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As I sit at work, working hard (clearly), it occurred to me: I’ve been finishing a number of products recently, and enjoying others, and why not tell you guys about them? Like the good old days!
Read on for a rundown of my faves from recent times, with nifty little pros + cons for each (these may or may not be scientifically verified/completely based on my opinion)…
Face Shop Rice & Ceramide Toner
This Face Shop Rice & Ceramide Toner is a staple of mine that I’ve been enjoying for some time now. We stocked this at my store, and I may or may not have kept a number of bottles to myself *smug face*.
I’ve found since using this, that I can’t really live without toner (Korean toners, not the astringent skin-frying toners of the West, bless). Without them, my skin feels dry and just doesn’t seem to absorb the rest of my products as well. I’m all for many light layers, and while this is quite viscous, it’s easily absorbable and nourishing.
In terms of ingredients, I have come to discover that I love ceramide — my first encounter with it was with the Holika Holika Good Cera Super Cream and I haven’t looked back since. Actually, I always wanted to try the Dr. Jart Ceramidin, which has since blown up in the Western world as well, but I kind of forgot to. Story of my life!
Anyway, ceramide. It’s a helluva drug. If you have dry skin, ceramide is a godsend. I would place it on par with snail secretion, and we all know how I feel about that. And rice is fantastic for brightening, and is an unlikely ingredient that I also loved courtesy of the Skinfood Rice Mask Wash off back in the day. It’s been a while since I used that product, granted, but I remember loving both the scent and texture, as well as the effect on my skin. A win-win all round!
I keep getting distracted here, but back to the toner… it’s a wonderful product, and I find it very gentle on my sensitive, aggravation-prone skin. Again, it’s a great first layer to lock in some moisture and prepare your skin for the rest of your routine, partly due to the dimethicone (a well-known barrier for moisture, but also generally better for oily skin or large pores).
I have found that it can react with certain products afterwards, but actually I think that was more a matter of the other products, and it would’ve happened with any toner. In general feels amazing and nourishing on the skin (again, that’s that sweet silicone-y dimethicone for you).
I’ve never been hugely into the Face Shop, but I do love this toner. It gives me a bit of a mattified glow and keeps my skin feeling balanced. Already on my second bottle, which really just says it all.
The Face Shop Rice & Ceramide Toner at a glance:
- Viscous toner that provides a protective barrier
- Nice scent; but may react with other products
- Feels oh so smooooth
- Ingredients: Water, Glycerin, Alcohol Denat., Glycereth-26, Dipropylene Glycol, PEG-75, 1,2-Hexanediol, Oryza Sativa (Rice) Extract (1500mg), Oryza Sativa (Rice) Bran Oil (1.5mg), Ceramide NP (1.5mg), Dimethicone, PEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Sodium Hyaluronate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Polyglyceryl-10 Oleate, Lecithin, Glycosphingolipids, Potassium Hydroxide, Trisodium EDTA, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Fragrance
Aesop Deodorant
This is a bit of an odd one, for sure… but hey, who doesn’t use deodorant? The weirdest part is that it took me a number of tries to spell ‘deodorant’ correctly. For shame!
As an Aesop stan, I have been known to purchase Aesop products willy-nilly, as they give me great pleasure simply looking at them. The aesthetic, oh, the aesthetic! Apothecary dreams. Plus, it’s Melbourne born and bred, and now international, as many good things are. Basically, these products are generally/always very high quality, and provided you choose the right one for your skin type, can provide you an experience of the gods.
I’m just very passionate about Aesop, okay!
(Although I have got one product under my sink that my skin just does not agree with… but that’s for another time. All about choosing for your skin type, yo. Also, how adorable is Ella in the pic above… the cutest)
Anyway, back to this Aesop Deodorant. It’s encased in a heavy, expensive-feeling glass case, and again, looks fantastic in your bathroom or vanity. It has a herbal scent, similar to their skincare products, as it has sage in it. In terms of usability, I find this rolls on easily and applies generously, unlike some other drugstore deodorants which you’ll find yourself rollin’ and rollin’ to no avail.
But the most important thing about this deodorant? It actually WORKS.
I know, I know… is it even possible? I, for one, have become of the opinion that deodorants are necessary, but never quite do their job. I never end up feeling fresh after a hard day’s work (of sitting & writing a blog post? Lol). But this deodorant will get you there.
