It's almost the end of the year. The year everyone wishes would end. Oddly it went by really fast for me. I took this photo at the beginning of the month with the intention of posting it then and time just wasn't available for me. My newest acquisition is the Arcana Viritida Ritual Cleansing Balm. This is a gorgeous gel oil cleansing balm with an olive green hue and an earthy scent. This has a base of sweet almond & hemp oils with glycerin. Add in some orange water, clary sage, green tea and violet leaf extracts for an earthy scent. The scent is light, don't worry it's not overpowering. I like this both at night and as a morning cleanse. I need to try more from the line now. I finally caved and grabbed YÜLI Halcyon Cleanser the original, non-rose version. This is a gentle gel cleanser and I'm totally obsessed. It's lightweight, non-drying and has a low pH of 5.5 so it helps keep your skin's barrier happy. It easily one of the best green beauty gel cleansers I've tried to date. It has an aloe and hydrosol base with herbal extracts, peptides, algae, reishi, fruit enzymes and colloidal silver. The scent is light & herbal.
I have a new favorite from Christophe Robin. The Hydrating Leave-In Mist is a fine light spray with aloe and flaxseed extract. I love that's it's super light, hydrating yet doesn't weigh my hair down or add too much weight. No silicones. It has a light scent (almost nothing) plus it replaces my Drunk Elephant Tangle Spray, they feel about the same on my hair. I had forgotten about this jar of body cream by Beauty Pie sitting in my closet. Super Healthy Body Moisture Creme has this light almost whipped gel cream texture yet it's super nourishing with it's micro droplets of oil in water formulation. It has hibiscus & meadowfoam oils, liquid shea butter and essential oils (orange, tangerine, geranium & tonka bean). The scent is nice, the Super Healthy Skin range was in general my favorite from the Beauty Pie line. I still wouldn't resubscribe because most their stuff is too scented for my tastes, but I do like this body cream.
I grabbed the Peter Thomas Roth Peptide 21 Wrinkle Resist Moisturizer based on the recommendation of a follower. It was a great choice. This is a gel cream so for oily to combo skin you'll enjoy it as a moisturizer. I like it as a hydrating layer plus it's packed with peptides. About two weeks of using this and I noticed firmer more lifted skin near my jaw line (this is the most noticeable area for me to notice lifting and firming). At $78 for 100 mL it was a great deal. I loved the packaging as well. It was the best Drunk Elephant Protini substitute I found to date. Sadly it seems it was just reformulated to be have the size for $20 more now $98. No longer is it a great deal. That's a shame as well, I would have found myself purchasing again and talking about it a lot. It's truly a spectacular product. No fragrance as well and it doesn't have a silicone feel on the skin, no pilling either. I only purchased two fragrances this year as I'm trying to cut back. I grabbed Ayuna Dojo for Black Friday. I always loved the scent of their products and I'm so excited they created their own scent. Top notes are Texas Cedar, Precious Woods, Guaiac Wood and Myrrh; Middle notes are Haitian Vetiver, Juniper and Chamomile; Base notes are Buchu or Agathosma and Spicy Mint. It's got a slightly sweet, woody, green scent.
I'm always looking for the next good non-creasing cream eyeshadow. The new ILIA Liquid Powder Chromatic Eye Tint in Fresco has become a quick favorite. Fresco is a taupe with silver pearl. It has a thick liquid texture that sets to a powder finish. It doesn't crease and lasts all day long, even in the Texas heat & humidity. You can use your fingers or a brush to apply. Don't apply too much as it can get a little too powder heavy feeling on the lids. It's pretty pigmented overall. I'll be keeping it around. I really love the MAC Glow Play Blush in Blush, Please was easily one of the best blush purchases I've made recently. It's pigmented, has a nice bouncy fun texture and I love the natural satin finish. It has really good lasting power as well. Blush, Please is the perfect nude pink. The formula is easy to build up for a sheer to more intense look. You can use your fingers or a brush to apply.
Top to Bottom-Beauty Pie, Arcana, Peter Thomas Roth, ILIA, MAC:
So happy that you just reviewed the PTR Peptide 21 moisturizer. I just became aware of it a few days ago. I had been waiting to finish up my Barbara Sturm Brightening moisturizer and my Timeless Synthe 6 and now that the Sturm is finished & not worthy of repurchase and the Synthe 6 is almost gone, I was going to try the Alastin Restorative Skin Complex, but now looking at the PTR as a cheaper alternative. Are they comparable?