The Testing Table \ Vol. 3

Oops, I’ve been slacking on my Testing Table posts. I haven’t done one since August but hope to get back to it. As any other product junkie, you know I’ve been trying a ton of goodies on the side. Here’s a current taste of what’s been on the testing table:

Blissoma Free Rejuvenating Herbal Gel Cleanser: Not a fan of the scent (sort of reminds me of glue I think due to the glycerin) nor the heavy gel texture. I did like that it seemed to thoroughly and deeply cleanse my skin while not being drying or irritating. I don’t think I’d purchase a full size because it wasn’t really love and I have a ton of cleansers I still need to try out. I do have another Blissoma product that I’m currently obsessed with and will share about soon.

May Lindstrom The Honey Mud and The Blue Cocoon: Two super popular (and quite expensive) products I’ve been dying to try out from May Lindstrom. I really liked the Honey Mud: a deliciously sweet and thick cleanser/mask formula. It’s soothing, moisturizing and leaves skin deeply refreshed and super smooth. Not to mention, the chocolate-y scent made me want to lick my face. The Honey Mud leaves is a bit hard to remove due to it’s creamy, thick texture so it’s best to use a cloth or towel when rinsing off. But after removal, I like that the thick formula lingers somewhat on skin keeping it moist and hydrated. The price-tag is expensive but ideally, I want to finish up some other facial masks I have and save up for this one.
The Blue Cocoon is truly unique: a blue, lightweight balm that feels cool to the touch and melts into skin. It instantly moisturizes dry spots and soothes skin but I didn’t notice any other truly extraordinary results from this. I will say the texture, formula, and color is like nothing else out there on the market and is quite addicting to use. Ultimately, to me this is an extremely luxe facial balm for which I really can’t bring myself to spend the money on. Le sigh.

Josh Rosebrook Nutrient Day Cream: I received a teeny sample of this cream, something I selected with an Integrity Botanicals order, but I did like what little I tried. The scent is really nice, it smells sweet and reminds me of cocoa. I really loved how creamy and easy-to-blend this moisturizer was and that even with SPF, I didn’t notice a white cast on my skin. The formula sinks into skin quickly and dries pretty matte. All good points in my book. I’d love to try more of this Cream and am also really curious about Josh Rosebrook’s bestselling hair products…

CV Skinlabs Calming Moisture*: I did a review on CV Skinlabs products in August and I’m getting down to the last bits of all my products (and will be repurchasing soon). I love the Calming Moisture cream and use it almost everyday as a day cream, a night cream, or just whenever my face is feeling wonky. It immediately soothes my skin and keeps it moisturized for hours. I love how lightweight yet hydrating this lotion is. This is definitely a daily necessity for me! (My full CV Skinlabs review here.)

Odylique Ultra Rich Balm*: Balms are products I absolutely cannot live without in the winter due to my flakey dry skin. This balm from Odylique is really nice and of high quality. I love that it’s thick and melts into skin, smoothing and soothing any dry or irritated spots. This is also suggested to relief skin of the effects of eczema, for which I do have occasionally. The scent is a bit herbal-y for me but the simple formulation gives me peace of mind and the thick texture is wonderful for my super-dry spots. I liked using this under my nose (lots of sneezing and dry, cracked skin this winter) and near my lips. (My review of other Odylique products here.)

La Bella Figura Beauty Elysian Fields Hair and Body Hydro-Essence*: Woah. That really is my reaction every time I spray this wonder of a product. Elysian Fields is a deliciously smelling and hydrating hair and body spray. I love how happy, fruity and fresh it smells. To me, it’s a mix of tropical (think papayas) and fresh laundry. This is so nice for freshening up hair or for when you feel like you need a boost of positive scent. It doesn’t make my hair greasy nor does it irritate my skin. I don’t think it necessarily moisturizes my skin entirely but I’m not sure that’s really the purpose of this product. I’d use it mainly for the boost of scent. I received this sample as an exclusive preview from LBF but the product is going to be revealed sometime this Spring. I think this little luxury is something I will be lusting over and dying to purchase.

Kaia Naturals Juicy Bamboo Natural Bamboo Facial Cleansing Cloths Travel Size*: I’m obsessed with cleansing my face with facial oils but for convenience’s sake, I’ve been dying to find some good natural alternatives for makeup wipes. For years, my favorite non-green makeup wipes were from Neutrogena but eventually caused irritation and terrible eczema in my eye area. These Facial Cleansing Cloths from Juicy Bamboo are amazing! I received Travel Size ones which are perfect for on-the-go use as they’re each individually packed in a wrapper and every wipe is biodegradable. The Cleansing Cloths are very large in size so not only are they perfect to remove heavy eye makeup but also for your whole face. The formula has moisturizing honey which allows for the Cloths to feel soft and gentle on skin and has a nice slip to it. My only gripe is that the cloths seemed to dry out quickly for me (maybe it’s got to do w/the Travel Size versions?) These were really effective and great for my sensitive skin though I personally like to follow up with cleanser afterwards. I’d love to get a full pack of these Cleansing Cloths in the future, though they’re a bit pricey for someone who doesn’t use cleansing wipes everyday and you can only order them online.

Acure Organics Intense Volume Mint Shampoo & Conditioner: I really love the Acure Lemongrass Shampoo (my full review here) and thought I’d try out Acure’s Intense Volume Mint Shampoo and the matching Conditioner. Still a great shampoo formula: hydrating, non-drying, and smells great but I don’t like this formula as much for my hair. Something about volumizing shampoos do not sit well with my hair. I think perhaps this shampoo was over-hydrating for my fine, straight hair. At times, it caused my hair to feel a bit tacky and greasy when I used this. Volumizing, perhaps but the greasiness turned me off big time. I think the Mint line is perfect for those with really dry or thick hair so I had to use it less often. I liked the Mint Conditioner (didn’t seem too different from the Lemongrass Conditioner to me) and a little goes a long way. Though I did find the Conditioner to be a bit more watery than the other Acure conditioners I’ve tried. I think I’ll stick to my favorite Lemongrass shampoo/conditioner in the future.

Have you tried any of these products? What are you currently testing out? See more of my Testing Table posts here.

 

*Indicates press samples. All other samples were received with orders I paid for or are products purchased by me. As always, all opinions are honest and my own. Post contains some affiliate links.