July Recap
All favorites this month!
Time is flying by, friends. Safiyah has officially graduated from university with a Bachelor’s of Health Sciences as of this weekend! And I—Sarah 👋—have logged one month of residency, ICU and all. It’s been a crazy few weeks but we have leaned on all of the following products heavily to maximize efficiency over comfort (hopefully we won’t make a habit out of that, but at least we can find some balance in the meantime). So without further ado, let’s dive in to our July favorites. No flops this month, either, everything rocks :)
Transparent Lab A5 Balancing Toner: this is a 5% azelaic acid + water-soluble Vitamin C derivative + black tea ferment liquid base layer from Niche Beauty Lab. We grabbed this as soon as it launched and have used it religiously every day since. We won’t lie, it’s quite sticky on application which may throw some of you off, but we tend to apply the rest of our routine immediately after and the tacky feeling completely disappears by the end of our steps. We’re loving the light dose of azelaic acid here—it’s enough to help clarify our skin a bit, but not enough to irritate or interfere with our main routine actives. Our favorite lineup to use this with during the day includes a light-dose BHA or other clarifying treatment (Slurp Decalt or the new Equal Rxn Oat Milk PHA Serum, for example), Mother Science’s Molecular Hero Serum for some extra brightening benefit, and a nice gel moisturizer to top it all off before sunscreen.
Neen Pretty Shade Pressed Pigment Eyeshadows (shade: Wish): we randomly came across this brand while making a Blue Mercury purchase and the pressed pigment selection immediately caught our eye. Our favorite flavor of shimmery eyeshadow is anything taupe-y brown/neutral mauve-leaning, so “Wish” was an obvious pick for us, the cool silicone packaging and huge pan size also sealed the deal. What we did not expect was the incredibly high-performance formula. We’re talking creamy, intense pigmentation, but also phenomenal adherence and long-wear with minimal to no creasing. We’ve both worn this to work (8+ hour days) and on special occasions, and it’s easily become our most reliable formula. As soon as they launch an olive green, we’ll be there.
This post features swatches of the HB Lip Stain & Neen eyeshadow.
Huda Beauty Lip Contour Stains: we ended up buying three of these since purchasing in late June (Toasty Brown, Warm Brown, and Soft Nude). They have a light, watery texture that gives you like, three seconds tops to blend if you need to before setting down and maintaining a stain for hours on end. Now we will say, the stain doesn’t remain the same color all day—it always ends up pulling pink by the afternoon—but we don’t mind throwing one of the Phytosurgence Calm Conditions lip balms over it after lunch anyway, so that refreshes the lips nicely. We know there’s a lot of discourse out there about longevity with these but we’ve stored them upside down since purchasing and they still perform like new.
Prequel Fingerless Sun Gloves: during a recent IG Q&A, we wrote about purchasing these UV protection gloves over others for two reasons: (1) the grips. There’s much better steering wheel grip now and that’s a little important to have lol. (2) The velcro wrist strap. Not a huge deal, but it makes taking off and putting on the gloves so much easier without having to turn them inside-out each time. It’s the little things! They also come in a nice brown, beige, black, and now pale blue option.
Naturium Phyto-Glow Lip Balm SPF 45: (Code: TOPSHELFEDIT) these are so lovely! They have the classic thick, glossy, slightly sticky feel of the original Naturium lip balms but with a mild mint flavor that covers up the yucky sunscreen taste. We’ve mentioned the Prequel ones in a previous monthly favorites post, but the tinted options here are a little more our speed. Additionally, we received a number of questions surrounding the intensity of the mint flavor and while both products have a significant mint component, Naturium’s is much less pronounced. No tingling whatsoever for us.
Oleada AnyWear City Duffel: (Code: TTSEANYWEAR + a free gift!) after a whole discussion about potential workbags over on IG a few weeks ago, we ended up connecting with Oleada and received the AnyWear Duffel in PR. It certainly is a well-intentioned bag with durability at the forefront of its design. Some of our favorite features include: the easily cleaned, stain-proof nylon, weather-proof zipper, multiple straps for crossbody/shoulder/trolley/handheld use, interior laptop pocket, hidden outer pockets, and more. It’s become my go-to work bag for hospital day-shifts and clinic use thanks to the slightly smaller, day-to-day “City” size. Checks all my boxes and then some!
