Monthly Favorites: June 2022 Edition!

[Anna2BT]

June marks that we’ve already made it to the halfway point of the year, woohoo! Can you believe it, BIC? The time has come again to take a look back and reflect upon all the things that brought us joy this month – in other words, it’s time to share our June monthly favorites! 🌻✨

Here are the items that brought me a little extra sparkle to my days in June:

• Biossance Squalane + Amino Aloe Gentle Pore-Minimizing Cleanser 6.76 oz/ 200 mL 
• NEST New York Wild Poppy Eau de Parfum 
• The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Exfoliating Toner 8 oz/ 240 mL 
• PATRICK TA Major Volume Plumping Lip Gloss 
• Rare Beauty by Selena Gomez Stay Vulnerable Melting Cream Blush 

Also, I’m giving a special shout out to the The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Exfoliating Toner 8 oz/ 240 mL – I’ve been using this a lot as a power combo for my face and body! It helps me with the bumpier areas on my skin and I love adding it as a bit of #selfcare in my post-shower routine.

What sparked joy for you this June? ✨ Whether they’re skincare, hair, makeup, fragrance, and/or wellness goodies (new faves or old loves), the Beauty Insider Community wants to know what you’ve been loving this month. Reply below and use the ‘#’ sign to tag those fave products!

[Mellmars1185]

@makeitup305 

i wrote a review on the DM balm. My mind has actually changed since I posted it. I was previously putting on my face with the tool included and then blending out with a brush. I would now suggest picking up the product with the tool and warming up in your fingers. It applys much better. I use my fingers for the whole application now. I find the product works well for me because i have oily skin and it does a goopd job at reducing shine. I also noticed it doesn't cause me break outs at all.

The Saie blush is the shade Peachy and I enjoy it because the shade is so natural. It blends out eas with a dense brush. I find the fomul to be pillowy. I really like it!

[eshoe]

Don’t you wish an edit button existed for reviews, @Mellmars1185? 

[Mellmars1185]

@eshoe Yes! I also type too fast sometimes and makes typos. That would be wonderful.

[CookieGirl1]

@Mellmars1185 I've overall heard good things about the Yummy Skin Balm but it seems polarizing--people either seem to love it or hate it but it sounds like it's worked well for you :).  

[Mellmars1185]

@CookieGirl1 I have read mixed things also. I would say if you have tried it before with just a brush try warming it up betwen your fingers. It was a game changer for me.

[greeneyedgirl107]

@Anna2BT I've been waiting for a good GWP to replenish my Youth To The People Adaptogen Soothe + Hydrate Activated Mist with Peptides 4 oz/ 118 mL .  In the meantime, I've rediscovered my love for e.l.f. Hydrating Water Essence.  I stopped using t just before the pandemic (I think) and it's been helping my skin stay hydrated.  Of course it's been discontinued for a while!

[eshoe]

@greeneyedgirl107 is this the same e.l.f. Essence that @WinglessOne loved? I thought it was discontinued, is it back? @Tamara76 

[greeneyedgirl107]

@eshoe Sadly, it's not back.  I have an old back that I stopped using around the start of the pandemic that I recently brought back into my rotation.

[eshoe]

Ah, ok @greeneyedgirl107. I had my hopes up there for a minute!

[WinglessOne]

@eshoe  To my knowledge, it hasn't come back. 😞 I'm still bummed that it's gone. 

The closest replacement e.l.f. product is their Pure Skin Toner. I have a bottle of it but haven't tested it yet, and this reminds me to do that this month. The only issue with it (for my skin) is the inclusion of witch hazel, so I'll have to patch test it for a week before trying it on my whole face. But it's got some hydrating, moisturizing, and soothing goodies: glycerin, aloe, niacinamide, trehalose, ceramides, sodium PCA, sodium hyaluronate, oats, allantoin... though I think there's also glycolic acid in this toner, I don't know if the toner's pH is low enough for that AHA to exfoliate, so it might be there more for hydration. (This also reminds me to get more litmus strips.) 

[eshoe]

@WinglessOne I am impressed at the ingredient list you mentioned. I would never have thought of that brand as a go-to for skincare, but it sounds like their formulations are pretty friendly, for the most part. I will have to try it at some point. I did a toner count yesterday and somehow I have ended up with seven FS bottles as well as three backups of one 🤷🏻‍♀️

[WinglessOne]

@eshoe  That's a lot of toners! I think e.l.f. sells mini sizes of many skincare products at their own site. They didn't have minis when I obtained my FS bottle of Pure Skin Toner, otherwise I'd have bought that instead. I wish all skincare brands would offer mini sizes of everything so no one would end up with so many big bottles/tubes/jars of product waiting to be tested. 

