to pamper / drunk elephant c-firma day serum review & more

The Drunk Elephant Vitamin C serum is probably my favorite non-Asian skincare purchase of late. I stopped using the Skinceuticals CE Ferulic a long time ago — though I have other serums that have a dropper-glass bottle packaging — I didn’t like the packaging re: oxidation and I couldn’t get myself to use it consistently.

• Drunk Elephant vs. Skinceuticals: Both products have the initial hot dog smell. The Skinceuticals probably has a stronger formula but it’s twice as expensive and the oxidation. Drunk Elephant has a better price point, additional antioxidants (it has pumpkin!) and virgin Marula oil, and I love the Drunk Elephant packaging.
• Application: Every morning, I dry my face right after I wash it, apply the Vitamin C serum, and wait a few minutes for it to dry before putting on the next layer. Depending on the mood, I might also apply it to the neck and hands. I definitely see results.

Reading about DE’s non-toxic mission, I wanted to try more products. For the skeptics, even critical Paula’s Choice’s Beautypedia gives high marks to DE. (Note: I’m not sure what’s wrong with the Beautypedia — it redirects to the PC main page. If you want to view reviews and it’s not showing up, click on the dropdown in Google and click on ‘cached’ to view the cache of the review.)

to pamper / {deal alert} sephora bite beauty perfect pair high pigment pencil lip set

These pretty Bite Beauty lip pencil sets are back in stock. A regular sized pencil is $24 — the two mini pencils in the set add up to one regular pencil and clock in at only $14. Bite Beauty isn’t perfect, but they don’t have parabens, sulfates, phthalates, and are gluten-free. See swatches here.

to pamper / sephora soko to tokyo customizable skin care set

I’m a huge fan of deluxe samples/travel sized products for testing and travel. This Sephora Soko to Tokyo customizable set sold out so fast when it was initially posted.

Pick 5 items for $25. All are Korean or Japanese products. It comes with a case that I don’t care for. Best yet, based on how this item is coded, you’ll get free shipping.
Of course some items are more valuable than others, but do check the product size and pick what you would really use. For example, the SK-II cream is a ridiculous size. I’m a fan of Caolion masks, never can have too many travel sized moisturizing items like Belif or AmorePacific, and have never tried the highly rated Egg mask. Don’t go by the price of what Sephora assigned to each item. (And if you want duplicates of anything amongst the five, you can adjust it in your cart…)

Image: Sephora

to pamper / sephora favorites: sun safety kit and more

Sephora comes out with a Sun Safety Kit at the start of every summer with a variety of SPF and self-tanning products. They quickly sell out. It’s $32 (and a $127 value) and $20 of that goes to The Skin Cancer Foundation. This is good for someone who’s looking for a new SPF product and isn’t sensitive to certain sunscreen ingredients. I personally don’t care for the self-tanning products.

weekends / saturday six (2016.04.16)

(1) Marimekko for Target is launching on Sunday, April 17, which means midnight tonight-ish. Aside from studying their lookbook, check eBay auctions (there was a press preview last weekend) and also understand Marimekko retail prices (no need to overpay for a Target collab piece!). I anticipate a crazy launch.