The other day I was doing some Spring cleaning and trying to think of some new blog post ideas for the next few weeks. I pulled everything out from under my bed and saw a full box of empties. Voila! Today I’m going to walk you through all of the products that I have used in the last few months and my thoughts on them. There are a few things that I did not finish because they just didn’t work for me, but thankfully my mom and sisters are always willing to try new products. I’ve broken these products into categories because it makes it a more organized to review.
Makeup
It Cosmetics Your Skin But Better CC Cream Illumination. I think this is my third bottle that I’ve purchased and it’s my current favorite and the only foundation I use these days. A tube will last me about a month and a half and if you cut the top off with scissors, you can get a few more days wear out of it. This has a high coverage but also dewy, illuminous finish. And it smells like lemon which is nice to have a product that doesn’t smell overly perfumed.
Revlon ColorStay Moisture Stain in New York Scene. This was a nice, glossy lip stain that lasted a long time. I have had this particular one for quite a while though so I thought it was best to probably throw it away at this point.
Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment in Rose. This was a sample size that I received in a BirchBox and I loved it. This lip treatment was super hydrating and had a nice tint.
L’Oreal True Match Lumi Liquid Glow Illuminator. I really wanted to like this product because I love illuminators, but sadly I just didn’t. This finish was very patchy on my skin and just would not blend out. I tried it a few different ways but in the end it just wasn’t the match for me.
Benefit Cosmetics Dew The Hoola Matte Liquid Bronzer. This was another BirchBox sample that I received a few months ago. I really liked the finish of this product but it was a little too orange for my skin tone.
Stila Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick. Ok, so I talked about this in a favorites post a few months ago but I think I’ve changed my mind about how I feel about this product. After several uses, I noticed that it really dried out and cracked my lips. I just found an awesome dupe for this product though from ColourPop.
3D Fiber Mascara. I don’t even remember what brand this is or where I got it but I had the WORST reaction. One day my entire right eyeball was solid red and pretty painful by the end of the day, so I will not use this again.
The BrowGal Eyebrow Gel. I just finished this up and I received it in a FabFitFun box. I really liked this product and it helped to hold all of my stray eyebrow hairs in place for the whole day. The price point is a little high for me to repurchase it, but I did find a dupe for it this week–Ardell Brow Sculpting Gel and I bought mine at Sally Beauty.
Moisturizer & Serum
H20 Plus Oasis Quench the Day Hydrating Mist. I found bottles of this at TJMaxx for $3.99 so I stocked up a few. I have been loving this product to apply before and after putting on makeup. I have one more bottle left from my stockpile so I’m trying to make it last.
Retinol Serum. I have been using a basic retinol serum the last several months and it’s really improved the texture and scarring that was caused by acne. I don’t have a specific brand that I use, just whatever is at TJMaxx or on Amazon for the best price.
Skin Laundry Brightening Serum. This was another FabFitFun product and while it really did help to brighten my skin, it wasn’t worth it to me to repurchase it.
Hyalauronic Acid Serum. This is another general product that I used a lot during the winter months. It really helped to pack in extra hyrdation and to prevent my skin from burning after using some other products that were a little harsher.
OSEA Atmosphere Protection Cream. This came in my first FabFitFun box and I liked it so much, and it did wonders to my skin, that I purchased it after being done with the sample bottle. However, I don’t know if my skin built up a tolerance to something but it just didn’t seem to do the orignal job once I was almost done with my second bottle. It is all natural, which I love, but it might be one of those things that I buy once a year and use it even more sparingly.
Vitamin C Serum. Another general product I’ve been using for a while. Vitamin C serum has helped a lot to treat redness, scar pigmentation, and to help my skin look much more even.
Makeup Remover
Burt’s Bees Facial Cleansing Towelettes in Pink Grapefruit. I used this packet for trips to the gym or weekend trips and they smell so nice. The grapefruit also helps to brighten the skin.
