Monthly Favorites: August 2022 Edition!

[AlexBT]

Happy August, Beauty Insider Community! I hope you’re all soaking up the final rays of summer (though here in San Francisco, our summer is just starting 😜) and putting that SPF to good use. As for me, I’ve been spending the month getting friendly with some brand-new (and in some cases, just new-to-me) products that have become fast favorites! I’ve been giving my claw clip a break and letting my hair down (frizz-free!), testing some hydrating new skincare picks, and channeling fluffy brows and lush lashes. What about you, BIC? Have you been falling back in love with some old favorites, or getting your hands on as much summer newness as possible? Let’s talk August faves!

Here are the products I’ve been regularly reaching for all month long:

• Biossance Copper Peptide Rapid Plumping & Hydrating Serum with Hyaluronic Acid + Squalane 1.69 oz / ... 
• COLOR WOW Dream Coat Supernatural Treatment Spray for Frizzy Hair 
• Kosas Air Brow Tinted Clean Volumizing Eyebrow Gel Dark Brown 
• The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 Hydrating Serum 2 oz/ 60 mL 
• tarte tartelette™ tubing mascara Black 

Your turn, Community! Which skincare, hair, makeup, fragrance, and/or wellness products have your attention this month? Reply below and don’t forget to use the “#” sign to tag those products!

[CookieGirl1]

@Ispend2much6 I really hadn't tried much before this year but now I get the hype.  I already bought (and am using) the Tatcha The Water Cream Oil-Free Pore Minimizing Refillable Moisturizer , I've repurchased the Tatcha The Kissu Hydrating & Plumping Lip Mask Original a few times, and the Tatcha The Dewy Skin Cream Plumping & Hydrating Refillable Moisturizer has to happen in a full size next.  I like it now but I bet I'll LOVE it during the drier winter months.

[AlexBT]

@CookieGirl1 Ahhh I recently saw someone raving about the Tarte lip plump on the good ol 'Tok, and there's been one sitting on my loves list waiting for me to add to basket. You may have convinced me! 😉

[CookieGirl1]

@AlexBT I had tried the original tarte Maracuja Juicy Lip Balm Gloss and it wasn't a fav but the plumping version hits home.  My lips can't usually tolerate even mild "lip plumpers" (not because of the sensation but most of those products cause my lips to peel alarmingly badly) but this one doesn't tingle or burn; it just has a pleasant cooling sensation and it looks so nice and glossy!  

[WinglessOne]

Tagging @itsfi who wanted feedback on the COSRX cica cream. And someone wanted feedback on the LH Cosmetics blotting powder but I didn’t jot down who… sorry! Hope whoever it was finds this. 🙂 

2 old favorites and several new-to-me loves.

Makeup & photos of eye products in action: 

Spoiler

Danessa Myricks Beauty Mini Lightwork Vol. III The Experience Eye & Face Palette - I love duo/multichrome shadows, so this palette’s right up my alley. The color shifts on these are fantastic, and each shade performs well with either a dry brush or a finger; I haven’t needed to wet a brush to use any of these shades, though you could certainly do that to amp things up even more. I missed out on the original full sized Lightwork III, but I’m glad I could get this mini instead. 

Dior Diorshow Iconic Overcurl, shade Dior en Rouge - Limited edition brick red shade of a mascara I’d never tried before. 2 coats lift and lengthen my lashes with fully opaque color that doesn’t fade throughout the day. It’s thick and can clump during application, but running a lash comb through it doesn’t strip color or cause a shower of flakes. Best of all, it doesn’t irritate my eyes at all—and that’s amazing since most mascaras try to kill my eyeballs. This is one of the very few Dior cosmetic products that've impressed me. 

Danessa Myricks palette and Dior mascara in action: 

Sephora Collection Lift Off Lash Comb - Best lash separator I’ve ever used. The teeth have pointy ends, which was intimidating the first few times I used this comb (kept worrying I’d stab my eyeball). The folding handle lets me safely comb each lash from different angles. A quick soak in rubbing alcohol easily cleans it. Perfect for travel. I wish I’d bought 2 of them while Sephora still sold them. 

