Your New (Affordable!) Beauty Favs

As a busy college student, it takes real intentionality to carve out time for yourself without letting school work, extracurriculars or socializing creep in. That isn’t to say that these things aren’t amazing and important, but it’s equally as amazing and important to devote even a small bit of time in your routine for you, and only you. Over the past month, for me (as for many others) my skincare/haircare routine has become that 10 minutes of self-care which I promise myself every morning and night. And you know what? It’s really been working. Not only have my skin and hair been looking consistently better than they ever have, but it’s also been a great way for me to signal to my body that it’s either time to get up and start my day, or to wind down and curl up for bed. 

As a recent convert to the ~skin/hair-care routine lifestyle~, however, it took me some time to scope out the scene. As it turns out, much to my chagrin, not everything is priced at quite the college-student-budget. I love a good water cream as much as the next girl, but until this degree pays off (*crosses fingers*), I’m always on the lookout for new (reasonably priced!) products to try out. 

This is where Garnier comes in. Now, even before my wannabe-influencer days, I was a loyal disciple of their skincare products. Ever since I read a Buzzfeed article about their SkinActive Clearly Brighter: Brightening & Smoothing Daily Moisturizer, I’ve been hooked. It costs less than $15 and is one of the best daily moisturizers I’ve ever used. It’s light while still keeping my skin from drying out, even in the brutal South Bend winters. It works great as a primer, also, in addition to a moisturizer and 15 SPF sunscreen (which is especially great if you have oily/combo skin like me and are concerned about loading your pores up with more products). This loyalty to Garnier’s SkinActive line is why I was so excited to try out two of their new products, the Micellar Foaming Gel Cleanser and Whole Blends Miracle Nectar, Honey Treasures.

First up is the Micellar Foaming Gel Cleanser. Micellar Water itself is a French (already 10x fancier) product currently sweeping the nation, impressive for its ability to remove makeup & cleanse/tone your pores in just a couple of quick passes with a cotton pad. It doesn’t feel any different than plain old water, making the process feel even more luxurious and magical. Garnier’s Foaming Cleanser combines the sensation and efficiency of micellar water with the bubbly familiarity of your favorite face wash. My daily 3-layers of mascara was no match for it, and I was able to wipe all my makeup off easily post-wash. Compared to my experience with the harsh scrubbing required of make-up wipes (I often wonder how I have any eyelashes left), I think this product is about as close as I’ll ever get to a Mulan moment. Not to mention, my skin felt ridiculously soft afterward.

Secondly is the Whole Blends Miracle Nectar. It’s pretty gutsy to put the word “Miracle” in your product name, so my expectations were high, to say the least. The nectar functions like a leave-in conditioner and it’s made with royal jelly, honey and propolis extracts. It boasts ten different benefits to use, which are all listed on both the website and the product. Odds are if you have a concern about your hair, this leave-in nectar will help with it. Personally, I was really interested to see if it would help with “frizz & flyaways” and add a “supple bounce” to my hair (wasn’t really sure what “supple bounce” looked like, but I was excited to see!). After showering and brushing my hair, I squeezed out a quarter-sized portion and scrunched it through my damp hair before letting it air dry. It left my hair smelling good, sweet and almost floral without being overpowering. 

The next day, however, I was a little underwhelmed. My hair looked good, but not show-stopping. I couldn’t be in a shampoo commercial yet, which is always the goal. HOWEVER, this is where the leave-in part of leave-in nectar comes in – on Day 2, everything changed. My hair was FANTASTIC, show-stopping, commercial-worthy for sure. Usually, on Day 2 of not washing my hair, my head begins to border into dangerously oily, borderline Severus Snape territory. But NOT TODAY. It was so much more manageable, sleek and shiny without being oily, and even, I dare say, supply bouncy. I’ve already added a full-size bottle to my Amazon cart because I can only see this product getting better with prolonged use. 

Long story short, if you’re looking for budget-friendly and effective beauty products, Garnier is the place to look. Because nothing says self-care like Mulan moments and supple bounce. 

Follow HCND on Twitter, like us on Facebook, Pin with us and show our Instagram some love!

Photos 1, 2, 3, 4

• Garnier
• haircare
• self-care
• skincare