Monthly Favorites: December 2023 Edition!

[AlexBT]

Monthly Faves: December 2023!

Wow, what a year, Beauty Insider Community! I don’t know about you, but reflecting on 2023 makes me realize how many new beauty favorites I’ve discovered (some of those thanks to you!) and how many former favorites have now become current holy grails. There’s nothing like shopping your own stash…. but splurging on some brand-new beauty is pretty fun, too. 😉 I’m so grateful for all of you BIC-ers for sharing your favorites here for all of us to enjoy, all year long!

Here are the products I’ve been loving this December:

• Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Contour Wand 
• Olaplex No. 7 Bonding Frizz Reduction & Heat Protectant Hair Oil 1 oz/ 30 mL
• Rare Beauty by Selena Gomez Brow Harmony Flexible Lifting and Laminating Eyebrow Gel 0.15 oz / 4.5 g 
• SEPHORA COLLECTION PRO Shadow Brush #10 
• Supergoop! Mineral Mattescreen SPF 40 Mineral Sunscreen 1.5 oz / 45 mL 

Now it’s your turn! Hit the reply button and tell us which products you’ve picked up the most this December… or even throughout all of 2023. Be sure to tag those products with the “#” symbol (hair, makeup, fragrance, wellness, skincare, etc.)!

[lmaster]

Oh oh oh I bought a pack of the oil!! @SportyGirly125 still need to open the box 🤣

[SportyGirly125]

@lmaster @Can’t wait to hear your thoughts on it. 

[AlexBT]

@SportyGirly125 self-heating packs??!!! must know more

[SportyGirly125]

@AlexBT @You pull the tab in the back and it heats it up in 3 minutes. It’s similar to V05 hot oil tubes from back in the day. I love it on my hair before I shampoo. 

[cianni]

@SportyGirly125 I haven’t heard anything about that Pattern, but I really like the brand. It loooks like such an interesting concept, and I’m happy to hear it’s not gimmicky and is actually a good product. I’ll have to give it a try!

[danielledanielle]

@cianni , it's got some great products.  Sephora had has it on the roster for a few years.  Sometimes there's point multipliers for the brand.

Even before I started transitioning out of my relaxer, I had their clarifying shampoo, hydration shampoo, medium conditioner, hydration mist, the heating packs and jojoba serum in rotation.  Only the serum has been meh, but everything else I've tried, I've loved.  The hydration mist with the detangler is my current go to when I take out my braids.

[Pilgrimgossip]

I've really only known what a skin care routine even is for the past year, much less the myself fully into own. Here's are dinner off my faves ..

The Ordinary Mini Squalane Cleanser 1.7 oz/ 50 mL 

Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant 

Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow PHA + BHA Pore-Tight Toner 5.07 oz/ 150 mL 

Kiehl's Since 1851 Midnight Recovery Concentrate Moisturizing Face Oil 

First Aid Beauty Pure Skin Face Cleanser

#LANEIGE Lip Sleeping Mask Peppermint

[AlexBT]

@Pilgrimgossip I'm so tempted to get the Laneige peppermint sleeping mask or the LANEIGE Lip Glowy Balm Peppermint 0.35 oz / 10 g but I just have sooooo many lip products to get through! lol

[cianni]

@Pilgrimgossip that’s a great skincare routine with some stellar products! My first real skin routine was all over the place; you seem to have found a solid lineup!

[CynthieLu]

Thank you for sharing some of your favorites with us @Pilgrimgossip 💓

FAB and Glow Recipie are brands that really know our skin.

Great choices! 

[CookieGirl1]

@AlexBT I've heard so many people talk about how good the Rare Beauty by Selena Gomez Brow Harmony Flexible Lifting and Laminating Eyebrow Gel 0.15 oz / 4.5 g is!  That might need to be the next brow gel that I try.

[AlexBT]

@CookieGirl1 At first I wasn't sure about it, but after a few uses it really grew on me and now I can't live without it! What I like most is that it doesn't flake or peel like some of the more "glue-y" ones do (at least that is my experience) AND it dries down really well, so I can go in with a pencil or brow pen after to fill in sparse areas without it just sliding the product around. Before I discovered the Rare one, I was switching in between the PATRICK TA Major Brow Lamination Gel 0.17 oz/ 5 mL and REFY Brow Sculpt Shape and Hold Gel with Lamination Effect 0.28 oz/ 8.5 mL 

[cianni]

@AlexBT I LOVE that Refy brow gel, but I found that too much product came out sometimes and my brows had a bit of a white cast to them. Does yours do that, or am I doing something wrong 😅

[Skincarebeautys]

This looks so cool

[cianni]

what a month! here’s what I couldn’t put down ☺️

• Christophe Robin Cleansing Purifying Scalp Scrub Home & Away Duo 
• Drunk Elephant F-Balm™ Electrolyte Waterfacial Mask 1.69 oz/ 50 mL 
• Tatcha The Kissu Lip Mask 
• GXVE BY GWEN STEFANI Hella On Point Clean Ultra-Fine Brow Pencil 
• GUERLAIN Mon Guerlain Eau de Parfum (an oldie but decided to revisit it!)

[AlexBT]

@cianni Great faves! I think my fave lip mask that I discovered this year is the LAWLESS Forget The Filler Overnight Lip Plumping Mask! I haven't tried the Tatcha one but I know we have a lot of fans in the BIC 🙂

@CynthieLu I'm so intrigued by the out-of-control volume scrub!!

[cianni]

@AlexBT I’ll have to try that Lawless lip mask! I love the LAWLESS Forget The Filler Lip Plumper Line Smoothing Gloss , so I have no doubt I’ll love the lip mask too!

[CynthieLu]

@cianni  beautiful list of faves!

I have one scrub by CR ( it's a volumizing scalp scrub) I'd love to try the one you mentioned.  The volumizing one is good, my scalp feels so refreshed after... but the volume it gives my hair is outta control lol. It definitely does what it claims 😉

[cianni]

@CynthieLu I haven’t tried the volumizing scrub but out of control volume is exactly what I want my hair to have!! 

[CynthieLu]

I get it, I hunt the  volume too. @AlexBT @cianni  😉

It's from Christophe Robin, the Volumizing Paste with Rose Extracts. If you haven't used it, It's sort of a grainy paste that when you mix a tiny bit with water you end up with a sudsy foam. It's a bit gritty making for a nice little scalp scrub. I'm very gentle with it on my hair and I wait until it's all the grits dissolve into suds before washing the lengths of my hair. I'm afraid it's too rough otherwise.

For a boost they say let it sit in your hair for a few extra minutes.

I did get a ton of volume but it made my hair a feel unmanageable. If/when I use this again it's going to be with a fair amount of conditoner or a deep conditioning treatment. 

@cianni @AlexBT  Sorry if that was a bit long. 😅 I hope it was helpful!

[cianni]

@CynthieLu love your full descriptions and detail!! I rely heavily on the trusted BIC reviews 🥰