Monthly Favorites: May 2021 Edition!

[GeorginaBT]

 

End of May already, BIC – hope you are all getting as much sun as we have in the Bay Area. 😊 Now that the month is almost up, you know what that means: it’s time to share our monthly faves! Recently I have revisited and slowly revamped my personal self-care routines, and I feel that my current favorites reflect that. Now, the rest of the Beauty Insider Community and I would love to know: what beauty products have you been reaching for most this month? All skincare, hair, makeup, fragrance, and wellness recos welcome. 👀

Here are my May favorites:

• adwoa beauty Baomint™ Deep Conditioning Treatment 16 oz/ 453 g 
• Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow AHA Pink Dream Body Cream 8.4 oz / 240 mL 
• Mount Lai Gua Sha Facial Lifting Tool Rose Quartz 
• SEPHORA COLLECTION Rose Quartz Facial Roller 
• Tower 28 Beauty BeachPlease Lip + Cheek Dewy Cream Blush Power Hour 

Click the “Reply” button below and use the “#” symbol to tag beauty products you’ve been loving this month!

[lmaster]

@ather 🤞I hope you can work it out 

[ather]

@lmaster  Maybe my problem was I did it before bed! 

[lmaster]

@ather I try to give myself a couple hours before I lay down

[faeriegirl]

@lmaster  I am loving the SDJ deodorant too. I will definitely have to check out the Caudalie body cream and the OH eye cream, they sound great!

[lmaster]

@faeriegirl ohhhh they are all soooo good!! 

[SportyGirly125]

@lmaster @Yay!!!  Glad you love Caudalie Vinosculpt Lift & Firm Body Cream 8.4 oz/ 250 mL 

[lmaster]

It's definitely a repurchase for life!! @SportyGirly125 💓

[danielledanielle]

My "May Flowers"

 

 

Snapdragon- Grande Cosmetics GrandeLASH-MD Lash Enhancing Serum Mini .033 oz / 1 mL .  I didn't want to believe the hype, but I do, my lashes have length and slight curl to them that I've never seen

Anthurium  - Uoma Beauty's Drama Bomb THIS mascara is dramatic.  It lengthens, it darkens and it's got this crazy brush.  It's the drama you want need

Lily of the valley - Jouer Cosmetics Essential High Coverage Liquid Concealer Dulce de Leche This is a recurring favorite, because I love the thickness of it and it's hydrating as well.  Lilies are also a favorite of mine.

Carnation - SEPHORA COLLECTION Coconut Mini Makeup Sponge Set I am obsessed with this set.  It's just super cute.  I like the white one for picking up fallout.

Anemone - Lancôme Teint Idole Ultra Wear Camouflage Color Corrector 2 Peach Another repeat fave, been using it a lot this month and it always delivers

Lilac - Kosas Kosasport LipFuel Hyaluronic Acid Lip Balm , I thought this was a lip scrub, but news to me, it's a balm.  It's one of my new favorite things, the smell is pretty distinct, but I like how it goes on.  It's really hydrating.

[ather]

@danielledanielle  Lots of great loves!!

[faeriegirl]

My May favorites are

The INKEY List Retinol Fine Lines and Wrinkles Serum 1 oz / 30 ml has been great and I haven’t had any irritation. Moroccanoil Extra Volume Shampoo 8.5 oz/ 250 mL has been one of the best volumizing shampoos I have tried. Sol de Janeiro Brazilian Joia Refreshing Dry Shampoo 4 oz/ 113 g is my new favorite dry shampoo. It smells great but the scent isn’t overwhelming like a lot of dry shampoos. Sol de Janeiro Rio Deo Aluminum-Free Deodorant 2 oz/ 57 g  is really nice. I love the scent and I haven’t had any irritation. It is perfect for light to moderate activity days. It didn’t completely hold up during heavy activity days though.

[GeorginaBT]

Great faves @faeriegirl! I haven't tried the Sol de Janeiro dry shampoo, but imagine the scent is perfect for summer 😊

[faeriegirl]

It is definitely perfect for summer @GeorginaBT!❤️

[ather]

@faeriegirl  I’m happy to see the sols on your loves list!!!! They are on my try next list!!! I’ve been using the inkey list retinol too and I’ve been enjoying it!

[Ispend2much6]

This month I really hit the jackpot with new, effective hair products!  I had a sample bottle of COLOR WOW Dream Coat Supernatural Spray Anti-Frizz Treatment 6.7 oz/ 200 mL  sitting in my bathroom for awhile.  I decided to use it today.

