I have to admit I made a tragic mistake while packing for NY which was….forgetting my lipliner and brow gel. Whoops! Luckily, the Sephora sale starts today (for VIBROUGE, use code YAYSAVE) but unfortunately I am writing this on the 4th and when I go buy those things I will be missing out on the discount. The girl math is not mathing in my favor, but I’ll survive.
ALSO- I have been *gifted* a few lovely new products that I want to share with you. These are products I’ve been trying and testing for the last month (minimum), as I don’t take my recommendations (or the time you take to read this!) lightly. One of my goals for this newsletter is to share more independent brands with you and beauty is a fun category with so many cool, female founded companies.
Just a reminder -the Sephora sale is great, but don’t feel like you have to buy the last 20 products you heard rave reviews about (unless you want to!). I am simply going to share what’s in my cart - it will mostly be a restock situation along with trying one or two new things from brands I already love, like this serum. I hope you treat this post like you would a buffet- take what you want, if something new looks good consider trying it, and leave the rest! Okay, here's what’s in my cart:
Restocking-
K18 detox shampoo, Dermalogica pre cleanse cleansing oil, Salt & Stone deodorant, Augustinus Bader rich cream, Anastasia mini brow gel (for travel/on the go), Rare Beauty highlighter, Crown Affair dry shampoo (the best dry shampoo of all time, IMO), Westman Atelier mascara (contact friendly, in my experience), Dr. Sturm Hyaluronic Serum. MakeUp Forever lipliner (shade 2C). Westman Atelier lipgloss (shade Garconne, very small purse friendly which is important, even though, as discussed here, I’m a big bag girl). Paula’s Choice BHA liquid exfoliant. The Ordinary Rosehip Seen Oil. Fresh Soy Face Wash. and lastly, my go-to lipstick.
Trying-
YTTP serum, Dieux Collagen gel cream, Goop glycolic peel pads, Keratase purple shampoo. Also this moisturizer because while it is the last thing I need, I am extremely curious after hearing so many rave reviews.
NEW NEW (to me and maybe you)
Odacite- Their eye cream is my go-to, so I was eager to try their new body polish. I use scrubs about once a week or twice if I’m getting a spray tan. This one has a nice light, lemony scent that isn’t overwhelming (coming from someone who hates most perfume). It also never dried my skin out, which I appreciate. Paired with their body oil, my skin was left feeling hydrated.
AnaBlue- These products are GOOD! It is no wonder their founder, Lauren Perez, recently had a Top Shelf feature recently (read here). I tried their scalp cleanser and loved it- especially useful if you’re a big dry shampoo girl and need to detox. The serum is a nice protectant and smells amazing- I like to put it on my ends, especially if I’m going to use heat. CODE: LIZ-15
Goop cleansing balm- Gwyneth continues to do no wrong (did anyone else listen to her interview on the Skinny Confidential podcast last week? so good!). This cleansing balm is nice, light and takes off make up- specifically waterproof mascara- really well. I like using this cleansing balm before I use stronger products like their exfoliating milk.
True Botanicals- I first tried True Botanicals last year when I was sent their Pure Radiance oil (so good) in a gift set. I’m really picky about face oils- they must be really well formulated for me to even consider trying them. I ordered a new bottle immediately after the mini from my gift set ran out- it’s that good. They recently sent their body scrub, cleansing balm and lip balm. The lip balm is incredible and is now a top tier favorite! I like the formula way better than the Laneige. The cleansing balm is good and has a nice ginger-y scent- it’s formulated for sensitive skin and leaves mine feeling super soft. CODE- LIZ15
Hanni- Confession: I still use shaving cream!! I really don’t like the feeling of shaving my legs without some kind of barrier. But, shaving cream is messy! and low key kinda annoying. and difficult to travel with. WELL, Hanni’s shave pillow has completely solved that problem! It comes in deodorant style packaging and glides on. This company is SO cool. They refer to themselves as “lazy skincare for real people” and their products really do simplify things. The other thing they sent me was their water balm, which is a spray on moisturizer. I use it post- shower when I’m in a rush (so, basically everyday). Btw, they do literally everything they can to be sustainable- you can read about their practices here.
Ravie Beauty- I was just sent their effortless lips trio and I’m really impressed by the formula. It’s a lipstick that actually hydrates! My favorite shade is Dahlia (pinky-mauve), but they’re all great. I can’t wait for them to expand into other categories!
This one was not sent to me and is not part of the Sephora sale but I love it so much I’m going to mention anyway- my facialist recommended implementing mandelic acid into my skincare routine and after using this for only a week I can already see the difference in my pores and with my skin texture. It’s sold out on Violet Grey (found it here), which is also always the sign of an excellent product. If you look closely at the photo above you can see I like it so much I brought it with me on my trip.
Another product that fits into that category is this Christophe Robin hydrating mist. It smells incredible and keeps my hair conditioned but doesn’t make it oily. I call it my post-shower hair spritz.
BTW..
I’m in NY for a few days, follow along here for real time updates. Can’t wait to share my shopping adventures in next week’s letter.
I’m getting into the burgundy trend with this Loewe pouch and ribbed tee.
Speaking of trending colors,
did a deep dive on ice blue and I can’t stop thinking about this carry-on? Cute.One thing I will mention before my New York letter is that the new Still Here collection is perfection. I saw it IRL today and bought this, this, this and finally…. the overall tank and a barn jacket I actually like (most are way too long on me). The red collar is *chef’s kiss*. If you live in New York I highly recommend a visit to the store.
Yes, the title of this post was inspired by this song. Maybe don’t click on that link if you’re reading this at work.
Next up will be my NY shopping recap! Very excited to share. This trip has been such a fun reset.
xx,Liz
Hi, thanks for the fun post lady! Please don't gate keep on your dress details!
Shave pillow? Yes, please. Thank you as always.