Monthly Favorites: September 2022 Edition!

[GeorginaBT]

End of September already, BIC! 🤯🍂 Beauty-wise, this has been a month of hydration for me, and that is definitely reflected in my monthly faves. To be honest, a few of the products I’m shouting out here have actually been at the top of my list for the past couple of months, but they’ve become so integrated into my regular routine that I almost forgot about them (considering the number of times I wash my hands throughout the day, is it safe to say that the Ouai soap is my most-used beauty product?). Hydration heavy-hitters aside, I wish I could transmit scent through the BIC and out from your screen for you to catch a whiff of the floral magic that is my new go-to Nest perfume… 😌

Here’s a list of the products I kept coming back to this month:

• Biossance Squalane + Marine Algae Eye Cream for Fine Lines & Dark Circles 0.5 oz / 15 mL 
• Ceremonia Mascarilla de Babassu Hydrating Hair Mask 7.8 oz / 230 mL 
• Kiehl's Since 1851 Ultra Facial Refillable Moisturizing Cream with Squalane 
• NEST New York Wild Poppy Eau de Parfum 
• OUAI Hand Wash 16 oz. 
• Summer Fridays Lip Butter Balm for Hydration & Shine 

What about you, BIC? Hit the “Reply” button and let us know what skincare, hair, makeup, fragrance, and/or wellness products you were reaching for the most in September. Remember to use the “#” symbol to make it easy for fellow BICers to shop your lists! 😊

[ather]

@CarolBT  Oooo your hair looks amazing!!! 

[Loretta55]

Your waves are gorgeous @CarolBT. Unfortunately I could not get past the scent of the JVN products.

[CarolBT]

It's true @Loretta55! The scent is pronounced. Really good call out for others who might be scent-sensitive! I love it, and totally get that it might not be for everyone. 😍

[Kim888]

@Loretta55 @Totally agree - looks like they work great but the smell was a lot! 

[itsfi]

This month's favorites include a small handful of both tried-and-true and new beauties.

September 2022 Favorites

Spoiler

The notes I pick up in VOLUSPA Sparkling Cuvee Glass Jar Candle is reflective of the summer-to-fall transition - it's bright, bubbly, fruity, floral and woodsy. The opening is a burst of sparkly citrus (the pomelo) - it's fresh and vibrant; there's a sweetness to it too that remains as the scent transforms to a fruity-floral scent that lingers quietly in the background to temper the woodsy finish.

ILIA Super Serum Skin Tint SPF 40 Foundation Formosa ST4 is a buildable, mineral sunscreen that does a wonderful job of evening my skin tone and moisturizing my combination skin that with the season is leaning more dry, all while giving my complexion a soft, dewy glow. It's also pretty easy-peasy to use which gives me a few more minutes to stay under the cover as the mornings are getting chillier.

Incorporating bolder lip colors into my everyday look is something I'm aiming to do this year and one of those go-to's will include SEPHORA COLLECTION #LIPSTORIES Lipstick 9 Labyrinth City, a lovely, demi-matte, mid tone plummy-red that does not settle into or dry out my lips and lasts for a good part of my days, even through sips of coffee, water and some meal

Rhode Skin Peptide Glazing Fluid is described as a "lightweight, quick absorbing serum that hydrates and plumps skin." Yes; yes, it is. It has a gel-cream consistency that melts into my skin and leaves it nicely hydrated with a healthy, natural looking glow. Echoing @ather (this was one of her favorites pick from last month), this is one of the best serums I've tried. Not one of the best serums from a celebrity brand, but one of the best serums period. I've tried a lot of serums. This will definitely be a repurchase for me ... if I can get my hands on a restock, that is. 

Jasmine scents have grown on me as I've gotten older, but not the heavier, cloying versions. Since Gucci Gorgeous Gardenia (a generous gratis from @TeamBIC - thank you!!!) is one of my well loved fragrances, I decided to give Gucci Flora Gorgeous Jasmine Eau de Parfum a try and I'm so glad I did. Other than days when I'm testing new scents, this is the fragrance I've been reaching for all month - on me, there's a citrus, green scent when the fragrance is first spritzed. The jasmine scent comes through after 15-20 minutes and is soft, airy, fresh and floral. Dry down is also very pretty - light and subtly sweet.

Rhode Skin Peptide Lip Treatment The Nourishing Lip Layer (Watermelon) has a thinner consistency than other lip masks which makes it nice for daytime, though it can be buildable for a thicker layer at night. It has a light watermelon juice scent, wears comfortable, and hydrates and moisturizes my lips all day long.  

