January Openeds Review

This month should have been a pretty wild one for opening products, since Santa brought so many goodies. Instead, it seemed like half of what I opened had been on hand for a while, another was a splurge I made in November that just arrived, and only ONE THING came from Santa. In poor Santa’s defense, I opened some of the products I got in December right away. These are listed in no particular order.

Chiasm Skin Custom Oil

I’ll admit, a custom facial oil is something I probably wouldn’t have expected myself to buy back in November 2019, but when Chiasm Skin pre-launched in November 2020 and this was an option, I went for it. After all, it’s a global pandemic — treat yourself in whatever way you can justify. Working with the founder over e-mail, we discussed my general skincare preferences (get ALL THE INGREDIENTS), skin concerns (long-lasting post-inflammatory spots, aging) and allergies (screw you, grass), and she put together a formula for me. I’ve been using this “first draft” bottle for the last couple weeks and really enjoying it. It’s got a glorious mountain wildflower smell to it — probably due to all the florals towards the bottom of the ingredient list — and absorbs nicely while still giving me that nice donut look that lets me know my PM routine did what I need it to do.
Rating: 10/10
Price: $165 USD/40mL — a 10mL first draft and 30mL final draft

Sephora Watermelon Mask Stick

I got this during their spring sale, and it just hung around for literal months. But I’ve gotten really into multi-masking lately — too much time in the evenings during the dark winter months, I guess — and finally decided to open this up. It smells a bit like faux watermelon (which I love, I’ll admit) and a . Honestly, I expected to hate this, and I … don’t? The stick mechanism is super nice for application, and when it dries down it doesn’t leave me feeling too parched. Unfortunately it seems to be discontinued, but I’m glad I managed to snag it for $4 when I did!
Rating: 8/10
Price: $8 USD/25g

Peach Slices Snail Rescue Blemish Busting Toner

Peach Slices recently expanded their line to include a lot of unfragranced snail products and let me tell you, dear reader: I’m here for it. I’ve been using their snail mask for a while, but only finally opened this once I ran out of the other snail product I’d been using. Texture-wise it reminds me of the Klairs Unscented Supple Preparation Toner — similar body and surface tension magic. It’s basic but cheap, and I’m so glad they’re putting out inexpensive but high quality skincare.
Rating: 10/10
Price: $14 USD/120 mL

Paula’s Choice Peptide Booster

I opened this hoping to have a good serum to cocktail my Kate Somerville ceramides and Cosrx cica powder with. This … was not that. HOLY MOLEY it pills. I should have anticipated this, I suppose, given how high up on the ingredient list dimethicone is, but Paula’s Choice is known for having such elegant formulations that I didn’t even think to check the ingredient list until I wondered why on earth my skincare was pilling so badly. The good news is that if I cocktail it with my night-time moisturizer (Pyunkang Yul Ato Cream Blue Label) and then layer my sleeping mask and face oil over top, it doesn’t pill. But any earlier in my routine and it’s no bueno.
Rating: 2/10
Price: $14 USD/5mL for travel-size (pictured), $52 USD/20mL for full-size

SKINRx MadeCera Cream

I intended this cutie — it truly is cute, in a small Rx-type tube — to be my AM moisturizer after finishing off the small Tatcha Dewy Skin Cream. But that’s not where it excelled. Indeed, as an AM moisturizer it didn’t give nearly the protection and comfort I need in the depths of winter. I found myself either using it in tandem with my more moisturizing spf, Trilipiderm Protective Day Creme, instead. In this cream’s defense, the Trilipiderm also wasn’t giving me quite the moisturizing comfort it usually does, so the two together worked well. This cream ALSO worked well to soothe a dermatitis flare-up. Stress and a funky schedule (aka some sporadic skincare routines) had it acting up, so I popped on this and voila, near-instant relief. If you’ve been dealing with irritation AND you’re not bothered by fragrance — because wow does this have some parfum to it — definitely recommend as a soothing-on-the-go cica cream.
Rating: 8/10
Price: $36 USD/50mL for the full-size, shown here in the 15mL travel size included in a bundle

Missha Time Revolution First Treatment Essence

Those of you familiar with my skincare routine will know that this is my third bottle, having emptied the second bottle this month. I love it. Read about the first time I emptied it.
Rating: 10/10
Cost: $20-$55 USD/150mL, depending upon retailer