5 Products Great for the "Should've Done That First" Afterthought

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I'm the kind of person who puts on foundation and only then realizes that I haven't brushed my teeth. Or I start smooshing on bright red lipstick and remember I should probably scrape all the dead skin off my lips. Thankful, I keep around a handful of products that help me remedy my everyday laziness. For the sake of less grossness, refer to the manufacturer's picture, rather than mine. I use this stuff every day and it gets dirty.

1. ELF Studio Lip Exfoliator ($3)

Most ELF products are kind of lumped in the 'dollar store' quality section of my brain. They're affordable, but usually hit and miss with me. Their lip exfoliator, though, has grown on me--I pretty much always forget to scrub my lips before putting on lipstick.

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Not to mention the square design is easy to store.

Mine is pretty filthy.

When I buy this thing, I'm honestly paying more for convenience rather than product. It's literally solidified coconut oil with brown sugar in it (I have a little pot of homemade concoction in my shower), but it's in a handy lipstick bullet. This means instead of smearing melted goop on my lips and face, I can conveniently scrub my lips and only my lips, without messing up the rest of my already-done makeup.

ELF Studio Lip Exfoliator retails for $3 for 0.16oz (or, $18.75 per ounce).


2. Maybelline Dream Lumi Touch Highlighting Concealer (~$8)

I wear a lot of lipstick. I like my reds and vibrant colors--and I always forget to use a brush to apply and do whatever not lazy people do. Maybelline's Highlighting Concealer is pretty bad as an actual concealer. Don't put it on your zits or under your eyes. It does work as an awesome touch-up tool, though. The brush tip (think Stila lipgloss) is really convenient to outline your lips or eyebrows and it blends out pretty nicely too. Even if you have red lipstick on the wrong part of your chin, dabbing it away first and then lining your lip with this handy thing will give you that crisp edge every lipstick advertisement has (apart from the Photoshop).

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You twist the thing on the end and product comes out, although a little more than you'd want. It doesn't dry out if you stick the lid on how it should be. My only complaint, really, is that the words fade and the lid gets gross.

I can hardly read it, and I don't actively rub the sides.

Maybelline Dream Lumi Touch Highlighting Concealer retails for $8 for 0.05 fl oz ($160 per fluid ounce), depending on where you buy.


3. ELF Studio Kabuki Face Brush ($6)

I think I've talked about this brush before--but it's great enough for constant mentions. If I was stranded on an island and, for some reason, could only have a makeup brush then I'd keep this thing. I use it to apply setting powder, any powder, and blend out blush. I really like to slap on too much color to emulate a clown, but this does an awesome job of blending it out and making it look less like I got slapped.

Not to mention this sucker is the softest brush I own, hands down. Go buy it. It's only $6.

A low-res comparison of ELF kabuki with Ecotools Tapered Blush brush. Look how pretty my mattress is.

ELF's Studio Kabuki Face Brush retails for $6, but the ELF website often has 50% off deals.


4. NYC In A New York Color Minute Quick Dry Nail Polish in Grand Central Station (~$2)

I'm lazy and sit around a lot, but somehow I still don't have the time to wait for my nail polish to dry. This would be the place to rave about Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat--but it's not my favorite. Yeah, it's pretty great. My problem is if I touch my nail on anything it gets smeary and uneven and there's no fixing the nail polish underneath. And it shrinks on the edges of my nails.

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Enter NYC's Grand Central Station. This isn't technically a topcoat, rather a clean nail polish, but this sucker is fantastic. I would argue it dries faster than Seche Vite, although note NYC doesn't dry the nail polish underneath. I'm assuming you want to do your nails and go, therefore wouldn't be putting on 5 coats. Slap on one layer of opaque color, wait for it to dry, and slather on NYC's polish. Get the very edges.

It dries in a good 30 seconds--and when I say dries, I mean you can put away your dishes or hold a pencil. Obviously if you stab your nail with a fork, you'll get a mark, but if you lick your finger it'll smooth back out (take that, Seche Vite). NYC makes an amazing clear polish. My nails won't chip for a week--and even more if I apply another coat halfway through. I go through these bottles like I do hot Cheetos at 2am.

NYC Quick Dry Nail Polish retails for $2 for 0.33oz ($6 per ounce), but remember to keep an eye open for sales and whatnot.


5. Yes to Cucumbers Facial Wipes (~$6)

Following the format of this post, I'll mention again I'm very lazy. I hate spending ages cleaning off my makeup when I could be considering sleeping or watching youtube instead. So, I grab a sheet from my perpetually half-used Yes to Cucumbers bag of wipes.

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The bag closes really securely, which is a bonus.

These are damn convenient. I wear a full face of foundation and liquid eyeliner just about every day, and one wipe gets off everything but particularly stubborn mascara. It cuts down the evening's ritual by probably half. These wipes are sturdy and don't dry out--and don't burn your eyes if you're like me and jab yourself with everything and anything (toothbrushes included, yeah).

The Yes To brand comes in Blueberries, Carrots, Tomatoes, Grapefruit, and soon Coconut, but the Cucumber is the only smell, aside from the Coconut, that doesn't smell chemical-ly to me. The Carrot ones are fragrance-free, if you don't like scents at all.

Yes to Cucumbers Facial Wipes retail for about $6 for 30 wipes (20 cents a wipe), but I often see 'special 33% more' promotions with 40 wipes in a pack (15 cents a wipe).

SERIOUSLY, SKIP IT: Sonia Kashuk Brush Couture Kabuki Brush

Ok, it's 3:09am and I made a makeshift photo area to inform you of this awful, awful brush. It's that awful that I had to review it.

So this garbage thing is the Limited Edition Brush Couture Kabuki Brush by Sonia Kashuk (yes, you read right, that's two 'brush' in one name). I've had really good luck with this Target-exclusive brand--until I picked up this monstrosity. You can check it out on the Target website where it retails for (drumroll) $12.99 of pure waste-of-money. I'm an impulse-shopper so I grabbed it when it was marked down to $6.48 (still too much). It's cute--! Kabuki brushes are useful--! It's so cute though--!

NOPE. The cute is where the advantages stop.

See this piece of shit to the top? That's a crappy $2 Walmart brush I got to tickle my rats with. That thing and this kabuki brush literally feel the same. I can't apply powder or blush because it pokes and makes it feel like I stuck my face into fiberglass (which, if you don't understand the simile, you shouldn't try). It's cute, but it's worthless if you actually want to actually use it.

This motherfucker sheds like an unbrushed cat. The first time I used it to dust some finishing powder on my face, I found 6 hairs just sitting around on my skin. There's no way that was from my cat, even if her fur is literally everywhere. And it continued shedding the next few times I used it. I theorize if you continue using this thing, it'll eventually thin to nothingness.

Size comparisons L-R: Elf Studio Kabuki Brush, cheapo Walmart brush, Sonia Kashuk Kabuki, Ecotools Large Powder Brush

If you want a good, awesome, fantastic kabuki brush go buy the Elf Studio Kabuki Brush. It costs $6 (often on sale for less), is amazingly soft, dense, and mine hasn't shed a single hair. This is literally my favorite face brush. If you love the designs and cuteness of Sonia Kashuk brushes, I suggest looking up reviews or making sure you can return it if it fails. They're cute and all, but often hit-and-miss.

The most useful part of this purchase is the oversized box the brush came with. It's really, really sturdy and pretty cute. I'm gonna throw it in my drawer to store lip products. This brush is going into my rat toy box so they can chew it and pee on it and then ignore it when it's no longer fun.

It's cute and functional. How I wish the brush actually was.

Here's my babies chewing on their now-outdated toy.