Spring 2020 Beauty Favorites... Kinda

Spring 2020 was a wild ride and by wild ride I mean exceedingly boring and stressful because I stayed in and worried about the ramifications of a global pandemic 24’7. Naturally, all that heavy ish impacted my mental health which lead to a disinterest in skincare and makeup and all that jazz for a while. All that’s to say I don’t think I tried that many new products over the past 3 months so this post is shorter than my usual favorites posts.

Roen 11:11 Eyeshadow Palette

$42.00 via Sephora, Cult Beauty, Revolve, & Roen

I have a whole dedicated blog post review to this so I won’t completely repeat myself here. This palette is perfect for those who want a one and done eyeshadow look 👌The shadows work best when applied with my fingers directly onto my lids. They look so sparkly and dynamic on my lids! I’ve tried a decent amount of eyeshadow formulas throughout the years, and I think Roen and created something totally unique. The texture is somewhere between a cream and a powder, and the pearl reflects they wear give my eyes a wet, glossy sort of vibe. I also like that they’re glitter free (as glitter is technically a microplastic.)

Allies of Skin Molecular Silk Amino Hydrating Cleanser (PR)

$38.00 for 100 ml via Dermstore, Beautylish, Cult Beauty, & Allies of Skin

Splurging on a cleanser is never a necessity, but if you wanna go for it, this is one that’s absolutely worth the price in my eyes.

First and foremost, it has a low pH and they publish it right on the tube 👏 I sincerely wished more brands did this as using a slightly acidic cleanser that mimics the pH of our skin (5.5) is a great way to ensure that you’re not stripping your skin dry when cleansing.

The texture on this is somewhat unique, it’s like a gel but it doesn’t foam up. I personally don’t mind this as I don’t like cleansers that foam up like crazy, but if a bubbly lather is essential for your cleansing experience, then this will be a pass for you. Sometimes non-foaming cleansers are a pain to rinse away, but that’s not the case here. It easily washes away with a few splashes of water, without leaving any sort of slippery residue on my skin.

My skin feels ridiculously soft after washing this off. It’s one of my favorite cleansers to use in the shower cause my skin doesn’t get uncomfortably dry after a few minutes. With every cleanser, there’s a certain amount of time I can go without applying any other skincare. For some cleansers, I need to apply my skincare ASAP or my face starts tightening. But with this, I have a generous 10-15 minutes after cleansing before I have to worry about applying the rest of my skincare.

The one claim I don’t agree with on this cleanser is that it works as a makeup remover. Unless I’m wearing the lightest of powder products, this isn’t strong enough to break down my makeup. For that, I rely on a cleansing oil or balm!

Le Labo Thé Noir 29

$192.00 for 1.7 fl oz via Nordstrom, Saks, Net-A-Porter, Cult Beauty, & Selfridge’s

Have you ever wanted something for a really long time and then when you finally get it, it flops? There’s nothing worse than that feeling. Thankfully, that was NOT the case with this fragrance. I’ve been lusting over it over the past 3 years and finally bit the bullet at the start of quarantine and it has not disappointed!!

I’m generally not *moved* by fragrances, but this totally moved me. It smells soooo good— a balance between woodsy, sweet, and tea notes (official notes are: Bergamot, Fig and Bay Leaves with heady Cedar Wood, Vetiver and Musk. It has a heart of Black Tea Leaves that recall the dry, leafy aroma of Tobacco and Hay). I’ve yet to smell anything similar.

The biggest plus for me, that helps me justify the price, is how long it lasts. I can literally still smell it on myself 24 hours after spraying. And it’s not a heavy, perfumey smell that lingers, but rather warm and comforting. I also like that after I finish it, I can go to the store and pay to have it refilled instead of buying a whole new bottle!

Lime Crime Bushy Brow Gel in Smokey

$18.00 for 0.12 oz via Bloomingdale’s, Ulta Beauty, Revolve, & Cult Beauty

For the longest time, I did not bother purchasing from Lime Crime because of their founder’s multiple scandals related to doxxing and racism and general awfulness. But earlier this year or late laster, she officially stepped down from the company. And then I made my first Lime Crime purchase ever!

I was 100% influenced by Starr to pick up their brow gel and pen (I didn’t include the pen in my favorites as I don’t think I’ve used it enough to call it a “favorite”). The brush is similar to the one of Charlotte Tilbury’s brow gel but it has so much more texture, hold, and color in comparison. It darkens my brows and holds them in place without making them crunchy. I love it as much as my Hourglass Arch Brow Gel, except this one is $10 cheaper!

The one place where the Hourglass has the Lime Crime brow gel beat is with it’s applicator. The Hourglass applicator is smaller and has bristles of two different lengths, with the shorter side perfect for back brushing my brows and adding volume. Shade wise, I would say the Hourglass is also a bit lighter and warmer.