The Empties of February 2023

I always reach the end of the month and think, I didn’t use up a lot of products this month’, and yet somehow when I dive into the bin I keep under the sink for my empty products I am always amazed by what I find.

this time we are going to start off with the serums. There were two in this month’s empties. The first is the Babor Ampule Concentrate in Perfect glow. It is a seven day set so I used it for a full week. It is a fantastic serum and to be honest my one real complaint is that it only comes in a seven day set. If it came in a bottle that I could use continuously I would always have it around. I could really see a difference in the texture of my skin and I felt really good using it.

The second serum in this moth’s empties is the Elemis Pro Collagen Renewal serum. It smells fresh and clean, absorbs well into the skin and really helped plump up some of my fine lines. I really enjoyed it and would happily order it again. it was one of my holiday stock up on Elemis product orders and was a great way to start off the new year. I think I started it in December and the bottle lasted almost eight weeks.

There is a second Elemis Item in my empties bin and it is also from the Pro Collagen line. It is a really good line actually. This was the energizing Marine Cleanser. It has the same scent as the other pro-collagen items. The cleanser is a blue gel which I found fun. It lathers well and rinses away clean. The scent is really just fresh and clean. I loved it as a morning cleanser.

This month I also used the Rodial Dragon’s Blood Sculpting Gel. It was a sample size and alas not as full of product as i would have liked. I have used this in the full sized before and always gather up any samples of this that I find. Oddly enough Rodial is not one of my go to brands. I generally find their items just okay in performance and a bit over priced. This however is the one product I really do like from them and will continue to use. Everything else form the brand is more hit or miss. This, for me is their star. It is a light weight cream that absorbes quickly and makes your skin feel like silk.

there were two dry shampoos in this month’s empties. I didn’t actually use them both completely up this month, I’ve been working on them for a while. The Authentic Beauty Concept Dry shampoo was fantastic for not only making my hair look freshly washed but for making it feel soft and for giving it a lot of body. It is something I will certainly be repurchasing. Klorane has been my go to for dry shampoo for years. This particular one, Klorane Dry Shampoo with oat Milk is the one I keep in my car because it is a manual dry shampoo. There is no sort of accelerant at all in the product container. You twist the top to expose the hole and then you squeeze the bottle to get the product out. I really like Klorane in general, but this particular version is fantastic for leaving in the car or a gym bag. I sometimes worry about bottles with accelerants in hot cars, but that often leaves me sans dry shampoo in the summer so this is the perfect solution for me.

Continuing with hair products, I have another travel sized Christophe Robin Sea Salt Scalp scrub that has now been emptied. I think I have one more sample size before I can open the full sized version I have waiting in the wings. Admittedly i think i have a couple of other sample sized products to get through before I open any full sized scrub, but that is another discussion. I do love this scalp scrub and to be honest you will probably see the third sample of this in next month’s empties. it is just my favorite.

I can’t say the same for the other two hair masks in the empties bin though. The TruffLuv Indulge Truffle Mask works really well but the scent is so floral and so strong that I simply don’t find it pleasant to use. I worked my way through it and the tube is now empty but even though it worked well, i did not find using it to be pleasant because of the scent.

The Olaplex #3 was an interesting pre shampoo mask. It reminded me that I probably should do more pre shampoo masks. It was good about removing any product residue from my hair but it also removed any body and volume from my hair. I have a slight curl to my hair. Because it is long and thick, the weight of it tends to pull a lot of the curl out, but the ends always have some curl to them. This made those ends stick straight. The hair was silky soft and there were no tangles but it made my hair feel kind of dead with the removal of so much of the body and it wasn’t something I really want to repeat.

And finally there are two face masks. I am not the biggest fan of peel off face masks but i did enjoy this Aceology Firming Treatment Mask. I prefer the non peel off masks from Aceology, mostly because I just prefer non-peel off masks (If you get a chance to try their Rose Petal Mask go for it, your skin will feel like rosepetals) I do like this peel off mask enough that I would use it again, even if i don;t feel the need to run out and repurchase this immediately.

The final mask and final item in my empties bin this month is the Yensa Pumpkin Turmeric 2-in-1 Radiance polishing face mask. This mask smells like a delicious bakery treat. I now that isn’t the most important thing, but it smells fabulous. It has an exfoliating component and my skin always feels amazing after I use it. It is great to follow any kind of pore clearing treatment. Often i will use a pore clearing mask on a Friday and then Saturday evening follow with this to remove what the pore clearing mask brought to the surface. It is great on it’s own but it is excellent as part of a two product skin care tag team.

Over all i was pretty happy with things this month. There were definitely some highlights as well as a few lows, but I got to try out quite a few different products and I always enjoy finding new favorites.

The Skincare Line Up: February 17th, 2023

I know most of you are taking a good look and thinking that nothing changed, and you would be right. But take a good look, because things are about to change. For several of these products this is the last week in the line up. During the coming week i will be using up the last of several of them and rolling in new items. I try to start things on different days so my skin can deal with the changes. I am also thinking of going back to separate day and night time routines. I generally find that I do better with my skincare if I can just go down the line with things instead of having to think about the products and what gets used when. I find I am more consistent with my skin care with a separate day and night routine. But that is something I will figure out later, for now, let’s see what was used this week and what will be going away.

