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A Celeb Facialist Gave Me the Scoop on What to Buy From Amazon's Beauty Sale—Her Top Picks Start at $5
So, naturally, when Amazon launched its Summer Beauty Event, I wanted to pick Franco's brain on what skincare products are actually worth buying to get glowing skin at home (and on the road) without breaking the bank. Below are Franco's top picks from the beauty sale as well as the Amazon deals that she (and I) won't be passing up while they're marked down. Keep scrolling for toiletry bag must-haves and bathroom counter staples she recommends, as brand-name beauty products start at just $2.
If you don't have the time to stop by Franco's West Hollywood studio for one of her signature facials (or, if you're waiting for the opening of her new Beverly Grove spa Altagracia to open like me and the rest of L.A.), don't worry. All you need is one of Elemis' Dynamic Resurfacing Facial Pads. "It's a bit of a facial in a pad," Franco said of the travel-friendly product. "You'll look glowy in an instant ." Whether you're at home, on a flight, or getting ready in your hotel room, you'll unlock smoother and more awake-looking skin with just one swipe.
Amazon is a treasure trove for affordable K-beauty skincare. During the beauty sale, Franco insisted I check out Beauty of Joseon, a popular brand behind some of Amazon's top-selling skincare products. "There are so many things to like from this K-beauty brand," she said. "This mask is one of my favorites for oily to combination skin because it controls sebum (oil) production."
As Franco's "absolute favorite sunscreen," the Prevention+ Daily Ultimate SPF Moisturizer is a two-in-one toiletry bag mainstay that hydrates the skin while protecting it from harmful UV rays. The long-lasting moisture and sun protection keep your complexion dewy until it's time to reapply. Don't miss this chance to grab it on rare sale for $42.
Shopping on a budget? At 46 percent off, the Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Moisturizing Face Serum SPF 60, $12, is an affordable sunscreen option that infuses the skin with moisturizing and sun damage-reversing Vitamin E.
Discounted or not, "Thayers is always a good buy," according to Franco, who recommends adding the brand's top-selling face toner to your cart. At $5, this travel-size product is what she calls "extra dewy goodness for hydration," especially when you're traveling.
While talking skincare, Franco couldn't contain her excitement about Medicube's collagen mask. "Um, have you tried this?" she asked me. "Wow. Just wow." It's rare to see products with drugstore-friendly price tags in Franco's facial lineup, but you'd never guess that this peel-off K-beauty mask was under $20 with its smoothing, firming, and moisturizing formula.
If you took a peek inside Franco's toiletry bag, odds are, you'd find some aromatherapy goodies like this Organic Rose Water Spray from Eve Hansen. "Did you know that roses are the highest vibration out of any flower?" she began. "We all need a little extra higher vibration when we are traveling." In addition to boosting skin hydration, this spray ensures you have the stress-relieving, calming, and mood-enhancing benefits of rose essential oil at the ready.
Franco takes her own glow just as seriously as her clients', and there's only one serum that delivers the brightening power she needs: the Image Skincare Vital C Hydrating Face Serum. "I use it a lot," she admitted. The formula's all-star ingredients are vitamin C and hyaluronic acid, which work together to brighten, hydrate, plump, and firm.
Shopping on a budget? The K-Beauty-loved SeoulCeuticals Day Glow Serum, on sale for $16, packs the same brightening punch with its Vitamin C-rich formula, which also features a skin-healthy blend of ferulic and hyaluronic acids.
When working with celebrities, Franco always needs to be one step ahead of "facial emergencies," which is why she always has Starface pimple patches handy. "They're just the very best pimple patches on the market," she declared. Each star-shaped patch contains 100 percent hydrocolloid and fights blemishes by shrinking spots and reducing redness "overnight," according to reviewers.
Shopping on a budget? Though the Starface pimple patches have Franco's seal of approval, they come in packs of 32. During Amazon's beauty event, you can get a pack of 300 pimple patches from Daolyo on sale for $8.
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