5 Beauty Products for $45 that Changed My Skin

Clear skin. Better skin. Hydrated skin. The list can go on of the promises that skincare products can make. And I’d be lying if I said that all let you down. There are those times that you try a new product and it does live up to the hype and you are like SCORE I found a good one. But I’m probably not alone in saying that more often than not a beauty product promises something and you use it and then you stare at yourself in the mirror trying to see if it made the change that it promised to make. Well, today I’m excited to share 5 beauty products for $45 that changed my skin.

Skeptical? Thinking how can this be true. Please read on my friend…

5 Beauty Products for $45 that Changed My Skin

Maybe I’m alone and I’m one of the few that fall for the empty promises of a beauty product. I can not tell you how many times someone has told me how a skincare product would do this for my skin and that and will totally change it. Blah, blah, blah.

And I hate to say blah, blah blah but there have been so many products that I tried. Money that I spent only to later wonder…wait what was this supposed to do again? Because honestly I don’t remember and I can’t really tell. You’ll sit at a make-up/skincare counter and they tell you the wonders of this product.

Well, these 5 beauty products for $45 changed my skin. These are total game-changers. And I don’t just mean my faith in skincare products. My skin has actually changed. This isn’t to say that many of the products that I’ve used in the past didn’t work because I’m sure they did. There are a ton of great beauty products out there….sometimes you just have to do a little digging to find them.

The Beauty Line Responsible: The Ordinary

I’ve heard whisperings of this brand before but never really thought any further. I didn’t do any research on those whisperings.

Well, a few months back my mom went to a dermatologist and the dermatologist recommend a product from The Ordinary. So I thought to myself….if a dermatologist is recommending this then maybe it’s worth looking into? So I did a little research.

Enters Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% into my skincare routine…

First I decided to try Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%. I have really oily skin. Like let’s go back to high school and keep blotting papers in my purse oily. When you read up on this product, it will tell you these benefits:

• reduces the appearance of enlarged pores
• reduces the appearance of congestion & skin blemishes
• balances the overproduction of oil
• brightens skin tone

Sounds great, right? Upon further research, others said that it did in fact help with these things. They did see a change in their pores, congestion and the oiliness of their skin. So for $5.90 (a trip to Chick-fil-A), I could try this product that was promising so much? I mean why not? What do I have to lose?

Full disclosure: I wasn’t serious about using this at first. Maybe it was because the first time I put it on it was sticky. Putting something sticky on my face before applying makeup just didn’t seem like a good idea. So I kinda just gave up on it.

But then whisperings of The Ordinary came up again so I thought…ok maybe I just need to do more research and give this stuff a chance. And so I did. And it didn’t take long for me to see a change in my skin…just with this one product. My face wasn’t as oily and I can see a change in the size of my pores. So I thought to myself…

What was I missing? What else is out there? What other promises does The Ordinary make? Whatever will I try next?

Next up, the “No Brainer” set

What better way to test products than with a set? With a little research, I decided that the “No Brainer” set sounded like a great place to start. It included 3 products that all sounded very promising. And at this point, I was not skeptical to believe its promises.

• “Buffet” – reduces & prevents multiple signs of aging and hydrates the skin. Great for everyday use. Reduce the look of fine lines, wrinkles, surface irregularities & improve skin elasticity & firmness. GOOD FOR EVERY SKIN TYPE.
• Granactive Retinoid 2% Emulsion – reduces multiple signs of aging and refines skin texture. This one isn’t sold individually but you can buy the 5% here.
• Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA – provides topical hydration and supports healthy skin barrier function and balances the skin

Note: You can buy these individually. You do not have to buy the set.

At this point, I figure I’ve now invested about $35 and I’ve got a great start to my morning and evening routine. Am I missing anything?

If you head to The Ordinary’s website you’ll see they offer a regimen guide so you can get a few ideas of what products to use together. So I check it out and realize that I can spend $10 and get the final product recommended for general signs of aging. So I go for it.

You can also read more on The Ordinary’s website as well as Ulta to get info on which order to apply products and all sorts of info.

Adding 100% Organic Cold-Pressed Rose Hip Seed Oil

• moisturizes the skin
• provides anti-aging benefits

So I’m about a month in on these new products and I have NO WORDS. My skin has changed. It still shocks me that $45 in skincare could make such a change. The next step is to make better eating choices and then there’s no telling what my skin will look like. LOL. But back to the skincare products. Because I’m guessing that I have your attention now.

My Routine

I do recommend waiting a little in-between application. Let each layer dry before applying the next. I feel like this makes a huge difference.

Before applying my make-up, I apply Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%, then “buffet” and lastly the natural moisturizing factors + HA. Definitely, let the Niacinamide dry because it does go on a little sticky but once it dries you would never know that it went on slightly sticky.

At night, I apply “Buffet”, Granactive Retinoid 2%, and then the Rose Hip Seed Oil. Oily is the only way I can describe how my face feels after applying all of this, but I’m going to bed so oh well. But when I wake up in the morning….when I wake up in the morning my skin feels incredible. It looks incredible. My skin is so soft and smooth and ready for me to start the day.

Changes I’ve Seen with My Skin to Date

I’ve always had oily skin but over the past few months, it’s been insane so that’s what really started all this. I felt like my skin was always having a bad day and crying out for help. It was at this point that I knew I needed to make a change. A regular skincare routine that really focused on what benefits I needed seemed like a great place to start.

• My skin is less oily
• My skin is softer. (like I can’t stop touching my face. which isn’t a good thing. LOL. but my skin is just so soft I can’t help it)
• The texture of my skin has changed. It’s ever so slight but I see a change.
• My wrinkles are smaller on my forehead and the overall texture is softer and smoother.
• Blackheads have always been my arch-nemesis on my nose & it was like they gave my nose a semi-rough texture. I don’t know exactly how to describe it….but that has changed. It’s smoother now. The best way to describe it is my face is always soft like I just exfoliated.
• The size of my pores has also decreased!

Wrapping Things Up

In conclusion, all the promises that these products made have actually come true. I have seen a huge change in my skin and I’m only 1 month in. It can only get better, right?

I just added two more products to my beauty product collection but they are both products that you don’t use daily so I can’t really give a full testament of those yet but stay tuned.

One more thing that I’d like to mention is that I’ve tried all sorts of skincare products at all sorts of price points. I’ve tried the good stuff, the expensive stuff and as of right now….I’m standing by my 5 beauty products for $45 that changed my skin.

You can get these products at Sephora, Ulta or The Ordinary’s website. You can also find them on Amazon but for some reason some are more expensive there.

I will keep you posted on these 5 products as well as the new ones that I try. I’d love to hear if you’ve tried any of these products and which ones you love. Let’s share beauty secrets and finds friends!

Thanks for stopping by!

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