LH Cosmetics Blotting Powder - This translucent pressed powder contains Upsalite (the same super absorbent ingredient in Danessa Myricks Yummy Skin Blurring Balm Powder). It tones down the oil slick in the middle of my face without making my skin look very matte and dry. In fact, it settles to more of a natural skin finish on me, which is what I want. Note that if your skin gets sweaty, you’ll need to reapply this powder—but that’s easy enough to do. My forehead’s not really oily, it’s usually just sweaty; my true oily zone is just on and around my nose. This powder works well in both areas. 

Skincare: 

Spoiler

COSRX Pure Fit Cica Cream Intense - I’m already a big fan of the Pure Fit Cica Serum which, like this cream, contains 7 forms/components of centella asiatica, one of my skin’s favorite soothers. It also contains allantoin and panthenol, 2 more of my skin’s favorite anti-inflammatory ingredients. This cream felt kinda like a water based gel when I first tested it on my hand, though it contains emollient moisturizing oils (sunflower, soybean, and macadamia). This month I used it on my neck to calm some red irritation and found it’s thicker/richer than expected, but still not a heavyweight cream. It reduced the redness and itchy irritation on my neck enough that I could go to bed without the urge to constantly scratch, and it kept that skin moisturized. If COSRX doesn’t discontinue it, I’ll buy another tube when it’s time to restock. 

It’s Skin Power 10 Formula Li Effector - A several-times repeat fave. Licorice root is another of my skin’s favorite soothers. Though this ingredient’s in most of my skincare products, this standalone serum does wonders for the surface redness in the middle of my face. It’s a staple of my skincare routine and I hope It’s Skin never stops making it or drastically changes the formula. 

Nails: 

Spoiler

Zoya Zooey - My second favorite PixieDust polish so far. My photo doesn’t show Zooey’s scattered holo glitter, but it’s very present and gorgeous in person. 

Cadillacquer Eivor and Evo - Both are thermal polishes; I warmed up the bottom of each nail swatch stick to show some of the warm and cold phases. Evo’s a beautiful thermal polish that gives me all the 1980s 4AD/Cocteau Twins vibes. Eivor’s a tri-thermal hyperactive mood ring: its color shifts are fun and unpredictable. Technically these are July faves, but I forgot to post in the July thread. 

Eivor's on my middle fingernail in this photo showing its green, berry, and blackened navy thermal/color phases: 

Haircare: 

adwoa beauty Baomint™ Moisturizing Curl Defining Cream 16 / 453 - I normally use Adwoa’s gel, which looks and feels more like a cream, on my coils. But this month I’ve used the actual cream instead, and I’m impressed! For me, it works best when applied to wet hair. It doesn’t weigh my coils down or make them crunchy. I should buy a full size jar once this mini’s empty. 

[Kim888]

@WinglessOne @The cica cream sounds really interesting !! Have you tried the Laneige sleep one ? I wonder how they compare ! 

[WinglessOne]

@Kim888  Yep, I tried LANEIGE Cica Sleeping Mask for Moisture Barrier Support back when Sephora gifted me (and other folks) a full size jar. It contains squalane and shea butter, making it a good moisturizer.* Also contains 3 forms of cica, plus pullulan ferment which Laneige claims is more effective (at skin soothing, I assume) than madecassoside, a form of cica excluded from this product. Unfortunately, it also contains palmarosa oil (a perfuming essential oil) and tea tree oil (something my skin tolerates in small amounts, and only with infrequent use), so I couldn’t use it often on my face and neck. I wound up using it on my legs instead. It worked well as a moisturizer and moderately soothed a bug bite on my calf. 

I assume the COSRX cream contains a much higher concentration of cica than Laneige's mask. If cica’s what you’re mainly after, choose the COSRX cream. (I haven't looked up studies on pullulan ferment, so I don't know how true Laneige's efficacy claim is.) Both the cream and mask contain panthenol, but the cream also contains soothing allantoin and pycnogenol. I haven’t used the Laneige mask in a long time, but I recall the texture feeling not as thick and rich as, say, CeraVe Moisturizing Cream, but definitely thicker than the average body lotion. 

