First up, Carmex Moisturizing Lip Balm SPF15 in Lime Twist. First things first, to the best of my knowledge, Carmex IS NOT cruelty free – not even certain they were at the time actually. So for that reason…as well as finding a better option anyway (the Badger Balm Cocoa Butter Lip Balm is my long-standing daytime go-to)…I haven’t used any Carmex lip balms in ages. Pretty sure I used that one up, but I don’t remember much about it except that I switched to a different flavor at some point.
Funny this one should pop up because I just talked about the lip scrub that I am using (check out that post here). In 2012 I was raving about the Maracuja Lip Exfoliant from Tarte. I still have this cute little tin, though it may be past time to toss it! I haven’t used it in ages. I just moved on to shinier and brighter things (I’m guessing this may be a recurring theme knowing me). It’s a gentle scrub so I found that it didn’t really do as much as I would have liked, though it did moisturize better than most while scrubbing. It’s also on the pricier side. I don’t think I’d buy it again, but I did enjoy it for a while.
Another funny entry! The Josie Maran Argan Daily Face Moisturizer SPF40. Technically this is no longer available, but they did reformulate it. It’s now called the Argan Daily Moisturizer SPF 47. I literally just switched back to this moisturizer around the end of Spring / beginning of Summer. I was so heartbroken when they stopped making the original and tried so many options in between, but never found anything else I liked as well. I should point out that the new version is not the same.I’m not sure how…and I really don’t know why they changed anything…but this version does feel different on the skin. If you’re on the oily side, I don’t think you would get along with the new version very well. I initially didn’t like the current version at all, but my skin was feeling a bit dry and dehydrated by the end of last winter and I decided to give it another shot. It’s a great medium-weight moisturizer for normal/combo to slightly dry skin. I’m guessing I would prefer the old formulation, but I am still using (sort of) the Argan Daily Moisturizer!
The Bath & Body Works Triple Moisture Body Cream in Honey Autumn Apple. Another no longer cruelty free item. I don’t actually know if this scent or formulation is being made, but I really liked these moisturizers. The scents are kind of hit and miss to me – they’re usually quite strong – but they have tons to choose from…and I do still love the scent of this one. So perfect for Fall! This is kind of a bittersweet product to say goodbye to.
Moving along, we have the Nubian Heritage Mango Butter Hand Cream. I’m pretty sure this is the month that I discovered these hand creams (there’s a rather large range of them). I have a crap ton of the various Nubian Heritage hand creams now and I still like them. Doesn’t hurt that they all smell amazing! I actually used up a full tube of this particular one, which is practically unheard of for me with hand cream. I go through phases where I think one is fantastic and then just randomly stop using it. Next time I pick it up, I have a completely different opinion of it. Currently I seem to be into the Weleda Pomegranate Regenerating Hand Cream and their Sea Buckthorn Hand Cream – yes, I use them both and sometimes one right after the other. J I still grab the Nubian Heritage ones from time to time as well though – most recently I think I’ve been using the Olive & Green Tea version. Great hand creams and definitely worth a try.
We have some makeup! Whoo hoo! It’s the Kevyn Aucoin The Sensual Skin Enhancer. Not gonna lie. I haven’t used this in a long time. No real reason other than I tried different concealers and kind of forgot about this one. It’s a really nice concealer, just stopped using it. It actually requires so little to cover anything that it looks virtually untouched! I guess I’ll add this to my list of “Hey! Remember me? Use me damnit!” J
Another entry from Tarte. On a side note, I feel like Tarte has kind of lost its fire lately. They used to come out with a lot of really good products with regularity and I feel like lately they don’t release a whole lot, or it’s just a variation on something old. Anyway, in 2012 I was loving the Amazonian Clay 12 Hour Blush, specifically in the shade Amused. I’m fairly certain they stopped making this color, which is a shame because it is probably one of my favorite Tarte blush shades. I think it may be the first Tarte blush I purchased. It looks kind of scary in the pan, but I have such a light hand that it’s not terribly intense at all. As for the blushes themselves, I have quite a few these days thanks to holiday sets and my horrible compulsion to own every shade. I did love these blushes, but I never reach for them anymore. I feel like the texture is quite hard and the pigment just doesn’t transfer to the skin very well. They’re fine and they do wear well, but I just like a lot of other blushes better.
Proving my “Tarte was on fire” thoughts, I apparently also loved the Tarte Gifted Amazonian Clay Mascara. I still use this pretty much every day! I’ve used many other mascaras in between and it’s not my current favorite, but I do actually use it daily, albeit somewhat differently. I tend to only use this on my bottom lashes lately. It hasn’t been very long that I’ve regularly used any mascara on my bottom lashes, but now the Tarte is my standby for it! I will also use it when I don’t want overly dramatic lashes (which is rare!). It’s a fantastic mascara that does a little bit of everything without going overboard on anything, if that makes sense. I definitely still recommend the Tarte Gifted Amazonian Clay Smart Mascara.
Finally I had 2 nail polish favorites – Shag from Butter London and FeiFei from Zoya. I still love both shades, though I don’t reach for them often. I don’t really reach for any one shade often, but I can’t say I’ve worn these recently. That being said, “Shag” was a contender for my Fall Nail Polish Picks (see them here). It was also in a bit of a nail polish “incident.” “West End Wonderland” – the absolute best fine gold glitter for the holidays – exploded all over in a plastic bin housing a lot of my Butter London shades…and Shag was among them! J Anyway, I really love the color and I also love Butter London polishes (though not the price tag!). Zoya is always a favorite brand-wise and “FeiFei” is a really unusual and stunning color. I just haven’t felt inspired to reach for it, but I’m thinking maybe I’ll be reaching for both of them soon! J
That concludes our journey through products past from September 2012. Goodness it feels weird to think I’ve been writing Favorites posts that long! J I hope you found this somewhat interesting and/or informative. I always find other look back posts interesting. I would say this first one was a successful display of products that have stood the test of time and those that fell by the wayside. I hope you’re feeling ready for the Favorites because Friday should be filled with fancy favorites for the beginning of the Fall (see what I did there? All fancy and literary like…sort of J). I look forward to seeing you again and thank you so much for stopping by!!!