Makeup Remover: Beekman 1802 Makeup Melting Cleansing Balm

Cleanser: Elemis Pro Collagen Energizing Marine Cleanser

Toner: Perricone MD High Potency Face Finishing Firming Toner (sent by BzzAgent for review)

Essence: Missha Time Revolution The First essence (currently 30% off on the brand site)

Serum: Elemis Pro Collagen Renewal Serum

Moisturizer: ESPA Optimal Skin Pro Moisturizer

Eye cream: Byroe Tea Time Eye gel

First we have the Beekman 1802 Makeup remover. It is good, but it is not something that works well with mascara. I found that going in with my Makeup Eraser (wet) over my eyes to remove most of the eye makeup and mascara before going in with the cleansing balm really helps. It means I don’t need a second product and I still end up with clean skin. I still have a week, maybe two of this cleansing balm so it will be sticking around a little bit longer.

I did manage to stretch the Elemis Cleanser out until this morning, but the last of the product was used this morning. It is a nice gel cleanser and it worked really well cleaning my skin without stripping it. It isn’t much of a surprise as I really like most elemis products. while I would use this cleanser again in a heart beat and may actually order a full size, the only reason I might not order it is because I love the Elemis Lime Blossom Cleanser just a little bit more. This cleanser is, alas empty now and I will have to choose a new one before bed time tonight.

The Elemis Serum has a couple of days left and I will use every drop of it before I let the bottle go. It is a really good serum that makes my skin soft and I have seen an improvement in the texture of my skin as well. I would happily use this serum again and am a little bummed that I will soon have to let it go. Mostly because I know there are other serums waiting in the wings that I need to try before I repurchase this one. I will however be repurchasing this one.

I will also be repurchasing the ESPA Moisturizer. There is only a little bit left in the jar but oh wow was it fantastic. It felt like it was going to be a thick and heavy cream when I first touched it. It is a very rich cream, but once it warms to the skin it melts in like a dream. The few white streaks are gone once it warms and that really takes very little time. It proved to be a good day and a night cream, which I wasn’t expecting. Given the texture I thought it would surely be too heavy for me to use in the day, but it wasn’t. I really can not say enough good things about this cream. I an say that it was part of the reason that I didn’t create a separate day and night time routine. I wanted to use the moisturizer for both ends of my day. I do wonder if my love of this cream was also due to the time of year that i used it. I am at my driest this time of year and my skin loved it. I do think that i might actually repurchase this moisturizer in the summer this year to see if it is as fantastic when i am on the oilier side of my seasonal skincare. But for now it was fabulous and I can already see it as the first item on my favorites list from 2023. In a few days time though the jar will be empty. But it will be retested once the world warms back up.

The Perricone Toner will be with me for a while yet, provided I don’t accidentally knock over the bottle. I have a small powder room where I do my skincare and while I adore this product, the bottle has an open top. It has the screw on cap but then it is just an open bottle to the product. So if it does get knocked over then it will all spill out. I am being very protective of it as I don’t want to waste a drop so it should be fine, but I have knocked things over in the past so I am taking precautions. That is actually the only issue I have with the toner. If it had a regulator in the bottle it would be about perfect. A little strong in scent but utterly fabulous and well worth any other inconvenience to use. It is slightly exfoliating but it is gentle enough to use daily. I have had fewer issues with clogged pores since I rolled it in and will happily keep using it.

And now it is time for the Byroe Tea Time Eye Gel. I adore this eye cream. It is a gel eye cream and it takes very little to apply to the eyes. It is also one of the few products that will be continuing in the line up. It will take me a really long time to get through the jar. However once a new routine is settled I may roll in some of my eye cream sample sizes to try them out. But for now I like that it is a something stable in the line up. I will be keeping very little through next week and it is nice to have some stability. And since I know this is fabulous, I don’t mind keeping it.

And so take a good look at this line up my darlings because there are big changes on the way as the empties go away and new products take their place. Personally this is when i start getting excited. But that is for later. Enjoy your Friday my darlings.

A Post Workout friend…

If you have followed my posts for any length of time you will know that Elemis is one of my favorite skincare brands. It is rare though that I will branch out of face products. I have used the muscle relaxion oil, which I really liked. It was an oil that you basically used as a massage oil. I enjoyed it because it reminded me to take the time to massage my legs and arms after a hot post workout shower.

And yes after a workout I really give the water heater a work out. I love hot water on sore muscles and will run out the hot water. Following with the oil was great.

Somehow I thought this would be similar, just in cream form. And it sort of is. This Elemis Instant Refreshing Gel is designed to be massaged into sore muscles. which as I am slowly increasing my workout every week or so I thought this was a great product to try out.

Somehow I didn’t expect it to actually work like a sports cream.

In retrospect, when i look over the description I can sort of see it.

A revitalising body gel formulated with soothing Arnica and Camphor that delivers relief to tired and tense muscles in seconds.

I know, it seems obvious, but somehow I thought it was just like a refreshing body lotion. It isn’t. It is moisturizing and it is hydrating on the skin. However it is very much like putting on a sports cream like BenGay or IcyHot onto your skin. Which you might want to know before applying it. I had a very surprising first application. After the first application, I was expecting the intense cool and tingling of the gel.

It is a clear gel that absorbs very quickly and starts relieving muscle ache almost instantly, just as it claims. It is also hydrating without being greasy. I didn’t need to apply a moisturizer over it. Which was nice. Typically with something like Icy hot, after I apply it my skin dries out a little. the muscles are relieved, but the skin needs some back up. With this Elemis Instant Refreshing Gel I didn’t need a follow up body cream.

