I’ve made two orders from ColourPop this summer and have bought a lot of different things to try. So far, I’ve only talked about the Crystal Liquid Highlighter, but over the two orders I’ve also collected a couple of lip colors, 7 pressed powder eyeshadows and a magnetic palette, a pressed powder highlighter, a pressed powder bronzer, and a Super Shock eyeshadow. These products and I have had some time to get a little acquainted and I have swatches and thoughts to pass along.
I have another treatment from The Ordinary that I want to talk about, this time it’s the anti-aging Matrixyl 10% plus HA. Like much of The Ordinary’s product line, this is an affordable serum with a specific ingredient focus and target. Matrixyl is a peptide, and in the case for this serum, there are two generations here: Matrixyl 3000 and Matrixyl Synthe’6 at a combined concentration 10%. The “HA” in the title refers to what The Ordinary calls a specialized hyaluronic acid delivery system.
ColourPop released a set of crystal-inspired products recently and I went ahead and placed a small order the day I received the promotional email about the launch. I didn’t go crazy, I just decided to get the Aquamarine shade of the Crystal Liquid Highlighter to try the formula out. At this point most of the stuff is out of stock on the website, but as I write this Aquamarine is the only Crystal Liquid Highlighter that’s still available. I think people may be underestimating the beauty of a bluish highlight, though, because I think it’s really nice.
I have another item from The Ordinary to talk about, and it’s the first serum I’ve tried from them that targets wrinkles. Argireline is a peptide complex, and I hadn’t heard of it before shopping on The Ordinary’s site. In all honesty I think that if I had done more research before placing my order, I probably would have bought something else, but it’s not a bad ingredient and I’ve found it an interesting one to learn more about because it has a different kind of effect than a lot of others I’m familiar with.
I’ve had some really good luck with BH Cosmetics lately and recently saw that they launched some fun new stuff for the spring season. I have three new palettes that I’ve bought: the Marble Collection in Warm Stone featuring 12 eyeshadows ($11.99), the Supernova 18 Color Baked Eyeshadow Palette ($15.99), and the Blacklight Highlight 6 Color Palette ($16.99). These are each quite different from each other, but all have their own unique appeal. I’d like to share some swatches and thoughts on all three.
There was definitely a time when I was reviewing acne treatments on a regular basis, and in the last year or so I’d found a couple of products that worked really well for me and I kind of quit because I just wasn’t trying a lot of new things anymore. Well, recently when I went to the drugstore to pick up more Stridex Maximum Strength 2% salicylic acid treatment pads but found they were out of stock, and so I ended up looking around at other options. I bought what looked to be a comparable option from Noxzema, which are these Ultimate Clear Anti-Blemish Pads with 2% salicylic acid and cost $5.99 for 90 pads.
Prior to about a month ago, I think I had only tried one product from Milani Cosmetics, and it was their single most famous product: the Baked Blush in Luminoso. But really, they aren’t sold in all drugstores and I just don’t get a ton of exposure to the brand. I recently took a good look at their website because I had become curious about some of their new releases, and in the end I purchased some solid basics, including their Baked Bronzer in 09 Dulce, which is a newly released shade, the Stay Put Waterproof Eyeliner Pencil in 01 Linked on Black, the Stay Put Brow Color in 01 Soft Brown, and the Easybrow Tinted Fiber Gel in 04 Brunette.
The last time I purchased from Innisfree, I took a chance on a couple of products that were new to me and were on a buy-one-get-one-free offer. This foaming cleanser from their Olive product line was one of them, so I ended up with two big 150 ml bottles of a cleanser for just $12. The Olive line is intended to be moisturizing and nourishing, and I’d previously tried and loved Innisfree’s Olive Real Serum as a moisturizer to layer under a cream. Normally I’d steer clear of foaming cleansers because they can be drying, but since I think Innisfree tends to make lovely moisturizing skincare I decided to trust them.
The Ordinary is really new to the skincare scene but has quickly caught everyone’s attention for their really straightforward and affordable products (also, cruelty-free). I have purchased 5 items from them so far but can’t try them out all of them at once, so I thought to start out I’d talk about 3 products that I’m using right now: a vitamin treatment, a direct acid, and a hydrator. Today I’m reviewing the Ascorbyl Tetraisopalmitate Solution 20% in Vitamin F (vitamin C in a lightweight oil, $17.80), Azelaic Acid Suspension 10% (multifunctional brightening treatment, $7.90), and 100% Plant-Derived Squalane (lightweight hydrator, $7.90).
YADAH Cosmetics is a brand I hadn’t heard of until recently, but I’m excited about the couple of products I’ve tried because they’re quite nice and very affordable. And how cute is the branding on the packaging? YADAH is a Korean cosmetics and skincare brand focused on gentle, hypoallergenic, and plant-based formulations, with products available on the BB Cosmetic website. I’ve been trying their Brightening Ampoule with niacinamide and Angel BB Cream with SPF 20/PA++.