The Magic That Is the Samnyte Hair Finishing Stick, and a Friday Face of the Day With Bliss Block Star Sunscreen

First of all, I took these pics in the garden of the place we’re staying at in Sonoma just as a bunch of dudes in man buns walked by…so if I’m looking slightly amused, that’s why. 🙂

Second, what sorcery IS this? Meet the best dang product ever to tame your cray-cray flyaways — the Samnyte Finishing Stick.

I’ve always struggled to tame those tiny baby hairs around my face. I’ve clipped ’em down, coated them with flexible paste, and sprayed the living sh*t outta them with hairspray, but all of those would-be solutions left me wanting; my hair still always ended up sticking up and out every which way. Plus, adding more product usually made my bangs and roots look greasier, heavier or flakier…

NOT A CUTE LOOK!

The Samnyte Finishing stick is a magic wand! It’s a clear, quick drying, extra strong hair gel in a tube with a curved mascara wand. Just a few quick strokes through my baby hairs, and each and every wayward flyaway lines up neatly in place.

Here’s the kicker: even though those baby hairs still get tossed around by wind and the occasional Legally Blonde bend and snap, they’ll eventually, more or less, fall back into place. I just pat them down with my finger or a little more of the gel if I have it around (since it’s shaped like a mascara wand, it’s portable).

The gel also dries to a matte finish, so your hair doesn’t end up looking all shiny and crunchy like those ‘80s hair bears. Added bonus? Two tubes are just $8 on Amazon. Me and my baby hairs are forever changed.

While we’re at it, I actually put on makeup!

Item #12 on the list of “All the Ga-Jillion Ways the Pandemic Changed Me” is that days (weeks?) would pass without me putting on any makeup. One unexpected bonus, though, to not wearing as much face paint was that I got so much better about wearing sunscreen.

In these pics I’m wearing two layers of Bliss Block Star, a tinted physical mineral sunscreen as my base! I used the “two finger rule,” which is when you squeeze two strips of sunscreen from the tip to the base of the index and middle fingers, to apply the first layer to my face and neck, waited 15 minutes for it to set, then applied a second layer, again using the two finger rule.

Once the second layer set (I waited about 5 minutes), I applied eyeshadow, liner, blush, sheer under-eye concealer, brow pencil and liquid lipstick.

I haven’t worn this much makeup regularly in a while, and even though I know it wasn’t a lot compared to what I used to wear back in the day (like, 2019, HAHAHA), it still felt like a lot. Craziness.

BTW, I’m falling more and more in love with Bliss Block Star every day. If you’re looking for a super sheer base that leaves your skin smooth and matte, I think you’ll love it. All kinds of makeup seems to layer well on top of it, too — powder, gel, cream, liquid, you name it.

Like foundation or tinted moisturizer, though, you have to be careful about it getting on your clothes because it does have a tint. If I reapply it during the day (usually at lunch, and then again in the late afternoon), I use a different sunscreen on my neck and chest.

Right now my go-to of choice is Sun Bum SPF 70 Sunscreen Spray because it’s clear, so it doesn’t stain my shirts, and it feels light on my skin.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. TGIF!!! 🙂