Just in case you have had trouble getting on my site during the past week and a half, I apologize.
I am not 100% sure what’s going on. I seem to be having both problems with the coding of my site as well as issues with the company that hosts my site. If you know any affordable web developers, please let me know! In the meantime, I will keep publishing content, and hope it will be able to be seen. I’m sorry about the inconvenience, and thank you for sticking with me as I try to fix the problems.
Beauty tools don’t seem to be as exciting as makeup or as important as skincare, but they can be the backbone of our beauty routines or they can provide a little fun to make our routines less, well, routine! Here are my favorite beauty tools or accessories I discovered in 2017.
My Favorite Beauty Tools
- Aquis Lisse Luxe Hair Turban: As I mentioned previously, I was surprised when the new-to-me Aquis hair towel replaced my formerly beloved Hubaloo hair towel. The absorbent fabric and the button and loop at the bottom win every time! (reviewed here)
- Jesse’s Girl Blending Sponge: Can you imagine a blending sponge being one of the best beauty tools of 2017? Well, IMHO, this blending sponge is a steal. I’ve had it for months (I keep microwaving it and soaking it in peroxide and water to clean it as well as using Blender Cleanser), and it is still in great condition. I love the size of it, and how bouncy it is. It doesn’t absorb an inordinate amount of my foundation. I wish I could find more of these sponges in my local RiteAid. So if you see this sponge in your RiteAid, buy some. They are well worth the $3.99. (review here) Oh yes, and the adorable little leopard print mirror is from Jesse’s Girl, too!
- Face Off Makeup Remover Cloth: These makeup remover cloths are so soft and so effective as well as super easy to wash out just with soap. (review here)
- Mont Bleu Glass Nail Files: The glass nail file and foot file that I received from Mont Bleu have changed my life, well, almost! Glass files allow you to file your nails back and forth if you like without damage to the nail. I had tried another brand earlier in 2017, and it seemed fine until I tried the one from Mont Bleu. Mont Bleu is so well-made and is superior in performance to that other brand in every way. I love the Swarovski crystals on the nail file, too. I never use a regular emery board any more. Mont Bleu Glass Nail Files rock! $10.95 for 2; $19.95 for 3 (review here)
- Slip Pure Silk Pillowcases: At this stage of the game, I want to do as much as I can to prevent wrinkles, and if a silk pillowcase helps, why not – though I’m not sure how that would actually work. For me, the key advantage to the silk pillowcase is temperature and comfort. The silk pillowcase is so much cooler temperature-wise than my regular cotton pillow case, so I’m less likely to wakeup in a sweat. I remember that my mother had a silk pillowcase to keep her hair looking better though I’m not sure how it can do that either. Definitely a splurge, but a nice one. (review here)
- Rainbow (faux Artis) Makeup Brushes from Sugar & Cotton: There’s no way these inexpensive makeup brushes are nearly as good as the originals from Artis, but the soft bristles and the shinny rainbow shades of the brush handles give me joy just looking at them. Do I use them all the time? No, but they’re fun for a change from my blending sponge and normal brushes. I bought them during a sale for about $25. Now, the price has increased, but I’d keep an eye out for another big sale. (review here)
- Rosegal Blending Sponge Dryer: The two adorable blending sponge drying holders that I bought from Rosegal for about $5 for two were among the best purchases I made last year. Not only are they super cute, they actually help my blending sponges air dry faster. Get yourself a couple! 2 for $5.93 with free shipping(review here)
What were your favorite beauty tools or accessories that you discovered in 2017?
I’ve been wanting to try that towel. I feel like I saw this in Nordstrom (maybe??) and I almost picked it up!!!
Christine recently posted…My Word Of The Year For 2018
Yes, they carry Aquis at Nordstrom. You can also get them on Dermstore.com, Amazon and the Aquis website. It has been fabulous for my thick hair
Good morning….🙋🏻❤️☕️ My best purchase of 2017 was my Artis #7 Foundtion Brush. AMAZING! My liquid foundation goes on like it was “air brushed.” I loved it so much that I went back and bought another one for my powder foundation. I had a 20% off coupon when I bought them. So I saved so much. (Purchased from HSN) After finishing all of my face make-up, I use my wet Beauty Blender Sponge to lightly set everything. Works out so so nice. Love them both. Have a nice day! ☀️💐
DiEtta, what a good deal you got on Artis via HSN! I would love to try one of their brushes. I will have to try to follow them and see if I can score a coupon at some point! have a good day too! mine has been so frustrating with my website optimization problems, boo hoo
What fantastic picks, Allison! I completely agree about the Aquas towels and hair turbans, and the Mont Bleu files are favorites of mine as well!
I’m glad that you’re a fan too! So happy I discovered these terrific beauty tools/accessories!