I went back to the Pure Skin Toner's product page and I see e.l.f. still doesn't call out glycolic acid as a key ingredient, yet it's definitely in that toner: it's 9th on the INCI list, above sodium hyaluronate—which they do highlight as key. 🤔 Not that ingredient list placement really tells me how a product's formulated, but that's odd. And the bottle label doesn't carry the usual FDA-recommended warning about AHA causing sun sensitivity. Makes me even more curious about this toner's pH and what purpose glycolic acid's supposed to serve here, according to e.l.f. Hopefully it's here as a hydrator and the pH isn't low enough for exfoliation. I don't need an AHA exfoliating toner and definitely wouldn't use one daily. 

[eshoe]

I am a total layman here, @WinglessOne, but it makes me wonder if it falls somewhere below a specific percentage amount? So maybe they can bypass certain restrictions/labeling? I really have no idea, just thinking out loud. I would be very hesitant to use a daily exfoliating toner, although I have seen the Son & Park Beauty Water labeled as an exfoliator. Clearly that is a bouquet of extracts😂

[WinglessOne]

@eshoe  🤣 A bouquet of extracts and so many essential oils, Beauty Water might as well be sold as a fragrance instead of a toner. I think there's papaya extract in it, and that's probably why some folks call it an exfoliating toner. I don't know how well papaya exfoliates in any product, let alone that toner, so... huh. 

Now I'm trying to remember if there's a concentration limit for the FDA's AHA warning. That's a good out loud though you had. Might add that to my Look It Up Later list. 

[eshoe]

Well you ignited a little fire under my feet and I had to see what the FDA has to say on this, @WinglessOne.

Spoiler

“Previous FDA studies have indicated that a cosmetic-type cream base caused an AHA to penetrate more deeply into the skin when compared to an AHA solution without the usual cosmetic ingredients. However, further studies will be needed to learn how much, if at all, those cosmetic-type ingredients influence the AHA-related effects on UV sensitivity.

FDA recommends that the labeling of a cosmetic product that contains an AHA as an ingredient and that is topically applied to the skin or mucous membrane, such as the lips, bear a statement that conveys the following information:

Sunburn Alert: This product contains an alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) that may increase your skin's sensitivity to the sun and particularly the possibility of sunburn. Use a sunscreen, wear protective clothing, and limit sun exposure while using this product and for a week afterwards.

Based on industry-sponsored studies, the Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR) Expert Panel — the industry's self-regulatory body for reviewing the safety of cosmetic ingredients — concluded that products containing the AHAs glycolic and lactic acid are safe for use by consumers if:

• The AHA concentration is 10 percent or less.
• The final product has a pH of 3.5 or greater.
• The final product is formulated in such a way that it protects the skin from increased sun sensitivity or its package directions tell consumers to use daily protection from the sun.

Not sure if that really answers my question per se, but it does shed some light on it.  

[Tamara76]

@greeneyedgirl107 The YTTP mist is sooooo good!!! Now I'm curious about the e.l.f. - they've really upped their skincare game lately!

[ather]

@Anna2BT  Oooo thanks for the extra tip!! I’m going to try using it on my body now!! 

[SportyGirly125]

@Anna2BT My favorites for this month are about smelling good and being protected from the sun. 

Visor from Forever21

Bath and Body Works body cream in Bahamas  Passionfruit & Banana Flower and Peach Prosecco Macaron

Leanne Grace body butter in Vanilla Sandalwood

Kopari Sun Shield body glow spf 50

Kopari Sugar Cookie Coconut Melt 

LANEIGE Hydro UV Defense Sunscreen Broad Spectrum SPF 50+ 1.6 oz/ 50 mL 

La Mer The Hydrating Illuminator 1.4 oz/ 41 mL 

Ellis Brooklyn SALT Eau de Parfum Travel Spray 0.34 oz/ 10 mL 

Sol de Janeiro Cheirosa Sea & Sol Hair & Body Fragrance Mist 3 oz / 90 mL 

Sol de Janeiro Cheirosa Tropical Nights Hair & Body Fragrance Mist 3 oz / 90 mL 

Sol de Janeiro Cheirosa Tan Lines Hair & Body Fragrance Mist 3 oz / 90 mL 

Emijay x Sephora hair clip 

[eshoe]

That hair clip is just adorable @SportyGirly125.

[SportyGirly125]

@eshoe @It really is 

[Tamara76]

@SportyGirly125 Those are 2 of my fave Bath & Body Works fragrances, too! Yum! And now I want to try all the SDJ sprays!!!