Foil Challenge

[ather]

I know we all talked about this but I need it in writing to hold myself more accountable! I have picked out around 28 foils that I am hoping to get through by the end of Feb. that’s 1 foil a day unless I decide to stack more than one! Here’s what I’ve picked randomly! 

 

[peculiarzmakeup]

Thank you so much @ather I’m very much looking forward to participating 😊❤️

[CorgiMommy]

@peculiarzmakeup great foils.  I did this challenge a few years ago and used up a ton of foils and GWPs.  Good luck

[peculiarzmakeup]

Thank you so much! @CorgiMommy  I think it will be fun and I always forget to try them or utilize them at times so this will be great accountability for me. I love it ❤️

[itsfi]

@peculiarzmakeup, those are fantastic foil samples you have!! 🤩 Nicely done! 👍🏼 

Just a heads up, there’ll be a samples makeup capsule theme in August for the Capsule Makeup Collection Challenge (more info on August themes will be posted next month), so if you end up accumulating enough for another full face (or even a partial look since having just one product fit in the theme works beautifully) with foils,  think about that for August. Two challenges done with one or more foil samples. 

[peculiarzmakeup]

Thank you so much! And thank you for letting me know I will keep that in mind for August, I never thought about it like this until now but shopping my sample stash! I love it. I can’t wait to participate, that’s a fantastic idea 🫶 @itsfi 

[itsfi]

June 2024 Foils

How are we almost at the end of June? 

Product Details: 

Spoiler

🫤  amika The Kure Bond Repair Shampoo for Damaged Hair is fine - my hair felt lightly hydrated but there are other nourishing, bond repair type shampoos that work better for my hair.

👍  The amika The Kure Bond Repair Conditioner for Damaged Hair performed better for me. While there are similar products out there that work just as well, if not better, for me, this amika conditioner was a nice treat. My hair felt lightly moisturized, without feeling heavy and this performed nicely as a detangler, too.

🐐  Don't love that I have to reach for the Peace Out Salicylic Acid Acne Healing Dots but these deliver results time and time again when I do need them. So long as I suffer from breakouts, even the occasional ones, I will have a pack or sample pack like this one on hand.

👍  Argan oil can be too heavy for my face, but the Josie Maran Whipped Argan Oil Face Butter (discontinued) has a light consistency that would probably be fine, but I ended up using this packet on my hands and it did a lovely job of keeping them hydrated and moisturized without looking or feeling greasy.

🔬It's hard to say how these Vegamour GRO Biotin Gummies for Thinning Hair 30 Gummies worked - there are only 3 in the foil packet, but I didn't experience any breakouts from them (which can sometimes happen for me when I take biotin orally) so that's a good sign. @ather, I know that Vegamour products have worked well for you; have you tried these gummies before?

Emoji Key: 

🐐 = GOAT = Greatest Of All Time (have gone through at least two of the particular product and other comparable items)

😘 = Chef’s Kiss = Outstanding 

❤️= Love 
👍= Like 

🫤 = Okay; “It’s fine.”; “meh”

🔬 = Undecided = “Still looking into it”

🙊 = Not for me / my skin type

🙅🏻‍♀️ = ❌ = “No, non, nein, nyet, …” 

Foils Dashboard:

Month-To-Date = 5

Year-To-Date = 48

Ordinarily, I'd look at these stats and think, "oh, maybe a stretch goal of 100 foils would be something to strive for by the end of the year." I'm not sure if that is a practical goal, even for a stretch goal. I've been slowing down with my foils usage and am considering gathering all of the foils of which I have just one foil, culling through and setting aside the ones I'm very interested in trying or seriously thinking about purchasing in the next few months, and then donating the rest to a womens' shelter. My goal would be to work through those foils and the ones of which I have multiple foil packets by year end. I'll need to think this through a little more but I'm sorta inclined to go for it. 🤔 Will aim to make a final decision by the end of the 4th of July weekend. 

[CookieGirl1]

@itsfi sounds like a worthwhile strategy for addressing your foils in the future :).  

And I felt the same way about the Amika the Kure line; they actually made my hair feel really dry.

[itsfi]

@CookieGirl1, a few of my more recent uses of shampoo samples have left my hair feeling straw-like; the amika shampoo didn't go that far, which I appreciated but I have bond shampoos that leave my hair feeling more hydratd while still cleansed and strengthened. Have you tried other amika shampoos and conditioners? I've tried some from a couple of their other lines and I may just not be finding the line that works for my hair. Their nourishing hair mask, however, is a good fit. That and their Triple Rx Mask, which has sadly been discontinued for years, are ones that my hair likes.

[CookieGirl1]

@itsfi honestly, the only Amika products that have ever really agreed with my hair were their purple shampoo and conditioner--not because they actually provided any toning benefit but they at least made my hair feel nice!  I used the set for a couple of years but gradually I noticed that they weren't having the same effect on my hair that they had initially so I ultimately stopped using them as well.  It's such a popular brand with so many people but I just can't get on board.

[itsfi]

@CookieGirl1, that makes sense. There are plenty of products (and brands) that get raves from folks but they just aren't a good fit for me, so I get that. 

