I was a bit surprised to see that I still managed to empty a fair bit of skincare in December — it felt like a very busy month, between holidays and a birthday staycation, and my sheet mask every day challenge (which I did manage to finish! More on that at some other time) did cause me to frequently skip steps of my routine in the name of expedience. But the heart wants what the heart wants, and what mine wants is to slap as much skincare on my dry-skinned face as possible, and to submerge my body in as much hot water as possible, so here we are.

Wash-Off Masks

🍓 I Dew Care Berry Groovy Brightening Glycolic Wash-Off Mask

I Dew Care doesn’t seem to get much play except for with their masks (sheet and wash-off) but so far I’ve been enjoying all the ones I’ve tried — the Berry Groovy Brightening Glycolic Wash-Off Mask being the latest installment. They say it’s gelato-inspired and, having made two raspberry gelatos in the past month, I can confirm that it’s very similar though (presumably) not as delicious and, of course, you should always strain the seeds from your gelato. This is one of those weird k-beauty masks that strikes a balance between physical exfoliation (from walnut shell powder and strawberry seeds) and chemical (glycolic). I did not find this mask to be tingly at all, though it’s not immediately clear if that’s from the quality of formulation or the low percentage (the brand doesn’t state it, and it’s the last ingredient on the list) of glycolic acid.
Opened: November
Price: $25 USD / 100 g; shown in the 10 g sample size from the Mini Scoops set
Rating: 8/10

🌿 Isntree Real Mugwort Clay Mask

I won the Isntree Real Mugwort Clay Mask in a giveaway earlier this year and as far as clay masks go, I can see why it’s a popular one in the k-beauty sphere. It doesn’t dry as fast or as tight as many other clay masks I’ve tried, and if your skin responds well to mugwort (sometimes known as artemisia), it’s a really good dose of it. I can see this being really great for normal-to-oily skin, especially if it’s acne- and inflammation-prone. That said, I am none of those things — I don’t even find mugwort to be soothing or redness reducing, because I guess that’s not my flavor of skin irritation. It took me a while to use this up, since I mostly only wanted to use it in the tub (it’s hard to rinse off, especially with all the tiny mugwort bits) when I had enough time to follow up with a hydrating/moisturizing mask.
Opened: July
Price: $24 USD / 100 mL
Rating: 6/10

Leave-On Facial Skincare

💧 elmt Skin Activating Solution

I picked up two of the elmt toners this summer when they were on sale at Wishtrend (the only place, to my knowledge, where they’re currently available), and started with the Skin Activating Solution to add some antioxidants to my routine. Each of the elmt toners are designed with a specific synergistic pair of ingredients at the forefront, and for this one it’s green tea and chinese skullcap. I found that this toner layered really nicely — on its own it’s not particularly deeply hydrating, but as part of a seven (or more) skin routine, it worked great. I also really appreciate the aesthetics of the brand, though the chonky bottle took up a fair bit of space in my skincare bin.
Opened: September
Price: $20 USD / 150 mL
Rating: 9/10

🧱 Cocokind Ceramide Barrier Serum

Cocokind is one of the most accessible “clean”, Asian-owned beauty brands available in the US, and because I’m always on the lookout for ceramide serums, I had to give their Ceramide Barrier Serum a try. This serum includes five types of ceramides and two ceramide precursors, as well as cholesterol, giving it a lot of skin barrier support vavavoom. This is also a very hydrating serum, with aloe juice, lactic acid and beta-glucan, so it doesn’t have a gloopy serum texture, either. I was honestly really surprised and impressed. Having gotten it from Target, in my mind it wasn’t going to be particularly nice, but I’d peg Cocokind, as a brand, as up there with Versed and Naturium: drugstore prices/accessibility with k-beauty or mid-range efficacy.
Opened: October
Price: $20 USD / 30 mL
Rating: 10/10

