Services
From makeovers to personalized skincare consultations
From makeovers to personalized skincare consultations
Get inspired, play with products & learn new skills
Exciting launches, parties & more
Explore what's hot in your store
Ask questions, join challenges, and get recommendations from people like you
Discover topics tailored to your beauty interests
Add your photos and get inspired by fellow beauty lovers
View activity, savings and benefits
Redeem items, samples and more
View and track online orders
Reorder it from in-store and online purchases
View saved products
Recommendations from your store visits
Manage your services, classes and events
Complete your beauty traits for personalized recommendations
Payments, contact info, addresses and password
View activity, savings and benefits
Redeem items, samples and more
View and track online orders
Reorder it from in-store and online purchases
View saved products
Recommendations from your store visits
Manage your services, classes and events
Complete your beauty traits for personalized recommendations
Payments, contact info, addresses and password
Ask questions, join challenges, and get recommendations from people like you
Discover topics tailored to your beauty interests
Add your photos and get inspired by fellow beauty lovers
From makeovers to personalized skincare consultations
Get inspired, play with products & learn new skills
Exciting launches, parties & more
Explore what's hot in your store
A place to say thank you, provide reviews and first impressions, or follow up on gratis received after more use!
Many of us have been very lucky to receive gratis (thanks Sephora!), and Iโve been finding that while itโs easy to initially post about receiving it and initial reviews, itโs not as easy to follow up!
I thought maybe we could have a dedicated thread to follow-ups and reviews with products weโve received after weโve been using them for a while, especially because itโs sometimes hard to find the original thank you and first impressions threads.
@itscarin I understand where you're coming from! I've tried several DE products and while I haven't had any negative experiences with any of it I also haven't noticed any "good" results either. I guess I should be happy because NOT buying DE saves me money but I'm a little jealous of all of the people who swear that it does wonders for them.
You arenโt alone, @itscarin. TLC is amazing for my skin but GG and Framboos didnโt make much of a difference. Retinols also do not work for me, though they do for so many others. Goes to show just how unique each personโs skin can be๐คท๐ปโโ๏ธ
@itscarin Sometimes I feel like people are either lactic or glycolic acid people - the TLC works so well for me but I used an entire bottle of the Good Genes once just to see what the hype was and I felt like it did nothing for me
Following up on the Gratis received:
I used LANEIGE Cica Sleeping Mask for 5 nights. I had no reaction the first night, I broke out in hives the second - fifth. I needed to make certain it was the product I had an allergy to. The only thing I did different on night 1 was first applied Herbivore Emerald CBD + Adaptogens Deep Moisture Glow Oil 1 oz/ 30 mL so it might have acted as a barrier which may explain why I didnโt get hives. Unfortunately I donโt think I can continue on with this product.
@GG84 Oh darn. Thatโs too bad you had a reaction. Hopefully youโve recovered from it.
Ooo that's not good!! @GG84 so sorry you had a reaction
@GG84 - That's too bad! I hope your skin clears up soon!
oh no! I'm sorry to hear that gave you a reaction @GG84 !
What a bummer, @GG84! I'm sorry that it didn't work out well for you.
@GG84 Iโm sorry you had a bad reaction. ๐ I just started patch testing this mask, so I may or may not try it on my whole face 1 or 2 weeks from now. Hope your hives calm down soon!
Do you patch test on your face or arm? Iโm going to do that with the remainder of the gratis.
@GG84 I usually start patch testing on either my arm, neck, or jaw (near my ear), and I test for 1-2 weeks (or longer, if Iโm only using the product 1-2 times a week). With this cica mask, Iโm starting with my wrist and inner arm. If I have no bad reaction within a week, Iโll move the test up to either my neck or jaw. If no bad reaction there within a week, Iโll try the mask on my whole face.
I havenโt done anything with the FAB arnica mask yet; thatโs the one Iโm most worried about, after reading its ingredients. That might be a longer patch test for me.
Yes the coconut concerns me along with a few other ingredient. I think Iโll go with the Drunk Elephant F-Balmโข Electrolyte Waterfacial Mask 1.69 oz/ 50 mL next. Thanks for the tips!