It’s a simple roll on design, classic and no-fuss. The ingredients include tea tree oil, witch hazel, eucalyptus, thyme oil and more… so basically, you’ll have the fragrance of a well-seasoned salad, and happily pay for the privilege.
The Aesop Deodorant at a glance…
- A deodorant that actually works!
- Great aesthetic
- You’ll smell a bit like a herb garden
- Ingredients: Alcohol Denat., Water (Aqua), Hamamelis Virginiana (Witch Hazel) Water, Polysorbate 80, Zinc Ricinoleate, Glycerin, Aminomethyl Propanol, Citric Acid, Pelargonium Graveolens Oil, Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Oil, Fusanus Spicatus Wood Oil, Pogostemon Cablin Oil, Eucalyptus Globulus Leaf Oil, Cymbopogon Schoenanthus Oil, Eugenia Caryophyllus (Clove) Flower Oil, Melaleuca Alternifolia (Tea Tree) Leaf Oil, Coriandrum Sativum (Coriander) Seed Oil, Thymus Vulgaris (Thyme) Oil, Vetiveria Zizanoides Root Oil, Linalool, Citronellol, Geraniol, Eugenol, Citral, Farnesol, d-Limonene
Fenty Beauty Clara Lionel Killawatt Highlighter
This Fenty Beauty Clara Lionel Killawatt Highlighter in Diamond Ball-Out one was a total “treat yo’self” moment, the kind that I am partial to quite often, to be honest. It was during Black Friday, there was a sale, and the $150+ international shipping fee from the Fenty Beauty website was not a problem at all. Things happened, ok! I took a chance on this one, because it’s not for sale on Sephora Australia — it’s an exclusive, and I fell for it hook, line and sinker.
Anyway, this baby sat prettied up in my drawer for a long time, too filled with guilt or just too precious to use it. This is a habit I used to have, that I still have to work on breaking: keeping things in pristine condition, so as not to ‘wreck’ them… and then never using them at all and then they expire. It’s a vortex, I tell you!
So, this is what I try not to do. Which is why one day, finally, at long last, I took it out of its packaging to use… and I was delighted!
This is the kind of gunmetal grey that you wouldn’t think would be wearable in the slightest… but it just works. I mean, it works in a “look at me, I’ve got a huge amount of glitter on my eyes on a Wednesday” way, but it works nonetheless.
I literally just use this as a shimmer eyeshadow, never as a highlighter, unlike the Killawatt in Girl Next Door/Chic Phreak which I looove, even on my fair skin, and use as a highlight/blush and eyeshadow all in one). Although cool tones aren’t usually recommended for blue eyes (warm tones are our jam), I do like the stormy look this gives.
Here is a lil’ pic of me at the end of the day, with it worn off but still giving a bit of an ethereal glow (if I do say so myself!):
I also love the Fenty Diamond Bomb in How Many Carats? which is much more of a sheer wash of bling. I love using that as a lil’ eyeshadow topper, or even a highlighter if I’m feeling ~wild~.
The Fenty Beauty Clara Lionel Killawatt at a glance:
- Profits go to the Clara Lionel Foundation
- Incredible gunmetal colour payoff
- Not ideal for highlighter; great for eyeshadow
- Pricey but pretty
Maybelline Dream Urban Cover Lightweight Protective Makeup
As far as base makeup goes, BB & CC creams top my list. I like to feel freeee, like I’m wearing no makeup at all (and I’m usually running too late to bother to wear much at all anyway). So when I checked out this Maybelline Dream Urban Cover Lightweight Protective Makeup (long name but TL;DR, it’s kind of like a sheer BB cream) in 112 Natural Ivory, I was pretty jazzed about it. Then I forgot about it!
This is a great daily product, very wearable and lightweight, as it says it is. The colour is a good match for me, not too orange or yellow, and provided I bother to blend it in properly, it gives decent coverage without the heavy feeling. Win win.
Here’s a little swatch, taken at night, in an attempt to show you the sheer but decent coverage:
You can see that this product blends out sheerly, and yes it may look a little yellow in the pic (bright white lights)… but it’s a good’un.
The Maybelline Urban Cover Lightweight Proctective Makeup at a glance…
- V satisfying nozzle packaging
- Lightweight but good coverage
- Not the longest wear time
- Love that nozzle
And that’s a wrap for today! Have you tried any of these? Would love to hear your thoughts, as always 🙂
Steph x