Skincare is such a personal thing, and sometimes products that others rave about simply don't get along with me. Being an avid beauty blog reader, it's so easy to get sucked in to product hype. I think now, I'm finally starting to learn to take a step back and think "Is this really the right product for me?" So here are 4 products that are raved about, but simply weren't the right fit for me.
Kiehl's Rosa Artica Youth Regenerating Cream ($65 for 50mL)
Purchased under the influence of Michelle Phan way back when. To be honest I don't even know what her skin type is. Back then my thought process was just "Well, she has good skin, I want good skin, therefore I should use this product." Sound logic. But no, really though, this product is so rich in shea butter, it feels like I'm smothering my face in butter, and that is not how I want to live my life. It contains other moisturizing ingredients like glycerin and squalene, but it smells exclusively of shea butter, and is a very, very, very, VERY rich texture (like butter, as I said).
Personally, I prefer moisturizers that rely primarily on humectants, which are ingredients that draw moisture into the epidermis. Examples would be glycerin and hyaluronic acid. Ingredients like shea butter are occlusives, which work by essentially forming a shield over the skin and preventing water from evaporating off. Occlusives can be good for dry or mature skin types, which I'm assuming is what this cream is actually marketed towards (hence Youth Regenerating). For my combination skin, this was just way too much.
I actually managed to use up the whole pot by applying it on dry spots on my body (elbows, heels, knees) before sleep. This cream actually works wonderfully at softening cracked heels, but at $65 for 50mL, it's way out of my foot cream price range.
Soap & Glory Hand Food ($10 for 115mL)
It's possible that I am the only person in the entire world who dislikes this hand cream. I feel like every single beauty blogger I follow has raved about this product at least once throughout their blogging career. This product comes up so frequently in lists of top drugstore buys, and I can see why. The texture of it is actually lovely and it sinks in really nicely. However, I am just not a fan of that signature Soap & Glory scent. It's way too strong and actually makes me nauseous. I would be able to tolerate the product if the scent eventually went away, but it does not go away. Once the hand cream is on, the fragrance is staying for the party.
I've resorted to using this on my feet as well, because that's a bit more far away from my nose and I can tolerate it. If you don't mind the scent of Soap & Glory products, this is actually a really nice hand cream. I'm pretty bummed out that this didn't work out for me because it is a really affordable hand cream option. Alas, for now I will stick with my Caudalie and The Body Shop formulas.
Josie Maran Whipped Argan Oil Intensive Hand Cream ($27 for 70mL)
You might be able to tell at this point that I'm really picky with hand creams, and I'm not going to deny that. I really hate the feeling of hand cream just sitting on top of the skin, like I can actually feel that it's there and everything is slippery and life is just difficult. This hand cream is one of those. It's a really nourishing formula, but it never really sinks in. It just rubs off on my sheets and pillows throughout the night. I put some on just now so I could write this post, and it's all over my keyboard. How's that for dedication?
Caudalie Premieres Vendanges Moisturizing Cream ($40 for 40mL)
Caudalie is one of my favourite brands for skincare, so I really made it effort to make this cream work for me. I tried it out on several separate occasions until I finally came to terms with the fact that this just wasn't right for me. It's a velvety textured moisturizer that does sink in fairly quickly to my skin, but it doesn't really do anything. It doesn't hydrate that well, and I don't see any obvious benefits to using this, especially for the price.
I've since used it up as a night time hand cream, and it's pretty fabulous for that. A little expensive for a hand cream, but hey, skin's skin.
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