I thought this month would be different: I was doing really good at writing reviews as I emptied products, at the beginning of the month. Then my life fell apart a bit, so this is coming to you a week late, after days of me trying to have the energy and focus to sit down and finish it. I guess it just goes to show, you can really think you have your life together and then something (or some things) change and it all goes to heck for a while. This also means that while I emptied a fair bit of skincare, I SHOULD have emptied more — there was a five day routine when I only did about three routines. SHAME. In fairness, my dry skin did hurt by the time I did one again.

Wash-Off Masks

🌹 Then I Met You Rosé Resurfacing Facial Mask

On my tour of all of the competitors to the infamous The Ordinary AHA/BHA mask, I had to try Then I Met You’s Rosé Resurfacing Facial Mask. This has 6% AHA (lactic and glycolic acids) and .5% salicylic acid. The gimmick here is in the rosé/rose — grape juice extract and resveratrol to mimic rosé wine, and literal rose flower petals, as well. I find this to be a bit more irritating than the Peach & Lily one, which is my usual go-to. This is likely because it’s really just about exfoliation, with very little other ingredients to make it soothing. It’s unfortunate, because for the price I was definitely expecting and hoping for more. But hey — it did work. Masks like this are great for looking fresh-faced afterwards, assuming your skin can handle the formula.
Opened: November
Price: $56 USD / 50 g
Rating: 6/10

💡 PSA Light Up Vitamin C & E Flash Brightening Mask

I usually go in for exfoliating or moisturizing wash-off masks, but PSA Light Up Vitamin C & E Flash Brightening Mask caught my eye in November so here we are. This mask has officially gotten me into wearing a mask while showering (which I don’t do that often — more of a bath person, as long-time readers will know and I don’t always remember, ergo why this has taken 6 months to empty). The packaging on this is absolutely the worst. Pick a lane, PSA: tube or pump, not both. I just unscrewed it to dispense like a tube. This tastes atrocious, which is the problem with using it in the shower, but it does have pretty decent immediate effects. The effect is transient, but it’s a great way to get into 11% ascorbic acid. If you go for this, get it during a BOGO month!
Opened: November
Price: $43 USD / 50 mL
Rating: 7/10

Essences

🌱 Pyunkang Yul Essence Toner

Pyunkang Yul (PKY) is an inexpensive brand that grew out of a clinic in Korea, and the Essence Toner was one of the products that put it on the map. It’s less popular now, but there was a time when it seemed like just about every k-beauty afficionado cycled it through their routine. Like other PKY products, this has a simple ingredients list focused around traditional Asian medicine ingredients — in this case astragalus membranaceus root extract. This essence toner is a bit of a shortcut for glass skin, as a few layers of it makes the skin look and feel hydrated. That said, I wouldn’t recommend this for the seven skins method, and oilier skin types might find it a bit heavy. For my part, I didn’t feel that it was as deeply hydrating as it could have or should have been, and by the time I emptied it I was very ready to move on to other things.
Opened: December
Price: $18 USD / 200 mL
Rating: 8/10

💦 Acwell Licorice pH Balancing Essence Mist

I like to get a fair bit of my k-beauty from SokoGlam, and I was able to pick up their collaboration with Acwell, the Acwell Licorice pH Balancing Essence Mist, through its rewards program. I’ve gotten into mists as a way to keep my skin damp between steps, especially because in Colorado I find that my skincare can dry down FAST. As the name suggests, this uses licorice for its brightening effects, but also includes goodies like saccharomyces ferment filtrate, beta-glucan, royal jelly and more. I’ve found that this mister, while it seems initially meh, can dispense a decent spray if you just leave it depressed longer. Thought his has some citrus fruit extracts and bergamot essential oil, I did find this mist to be calming and hydrating.
Opened: January
Price: $24 USD / 100 mL
Rating: 9/10

