Monthly Favorites: October 2023 Edition!

[GeorginaBT]

Boo! 👻🎃 It’s spooky how quickly October is flying by, BIC. I’m curious what new products all of you have been trying this season – personally, I feel like this time of year is one of the most exciting when it comes to beauty releases (holiday kits, anyone?)! I’ve been picking up a couple things I see trending at Sephora here and there, while also shopping my own stash and checking off my “been meaning to try this!” list.

Here are some of my October favorites:

• Drunk Elephant Bouncy Brightfacial Brightening Mask with 10% Azelaic Acid + 1% Salicylic Acid 1.69 o... 
• K18 Biomimetic Hairscience Leave-In Molecular Repair Mask 1.7 oz/ 50 mL 
• Saie Glossybounce™ High-Shine Hydrating Lip Gloss Oil 
• Skinfix Resurface+ AHA Renewing Body Cream 
• Summer Fridays Lip Butter Balm for Hydration & Shine Sweet Mint - sheer clear 

Handing the mic to you! 😊🎤 The Beauty Insider Community would love to know: what skincare, hair, makeup, fragrance, and wellness products have you been loving most this month? Be sure to use the “#” symbol to tag any products you mention!

[QueenMarceline]

Love that K18 mask, cannot live without it 🙂 @GeorginaBT 

The October favorite I reached for most this month has to be my Origins GinZing™ Energizing Gel Cream with Caffeine & Niacinamide 1.7 oz / 50 mL especially during the morning time. Another favorite I've been reaching for frequently is my Sunday Riley U.F.O. Salicylic Acid BHA Treatment Face Oil I swear as often as I reach for this bottle it doesn't feel like I've even made a dent 🤣 Since it's become colder/drier here I've also been reaching for my Pillow Balm quite a bit, my most reached for type is the Too Faced Hangover Pillow Balm Ultra Hydrating Lip Balm Banana Kiss. In the bath, I've been loving using my Sol de Janeiro Brazilian Play Moisturizing Shower Cream-Gel such a luxurious feel and great for those drier months. I love how the cream-gel texture. ❤️

[JoSometimes]

Rare Beauty by Selena Gomez Soft Pinch Tinted Lip Oil Stain Serenity is October’s favourite. I bought a different shade back when Rare announced they would donate all sales for that day to mental health. I wasn’t happy with the shade and exchanged it for one I did like during the sale. I love the cooling effect and the tint it leaves behind. If I apply some lip balm after, the cooling effect returns for a bit. 

[itsfi]

I feel like we were just here, talking about September favorites and, now, it's time for October favorites @GeorginaBT . 

October 2023 Favorites

Spoiler

My hair has been pretty much one color for most of my life, but over the last year or so, I've been highlighting my hair on a regular basis, ranging from chocolate brown to caramel to espresso to dark blonde highlights. There's that stretch of time, usually a week or two before my next appointment where the color is just a smidge more brassy than I care for and up it goes up in a clip. This has happened every time ... except for this last occasion. My highlights grew out beautifully, with just the slightest brassiness peeking through at the ends a couple of days before my appointment. Even my hair stylist commented on how it was less brassy this time. Yesss!!!! The only difference in my hair care this rotation has been incorporating the Virtue ColorKick® Debrassing Blue - Purple Shampoo 8 oz/ 240 mL # into my routine, once per week. Needless to say, I've already purchased another bottle of the shampoo during the sale, along with the corresponding hair mask. Bye, bye brassiness!

Lip products. Love 'em. It's been that way since I was a kid. In fact, I think there's an incriminating photo of me as a little one with my mom's red lipstick smeared all over my face - in my defense, it was in the general area of the lips ... as well as on my jumper and my hands and ... hahahaha! Suffice it to say, it should come as no surprise that I have multiple lip products in this month's list of favorites. All from Dior no less. 

DIOR Dior Addict Lip Sugar Scrub 0.12 oz/ 3.40 g # goes on softly and smoothly like a balm and offers gentle exfoliation and mild hydration. The sugar granules are small in size, gentle and almost melt completely upon contact with the warmth of the lips. I like keeping this in my purse, for a quick, easy, and light exfoliating lip prep and luxe treat.

