Treatments

Worth it? Tarte Knockout Tingling Treatment

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Tarte Knockout Tingling TreatmentTarte Knockout Tingling Treatment, $39

At the end of August, during the surprise BI sale, I purchased two things:

  1. Restocked Ole Henriksen Truth Serum.
  2. I decided to give the overwhelmingly positively reviewed Tarte Knockout Tingling Treatment (5oz for $39) a shot.

My interest in the latter was piqued when Stef Nicole mentioned it in her 2017 skincare video; she’s a highly skeptical character, went in to try this with an admirable level of skepticism, and came out impressed. So hey – I’ll give it a shot too. Like her, I question the foray of makeup brands into the skincare realm, but her judgment is pretty damn solid.

If it Ain’t Broke

For as long as I can remember at this point, I haven’t tried any new skincare products. This was due to a few things:

  • I’m on a low buy
  • I didn’t want to risk compromising my skin
  • Everything was working

For chemical exfoliation, I was largely relying on my Alpha Skin Gel for an AHA. That said, I can’t seem to get my hands on the Alpha Skin Gel easily – and for the first time in a while I felt adventurous.

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Clarins Glow Booster

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Clarins Glow Boost

I haven’t been thrilled with my facial sunless tanning situation for years. Then, I came across sunless tanning serums and decided to give the highly-rated Clarins Glow Booster a shot. Boy, am I glad I did!

What I was Doing

For a while, I was just using what I use on my body, cut with a moisturizer or argan oil. Then, I’d apply with a black beautyblender or even a cast-aside buffing brush.

The results were OK; it didn’t look unsightly, but I didn’t like the heaviness of the lotion on my face. I never have!

Clarins Glow Booster

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May 2018 Favorites

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May 2018 Favorites

May 2018 Favorites
1. ChomChom Roller, $24 / 2. BlueSky Planner Galaxy 5×8, $15 /
3. Clarins Glow Booster, $32 / 4. Covergirl Clump Crusher, $8 /
5. BlueCross Cuticle Remover, $6 / 6. Ole Henriksen Truth Serum, $42

Click through for details on what I love about my May 2018 Favorites.

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April 2018 Favorites

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April 2018 FavoritesApril 2018 Favorites
1. The Laundress Signature, $20 / 2. Jergens Natural Glow Wet Skin Moisturizer, $8 /
3. Mario Badescu Buffering Lotion, $19 / 4. Clarisonic Smart Turbo Body Brush Head, $32

Thanks for bearing with me through technical and scheduling difficulties that delayed the April 2018 Favorites from its usual posting slot. Details on them, including two reappearances, after the jump.

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Worth it? Drunk Elephant B-Hydra (Quick Take)

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Drunk Elephant B-Hydra, $52

To be honest, I really planned on buying Drunk Elephant B-Hydra. Drunk Elephant C-Firma is the only ‘expensive’ skincare product in my regimen – and I’m satisfied with that! Forever a value seeker, I picked up their Come C About Me holiday set that included a full-size C-Firma and:

  • Beste jelly cleanser
  • Umbra sunscreen
  • …and Drunk Elephant B-Hydra moisturizer.

I haven’t tried Beste and Umbra yet, but I have been using the small bottle of B-Hydra, cocktailing it with C-Firma in the morning and applying before any makeup I wear that day.

Usage

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That Time Again – 2017 Favorites

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I sat down to write about my 2017 Favorites and ended up laughing at myself. I went back and checked the previous year’s favorites to make sure I wasn’t inadvertently writing the same post and … wow, I definitely almost did! I still love and use everything from that list a year later. I even still use the now-discontinued Gimme Brow; I’m on my last tube, sadly. Maybe next year will feature a new brow product. Maybe I’m set in my ways.

Rather than repeating myself, check out what I had to say on these items last time:

2017 Favorites

Drunk Elephant C-Firma Day SerumDrunk Elephant C-Firma Day Serum, $80

Buying an $80 consumable skincare item even at 20% off was a huge risk for me. I enjoy prestige makeup, but I was worried that I was:

  • losing my mind
  • buying into hype
  • going to hate it or be unimpressed and have wasted money
  • going to love it WAY too much but not find it a sustainable purchase
  • losing my mind

Although I was obviously hoping I’d like it, I was shocked by how much good it has done for my skin. It is my single largest beauty expense, but I am gladly forking over the money twice a year.

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