[ather]

@itsfi  Interesting the Amika shampoo was meh and the conditioner was great! 😊 I don’t think I have tired anything from this line but I think I have a sample I may need to dig out! 

The vegamour gummies aren’t in Canada. Sadly. Or they aren’t on Sephora. I’ll have to check if I can actually get them here. I didn’t think our vitamin rules are that picky but maybe they are? 

[itsfi]

Hmmmm, as I think about it @ather, it's actually fairly common for me to like a conditioner but just think the corresponding shampoo is just meh or okay. At least with foil samples; is that weird? Could be my hair. 

Do you have the amika Mini Soulfood Nourishing Mask 3.3 oz / 100 ml? That's a good one. I also like their amika Perk Up Talc-Free Dry Shampoo (the original, not the "plus" version). At one point it was my go-to dry shampoo and then it was unseated by K18 Biomimetic Hairscience AirWash™ Dry Shampoo.  

[ather]

@itsfi  I do love the amika Mini Soulfood Nourishing Mask 3.3 oz / 100 ml  it’s great with my hair also!! And I’m currently working my way through a bottle of amika Perk Up Talc-Free Dry Shampoo 9.5 oz / 358 ml  but I can’t wait to finish so I can buy the K18. Sadly I don’t tend to use dry shampoo often so it takes forever to go through a bottle. 

[itsfi]

That's not a bad thing that you don't go through dry shampoo very quickly @ather. I have to say that I've been reaching for the K18 less, even on weeks when I'm curling my hair often, but I also feel like with the K18, I can use it and my hair doesn't feel (or look) like it needs another round or day of dry shampoo. I do like that a lot. 

[ather]

May Foils!

I liked everything!

Tatcha The Texture Tonic AHA Liquid Exfoliating Treatment 5.07 oz/ 150 mL #did dry my skin out. But I like how smooth it made me feel.

Sunday Riley Good Genes All-In-One AHA Lactic Acid Treatment #made my skin very sensitive. I have more but I think I may gift them or ration it. #

[itsfi]

@ather, lovin' the photo bomb by the fur baby. It's too bad that the exfoliating treatments made your skin dry or sensitive. Do you have an exfoliating product that works well for you?

[ather]

@itsfi  Aww thank you! 😊 I did have a good picture but I opted to post the photobomb one!! Hmmm I’m trying to think of there is one I don’t notice an issue with. #SEPHORA COLLECTION Gentle Exfoliating Peeling Serum with Niacinamide + Lactic Acid 1 oz / 30 mL  I believe didn’t cause any issues for me. I will add it to test out again. But I remember it didn’t cause any issues. I’m also wondering if my skin hasn’t been the best all week. Last Saturday we had a soccer tournament all day Saturday and it was so windy and I had wind burn. And after that I planted my garden. Monday and Wednesday night we had soccer again and it was cold and windy both nights. I end up with a blanket wrapped around me to protect me from the elements. Tomorrow calls for rain. So that will be fun for soccer! ⚽️ it might not be the best skin to use it but I had some texture that I was hoping to resolve with the exfoliation I think due to the wind burn! 

[itsfi]

@ather, I do like that Sephora Collection peel - it's gentle and effective. It may make its way into my project pan later in the year and I'll start to incorporate it back into my routine at some point. I recently hit "pause" on actives, exfoliants and peels, and am keeping to a super simple skincare routine while my skin barrier is in what I hope to be the final stages of its recovery / healing mode. 

[ather]

@itsfi  Oh no. What caused your skin to loose its barrier? Anything in particular or just life? I hope your skin heals super fast! 

[itsfi]

@ather, I wondered what it might be and I feel like it might more than just one thing that caused my skin barrier to be compromised. That said, I suspect the major reason is the number and frequency with which I had been using products with actives in it. I KNOW!!! I'm usually pretty good (or at least I think I have / had been) of not overdoing actives, but after going through some of my products, I'm realizing there are some products that contain actives that might otherwise be less potent but when you take into account the products with actives that I might be using, whatever their dosages, the volume adds up. If I stuck with one or possibly two of them on a weekly basis, with just using them once per week, I imagine my skin would be fine, possibly a smidge sensitive, but otherwise, fine. But, cumulatively, and in combination with probably not moisturizing my skin enough and the weather/HVAC situation, my skin was really, really dry and irritated, with flakiness and more and lingering redness.

The Rhode cleanser includes pineapple enzymes (an exfoliating enzyme). And the Augustinus Bader Essence also contains actives. And add to that a peel every week or every other week, and my skin was just like "hey there, let's dial things back a bit!" I've been on a back-to-basics (and I mean very basic) skincare routine,  morning and night, and my skin has responded really well to it - I'm very happy about that. 😊 

You raise a very excellent point, not surprising! Life probably is playing a bigger part with it; I hadn't really considered that, and I should have. Well, we're on the mend so we'll focus on making sure there are no hiccups or minimal ones along the way. 🤞🤞

[ather]

@itsfi  Aww. Well whatever the reason I hope it gets better fast!!