I washed and conditioned with ALTERNA Haircare Caviar Duo Moisture and then applied the Color WOW Dream Coat.  Immediately I could see it coating my hair to smooth the cuticle and bring back a little curl.  My husband even commented on my hair being curly! 

We had humid, rainy weather today, and my hair never frizzed up.

The directions say to use heat to activate the product, but once I casually blew dry my hair it made it look not curly, so I reapplied the spray and left it alone.  I will continue to air dry my hair as I usually do next time.

Also, this deodorant is very good!  I'm a "tough case," and I did have a little odor at the end of the day, but that could happen with any product. SEPHORA COLLECTION Clean Solid Deodorants .

[GeorginaBT]

Oh nice! I'm in the market for a new clean deodorant - will give the SC one a try 😊 Thanks for the reco @Ispend2much6! 

[Ispend2much6]

@GeorginaBT. You're very welcome! The directions for the WOW spray say to only use it every few shampoos , but yesterday was my first shampoo post application and I did not use it. We have had rain and high humidity air levels and my hair puffed up like a tumbleweed unlike the day I tried the spray during the same type of weather. It really works!

[WinglessOne]

I did consider showing one of my pillowcases in this photo but opted for just a box instead.

The Ordinary Alpha Arbutin 2% + HA Hyperpigmentation Serum 1 oz/ 30 mL - New to me this month, and I can’t believe it took me so long to try this serum. 

Spoiler

I wanted to boost the amount of arbutin in my skincare routine to further attack my hyperpigmentation. This serum does that well. I know some folks hate the silicone texture of this one, but on me it doesn’t feel too filmy or pill up. I apply 50-75% of a dropper to my face and neck after any other serums, let it sink in for a minute or two, spritz my usual facial mist over everything, and apply moisturizer and retinaldehyde. It’s a nice inexpensive addition to my hyperpigmentation toolkit. 

COSRX Pure Fit Cica Serum - I’ve named it a monthly fave before because it treats my facial inflammation issues so well. But this month it was part of my vaccination site treatment: 

Spoiler

2 weeks after getting my first covid-19 vaccination, I used it on the large red itchy splotches on/around the vax site. (I waited 2 weeks to let my immune system do its thing before using any topicals or oral meds to soothe symptoms.) The 7 centella asiatica components in this serum calmed my shoulder waaay down. My second shot is 4 days away, and this serum is one of the things I’ll probably use as post-vax treatment. Yet another reason for me to love this product. 

LilySilk 100% Silk Pillowcases - The only pillowcases I’ve used for I dunno how many years now. 

Spoiler

LilySilk makes them in various weights (19, 22, and 25 momme), sizes, and styles. I frequently rotate and change my pillowcases to reduce skin issues, so I own many of these cases. I always buy envelope closure cases for home, but I have 2 zipper closure cases for travel. My at-home cases are mostly 19mm weight, but I also have some 22 and 25mm. My travel cases are 19mm and standard size. They’ve all held up great to frequent machine gentle cycle washings + air dryings. 

If you have a Tempur-Pedic neck pillow or a Sleep & Glow pillow: I use the 15 x 22” toddler size cases (envelope style, 19mm), which are currently available only on Amazon. I suspect LilySilk is phasing this size out of their lineup. 😞 But it’s a near-perfect fit for those 2 pillows. 

adwoa beauty Baomint™ Leave In Conditioning Styler 14 oz/ 414 mL - This has replaced my old leave-in conditioner. (Not my post-shampoo conditioner, which I don't leave in my hair.) 

Spoiler

I have to keep this Adwoa product off my face due to some of its ingredients, but that’s not too difficult. Plus, I use less of this than I did of my old leave-in conditioner. I raved about Redken’s All Soft Mega shampoo and conditioner in a previous monthly faves thread. This Adwoa styler carries that All Soft Mega luxuriously soft and silky feel throughout my hair for days after washing. 

Routine Deodorant, scent Superstar - Still the best-for-me. 

Spoiler

I tested some new-to-me deodorants this month with disappointing results. Routine's deodorants are still the best (for me) by a long shot. I love a few other scents (Cat Lady, The Curator, Sexy Sadie, and a couple others), but Superstar's my top performer. 

I still prefer their glass jarred deodorants, but this last round of other-brand(s) testing gave me a new appreciation of Routine's stick deodorants. I wasn’t super fond of the stick version of Superstar when I first tried it, but now I’m a fan. I'll still travel with mini jars instead of a stick to save space, but this month I've used the stick far more often than usual with great results. 