DIOR Lip Glow Oil 20 Mahogany and DIOR Dior Addict Lip Maximizer Plumping Gloss 020 Mahogany # are a couple of other luxe treats for the lips. The reddish brown hue of mahogany is a pretty shade for the fall - the maximer gives the appearance of some extra fullness to my lips, without the stinging. The lip oil is nice and thick without being too thick or unwieldy and the formulation is nourishing.

Also nourishing is L'Occitane Cleansing And Softening Refillable Shower Oil With Almond Oil . This is a consistently well loved product, and has made a monthly favorite list every year for at least the last 5 or 6 years. It's softening, hydrating, and moisturizing, without leaving a film on the skin. The skin on my body is dry year round and very dry in the fall / winter months, so this oil gets put to use often, and is a staple in my travel bag in the cooler season

There are a couple of candles I tend to reach for every year when fall is in full swing, but this year, it's been a new scent I've been reaching for. #VOLUSPA Cinnamon Woods Glass Jar Candle 18 oz / 510 g candle is a limited edition, Sephora exclusive scent and it gives off a warm, cozy and homey fall feel that's great for kicking off the holiday season

Picking up the SEPHORA COLLECTION Holiday Coconut Foot Mask is a holiday tradition for me - both for myself and to gift to others - as part of a care package for a student studying for winter exams, for a co-worker with year end deadlines, for houseguests during the holidays, as stocking stuffers for friends and family, or as gifts for those who we may interact with during the year who stand all day or who are always on their feet - doctors, nurses, waiters/waitresses, the mailperson, to name a few. The print on this year's mask is alright, but that's made up or with the fun & festive packaging and the great results I've gotten from just the suggested 20 minutes with the mak - my feet, and in particular, my dry heels, feel  soft and well moisturized, and have even stayed that way for a few days after my masking session.

[furbie]

Your Oct faves are top-tier @itsfi and your photo is beautiful 😍

It's very thoughtful of you to add Sephora's holiday foot masks to your gifts. Tired feet are often neglected. I've never used them, but I've seen several ppl on this board say they're wonderful and have made getting them a tradition.

It's great that you've found a great debrassing system, and is always a plus when your hair stylist notices the changes in your tresses!

Loveeeee your shade choice in Dior's Lip Maximizer 💕

What does the shower oil smell like?

I searched high and low for the Cinnamon Woods candle last week. Google and Bing showed the Sephora link, but it wasn't working when I placed my orders. When I saw your post, I just checked...the link to the candle is now working! Lol, I'm itching to get it while we still have a discount to use. How's the candle's throw? 

[GeorginaBT]

The mahogany Dior shade is indeed so pretty and very autumnal @itsfi! 😊 I might pick up the Maximizer gloss soon ... 

[faeriegirl]

K18 is one of my all time favorite hair products @GeorginaBT! My favorites this month are:

Cherry and Iced coffee from the Summer Fridays The Lip Butter Balm Set 
iNNBEAUTY PROJECT Bright & Tight Dark Circle Firming Eye Cream with Vitamin C & Peptides 0.5 oz / 15 mL 

Glossier After Baume Moisture Barrier Recovery Cream 1.7 oz / 50 mL 

Yves Saint Laurent YSL Loveshine Lip Oil Stick 

and OGX coconut hair oil

[lmaster]

Iced coffee is done so well!! @faeriegirl great favorites 

[faeriegirl]

I agree @lmaster! I hope they release it on it’s own!

[Mellmars1185]

@faeriegirl Nice favourites. Do the Summer Friday balms smell like Cherry and iced coffee?

[faeriegirl]

@Mellmars1185 Yes they do! I love both scents❤️

[GeorginaBT]

I kind of want to pick up the Cherry Summer Fridays balm @faeriegirl! The color looks so pretty in swatches ♥

[missjeanie]

@GeorginaBT I've been testing out the K18 Biomimetic Hairscience Mini Leave-In Molecular Repair Hair Mask 0.5 oz/ 15 mL this month and am still a bit on the fence... It absolutely left my hair soft and manageable (I felt weird not using a conditioner), but I feel like I need to use it on my freshly cut hair, my expectations may have diverted into hope territory with how bad my split ends were and how much any product can mend.

