April was rough in Colorado — the whole time, it was so windy I barely emerged from my hermit cave. But I’m starting to look forward to summer, and time spent outside. My new skincare choices reflect this: these are mostly more transitional textures — not too heavy, not too light, easy to include or not include in a routine based on how my skin and the weather is doing — and I’m targeting emptying them all before we get into the height of summer, with its sun exposure and grime from outdoors.

Wash-Off Products

🐘 Drunk Elephant E-Rase Milki Micellar Water

I picked up the mini version of the Drunk Elephant E-Rase Milki Micellar Water in a fit of “I want to wear makeup more often but I really suck at doing eyeliner so I need a no-rinse makeup removal option.” Then it turned out I’m too lazy to wear makeup very often, so I decided to just open it and use it as a first cleanse, as micellar waters usually are, or as a lazy cleanse in the morning when I feel I need something. Most micellar waters need to be rinsed, but due to the surfactants this uses, Drunk Elephant says that it does not. This formula’s claim to fame is the watermelon seed oil as well as three ceramides and a ceramide precursor. My main issue with this at the moment is that it smells quite a bit like Play Do upon application, unfortunately.
Price: $28 USD / 240 mL; shown in the $14 USD / 100 mL mini size

🍵 I Dew Care Matcha Mood Soothing Green Tea Wash-Off Mask

I initially tried the I Dew Care Matcha Mood Soothing Green Tea Wash-Off Mask in a mini size when I took it to Belize in summer, and liked it so well I decided to rebuy during a Black Friday sale. I’m a big fan of a soothing mask after an exfoliating mask, or when heading into the shower. This is a creamy, moisturizing mask that uses green tea extract, CBD oil, aloe extract, centella asiatica extract, heartleaf extract and chia seed extract to soothe. It’s also, satisfyingly, very green, though that’s partially due to dyes.
Price: $25 USD / 100g

Toners & Serums

💦 RNW Der. Special Ceramide Mist

I love the RNW Der. Concentrate Ceramide Plus Serum, so I was excited to try the RNW Der. Special Ceramide Mist. Like that serum, this includes 5 types of ceramides, a ceramide precursor and cholesterol. It also includes panthenol, a peptide, and a bunch of prebiotics. The mister on this makes it take quite a few sprays, so it doesn’t seem quite as hydrating as I would like for a mid-routine spritz, but I’ve started using it with more alacrity — life’s too short to tiptoe around your products — and I’m enjoying it much more. It’s also pretty aesthetically fun: this has a biphase-like effect due to the combination of water- and oil-based ingredients with minimal solvents, so it swirls in the light.
Price: $27 USD / 100 mL

💧 Isntree Hyaluronic Acid Water Essence

I received the Isntree Hyaluronic Acid Water Essence in a giveaway last summer, but delayed opening it due to my general avoidance of hyaluronic acid, particularly products that focus on it as an ingredient. Hyaluronic acid is a humectant that naturally occurs in the body, and because of that and its price point has become incredibly popular. Unfortunately, it tends not to work for me between my skin’s dehydration and my environment’s dehydration, and that seems to include this serum. After using this the first morning, my cheeks felt tight and irritated by the afternoon. I am able to use it in the evening, but only if I slug with Vaseline, and even then it seems to irritate after a few consecutive uses so I’ve given up. For the moment this is living by my tub, and I use it on my legs and body after the bath.
Price: $31 USD / 50 mL, though frequently cheaper on some retailers

💜 Pacifica Vegan Ceramide Face Serum

It is a truth universally acknowledged that if a brand releases a ceramide serum, I will eventually try it — and so here we are with Pacifica’s Vegan Ceramide Face Serum. This is an emulsion texture, so it goes down pretty fast — it requires about three pumps to cover face, neck and chest. This includes ceramides NP, AP and EOP, as well as ceramide precursor phytosphingosine. As you might remember from my Face Off of the Ceramide+Cholesterol+Fatty Acid Serums: Glow Recipe vs RNW vs Stratia post, it importantly also includes cholesterol and a variety of fatty acids, along with a few plant extracts. I could see this working well for someone who needs a more accessible version of Stratia Liquid Gold, honestly.
Price: $16 USD / 29 mL