🎈Kate Somerville Kx Active Concentrates Bio-Mimicking Peptides Serum

I really wanted to love the Kate Somerville Kx Active Concentrates Bio-Mimicking Peptides Serum, but given the price I’m glad that it was just, in my book, pretty okay. There were a couple mornings while using that I woke up particularly glowy and I attribute that to accidentally using two layers of this, but that price is hard to justify when a daily light exfoliation (this includes plant enzymes) will get you that without the markup from the five epidermal growth factor peptides.I used these AM and PM (always a few steps away from any actives) and while my skin is looking quite wrinkle- and fine-line-free, I don’t think I can attribute too much to the peptides themselves. I am intrigued by what EGF peptides could do long-term, but I use so many products with peptides packed in hither and thither (thanks, k-beauty) that I don’t anticipate I’ll be going out of my way to find them.
Opened: November
Price: $98 USD / 30 mL
Rating: 7/10

🏆 Stratia Liquid Gold

Stratia Liquid Gold is a cult classic, and made my top-rated skincare of 2021 list. This empty is technically my husband’s, who raved about the product in his first Hub Take. This product is a beautiful golden color (ergo its name) due to sea buckthorn oil, which is an incredibly nourishing ingredient, but the real claim to fame here is the ratio of ceramides to cholesterol and fatty acids. If you’re into “skipcare” or are the sort of person who typically has an aversion to skincare, I strongly recommend trying this! I occasionally steal a pump or two in lieu of a ceramide serum, but my husband uses it day (under sunscreen) or night (after azelaic acid).
Opened: July
Price: $27 USD / 60 mL
Rating: 10/10

🌱 Abib Heartleaf Sun Essence Calming Drop

This summer was a summer for branching out in sunscreen, so I had to try the Abib Heartleaf Sun Essence Calming Drop. After all, how often do you see sunscreen in a dropper bottle? Heartleaf, or houttuynia cordata extract, is just starting to get popular as a hero ingredient due to its anti-inflammatory properties, as well as its high number of flavonoids. This sunscreen is really liquidy and emollient, but I did find that it tended to pill when used over too many serums. I actually quite enjoyed using it on my arms, though, as that emollience made them incredibly soft. This sunscreen is SPF 50+ PA++++, though I’m not sure if it’s gone through any third-party validation, and would probably great for acne-prone skin that can’t use too many heavy products.
Opened: August
Price: $23 USD / 50 mL
Rating: 7/10

Body Care

Sol de Janiero Coco Cabana Cream

I’m a December baby, and though I got the Sol de Janiero Coco Cabana Cream as part of 2020’s birthday gift I only just got around to opening it. I … did not love it. I know many people love Sol de Janiero for their scents and while I have not yet opened the Brazilian Bum Bum Cream (also part of said birthday gift), I have to say the smell of this did not do it for me. It was pretty sickly sweet, and when it clung to my fingers too much it actually made me feel nauseated. This was a bit of a hate pan, with me using it on my legs to use it up, and then deliberately washing my hands. On the bright side, it didn’t leave any sort of greasy residue, and my skin did feel softer afterwards.
Opened: December
Price: $45 USD / 240 mL; shown in a sample size
Rating: 2/10

🛁 Neutrogena Body Oil

I’ve honestly sung the praises of Neutrogena Body Oil too much. They should probably sponsor me. But suffice it to say that I went through yet another bottle of it in the tub, in about a month.
Opened: November
Price: $13 USD / 250 mL
Rating: 10/10

🩸Butters Hygienics The Blood of My Enemies Bath Oil of Vengeance

I was so excited about the thematic awesomeness of the Butters Hygienics The Blood of My Enemies Bath Oil of Vengeance that I bought four in October. And it is a really nice bath oil — my legs and lower back never ever felt stripped, dry or chafey after using. The oil turns bath water a deep pink or middling red, and there’s a faint shimmer to the glitter. I kind of struggled to finish this bottle, however, because WOW does this turn my tub pink. First-world problems, but I only wanted to use it on the couple days before our house cleaner comes because otherwise it makes the tub look like watermelon-snow central. I did already give another bottle away to an avid bather, and I will certainly use the other two up, but buyer-beware unless you love scrubbing tubs.
Opened: October
Price: $25 USD / 12 oz
Rating: 6/10