I don’t try enough new products on a monthly basis or switch up my either my skincare or makeup routines enough to have monthly favorites. So I thought instead of doing faves, I would do months in review. Just monthly updates on the products I’m currently using and how I’m feeling about them, the good and the bad.
So here are some new items and (some items I’ve revisited) in the month February.
Leave a comment to let me know what you’ve been using :)
Once a skincare product works for me, I tend not to stray from it until I see that it has become less effective. After running out of my SK-II Facial Essence Oil and Banila Co. Clean It Zero cleansing balm (both of which I loved), I was really hesitant to venture out and try something new. But, I happened to have a deluxe sample of the Tatcha The Deep Cleanse and as a brand I trust, I figured I’d give it a go.
The Tatcha The Deep Cleanse is a really beautiful, gentle, gel cleanser that doesn’t leave my skin feeling stripped and leaves it feeling refreshed. How this is done is explained on both the Tatcha and Sephora websites but in short - the ground fibers from the Japanese luffa fruit exfoliate and help to purify and decongest pores. The amino acids derived from silk cleanse the skin leaving it soft and refreshed. What I found really interesting is that this cleanser also includes Japanese Wild rose to tighten pores and smooth skin texture as well as Japanese leopard lily to help minimize.
I’m going to keep using this cleanser and monitor how my skin adapts to it but so far I’ve been loving it and would definitely recommend it.
Boscia Charcoal Pore Pudding and Glossier Moon Mask
Seeing that I’ve been on a three month no buy, I decided I would #crashmystash and really dive into using up what I had. Between January and early February, my skin has been feeling really congested, most likely from the changes in weather here in New York. And as someone who struggles with some serious pores and blackheads, I knew I needed to get ahead of any impending congestion.
Opening up my skincare cabinet, two masks stood out to me - The Boscia Charcoal Pore Pudding and the Glossier Moon Mask. The Boscia Charcoal Pore Pudding helps to extract any impurities and tighten up pores with the combination of black and white charcoal. The black charcoal helps to rid the skin of impurities and provide a deep cleanse and the white charcoal helps to moisturize and help balance the skin’s hydration levels.
I really love how my skin feels after using this mask. I do feel like my blackheads are less visible and that my pores have tightened up and it doesn’t leave my skin feeling tight or dry like other charcoal masks.
I like to follow up this charcoal mask with the Glossier Moon Mask. Because of the harsh winter weather, and my constantly being exposed to inside artificial heat and outside winds and pollutants, I wanted to make sure my skin was amply hydrated. I’ve been using the Moon Mask since it came out and I really love this mask when my skin is thirsting for some extra hydration.
The two masks together leave my skin feeling plump, soft, hydrated, and clean.
Becca Skin Love Glow Elixir
I was super excited about the release of the Becca Skin Love line, especially the Glow Elixir. I love my glow but not through overwhelming highlighters. I prefer items like the Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Flawless Filter, the Kiehl’s Glow Hydrator, or the Becca custom enhancer drops. So I thought the Glow elixir would be right up my alley. But actually I didn’t end up liking this product. I didn’t find that it added to my skincare as a serum, and it also didn’t add glow the way the other similar products did. Plus it smells of a artificial melon/Nair scent which really put me off.
Kiehl’s Buttermask Interse Lip Repair Treatment
HOLY moly. I LOVE this lip repair treatment because it really does what it says its going to do. This mask includes fair trade coconut oil to help hydrate and soften lips while the wild mango butter helps to smooth and repair dry, flaky lips. From the first night I used this, I visibly noticed a different the next morning. Added bonus, this mask smells like white chocolate.
Surratt Lash Curler (not pictured)
I don’t have much of a protruding brow bone or deep crease, rather the surface of my face, including my eyes are quite flat. I’ve been using the Shu Uemera eyelash curler for years now and honeslty never thought I’d stray. It curls my lashes and fits my asian eye shape quite well. But when I heard Anna Newton (of the Anna Edit) rave about the Surratt Lash Curler, I had to try it out. And boy, am I happy that I did. I’m not quite sure how to explain but the Surratt Lash Curler provides easier control - the top and bottom parts of the curler do not spread too far from each other but provide the perfect space to set you lashes onto the rubber cushion. When you do press down, it really lifts and curls the lashes.
It sounds strange to rave about an eyelash curler but I would definitely check this one out if you’ve been on the market for a new one.
Milk Makeup x Wu Tang Clan Lip Colors
When I purchased two of the Milk Makeup x Wu Tang Clan Lip Colors, I did not expect to find such an incomparable formula. These lip colors are seriously pigmented. I swiped across my bottom lip once, pressed my lips together, and was amazed that the color completely covered the natural pigmentation of my lips. I’m not the biggest fan of a shiny lip color but this formula and finish are truly beautiful.
They are not long lasting and are definitely not the most affordable but if you are a lipstick fanatic, I highly recommend trying these out
Over the summer, I was obsessed with the Lancome L’Absolu Lacquer long wear stains. The colors, the pigmentation, the hydrating formula, they were just so beautiful I ended up buying five shades within a month. The past month, I’ve found myself reaching for these again. I was getting a bit bored of lathering my lips with balms and lip treatments and wanted a little more glam and so I turned to these beauties.
The L’absolu Lacquer’s have a unique innovative oil-in-water emulsion formula that is lightweight and non-sticky, providing up to six hours of wear. It is also enriched with glycerin which keeps lips feeling hydrated throughout the day. I cannot recommend these enough.
Anastasia Beverly Hills Dipbrow Pomade
Because of my no-buys, it was inevitable that I would run out of my holy grail everyday products. Trying to practice what I preach, I decided to challenge myself to use something other than my holy grail (Brow Wiz). Luckily I had the Dipbrow Pomade in my collection and figured I’d give it a go. When it first came out, I confess I had some trouble using it.
At the time, I purchased the #12 brush as per recommendation from the Sephora attendant and new immediately that it wasn’t the right brush for me. My brows are naturally quite sparse and thin and so the #12 brush was a bit too overwhelming. Instead pairing it with my MAC 208 brush was a perfect pairing for me. I can create fine hair like strokes and shape my brows easily.
I wouldn’t say this will replace Brow Wiz for me, but I’ve been enjoying it the past few months.
Last but not least is the Vera Mona Color Switch. If you’re wondering how I manage to shoot multiple looks during one shoot session without having a million brushes, it’s this. The Vera Mona Color Switch is a dry porous sponge that allows you to switch colors without having to switch brushes.
The special material allows you to remove powder product from brushes without any brush cleaner. It is washable and reusable and comes in a travel size.
Obviously this doesn’t 100% cleansing your brushes but it is convenient when traveling or if you have a limited number of brushes.