This week I have a lot of new things to talk about and a few things I've been using for a while. As you all know I have a total love affair with African Botanics. I've been playing with the new Le Masque Hydralift Intense for the last two weeks or so. This is a gel cream textured mask that you can use as a wash off or sleeping mask. I prefer it as a sleeping mask as I can't bear to wash it off. The ingredients are too good to waste. This mask has hyaluronic acid, aloe, fermented yeast, resurrection plant plus marine biochemisty combined with adaptogenic plants for firming and hydrating. It's as active as a serum and regenerates overnight. More to come.
I was reaching for my Cle de Peau Radiant Fluid Foundation all week. I love the easy coverage and the shade O30 is completely perfect for me. It's probably the most natural shade for me out of all brands I've tried. It's got a nice neutral olive base. This one is thin with a slightly oil feel so it's great for winter. I love the skin like finish. Review HERE. I finally grabbed Byredo Unnamed. I had been waiting it forever and I failed to pick up the limited edition scent the first time. I didn't hesitate this time. It was created in 2016 to celebrate Byredo's tenth anniversary. It has no name so you can create your own, it comes with stickers. I like it unnamed so I have not named mine. It's got a light slightly spicy and woody feel. You an never go wrong with Byredo. It is limited edition. Top Notes: Pink pepper, Gin accord, Heart Notes: Orris, Violet Base notes: Tree moss, Fir balsam.
I've been using the Fresh Black Tea Firming Eye Serum for about a month now. I love the glass bottle it's really nice. Plus the serum is a hydrating gel serum. I find it firms quite well. It's got a black tea complex, goji fruit & peptides. More to come soon. Senté is a medical grade skincare brand sold at participating offices only. Dermal Contour Pressed Serum has a thicker gel serum texture and it contains a blend of three proprietary glycosaminoglycan analogs including DSA, CSA, and patented HSA. It's meant to reduce wrinkles and firm. It does just that. I've just started playing with it but beginning thoughts are impressive so far. I will start throwing this in nightly soon and see how it performs then. So more to come. Krave Great Barrier Relief was a highly anticipated new launch. This is a highly nourishing soothing serum that helps repair the skins barrier. It's got tamanu oil, safflower & rosehip oils, NMF, ceramides, cholesterol, squalane and multi-tasker niacinamide. This serum lives up to the hype. Plus I love the bottle and it's really affordable at $28. It has a creamy texture that could double as a lotion in the summer or for oily types. I find it soothing and repairing, it reminds me of Stratia Liquid Gold with a different take on it.
I love brow gels and recently grabbed the new ILIA Essential Brow Natural Volumizing Brow Gel in Blonde. It's got a gel finish that I find holds pretty well. The brush is exactly like Hourglass. I don't get any flaking like others have mentioned in reviews but I only do one pass. I use a few strokes while it's wet then use my fingers to blend it in a bit. I do that with all my brow gels. I also use a pencil before in sparser areas so it all blends out well together. This is like a finishing product, it doesn't do all the color and hold like some brow products. That's why I like it more, I prefer the lighter tint so I can control the coverage better, The really pigmented ones get too dark for me. I do have one or two I like more than this one. I'm going to do a comparison post of some brow gels this year so stay tuned. Dr Sebagh is something I have seen on Instagram before but I finally bit the bullet and grabbed the Deep Exfoliating Mask. It has an intense orange hue that's quite stunning. This mask has a combination of lactic and azelaic acid for exfoliation and increasing cell turnover. Its got a thicker gel cream with glycerin base so it's hydrating at the same time. I love the exfoliating mask likes this, the ones that don't dry down when you use them. Plus the inclusion of azelaic acid makes this unique compared to others.
Vintner's Daughter Active Treatment Essence is another hot launch right now. This has a thin fluid slightly slippery texture. It's lightly hydrating and is designed to be one step. It's brightening, exfoliating, firming and hydrating. I'm skipping an acid toner in the morning and just using this for now because it contains lactic acid & apple cider vinegar. This has a long stellar ingredient list you can check out on their site. It's got hyaluronic acid, aloe, microalgae, PHA, AHA as lactic acid & vinegar, gotu kola, green tea, natural vitamin C in kakadu plum, oat, enzymes, probiotics and brightening licorice & niacinamide. It's pricey yes, the bottle is gorgeous. It does have a vinegar scent and I wish the bottle has a splash top versus dropper as I'm afraid I'll knock it over and spill it (klutz here). I'm giving this a good run for a month before I review it. It's definitely a luxury splurge with a really great inci list.
Top to Bottom- Krave, African Botanics, Senté, Fresh, Dr Sebagh, Cle de Peau, ILIA:
