Guest Post: Back to School Checklist: Beauty Edition

Hi, friends! Today I'd like to share with you the guest post I did for Kriselle, a fellow HCBN member, on her blog Livin' and Lovin'. It's a beauty post (wow, shocker) titled, "Back to School Checklist: Beauty Edition." It's kind of the updated version of last year's Back to School Beauty Essentials, because I'm always trying new things and want to give you guys the best of the best from my experiences!

What's on your beauty back-to-school checklist this year?

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My Back-to-School Beauty Essentials

Hey, friends! I started classes today, so I thought I'd share with you my basic, back-to-school beauty essentials. These are the items that I use the most often during the year, that I feel like almost every college beauty buff could benefit from. I also included my personal favorites of each category, just in case. This obviously doesn't include everything (you don't need me to tell you to pack a toothbrush!) but just a few of the things that might not immediately come to mind.

Dry Shampoo

When I wake up in the morning and realize my hair looks limp, flat, or greasy, I use a little dry shampoo to freshen it up. For the days when I'm in between washes, dry shampoo helps make hair look clean. It's my my saving grace, because I don't know about you, but the showers in my residence hall have pretty low shower pressure--meaning that sometimes the shampoo/conditioner/buildup of product in my hair doesn't always completely wash out. In a nutshell, dry shampoo just makes my hair go from "blah" to not-so-blah, so I always make sure to have some in stock.

Splurge: Amika Perk Up Dry Shampoo ($21 ~ 5.3oz) 

I hardly use official "dry shampoo," but this is the one I have on hand right now. I got this sample from the Her Campus Conference  and so far I'm liking it so far. It's a spray, so it's not as messy as powder dry shampoos. I'm still testing it, so I can't say too much about it, but I'm a little obsessed with Amika products right now and I'm excited to explore their line (through free samples, because they're so expensive!). I probably won't repurchase it, just because I'm not wowed enough to justify that price, so I think the Batiste is next on my to-try list. 

Save: Johnson's Baby Powder ($4 ~ 22oz)

This is what I use most of the time as a dry shampoo. Any baby powder will do, but if you have blonde hair, baby powder is a super affordable alternative to dry shampoo. It absorbs any excess grease from your roots, and as long as your hair is light (it might give your hair a white/grey tint if you're a brunette or darker), it'll look natural. The only things I dislike about using baby powder is 1) you have to be really careful about not getting it on your clothes, and 2) it does take a good amount of shine out of your hair. I find that the best way to use baby powder is sparingly, only in the places you really need it, and then brushing it out to prevent any white spots. I usually put my hair in a headband on days when I use this, just to get my bangs out of my face. I prefer buying scented ones the lavender pictured above, just so it doesn't make my hair smell blatantly like baby powder (aka a baby's bottom).