When you bought those little sponge dryers bet you never dreamed how much you would like and use them. Sometimes it’s the silly little things you pick that turn out to be so great. My favorite was a Silicone Face scrubber that I picked up at walmart for less than $3 and there were 2 in the pack. And then the silicone body brush/scrubber wonderful and they have them for the kitchen now.
You’re absolutely right, Gloria!! I’ll have to look into the silicone face and body scrubbers at Walmart as well as the kitchen scrubber. I mostly use a Foreo Luna for my face but I am so curious about the kitchen scrubber – I think I could definitely use that!
Those brushes are absolutely gorgeous! I’ve wanted to try that style of brush for a while now.
I was lucky to get them at a super deep discount. They are so much fun to use. Someday, I hope I can buy a real Artis brush but till then, I enjoy playing with these pretties!
I can’t wait to use my egg cups. My bathroom has about 2 weeks to go and then I can rearrange everything. If you are looking for a good brush like the Artis try the one from Pur Minerals. I bought mine on sale and I really like it a lot. I recently bought 2 more of the Mont Bleu since they make such a difference and I bought a new Aquis turban to take on my trip!
I have a personal reason why I’m avoiding the one from PUR, lol, but I will keep my eyes peeled for a sale or coupon for an Artis on HSN – someday I’ll get it. I need to pick up some more of the Mont Bleu files too. So glad you got a new Aquis turban for your trip. Your departure is coming up soon, I think?
A sponge dryer!! THAT IS GENIUS!! I need that.
For $5.39 for two delivered, you do need the adorable sponge dryers!
Wow I have nearly all of these, not necessarily the same brand. I need one of those cute sponge dryers!
For $5 and change delivered, everyone needs these adorable sponge dryers!
I would love to try the cloth removal/face wash. Glass files changed my nail game, they are so much gentler.
I was shocked how much I love the Mont Bleu glass files. You are so right! The FaceOff Cloth is gentle and effective, and great for cleaning makeup brushes when I’m doing swatches!
Blending sponge and mont bleu nail files for sure. I found a little silicone face scrubber on amazon and now I’m not sure how I lived without it!
Someone else mentioned how much she loves her silicone face scrubber too. I need to check that out!
That little mirror is so cute!
I think so too. I’ve got two of them. $2.99 at RiteAid!
Good picks! I NEED that blending sponge dryer – genius! I’m just using the plastic thing my Beauty Blender came in!
For $5 and change for two of these cuties including shipping, they are so worth it!
I know people swear by silk pillowcases for their hair! I’m not sure how I’ll like sleeping on it but the benefits sound too good!
Mont Bleu files are fabulous! I’ve been using mine for years!
I can’t believe I just discovered them last year. I need more!
Sorry you’re dealing with these issues, total nightmare if your blog is experiencing disruption. I used pipdig for migration. I know they can also help w/ blog and all. My host in siteground, both are pretty reasonable.
Thank you, Kathryne. I was planning to switch to Siteground, but I discovered it really isn’t my hosts fault, it is my website. I need to find someone to optimize my website so it won’t use so many resources. Unfortunately, I have no idea how to find someone to fix it, and it is waaaaaaay beyond my skills. 🙁
The rainbow brushes are so pretty!
Aquis make the best towels for hair!
I’ve been eyeing that aquis towel for a while but don’t know if I’ll get one. So many other things to spend thirty dollars on, hahaha!
So this may sound silly, but my beauty tool of the year turned out to be the invisibobble. They are not chic, nor all that sleek…but they come in fun often sparkly colours and they get the job done. And they don’t soak up water or product. That’s what really finally got me to try them. Now I’m a convert. I have to keep buying them though because they keep disappearing…. I think the cats are stealing them!!! Maybe it’s time to have a rummage under the sofa… The lair is probably chock full of fuzzy mouse toys, ink pens, and my hair ties!
I love invisibobbles too, and you’re right, they do disappear. Wish I had some sparkly ones, lol. If you don’t have a ton of thick, coarse hair, you probably don’t need an Aquis 😉 Buy more makeup instead, lol, Rach! Have a good weekend xo
The current limited edition invisibobbles are wonderland themed and there’s a “princess of hearts” which is, I think, sparkly pink. Maybe you should get those. 😉
Have yourself a lovely weekend as well! We’re currently awaiting the arrival of icepocalypse2018. Can you hear my eyes rolling? Lol
Princess of Hearts sounds perfect for me. I’ll take a look! Thank you <3 We're expecting the same weather here. The torrential rain is supposed to start soon, and tomorrow afternoon the ice arrives with freezing temps. 🙁 Drive safely!! Have a fun weekend 🙂
I would love to try that towel.
Thank you, Helena, for taking the time to comment even though my site is having issues. I am going to try adding your IP to the Allow List and see if that helps.
That cleansing cloth is so nice! I always bring one when I travel.