Saint Jane Beauty Luxury Sun Ritual Pore Smoothing Face Sunscreen SPF 30 1.7 oz / 50 mL  is one of two SPFs that launched this year that have made their way into my small rotation of daily sunscreens. It's a shee, lightweight, subtly tinted, silky smooth, lightly hydrating, physical sunscreen (10% zinc oxide) with a faint floral scent that spreads easily (and without a white cast), absorbs smoothly, wears comfortably, and delicately blurs the pores on my nose, all while imparting a lovely (and non-greasy) soft glow to my complexion that comes through makeup beautifully on my now drier-leaning combination skin.

@GeorginaBT, I used the Ceremonia hair mask the other night - I can see why it made your favorites list this month. My hair loved it; and ohhhh, that scent. Lovely. 

[missy94612]

@itsfi 

The Ilia serum foundation is very good. One of my favorites too.

[itsfi]

It's good, isnt it @missy94612?! I like the serum consistency; the extra hydration I get from it is great for my skin this time of the year.

[eshoe]

@itsfi the Saint Jane has been on my wish list, as a maybe for the sale. It sounds like I can add it to loves without hesitation;)

[itsfi]

There's been a lot of great sunscreens that have launched in the last couple of years. The Saint Jane and Summer Fridays have been great discoveries this year on the SPF front. @eshoe 

[eshoe]

Both seem very different but blended out, appear the same @itsfi. The Saint Jane *almost* looks like it is a bb, which, as a pore-smoothing spf, would make sense. 

Thank you for making the decision all that much more difficult 😁

[GeorginaBT]

@itsfi Oh, so glad to hear your hair also likes the Ceremonia mask! I really think you and I have similar noses when it comes to scent preference 😄 And that's why I always love hearing what seasonal candle you're burning! I don't think I've smelled this Sparkling Cuvee scent - I must give it a try...

[itsfi]

@GeorginaBT, our sniffers are twinsies! 😁😂 I just saw that there's a VOLUSPA Mini Sparkling Cuvee Decorative Tin Candle 4.0 oz / 113 g 1-wick candle available which may be nice way to try out the scent without committing to a larger size. I probably would have gone that route if the tin was available when I picked up the this one ... Naaaah, I would have picked up this size for the pretty jar alone. Ha! I'm happy the weather in the Bay Area looks to be on a cooling trend 🤞 - I've been holding off for the cooler weather to pick up more seasonal candles. Have to remember to pace myself though. Speaking of candles, I need to add VOLUSPA Gilt Pomander & Hinoki Glass Jar Candle 18 oz/ 510 g to my holiday shopping list. 

[GeorginaBT]

Thank goodness for the cooler weather in the Bay @itsfi! I've been loving it. 😊

I too will be ringing in the holiday szn with Gilt Pomander & Hinoki! 

[CookieGirl1]

@itsfi girl, you always post the most gorgeous photos!  Great choices for your favs, too.

[itsfi]

Thank you @CookieGirl1! That's really thoughtful of you to say and it means a lot. 😊 Photography and beauty are components of my self care equation.

[nuinui933]

@itsfi 

The Sephora Labrynth lipstick looks and sounds like a pretty color for fall.

[itsfi]

@nuinui933, it is. It's a smidge drying but not as much as it could be for a matte. The depth of color is great!

[ather]

@itsfi  Yes!! I am loving your favs this month!!! The Gucci jasmine sent sounds wonderful!! I’ve been adding it and removing it from my cart all month!! I may need to add it again 😉. There is definitely something magical in the Rhode line. The glaze is so good! I am so obsessed with it. I will echo your comment the best one I’ve tried ever also!! And the lip treatment is also so good! I can see why no one is able to get their hands on it! I said it already and I’ll say it again that voluspa container is gorgeous!!! Love love love your favourites!! 

[nuinui933]

@ather @itsfi 

I love the Rhode lip balm. I have the salted caramel and it is so good. I think the serum and cream would be too heavy for my oily skin but the lip balm is perfect. Smells yummy too.

[itsfi]

@nuinui933, I have a soft spot for salted caramel (love it) so I had to pick up the salted caramel lip balm! It does smell good and is hydrating and nourishing like the watermelon one. 

The serum and the cream have a similar consistency - as of a gel cream - though the cream is thicker than the serum. That’s not to say that the cream is particularly thick; it’s just a smidge thicker than the serum. I think the consistency makes the serum and cream look thicker than they actually feel on the skin. My skin is combo-oily in late spring to early autumn and it loved the serum; I think your skin would be fine with the serum; and as @ather mentioned, the cream might be a good fit for you in the winter months. 

[ather]

@nuinui933  I tend to run a little oily in the summer and I didn’t find the glaze serum to heavy for me. The RBC is even light enough you may like it in the winter!