I made a great decision in July – to stop buying more skincare products and be done with the ones I own already. This decision wasn’t easy, being a ‘skinfluencer’ on Instagram, I’m always tempted to buy products featured on other people’s pages and consumerism can really get to you after a while. Not to mention that Sephora sends deals to me every 2 weeks and it’s hard to resist a 25% discount if you have a wishlist as long as mine.
I did manage to go 1.5 months without buying anything! I was very proud of myself and I did manage to get quite a few empties stacked up to review, so let’s get straight to them!
THE BODY SHOP ELDERFLOWER UNPERFUMED EYE GEL
I had a completely different view of this product until one point of time and then it changed.
When I started using it, I was very impressed. I called this one of my most splendid finds of 2019. I loved it. It is unperfumed, glides on ever so smoothly on the skin, and has a cooling effect – the perfect recipe for summer. It was nothing fancy, but ideal for daily moisturisation. I didn’t notice any problems with my skin, but I chose not to repurchase this after taking a look at the ingredients.
Ingredients: Aqua, Hamamelis Virginiana Water, Sambucus Nigra Flower Water, Alcohol Denat., Glycerin, Polysorbate 20, Phenoxyethanol, Carbomer, Sodium Hydroxide, Caprylyl Glycol, Citric Acid, Sodium Benzoate, Potassium Sorbate
Alcohol denat. Is the 4th ingredient, which is a bad alcohol and a big no-no. It is drying to the skin and sensitises it.
Phenoxyethanol is often given a bad name but I’m okay with it in my skincare products as the EU regulations are very careful of how much can be used in products. It also has witch hazel water as the 2nd ingredient, which is getting quite controversial these days. Noting is 100% confirmed but I stay away from this ingredient, as I haven’t reacted very well to it in the past.
Overall, it has nothing impressive and such products can make the skin worse over the long term. Maybe I didn’t see any problems while using this product, but over a long period, the problems would begin to show.
Final rating: 2/5
Repurchase – No
FRESH ROSE DEEP HYDRATION FACIAL TONER
You might think I purchased it because IG made me, but I did so because I saw this gorgeous bottle in a Sephora window and was immediately swooned by the rose petals and the colour. I can’t deny it, this is one pretty, pretty toner, and I purchased it after a lot of convincing (mostly me telling myself I need to try it). Fresh beauty has done s splendid job at selling rose water at exaggerated prices. I also expected the bottle to be made of glass, not plastic (come on, Fresh Beauty, I’m paying big bucks here).
Anyway, if I’m being completely honest, I loved it. It feels and smells so good. My skin feels bouncy, I feel pampered and cared for. I love rosewater and I’ve tried several before, but this one felt more nourishing. Once the bottle started emptying, I realised you can’t use all the product – all the rose petals don’t let the toner pass through and you end up wasting a bit.
Oh well, on to the ingredients:
Aqua (Water), Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Rosa Centifolia Flower, Rosa Damascena Flower Water, Rosa Multiflora Fruit Extract, Angelica Keiskei Extract, Rosa Damascena Flower Oil, Sodium Hyaluronate, PEG-150, PPG-26-Buteth-26, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Sodium Citrate, Xanthan Gum, Citric Acid, BHT, Parfum (Fragrance), Phenoxyethanol, Citronellol, Geraniol
The ingredient list looks quite nice. A lot of people tear apart brands for using anything that unconfirmed studies say are bad. It has rosewater extract, rose flower oil, rose fruit extract, hyaluronic acid and some other goodies.
I’m not here to bash ingredients that some people consider imperfect because ‘some studies state it’. However, there is fragrance and citronellol, which can irritate the skin, so if you’re on the lookout for something 100% fragrance free, you might want to skip this.
Final rating – 4/5
I gave it a 4 as it’s quite overpriced and because it contains added fragrance.
Repurchase – yes, but not regularly
YOUTH TO THE PEOPLE KALE + SPINACH MOISTURISER
This was my first Youth To The People product and I was ecstatic to try it out. Having seen this brand multiple times on several accounts, I was curious to see what benefits it would bring to my skin. When I started using it, I was pleasantly surprised by it’s delicious texture that spread so easily on my skin. This moisturiser is ideal for summertime, when putting on anything more than a facial mist feels like it will melt off.
Ingredients: Water, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Glyceryl Stearate, Cetyl Alcohol, Lecithin, Glycerin, Tocopheryl Acetate (Vitamin E), Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C), Panthenol (Vitamin B5), Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer, Butylene Glycol, Brassica Oleracea (Kale) Leaf Extract, Spinacia Oleracea (Spinach) Leaf Extract, Camellia Sinensis (Green Tea) Leaf Extract, Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Extract, Medicago Sativa (Alfalfa) Extract, Aloe Barbadensis (Aloe Vera) Leaf Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Natural Fragrance, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Pentylene Glycol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Phenoxyethanol, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate, Chlorophyll
There’s a lot of goodness in the product, several extracts, Vitamin E, vitamin C, sunflower seed oil, and humectants and emollients. There is no synthetic fragrance and nothing that seems to stand out as a nasty ingredient. However, I feel like the formula could’ve been better by adding extracts at the start of the list instead of water. All in all, it’s a great product to consider buying.