*There’s no need to use Laneige’s “sleep mask” over a moisturizer unless it’s not moisturizing enough for your skin. That’s true of almost any product marketed as a sleep mask: most of them are just moisturizers. You can use a sleep mask as a daytime moisturizer if you want. I can see this Laneige mask being good for that, as long as your skin’s not sensitive to essential oils. 

[Kim888]

Thank you for the thorough review @WinglessOne !!! I did like the Laneige one a lot (also from that trial) and it’s been on my list to repurchase but I might enjoy a higher cica concentration! 

[itsfi]

@WinglessOne, thanks so much for the tag and follow up on the CosRX Cica cream. It sounds great - not surprising as CosRX has some wonderful skincare. Wholeheartedly agree with you on licorice root. It’s one of those ingredients that l’s done wonders for my skin. 

[WinglessOne]

@itsfi  No problem! I still wonder how much lighter a texture the regular Pure Fit Cica Cream has, compared to this one—assuming that's one of the differences. COSRX makes it seem that the "Intense" cream has a higher concentration of their cica-7 complex than the regular cream. And the regular cream's missing cica oil and soybean oil. I may need to try the regular one next for hot weather use. But the Intense version will definitely come in handy as temps cool down. Heck, I've already used maybe half that tube and summer weather's still in full swing here. 

I kinda wish The Ordinary would release a simple licorice root + [any supporting anti-inflammatory ingredient] + hydrator serum. It might not get as much consumer traction as HPR or vitamin C, but it'd be easier to find state-side* and I'd buy it multiple bottles at a time. 😂 

*The It's Skin serum tends to sell out frequently, thanks to a certain youtube dermatologist I'm told has hyped it up. Now that it's no longer a secret, I have to hoard-buy it when it's available. 

[itsfi]

@WinglessOne, I had a chuckle at comment about the side effects of recommendations by YT dermatologist approval. 😂 I am happy that Kbeauty (as well as other non mainstream or underrepresented brands and products) get recognition from YT, IG, TikTok influencers but my goodness, the way those products then get swooped up always makes me wonder if I should just pick up an extra one of my skincare products every time I order, to stock up just in case. 😆 

It would be fantastic if TO came out with a licorice root centered serum. 😍 My intro to the benefits of licorice root came in the form of an Eminence Organic booster serum. I subsequently found the It’s Skin serum. When the YT derm video went up about it, I thought it’d be fine since I could get the serum at a local Asian beauty store. Ohhhh, my naïveté!! 🙄 The next time I went in, the entire stock of all the serums in that series was wiped clean. I saw that It’s Skin changed the look of the label on those serums; hope it’s just a label change. 

[WinglessOne]

@itsfi  I'm glad you discovered the wonders of licorice root! A few years ago, I looked for info on anti-inflammatory ingredients that have a decent amount of proven clinical data. I wound up reading clinical studies (the ones I could access, anyway), surveying doctors, etc.; that's how I learned more about licorice root, an ingredient I'd never given much though to before. Then I looked for products that contain a lot of it, wondering if anyone made a licorice root serum. And hey, It's Skin does! I was sad when it started selling out everywhere. Positive brand recognition is a good thing (when warranted), but I didn't expect nearly all of someone's audience to buy up a skincare product simply because that person said it was good. 😂 Too many people buy skincare without keeping their own skin issues/goals in mind. I mean, I'm sure some folks actually needed that licorice root serum, but I suspect some of this person's audience buys stuff just because of the hype, to see if it does anything for their skin, whether or not their skin needs it. 🤦‍♀️ 

ANYway... last year, a good friend sent me 5 or 6 bottles of it's Skin's licorice serum after hearing me whine about not being able to easily find it anymore. He's awesome. 

