Dusting Off The Shelf
Let's revisit and update some old reviews.
There’s been so much new, new, new lately, but we wanted to restart an old series we did one Ramadan (was it last year, or 3 years ago? Time has become so warped) in which we re-reviewed products that made it to the IG feed at some point to give our updated thoughts based on new comparisons. Now, there are a lot of products in our skincare and makeup graveyard so we decided to just scroll through our over 1300 posts and pick items at random, the only caveat being it can’t be something currently in our routines. This should be fun!
Finding Ferdinand Lashlift Tubing Mascara: they had us at “tubing.” If you’re unfamiliar, tubing mascaras remove easily with just water and a bit of friction, allowing the mascara to slide off the lashes in tube-like bits, hence the name. These are our favorite types of mascaras to use and in all honesty, even if we don’t love one aspect of the product (the length, or the definition, or the intensity of color, for example), the fact that it’s a tubing option carries significant weight for us overall. With all that said, we like the length and definition of this mascara a lot, but it’s not super volumizing. We typically go for a more dramatic lash even on a low-makeup day, but this can still be built up to give some intensity. We went through two tubes of this previously and would definitely use it again.
Post from: 2/15/2024
PSA Heroine Toner: oh man, we LOVED this! It’s a 6% mandelic and lactic acid liquid exfoliant. There are definitely a lot of liquid exfoliants out there that function virtually the same, but if you’re specifically looking for an AHA option that’s not quite as spicy as a glycolic acid product, but still highly effective on surface texture and preventing new dark spots, this is a great pick. We’ve found a few blends with mild doses of BHA + these same AHAs since—which is the sweet spot for us—so we don’t have a huge need for this individual liquid exfoliant anymore, personally.
Post from: 12/8/2020
Naturium Multi-Peptide Advanced Serum: this a cushy, well-aging peptide + encapsulated copper peptide and ferulic acid blend that feels great on the skin but truthfully did little else for us. We know a lot of people enjoy this one but we suspect it’s because of the dewy finish and gel moisturizer-like feel and less about potential results. Oop. We’re not crazy about peptides across the board, except for copper-GHK (aka copper tripeptide), for it’s deeply reparative benefits, but if you’re looking for something that feels great on the skin, with the potential to improve fine lines with long term use, that’s also less than $30, this is an option to consider. If the copper tripeptide route sounds more your style, check out our big comparison post here for some guidance on that topic and our top recs.
Post from: 11/1/2023
Rosen Super Smoothie Cleanser: we love a cleanser with a touch of physical exfoliation to it and Rosen seemed like a solid option in the beginning. It definitely had a smoothie-like texture and scent thanks to the addition of strawberry powder, but we didn’t find it to be as refined of a cleanser as we typically prefer, likely due to the choice of surfactant used in the formula. We’d have to use a lot of product to get a thorough wash, which could then be drying to our skin. The product is touted as a gentle exfoliating option that can treat dark spots, but we have chemical exfoliant cleansers that can achieve similar results while also thoroughly cleansing the skin that we prefer. One could certainly use this as a separate exfoliant step (as we have in the past), but we prefer to use something with a lot more grit if we’re going to take the time to do that anyway, such as the Ranavat and Versed options pictured below.
Post from: 6/26/2021
Jones Road Beauty The Bronzer (Medium Tan): this was a unique bronzer when it launched and it’s a unique bronzer to this day. The entire range leaned pink or red in color—not even undertone, color!—so they seemed more like “blonzers” to us, especially when compared to the Jones Road liquid bronzer range. Medium Tan was a matte finish, neutral pink-beige that blended seamlessly on our skin. We’ve found the NYX Buttermelt Bronzers to have a similar feel in range, however the Jones Road formula is very traditional: hard-pressed in the pan, not heavily pigmented, easy to blend and build. NYX is much softer in texture, with a very soft sheen to the powders, and a bit more pigmented on application. We like both very much but truth be told, we hit pan on Jones Road. We use NYX more like blushes, while we would use Jones Road as a true one-and-done cheek color.
Post from: 2/9/2023
Beijbi Skin Barrier Balm: we have tried our fair share of barrier balms over the years but we do remember enjoying the thick, oil-based, but still silicone-y balm texture of this cream. It was quite occlusive but still had a good amount of slip. We would totally pick this up today, but we have a lot of similar-ish things on rotation that achieve the same result: Mother Science’s Molecular Genesis, FAB’s Barrier Balm, Jordan Samuel’s Moisture Recovery Cream, etc.
Post from: 2/19/2022
Naturium Purple Ginseng Cleansing Balm: this is one of Naturium’s gems in our opinion. It’s a synthetic sorbet-style cleansing balm with an easily melted texture and quick + complete wash-off experience. It doesn’t have a scent or particularly unique feel, but for a first cleanse, we’ll totally allow it! No major eye sting, either, which is a huge plus. We’ve gone through quite a few of these jars and have one sitting on the shelf waiting to be opened in the future. For a straightforward and highly efficient option, you simply can’t go wrong with this.
Post from: 10/17/2021
Laneige Glowy Makeup Serum: we genuinely cannot say this did anything at all beside hydrate our skin a little. It’s very pretty to look at though!
Post from: 4/7/2020
Fenty Eaze Drop Blurring Skin Tint: ah, the first of many skin tints in our collection, Fenty Eaze Drops were pretty solid and still hold up today. These have an incredible blurring effect with a gel feel on the skin, however the formula is prone to pilling. If you’re lucky enough to not deal with pilling issues, you will love the sheer yet buildable, satin finish, blurred, hydrated look of this skin tint. It is prone to separation if you’re on the dry side, so we don’t reach for it much today, but oilier skin types may really enjoy it.
Post from: 8/28/2021
Paula’s Choice Water-Infusing Electrolyte Moisturizer: honestly, we’re a little tempted to pick this up again for spring/summer. It’s a thick, dimethicone-heavy moisturizer that is full of hydrators, NMFs, and lipids to provide a nice dose of hydration to the skin. We remember it feeling heavy on the fingers so we would only dispense a small amount, but once applied to the face, there was a cool soft, watery feel that would dry to a matte, occlusive finish. We’re curious to see how our much drier skin (compared to five years ago) would tolerate this today, but we also suspect it would not be nearly enough for us.
Post from: 7/1/2020
You’re making me feel so seen about the peptides hehe
Love this format! I may have to borrow it for a future post and revisit some old posts and reviews!