Your no BS guide to products that are appearing all over your social feeds. Are they legit? Is it hype? Is it just great influencer marketing? The ‘Is It Worth The Hype’ series is my take on if it’s worth it, or if you should save your monies. Have something in mind? Send me a DM and I’ll add it to the test list.

Hair

Dae Shampoo + Conditioner - this one hit the IG circuit hard because the founder is an influencer and knows how to get the message out. Amber’s hair has always been one to envy, so it totally makes sense she would come out with a hair care line. She also has an awesome extensions line (I have a few pieces that I really like) called BFB. The product has a very youthful citrus smell, trending towards Bath and Body Works but not quite there. Initially I LOVED the squeaky clean feeling the shampoo + conditioner gave my hair but I noticed on the second day that my ends were feeling VERY dry. After a few washes it became apparent that I’m just someone who needs intense hydration and moisture (my go-to shampoo + conditioner is Redkin All Soft which has Argan oil in it) which Dae was not giving me. That being said, I’ve continued to use the Dae Shampoo (not conditioner) and have been pairing it with my Redkin conditioner and have been loving the results. Clean roots that can go 3-4 days without being washed again and hydrated ends - GREAT COMBO! It’s a good reminder that true beauty regimens are personalized and just because something comes in a “set” doesn’t mean you need to buy both. Long story short, I wouldn’t totally poo poo on this product just consider your hair needs and also remember that Sephora has a great return policy.

Dyson Airwrap - NOT WORTH THE $! I tested this product for one month (bless the Sephora return policy) and found it to be not worth the hassle or money. You can see my first impression video here. I’m someone who is pretty good at styling my hair with a lot of different tools and the learning curve on this thing is pretty steep. If you’re someone who doesn’t do your hair often and/or isn’t that great with the basic hair tools, you’re going to find this thing impossible. Additionally, it’s just all sort of huge and inconvenient. When I received it in the mail the first thing my husband said was “that’s a rich girl’s product because who has a bathroom BIG enough to fit it?” And it’s true. For almost $600 you’d think that it would have dual voltage for international travel and it DOESN’T. When I returned it in person to Sephora the gal helping me said “oh, I’m not surprised, we’re seeing HUGE returns with this product!”

Dyson Corrale Straightener - just going to go out and say it: Dyson should stick to vacuums. We LOVE our Dyson vacuum but when it comes to their hair tools so far the two I’ve tried have been a miss. You can see a video of me testing the $500 straightener against my $19 Target straightener here. From a pure styling standpoint I didn’t notice a difference. Sure, there’s some tech features with the Dyson that are “cool” like the cordless aspect and the fact that it heats up in seconds BUT the battery life is only 30 minutes. Most EDPfam with thick hair said it takes them longer than 30 minutes to straighten their hair, so this seems silly. Like the Airwrap (curling tool) the packaging is large and not convenient for travel in anyway. Not to mention the lithium battery isn’t technically approved for carry-ons AND the device doesn’t have dual voltage (which means taking it abroad is really going to be a pain!) I mean, for $500 this device should do ALL the things not require me to have a second straightener, don’t you think? “But Ash, isn’t it supposed to be better for your hair?” They say this but I could not straighten my locks with a single pass (which they claim it does) and I do not have thick hair at all. Multiple passes of heat is the same as any normal straightener. Maybe there’s something special about the plates but I’m guestimating it would take 6 months to a year of usage to even see if there’s a noticeable change in your hair (if you straighten multiple times a week). By then you’ve passed the return window so you’re stuck with it.

Nutrafol and other hair supplements - after the traumas of getting off birth control, I have vow’d not to take supplements that may disrupt my hormones and/or alter my body in a way that requires me to take said supplement forever. My OB confirmed that Nutrafol works but once you stop taking it, your hair will go back to it’s baseline level. Obvi I am not a doc so maybe chat with yours before taking!

Prose Hair Care - ahh this is how the “is it worth the hype” series ALL started! I had just run out of my Prose shampoo + conditioner and when I switched back to my OG fave (Redkin) I realized that Prose was RUINING my hair. For the 3 months prior of “testing” Prose my hair was always dry and unmanageable. I chalked it up to maybe my new extensions or pregnancy hair. Nope - it was 100% the shampoo. After just one wash with my old shampoo my hair felt light years different. When I shared this in my IG stories I received at least 40 DM’s from the EDPfam saying they had the EXACT SAME EXPERIENCE: dry, unmanageable hair!