Danessa Myricks Yummy Skin Water Powder Serum: this is our absolute favorite product of the month, and it will be a staple for months to come, we’re sure of it. It’s essentially a mattifying primer, but we can see both makeup and non-makeup users enjoying it for the watery-thin texture, transparent finish, and weightless/non-pore clogging feel. This stuff knocks down shine upon application but it also maintains a matte finish for hours without dehydrating the area and making it appear patchy. We find that it doesn’t pill with the vast majority of our skincare and makeup (actually, nothing we’ve tried with it so far has pilled) so if you’re cautious about the products you introduce into your makeup routine, this is one to consider without worry. We got a mini size as a gift with purchase and within a week of use, ended up purchasing the full size because we’re beyond impressed with how well this works with our skin and makeup to maintain a more balanced complexion throughout the day.
Uniqlo Brushed Jersey Wide Pants: these are our favorite cold-weather pants ever. We bought two pairs last year and thanks to the super helpful $5 tailoring service Uniqlo offers, we were able to get them hemmed for our ideal pant length. During the hubbub of moving back in March, we seemed to have lost one of the pants, so as soon as these returned for the autumn season, we immediately ordered in every color—we’ve only done this with those Everlane pants we wrote about it in previous monthly favorites posts! These have a fleece-like, sweatpant-esque feel, but they have a nice wide leg fit and built-in front/center seam that gives them some structure. They’re the comfiest dress pants you’ll ever find, wash incredibly well, and need minimal ironing.
NIOD Modulating Glucosides Serum: we’ve been writing about this serum on IG, our first blog, our new blog, and now Substack for years, but for good reason: it’s still the best skin barrier treatment we’ve found for both current sensitivity and prevention. I recently had a small bout of dermatitis secondary to a disinfectant spray that contained citrus essential oils (for those of you who are new here, I discovered I’m allergic to these ubiquitous and rather vague ingredients a few years ago and frequently chronicle the products that flare the symptoms, but also those that knock them down). I came home, took an antihistamine tablet, washed my face, and immediately slathered on three layers of NIOD MG. Of course, the antihistamine did most of the heavy lifting to prevent the reaction from progressing, but Modulating Glucosides takes care of the aftermath: the redness, dryness, peeling, and bumpiness of skin that lingers following a more acute reaction. It’s a product that I reach for first during a moment like this, but also when I’m looking to prevent more common things such as irritation from a particularly intense AHA treatment, or when acclimating to a new retinoid. Of the many products we’ve tried, we tell people all the time, this is one to have on hand no matter who you are.
Chanel Joues Contraste Powder Blush in Brun Rouge: we’ve tried a handful of Chanel makeup items in recent months because our nearby Bloomingdales finally has some wishlist items of ours in stock. This blush was pretty difficult to find for a few months but we managed to snag the last one and it didn’t disappoint. It’s just a stunning warm brown/red/plum that works year-round for a wider variety of skin tones than your typical bright berry. The formula is also perfectly milled in texture, easily layered, and long-wearing. Definitely take a glance at the Chanel counter next time you’re perusing your favorite department store.
Sidia The Hand Serum: oh man, this product became wildly popular amongst my co-residents over the last few weeks! Between the constant sanitizing, gloving up, and hand-washing, we’re all specifically looking for something that hydrates well but leaves zero residue behind, and hey, if it smells incredible too, that’s a big plus in a hospital. We’ve actually purchased two of these: Soaked and Wired, as they’re both cool earthy, yet green and refreshing scents. This formula won’t be for every pair of hands—it’s a serum, so ideally, you want to layer a nice rich cream over it, but it hydrates enough for the person that may need their fingertips clean and grease-free for driving, typing, etc.
TIGI Hair Wax Stick: we’ve had this for a good year or two now but we’re both noticing some new hair growth (likely from continued Nizoral use—it’s been 9+ months are we’re finally seeing some changes on that front!) and the baby hairs are just out. of. control. lately. A couple swipes of this wax stick keeps them in place all day without getting too gunky. We’re hijabis, but we still need to keep the flyaways in check and this is our easiest bet!
Alright, that’s a wrap on July! We hope you enjoyed reading today and we’re wishing you a safe, healthy, happy August ahead.
**Some images from individual brand websites.
Welp, sounds like I need brun rouge now 😅
Recently I have tried super C serum from Transparent Lab, I am very impressed by the quality of the bottle and overall experience. I would recommend it for sure!