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You know last month, when I told you that my Beauty Low Buy 2019 July Update would probably be less than stellar? Well, it is even worse than I anticipated.
Again, disclaimer here: I do by no means want to complain! I am very grateful that I am in the position to receive so many interesting skin care products, but calling this a Low Buy is ridiculous.
I do actually feel bad, like I failed, even though I don´t have that much control over the things I get send. It isn´t just PR this month though, I did purchase a few a lot of stuff myself when I was in Sweden, and I can´t really say that I NEEDED all of it. Unless I play the “for the blog” card, which I promised I wouldn´t do anymore.
To make me feel better, could you do me a favor?
I´ll list everything new this month underneath and you will tell me what you want me to review first.
If I read: “Great, I really want to learn more about product XYZ! Could you review it for me?” in the comments, it will make me feel less guilty…
Here is the video, should you prefer me talking.
Kicks Skincare
kicks is the equivalent to Sephora in Sweden, and just like it is with Sephora their house brand came highly recommended. So when I spotted a store (read: made my husband drive around town for half an hour so Google Maps could lead us there), I made a beeline for their skincare, tried to ignore all the other brands that I could get at home and purchased the following:
The kicks Pure & Simple Deep Cleansing Oil, based on apricot, olive and canola oil is a heavy duty oil that isn´t the easiest to spread, but breaks down makeup and sweat with ease. It emulsifies with water without a residue, so my first impressions are pretty good.
The corresponding kicks Gentle Cleansing Milk is much more lightweight, though it is also based on apricot and olive oil. I have yet to try it for removing makeup, but it makes a nice, albeit heavily fragranced morning cleanse.
As soon as I saw that Niacinamide is the main ingredient in the kicks Age Defence Even Skin Tone Serum I knew I had to get it. I haven´t tried it though, so no further information can be given here. Same goes for the kicks 2% BHA + 1% Zinc, the kicks Thirsty Skin Serum (a hyaluronic based serum) and the kicks Thirsty Skin Moisture Pads that I admit I simply bought for fun.
The kicks Thirsty Skin Face Mist though has been spritzed on several occasions already, it is not the most lightweight, but helps boost hydration.
If I add all that up, I get a “Total amount of money spend on beauty” of: 98 €
kicks skincare isn’t expensive, but I did get a lot of products, so that was to be expected…
Okay, let´s do PR stuff next.
Instytutum Skincare
Another face mist? Yes! After years of dismissing them as unnecessary gimmick, I now reach for them daily. Don´t get me wrong, I still don´t believe you need them in your routine, but they are fun! And the Instytutum Flawless Hydra Mist is a lot of fun: lightweight, hydrating, and with quite a few soothing ingredients, I bet it will be lovely when we are leaving for the beach in a few weeks.
The corresponding Instytutum Hydrafusion Hydrating Water Burst Cream surprises with it´s light blue color and lightweight, gel like texture. The strong fragrance might be off putting – I personally am not the biggest fan, but those gel cream textures are among my favorite in summer.
Both combined cost 109 € and as I would have purchased the Face Mist myself, it´s 44 € count against the Beauty Low Buy.
pixi Hydrating Milky Collection
The pixi Hydrating Milky Collection (I already reviewed the pixi Hydrating Milky Serum here) has a few new additions, starting with the pixi Hydrating Milky Cleanser, a surprisingly dense cream cleanser with coconut water and probiotics that foams up in contact with water and leaves my skin extra clean. As addition to the pixi Tonic family the pixi Milky Tonic was released. Compared to all the other pixi Tonics it feels more like a milk than like water, but is still lightweight on the skin and very soothing.
If you thought that the pixi Hydrating Milky Peel was a lactic acid peel, you are forgiven. I assumed the same thing. It isn´t though, it is based on cellulose, which balls up when you massage it on and offers a very gentle physical exfoliation. Last in the line is the pixi Hydrating Milky Lotion, which is supposed to work for face and body. Due to the shea butter it contains I have so far only used it on my limbs, but it is so lightweight that I will give it a go on my face soon.
The total of the products shown above is 85 €. Out of these I would have purchased the cleanser and the tonic for sure, so I will count 42 € against the Low Buy.
pixi Collagen Collection
Another pixi Collection that saw some new additions: The pixi Collagen Collection. I didn´t get all of them (but the pixi In-Shower Steam Facial and the pixi Collagen & Retinol Serum are already high up on my to buy list), but both the pixi Collagen Plumping Mask and the pixi Collagen Eye Serum sound very promising. And I am not talking about the added botanical collagen, which will at best be hydrating, but the added Acetyl-Hexapeptide 8, also known as “natural botox”. It is a neurotransmitter peptide that inhibits signal transduction at the neuromuscular gap (or, less sciency: prevents muscle contraction like frowning). Now a peptide will never have the same effect as botox does (read more about peptides in skin care here), but that is a good thing: You can liberally slather it all over your face without the fear of looking frozen.
The third item in the picture above, not technically from the Collagen Collection, but with a matching lid, are the pixi FortifEYE Eye Patches. I already tested the pixi DetoxifEYE ones (read here) and enjoyed them a lot, so maybe I´ll do a comparison?
Let me know if you are up for that.
In the meantime: All three are a total of 63 €, and yes, I would have purchased all of them myself, so they count.
Avon Anew Vitamin C Radiance Maximising Serum and Ultra Matte SPF 50 Sun Cream
And because I have a third beauty company that I am working with on a regular, let me show you two new Avon Anew products. The Avon Anew Vitamin C Radiance Maximising Serum and the Avon Anew Ultra Matte Anti-Aging Sun Protection SPF 50.
You know I love my Vitamin C serums, and I have been testing quite a few over the course of the last months, so this new release immediately had my interest. I have not tried it yet, but can tell you already that it does contain alcohol on the ingredient list which will make it lightweight, but might put some off trying it.
The Ultra Matte Sun Protection is indeed pretty matte, but has a very sun creamy and rich texture that I am not sure I will enjoy under makeup. Again, more testing will follow and I will report back.
As Avon is a more affordable brand, both products retail for 34 € in total. I would have purchased the Avon Anew Vitamin C Serum, which adds 18 € to my possible beauty expenses.
Which means: Total amount of money saved because of PR: 167 €
And that is a total of 265 € for beauty stuff. In my book, that is a lot, especially for one month, although I admit I have spend more in the past. But that was before I had kids and had more disposable money.
What did you purchase last month?
And what do you want me to review first?
