What Aesthetician Sydney Utendahl Buys at the Drugstore
Here at the Strategist, we love hearing about everyday stuff that actually works. That line of thinking extends to the drugstore beauty products in our medicine cabinets, shower caddies, and makeup bags. In our series “Beauty Aisle,” we’re talking to folks in the beauty industry — aestheticians, hairstylists, makeup artists, dermatologists, and the like — about the go-to affordable products they keep stocked. For this installment, Strategist beauty writer Tembe Denton-Hurst chatted with aesthetician and product developer Sydney Utendahl about the drugstore products she loves.
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It’s one of my favorite contours because it’s cool toned without being gray. It’s matte and creamy. I always turn to it.
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I love this because I can use it on top of any blush that I’m already wearing as a highlighter-blush. It has a really good shimmer without any glitter. The pink is very buildable, so it’s not too high coverage. If you do build it, it doesn’t look ashy. You don’t get a white hue. It’s a true Barbie pink.
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I really like to use the Revolution Beauty contour and this one together. I’ll have all kinds of fancy stuff, and then I always bring this with me. I use shade 130, Spicy Season. It’s very durable. I’ve dropped it a million times and nothing has happened to it.
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I really love it for summertime. It has a bit of a tint. It’s so nice on the body and smells delish. It makes you look sun-kissed and dewy.
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It has good density without being too hard. The bulbous round shape means that things are less streaky when you apply it. It blends really well, and you can do a lot with this size. I use it for my under-eye concealer. I’ll use it to place my contour. I’ll use it to blend things out, and it never fails. I’ve had the same brush, but not the exact same one; I’ve repurchased them, but I’ve had this brush forever. If someone is trying to build a little makeup kit for themselves, this brush will take you far.
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It works really well with my skin tone and it’s not too chalky. A lot of zinc-oxide-based, mineral sunscreens can feel very chalky. But this is a good one. It also doesn’t irritate my dermatitis. The only thing that I don’t love is that it has niacinamide, which can be an irritant for me. But if you’re not sensitive to that, it should be fine.
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This is a shaving oil. It washes off like a milk emulsion. It almost feels like you’re putting on an oil cleanser except you don’t apply it on dry skin. Your skin stays hydrated afterward, and it’s better than all the mess of a foam shaving cream.
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After I shave, I use AmLactin. It has a high percentage of lactic acid. It’s my favorite body AHA. I shower, I exfoliate, I shave, then I apply this. Then I put lotion on top. Some people may only use this, but I don’t find it moisturizing enough. Other body exfoliants can be annoying to apply, but this one is easy.
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It gets everything off. It’s efficacious. It’s not drying, it’s not too alkaline, it’s gentle, but it cleans your skin. Sometimes gentle cleansers can leave a little bit of a film. This does not. It’s great for sensitive skin.
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This is my absolute favorite. I will put this all over my face. I’ll put it all over my lips and I’ll put it all over my hands. I like it better than Aquaphor because it doesn’t have lanolin. I’m dealing with dermatitis, and lanolin is an animal by-product that can be an allergen for some people. This is just plain old petrolatum skin protectant, and it doesn’t clog pores.
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I use this on my face for any dermatitis and fungal acne I might have. It really helps. It contains ketoconazole, an anti-fungal. It’s the only product that has ketoconazole over the counter, otherwise I’d need a prescription.
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The Strategist is designed to surface useful, expert recommendations for things to buy across the vast e-commerce landscape. Every product is independently selected by our team of editors, whom you can read about here. We update links when possible, but note that deals can expire and all prices are subject to change.