It is intensely scented. As you may expect from the inclusion of camphor in the description, it has a scent that I think of as Vicks Adjacent. It is very medicinal. Now in my house we have the great Vicks Vapor Rub debate. Growing up my mother loved it and now my Babydoll adores it. I will tolerate it when i have to. For me this gel works well enough that I will put up with the scent. It also smells very Vicks like so I actually found it disappearing faster than I was using it. My babydoll has been dipping into the tube. I caught him at it when i found the Elemis Instant Refreshing Gel disappeared from my collection of products and was put into his collection. I like this gel, but i have the feeling that I will have to hunt for it when I want to use it and that it will be one of his regular products.

For me the scent is not my favorite. But it works well enough that I am willing to over look the scent in order to get the benefits of the product. My babydoll likes the muscle relief, but he also adores the scent. I suspect this Elemis Instant Refreshing Gel will be around our house for a while.

The Skincare Line up: February 10th, 2023

Good morning my darlings. It is Friday once again and you know what that means. Its time to talk about skincare! And yes i just pictured Kermit the Frog waving his arms ecstatically in the air as he opened The Muppet Show in case you are wondering, so please read the words with the appropriate enthusiasm and don’t make me use all caps. No one want’s the yelling of all caps. But hopefully we are all singing the Muppet show theme song now (unless it is just me) and it is time to see what products were used this week.

Makeup Remover: Beekman 1802 Makeup Melting Cleansing Balm

Cleanser: Elemis Pro Collagen Energizing Marine Cleanser

Toner: Perricone MD High Potency Face Finishing Firming Toner (sent by BzzAgent for review)

Essence: Missha Time Revolution The First essence (currently 30% off on the brand site)

Serum: Elemis Pro Collagen Renewal Serum

Moisturizer: ESPA Optimal Skin Pro Moisturizer

Eye cream: Byroe Tea Time Eye gel

A lot of this should sound familiar to you if you tune in each week. You may notice that the Kate Somerville Retinol is not in the line up this week. I like it and will keep using it, but it does not react well with the Perricone MD so since BzzAgent sent the Perricone toner to me to try out and review, I set the Kate Somerville aside so that I can keep using it.

As a toner the Perricone is working great. It also provides a really light exfoliation that I like. the rose scent is a little strong, but it does dissipate pretty quickly. If there was one thing i would change is the bottle. It just has a cap and an open top so often i will find myself dispensing more product than I actually need. I think if there was a small regulator to dispense it in smaller amounts I would like it a little bit better. However over all it is a really nice, gentle exfoliation.

The Missha Time Revolution is one of my favorite Essences. I feel like I can practically feel my pores opening up and begging for skincare products. The bottle is a little more than halfway done (I probably have another 2-3 weeks left of use in it) and I will continue to use it until it is gone. and then i will purchase it again.

The Beekman 1802 makeup remover is working well. It is a bit crumbly. I like it and would use it again. but I can’t say that it is my favorite formula. I just prefer a creamer consistency in the makeup removing balms. I like this enough that I would probably purchase it again if it was on sale and I was on the Beekman site picking up one of the products they make that I think are super fabulous, but I wouldn’t go looking for it. It removes makeup well, but leaves a film over my contacts. A little saline clears it up so that is fine. It isn’t the best makeup remover with mascara, regular or waterproof. but over all it does a good job. it is more the crumbly texture that makes me not love it. but I do like it.

The Byroe Tea Time eye gel is fantastic. Or I guess I should say still fantastic. So little is used that I will be using this for quite a while yet. The gel texture really helps it absorb quickly into the skin and I am starting to se an improvement in the fine lines around my eyes. While I thought the cap was a bit much at first, and it probably is, the shape of it is really easy to grip and turn, making opening this really easy, even with wet hands.

I am absolutely in love with the Espa moisturizer. it is just past half way down and I am already regretting the day it is used up. It is a fantastic formula for both day and night time use and it provides enough moisture without going overboard. I use slightly more at night than in the day but it is a very small difference. The scent is clean, sweet and fresh. It feels thick until you apply it and then it feels weightless. it will leave a little bit of white on the skin until it warms up but as soon as it warms to the skin it all absorbs right in.

The Elemis Pro collagen Renewal serum is doing well with my skin as well. My skin feels soft and hydrated and And I think applying it after the exfoliating toner and Missha essence have prepped the skin really helps it just dive beneath the surface. I am not sure if there are specific elements that I can say are directly related to this serum, but it is working well with all of the other elements in the line up. There are no break outs and the bumps I had are slowly disappearing. Which I think is due to good exfoliation paired with good products following.

This week you may notice there is a sample sized cleanser in the line up. I was using the Dr. Brandt Pores no More cleanser. It is fabulous, but it is a cleanser I only really need when I am breaking out. I set it to the side and decided to clear out one of my sample sizes. Looking at the Valentine’s day box from Glossy Box I thought about my samples and decided to use this one. I was surprised to find it was a gel. I somehow wasn’t expecting that. It has the same pro collagen scent all of the products in this Elemis line have. Personally I like it. it is slightly sweet and slightly sea like. It doesn’t really foam a lot, but it rinses off clean and it does a really good job of cleaning the skin. while i like it and wouldn’t mind using it again, I find the cream texture and sent of the Lime Blossom Cleanser just a little more suited to me. Would I use this cleanser again, in a heart beat. It is really good. It is only the gel formula and scent preference that make it not top f the Elemis list for me. I would go for their lime blossom cleanser first because i simply like the scent of lime blossoms.