Watermelon Makeup Remover Wipes. I found these at TJMaxx for half the price of the Burt’s Bees ones and you get so much more in these packets. The scent was really fun and fruity and the product was just as effective.
Face Mask
Andalou Naturals 1000 Roses Rosewater Mask. This is another product that I really wanted to love because one of my friends really likes it. However, I might be allergic to rosewater because there was something in it that made me break out.
Pilaten Black Mud Face Mask. I bought this a long time ago before everyone started making YouTube videos of how painful this mask was to remove–but they weren’t kidding. You have to put on a pretty thick layer for it to not hurt as much and it takes about 45 minutes to dry. But boy does it do the job! I don’t know if this was a “fun” mask to use but it is definitely a good one to use on occasion.
Formula 10.0.6 Pores Be Pure Skin-Clarifying Mask. I love this brand of masks and there’s often a sale going on at Ulta. This mask smells like chocolate-covered strawberries and it is very gentle. This mask definitely wasn’t as powerful as the black mud mask but I really enjoyed using this product and will definitely buy it again.
Good Things Manuka Honey Radiance Face Mask. This was another TJMaxx find and it was only a few dollars. I really liked this mask and the honey worked really well to brighten my skin. If I can find this again for a good price, I might repurchase it.
Face Wash & Scrub
Boscia Detoxifying Black Cleanser. This product was a gift to me from one of my sweet friends. I really enjoyed using this wash because it has a warming effect to help cleanse deeper than a regular face wash. This wash also smells like hot tea, which is so soothing.
Malin+Goetz Grapefruit Face Cleanser. This was a BirchBox sample and I used this on a trip a few months ago. I can’t remember where I was going but I do remember that this product was super refreshing and smelled amazing.
Nuxe Reve de Miel Facial Cleansing and Makeup Removing Gel. Another reason to love Birchbox! This product was apparently discontinued but it was really nice while I had the chance to try it. I think I took this on a trip as well and it worked really well to remove makeup. This gel also smelled like ginger so I felt like my skin had some zing back after cleansing.
Good Things Deep Clean Scrub. This was a great facial scrub to use because it was very gentle but effective. I can’t seem to find this online but I did buy it at TJMaxx several months ago.
Origins Modern Friction Nature’s Gentle Dermabrasion. Yet again, thanks BirchBox! This was a really nice microdermabrasion scrub that was also gentle. My skin felt even and smooth after using it and it didn’t seem to burn or overly dry out my skin.
Haircare
OGX Anti-Gravity+Hydration o2 Shampoo. This shampoo smelled really fresh but I think that my hair just doesn’t respond well to hydrating shampoos like it used to. I probably won’t buy this again just because my hair was really oily by the end of the day.
Desert Essence Italian Lemon Shampoo. An amazing natural clarifying shampoo! I bought this at Sprouts during a BOGO sale, I’m currently using a Raspberry one, and it was so worth it. Plus it smells like gelato!
Batiste Dry Shampoo. I love this dry shampoo and I’ll keep buying it. I have found it for less, though, at Walmart or TJMaxx. I tried a few new scents over the last few months and I liked all of them except the “Neon” scent. I don’t know what it was but I just did not enjoy it at all. This product does give out a white-cast but the Blonde or Brunette ones are great to blend in to other hair colors.
Dove Detox and Purify Dry Shampoo. I tried to find a dry shampoo that was less than Batiste but, even though this one is, it didn’t do anything for me except maybe make my hair greasier. Although there was no white-cast with this product, I think it was just a little too wet for my hair texture.
Big Sexy Hair Dry Shampoo. This was probably the worst dry shampoo I’ve ever used so far because it just made my hair so greasy and sticky. Sorry if that’s gross. I did get this through for only about $5.00 so I wasn’t out a lot of money for not being able to finish it. If you have thick hair, maybe this would work for you.
Whew, that was a lot of products! What have you been using in the last few months and what are your thoughts?
Love From Amy 