Products I'm Currently Testing :: 001
I’m so so fortunate to be gifted so many products and I always struggle to find ways to feature them into posts without flooding posts with gifted products alone. I think I may start doing a post or two each month featuring some of the products I’ve recently received/purchased so you guys can also let me know if there’s anything you want me to delve into a bit more.
My loves at Nourish Beauty Box keep me well stocked with cruelty free and vegan options in both the makeup and skincare worlds. Lately I've been testing two skincare products: the Peony Cosmetics Celery Heart cream and the Alma Botanicals Fresh Bloom Luminous Glow & Clay Mask. Another CF option that is new on my to try list is the BioClarity Hydrate Skin Smoothie Moisturizer*. They sent me the trio a few months back (post here) which I really enjoyed using. They’ve since revamped their packaging and have added this smoothie moisturizer to the mix. I’m excited to throw this one into my routine after I finish working through some moisturizers I have on rotation right now.
Willing Beauty also sent me this Born to Glow Skin Elixir* which has been lovely to mix with my moisturizer at night. I have quite a few serums that have recently landed on my doorstep and I’m slowly adding them into my routine as not to freak my skin out. Mindi Walters sent me their Regenerative Oil Complex* which has a million and one oils (grape seed oil, cranberry seed oil, rosehip seed oil, marula oil, seabuckthorn oil, & rose oil) which all sound fab - I’m really excited to incorporate this into my nighttime routine! I was also gifted a Vitamin C L Ascorbic Acid Serum* from Brooklyn Botany (not photographed) which I have been loving lately. It’s not too heavy on the skin which I definitely appreciate. I’ve already noticed a brighter appearance in my skin and am excited to see how my skin looks after continued use. Some other items from the brand that caught my eye are the Blueberry Body Scrub & Pure Australian Tea Tree Oil. A new glow getter I’m excited to try out is the Red Earth Brighten Concentrate Oil w/ Kakadu Plum*. It reminds me of Glossier’s Super Glow which I’m already a fan of, so I’m excited to see how this one compares in the long run.
Speaking of Red Earth, they were so kind to send me so many bits to try. For one, they gave me a chic hand mirror which I think would be great to take on a camping trip when mirrors are scarce. I usually find myself doing my skincare/makeup routine in the car with the mirror in the sun visors haha. Or my phone camera which is definitely not reliable. I also got a good few face masks* which I brought along with me on my cruise to Mexico recently. I had my friend test them with me and we concluded that they were nice! They weren’t overly essence-y, although I did find a stream of product running down my neck twice which did not feel great. I did like the fit of the masks as they weren’t overly large and fit quite nicely. They also gave me these lipstick matches* which are cute in theory but I’m not sure how they’ll hold up in wear. Also using an entire match for touch-ups seems a bit wasteful. I'll keep you guys posted on these ones for sure!
Some new (but not new) bits are the Frank Body coffee scrubs*. I’ve tried the original and coconut ones before and one thing I never loved about the product was the packaging. They were in a brown paper bag type material which I did not want to get wet at all. I would consider putting the scrub in a mason jar to protect it from the wet environment of my shower/bathroom. Frank Body heard our issue and recently released some with waterproof packaging - woohoo! They’re much more colorful now and vibrant in your shower. And they’re perfect to sit on your shower ledge to have water touch it without soaking through the bag.
One of the more exciting packages I received recently has to be this jade roller from my girl Stephanie of Collection of Vials! She is such an entrepreneur and has ventured into a new business with her friend to design these beautiful and sturdy jade rollers. I have one roller that I received as a GWP from Cult Beauty previously which in all honesty I haven't reached for as of late. The roll of it wasn’t as smooth as I liked it to be and it only had the larger ended bit. I had been looking into getting one with a smaller nib on the other end to help use along my eye area. So when Stephanie created her own roller, I knew it would be perfect. In comes this beautiful Mount Lai jade roller* which I’ve been using most nights. It’s quite soothing to use along your skin while giving added benefits to help de-puff the skin. They recently brought it out in a rose quartz color which is absolutely beautiful!
Of course I received the Glossier You* fragrance which has been heavy handed on rotation since it came into my possession. If you’re hesitant on the scent, I highly recommend making an order as all orders are coming with a sample! Don’t just spray it in the air or on a piece of paper either - actually wear it. I found the scent sooo much more appealing once I actually wore it as it mixes with my body chemistry in the best way. This one definitely lingers too as I can usually smell it on my jackets days after I use it. Remember, as always, you can get 20% off your first Glossier purchase when you shop through my rep link: glossier.com/reps/cindy.
The last two newest additions were little treats to myself as I recently got promoted at work and am also taking on a new added role. As much as I love blogging, I am still passionate about my day job and love what I do! So it’s quite exciting when I move along in my career too. I follow a shop by the name of Anomie which is based up in San Francisco. I really do need to head up and visit one day as the store looks absolutely beautiful - and pretty much how I wish my home/closet looked! Tbh I love following Anomie’s IG because the owner, Chelsea, loves to put the spotlight on thieves. It saddens me so much that people still try to take advantage of small businesses and steal. If you want nice things, work hard for it - simple as that. Don’t try to cheat the system and hurt others in the process. But anyways, Chelsea always plays detective and absolutely wrecks the thief - put 'em on blast girl! It’s funny to see how the thieves react to being caught - some are mad and are rude in their responses, some are extremely embarrassed and apologetic. It’s crazy that these things keep happening because there’s been a good few thefts in the last few months. Needless to say, these thieves picked the wrong store! Lol anyways, I digress - I’ve been eyeing Overose candles for quite some time now and the recent release of the holographic jars had me itching to make a purchase. Doesn’t help that my bf and I have a candle burning for several hours every evening so we’re working our way through my candles! I’m not mad about that at all cause I think things should be used. Plus they make gorgeous jars afterwards! I ended up going with Indasmin as that’s been on my list forever and I’m pretty sure this will jump up as my #1 favorite candle as I loooove the way jasmine smells. It smells beautiful unlit and I imagine it’ll fill the room with a beautiful scent once I decide to burn it. The other one I picked up was Anthracite which upon opening I was immediately reminded of Diptyque’s Baies candle - only much, much stronger. Think Baies on steroids haha. I was a bit disappointed to find that it was just a film sticker stuck onto the jar to give that holographic effect. I’m hoping this one burns nicely and that the jar isn’t ruined in the process in any way. The instructions on these say to give yourself at least 3 hours of burn time the first burn which is a craaazy long time so I’ll need to hold off until I’m home for a day on the weekend with zero intentions of leaving the house lol. I get crazy intense about burning my candles and am a bit OCD about them burning evenly and not ruining the sides of the jars.
That’s about it for this first batch of products I'm currently testing! Let me know how you guys liked this post and if you guys want to keep seeing these types of posts to see what's coming onto my radar.
* Products mentioned have been sent to me for consideration, but all opinions remain my own. This post contains affiliate links.