And that my darlings is this week’s line up. over all the items are working well together. I finished up my last physical exfoliator and won’t replace it until the Toner is finished and I am skipping the retinol too for the time being. So things look slightly more streamlined. This sample cleanser will last a few more days but I will probably roll in another sample to clear out once it is complete. I’ll see where I stand with the samples after that. For now, I am pretty pleased with how my skin looks and feels. And so the line up continues. Have a Great Friday my darlings.

The Skincare Line up: February 3rd, 2023

Welcome once again to the weekly skincare line up. Here we take a look at all of the products I am currently using in their natural habitat. Actually it is more of talking about how well they play with others. Because let’s face it, I simply don’t use a single product in isolation. I am using it as part of a routine. So let’s look at the items in the routine shall we. Oh and for those you you tilting your heads, the shelf is straight, I just tilted the camera to try and get the best angle. I didn’t realize quite how off kilter it was until I sat down. Hopefully it doesn’t knock anyone off balance.

Makeup Remover: Beekman 1802 Makeup Melting Cleansing Balm

Cleanser: Dr. Brandt Pores No More Pore Purifying Cleanser

Toner: Perricone MD High Potency Face Finishing Firming Toner (sent by BzzAgent for review)

Essence: Missha Time Revolution The First essence (currently 30% off on the brand site)

Serum: Elemis Pro Collagen Renewal Serum

Retinol: Kate Somerville Retinol Vitamin C

Moisturizer: ESPA Optimal Skin Pro Moisturizer

Eye cream: Byroe Tea Time Eye gel

Okay we have some continuing favorites and some new additions, let’s just go through the list. First, the Beekman 1802 Makeup Remover. It is really good and gentle on the skin. It does make my contacts cloudy if it gets in the eyes but the cloudy film is easily rinsed away with a dash of saline. I meant to add an eye makeup remover to the mix but forgot. Still it works well and I like it.

The Dr. Brandt Pores no more is a fantastic cleanser. It smells very medicated (salicylic acid). I was worried that it might be a bit drying because of that but thus far that hasn’t been a concern. i think because I was already worried about dryness from the central heat I took steps to add enough moisture that it hasn’t been a problem. i think that If I wasn’t using such a really good moisturizer than I might need to alternate with a different cleanser and to be honest i am thinking of trying to use up some sample cleansers by using them in the morning and this at night. I may do that this week if I remember. I think I have about four sample sizes that I want to clear out. I’ll double check later.

For now, since I already mentioned it, This ESPA moisturizer is fantastic I don’t need much because it is a rich moisturizing formula but that does mean I will be using it for quite some time. It has been a little over a month now and I am not quite halfway through the container. I will happily use this for as long as it lasts and then mark it for repurchase. it is a thick formula that feels light on the skin. It needs to warm up to melt in so there are a couple of white streaks when you first apply it, but the white fates almost immediately as it warms to skin temp. And it smells like a fresh sort of candy. It is just absolutely delightful all around.

Okay the essence is also fabulous. this isn’t the first time i have used this essence and it won’t be the last time. It really opens the pores up so they can make the best use of the rest of the skin care. And even though we are way out of order on the products, I will add that the Byroe Eye cream is one of my favorite products as well. it is one of the best eye creams I have tried in a while. The gel formula absorbs well and I am seeing a reduction in my fine lines.

I know it all sounds fabulous. And it is, but now I want to talk about Kate Somerville and Perricone MD. They have been a very interesting pair. Individually I am really enjoying them both. The Kate Somerville Retinol is something i used twice a week. I’ve gone with Tuesdays and Thursdays and when I use it, I really enjoy it. my skin sucks it in. I apply it, wait a few hours and then just before bed apply my moisturizer over it, because it just isn’t quite enough moisture for my skin. If your skin is more on the oily side you may not need a moisturizer on top. For me at this time of year i do.

the Perricone MD Toner is new. It is an exfoliating toner. It as actually quite nice. My skin feels very fresh after using it, but the rose oil in it is very soothing so unlike other exfoliating toners my skin doesn’t feel extra naked and stripped. it feels clean and ready to move into other skin care. It does have AHAs which make my skin red for a moment after application. the red then fades in less than a minute and I am good.

The Kate Somerville Retinol also makes my skin red for a moment. it takes a little longer to fade, but it does and then my skin looks great.

on their own both are great products. If I try to use them both on the same night, no matter how many products are between the application of the toner and the retinol, my face gets really red and slightly prickly. It feels a little hot. While the feeling fades and my skin calms down, I do not care for it. So on the nights I use the Kate Somerville, I don’t use the Perricone MD. If I separate them than my skin is fabulous and I get the benefits of both. They just don’t want to play well together on my skin. that was the only issue i had with any of the products. On their own everything on this list is proving to be something my skin enjoys. But Kate Somerville and Perricone MD are not playing well together so I am separating them. thus far that has been all it has taken to get them both to settle in and work fabulously. Hopefully, that will continue. It will be something I monitor moving forward. And so the skincare line up proceeds for another week. I will see you back here next week to see how things progress. As we are just passing the 30 day mark for most of these products soon there will be updated results, with luck. Stay tuned my darlings and have a fantastic Friday.

The Skincare Lineup: January 27, 2023

And so we reach the end of another week. And it is time once again for my favorite post, the skin care line up. While I do like posting about the individual items, this post is all about how the items i use on my face work as a team. Because let’s face it, I don’t use just one item in isolation. Many of my items are approaching the 30 day mark of use and soon I will e able to look at actual results. I love skin care, but it isn’t a magic potion. It takes time and consistent use to show results. And generally you only start seeing changes after 30 days. So, soon sooooon… But until then, we have mostly the continuing products and one brand new cleanser. I have also put a picture of my face sans makeup because honestly, I think my skin looks fabulous this week. Even with the baggy allergy eyes. So lets get into it shall we?

