Compared to this time last year, I’ve eased up on beauty shopping but there are a few things I’ve recently picked up here and there to test out, help me relax, and make my beauty routine more enjoyable. Here is my collective luxury beauty haul from the past few weeks.
- Nest Fragrances Grapefruit & Verbena Body Wash & Body Lotion – Body wash is one product that I always use up. I was due for a foaming wash and came across Nest during a shopping trip to Ulta. I picked up the Grapefruit Verbena in the brand’s body wash and lotion. I love that Nest is a luxury fragrance brand that’s more affordable compared to other luxury brands.
- Kiehl’s Creme de Corps Smoothing Oil-to-Foam Body Cleanser – This is an older purchase that I haven’t talked about on the blog. I discovered my love for oil body cleansers last year when I tried the one from Bioderma. Since I’m a huge fan of Kiehl’s and their Creme de Corps Body Butter, I decided to give their body cleanser a try. This one is more oily than the Bioderma and doesn’t foam up as much, so I use it as a second cleanse to lock in moisture after cleansing with something more purifying. I love the smell of this though and it really helps me add moisture back into my dry skin.
- Black Girl Sunscreen Make It Matte SPF 45 – Black Girl Sunscreen has been on my radar for a long time but their original formula didn’t seem like it would suit my combo oily skin. I’d been patiently waiting for a formula that could possibly work for me. The brand finally answer my and so many others’ wishes and came out with a matte sunscreen. I’ve worn it a few times so far and my initial impression is that it a silicon gel texture that feels very similar to the Supergoop! Unseen Sunscreen but thinner. This would be nice before makeup but I’m still on the hunt for an everyday SPF in a lightweight gel-cream texture that would be good for no-makeup days. Let me know if you have any recommendations.
- Merit Beauty The Minimalist Perfecting Complexion Foundation and Concealer Stick & Brow 1980 Volumizing Eyebrow Pomade Gel – Merit Beauty is a new clean luxury beauty brand for the makeup minimalist. They reached out and gifted me two products of my choice as a part of their launch campaign. I was happy to help spread the word about their launch in Sephora (see campaign photos here). I love their “Less is More” approach to makeup, the luxe packaging, and the easiness of the two products I’ve tried. I’ll be sharing more in an upcoming review.
- Epara Skincare Hydrating Mist – I’ve been on a mission to find more black-owned luxury brands and I loved the look of Epara. This skincare brand is pricier than what I usually go for but the mist was more affordable than their serums and moisturizers, so I decided to give it a try. I love a face mist to hydrate and refresh throughout the day, so I keep this on my desk for easy access. I love the luxe minimal packaging and can’t wait to try more from the brand once I use up some of my current products.
- Chanel Le Gommage Anti-pollution Exfoliating Gel & Le Masque Anti-Pollution Vitamin Clay Mask – Chanel recently reformulated a few of their cleansers and masks and I wanted to try out the new products. This is the first physical exfoliator and face mask I’ve purchased from Chanel but I’ve never been disappointed in any products I’ve tried from the brand, so I’m looking forward to testing these out. Full reviews to come.
- Static Nails Press-On Nails – I tried out press-on nails for the first time earlier this year and they were so easy that I decided to try more. The first pair I tried had a cute design but I wanted something more of my aesthetic, so I picked up a nude pair from Static Nails. I’m looking forward to trying these out and will be sharing my thoughts in an upcoming post.
- Tangle Teezer Thick & Curly – I’ve been using original Tangle Teezer but I recently came across the Thick & Curly version for naturally curly & coily hair in TJ Maxx. I was interested in seeing how it stacked up against the original and the discounted price encourage me to test it out.
That is my collective luxury beauty haul. I’m currently testing everything out and will share my thoughts on each either in a review or monthly favorites post. Let me know which product review you want to see first. What’s the last beauty product you picked up?
