Monthly Favorites: September 2021 Edition!

[GeorginaBT]

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September is almost at its end, and you know what that means – it’s time for us to share our monthly favorites! While I have one newer product that made it on my list this month (*not-so-subtly flips my hair so you catch a whiff of Ouai x Byredo’s warm, sandalwood-scented leave-in conditioner*), September mostly had me rediscovering old favorites in my collection. These are my tried and trues!

The Beauty Insider Community wants to know: what beauty products have you been loving this month? All makeup, skincare, hair care, fragrance, and wellness recommendations are more than welcome. Here are my September favorites:

• Fenty Beauty by Rihanna Pro Filt’r Instant Retouch Longwear Liquid Concealer 
• Juliette Has a Gun Not A Perfume 
• #OUAI - OUAI x BYREDO Mojave Ghost Leave In Conditioner
• SEPHORA COLLECTION Sephora Colorful® Wink-It Felt Tip Liquid Waterproof Eyeliner 
• Youth To The People Adaptogen Deep Moisturizing Cream with Ashwagandha + Reishi 2 oz/ 60 mL 

Hit the “Reply” button below to share what beauty products you’ve been reaching for the most lately and use the “#” symbol to tag your faves!

[ather]

@WinglessOne  I love how you capitalized the AL brings me back to my pharmacy days when sound alike drugs would do that as well so we didn’t mix up the drugs!!! Oh how I miss my pharmacy days! 

Wow 4.5% that’s pretty strong. I’m happy you found something that works!!! Retinol and I have not really been friends. I may make an appointment with my dermatologist to see if there’s a better alternative for me. I’ve used a tretinion before and I believe my skin did not tolerate it either. 

the inkey list I can tolerate but I can only use maybe 2 times a week max. 

[WinglessOne]

@ather  It's definitely worth asking your derm about. My inflammation-prone skin's unlikely to tolerate tretinoin well, so retinal's been a better step-up from retinol. The Inkey List's serum is a combo of retinol and granactive retinoid. Some folks tolerate granactive retinoid quite well: it's theoretically more effective than retinol because it requires little or no skin cell conversion, and it's less irritating. There still aren't many clinical studies on granactive retinoid, but it's a promising option. 

And yeah, the Sobel Skin 4.5% retinol sounds face-meltingly scary, right? It's another retinol + granactive retinoid combo, though it's definitely stronger than The Inkey List's. I'm not sure it's truly 4.5% strength, but it's no slouch. My Avene retinal serum is gentler to my skin for sure. Oh, and the capitalized AL in the Avene serum's name isn't my doing 🙂 —that's how the brand spells it. Probably to make sure folks don't confuse it with retinol. 

[txcatx]

I haven't posted one of these in months, but I have favorites!

Gucci Glossy Nail Polish 212 Annabel Rose is a perfect nude polish for my skin tone. 

I loved Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution Lipstick - Super Nudes Collection Super Model  when it came out as a limited edition shade a couple years ago, and I immediately bought a backup when I saw it released again!

Finally, I had some hair loss due to stress early in the year, and my while my hair is growing back, it's so thin and wispy, but R+Co pommade stick smooths everything right out. Oribe Serene Scalp Thickening Hair Treatment Spray 4.2 oz/ 125 mL (not pictured) has also been helpful with hair growth.

 

[ather]

@txcatx  Great favs! Once you find a good nude polish it’s usually good forever!! I’ll have to try the r+co stick. I love that brand. I’ve got so much extra growth as well and it sticks straight up. Super frustrating 

[CookieGirl1]

That lipstick is such a great Fall color, @txcatx 🙂

[Kim888]

@txcatx @I haven’t tried the gucci nail polishes but that bottle looks so fancy! 

[txcatx]

Honestly, I like the color and the packaging more than I like the actual formula (OPI and Essie seem to go on smoother), but it's so hard to find the perfect nude shade of polish. I ordered from the Gucci website, and it arrived with a free, large tote bag with the Gucci logo, which was fun!

[itsfi]

Ahhhh September! It came and went by (or is going by) in a flash, @GeorginaBT! My favorite beauties were all a regular, consistent part of my routines this month.

September 2021 Favorites

Spoiler

As far as makeup favorites, the eyes took center stage this month as I was wearing a mask more often and for longer durations.

SEPHORA COLLECTION Colorful Eyeshadow 328 Natural beauty is a nice, easy, one-and-done wash of color for me - it's a very light, matte, taupe shade. It's just enough to brighten my eyes with a pop when layered over the NARS Pro-Prime™ Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base Medium - this medium shade can be worn on its own and I do use it that way on days I'm rushing to get out the door or when I'm just not feeling like putting in too much effort when it comes to my makeup.

Smashbox Always Sharp Longwear Waterproof Kohl Eyeliner Pencil Bare Nude is perfect for opening up my eyes and making me look more awake than I may possibly be - lol. On my laziest eye makeup days, it's sometimes just this liner in the inner corners of the eye and along my lower waterline. Sadly, it appears the brand has discontinued this shade. Fortunately I have a backup so that will give me plenty of time to find something similar.

MERIT Brow 1980 Volumizing Eyebrow Pomade Gel Brown is neither too dry nor too wet, and very simple to use. Keeps my full brows looking well kept and pulled together.

