July was rough. June was rough. May was rough. August is shaping up to be rough so far. Is there an end in sight in September? I sure hope so — if nothing else, there’s a trip to Japan. July involved a huge 10 mile hike, lots of mountain biking, and a trip to the sun-blasted Western Slope of Colorado for a wedding. As such, this month had a lot of sunscreen empties.

Sunscreen

☀️ Isntree Hyaluronic Acid Watery Sun Gel

If you haven’t already tried the Isntree Hyaluronic Acid Watery Sun Gel, I strongly encourage you to. It’s become a cult classic for good reason: it uses modern chemical filters, goes on non-greasy, leaves your skin feeling comforted, and leaves no white cast. The seven types of hyaluronic acid are, thankfully, not a problem even in an arid environment, and the ceramide NP, pinus pinaster, cica and heartleaf never hurt. Even my husband loves it, and he doesn’t like the feeling of things on his skin. It’s no wonder we bombed through a tube in a month, during the height of summer in Colorado.
Price: $17 USD / 50 mL
Opened: June ’23
Rating: 10/10

💪 Kaine Green Fit Pro Sun SPF 50+ Sunscreen

I’m supposed to review the Kaine Green Fit Pro Sun SPF 50+ Sunscreen because I got it through the YesStyle Influencer program, and I have yet to do it (this isn’t it). This is a hybrid sunscreen, with modern chemical filters as well as titanium dioxide. This, thankfully, means it’s not drying like it would be if it had zinc oxide. However, this does not avoid it having a white cast. I ended up downgrading it to body sunscreen pretty immediately, where I don’t hate it, but notably any build-up (say, in elbow creases) goes purple pretty immediately. That said, the protection and staying power was pretty good, and I didn’t hate using it on mountain biking adventures.
Price: $16 USD / 55 mL
Opened: June ’23
Rating: 7/10

☀️ Innisfree Intensive Leisure Sun Stick

I fell in love with sun sticks last summer, but it took me a while to finish the Innisfree Intensive Leisure Sun Stick. It’s an SPF 50+ PA++++, and I’ve definitely never had any issue with protection with it, thanks to the modern chemical filters. However, I didn’t love it for face — it felt weirdly greasy, to the point that it oddly felt like sweat would become trapped on my upper lip, underneath it. I really like it for body sunscreen, however. I would roll it out a fair way, then swipe until it’s all the way back down to the edge of the tube.
Price: $14 USD / 18g
Opened: September ’22
Rating: 7/10

Not Sunscreen

🧼 Farmacy Clean Bee Ultra Gentle Facial Cleanser

This bottle of Farmacy Clean Bee Ultra Gentle Facial Cleanser has been a staple in our shower over the last two years. I initially got it for my husband, as I figured that the cute packaging and the honey smell would encourage him to use it. It was definitely more effective at that when kept in the shower than on the counter, but realistically neither of us think face washing is the most fun part of a skincare routine. Eventually, I decided to just use it up. One pump of this goes a long way, so it makes sense that it’s been millimetering down. It’s not as gentle as the name might make you think, and the smell is more honey for anyone near you than yourself. It’s definitely not stripping, though.
Price: $28 USD / 150 mL
Opened: October ’21
Rating: 7/10

🍹 Beekman 1802 Golden Booster Amla Berry Vitamin C Brightening Serum

If it feels like you just saw my review of Beekman 1802 Golden Booster Amla Berry Vitamin C Brightening Serum, it’s because you did — the bottle is smol. It’s intended to be mixed into the Beekman 1802 moisturizer, which I don’t have, but I do recommend cocktailing it, as otherwise it has basically no slip to it. I generally mixed it with slightly creamier formulas, as this generally blended the best. It was … fine. I didn’t notice any change, when using it. Notionally, the hero ingredients here are sources of vitamin C and vitamin A which more sensitive skin types might be able to use. Unless you’re in the particular venn diagram of “has sensitive skin”, “can use plant extracts and oils” and “doesn’t mind dropping cash” I think it’s a miss.
Price: $28 USD / 15 mL
Opened: June ’23
Rating: 3/10

👽 Good Light We Come In Peace Probiotics Microbiome Serum

Good Light’s marketing is pretty fabulous, and I’m all about the skin microbiome, so I snatched their We Come In Peace Probiotics Microbiome Serum earlier this year. Despite the name, this doesn’t have as many probiotics on its inci list as you might expect (just lactococcus ferment lysate), but it also has bakuchiol and carrot seed oil. It’s lightly fragranced, due to tansy flower oil, and has a soothing creaminess. I could see acne-prone skin types loving this, and in fairness I think this is generally Good Light’s target market. It’s usable AM and PM, and though I didn’t find that my skin was more calm with it, I can imagine it being a helpful part of a routine for folks who struggle with more inflammation.
Price: $24 USD / 35 mL
Opened: May ’23
Rating: 8/10

🐝 Cosrx Full Fit Propolis Honey Overnight Mask

I had been eyeing the Cosrx overnight masks since I first got into skincare, and I’ve finally made it through a tube of the Cosrx Full Fit Propolis Honey Overnight Mask. I love Cosrx, I love the bee trifecta (propolis, honey and royal jelly extracts), and I love sleeping masks. That said, I’ve had other sleeping masks I like better: this one was neither incredibly soothing (like the A’pieu madecassoside one I love so much that’s been discontinued) or incredibly nourishing (like the Kiehls squalane). It’s likely great if you don’t have propolis in another format, and want to double it up as an AM moisturizer, which did work out well. As a sleeping mask, however, it didn’t feel like it did too much.
Price: $18 USD / 60 mL
Opened: April ’23
Rating: 8/10