December 2019 Favorites

December 2019 Favorites

(Top to Bottom: Frank Body lip balm, Glow Recipe Sleeping Mask, La Roche Posay Effaclar Adapalene, Bite Agave Lip Balm, Trader Joe's Hand Cream, Curology, Belei Hyaluronic Acid Serum)

Frank Body Lip Balm

This is a petroleum free lip balm. The primary ingredient is lanolin, so it is not a vegan lip balm. There is minimal scent. I was expecting it to smell like coffee given most of Frank Body's products are coffee-based. This does contain coffee seed extract, but no scent. It is slightly tacky and long lasting.

Where to buy: Frank Body (link), Ulta (link)

Glow Recipe Avocado Melt Sleeping Mask

This is a really nice hydrating sleeping mask. The texture of the cream is nice and thick and it has a fruity smell. It doesn't smell like avocados. I use this on top of my moisturizer and other skincare products at night to seal it all in and provide extra moisture. They also recently launched a retinol version of this mask.

Where to buy: Glow Recipe (link)

La Roche Posay Effaclar Adapalene Gel 0.1% Treatment

This is an acne treatment I am using when not using the Curology. It's the La Roche Posay branded version of Differin Gel. The texture is exactly the same as Differin. It quickly absorbs. Need to use sunscreen with this as it can make your skin more sensitive to sunlight. 

Where to buy: Amazon (link)

Bite Beauty Agave+ Daytime Vegan Lip Balm

This is the mini version I got as part of the set. They do sell a larger full size version. This balm is surprisingly thick for a stick lip balm. It also has a nice orange scent.

Where to buy: Sephora (link)

Trader Joe's Rose Oil Ultra Moisturizing Hand Cream

A decent dupe of the L'Occitane shea butter hand cream. This has a lovely rose scent. It's pretty thick, moisturizing, and absorbs fairly quickly.

Where to buy: Trader Joe's stores

Curology Superbottle

Curology is a online dermatologist providing custom treatments for acne. I have been suffering some nasty cystic breakouts in the past few months. Every time one breakout starts to heal, another pops up. And after the breakouts I now have some dark hyperpigmentation on my face. I opted to get the $5 free one month trial of this to see if it would help my acne. My super bottle formulation is 4% azelaic acid/1% clindamycin/4% niacinamide. I've noticed some other people's formulations include tretinoin, but mine does not. It is customized based on your answers to the questionnaire. The instructions indicate applying all over the face but as my breakouts are confined to the chin area, I only apply it there every night prior to my moisturizer.  

Where to buy: Curology (link)

Belei Hydrating Hyaluronic Acid Serum

Belei is Amazon's private label skincare brand. They have a few staple skincare items such as a vitamin C serum, sunscreen, and face wipes. This is a decent hyaluronic acid serum. The one difference with this than other serums is it's more like a jelly than a liquid-y serum. It also feels slightly tacky upon application. This one is the travel size from one of the kits.

Where to buy: Amazon (link)

That's it for my December favorites.

FabFitFun Winter 2019 Box Review

FabFitFun Winter 2019 Box Review

I received my winter FabFitFun box the other day and here's what's inside:

(Clockwise: Ahava Bath Salts, Makeup Eraser, Karuna Sheet Masks, Nails Inc. Thirsty Hands, R+Co Shampoo & Conditioner, Dry Bar Prep Rally, LVMI Pure Nilotica Melt)

This is definitely a great box and I am very happy with what I received. I completely forgot, but the PJ Salvage slippers aren't pictured here.

Ahava Bath Salts

I kind of wish I had gotten one of the other options. This was one was chosen for me. Select members have the option to chose theirs out of 3 choices. I don't take baths so bath salts are relatively useless for me. The other options were Frank Body Coffee Scrub or Vera Mona color changer.

Makeup Eraser

This is a pink cloth designed to remove your makeup with just water. I already have one of these and barely use it. I prefer using cleansing oils and balms and don't really like the idea of rubbing my face with a cloth. To its credit, it does remove the makeup with only water.

Karuna Face and Eye Mask Set

This is a box sheet mask set. I have used this set before in the past. I would rank Karuna sheet masks as average. They are great to use during the winter for a hydration hit.

Nails Inc. Thirsty Hands

This is essentially a sheet mask for your hands. An interesting concept, I can't wait to try.

R+Co Television Perfect Shampoo & Conditioner

This set is worth $64 and was one of the better choices, in my opinion. I have been interested in trying R+Co products. They have been very popular lately.

Dry Bar Prep Rally Detangler

I was sent two of these by accident. That's totally okay though as this was one of the products I was looking forward to in this box. This item comes in every box. It's a lightweight detangling spray. 

LVMI Pure Nilotica Melt

This is essentially pure shea butter in a tube. It's valued at $28, but I would never purchase this on my own or pay that price. Shea butter is incredibly moisturizing though and this is perfect for winter.

PJ Salvage Slippers

I forgot to take a photo of the slippers, but I also received these. Photo credit is MySubscriptionAddiction.

The total value of this box is $205. This box has a lot of items I will use so I am very happy. The box is priced at $49.99, but you can save $15 off your first box with the coupon code s2-exam (expires 2/28/20).

Where to buy: FabFitFun (link)