8 Bizarre Beauty Tools You Didn’t Know You Needed

First Aid Beauty Radiance Pads

Starting off this list strong with my most-stolen product: the First Aid Beauty Radiance Pads. My husband uses these like they're candy, and at this point, I have to buy 3 boxes because of how quickly we both use them.

Exfoliating pads are a great way to cleanse your skin, especially if you get a lot of buildup from makeup, sweat, or your environment. These are great to use to make sure you've cleaned all of the dirt from the day off before you go to bed. And if you're greedy like my husband, you can also use these day and night for extra glowing skin.

Innisfree Daily Mineral Sunscreen

You can never go wrong with sunscreen, but if you have sensitive skin like me (and my husband), then opt for this option from Innisfree! It's super light, and doesn't have lots of perfumes or random fragrance — super helpful when you're trying not to irritate your skin. It also has hyaluronic acid which is super moisturizing, so it won't leave you with textured or dry skin!

L'Occitane Shea Butter Hand Cream

This hand cream became my addiction over the past couple months — which means it also became my husband's. I even had to buy him his own, because I was so tired of hearing, "Hey, can I use that good-smelling lotion again?"

This hand cream that has the most soothing feel — and smell! — on the skin. Definitely stock up on this for the colder months and you, just like the over 10,000 Amazon reviewers, will love it!

Caudalie Vinopure Clay Mask

Sometimes I like to convince my husband to have a nice, spa night in (I don't have to try very hard, he's clearly easily convinced), and this face mask is the first product I reach for. It seriously cleanses the skin, and practically eliminates visible pores from your skin. It's a very strange, detoxifying mask that I would recommend to anyone — but only to use about once every other week!

Tatcha Deep Cleanser

I just had to re-stock this product because you-know-who has been using it far too much for my liking... And I have to say, I understand why! It's very lightweight, but it really gets into your pores and helps cleanse them thoroughly. Plus, a little really does go a long way — so even if you're sharing it with your own partner, it will last!

It Cosmetics Confidence In An Eye Cream

This eye cream eliminates any trace of bags under your eyes...like it really makes them non-existent! So much so, that my husband noticed my bags were gone, and so naturally he's started using it too. It's honestly life-changing, and I'll always buy refills of this baby no matter how much we use it!

First Aid Beauty KP Bump Eraser

This has to be one of my most practical products that I didn't know I needed — or rather, we needed. If you get bumps on your skin from the sun, KP, rashes, or eczema, this product eliminates it all. It has 10% AHA which is extremely exfoliating, and basically works like magic on the skin. Such a good product!

Caudalie Beauty Elixir Face Mist

My husband would be furious if I shared this with you, but he's a face mist girly like me, through and through. As much as most men may not want to admit it, they like being pampered — and this mist truly makes you feel like you're at a spa! It's that good! I use this in the morning, because it just wakes me up with the most refreshing peppermint-like feeling. I adore this spray so much! And so does my husband...unfortunately for my bank account.

What do face mists actually do?

While face mists can make you feel refreshed at face value, they actually have quite a lot of purposes. Some facial sprays offer hydrating and moisturizing ingredients to make sure your skin isn't getting too dry or flaky, while others are great at delivering relief from inflammation and redness. There are even some sprays that can give you a therapeutic, relaxing boost with lavender or other essential oils. The benefits are truly endless with these!

The Best Face Mists To Shop Right Now

Evian Facial Spray

This spray is so multi-purpose, it's crazy. Not only does it moisturize dry skin, but it also restores your skin's pH levels, while setting your makeup so that it stays in tact all day. I like to keep this with me so that I can touch up my makeup and make it look refreshed throughout the day.

Caudalie Beauty Elixir

This "elixir" is an all-time fave of mine that I've been using for around a decade! I've probably gone through over 100 bottles of this stuff, so let me just say: It's worth every penny. This spray is so good, my husband won't stop stealing it from me every morning and night. It has the best scent and relaxing peppermint-like feeling — I honestly crave it as soon as I wake up!

Avène Eau Thermale Spray

This spray does a fantastic job at maintaining the PH balance of your skin, while also being the most glorious cold mist I've ever used. During hot summer months, you won't find me without this beauty sitting in my handbag — it's so cold and amazing on the skin. Even in the winter, I find this spray so helpful and necessary, because it makes my skin hydrated and dewy despite the cold, frigid air.

Summer Fridays Jet Lag Soothing Hydration Mist

This incredibly hydrating spray from Summer Fridays will protect your skin from pollutants or exposure to outside factors. Also, this mist is great at keeping your skin barrier in tact and healthy — AKA preventing it from getting too dry, or dehydrated. I've been using this face mist for a few weeks, and love how it feels not my skin.

Tower 28 Rescue Spray

This Tower 28 spray is a Hypochlorous Acid spray, so it's amazing at helping to reduce redness and even prevent breakouts from happening. I take this spray with me anytime I'm traveling, using it constantly to help prevent breakouts and annoying, pesky pimples.

Mario Badescu Aloe Spray

A lot of people are familiar with the Mario Badescu rose spray, but my personal fave is the cucumber, aloe, and green tea spray! It feels like a spa in a bottle! This face mist is so therapeutic — and it's very good for skin that needs help with hydration, redness, or even sensitive skin.

Grace & Stella Spray All Day

Speaking of rose spray, here's this one from Grace & Stella that's ultra-hydrating and has great reviews. It's one of the more popular sprays on Amazon because of how moisturizing it can feel on the skin — plus how amazing the rose scent smells!

e.l.f. Cosmetics Coconut Mist

A new scent has entered the chat... This coconut face mist is so refreshing, and it gets bonus points for also being extra hydrating! In the fall and winter, when the months are getting colder and dryer, you will thank me later for making you buy this incredibly moisturizing facial spray. You're welcome in advance.