About the new label: if it's the blue adhesive label that says "Firefighter" on the front, that's a different product. It's Skin now makes 2 versions of this serum. The Firefighter version's not available in the US; I've seen it only at their Korean site and at some K-beauty retailer sites. It's marketed as an upgrade of the original version. Unfortunately, the "upgrade" includes several perfuming essential oils, so I can't use it. Here's the INCI list I pulled from the brand's Korean site (using Chrome's translator): 

Spoiler

Firefighter INCI:
Spanish licorice root extract, purified water, propanediol, glycerin, betaine, matricaria flower extract, sodium hyaluronate, dipotassium glycyrrhizate, guaiazulene, beta-glucan, polyglutamic acid, Glycereth-26, Ammonium acryloyldimethyl taurate/Vpicopolymer, Butylene Glycol, Caprylyl/Capryl glucoside, 1,2-hexanediol, Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate, Dipropylene glycol Lycol, Xanthan Gum, Disodium EDITA, Polyglyceryl-10 Oleate, Mexican Juniper Oil, Damask Rose Oil, Gwanggwak Fragrance Oil, Vetiver Root Oil

I'll be very disappointed if It's Skin discontinues the original in all markets and replaces it with this Firefighter version. 

[itsfi]

@WinglessOne, yeah, I do hope the “Firefighter” version is just an additional line and not a replacement but I don’t have a good feeling about that - I just saw both versions are on the brand’s US site. If I’m near the shop where I’ve picked up the It’s Skin serum in the past, I’ll try to remember to duck in and ask them about it. Thanks for posting the INCI list on the new version; I see an ingredient I’m not familiar with and another that I’m not sure will play nice with my skin. I love that your friend sent you a supply of the original serum. That’s awesome! 

I agree - skin care (and skincare products) isn’t one size fits all and many factors can play into how a product performs for someone. It’s taken me years to get to a place where I have a generally good idea of what works and what will not for my skin. 

[WinglessOne]

@itsfi  Ugh, I was hoping the Firefighter serum wouldn't hit the US site... I just checked and I see the cream, but not the serum. (I still see just the original version of the serum.) But I do see the relabeled versions of other serums in the Power 10 line, which tells me Firefighter will probably replace the original licorice root serum globally. 😞 Guess I'd better do another hoard-buy asap. Still, I'll be interested to hear what you hear about it. 

[Ispend2much6]

@WinglessOne  I bought the Dior mascara in black after reading your earlier review; it's every bit as good as you said it was (I bought the waterproof one.)  Thanks!

[WinglessOne]

@Ispend2much6  Yay, I'm glad the waterproof black version works for you! I have the regular (non-waterproof) black version in my Nordy cart; waiting for another product to come in stock so I can grab everything in one go with Notes. 🙂

[ather]

@WinglessOne  Wow awesome favs!!! I need to check out that Cosrx cream it sounds lovely! The polishes you chose are gorgeous! I need to start buying thermals again. I did love them!!! And the changes seem more intense and brighter then when I used them long ago!!! 

[WinglessOne]

Thanks @ather ! Thermals have come a long way. I didn't try one until this year, once I realized how much more interesting they look nowadays. Can't wait to see which thermal you try, if/when you do! 

[haleyvvvv]

Yes yes yes DM Lightwork III, @WinglessOne !! Love that got this and is a fave this month. The look you did looks great!!

[WinglessOne]

Thank you @haleyvvvv ! 😊 I’ll probably jump faster on the upcoming Lightwork IV palette, now that I’ve played with III and know what to expect. 

[CookieGirl1]

@WinglessOne I've been looking into K-beauty moisturizers and skincare in general so I appreciate your review.

[WinglessOne]

Thanks @CookieGirl1 ! I like several COSRX and It’s Skin products. They don’t all work for me, but neither does any other brand’s entire product lineup.

I very rarely buy skincare without seeing the INCI list first, and sometimes that’s tricky when considering a Korean product: some brands don’t list ingredients on their product pages (not even at their English site, if they have one), so I have to hunt the info down. It’s Skin isn’t great at listing ingredients at their site(s), but COSRX has improved there. It’s even worse with J-beauty: Japanese brands tend to reformulate skincare products every 1-2 years, so some of them see no need to include a full INCI list. 🤦‍♀️