My lashes really like the Lancome mascaras, including Lancôme Monsieur Big Waterproof Mascara 01 Waterproof Big is The New Black - it volumizes, holds a curl pretty well and the waterproof version holds up well against my oily lash line. 

Victoria Beckham Beauty by Augustinus Bader Priming Moisturizer- Golden took a while to grow on me but I’ve been loving it this month - it’s another layer of moisture for my skin which has had bouts of dry moments. The tint on this one, worn alone or if mixed with my moisturizer or a second layer of sunblock, gives my complexion a much needed dose of healthy color and glow.

Le Paradis Jamaica Banana Lip Balm smells good (like bananas), tastes good, and leaves my lips soft, lightly hydrated, and with a lovely glossy sheen.

Eye creams are not typically a part of my skincare routine but wearing a mask on more frequently and for longer periods of time this month have caused my under-eye area to become a little more sensitive and raw. Sigh. The gel-balm texture of the belif Moisturizing Eye Bomb has really hit the spot in soothing and moisturizing the skin in that are really dry and sensitive.

Along with the belif eye cream, Peach Slices Snail Rescue Intensive Wash Off Mask has been instrumental in keeping my cheeks and the skin under my eyes (both areas of which are prone to dryness, sensitivity and at times feeling tender and raw from wearing a mask for long periods) happily hydrated. The thick-ish jelly consistency takes a little effort to scoop out of the tub but it melts and applies easily upon contact with the skin. The sticky feel to the mask isn't great but worth putting up with as the mask leaves my skin looking less red and feeling very soft, smooth and hydrated after just 10 minutes. 

Last but not least is NEST New York Mini Autumn Plum Candle 2 oz/ 70 g 1-wick candle, a slightly sweet, fresh, spicy, warm, woodsy scent packaged in a pretty plummy purple glass container. The candle burns evenly and has a lovely throw to it both when lit and after it's been extinguished. I pick up more of an apple, cinnamon, woodsy scent than plum. The scent has both a crisp and warm feel to it, perfect for fall.

Happy fall everyone! 

[faeriegirl]

The Merit brow pomade and the banana lip balm sound great @itsfi !❤️

[itsfi]

@faeriegirl, both are 2021 discoveries for me. 😍 The Merit pomade has a good consistency for me - not wet, leas on the drier side without being too dry. Oh, Le Paradis, this balm could easily be the start of a slippery slope. I smelled their body balm earlier in the year and loved it, but have been recently distracted by the 54 Thrones African Beauty Butters. 

[PrettyPaint]

@itsfi  Such great products here! I always forget how great that NARS eyeshadow base is.

[itsfi]

Thank you @PrettyPaint! 😃 There are a few category of beauty products where I feel like I’ve been repurchasing the same items for years now; eyeshadow primer is one of them. It seems like it’s been this NARS one and a couple of the eye primers from Too Faced  and MAC that I buy over and over again. 

[lnum]

@itsfi So many great choices here! The mascara and eye primer are part of my regular rotation and Nest is such a great candle brand with an affordable price point. 

[itsfi]

Thank you @lnum! I can’t recall a time when my makeup collection didn’t include the NARS Pro-Prime. A definite tried-and-true beauty. 😃 

[lnum]

@itsfi Same! Although the MILK MAKEUP Hydro Grip Eyeshadow and Concealer Primer recently caught my eye so I might try it!

[itsfi]

@lnum, if you end up giving the MILK eye primer a try, I would love to hear your thoughts on it. 

[quspork]

Ooh, that banana lip balm sounds delish, @itsfi!

[itsfi]

It is @quspork! 🍌I like the consistency of the balm as well as how it moisturizes my lips; the yummy banana scent is a marvelous bonus!

[eshoe]

@itsfi oooh now the Nars in Medium is something I haven’t tried. Might need to switch up next repurchase! Also going to take a closer look at the size of the spookier brush on the Merit…ok, I’m back and like the tapered aspect of it. I seem to go through mine awfully fast so looking into other options is always a good idea☺️

The Nest sounds similar to VOLUSPA Forbidden Fig Glass Jar Candle; I can imagine you have tried that already, too, yay fall! 🙌🏼🍂 

[itsfi]

@eshoe, here’s what the Medium shade looks like: 

The Merit brow pomade/gel is a drier formula than the Glossier Boy Brow (or is it Brow Boy?). The spoolie on the Merit is larger than the Glossier.

I have the smaller tin of the Voluspa Forbidden Fig - first picked up the scent when Sephora has a promo gwp for it and like it so much that I picked up the smaller tin almost immediately. It and the Nest Autumn Plum make for nice fall scents that are not pumpkin. The underlying fruit scent in Forbidden Fig and Autumn Plum are different but still have that fall feel to it. I find FF is more fruit forward (and now I feel like I’m talking about wine. Hahaha!)

[eshoe]

Ahhh, ok figgy is good stuff and thank you for the observations on both candles, @itsfi. I’ve never tried Nest candles so this helps.

Yes I will definitely try the tinted Nars next go round.  I used to use MAC paint Untitled and I haven’t looked it up again since discovering Nars. Thank you for the swatch!