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New Skincare Additions, Phase One: First Impressions


Skincare, I've found, is usually pretty difficult to review unless you have an exorbitant amount of time or it's something that's instantaneous like, I don't know, an acne product that is supposed to make your zit shrink overnight. But when it comes to things with anti-aging, brightening, tightening, other verbs to end in -ing properties, it honestly takes time to (1) see its effectiveness and (2) really see any changes at all. 

So, I've decided to break up these new skincare additions into different parts instead of trying to give a comprehensive review about products that I've only had around a month or so to test out. I've accumulated them over the course of the last two months so I've been testing them pretty regularly to see if I have any new staples that desperately need a spot on my really dusty skincare shelf aka just the top of my makeup drawers because I don't have anywhere else cute to store them in my room.

The first impressions today will be all about what their resume product description says they're supposed to do, ingredients, and how my skin seems to be reacting so far. I mean, spoiler alert, but nothing has made me breakout which is already a thumbs up in my book when it comes to all of these products. Can I say if definitively they're all worth the money? We shall see!

*This post contains products that I was gifted. All opinions, as always, are my own*



Raise your hand if you didn't know that Giuliana Rancic had her own skincare line because I sure as hell didn't. I got this box from Influenster including this product and the next two from Fountain of Truth and was pleasantly surprised when I saw her face in the e-mail campaign.

Fountain of Truth is all about "clean skincare that gives back." The Insta-Face Lift Elixir is a very lightweight treatment that's meant to help with anti-aging sans any cosmetic treatments. It's supposed to reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles (Spilanthes Acmella Flower Extract) and create tighter, smoother looking skin (Black Cumin Seed Oil). It also plumps up your skin to help increase bounce and radiance.

Look, realistically speaking, my skin isn't at the point where anti-aging is really my top priority. I'm not against starting to use it "young" but I'm also only 22 and think I have a couple of more years until my proactive anti-aging skincare routine kicks off.



Listen, I've been trying to properly use honey in my skincare routine for y e a r s. YEARS! I remember trying to just put it on my face in high school when I had no idea what else to do to make my face not look like a hot mess minus the hot because it was not alluring my any means. If you didn't know, honey has anti-inflammatory properties which is great for any swelling or redness caused by those really lovely cystic zits that hurt like hell. It also helps preserve moisture in your skin, which can help if any acne treatments dry your skin out as well. So you know, go honey! It's not just great for your tea! 

This mask is supposed to enhance and hydrate skin to make it appear more dewy and youthful. It includes Organic Honey, Propolis Extract, and Royal Jelly Extract. Together, these help keep your skin nourished, glowing, smoother, and softer. Plus, it's one of those super fun masks that heats up on your skin when you start to apply it on your face. 

I've only used this mask about three or four times because I've been using it once a week to ease into it and make sure my skin doesn't react poorly to it, especially since it is so thick in texture. I really love the warming sensation as you put it on and my skin hasn't been dry recently, so I would either chalk it up to this product or the next mask I'm going to talk about in like, two seconds. Or both?




And for the last of the Fountain of Truth items, we have this overnight mask that makes my heart soar. I live for overnight masks and since I just ran out of both my Origins and Laneige overnight masks, this one came at the perfect time for me. It's a much thicker cream than I'm used to for a moisturizer/overnight mask, which I am 100% here for during this time of year where the weather cools down and sucks every last bit of moisture out of my skin that the air possibly can. 

This mask is meant to replenish and, well, moisturize your skin. It contains Sodium Hyaluronate as well as a blend of five botanical extracts that have naturally occurring alpha hydroxyl acids which help make your skin look smoother, brighter, and glowy.

Y'all, as I said, overnight masks are my everything and this isn't an exception. If I had to pick one of the three Fountain of Truth products, I would splurge on this overnight mask. It's super hydrating, thick and creamy without clogging your pores or being too heavy, and it just makes my skin feel uber soft and keeps the dry patches away. Far, far away...



Again, totally didn't even realize that Physician's Formula had skincare? I got this at Ipsy Gen Beauty for free and everything just feels better when you didn't have to pay for it. Mostly food and alcohol, but beauty products fall into that category somewhere too! This serum is pearlescent but it doesn't make your skin look shiny when you apply it. The finish is more dewy than anything if you accidentally put too much on.

This serum is supposed to help tighten and brighten skin so you can glow from within. It contains antioxidants (one of my fave things in skincare now because of how dirty NYC is) like Goji and Kakadu Plum for some Vitamin C and Rose Water to help soothe and hydrate your skin.

Look, I'm not going to lie. I'm not entirely sure how you can even tell if your skin is looking brighter. From what I understand, it means diminishing the appearance of dark spots, improving skin texutre, and making your skin seem more luminous without having to use makeup. That's about as far as I know about what brightening products do. Does my skin seem less red? Fo'sho. Does it seem luminous enough on its own? Not quite yet, but it's only been a month!



So, here we are again with the anti-aging products. Look, I got this at an event, but it's $122 so you better bet I'm not letting it go to waste. This is a two-in-one formula that contains plant extracts like turmeric which has really great anti-aging properties. It's meant to make your skin smoother, firmer, and radiant. So while I'm not necessarily looking to smooth out and wrinkles or anything, it's also good for dullness and uneven texture which I do have because of my lovely ten years stint with acne!

The serum claims to start working in as little as seven days, which is a pretty quick turn around for skincare. I admittedly haven't been using this one as much as everything else because I thought it was breaking me out. Good news though, it wasn't! It was just my skin being a dick, so that's cool!




So, SkinCeuticals is a skincare line that (1) is very expensive, yes, but also (2) is based on a combination of antioxidant ingredients, something I need in my life at all times. The formulas were also, you know, patented and what not by dermatologists which helps a bit. I've been using this serum for a few weeks now in an attempt to get rid of the pesky acne scars that I haven't been able to shake for the past few years. Yes, I've dulled them out a bit with a combination of products with niacinamide in them, but I think it's about time that I tackle it head-on.

This product is recommended for people with hyperpigmentation, sun damage, acne, dark spots, melasma, scars, and acne scars. Its main ingredients are Tranexamic Acid which minimizes discoloration and brown patches, Kojic Acid which boosts brightness, Niacinamide which helps reduce the appearance of discoloration in the skin, and HEPES which activates the natural enzymes in your skin and breaks bonds that bind dead skin cells to the surface of your skin AKA an exfoliant.

The clinical study took about 12 weeks for some results, so I have time to go with my trial of this! So far, so good though. I haven't noticed anything bad happening so I'm excited to see if I can start to fade those little red patches that I know are there. They might not be noticable to other people if I'm not wearing makeup, but I know that they're there and if this could help make them go away forever and ever then I'm totally here for it. 

What new skincare products have you tried recently?

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