9 Amazingly Effective Things We Use At Home When We Have Zero Time Or Money For Beauty Treatments
Fast, easy, and designed for when we’re already exhausted.
by The Candidly Team
We added it up, and if we were to get all the beauty treatments we want in a month, we would quickly lose not just most of our income but very likely our jobs, our social lives, our workout routine, the cleanliness of our homes, and custody of our kids.
That’s simply how much time (and money) it would take.
And while we write a ton about the life-changing products we use to feel our best on a daily basis, there are a few things out there that specifically stand in for professional level treatments. There’s a genuine just- stepped-out-of-a-salon feel to each and every one of them. And today, we’ve rounded them all up to share with you.
1. For A Quick And Easy Anti-Aging Treatment
WHAT: Solawave 4-in-1 Skincare Wand
WHY: This little award-winning gadget is designed to smooth out fine lines, diminish blemishes and dark spots, de-puff your skin, and leave you glowing. And quite frankly, this all sounded a little woo-woo and TikTok trendy to us. However, this might be a case where the hype is worth it. Red Light Therapy is being studied for ways it might rejuvenate skin. As with most skincare things making big promises, more research is needed, but we can tell you we’ve had superb results after a month of use, and because it only takes 5 minutes a day, it’s a very low key thing to incorporate into our routine. They also have a full hands-free red light face mask and an inflammation-fighting acne tool. And many, many before and afters to showcase results.
Price: $169
2. For A Beautiful Blowout That Lasts
WHAT: Drybar The Roller Club Curling Hot Hair Rollers
WHY: These aren’t anything like our grandmother’s curlers, however our grandmothers had it right that curlers are the key to making hair last for daayyyyyys. These drybar curlers distribute even heat so you get big, bouncy, blowout level curls like this:
And you can keep everything looking freshly styled and oil-free by zhuzhing it up with THIS finishing spray which is also the best smelling of all time.
Price: $129
3. For A Lasting Gel Mani You Can manage At Home
WHAT: Manicurist Green Flash™ Led Gel Polish Discovery Kit
WHY: First and foremost, the polish dries instantly under the included LED light, so we don’t have any time to mysteriously mess up our nails 20 seconds after we’ve painted them. Plus, LED is supposed to be less damaging to nails than UV light. The whole thing is quick and easy and the cherry on top is you can peel the polish off without any acetone or lengthy remover after about 7-10 days. Also, the color selection is incredible, our 3 favs being milky white (the best creamy pale of all time), poppy red (an amazing orangey red that’s perfect for when we feel pale and blah) and dark pansy (for when we must be vamps).
Price: $130
4. For A Non-Intimidating, yet Wildly Powerful Chemical Peel
WHAT: iS Clinical Active Peel Treatment System
WHY: Anything good that happens to your skin starts with exfoliation. And that’s because texture is the key to actually looking younger. This 2-step routine is, therefore, like instant youth. The first pad uses botanical acids to gently resurface and polish, priming your face to absorb skincare, while the second provides a wild dose of hydration. Everyone we know who has tried this peel system has fallen deeply in love.
Plus, you can use the code CANDIDLY to get 15% off.
Price: $92
5. For Salon-Soft And Shiny Hair
WHAT: Bumble and Bumble Repair Shampoo, Super Rich Conditioner, BB Bond Building Repair Styling Cream, Kérastase Nutritive Ultra-Hydrating Mask
WHY: Sometimes it is just so nice to have one brand solve all your problems. This Bumble and Bumble shampoo/ conditioner combo, followed up with their repair styling cream is UNREAL for frizz and softness. It’s the closest we’ve come to a professional level of silkiness.
We also A-dore this Kérastase restorative mask as a once-a-week product that keeps our hair feeling so hydrated and healthy, we actually wrote a whole thing just about this hair mask.
Price: $35 for the shampoo, $36 for the conditioner, $38 for the styling cream, $65 for the mask
6. For An Instantaneous Just-Got-Out-Of-A-Facial Glow
WHAT: Good Genes All-In-One Lactic Acid Treatment
WHY: Like we’ve said, sometimes the hype is for a reason. Our Editor-in-Chief tried Good Genes, and after two weeks her skin was … transformed. The results inspired her to write an entire article complete with many before and afters. Here’s one:
The main ingredient is Lactic Acid, which in her words “gently breaks down dead skin cells on the surface, revealing fresh, new, baby skin beneath. It tackles fine lines, wrinkles, irritation, and can visibly and almost immediately clarify blemishes. But because lactic acid has a larger molecular size than other acids, it causes zero irritation.” So basically, every single thing we want for our skin rolled into one miracle product.
Price: $122
7. For Lashes That Look Like You Added Fake Lashes
WHAT: Beauty Pie Über Volume Boost Velvet Formula Mascara
WHY: The main reason we are so, so taken with this mascara is that no mascara has ever added as much length and volume to our lashes while still making them look like our natural, God-given lashes. In other words, no clumping together, no unruly globs, no pilling into the creases and running onto your lower lashes in the middle of the day. It felt like we’d applied fake lashes. Which is exactly how a mascara ended up in an article about at-home beauty treatments.
Price: $20
8. For laminated-looking brows
WHAT: Maybelline Super Lock Clear Brow Glue
WHY: I mean, can we just gaze upon the results:
If laminated brows are your thing, this is the way to DIY it daily.
Price: $11
9. For super fluffy soft brows
WHAT: L'Oréal Infallible Up To 24H Wear Brow Lamination
WHY: And if you’re all about a softer, fluffier, yet still perfectly polished look, this little pot of magic won’t make your brows feel at all sticky or stiff, but they’ll hold to perfection all day and night.
Price: $15
At The Candidly, we try a lot of stuff so you don’t have to. We only recommend things we truly love, and that we think you’ll love, too. All products are chosen independently by our creative team, and all details reflect the price and availability of products at the time of publication. If you buy something we link to, The Candidly may earn a commission.
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