My Allergy Season Beauty Essentials | Hello Pretty Bird! - A beauty and not-so-glamorous lifestyle blog

14 April, 2015

My Allergy Season Beauty Essentials

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I don't know about you, but spring is not usually my most beautiful time of year. I have year-round allergies to stuff like mold and dander, but once all the pretty plants start to bloom, I turn into a walking sneeze. Luckily I've come up with a few coping mechanisms over the years to look (and feel) less disgusting during springtime, so today I present to you: My allergy season beauty essentials!


1. CLARIFYING SHAMPOO
Here's a delicious thought for you: When you're out and about on a lovely spring day, pollen and dust and all sorts of other crap gets into your hair. This is why it's a good idea to shower (or at least rinse your hair) at night—don't want all those allergens clinging to your pillow. I also think it's a good idea to do a wash with clarifying shampoo every week or two just to get out all the gunk. I like Suave's Daily Clarifying Shampoo because it's effective and so cheap (only 99¢!) that I don't feel bad about only using it once in a while.

2. FUN TISSUES
If you're going to be a hot mess with a drippy nose all season long, you might as well do it in style! I'm a fan of tissues with ridiculous prints on them (like the Sniff Tissues you see above with Hello Kitty and skull designs), but even drugstore tissues with fun patterns on the wrapper (like Puffs) will satisfy my discerning nostrils.

3. WATERPROOF MASCARA
You know what's really awesome? Sneezing so hard that your eyes water, and not realizing until much later that your mascara has totally run all over your face. Sexy. Waterproof mascara is a must when random sneezing attacks are imminent. Missha's The Style 4D is a favorite of mine—it's cheap and therefore a no-frills mascara, but it never flakes or smudges on me unless I rub my eyes like a crazy person.

4. ALLERGY MEDICINE
Taking daily allergy medicine on a regular basis seems to keep me from getting to the extreme sneeze phase most of the time, which I guess contributes to my overall attractiveness? Claritin is my usual jam these days because it doesn't make me drowsy—no use in being sneeze-free if you're falling asleep in your soup. If you're also a Claritin user but hesitant to take it every day because of the price, Amazon sells the generic version (Loratadine) for pretty cheap.

5. SKIN SALVE

After you've blown your nose for the eight thousandth time, your skin is probably going to be a little chapped. I like to apply skin salves and balms around my nostrils at night so they don't get flaky and crusty. Yum! I really like Paula's Choice Lip & Body Treatment Balm for this purpose, but if you can't deal with its lanolinlicious scent, Smith's Rosebud Salve is also a decent option.

6. ANTIHISTAMINE EYE DROPS

I get super itchy and red eyes at the height of allergy season, so when things get really bad, I'll use a few antihistamine eye drops. Not only do they make my eyes less itchy, but they make them less red too. No more looking like I'm experiencing a month-long hangover! I've tried a bunch of different drops and my favorite is Bausch & Lomb Opcon-A. Even the generic version doesn't seem quite the same. Other good option is Rohto Maximum Redness Relief (assuming you enjoy a slightly cooling/menthol-y effect on your eyeballs.)

7. UNDER EYE CONCEALER
I always have bad dark circles, but when I'm having sinus problems, they get even worse. Globs of concealer to the rescue! I'm really liking Laneige's Cushion Concealer right now because it seems to cancel out the purpleness of dark circles pretty well, but Maybelline Age Rewind is another decent choice.


Do you suffer from seasonal allergies too? If so, what are your allergy season beauty essentials?


Disclosure: All opinions expressed above are mine and should not be construed as medical advice. This post contains affiliate links. For more information, check out my full disclosure policy.

8 comments:

  1. My allergies aren't too bad, but occasionally they'll morph into a horrible sinus infection and a skin salve is absolutely necessary! I've never tried the Paula's Choice one, but I do keep a tin of Badger Balm near me at all times when I need to soothe my chafed skin.

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  2. Oh man, luckily I don't have allergies bad but my dog does :( I actually give him benadryl sometimes when hes itching alot.

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  3. Oh that's the worst. That happens to me occasionally too, and it's not pretty. Badger Balm is another good one!

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  4. I never thought of using a clarifying shampoo! That's a great idea!

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  5. I find that when I really remember to take my Claritin/loratadine every day, my allergy symptoms are less bad overall. Of course YMMV. Hopefully this allergy season passes by quickly for you!

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  6. Thanks! It really does help get all the gunk out of your hair. Even if you don't want to use clarifying shampoo, washing your hair at night before bed helps.

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