Shu Uemura Hard Formula Eyebrow Pencil, shade Sound Black - Finally, a brow pencil I like as much as the Kimiko pencil! 

Spoiler

The formula of this very hard and seemingly dry pencil “activates” when mixed with natural oils on the face (in the brows). This makes it nearly impossible to arm/hand swatch, but I can create a soft and fairly natural brow with it. I have to start from my brow head though, instead of the tail, to get the pencil started. 

It has no attached spoolie, so I won't travel with it (don't wanna pack a separate spoolie). But I get a lot more product in this sharpenable pencil than any other I’ve used. Kimiko’s still my all-time fave, but Shu’s a close second place. 

Tower 28 Beauty BeachPlease Lip + Cheek Dewy Cream Blush Power Hour - Still haven't tried it as a lip tint, but love it as a blush. 

Spoiler

It's easy to apply and finger-blend, even over powder. It has great pigmentation that can be sheered out or built up. It's very emollient but doesn’t feel heavy, greasy, or weird-filmy on my skin. Leaves a natural skin finish and lasts well throughout the day. It's just a great cream blush, and I'll likely buy another shade soon. 

My Power Hour compact arrived from Sephora with a completely broken clasp, so I keep it clipped shut. (I don’t wanna deal with any Sephora + TRE return policy crap, so I’ve opted to keep the broken compact rather than try to exchange it.) That’ll keep me from traveling with this blush. But it’ll get plenty of use at home. 👍 

NYX Sweet Cheeks Glow Blush, shade Silence Is Golden - The yellow blush I wanted to try but kept forgetting about. I'm glad I finally remembered. 

Spoiler

This is such a fun shimmery yellow shade to have peeking out from beneath my mask. When I can go maskless (which will happen when I feel it's safe for me and folks around me), I'll have even more fun layering this with other blushes as an ombre cheek look or to adjust the color of other powder blushes. And this blush works well as a yellow highlighter. 

The shade Silence Is Golden is also available in a matte finish blush, but I don't like that one at all. It has far less color impact on my skin tone and the texture's too dusty dry. But this "Glow" finish is wonderful. 

Rephr brushes: So far, I've liked all but one of the 8 Rephr brushes I've tried. Here are my 4 favorites. 

Spoiler

• 3 eye brush - A wonderfully small pencil brush. I own several other pencils and this one’s smaller than most. I should buy at least one more of these. 
  
  
• 23 eye brush - Even smaller than the no. 3, perfect for detailed work in my very tight inner corner space and my bottom lash line. I love this brush so much, I own 3 of them. 
  
  
• 5 cheek brush - Possibly my second favorite cheek brush. It’s surprisingly fluffy for this shape of saikoho goat brush, making it less dense than I expected. It picks up more product than a squirrel brush, but has enough gentle splay to blend and diffuse almost as well. It’s quite impressive. 
  
  
• 19 cheek brush - Another brush I didn’t expect to love nearly as much as I do. I very rarely use candle shaped brushes, but this is another fluffy (but not floppy) saikoho that’s perfect for buffing bareMinerals Blonzer on my hyperpigmented temples. So, this'll be the first candle brush I use regularly. 

[GeorginaBT]

Always enjoy seeing your list @WinglessOne. ❤️ I need to look into arbutin for hyperpigmentation around my cheeks. Do you apply The Ordinary serum daily? 

[WinglessOne]

Thanks @GeorginaBT ! I apply The Ordinary alpha arbutin serum every night. I could also (or alternatively) apply it each morning, but there's already some arbutin in my AM toner. If you try it, I hope it works well for you! 

[lnum]

I am not sure the Herbivore toner really does anything but I’ve come to really enjoy the scent to start my mornings. 

It took me more than 10 years to transition away from my Mac eyeshadow brushes, these Zoeva brushes do a pretty decent job without breaking the bank. 

The aqua bomb sleeping mask is not moisturizing enough on its own, but it’s great for once a week after I’ve done a peel to seal in my moisturizer for the night, and I love the jelly texture, it’s not sticky like glow recipe products are. 

Mac Brule eyeshadow, I love this so much, I’ve gone through many pans of this, as a lid color, as a highlight, to help blend harsh lines, I use it almost every time I wear eye makeup. 

[ather]

@lnum  Mac brûlée is soooo good!!