New Beauty Buys

Top: Johanna Ortiz Bodysuit // Jeans: Paige Denim Hoxton skinny jeans // Boots: Stuart Weitzman Lowland boots // Bag: Celine Nano // Necklace: Shashi Lariat // Sunglasses: Saint Laurent LouLou {less expensive option here}

What started as a quick review on my new Drunk Elephant Babyfacial mask on my stories this past Friday, turned into a deep dark rabbit hole of researching and buying new beauty products. By the end of the day I had checked out no less than 7 {!!!} times from 5 different retailers, and I barely made it out alive with my wallet intact. With all that being said, I made several new beauty purchases that I am super excited about, so I wanted to share them with y’all here!

Drunk Elephant – like I mentioned above, on Friday, I was finally getting around to trying out a product I bought back in November from the Drunk Elephant line – the BabyFacial. I have heard incredible things about Drunk Elephant – namely, that the entire range is all natural and toxin free – but no product in their lineup has reached superstar status quite like their Babyfacial. It has over 80K favorites on Sephora.com and a cult like following. This was further confirmed when I mentioned this product on my Instagram on Friday and received tons of messages from you guys reiterating this fact. To borrow from their website: ‘This innovative at-home “facial” contains a whopping 25 percent AHA and 2 percent BHA, plus Drunk Elephant’s dream team blend of glycolic, tartaric, lactic, citric, and salicylic acids. It gently but efficiently resurfaces the skin as it exfoliates, getting rid of built-up dead skin cells by breaking down the substance that holds them to the surface. Think of it as an extra nudge for stubborn, dull skin (in other words, it’ll knock your cells off).’ My take on this product? It made my skin tingle {which is something I always kinda like, I gotta admit}, and afterwards, my skin felt super smooth and hydrated leaving a nice glow. Pro tip: use this mask at night as it can be a little harsh, and sleep {& your favorite moisturizing serums + creams!} will help repair & hydrate the skin even more.

• Rise + Glow Duo – Drunk Elephant’s Babyfacial was like a gateway drug and once I tried it, and liked it, I knew I had to do a little more research on the line. The first product that got my attention was the C-Firma Day Serum. Someone once told me this serum was just as good {if not better} than the Skinceuticals CE Ferulic Serum and at 1/3 the price I needed to see for myself. The one catch? The bottle was $80, and I needed another expensive skincare product like I needed a bullet in the head. Luckily, I found out that Sephora has a mini-sized section on their site devoted to travel sized products & gift sets, and the C-Firma day serum was a part of this little set for $23 {!!!!!!!!!!!!} Yes, I was that excited. Bonus points? I get to try the B-Hydra Intensive Hydration Gel which sounds heavenly as well. 
• NightBright Duo – You really think I was going to just buy the daytime duo without sampling the nighttime one as well?? Once I mentioned the Babyfacial, a few followers reached out and said I had to try the Glycolic Night Serum saying it had changed their skin, and left them feeling more hydrated than ever {you will come to know hydration is my trigger word} Lucky for me, the night serum was included in the Nightbright duo and also included a mini marula oil for me to check out. If you think I’ve gone off the deep end, just wait. In my head I was all like ‘heck! With all the money I’m saving from *not* buying the $80 C-Firma, I can buy a few more products….’ And there you have it people. The slippery slope had begun to form. 

DR. BRANDT needles no more ‘NO MORE BAGGAGE’ eye de-puffing gel – When a reader reached out and described this eye gel as ‘crack for your eyes’ I was intrigued. Once said she could feel it tightening on her skin I knew I was in trouble. She must have sensed my vulnerability and weakening resistance, because she even added ‘it’s so well priced!’ Like, HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO RESIST INFORMATION LIKE THAT!? Obviously, I couldn’t and I bought it immediately? For my defense, the skin around the eyes is the most delicate skin on the body, and one of the areas to age the fastest. I’m up for trying whatever product might work, and as my reader pointed out, you can’t beat the under $50 price point. 

Renée Rouleau Neck Firming Cream – I had had my eye on this neck firming cream for a while, for no other reason besides the fact that it had ‘neck firming’ in the name and that that sounds right up my alley. Plus, I have a few friends in Dallas who swear by Renée Rouleau facials, so I was interested in trying out her product line. At under $55 for the jar, I felt like I could try this product without breaking the bank. Besides, for as many face products as I have, I have zero dedicated solely to my neck. Just like the hands, a woman’s neck can give away her age faster than any other body part.  If your neck looks old, you will look old {IMO!} I’ll never forget the advice I received years ago – whatever you put on your face, put on your neck and décolleté as well. Noted, and sold!

Native Natural Deodorant – My mom & sister have been using natural deodorants for years. If you don’t know, the aluminum found in most deodorants & antiperspirants have been linked to Alzheimer’s and even Breast Cancer.  Some might even contain infertility-causing toxic chemicals. Yeah, it’s serious stuff. So in an effect to avoid that, and use cleaner beauty products, I decided to make the switch. But the one thing every person who’s made the switch before me has said, is that it takes serious time to find the right natural deodorant for you. Our bodies {and their chemical make-up} differs vastly, so finding and testing the right deodorant is really important. I have heard amazing things about Native’s natural deodorant line and at $12 it was a decent enough price for me to try. I bought the lavender rose {full size} and the eucalyptus mint {travel size} and will report back!

Moroccan Oil Dry Scalp Treatment – This winter has been rough on my skin and my scalp. With swinging temperatures {80s one week, 20s the next} my head can’t keep up and it’s causing some serious dry scalp! With dark hair + roots, this can become a major issue, so when I saw this dry scalp hair oil I was sold. Moroccan Oil products have a great reputation and I thought the application of this, with the dropper, would be the easiest to implement into my weekly routine. At under $40, again, it was something I could try without breaking the bank.

Supergoop! Forever Young Hand Cream w/ SPF 40 – Just like the neck, the hands often show age because they are passed over as a non-important area for treatment. But hands get damaged from the sun, dried out from the washing, and used & absued from…well, life! This Supergoop hand cream with SPF is lightweight & small enough to fit in your bag or car to allow for easy application. So many of my readers reached out to agree with this purchase & said they love it, so I can’t wait to get mine in and try it!

Peter Thomas Roth Cucumber Eye Gels – I used eye gel patches on the flight to/from Indonesia and I loved them. They weren’t as messy as typical sheet masks and the gel texture made them feel extra soothing and healing. I love all things cucumber so bought these to try out. Although they’re a little pricey, the cucumber will help reduce the look of puffiness, dark circles, fine lines, and wrinkles so…..money well worth spent 😉 Super excited.

Josie Maran 100 percent Pure Argan Oil Light {Mini} – Honestly, I a don’t know why I bought this besides the fact that I’ve heard great things about argan oil, and by this point I was a weak, defenseless beauty buyer and couldn’t stop myself. Will report back 😉

Ok, phew! There you have it peeps! At under $300, I’m trying 11 {!!!} new products, and I couldn’t be more excited about it. If you want to stay up to date on how these products fare, follow me over on my Instagram where I add stories all day long, and check out my beauty shop where I’m constantly curating my new {& old!} beauty must-haves.

Happy Monday y’all!

and to shop today’s look above, click the images below!

photos: The Retro Penguin