The year is halfway gone, and here’re my skincare and makeup favorites so far (and the absolute worst)! Surprise, they are all rather affordable, and also, suitable for a wide range of skintypes and tastes. It’s the simple things, amirite?! On to the best of 2023 so far!
(I won’t be talking about sunscreens here, though – that’ll be a post for another day.)
NYX fat oil lip drip in That’s Chic
My most worn piece of makeup this year without a doubt. I mean I finished it already after buying it in February or so. And that’s the main problem with it: NYX lip oils are impossible to find right now, at least where I am. They’re not technically limited edition, so NYX, can you please manufacture enough stock to meet demands?!
Anyways. Purple That’s Chic isn’t a scary purple, but gives off Black Honey vibes. Or, think lips stained after eating blackberries. It’s gummy bear candy scented (or, artificial fruits), and has a lovely formula that’s on the right side of hydrating-sticky, but not too sticky. Is it the most hydrating lip oil/gloss I’ve ever tried? No. But then, those don’t have an 8€ price point as well. It’s great to have around for a quick slick of colour and hydration for your lips.
What I don’t like, but that’s on par for all lip oils I’ve tried – they tend to leak. Also, NYX seems to have attended the Lisa Eldridge school of packaging: it’s impossible to empty the lip oil completely. Here, I’m more lenient than with LE, because, again, the price point.
Conclusion: I absolutely will buy more when I see them in stock again.
More info
Ingredients
POLYISOBUTENE, HYDROGENATED POLYISOBUTENE, PENTAERYTHRITYL TETRAISOSTEARATE, PARAFFINUM LIQUIDUM / MINERAL OIL, DIISOSTEARYL MALATE, POLYGLYCERYL-3 DIISOSTEARATE, ROSA CANINA FRUIT OIL, RUBUS CHAMAEMORUS SEED OIL, RUBUS IDAEUS SEED OIL / RASPBERRY SEED OIL, SQUALANE, BARIUM SULFATE, AROMA / FLAVOR, ALUMINA, ALUMINUM HYDROXIDE, CAPRYLIC/CAPRIC TRIGLYCERIDE, DIBUTYL ETHYLHEXANOYL GLUTAMIDE, ETHYLHEXYLGLYCERIN, TOCOPHEROL, TOCOPHERYL ACETATE, DIETHYLHEXYL SYRINGYLIDENEMALONATE, SORBIC ACID, PHENOXYETHANOL, CI 15850 / RED 7 LAKE, CI 77891 / TITANIUM DIOXIDE, CI 42090 / BLUE 1 LAKE, BENZYL ALCOHOL
Douglas
Availability
4,8ml are around 8€. In Germany, try Douglas or Zalando.
Eucerin Hyaluron Mist Spray
Simple. Effective. Cheap.
Eucerin Hyaluron Mist Spray is not a complicated product. It’s a simple formula, consisting basically of water, hyaluronic acid, panthenol, glycerin in a spray bottle with a very fine mister. I use it as a toner after cleansing, and as NOT a morning person, this is a wonderful pick-me-up especially when I do my AM skincare routine. But honestly, I love it whether it’s my AM or PM skincare routine and in all seasons.
It also fits very well into my skincare philosophy. I don’t like toners with a lot of actives, as that’s something I get via serums I use. And different to my beloved K-Beauty toners, it’s exceedingly simple to buy the Eucerin toner – I just have to pop into the next pharmacy.
Oh, yeah – it’s also divine just to mist your face with it when it’s exceedingly hot outside.
More info
Ingredients
Aqua, Butylene Glycol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Glycerin, Glyceryl Glucoside, Panthenol, Pantolactone, Arginine HCL, Sodium Citrate, Citric Acid, Trisodium EDTA, Sodium Hydroxide, 1,2-Hexanediol, Phenoxyethanol
Eucerin
Availability
150ml are around 10€. In the USA, try Care to Beauty. In the UK, try Eucerin’s own homepage and in Germany, I check online pharmacies to find the best deals.
The Ordinary Natural Moisturizing Factors Beta-Glucan
The newest addition to my faves, and it’s so good. Again, it has a simple formula, it’s affordable, and, again, suitable for a wide range of skintypes and tastes. Basically, it’s a very hydrating gel-moisturizer. Not-so-basic it uses an interesting range of hydrators (not just old hyaluronic acid, oh no!), has a very pleasant formula that will be liked by all skintypes BUT the very dry, and, for me, doubles as a sleeping mask pack during summer. It’s incredibly pleasant and refreshing to use, and if you think that The Ordinary can only be cost-effective by skimping on pleasant, enjoyable formulas, think again.
The Ordinary, as I’ve realized in 2023, has come far from the single-ingredient-in-propanediol formulas they started with. I’m incredibly impressed.
More infos
Ingredients
Aqua (Water), PPG-24-Glycereth-24, Propanediol, Betaine, Beta-Glucan, Arginine, Glycine, Alanine, Serine, Proline, Threonine, Glutamic Acid, Lysine HCL, Glucose, Maltose, Fructose, Trehalose, Xylitol, Anhydroxylitol, Xylitylglucoside, Sodium PCA, PCA, Sodium Lactate, Urea, Allantoin, Sodium Hyaluronate, Phospholipids, Sphingolipids, Glycerin, Pentylene Glycol, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Sodium Hydroxide, Sodium Chloride, Sodium Citrate, Citric Acid, Tocopherol, P-Anisic Acid, Aminomethyl Propanol, Phenoxyethanol, Chlorphenesin
The Ordinary
Availability
100ml for €14,40 at TO’s own site.
The absolute worst so far – Allies of Skin’s new reward system
Allies of Skin revamped their points system. The reason for it was – whatever, something.
Still, you receive points for purchases and can reap benefits the more points you have. So far, so normal.
What’s changed is the possibility to actually redeem those points. With the old system, you could only ever redeem one code per purchase, and you had to turn your points into a code first. Still, there was the possibility to redeem them during Allies’ ubiquitous BOGO deals, especially during ‘Black month’ in November when the BOGO deal was in place without a code. Now, you can only ever use ONE code, no matter what, no matter when. On top of that, you can’t simply redeem your point, but have to reach a certain limit to apply them: you’ve to spend 100€ to use a voucher to redeem points worth 20€. For 120€ you can use a 30€ voucher, for 135€ then 40€ and so on.
The thing is, that is completely useless. There’s always a promotion in place that’s better than your paltry voucher generated with your points (trust me, I’ve checked), so that the whole rewards system is a moot point. That effectively punishes customers not wanting to spend hundreds of dollars/euros in one fell swoop, but wanted to use their points on a single product. Thanks for nothing, I guess.
Please note that this review is not sponsored in any way. We buy products ourselves, with our own money, and don’t accept exchanging goods, or money, for reviews. We are completely independent, and our reviews reflect that.
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