GUEST POST | Unsung Heros 2014 with Prairie Beauty Love

Hi, Readers! My name is Trysh and I blog over at Prairie Beauty Love. As a part of the Canadian Beauty Bloggers Network, I'm here to write you a guest post on some of my favorite products from 2014.

When I started thinking about my favorite products from the past year, it occurred to me that there are quite a few products that I use almost every day that get very little attention on my blog, in conversation, or really even in my brain. They're just those old standards that never get the love that they deserved. So I decided to dedicate an entire post to those beauty routine work horses that never get enough love.

Thayers Lemon Witch Hazel Astringent

"Thayers Lemon Witch Hazel with Aloe Vera Formula is a fresh-smelling,
gentle astringent that cleanses and refreshes the skin with a delightful
lemon essence."

I use this product as a part of my skincare regiment every single day both morning and night and I've never mentioned it. For a long time, I didn't have much use for toner because I sincerely didn't understand what they did, but after a little bit of research I'm officially a convert. I use this after I've cleansed my face at night and after I've thoroughly rinsed my face with water in the morning to give a gentle cleanse and balance the pH of my skin. I chose an astringent (alcohol based) because I tend to get clogged pores and breakouts on my cheeks and I find that this helps to combat that. Despite the alcohol in this product, I don't find it drying on my combination skin. To use, I just soak a cotton pad with the product and apply it all over my face and then let it dry naturally before applying any other products. Another thing I love about this product is the bright, fresh lemony scent. I find it really refreshing, particularly first thing in the morning when I need a little boost.

Vichy Eay Thermale Thermal Spa Water

For men and women of all ages who seek to soothe redness and irritation by strengthening the skin's natural defenses.

I keep one of these on my vanity, one on my desk and work, and I currently need to replace the one that I carry in my purse. This came recommended to me by an esthetician who absolutely swears by it and I was hooked pretty much instantly. This isn't going to be a product that's going to perform miracles, by any means, but I find that it does what it does really well and is quite versatile. In the summer, I use it to freshen up my skin and give a little cool down if I'm feeling warm, and now that winter has hit I'm using it for a little burst of moisture throughout the day or at home when the dryness of the furnace air is making me feel a little parched. My favorite way to use it, though, is to take away any powderiness after I've applied makeup, particularly during those mid afternoon touch ups when I was looking perhaps a little shiny but the mattifying powder is just a little too powdery. It just sets everything to a natural looking finish on the skin.

Julep Glycolic Hand Scrub

Whisk away dirt and oil and reveal noticeably softer and younger looking
hands after just one use. You'll be surprised that something so
effective smells so good! 

Whenever I'm about to do a manicure or when my hands are feeling a little bit dry and rough, I bust out this baby for a quick pick me up. First of all, I absolutely love just standing at the sink and scrubbing my hands with this. It feels incredible, not uncomfortable at all, and reminds me a lot of the feeling of getting a Hand Treat at Lush. Second, and clearly most important, is that this scrub makes your hands feel soft, smooth and really refreshed when you're done. I've also noticed a diminished look of fine lines in my hands when I use this consistently, which I chalk up to the glycolic aspect of the scrub. Finally, I absolutely love the smell of this scrub, which obviously adds to the luxurious feel of using it. I swear, if you try only one product from Julep outside of their nail polish, let it be this one.

Mr. Pumice Pumi Bar

Man made pumice. For beautiful healthy feet
Great for Hands and Elbows too Use wet or dry. Takes only seconds to
use. Anti-bacterial solution safe.

The older I get, the more I wish I had feet like a baby and the harder it is to get even close to that kind of softness. Since this summer when my feet pretty much freaked out, I've being using one of these every time I shower and I don't think I can go back. I was never a fan of a traditional pumice stone because, while it got the job done, I had a sort of nails-on-the-chalkboard type reaction to using them and just couldn't get past it. This is different, though. It resembles a sort of dense, dry sponge rather than a stone. A minute or so on my heels in the shower and a little bit of foot lotion when I get out and my feet are good to go. On top of that, you can't beat the price. These are available at Sally for under $3. 

Tweezerman Slant Tip Tweezerette 


Perfect size for make-up bag and travel with hand-finished tips and no-slip grip.  


I've gotta say it... Not all tweezers are created equal and none I've tried have come close to my Tweezerman tweezers. I've had tweezers that didn't effectively grip the hairs. I've had tweezers that snipped the hairs rather than plucking them. I've had bad tweezers, mediocre tweezers, and Tweezerman tweezers. I think, when it comes to what kind of tip you prefer on your tweezers, it's really a matter of preference, but I've always been a slanted tip kind of a girl. I feel like it's the easiest way to grab any stray hairs and do away with them. I like these particular tweezers because they're small enough to tuck them into my makeup bag, because I always seem to find that I'm not sitting at my vanity when I actually need them. Stray hairs and impromptu crazy brows always seem to happen when I'm not at home, so it's good to have them on the go. I also find these really comfortable to use at this size because it somehow feels like they can be more precise. Either way, Tweezerman makes the best tweezers I've tried. Period.

So there you have it, my Top 5 Unsung Beauty Heroes of 2014! I hope you've enjoyed this post and I'd like to thank Classy On The Run for having me!