August 2020 Favorites

 August 2020 Favorites

(L to R: Alpha H Vitamin C Serum, Neutrogena Bright Boost SPF 30, Kiehl's Blue Herbal Spot Treatment,
By Terry Baume de Rose)

Alpha H Vitamin C Serum: just started using this recently. Purchased mine from CultBeauty. Alpha H is a beauty brand from Australia, I believe. They are more well known for their liquid gold AHA serum rather than this vitamin C serum. In addition to vitamin C, this serum includes grapeseed extract and hyaluronic acid. It feels smooth and not sticky. Absorbs quickly. I didn't find this to sting my skin at all.  

Where to buy: Alpha H website (link)

By Terry Baume De Rose: I finally took the plunge and got this lip balm despite the high price point, $60 yikes. I did get a discount, so I only paid $45, but still a cringe-inducing price. Its a super thick rich balm that smells like amazingly like roses. Been using this at night for my overnight lip balm and it definitely keeps lips moist and supple. 

Where to buy: Dermstore (link), Verishop (link)

Neutrogena Bright Boost Moisturizer SPF 30: this is a newer moisturizer from Neutrogena. Their bright boost line also includes a gel cream moisturizer. This is super lightweight, almost like a milk sunscreen and absorbs quickly. It has a light fresh scent. I do prefer to layer this with a vitamin C moisturizer. 

Where to buy: Amazon (link), Target (link)

Kiehl's Blue Herbal Spot Treatment: been using this for awhile. This is my second tube. It's a gentle spot treatment for breakouts. Has an herbal scent and contains salicylic acid as its main acne fighting ingredient. It works pretty well.

Where to buy: Sephora (link), Kiehl's website (link)

May 2020 Favorites

(L to R: Cleen Beauty Grapefruit Water Gel Moisturizer, Glow Recipe Pineapple C Bright Serum,
Inuwet Lip Balm, Malin + Goetz SPF 30 Face Moisturizer)

Cleen Beauty Grapefruit Water Gel

This brand is new to Walmart and exclusive to Walmart. It's a clean beauty brand aptly called "Cleen Beauty". Their water gel cream is lightweight and smells like grapefruit. It's a decent size at 2 oz for $9.97. The gel absorbs quickly and the scent dissipates quickly as well. This product is pretty good, I would likely purchase again.

Where to buy: Walmart (link)

Glow Recipe Pineapple C Bright Serum

This product launched awhile back, but I finally got a chance to try it. It is a pineapple based vitamin C serum. It contains 3 forms of vitamin C! The serum smells strongly of pineapple - kind of like the syrup you get with pineapple slices. It is a little sticky and leaves a sheen on your skin. 

Where to buy: Glow Recipe (link), Sephora (link)

Inuwet Strawberry Lip Balm

Inuwet Strawberry Lip Balm

Inuwet is a French vegan brand retailing at Ulta. This particular bunny balm is part of the Paris balm duo. All their balms feature various fruity flavors and bunny characters. The balm itself is a white stick that applies clear. It has a strong strawberry candy scent - very artificial. The balm smooths on easily and is really moisturizing. Lasting power is okay. The products are made in France and best of all, vegan. 

Where to buy: Ulta (link)

Malin + Goetz SPF 30 Face Moisturizer

This has been my daily moisturizer and SPF for the last few weeks. This contains shea butter so it is pretty hydrating. It's broad spectrum SPF 30 and the tube says it's water resistant up to 30 minutes. The sunscreen in this uses chemical filters for protection. I like this product a lot especially because it does not cause any of the other products applied underneath to pill. 

Where to buy: Malin + Goetz (link), Nordstrom (link)

January 2020 Favorites

January 2020 Favorites

(L to R: Thank You Farmer Water Sun Cream, LilyAna Naturals Retinol Cream,
InkeyList Q10 serum, La Mer Eye Balm, Trish McEvoy Daily Exfoliator)

Thank You Farmer Sun Project Water Sun Cream SPF 50 PA+++

This is a lightweight gel sunscreen. Applies smoothly with no greasy residue. PA+++ is the highest UVA rating. I would note, I have noticed this product does sometimes pill when layered over other products. Price is reasonable at $22. 

Where to buy: Amazon (link), YesStyle (link)

LilyAna Naturals Retinol Cream

This retinol cream is an Amazon bestseller. It contains lots of natural ingredients including aloe, hyaluronic acid, jojoba oil, and shea butter. The container is a pump style package and the cream hydrates without being greasy. I haven't found the retinol to be sensitizing to my skin. 

Where to buy: Amazon (link)

InkeyList Q10 Antioxidant Serum

This is another Inkey List serum. It contains Co-Q10. Co-Q10 is an antioxidant that helps the body to produce collagen and elastin. This is a small size at 1 oz and a squeeze bottle. The serum applies smoothly with no greasy residue. It also contains squalane for hydration. It's super affordable at $6.99.

Where to buy: Sephora (link)

(An inside look at La Mer Eye Balm)

La Mer Eye Balm Intense

This is one of La Mer's eye creams. The other eye cream they offer is called the eye concentrate. This eye balm is the thicker of the two eye creams made by La Mer. It's a thickish green hued cream. It absorbs pretty quickly though. It's not shown here but this cream includes an applicator with a metal ball on the end so you can apply the cream and the applicator has a cooling effect. This is pricey though, retailing at $225. I think I'm unlikely to purchase this again as I don't see anything too special about it.

Where to buy: Sephora (link), Nordstrom (link)

(What the Trish McEvoy exfoliator pads look like)

Trish McEvoy Daily Exfoliator Pads

These exfoliating pads are alcohol free and contains mostly BHA in the form of willow bark extract, the natural equivalent of salicylic acid. It also contains witch hazel, aloe, and chamomile for a soothing effect. One side of the pad is textured, while the other is smooth. These are pricey per pad though. It is $67 for 40 pads which comes out to $1.67/pad. There is a larger size retailing for $98 for 60 pads, but that only gets you down to $1.63/pad. To get the most mileage after using this on my face I swipe the pads on my elbows and feet. These are also fragrance free.

Where to buy: BlueMercury (link), Nordstrom (link)

Those are my favorites for January 2020. 

March Favorites

March Favorites

Now that March just ended, here's a roundup of my favorite products from the last month.

Grape Lip Saver: a dollar find from Shop Miss A, this is essentially a grape flavor lip smacker. Smells delicious and is nice and moisturizing.

Paula's Choice RESIST Ultra-Light Super Antioxidant Serum: a lightweight antioxidant serum that contains hyaluronic acid, resveratrol, niacinamide, vitamin C, and vitamin E.

Paula's Choice C15 Booster: I add this to the above serum to give it an extra boost of vitamin C in the form of ascorbic acid and ferulic acid. Both serums added together are feather light. 

La Roche Posay Anthelios SX SPF 15 Daily Moisture Cream: my sunscreen of the moment. Contains mexoryl for added protection against UVA rays. It's also nice and moisturizing and doesn't feel too much like a sunscreen. 

Biossance Squalane + Omega Repair Cream: a really hydrating cream containing squalene. It does a have a scent, that smells a little sour. I love the hefty glass jar. 

Josie Maran Whipped Argan Body Butter: this smells like vanilla Dannon yogurt. It has a nice whipped texture and absorbs easily.