Bringing you behind the scenes - the products I'm testing and wearing right now
a mini roundup of first impressions of newer products in my rotation that you might soon see a lot of
Today I’m bringing you behind the scenes of products that I’m testing at the moment. I am always testing new products, and I often won’t talk about them for awhile just because of the sheer amount of products I’m always using and reviewing. I feel like it takes longer for me to form opinions on products - especially skincare or complexion makeup products - because frankly, a lot of products on the market these days are good and work fine for me, but it takes a lot for something to really impress me, and I often find that my first impressions change once I really use the product consistently for weeks or months.
So in order to bridge the gap between when I start using a product and when it actually shows up as a featured product on my Instagram, blog, or Substack, I’m starting this series to bring you all on products I’m testing that you might see me talk about a lot later, but that I’m keeping on the testing phases for now.
Amuse Dew Power Cushion Foundation (code SHOPBEAUTYU for 10% off) - I bought this while I was in Japan, and I’ll be completely honest - most of the reason I picked up this specific foundation is that it was one in about 10 foundations where I found a match. For me. With light medium skin. We all know how horrific most Asian beauty shade ranges are, but come on, I am Asian and most cushion foundations I tested were way too light for me. I wear shade 02, which starts off slightly too light for me, but it settles into my skin, and there is actually one deeper shade in this range too.
I’ve used it a few times and so far I’m very impressed with the formula. Gone are the super high coverage matte formulas that I remember seeing, because this one is extremely skin like and naturally radiant, but not too dewy. It wears well so far in my testing, but I haven’t tested it for over 7 or 8 hours yet. I find that it gives solidly medium coverage, and can be layered up for more. So far, so good!
While we’re talking about Amuse, this balm has been kicking around in my “products to test” drawer pile for a few months, mostly because I would just admire the packaging and then never use it. I finally took it out for a spin and it’s absolutely lovely. Lightweight but a nice balmy texture. I have the pink ph-adjusting shade (01 Ballerina), and the tint leaves a nice pink color that isn’t bright fuchsia, which some ph-adjusting balms can turn for me. The true test of this will be how it keeps my lips hydrated over time, but the packaging is enough to keep me satisfied for now.
Half Magic Mouth Cloud Soft Matte Lip Cream in Edwards Fantasy - If you’ve followed along on my Instagram stories, you might have seen me go down a deep hole of trying to find the perfect lipstick to mimic red wine-stained lips. Not a wine colored lipstick, but a deep reddish-purplish-brownish lip that is the color of dried wine. I went on a bit of a shopping spree to find some contenders and this Half Magic Lip Cream was the first one I started to use.
The color is a little too red to give me that deep dried wine look I want but the formula has a really beautiful light airy texture that doesn’t feel anything like the thick opaque matte liquid lipsticks of 2014. So far I like using this as a blotted look, and even though it isn’t the deep shade I was looking for, the red wine shade is beautiful enough to justify the purchase. I definitely need more testing to say more about the formula, but I like it enough from the first few wears that I’m already eyeing another shade.
Surratt Relevee Mascara (code STEPH15 for 15% off) - Tubing mascaras are hit or miss because the best ones will hold a curl for me, while keeping the easy washable feature of tubing mascaras, and the ones that don’t work for me don’t hold my curl. I’ve only worn this a few times, but so far, I’m getting a decent hold on my curl with this one. The curl does droop a little bit after 6 or so hours, but this formula doesn’t completely flatten my lashes out. I have to keep testing just to be sure, but these are all good signs so far! I will say that I know I like the effect of the initial look - it gives me a fluttery lash look, whereas a lot of tubing mascaras can make my lashes look a little spiky if I’m not careful.
Rhode Skin Pineapple Refresh Cleanser - I’ve actually been testing this for about the past month through a sample that the brand kindly sent me, and this is SO GOOD. It starts off with a balmy texture - though it is not a balm cleanser like a first cleanse, at least not for me - and turns into a foamy lather that feels so decadent and rich. My skin feels incredibly soft and smooth and cleansed without being stripped after using this. The pineapple enzyme does a great job of gently exfoliating my skin without being drying - but it’s unscented, which I love. It takes a lot for a cleanser to be extraordinary to me, and it’s still early days to see if this will make it to that list of top cleansers (which only consists of this and this right now), but I can’t remember the last time I enjoyed a new cleanser this much. I’ll be the first to admit I was skeptical about Rhode at first, but this cleanser is impressive so far, as are their balms!
Necessaire The Hand Retinol (code UNHYPED for 15% off) - I’m a long-term fan of the original Hand Cream and thought a hand retinol was totally unnecessary (and kind of intimidating, to be honest). However, it’s my opinion that hands can really give away signs of damage more prominently than the face or neck because I’m always washing them and forgetting to reapply spf. I’ve been adding the hand retinol into my bodycare routine as an overnight hand cream a couple nights a week, and hoping to build up my tolerance to every other day. I’ve only used it for a couple weeks, and I may be imagining that my hands feel a little softer and the dry lines are a little less prominent, but that could also be a placebo effect. While I keep testing it for longer term results, the feel does feel just as light and greaseless as the regular hand cream, which is a huge plus for me.
Which products are you interested in knowing more about? What are some products that you’ve started using lately, and what do you think of them?
As always, thanks for reading!
Thanks so much for this! I’m wondering how easily the Surratt removes-some tubing mascaras are more difficult than others.