This month I have a mix of new to me and standby products.

Tower 28 Beauty SOS Daily Rescue Facial Spray with Hypochlorous Acid 4 oz/ 120 mL  This is a repeat offender in my favourites.  I've used a few of these in the past and always loved them.  More skincare should come in spray format!!!  The spray really helped me through the pandemic with all the mask wearing.  A bottle in my Sephoria bag reminded me that I really love this product.  While I don't wear masks as often, I'm in buildings with questionable heating all the time, the full size bottle has been back in my routine and a travel size is living in my desk for mid day spritz every now and again.

NARS Sheer Glow Foundation is one that I pulled out my collection after watching a youtuber rave about it.  It's the one foundation I used for two different trips in October and while I'm trying to use up a few other foundations while at home... I keep coming back to Sheer Glow.  The coverage is what I'd call medium and buildable, it matches me great, and it wears so well through the day.  I generally work a day between 8 and 10 hours and I'm not much for touching up through the day.  This does wear away through the day, usually starting around hour 6, but it wears in such a way that it just looks like less coverage.  I've also touched up over top of this foundation several times when running out directly from work and it's worked really well with both a cushion foundation, powder foundation and stick concealer.  

NATASHA DENONA Hy-Glam Brightening & Hydrating Medium to Full Coverage Crease Proof Serum Concealer  I picked this up at the group Sephora shopping spree on Day 1 of Sephoria and I'm so glad I got to pick a shade in person.  It's a thicker formula but it blends out so easily.  Yes, there is a bit of creasing, but I'm over 40... there will always be creasing.  The creasing is very easy and quick to blot with just a finger.  The coverage is what I'd call medium to high, I only use this under my eyes and thus far... best concealer I've tried.  

KAYALI YUM PISTACHIO GELATO | 33 Eau de Parfum Intense Travel Spray In Love!  This is the first fragrance from Kayali that I really loved.  I've like a few just fine, but this one just hits right for me.  It's a super sweet gourmand that I would understand if people called way too sweet.  I'm contemplating if I should get a full size or just stick to picking up another travel size.  

MAKE UP FOR EVER Artist Color Pencil Longwear Lip Liner 604 Up & Down Tan  The shade I've been using the most is Wherever Walnut, but I also have Boundless Berry and it's a close second.  I've been using these as lip liners and they remind me of the Mac Liners, creamy, but not toooo creamy, a sharpen-able pencil with colour coordinating caps.  I'll be keeping an eye out for some other shades of these, and may try some of the fun shades as eyeliners. 

[lmaster]

@missjeanie I agree!! Kayali killed it with this fragrance!!

[missjeanie]

@lmaster I quite like the apple and vanilla, but the pisachio..... mmmmmmmmmm so good!! 

[Mellmars1185]

@missjeanie Thanks for your feedback. I like hearing the different ways the Tower 28 spray is used. Up and Down Tan is one of my go to shades from MUFE ❤️

[missjeanie]

@Mellmars1185 I'll have to check out Up and Down Tan!  I've always loved MUFE and this pencil is just such a gem that I can't believe I haven't tried until now!  

[CynthieLu]

@missjeanie I understand, skipping conditioner feels so strange. I was reading on K18's IG awhile back, that you can use conditioner in your routine with K18, just make sure you give your hair 4 minutes of processing time with only K18 before hand.

I added conditioner too the end of my routine, after my 4 minutes with the mask, and I like the results much better. 💜

[missjeanie]

@CynthieLu Good to know!  The brand rep at Sephoria told me the same thing but reallllly implored me to try it without the conditioner first.  I have to say, my hair really did feel so soft.  I'm going to have to experiment a bit to see how I like it with and without conditioner now!

[GeorginaBT]

Funny @missjeanie - I actually seriously started using K18 after cutting my hair a few months ago. I think I was in a similar boat as you; my hair was beyond repair! Starting with a fresh slate has helped me see a little bit more of a difference. My hair is definitely softer when I use the mask. 😊

[missjeanie]

@GeorginaBT I'm excited to try it again!  I really tend to let my hair get waaaaaay past needing a cut so my hopes weren't too high but I was amazed at how soft my hair felt overall.  This could be an expensive new habit!