Makeup Remover: Beekman 1802 Makeup Melting Cleansing Balm

Cleanser: Dr. Brandt Pores No More Pore Purifying Cleanser

Exfoliator: Elemis Blackcurrant Jelly Exfoliator

Toner: Elemis Superfood Fruit Vinegar Toner

Essence: Missha Time Revolution The First essence (currently 30% off on the brand site)

Serum: Elemis Pro Collagen Renewal Serum

Retinol: Kate Somerville Retinol Vitamin C

Moisturizer: ESPA Optimal Skin Pro Moisturizer

Eye cream: Byroe Tea Time Eye gel

Lips: Tatcha Kissu Overnight Lip Mask

Okay let’s start from the top. The Beekman cleansing balm is good. It takes very little to actually remove the makeup. It is a bit crumbly so the spatula isn’t used to you don’t contaminate the product with your fingers but an actual necessity for getting it out of the jar. And luckily it has it’s own holder on the top of the jar so it is less likely to get lost. while i like this cleanser and how the crumbly bits melt to oil, I don’t like it to remove my eye makeup. It tends to make my contacts a bit cloudy. It rinses away with a little saline solution but i think next week I am going to try an eye makeup remover separately. I have a couple in the drawer as well as a few micellar waters so I might try one of those.

I was using a sample sized cleanser and it is finished. I pulled this Dr. Brandt one out of the drawer to try next. I seem to have a lot of cleansers waiting to be used. I think there was just a run of them from subscription boxes for a while. I don’t mind that actually as I do go through them pretty fast. While I did like the clean I got from this Dr. Brandt, I think I am going to have to watch it. It smelled medicated when I tried it and after I washed my face, I looked at the tube. The smell alerted me but the label does mention salicylic acid and white willow bark, which was I was smelling. Sometimes that can dry me out. I have been using this for three days at this point and there is no signs of drying but it is something I will monitor. Thus far it is just a really good clean.

I am almost out of the Black Currant Jelly exfoliator. I have loved using it. I just don’t think it will last the week. I tend to use a little more product than I should but it is now at the six week mark of use so I can’t really complain. I really like this daily exfoliator.

The Elemis Toner is slowly but surely being used. I am just past the half way point in the bottle. It is kind of funny but with the toner, essence and the Elemis Serum not a lot of product is used with each use so it takes a while for it to show that it is being used and then all of a sudden you see it. I really like this toner. It smells a bit like fermented cider and I kind of dig the scent. It also takes care of any stray makeup bits that the cleanser might have missed.

I really love having an essence in my routine and this Missha one is a good one. It makes my skin feel like it is open and ready to receive skincare. Which is sort of the point of an essence.

The Elemis serum is making my skin feel soft and simply fabulous. I know, I tend to be a big fan of Elemis products and have been for a long time. This is a good serum thus far. My skin looked bright and clear and i am seeing a small reduction in some of my fine lines. plus the soft skin it leaves behind is amazing.

I have the Kate Somerville Retinol in my line up and I have been using it on Tuesdays and Thursdays. This week I have to confess, I didn’t remember to use it. Tuesday got crazy and then all day Thursday I somehow thought it was Wednesday. So it is in the line up, but this week, I just didn’t reach for it.

the more I use the Byroe and ESPA products the more I like them I am approaching a month of use with each of them and they will be with me for quite a while. The ESPA is not even half way empty and so little of the eye cream is needed with each use that it will last a long time. I have a sample of a different Byroe eye cream that I may pause this at some point to try out, but I really want to see what this eye cream can do. I am already seeing small improvements and I think with further use I will continue to do so. I did remember to take preliminary picks so in another week or so I will do after photos and we can do a side by side comparison, but at the moment I am loving the way my skin looks and feels. and honestly that is the best think i can say about any skincare line up. This is a winter moisturizer for me, so I did start using it at the prefect time. I love it when a skincare line up just works, don’t you. I don’t mind drama elsewhere in my life but I don’t care for it in skin care unless it is , Wow I think my skin looks great. And at the moment, that is the kind of drama i have because at the moment I do feel that wow, my skin does look and feel great. Let’s hope it continues.

The Skincare Lineup: January 20th, 2023

Welcome once again to my favorite post of the week. That’s right my darlings it is time to talk about skincare. Today I left everything on my bathroom skincare shelf instead of moving it to the desk so I apologize if not all of the labels can be seen. The Kate Somerville is especially hidden. But I’ll list everything out below and we’ll take a look at how everything is performing in a group setting. so….

Makeup Remover: Beekman 1802 Makeup Melting Cleansing Balm

Cleanser: Medic8 Micellar Mousse

Exfoliator: Elemis Blackcurrant Jelly Exfoliator

Toner: Elemis Superfood Fruit Vinegar Toner

Essence: Missha Time Revolution The First essence (currently 30% off on the brand site)

Serum: Elemis Pro Collagen Renewal Serum

Retinol: Kate Somerville Retinol Vitamin C

Moisturizer: ESPA Optimal Skin Pro Moisturizer

Eye cream: Byroe Tea Time Eye gel

Lips: Tatcha Kissu Overnight Lip Mask

My Crest toothpaste seems to have also made an appearance. The Deep clean is my favorite and to be honest the only toothpaste I really use. I get samples of toothpastes and I will try them out, but I none of them perform like Crest so I always return.

