Emptied a bunch of new stuff this past month. Heads up, a lot of this stuff was a no go for me. Keep reading & check it out!
Skincare
Simple Micellar Cleansing Water (6.7 fl oz for ~$5 at Target, Amazon, Walmart, literally anywhere)
I don't know why, but I hate this micellar water. It just doesn't live up to my HG Bioderma. I remember using this a long time ago and not hating it, so maybe I'm just $3 bougier now. And maybe I got a bad batch this time around, but this stuff smells bad. I don't even know how to describe it. I hated every time I had to swipe a cotton round with it on my face. To be fair, it does a stand up job at removing makeup. So go ahead and take your chance with this one. But I much prefer Bioderma or even Garnier, which sport much larger sizes, FYI. Will not repurchase.
Pixi Beauty Vitamin-C Lotion* (1.7 oz for $24 at Target)
This is described as a skin brightening moisture lotion. I didn't love it and I didn't hate it. It has a faint citrus fragrance which I am partial to (but ~fragrance~ so be wary), but I don't feel like it thoroughly moisturized my oily skin. It's lightweight and absorbed fairly quickly, but it didn't sit too well underneath my sunscreen if I used it in the morning. I used this product in conjuncture with their Vitamin C serum, and after a few months of consistent use, don't feel like it really brightened any of my discoloration or evened my skin tone. Will not repurchase.
Pixi Beauty Vitamin-C Serum* (1.1 fl oz for $25 at Target)
I ran out of this way quicker than I intended because my daughter spilled the bottle one morning shortly after opening it 😩, so to be completely frank, I don't know if this product affected my skin in any way. Like the lotion, it also has a faint citrus scent, and added instant brightness to my dull skin in the morning. I won't be repurchasing at the moment because I have other Vit C products I'm testing.
Fresh Beauty Vitamin Nectar Antioxidant Face Serum* (0.5 oz for $28 at Sephora)
This product is described as a juice serum with microbubbles that delivers an essential dose of skin nutrition for an energized, healthy look. I was most excited to try this because their Vitamin Nectar Mist is my shiiiiit. It's a lightweight serum comprised of vitamin fruit complex, jicama root juice, and chicory root juice. It's a tiny bottle, so it didn't last me as long as I would have liked. I used it consistently each morning for almost a month and a half. I didn't notice any drastic changes in skin tone, even though this is formulated to combat dark spots. I already know that my dark spots are a biiitch and really the only thing that'll help me are medical grade peels, so at this point I've almost given up on over the counter products that say they'll lighten my dark spots. But I digres--I did really enjoy this product! It made my skin feel really smooth, and added a cute little glow. Probably will not repurchase.
Be Transcendent Recharge Cleanser (2 oz for $10 at Be Transcendent Skin)
I've had this cleanser forever now. I have a full blog post on the mini-glow pack that I bought because I love to support new, black-owned brands. This cleanser is just okay. It took me forever to get through it, and my boyfriend helped a lot with that. It's a gentle cleanser than lathers on a good day, but did leave a weird film on my face some days when I used it. Because of that little factoid, I won't repurchase. But I would absolutely recommend their Realignment Night Serum!
Versed Dew Point Moisturizer (2 fl oz for $15 at Target or Versed)
Versed holds a special place in my heart. Their products are no nonsense, affordable, and their packaging speaks to my millennial AF bones. It's a super lightweight moisturizer, which I love for during the warmer months, but is packed with HA to thoroughly moisturize my skin no matter the weather condition. I've gone through tubes of this stuff, mainly because my boyfriend likes it as much as I do, so we runnnn through this stuff. But I don't even care because you can't beat the affordable price. Would highly recommend, especially if you love moisturizers like Neutrogena Hydro Boost! An absolute repurchase.
The Inkey List Polyglutamic Serum* (1 oz for $15 at Sephora)
So this product is ... interesting. It claims to hold 4x more moisture than HA. And ya girl is an HA whore, so I was excited to try it! It has a weird texture, and is not as lightweight as their hyaluronic acid is. But I figured out the winning combo -- if you use the HA combined with the Polyglutamic serum, it gives you the most plump, hydrated skin on the whole planet FR FR. Won't repurchase, mostly because I don't think it's a necessity in my routine.
The Inkey list Caffeine Eye Cream (0.5 oz for $10 at Sephora)
I rotated this eye cream around with OH's Banana Bright & Glossier's Bubblewrap, and this was definitely the lowest rated one. I was most excited about this because caffeine in products tends to reduce the look of puffiness. It's nothing too special, tbh. I like the consistency--it's somewhere between a gel and a serum but it's not a hydrating as Banana Bright or Bubblewrap. I'm curious to see how this compares to their new eye cream, Brighten-i, but not enough to repurchase at the moment. It's definitely an affordable eye cream though, perfect for those who are newly introducing eye treatments into their routine.
Murad Invisiblur Perfecting Shield SPF 30 Mini (0.33 oz for $19 at Sephora)
Still one of my favorite primers/sunscreen duos. I always keep a mini with me for when I'm planning on traveling because it gives off the most flawless base before makeup application. She is expensive though, but in my eyes worth every penny. Already repurchased a mini & currently working through a full size.
Caudalie Lip Conditioner (0.15 oz for $12 at Sephora)
This shit sucks. Doesn't keep my lips hydrated, wears off after 5 minutes like a cheap chapstick. It's a no. And that's that on that. Won't repurchase.
Makeup
Loreal Infallible Pro-Matte Foundation (1 fl oz for ~$11 at Target, Amazon, Walmart, Ulta)
This was my favorite drugstore foundation for the longest. It's a full coverage foundation that is sweat-proof, humidity-proof, ex-boyfriend-proof, whateva. Their shade range is trash (I believe they added an additional 4 or 5 shades since I first starting using it) which is unacceptable for such a huge brand. Because of this, though, I can truly only wear this bad boy in the summer months. I've also graduated from a full-beat-matte face to a more skin-like medium finish foundation, so I decided to toss this before it's expiration! Will not repurchase currently.
Loreal Infallible Pro-Glow Foundation (1 fl oz for ~$11 at Target, Amazon, Walmart, Ulta)
I only picked this up because of how much I liked Pro-Matte, bu this one did not do it for me. It applied really nicely but then after 15 minutes or so I swear I looked like a sweat bucket. And I also purchased the same shade as the Pro-Matte and somehow this shade was off? It made me look a little bit grayer than I imagined. It was weird. I did not like it. I will not repurchase.
Colourpop No Filter Matte Concealer ($6.50 at Colourpop and Ulta)
Still one of my favorite concealers out there. It covers up every dark spot or blemish with the quickness. My favorite five minute makeup days always include this concealer. My combo/oily skin girls--if you haven't tried this concealer yet I suggest you do! Plus, can we talk about the price?!?! A game changer. An always repurchase.
*product was gifted. Opinions are my own.