65 days spent living alone left me with a lot of time to myself. Time to read books I’d been saving. Time to go for long walks. Time to try all of the beauty products that had been accumulating in the bin that I keep under my sink. Here are my reviews.
Prequel Retinal Renew. Stronger than a retinol serum, less powerful than prescription tretinoin, this creamsicle-colored gel treats fine lines and wrinkles, smooths texture and evens tone. Does it work? It does. Dollar for dollar, it works better than most anti-aging products on the market. However, it will turn your towels and pillowcases yellow. It will look like you ate a juicy orange in bed. Bleach is your friend.
Crown Affair Dry Shampoo. I hated this. It’s messy. It leaves your clothes, bathroom and face covered in a fine dust layer. It is heavily perfumed. My scalp felt dry, and my hair still felt greasy. Crown Affair sent this to me for free, and I would love to be able to say nice things, but I can’t. I did, however, love the hair brush they sent. It detangles like a dream.
YSE Beauty Wide Awake Eye Cream. So many people said this brightening/depuffing eye cream was amazing that I rushed to Sephora to buy it. It does something, but it’s hard to put your finger on what. It seems to brighten. It seems to soften. You see a difference, but it’s tough to pinpoint what is different. Basically, the effect is noticeable, but subtle. Personally, if I’m going to spend $$$ on something for the underage, it’s going to be the Charlotte Tilbury Corrector.
Patrick Ta Major Headlines Blush. If you need cheek color that lasts all day, this is it. Soft, pretty, but still makes a statement. Buy the brush for it. Both winners.
Biodance PDRN Mask. I’ll be honest, I think influencers are trolling us with the Biodance masks. Amazon basically convinced them all to sell us these masks and tell us they were the best to increase their commissions, and I am not seeing it. I liked them at first, but quickly realized the results didn’t match the hype. At all. The Loops mask from Target is better.
The best mask is still this one from Innisfree black tea one that you can only get in Korea. I have them shipped here. I pay the tariffs. I can’t make any commission sharing them with you. But they are glorious. I tried the stand alone serum. It’s good. Not the same jolt of beauty as the mask.
Medicube Toner Pads. Also, speaking of Amazon scams, these toner pads everyone is hocking. Saw no results, noticed no difference, just no. Trashed a nearly full container.
The Makeup. I tried so many foundations and concealers while I was in Olympia. So many. All of them, I think. It’s just going to be easier to bullet point them.
- Natasha Denona Hy-Glam Foundation. Longwear, medium coverage. Looked good. Felt too heavy.
- Fara Homidi Essential Face Compact. F**king loved this. Ran out too fast. Can’t justify the price.
- Dior Forever Skin. Too matte. Looked cakey. Hated it.
- Sarah Creal Face Flex. Could not figure out why influencers love this. No coverage. Meh.
- Ilia Skin Tint. Not a foundation, less coverage. The choice for those with good skin.
- Huda Beauty Face Blur. Nice in the morning. Disappeared by the 3:00PM snack break.
- Armani Luminous Silk. Felt nice on, couldn’t hang longterm.
- Chantecaille Future Skin. I saved this one for last. It feels weightless. It looks good on a regular day. Even with setting spray struggles past dinner without a reapplication. But my goodness, I’ve never had a foundation that looked more like my own skin. Packaging is garbage, not built for a lady in a hurry. But when my skin is having a good day, this gives it a great day.
Agree on the Patrick Ta blush (I have way too many of them now), and agree on anything medicube – so overhyped. One thing I have recently tried, and surprisingly love, is the Colorescience flex.