The Beekman 1802 Makeup removing balm is paired with my Makeup Eraser to get all of my make up off. It is a stiffer balm than I am used to and really needs that spatula to remove the product. It melts into a more oil consistency as you use it but it is a bit crumbly when first taken out so the spatula is needed. The scent is going for unscented I think. It smells a bit aloe-y. All said, I’m not a huge fan of the scent but it works well enough.

The same can be said for the Medic8 Cleanser. It works well enough but isn’t my favorite. Luckily for me this was it’s last week of use. It is a fine cleanser. Foam isn’t my favorite application for a cleanser as I like to be able to see where I put it and the foam isn’t very good at that. It also smells a bit like furniture polish. It is the scent that is harder for me to get over. it is a good cleanser and I am glad I tried the sample, but I am also glad the sample is now empty. It isn’t going to be a repurchase for me.

There are three Elemis Products in the line up. I adore the blackcurrant exfoliator. It is the perfect gentle exfoliator for day to day use. It smells like nothing but works like a dream. The toner is also fabulous, It smells like fermented cider which I like. I also like how it removes any scrap of left over makeup. The Elemis Serum is entering it’s third week of use (i rolled it in just before the first post in which it appeared for those of you looking at the calendar). it feels good and only takes 5 drops to cover the face. I am hoping to see signs of effectiveness soon.

I love this Missha essence. In the summertime I tend to lean towards their Artemisia Essence because it is soothing after being in the sun, but this one is just fantastic for opening the pores to receive more skincare. I can always feel the difference when I leave it off and always love when I go back to it.

The Kate Somerville Retinol is a Tuesday Thursday product. I do get a little red flush after I apply it but the flush fades after a few minutes. It does claim to be a moisturizer but I find if I don’t moisturize after my skin feels really dry in the morning. I think that might be the retinol (and the central heating). I tend to apply the Retinlo and wait about an hour or so and then go in with my moisturizer just before bed.

The ESPA moisturizer is perfect for this time of year and perfect with the retinol. It provides just the right amount of moisture for me. I suspect in warmer months I would use it as a night cream but for this time of year it works both day and night. It also helps keep the retinol fry drying my skin.

I adore this BYROE eye cream. for me it is interesting. I love the bitter greens toner they make but everything else I’ve tried from the brand has been okay but not my favorite. this eye cream joins the short list of items I will always pick up from Byroe. The tea time eye cream and the bitter greens essence toner ae the only items on the list, but two is plenty.

And as always I wrap up with my chapped lip savior, the Tatcha Kissu lip mask. With this as a nightly lip mask I have not had any chapping of my lips this year. I love the jelly texture and will happily repurchase this anytime my level drops too low.

And that my darlings is this week’s skincare line up. Plus toothpaste. As everything is still in motion from last week it isn’t a big surprise. But we are nearing the thirty day mark for a few products so that is exciting. And next week we have a whole new cleanser to try. For now things are chugging along and honestly I am rather happy when my skin cae has no drama.

The Skincare Line Up: January 13th, 2023

Welcome once again to my favorite post of the week. Here I get to talk about all of the products I am using in my line up and how I feel about them. While many of these products will end up with their own individual posts, here is where we see how they perform as a team. Shall we look at the starting line up? Fabulous, let’s dive in.

Makeup Remover: Beekman 1802 Makeup Melting Cleansing Balm

Cleanser: Medic8 Micellar Mousse

Exfoliator: Elemis Blackcurrant Jelly Exfoliator

Toner: Elemis Superfood Fruit Vinegar Toner

Essence: Missha Time Revolution The First essence (currently 30% off on the brand site)

Serum: Elemis Pro Collagen Renewal Serum

Retinol: Kate Somerville Retinol Vitamin C

Moisturizer: ESPA Optimal Skin Pro Moisturizer

Eye cream: Byroe Tea Time Eye gel

Lips: Tatcha Kissu Overnight Lip Mask

Okay this is the first week for the Beekman 1802 makeup remover and this far it is doing a really good job. It takes off makeup well and has very little scent. It leaves my skin feeling hydrated. I have been using it with my Makeup Eraser an hour or so before I do the rest of my skincare and my skin feels fantastic.

The Medic8 Cleanser is a travel size and I find it to be an okay cleanser. I like foam cleansers. Well I like one foam cleanser actually. (and yes it is from elemis) but over all I find them more fun than functional. This cleanser gets my skin clean but I really prefer seeing where I’ve put my cleanser and then going back and rinsing it off. that is a personal preference of course. The scent is also a personal preference. This smells a little like furniture polish. It is a good cleanser and i think I have about one more week’s worth of product in the container, but I don’t think it is a product for me. I think I will use it and then not repurchase.

The elemis Black Currant Exfoliator has already gone on my repurchasing list. i know exfoliators are an easy sell for me since I love them, but this is gentle enough to use everyday which you don’t get form a lot of exfoliators. I wish it smelled more of black currants but it has no real scent to it and that is a minor thing. And really just because I like black currants. I do find that on the days where i use the Kate Somerville Retinol I don’t use this exfoliator. I think it is too much. with the Kate Somerville I am using it twice a week (Tuesdays and Thursdays) and I think that is quite enough for me. It makes my skin red for the first five minutes after i apply it and then the red goes away. while it is a retinol moisturizer it is not enough moisture for my skin so on the nights when i use it I apply it and then read for an hour or so before bed and then add my moisturizer just before bed. That seems to work best for me.

