Beauty Product Reviews

My favorite tinted balm

I have the mango and guava. I didn't like the scents of any of the other flavors.

Wonderful texture, almost a bit bouncy (that makes no sense, but it's not totally melting), creamy, a little gloss, perfect amount of color added to it. It enhances, doesn't obscure. Great to throw on during the day for a bit of polish. Wish it had spf.

Great taste, moisturizing, spf

This is not my holy grail, but I reach for it quite a bit. I have the lemon flavor and it's light scent is refreshing. I also really appreciate the spf since I can get freckles on my lips! Lightly moisturizing, not glossy, good under lipstick.

What a girl wants: Perfect skin (in a tube).

This is my current HG. I should use it every day because it makes my skin dewy and glowing, with just enough coverage to even things out. You get a natural, "no makeup" look. This probably wouldn't work for severe discoloration and it does need to be touched up at the end of the day. I like the light, creamy texture, but a pump applicator could be more hygienic and less accident prone when traveling. I also wish the SPF were stronger.

Light but moisturizing

I swiped this from a hotel I was staying at and chucked it under my sink when I got home. Then one night, my hands felt exceptionally dry so I slapped some of this on and went to sleep.

Moisturizing my hands is just not generally my top priority, even in the winter. This is because my skin doesn't seem to get dry... But I should really reconsider because my cuticles and the webbing (ew?) between my thumb and forefinger can get exceptionally dry. If I moisturized more regularly, I'd probably distance the time between manicures.

After trying a few different hand lotions (Sephora by Opi, Vaseline aloe fresh hydrating), I've decided I like this one the best. It doesn't absorb quite as quickly as the other two I mentioned, but is still very fast. There is no cloying scent (mine is unscented). And my hands still feel nice and moisturized the next morning. For those who do have really dry skin, this would be a good fit because it doesn't sting at all, not even when I have a hangnail or some other sensitive spot.

I haven't ever tried it on my body because, well, I don't really moisturize my body all that much either. (Probably something else that I need to correct).

This only gets 4 stars because I feel like it's adequate for my needs, but I'd prefer if it had SPF in it so I could use it in the day. Also, this is weird, but I don't actually love putting it on, I just do it when I remember to. Since moisturizing my hands is a one off right now, my dream five star hand cream would be one that actually makes me look forward to moisturizing, something with what I consider a heavenly scent and a luxurious feel. This isn't it. But it's the best of the numerous ones I've tried recently.

Light, Super Moisturizing Versatile Oil

I bought a small bottle of Josie Maran's 100% Argan oil on a whim when I was checking out of Sephora and it quickly became my go to for every moisturizing need. People say this about things like Smith's Rosebud, which I find completely overrated, but that's another review. This actually works for many different purposes.

This is the same type of oil as Moroccan Oil that people often use for their hair, but the Josie Maran brand is actually organic, which is hard to find. I would sometimes rub it into the ends of my hair to keep split ends from forming, but I found that I used it on my skin (face, hands, elbows) a lot more. It's especially good for cuticles (and the dropper makes it easy to apply it to cuticles too). It was a life saver in Vegas where the air is extremely dry. It absorbs quickly, leaves the skin feeling very smooth, is very good for sensitive skin, and best of all, you stay moisturized all day when you apply it.

Finally, the dropper is hygienic and also makes it easy to apply varying amounts. I'm going to buy it in bulk! The smallest bottle is wonderful for traveling and great for little touchups.