IGK First Class Dry Shampoo. IGK sells three different dry shampoo formulas, with increasing level of cleanliness. I have oily, thin hair so I opted for the strongest one whose label states “deep cleanse level”. I will warn you, IGK is not cheap. However, for at $27 for 6.3 ounces, you are still getting more product than other similar brands, who sell at a similar price point for around 3 ounces.
Although I consider my IGK dry shampoo to be one of my splurges, I love it because it feels light on my hair and actually does leave it feeling cleaner and less greasy. I don’t have that feeling of dumping a bunch of powder on my scalp and it does not leave a white residue. This is the only dry shampoo that I feel confident wearing my hair down multiple days after washing.
If you are a dry shampoo junkie, you need to check out IGK First Class dry shampoo.
5. Living Proof Full Dry Volume Blast
This product won’t be on everyone’s beauty essential’s list because it’s a niche product for those with thin, flat hair.
So please feel free to ignore this if you are blessed with a different hair type than I am. But, if you also have hair that needs volume, but don’t have the time, energy, or desire to blow dry or style your hair every morning, you will definitely want to read about Living Proof Full Dry Volume Blast.
Living Proof Full Dry Volume Blast is a spray that promises “instant, lasting volume & texture”. I just spray some on my roots, fluff it up a bit with my fingers and that’s it. Really. It gives you the look of a blowout or if I let my hair air dry (which is most days because, as I mentioned, I can’t get it together in the morning) a voluminous textured look. I feel like this is my magic spray because it takes my hair from drab to fab in like less than 3 minutes.
Once I purchased it, I realized I could never live without it. Okay, I know that’s dramatic but I struggle with lifeless hair!
So for my people out there with thin, drab hair, you need to try Living Proof Full Dry Volume Blast.
So those are all my essential beauty products that I use on a daily basis that help me get out the door quickly while still looking like I actually made an effort!
Tell me in the comments: Have you tried any of these products? What are your beauty must-haves?
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