Serums

🔵 SkinCeuticals Discoloration Defense

Full disclosure: my SkinCeuticals Discoloration Defense was discolored when I got it, so this may not be the best review. That’s right, this sucker can oxidize, so if you, like me, got it from your spa after they stored it on a shelf for a while, you may not have the best results. (This is why I have also not purchased the famed Vitamin C yet — I have tried a sample and it was definitively brown.) I’m blessed with a bit of a melasma mustache, so I was hoping that the niacinamide, tranexamic acid and kojic acid in this would do some good. I’ve tried niacinamide and tranexamic acid, of course, but kojic acid is a bit harder to find — it’s a tyrosinase inhibitor, like hydroquinone, but without the need to pause usage. I do feel that it’s lightened a skosh, but not nearly as much as I would have hoped for the price point. Again, hard to tell if it would have done better without the oxidization, but it stands to reason it would have been. The biggest issue I had with this is that, because of the oxidization, it gave me a bit of the “Rudy Giuliani drips”, which is extremely unaesthetic. No one wants to be scrubbing brown product out of their hairline. To avoid this, I cocktailed a drop or two with various other serums.
Opened: February
Price: $108 USD / 30 mL
Rating: 7/10

🍉 TonyMoly Watermelon Dew All Over Serum

If you love the smell of watermelon candy, you need the TonyMoly Watermelon Dew All Over Serum in your life. While I initially thought this was for face (and it is!) it’s also for body, which makes the price per mL and strong fragrance make a bit more sense. This has 50% watermelon fruit extract, as well as meadowfoam seed oil, centella extract, and aloe extract. I could definitely see repurchasing this for body use if I lived in a more humid climate, and if even unscented lotion on my legs didn’t bring my pups running to lick it all off. As the serum name suggests, it’s definitely lightweight, and while the fragrance is a bit much when applied to the face, it’s not as offputting on the body. I will note, however, that I was only able to use it in about five face routines before downgrading because, even as a lover of watermelon candy who doesn’t mind fragrance, it was overpowering.
Opened: this month
Price: $15 USD / 120 mL; shown in a sample size
Rating: 8/10

🍑 Peach Slices Redness Relief Azelaic Acid Serum

Peach Slices Redness Relief Azelaic Acid Serum is a standby in our house, taking over for the Paula’s Choice booster due to accessibility, both in price and in ordering. This has 10% azelaic acid, which my husband loves for his rosacea. He also, if I do say so myself, wakes up looking darn good the morning after he uses it, so it’s got other exfoliating, calming benefits beyond that particular usage. This has panthenol, mugwort extract and centella extract, and more of a serum texture than the Paula’s Choice version.
Opened: January
Price: $20 USD / 30 mL
Rating: 10/10

Creams

🧬 Allies of Skin Peptides & Antioxidants Firming Daily Treatment

The Allies of Skin Peptides & Antioxidants Firming Daily Treatment is, in my opinion, horrifically expensive, and that’s the only reason it’s not getting a 10/10. That said, as I stated in April’s review, I could see this being the moisturizer I use when I’m done experimenting, and spending $130 for one product rather than most of a routine doesn’t make me cringe. This is a lovely, calming, mid-heavy weight cream, and the ingredients list is a real “who’s who” of cool stuff: Teprenone complex (stabilizes telomeres), multiple peptides, niacinamide, caffeine and other antioxidants, lactobacillus ferment, honey, ceramide precursors and more. A little of this goes a long way, and I suppose if I buy it only in BOGO months (which they have surprisingly often), I suppose some day I’ll be able to stomach the price per mL — my usual goal is around $1 per mL, and this is notably more than four times that.
Opened: April
Price: $129 USD / 30 mL; shown in a sample size
Rating: 9/10

🥛 Banobagi Milk Thistle Repair Sunscreen

I remember not super loving the Banobagi Milk Thistle Repair Sunscreen the last time I tried it (got it on BOGO, because apparently that’s the theme of this empties review). I am singing a different tune now. This is a moisturizing sunscreen that I have never had an issue with pilling, and it leaves the skin feeling lovely. Milk thistle, also known as silymarin, is a powerful antioxidant, which, of course, is a great thing to have in a sunscreen. The moisturizing properties come from the inclusion of both dimethicone and various seed oils, and that might also be why it avoids the “what moisturizer can I use under this” dance — though I didn’t even always need a moisturizer under this. In addition, this has madecassoside, sea buckthorn extract and four peptides. This is an SPF 45+ PA+++, but uses modern chemical filters, so the protection seems to be quite stable.
Opened: February
Price: $18 USD / 50 mL
Rating: 10/10