Dermalogica Antioxidant Mist

This spray helps firm the skin, and ultimately helps with anti-aging. Don't we all love that? Really though, this face mist helps to reduce fine lines, hydrating them with ceramides to literally fill in the gaps! It will also help shield your skin from outside toxins or factors like free radicals. Def a great product for those with more mature skin!

Curél Japanese Skincare Mist

While this pick is a little bit more pricey at $30 for a mist, it's definitely a popular item amongst the beauty community. From the Japanese company, Curél, this one is made to be an intense moisture mist — which is something I need as an extremely dry and sensitive skin girly, myself! Sign me up!

When's the best time to do holiday shopping?

The best time to do holiday shopping really all depends on your personal shopping goals. Do you want to get a jump on items you know will sell out soon? Do you want to save the most money possible? Do you want to focus on handmade, personalized gifts? These factors will undoubtedly influence your holiday shopping schedule.

Shopping early can be advantageous for all of the aforementioned goals. A lot of retailers start promoting their holiday products early on, giving you ample time to snatch up that limited-time lip kit or fancy water bottle you’ve been eyeing way before the holidays.

Plus, some of the best deals for holiday shopping happen ahead of Black Friday and Cyber Monday – in 2023, Experian observed a surge in early spending in October, thanks to early discounts, a trend likely to continue in 2024.

Finally, shopping early can be especially helpful if your plan is to focus on handmade or personalized gifts, giving the artisan you buy from (or yourself, if you’re DIY-ing your gifts) plenty of time to craft the item with love and care.

Gallup reported in 2023 that one in four shoppers start shopping as early as September, a trend likely to continue in 2024 – so you might already be embarking on your shopping spree!

If right now is just still too darn early for you to start holiday shopping, Black Friday and Cyber Monday are some of the best times to shop since so many retailers offer their largest discounts of the entire year. Plus, the late November-early December timeline can feel a bit more appropriate for the gifting season opposed to late October-early November, when everyone’s still recovering from Halloween.

The only thing to consider during this time is the shipping timelines for the items you purchase – but most retailers will typically advise their specific shipping schedules, so you don’t risk your goodies arriving late.

Where should I shop for gifts?

You have three main options when it comes to where to shop for holiday gifts: online, in-store, and via our amazing gift guides. Of course, each method has its advantages and disadvantages.

Shopping in-store offers a tangible experience: the opportunity to hold specific items in your hands and gauge exactly what they’ll be like when you give them as a gift. The pitfall with shopping in-person is that it typically requires a commute and journeys through potentially very busy malls and shopping strips, which can add to the already-stressful holiday experience.

In-store shopping can be more physically exhausting, but it’s all about preference! Sometimes strolling through the stores that get all dolled up for Christmas is the best part of the season.

Per Google, 65% of those planning to shop for the holidays say they will shop online more. Shopping for gifts online can be super helpful since you can centralize your findings in your browser’s bookmark tab or via virtual cart(s). Plus, shopping online can pose more opportunities for saving some money: lots of retailers typically offer discount codes for online users, especially if you sign up for their digital marketing channels (like email and text) and make a purchase.

Shopping online isn’t just shopping, either. The internet can be a stellar research tool to help you vet whether certain products are worth it, where they can be bought, and when they’ll be available. In fact, Google reported that more than half of U.S. holiday shoppers who went into a store last year say they looked up product reviews online and/or located an item in-store by checking it online.

Last but not least, scrolling gift guides has to be our favorite place to shop for gifts – and not just because we write and publish them.

At their very core, gift guides help streamline the holiday shopping process, alleviating the stress that bubbles up when you’re wondering what the heck to shop for in the first place. Our gift guides are backed by real people, real experiences, and real opinions from our editorial team. We only promote products that we really love and believe in, oftentimes ones we’ve tested and reviewed ourselves.

We have gift guides for just about everyone on your list, with more on the way! Check ‘em out:

• Gifts for Him
• Gifts for Her
• Gifts for Foodies
• DIY + Handmade Gifts
• White Elephant Gifts
• Gift Sets

What are the best kinds of gifts to give?

The best kinds of gifts to give are thoughtful gifts that consider the giftee’s interests, wants, and needs. These gifts can be sentimental, practical, or both simultaneously. What matters most in a gift is that it’ll be meaningful to them past just the holiday season, whether it’s helping them get through daily tasks, reminding them of a memorable trip or event, or giving them small doses of joy.

“Shoppers are increasingly looking for personalized and unique gifts that reflect the recipient's personality and interests,” says Mia Anderson, Owner of ChicSew. “With the rise of online shopping, many consumers are opting for curated gift boxes or experiences that add a special touch.”

Gift boxes, personalized items, books of interest, self-care goodies, and even gift cards can all be thoughtful gifts depending on the recipient. If you have no clue what your giftee is into, it’s not a bad idea to ask them what they want the most!

“My idea of a great gift is something that is in tandem with the recipient's interest and offers something new to the person, be it learning a new skill, enjoying a calming activity, or simply spending quality time with the family,” says Alfred Christ, Sales Manager & Marketer at Robotime. “This season, we encourage shoppers to shift their focus on quality and the memories their gifts will create and not just merely material aspects.”

When is Black Friday?

Black Friday is always the Friday after Thanksgiving. This year, Black Friday lands on November 29.

When is Cyber Monday?

Cyber Monday is typcally the Monday after Thanksgiving. This year, Cyber Monday will land on December 2. Oftentimes, retailers and brands extend their online offers through the week (coined Cyber Week) after the event. Salesforce reported that 67% of shoppers in 2024 plan on shopping during Cyber Week!