While we are on moisturizers, holy cow do I love this one. This Espa Moisturizer smells fantastic and feels fantastic. i warm it up by rubbing my hands together before applying it. There is a little white for a moment and then it just gets sucked in by my kin. there is no greasiness at all and I am able to use it both in the morning and in the night with no issues. I might use a little less during the day, but on the nights where I used the Kate Somerville I do find that I use a little more than I do on other nights. I think that is just because of the retinol.

I know I normally try to go more or less in order of use but this week i sort of got a bit muddled and went free form association a bit. Let’s see what did I miss. The elemis serum. I only need five drops and it absorbs well. It has only been a little over a week with this serum and I am just starting to see a glimmer of effects. The really fine lines are looking a little less firmly etched on my skin which I love. I am hoping for increased results as I continue.

The Byroe eye cream i am absolutely adoring. The more I use it the more I love it. the gel texture absorbs well and I have had no clogged pores since using it. As I am prone to clogged pores around the orbital bone this is kind of a minor miracle. I am so glad it takes so little so I can keep this jar around for a while. I plan to use every little scrap of it.

And finally we round out the list with one of my favorites from last year. I picked up this Kissu Lip mask just to try and I fell in love with it’s texture and results. I use it most nights just before bed and I have to say this is the least chapped winter I can recall. My lips are hydrated and feel fantastic. And when they are not chapped my lipsticks go on more smoothly. Plus I can wear darker colors which I love. Darker colors tend to show the chapped bits a bit too much. I love dark lipsticks and I love healthy lips so it is a win/win for me.

And that my darlings is the rundown of this weeks skincare products in motion. Most of them were rolled in during the first week of January so they are just beginning to hit their stride. Right now it is more about feels and making sure there are no reactions form ingredients than it is about results. It takes about thirty days before results really start to show so we have a bit of a wait. Right now I am hopeful, especially for the elemis Serum. But so far nothing has caused a calamity so Forward we go into the next week of skincare. Have a great week.

The Skincare Line up: January 6th, 2023

Good morning my darlings and welcome to the first skincare line up of 2023. The Toner (Elemis) and the Eye cream (Byroe) were in use prior to this week and as other products emptied I rolled in the new ones for a nice fresh line up for the start of the year. It did end up a little Elemis heavy as my order arrived as i was thinking about products to roll in. Some of these products have only been open a could of days so I am still getting the feel for them, but thus far it is a pretty good line up. Let’s dive in.

Cleanser: Medic8 Micellar Mousse

Exfoliator: Elemis Blackcurrant Jelly Exfoliator

Toner: Elemis Superfood Fruit Vinegar Toner

Essence: Missha Time Revolution The First essence (currently 30% off on the brand site)

Serum: Elemis Pro Collagen Renewal Serum

Retinol: Kate Somerville Retinol Vitamin C

Moisturizer: ESPA Optimal Skin Pro Moisturizer

Eye cream: Byroe Tea Time Eye gel

For the first week of the new year I decided to go with an almost completely new line up. The Elemis Toner remained because I liked it and had barely made a dent in the product. I felt bad opening a new one when so much of this one remained. Plus I really like it. The scent is like a slightly fermented apple cider and it really gets the last little bits of makeup and dirt off my face. This is a heavily Elemis line up because a couple of products that I ordered came in and I really wanted to use them right away.

The Black Currant exfoliator is a daily exfoliator and I am finding it is not too harsh to be used every day. I have had many ‘daily’ exfoliators that I tried and then decided they were really more of a once or twice a week exfoliator. This one said daily and it meant daily. It leaves my sking feeling soft and for a first week of use it has performed fabulously well.

The other Elemis product is the serum. I love the little button on the top for the dropper. I don’t know why but I really just like that. Which of course has nothing to do with the actual product. The recommended does is 5-6 drops per use and use is both morning and night. It is a serum with no scent and it absorbs rather quickly. I have only used it a week and while I do like the feel of it on my skin, I can’t honestly claim I have seen any results. My skin seems to like it and I am hoping that as I continue to use it I will see more results. Mostly because I really like the way it absorbs in and works with my other products.

I sort of skipped over the Medic8 Cleanser. I am not entirely certain how I feel about it at the moment. It is a deluxe sample size so I will get a few weeks of use out of it, so I’m sure I will come to a conclusion at some point. It is a foaming cleanser and it does clean well, there is very little of anything left for my toner pads to clear out. The scent is somewhat industrial though and I am not too fond of that. And while I can use really good products with not so great smells I have tried plenty of fabulous cleansers where the smell wasn’t an issue for me. This has a scent I don’t care for and while it is a good cleanser it might not be spectacular enough to get over the scent.

I am very happy to rotate an essence back into my line up. For a while I was including an essence and then I stopped, mostly because i didn’t have one on hand. I saw this one and remembered how much I liked it so I picked it up again. And I have to say I am very glad that I did. There is no scent to it but when I apply it to the skin I can practically feel my pores opening up and my skin getting ready to receive the upcoming skincare. Which is sort of the point of an essence. I can use my skin care without one but I find my skincare just works better when I do use the essence.

I am really enjoying the ESPA moisturizer. I had several potential night creams lined up to use in case this proved to be a day cream only but thus far they are not really needed. This ESPA moisturizer feels really thick on the fingertip but once on the skin absorbs quickly so there is no delay time and it provides a good amount of moisture for both day and night time use. Quite Honestly I am just really enjoying this moisturizer.