🐝 Toun28 Propolis + Vitamin C, B3, B5, B6 Serum

I first learned about Toun28 due to their eco-friendly approach to packaging, so I picked up the Propolis + Vitamin C, B3, B5, B6 Serum because I can’t not try new propolis serums — it’s a similar compulsion to my relationship to ceramide serums. This has 88% propolis extract, 2% ascorbyl glucoside (a vitamin c derivative), 1% niacinamide (vitamin b3), 1% panthenol (vitamin b5) and .05% pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin b6). This includes a variety of other plant extract, in addition, to add up to an incredibly lightweight, beautifully fragrant serum that feels really special to use. I’m looking forward to trying some of their other products.
Price: $35 USD / 30 mL

Creams

💚 Good Molecules Gentle Retinol Cream

The Good Molecules Gentle Retinol Cream is a beginner retinol at .1% and bakuchiol to boost the effects. While I’m not new to retinol, I appreciate a gentle one so I don’t have to worry about using it on a schedule — not only do I wind up being able to use them every day, I can layer them with exfoliating acids. This is a light cream formula, so on the days that I’m using it (this recommends 3 times / week, but I’m doing my classic “ease into it” approach that I’ll detail next week) I do still use a moisturizer over top. Beyond the retinol and bakuchiol, worthwhile callouts are the sunflower seed oil, willow bark extract and green tea extract. And, of course, the price.
Price: $8 USD / 30 mL

🇰🇷 Beauty of Joseon Dynasty Cream

Beauty of Joseon is such a great brand, and I’m so excited to finally be using their reformulated Dynasty Cream, since it’s been recommended to me so many times. This has a really fun texture to it and even physically looks hydrating. I’m really enjoying it as a PM moisturizer so far, and think that this could make a good day cream as well. The INCI of the new formulation is a grab bag of yumminess: rice bran water, ginseng root water, niacinamide, squalane, honey extract, a ceramide, and a variety of plant extracts. Importantly, the reformulation is also fragrance free.
Price: $25 USD / 50 mL

Other

🍯 Farmacy Honey Butter Lip

I’m not usually one to drop $10 on a chapstick, but I received the Farmacy Honey Butter Lip as part of a promotion they did in autumn and I must admit, I don’t hate it.That said, you will note that it is not pictured because I seem to have ALREADY LOST IT. Will I find it again such that y’all will see it in a future empties? Unlikely, but we can hope. Some lip balms can melt off my lips and give me bumps and blackheads, but so far so good with this one even though it includes all three of the potential culprits I had been concerned about: castor oil, olive oil and coconut oil. This also includes cacao and cacao blanco butters, and beeswax and candelilla waxes to give it emollience and occlusion. In keeping with the rest of the honey line, this also includes honey, propolis and royal jelly extracts.
Price: $10 USD / 3.4 g

☀️ Derma:B – Everyday Sun Block SPF50+ PA++++

It’s no secret that I love Derma:B for body products, so I had to try their Everyday Sun Block SPF50+ PA++++ for body sunscreen. This quite a bit heavier than other Korean sunscreens I’ve tried, but still more comfortable than those from the US. This includes the synthetic ceramide used in seemingly all Derma:B formulations, in addition to prickly pear extract, cucumber extract, aloe vera extract and chamomile extract. This is quite fragranced, but not unpleasantly so. The sunscreen filters used in this are homosalate, octisalate, avobenzone and ensulizole.
Price: $15 USD / 200 mL

🛢 Derma:B Daily Moisture Body Oil

I’ve been wanting to try the Derma:B Daily Moisture Body Oil for a while — after all, Derma:B plus body oil is basically my body skincare love language — but it can be perniciously hard to get ahold of. This is a blend of multiple lovely oils: sunflower seed, grape seed, canola, camellia seed, argan and sweet almond. This again also includes the synthesized ceramide MEA. It doesn’t include any surfactants, so I apply it to my legs and lower body rather than putting it directly into the water.
Price: $14 USD / 200 mL