Feedback on one of the products from my recent gratis package (thank you Sephora!):
Algenist GENIUS Collagen Calming Relief 1.35 oz/ 40 mL - Cross-posting from another thread:
I used this on 2 consecutive nights; one was a retinol night. Algenist calls this a โtreatmentโ but, as thick and moisturizing as it is, it could probably be used as an overnight mask. As with all new-to-me products, I read and researched the ingredients to decide if 1) I can/should use this at all and 2) I should patch test it first. This stuff seemed to contain no bad or iffy stuff for my skinโnot even fragranceโso I went straight to full face use. It kinda feels like spreading a LโOccitane shea butter hand cream on my face; itโs that thick. I almost didnโt put my usual moisturizer (YTTP Superfood) over it, but it felt slightly tacky and I thought it might need that additional seal-in layer. It did play nice with my moisturizer.
In the morning, my face felt quite moisturized, even after my AM wash. To test Algenistโs โcalming reliefโ claim, I didnโt use Herbivore Emerald CBD oil on either night and instead relied on this stuff to handle inflammation/irritation, including the patch of damaged skin Iโm babying. This treatment seemed to do the job well. Iโm impressed! Not sure I could use this in warmer weather, but itโll definitely stay in my winter routine for occasional use.
Products I used with Calming Relief:
Iโve also used Drunk Elephant F-Balmโข Electrolyte Waterfacial Mask 1.69 oz/ 50 mL, but only on one night. I want to use it a few more times before passing final judgment. For now, Iโll say It felt very hydrating when first applied, then felt kinda sticky/tacky for 3 hours. My skin felt pretty good then next morning. Best of all, my skin didnโt react badly to it; other Drunk Elephant products havenโt played nice with my face (one beat me up pretty bad and stole my lunch money... glaring at you, Pekee Bar), so this alone is a big score for F-Balm. ๐
@WinglessOne I love that added other products you used it with. I think itโs super helpful
Thanks for the detailed review @WinglessOne
have you done ingredient compare between DE & Algenist by any chance?
if you would have to pick one as your overnight mask after retinol or 20-25% exfoliation (babyfacial), which one would you pick? No rush ๐ I will wait to hear your thoughts on these after you have had some more time to test the DE F-Balm.
@naturalooks15 I havenโt done a direct comparison, but F-Balm is mostly about hydration/moisturization with lots of emollient and moisturizing ingredients, vs. Cica Sleep Maskโs anti-irritation/barrier-building claims. I just started patch testing the Cica mask this morning on my wrist and inner arm because Iโm not sure my face can handle the combo of geranium oil, lemongrass oil, and tea tree oil. (I can do tea tree occasionally, in small amounts, but adding the 2 other essential oils to the mix is iffy for me.) In a week, if I have no bad reaction, Iโll move the patch test up to my neck or jaw before deciding whether or not to try the mask on my whole face.
My one test of F-Balm was done on a retinol night so, for now, Iโd pick that over the Cica mask. ๐ But weโll see how my face likes the Cica mask in a couple weeks. Iโll also get in a few more F-Balm uses during the Cica patch test.
@WinglessOne Thanks for the info. Yeah, with these many essential oils, it might be irritating. I was curious about comparison between DE F-Balm and Algenist GENIUS Collagen Calming Relief 1.35 oz/ 40 mL whenever you get a chance.
@naturalooks15 Ah, sorry. Iโve got that cica mask on the brain now. ๐ Since the Algenist Calming Relief is so thick (because it contains shea butter), I doubt I could use it in warmer weatherโso Iโd use Calming Relief in winter and switch to F-Balm in summer. But yeah, I can give a better answer once Iโve tested F-Balm a few more times.
FYI, INCIDecoder has a comparison function. Itโs kinda buried right now: on a productโs info page, under the ingredients summary, thereโs a comparison link. Clicking it sometimes gives me only the option to compare the product to itself. But if I search for a different product from the first productโs page, then click the comparison link on the second productโs page, Iโll get the option to compare both products. So it seems the comparison feature relies on a cookie to determine which 2 products to compare, vs. having some kind of interface that lets users choose 2 products. I hope this feature gets expanded and improved, because it could be super useful!
Anyway, hereโs what INCIDecoder lists for F-Balm and Calming Relief (common ingredients are bolded):
@l8totheparty Itโs true! ๐
Seriously though, Pekee Bar left my eye area all flaky and scaly, and it caused some red sores that scabbed over. Iโm still kinda ticked off about that. I had high hopes for that cleanser. Boo hiss!