ALL USED UP: ROUND TWO

HAPPY 2020 people! We are definitely in our roaring 20s again, and with the new year comes an end to a few trendy beauty care products (i.e. charcoal). These days it’s all about CBD, peptides, natural ingredients and essences. I have lots of new stuff that I’m trying; however, this post is a follow-up to ALL USED UP from last summer. This is round two of the series, and I am talking about the beauty stuff that I have used up over the holiday months…all the way to the last drop:

SKINCARE

M-61 Hydraboost Serum 2.0

I used this serum EVERY SINGLE MORNING for the past 3 months. M-61 is the home skincare line from the beauty care store, Blue Mercury, which basically carries SO many of my favorite high quality skincare, hair care and makeup brands. The M-61 Hydraboost Serum 2.0 is jam packed with peptides, Vitamin B, natural tamarind, aloe and centella asiatica. It’s vegan, cruelty-free, oil-free (big win for me as my skin does not do well with oil-based products), sulfate and paraben-free. Basically it’s all that jazz and more. It’s $82, but it lasted me for almost 3 months, and that’s with EVERYDAY use, sometimes even evenings. I was pleasantly surprised by this product, and will definitely put this on my to-buy-again list.

M-61 PowerGlow® Peel

I was gifted a lot of skincare products from Blue Mercury this past fall, and have actually used this peel in the past (SEE SKIN DEEP). I loved using it before so I didn’t hesitate to intermix the M-61 PowerGlow® Peel into my skincare routine. My go-to daily peel is still Dr. Dennis Gross Alpha Beta Peel Peel – Extra Strength, which is a two-step, two-minute process. This peel is just one-step and one-minute, so I would use this every other week when I needed a quick fix.

I brought both peels with me to Dallas when I was home for Christmas, and my sister made a comment about how great my skin looked the morning after I used this peel. The only negative thing I would say about this peel is that my upper lip does get really irritated when I use this peel over Dr. Dennis Gross Alpha Beta Peel, but it’s not enough of an irritation that would prevent me from using it in the future.

Joanna Vargar Supernova Serum

This is not new news. If you’ve been following me for a while, you know that I’ve basically talked about Joanna Vargas Supernova Serum from the moment I started using it (SEE MOST ASKED, BEAUTY ANATOMY and BLACKLISTED). I will continue to blog about this from here to kingdom come, and I’ve already used two bottles of this serum and am currently on my third bottle.

This to me is the equivalent of liquid gold. I FUCKING LOVE THIS STUFF. It’s just so damn expensive ($295), but I PROMISE YOU it’s literally worth EVERY PENNY. Yes, I am using a lot of all caps for the pure basis of emphasizing just how important this skincare product is to me and my skincare routine.

I have tried several times to look for other Vitamin A (retinol) skincare products that could possibly live up to this serum, but at a fraction of the cost, and it’s just not possible. I have tried Kate Somerville‘s entire +Retinol line and Eve Lom’s Time Retreat line, but neither collection can give me what I am able to achieve with just this one JV skincare product.

ORAL CARE

Tom’s of Maine Activated Charcoal Toothpaste

Speaking of past trendy ingredients such as charcoal, I actually really liked the Tom’s of Maine Activated Charcoal Toothpaste, and used up two tubes of this. I attended a Tom’s of Maine event sometime early last year, and came home with a stock pile of toothpastes and other hygiene products. I remember the representatives telling us the story behind their charcoal toothpaste: they came in late to the charcoal game. They waited, but they did so because they wanted to make sure that the charcoal source was natural, high-quality, and sustainable. Now that is something I can stand by and support.

Their toothpaste tubes are also recyclable, their ingredients are natural and the product actually works. I think they’re available at Target, Whole Foods and other online stores, including Amazon. Their price point is just a bit higher than a bigger named oral care brand, but I want to start supporting brands like Tom’s of Maine because of their mindful, environmental business operations.

HAIR CARE

ORIBE Supershine Light Moisturizing Cream

I’m one lucky biznatch because I’ve had the opportunity to work with some of the best hair care brands that are out there, which includes ORIBE. They are notoriously famous for their Dry Texturizing Spray, but I’ve had the privilege to try out their Supershine Light Moisturizing Cream. This has been a game changer in my blowouts.

I am queen bee when it comes to flyaways, and this cream has helped me tame a lot of it when I dry my hair. It’s super lightweight so I’m able to maintain my blowouts and styles for 3+ days without having to wash my hair, (assuming I’m not doing any extensive workouts).

I just started using their Serene Scalp Thickening Treatment Spray, and will most likely use that to the last drop as well. Stay tuned for ALL USED UP: ROUND THREE.

That’s it for this round of skincare, oral care and hair care products. Hope everyone had a great holiday break and I look forward to a more active and interactive 2020 year!