Well, we’re four days into quarantine and there’s no going back now. Just kidding — we’re super excited to have finally made it to London. It’s been a looooooong time coming. And if the main photo for this post is any indication, I tried to use up as many of my beauty products as possible before we hopped the pond.
I’m planning to share more about the move and a final farewell to NYC later this week — I just can’t focus on much else right now besides the election back in the states. To all of my American friends, I hope you voted! In the meantime, beauty and skin care remain my favorite form of self care. I also need to justify bringing an entire suitcase of products with me on the plane, which TSA definitely checked.
As for the month of October, here’s where we ended up:
Repurchase:
iS Clinical Reparative Moisture Emulsion — My hands down winner this month. I love this moisturizer. The blend of antioxidants, peptides and marine extracts helped me look awake every morning and it worked beautifully under sunscreen. If you have oily skin, one pump is seriously all you need for your face and neck, which means this bottle will last about nine months or more.
iS Clinical Cleansing Complex — I think I may have found my new favorite brand. Or rather, another favorite brand. This has become my preferred morning cleanser because of how gentle it is while still busting up anything left in my pores thanks to the salicylic acid. I know this may not sound good but it smells like a swimming pool to me, which means it smells really clean, haha.
Malin+Goetz Resurfacing Glycolic Pads — My old next-door neighbor (we lived just up the street from the original store in Chelsea). These pads are excellent for weekly exfoliation. I used them twice a week at night instead of retinol. The 10% glycolic acid will give you some serious tingle, but I worked up to leaving it on all night and it really helped keep my pores clear. They’re also a great value.
Ole Henriksen Glow2OH™ Dark Spot Toner (gifted) — I’ve been using this toner five nights a week for months now and have really enjoyed it. The combo of glycolic and lactic acids helped soften and smooth my skin and my skin tone is overall more even. Did it totally erase some serious dark spots I had? No. But it’s a nice way to add acids to your routine (if you can tolerate them) and it layered well with my retinol.
Living Proof Restore Perfecting Spray — My hair is too thick and curly to skip a detangling spray. This one removes tangles gently, conditions, is cruelty free and protects your hair for heat styling. If it also helped with humidity, it would be a 10/10 but it’s pretty damn close.
Paula’s Choice Skin Smoothing Retinol Body Treatment — I first tried this product a few months ago, and I thought it made my shoulders break out. Turns out, it was the fragrance in my body wash. So when I recently picked it back up, I realized what a nice moisturizer it is. The retinol, shea butter and evening primrose oil kept the skin on my arms and legs soft and smooth all day long, no irritation. It did last only a couple of months, so I would need to use it longer to see if it had any effect on tone, but worth trying.
On the Fence:
Hyper Skin Hyper Clear Brightening Clearing Vitamin C Serum — I really enjoyed the vitamin C side of this serum. It didn’t break me out since it’s a light gel and it gave my skin a wonderful glow. I also noticed it helped fade some old marks of mine a bit. However, my skin really needs stronger acids to keep my pores clear and the amount of salicylic acid in this one just wasn’t enough.
Diva Stuff Pillow Mist — I didn’t dislike this product at all, I just found it a bit extra. It has a nice lavender smell and it did “refresh” my pillow each night before bed, but I don’t know that it did anything major for my skin. Use it for the aromatherapy and just wash your sheets more.
Pass:
Edible Beauty Australia Gold Rush Eye Cream — When I first got this in one of my Box of Style curations, I instantly fell in love with the texture. This cream, made with gold leaf, coffee, blueberry oil and cucumber extract, is very hydrating and absorbs really well. And gold? How luxe. It didn’t irritate my eyes or cause any milia, it just didn’t do much else when it came to de-puffing or fighting fine lines.
SkinFinity Hydra Ca-Mg – Body Splash — This body gel comes in a convenient pump and has a delicate, fresh smell. I bought it because it smelled so clean and breezy. Unfortunately, my skin (especially on my legs) always felt dry by evening. I would treat it more like a body serum and layer it with something richer.
See what else I’ve used up here.