And the final product I have in my line up is the Kate Somerville retinol and vitamin C moisturizer. It is designed to be used no more than once every other night. I went for Tuesday and Thursday this week and so far it is doing well. (I did test it out on my inner arm, especially after I had a reaction to another product. I also tried layering it on my arm with the other products in my line up to see if it reacted when it came in contact with any of the other products I am using. I’m fairly certain that was the problem last time. There was no reaction and there has been no adverse reaction on my skin either. I haven’t used it enough to see any results yet. At the moment all that has happened is that I need to use slightly less of the ESPA moisturizer on the nights when I use the Kate Somerville Retinal cream. I thought since it said moisturizer on it that I would be able to skip the moisturizer layer all together. I don’t know if it is because it is winter and I am drier than usual but my skin needs just a small dose of moisturizer after the retinol.

And that is my first week of 2023 skin care. I know my line up got a little twisted in the replay here but I think I covered all of the elements. I am still topping off my skincare with the Tatcha Kissu lip mask. Especially at this time of year,. The cold and cutting winds have arrived and they pull moisture form my lips like a magician pulling a rabbit out of a hat. I will try other lip masks, because I can never resist trying out a lip mask, but for now this is the top favorite and the lip mask I will use consistently.

I hope you enjoyed this list. As most of the products are new I find this an exciting time. For now it is just appearance scent and how they feel. But there is also hope. Hope that these products will perform as advertised. As most of them feel quite nice, my hopes are high.

The Skincare Line Up: December 23rd

Welcome to the Friday before Christmas. This afternoon I will be heading out so next week will be interesting, but lets see what got used this week shall we?

Cleanser (day time): GlamGlow Supercleanse Clearing Cream to Foam Cleanser

Cleanser (night Time): Milk Wash Exfoliating Jelly Cleanser from Beekman 1802

Toner: Elemis Superfood Fruit Vinegar Liquid Glow

Serum: Ole Henriksen Truth Serum

Out with the old, in with the new! Sale on Sale – Take an Extra 25% Off Sale Items!

Eye cream: Byroe Rose Tea Eye Cream

Moisturizer: Drunk Elephant Protini polypeptide Cream

Night Cream: IT Cosmetics Confidence in your Beauty Sleep And Wander Beauty Do Not Disturb Overnight Repair Concentrate

Lip Mask: Tatcha Kissu lip mask

Okay there were a couple of items that I ran out of last week and so I reached for products I already had in use. To replace the empty Skin Inc Serum i went for my trusty Truth Serum from Ole Henrkisen. I have lost count of the number of times I have used this serum and I will no doubt pick it up again when this bottle is done; It is a really great vitamin c serum that doesn’t make your skin sun sensitive. I am a fan.

I am also a fan of the Elemis Superfood Fruit Vinegar toner. I know, I love most Elemis products. There is something about this scent that I just love. It is like fermented apple cider. It also works really well.

And then we have the two cleansers. They are a fabulous power couple and I adore both of them. I will happily use both of these any time.

Returning also is the Byroe Tea time Eye cream. It is fantastic. The gel texture has it absorbing really well and my skin is absolutely loving it.

Having said that all four of these products are too big for me justify packing in my bag. This Christmas is going to be a shorter visit than usual as I spent two weeks at my mom’s in September and then we went down for longer over thanksgiving. And so the smaller bag is packed. Plus I need space for the box of gifts we are adding. So as much as I love these products I will have to leave them home and know that they will be waiting for me when I return.

This week the It Confidence in a Beauty Sleep cream finished on Tuesday. I like it. It is a good cream and I think that for the duration of a jar of cream i could tolerate the scent of it. It is strong and not my favorite scent. But it works well enough that I would be willing to ignore it for the duration of the jar. I would probably be very happy to finish the jar when i am done,. but I do like the cream enough to use. For me it is a thicker cream that works well in the Winter but I think might be too heavy at other times of the year. If you have drier skin then it may be for you for a longer part of the year, just know it is highly scented. Even though i suggest you test most moisturizers before you use them full size, I would definitely recommend trying this first just to see if the scent is for you before picking up a full jar.

Since it ran out, I rolled in the Wander Beauty Night Concentrate. I have used it before and absolutely loved it. So it was really nice to have it in my list up again. While I could probably make space in the bag for it, the type of pump it is doesn’t make it ideal for travel, so I will leave it home and then start using it again when I return.

As for the Drunk Elephant, I scraped the bottom of the sample sized container this morning. I used every drop of this and as far as samples go, it did it’s job. I definitely wast to purchase the full size of this moisturizer. it wasn’t large enough to see results but my skin felt so soft and hydrated after I used it that I am definitely willing to put it on the list for a full sized trial. I loved this sample. It had almost no scent to it, absorbed well and felt fantastic. It moisturized well and I am looking forward to a longer trial sometime in this upcoming year.

Tatcha Lip, always fabulous. And going into the travel bag before i leave.

And that my darling is my skincare for this week. While most of the items were super fabulous, they will be staying here and waiting for me when i return from Christmas. It will be nice to return to them, but it will be a sample sized Christmas.

Also this week I will be skipping the Friday Face Mask since I will be on the road. I suppose I could put one on while i’m driving but I really think that might be a bit much for my fellow travelers. I will probably put on a face mask with my mother tonight, but that won’t make it to a post. I hope that whatever you are up to this year, you have a fabulous vacation and some well deserved down time if nothing else. Merry Merry and I’ll see you back here next week.