Current Favorites & Product Obsessions

This week I'm all about the Lovinah Dragon's Blood Vitamin C Cleansing Oil. I love Lovinah and this was a gift with purchase during Black Friday. It's not out yet. I have no idea what's in this ruby hued cleansing oil but I'm sure it's great as it's Lovinah. Dragon's Blood is anti-inflammatory and healing while we all know vitamin C is brightening and a powerful antioxidant. This has a slightly odd fragrance but it's been growing on me. This cleansing oil has a nice glossy slippery texture. It doesn't emulsify so make sure to use a cloth to remove or a second cleanse (or both). I'm not a huge fan of the dropper dispenser top as it doesn't take up a whole lot of the product at once so I have to dispense about 3-4 dropper fulls to cleanse. I also broke my lid screwing it on recently and almost knocked it over multiple times (I'm a klutz and it's a skinny bottle. I don't do well with dropper bottles). So I transferred it into a plastic pump which will be great for my klutzy self. Overall it has a nice brightening and revitalizing feel on the skin.

I've been on a mission to finish my de Mamiel Pure Calm Cleansing Dew. It's almost empty and I've loved every drop of the gel textured rinsable cleansing oil. It has a hint of blue tansy along with rice bran, camellia, prickly pear, yarrow, marshmallow, arnica, calendula, gotu kola, skullcap, nettle & horse chestnut to name a few. It's a nice soothing rinsable cleansing oil that soothes and never strips or dries the skin. I would repurchase this easily. I grabbed a second bottle of Manyo Factory Lactobacillus Bifida Mist last year. I love the cheap price and blend of fermented extracts & probiotics, several mushrooms, black tea, ginseng and peptides including copper tripeptide. It's fragrance free and helps repair the skins barrier. Ormonde Jayne One is a Selfridges exclusive. I completely adore the British perfume line as you know and One is kind of that grown up scent that's feminine but not too floral. I hate strong white florals. It's an oriental with a hint of spice to it. I love the metallic bottle as well. Top notes: cardamom absolute, orange absolute, bergamot. Heart notes: rose, freesia, jasmine absolute. Base notes: amber, sandalwood, cedarwood. It has a great longevity and silage.

I love ascorbic acid and I've always wanted to try Maelove The Glow Maker. The 15% ascorbic acid/ferulic acid combo is my favorite because it's so effective. Ascorbic acid is my all time favorite vitamin C for its effectiveness. This lightweight serum is thin and hydrating without being sticky plus it works. More to come soon. I don't know why I never got into By Terry Ombré Blackstars until recently. I always heard they were good but I delayed in my purchasing which was a huge mistake. I absolutely adore the formula. It glides on with no eyelid tugging and lasts all day with no creasing, even in hot and humid south Texas. It never feels tacky or sticky on the eyelid like others. I'm completely obsessed and I can't imagine not having them. I love Bronze Moon to death but I recently grabbed Frozen Quartz to accent it. Madame Gabriela is a new clean cosmetics line with lipsticks only. The satin finish nude pink Sydney at 8AM has a creamy lightweight texture and the perfect light medium neutral nude pink hue. It's creamy enough to not be drying yet feels lightweight and has a good lasting power without being drying. The formula has manuka honey, avocado oil, Vitamin E, chamomile, bergamot and ylang ylang. The brand is also cruelty free. I'm always on the look out for a nice nude pink your lips but better color.

Drunk Elephant launched its newest product F-Balm Electrolyte Waterfacial at the beginning of the year. I've been trying it a variety of ways in a routine plus morning and night to be able to get a good review. I'm almost there so I anticipate I'll talk about it next week. This soothing gel cream has a cooling and refreshing feel. It has a 4 electrolyte blend, vitamin F beads (fatty acids), niacinamide and ceramides. I love it when a water or gel cream is silicone free because it layers so easily for me. I prefer my dimethicone in my last layer. I always hear such good reviews about EltaMD sunscreens. I have to admit I've had a hard time finding the right one for me. They were always too heavy or emollient for me. I finally found the perfect one in their UV Clear Tinted Sunscreen. I normally don't show samples in these posts but this one deserves to be here. It's super lightweight, not heavy or greasy at all. It's a mineral block and the tint makes it have no white cast (though I suspect it would be minimal without the tint anyway). It's SPF 46 and runs $37. It'll be my next sunscreen purchase. It's as good as my Alastin but slightly thinner in texture, it's a bit less moisturizing than Priori my other tinted mineral favorite. I get no pilling with it even with three light layers applied. However I do get a hint of pilling on my neck (mineral sunscreens always do this to my neck and I tend to like a non-tinted on my neck so I use a different fluid sunscreen on my neck normally anyway).

Top to Bottom--Madame Gabriela, By Terry Bronze Moon then Frozen Quartz, Drunk Elephant, EltaMD, de Mamiel:

*Drunk Elephant, Madame Gabriella, Maelove gifted by brand but all thoughts are my own.