T3 Hair Tools - the only set I can vouch for is the interchangeable curling irons. I have used these for YEARS and absolutely love them. For someone like myself who curls their hair every time they style it and also uses different sized barrels depending on my length and/or style I’m going for, I find the interchangeable barrels to be very convenient vs. having 3 separate curling irons. See my textured lob tutorial here. If you travel a lot their products are also amazing because they have auto world voltage 100–240V!

Vegamour Gro Serum - Inconclusive. The product makes my hair oily so I could only use it every 3-4 days rather than daily as recommended. My postpartum hair is growing back but I truly think it’s just one the regular re-growth cycle, not because of anything special I’m doing. I know people love this stuff though!

Skincare + Body

Billie Razors: full review here!

Drunk Elephant C- Firma Vitamin C Serum - you gals were DYING for me to try this and I’m honestly glad I did. I have to say I REALLY like it. My complexion is glowing, hydrated, and even toned; all of what you would expect from a great Vitamin C serum. The real question, would I start swapping this in for my go-to Skinceutical C E Ferulic? I really enjoy both to be honest. The DE serum is significantly less expensive which is a selling point but as a few gals pointed out, there’s some filler ingredients in it that you don’t have with Skinceuticals. Going forward I will probably alternate between them (and my other Vit C faves), picking up Skinceuticals when I can get it on sale. Something to note is that this product seems very polarizing - people either love or really dislike it and the main reason seems to be breakouts. Reminder: I have been using this while pregnant and my skin throughout my pregnancy has been INSANELY clear. I typically battle with pretty consistent adult acne. That being said, I will be keeping an eye out on how this product affects my skin post-pregnancy and give an update!

Glo Pro + Other At-Home Microneedling tools - personally I won’t touch these things. Needles are meant to stay at the doctor’s office for so many reasons but primarily sanitation. Listen to my podcast episode with injection specialist Sari Hoban (@GoSeeSari). She talks all about how she’s constantly seeing patients who have skin infections from using dirty microneedling tools at home.

La Mer Eye Cream — I can already tell you this one isn’t worth the price. Listen to my podcast episode with injection specialist Sari Hoban (@GoSeeSari). She talks all about wasting money on over the counter skincare products, especially eye creams.

LightStim - The professional grade ones work. My facialist uses on my acne and it is gold. I have the handheld one for home, but the issue is that you have to be super diligent about using it to see results. My facialist said at least 15-25 minutes a day, depending on how many areas you’re treating. Sure, this is possible during quarantine, but it’s pretty hard to do normally, especially cause your eyes need to be closed and you need to be near an outlet.

Natural anti-perspirants — I seriously LOVED Native (it’s critical to detox your pits first. Jess Kirby [@Jessannkirby] has a whole blog post on this). I used Native until I got off BC and then my B.O. got really bad and I had to use my husband’s Old Spice deodorant. Since I’ve been pregnant, I don’t wear anything because I don’t smell at all. Bless! Planning to start using Native again post pregnancy once all my hormones start to balance out.

Necessaire Products — I loved all of the scents and body wash. It feels like such a treat to use. Is it necessary to use everyday? Probably not, but it’s great for those treat-yourself-self-care days for sure! It’s nice to switch up the usual sometimes.

NuFace - so beyond worth the hype IF you are consistent. And we are talking min 5x a week for 3 months to start out - that’s what they recommend. It’s a HUGE time commitment and TBH I haven’t even really done the full 3 months but did do it for a month and saw a huge difference in my jaw line and overall tightness of my skin. I can actually see the difference after one time use (although for long lasting effects you need to do consistently.) My esthetician does a medical grade version at her office and we talk about NuFace all the time - the research is there for microcurrent - it really just comes down to the user. One thing I do not love is their serum because it makes me breakout. This is the one I use and have never had an issue with breakouts.

Pimple Patches - I swear by COSRX for white heads. I’ve always battled with acne and these babies are amazing for sucking out the gunk, minimizing swelling and redness, and making sure the zit doesn’t come back. The trick is breaking the skin before you put it on so that the patch can actually suck everything out. Those directions aren’t 100% clear on the package but if you go down the black hole of google reviews you’ll find that is the #1 tip that people suggest to make sure these things work. Another patch I’ve tried is

Skinceuticals C E Ferulic — I have expressed my undying love for this stuff for years. All of my vitamin C faves for every budget are linked in this blog post.

Supergoop Unseen Sunscreen - LOVE! When I’m on vacay or spending a lot of time in the sun I always put this on pre-makeup. It has never made me breakout and makeup sits well on top of it. I also always bring along the setting mist or setting powder to re-apply throughout the day.

Tan Luxe The Face drops — I’ve only used one tanning product in my life (aside from Jergen’s Natural Glow Lotion) and it was Tan Luxe. I really, really liked it. The Sephora girl said you can use the body one on your face as well. I like that you can mix it with your existing lotion and also start light and build. To be honest, I only used twice in the dead of winter for a swim photoshoot. I’m naturally very tan and tan very easily.

Tula — I’ve never been wow’d by anything they’ve sent me. I always donate any gifted product.

Zit Sticka - this is more for cystic, underground guys. To be honest, I didn’t find them that great and they are EXPENSIVE. I noticed they helped reduce swelling and redness but it was only a matter of time before the zit had to come to a head and the Zit Sticka felt like it was almost prolonging the end eruption.

Makeup

Tarte Shape Tape— I have no idea why people like it. It’s so thick and has amazing coverage but if you have any type of lines around your eyes, it’s going to accentuate them and make you look old AF. So basically, it’s great if you’re under 25 haha. Every makeup artist I’ve ever talked to agrees. That being said, I love a ton of their other products. Their setting powder is my fave! My go-to concealer is Sephora’s gel concealer. It’s great for lines and good coverage. This blog post is a round up of my daily makeup routine and all the products I use and love.

Magnetic Eyelashes - I tried these a few years ago and shared on stories. My issue was I couldn’t get them close enough to my lash line, no matter how hard I tried. I think a lot of it had to do with how long my nails were. They seem awesome if you take the time to really learn how to put them on, but the learning curve is steep. Personally, I taught myself how to use glue-on falsies in high school, so I would rather do that than attempt magnetic lashes.

Fashion

Agolde Shorts - I think these shorts are great. If you’ve been following me for awhile, you know they are the ONLY jean shorts I’ve worn for 2+ years and will be going on 3 years once I can wear jean shorts again. There’s over 20 blog posts covering them, including multiple outfit videos!

Everlane leggings — I have a pair of them and they’re great! A try on is saved to my fashion and bumpstyle highlights. To me, leggings are super subjective because people look for different things: thickness, material, and price point. Add on recycled materials and ‘green’ products and there’s just so many options out there for every kind of person.

Girlfriend Collective — I have been a big fan for awhile now and talk about this brand often. I own both their regular and maternity leggings. Check my fashion and bumpstyle highlights for a closer look at what I love from them!

Skims — There’s a try-on saved to my “Fashion” Highlight on my IG profile. I really liked this brand but everything runs small so size up. I was 8 weeks pregnant when I got my order so I grew out of the products before I could wear them often. I would definitely buy more post-baby.

HOME

KitchenAid Mixer — This really depends on how much you cook/bake. We’ve used a lot for homemade pasta. Is it something I’d spend my money on? No. Is it something I’d add to my wedding registry? Totally!

Sono Speakers - I’m totally here for Sonos Speakers all over the house. The first thing we did when we got our keys to the new house was buy a speaker for every room. It’s amazing! We always have jams playing. You can listen on one speaker, all of them, or just a few. Having Alexa built in is great for timers, clock, etc. Highly recommend!

Other

Ritual Prenatal Vitamins - I LOVE the Ritual Prenatal vitamins. Yes, I’m working with them on a paid partnership but I would NEVER recommend anything for baby/mom that I truly didn’t love, ESPECIALLY something you ingest. A ton of my friends are pregnant right now and they all take them. I truly think they are the best option on the market for prenatals. I wrote a whole blog post on why I love them, what I was taking before and how they are very different.

Quip toothbrush - I had one but ran out of brush heads and didn’t even think to repurchase. I saw on Grace Atwood’s stories years ago that her dentist told her not to use them. Andy and I both use Oral B electric toothbrushes.

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