April 2020 Favorites

April 2020 Favorites

(L to R: CosRx One Step, Farmacy Lip Bloom, Gua Sha,
Kylie Skin Vitamin C Serum, Pond's Cleansing  Balm)

Farmacy Lip Bloom in Strawberry Basil: picked this up at a Farmacy Friends and Family sale. It is a glossy slightly sticky lip balm. It has a nice shine. Lasting power is okay. The strawberry basil scent is unique. Think this is only available on the brand's website.

Where to buy: Farmacy Beauty (link)

Kylie Skin Vitamin C Serum: Kylie Skin is now available in store at Ulta and I picked this up at my local Ulta. The size of this is small for the price, 0.7 oz for $28. It uses a stable form of vitamin C as tetrahexyldecyl ascorbate. It also contains vitamin E and ferulic acid. It's housed in a hefty pump bottle. This will probably go quickly for me. There is no scent that I can discern.

Where to buy: Ulta (in store only), Kylie Skin (link)

Pond's Cold Cream Cleansing Balm: this is an exact dupe for the Banila Co Clean it Zero cleansing balm. The shape of the packaging is the same and the sherbert texture and scent are also identical. The product works just as well as the Banila Co product, but is half the price at $10 instead of $20.

Where to buy: Amazon (link)

CosRx One Step Original Clear Pad: these smell lightly of tea tree. It contains a BHA and tea tree extract to treat breakouts. One container has 70 pads and they are all quite damp as the container has a lot of liquid. These won't dry out like the Trish McEvoy daily exfoliator pads I reviewed in January. I find these to be quite gentle.

Where to buy: Amazon (link)

Gua Sha: I purchased this green aventurine gua sha off Amazon. Use the contoured sides to massage your face and get lymphatic drainage. Apply oil prior to use to help the gua sha glide down your face. This video from Gothamista is a good guide to how to use: video. I also have a rose quartz one from SkinGym, not shown here.  

Where to buy: Amazon (link)

Product Review: Henne Organics Luxury Lip Balm

Product Review: Henne Organics Luxury Lip Balm

Henne Organics is an organic brand creating luxury organic lip balms and lip products. This is the review of their original product, Henne Organics Luxury Lip Balm. The product is housed in a  heavy weight pot. Henne Organics also offers their V2 version, which is a stick form of this lip balm. The balm has a little bit of a gritty texture when you dig it out, however, upon application it melts and smooths out. I attribute this to the high beeswax and cocoa butter content. The ingredients in this lip balm are: coconut oil, beeswax, shea butter, cocoa butter, avocado oil, jojoba oil, and vitamin E. It is a pretty simple, but natural formulation. The balm retails for $22, pricey for the simple ingredients. At this price point, you could actually just make your own and it would probably be cheaper. The product also has a slight cocoa butter scent.  This balm is not tested on animals and is made in the USA.  I would rate this, a 3/5. Would I repurchase? Probably not. 

Where to buy: Nordstrom (link)