Final rating – 4/5
Repurchase – Only during summer. I need something thicker during winter time.
I will forever and always sing praises about this cleanser. This is my send-favourite cleanser (I’ll talk about my fav, which has been featured already on my Insta) and I was immediately smitten. I bought this after hearing people rave about this cleanser. I wasn’t a fan of milky cleansers before and the word ‘Milk’ put me off a bit. However, this is the perfect second step to your cleansing routine. I always use coconut oil to remove dirt and makeup and then follow up with a cleanser and I loved this one – it’s so gentle, so effective (no traces of makeup), and so nourishing (never once felt that it stripped my skin of its natural oils). It lasts a considerable amount of time and has the perfect texture.
Ingredients: Water/Aqua/Eau, Rosa Damascena Flower Water, PEG-7 Glyceryl Cocoate, Propanediol, Isohexadecane, Poloxamer 184, Acrylamide/Sodium Acryloyldimethyltaurate Copolymer, Xylitylglucoside, Betaine, Allantoin, Glycerin, Panthenol, Symphytum Officinale Root Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Anhydroxylitol, Polysorbate 80, Xylitol, Ammonium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate, Isopropyl Myristate, Benzoic Acid, Ethylhexylglycerin, Sodium Hydroxide
Helps absorption of ingredients, emollients, plenty of moisturising ingredients. I know the list looks very, very scientific and scary, but they’re not bad ingredients.
Final rating – 5/5
Repurchase – hell yes
Korean beauty has surpassed industry standards and introduced effective products to the West that astonished skincare fanatics. When I first tried them, I was blown away by the results. I. WAS. GLOWING. Anyway, after hearing about the Son&Park Beauty Water and what a god send it was, how it was perfect before makeup and 2984 other benefits, I purchased this product on Yesstyle.
I didn’t see any difference. It did absolutely nothing. It was literally as if I was putting plain water on my face. Before anyone who loves this product gets defensive, I gave it a good 5 months. That’s enough time to show results and I saw nothing. I’m sure it does wonders for other people but it did nothing for me.
However, when you read the ingredient list, it’s quite fucking good. Maybe my skin just doesn’t like the product but I’m sure it’ll do a superb job on someone else.
Ingredients: Water, Rosa Damascena Flower Water, Hamamelis Virginiana (Witch Hazel) Water, Butylene Glycol,Propanediol, PEG-7 Caprylic/Capric Glycerides, Pentylene Glycol, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Fruit Extract, Xylitol, Citrus Aurantium Bergamia (Bergamot) Fruit Oil, Olea Europaea (Olive) Fruit Oil,Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Oil, Citrus Grandis (Grapefruit) Peel Oil, Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Oil, Cedrus Atlantica Bark Oil, Pelargonium Graveolens Flower Oil, Carica Papaya (Papaya) Fruit Water, Jasminum Officinale (Jasmine) Oil, Illicium Verum (Anise) Fruit/Seed Oil, Artemisia Absinthium Extract, Rose Flower Oil, Ferula Galbaniflua (Galbanum) Resin Oil, Thuja Occidentalis Leaf Extract, Eucalyptus Globulus Leaf Extract, Lavandula Angustifolia (Laveder)Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract, Melaleuca Alternifolia (Tea Tree) Leaf Extract, Melissa Officinalis Leaf Extract, Mentha Piperita(Peppermint) Leaf Extract, Mentha Rotundifolia Leaf Extract, Mentha Spicata Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract, Origanum Majorana Leaf Extract, OriganumVulgare Leaf Extract, Pelargonium Graveolens Extract, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Extract, Thymus Vulgaris (Thyme) Leaf Extract, Glycerin, Decyl Glucoside, 1,2-Hexanediol, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, PPG-26-Buteth-26, Sodium Chloride, Ethylhexylglycerin, Sodium Citrate, Citric Acid, Octanediol, Copaifera Officinalis (Balsam Copaiba) Resin, Protease, Alcohol Denat., Alcohol, Phenoxyethanol
Yes, that’s a long ass list. Let’s focus on the good parts – rose flower water as the 2nd ingredient
Bad points – Witch hazel water in the 3rd ingredient (there is no scientific proof that it’s bad for you but I’ve reacted badly to it in the past so I avoid this ingredient), several irritants like lavender oil, orange oil, grapefruit peel oil, bergamot fruit oil which are skin sensitisers. It also contains alcohol denat, a big no-no in skincare.
Honestly, I didn’t feel like going through each and every ingredient because I spotted several bad ones.
Final rating – 1/5
Repurchase – no, thanks
Let me know in the comments below if you feel the same about certain products or if you had a different experience using them! I’d love to know more about it!
Leave a Reply