Purchased and Press Samples (Affiliate Links)
It is hard to make sense of the fact that January 2025 has already come to a close! I was, rather surprisingly, able to finish up 12 full-size products in January, and I thoroughly enjoyed each one of them. Here are the products that I finished, and my thoughts about each of them:
Mrs. Meyer's Compassion Flower Hand Soap ($4.99 for 12.5 oz. and a 3-pack for $13.94 from Amazon, Walmart and Target): This is not your typical floral scented hand soap, but instead the aroma is neither too sweet, nor too fragrant. It has a light and delicate floral aroma that is uplifting and understated. This is a very moisturizing hand soap that neither strips the skin, nor leaves behind an oily residue. Instead, it is utter hand soap perfection. Purchase Again? I already opened another bottle!
Spongellé Daisy Collection Travel Spongettes ($12.00 each from Spongellé): are the perfect travel-sized body wash infused buffer sponges, but they are also perfect in your favorite soap dish at home. While Spongellé claims that each of them offer 7 or more washes, I find that I get about double that amount. Once you use up the body wash, then simply use the sponge with your favorite soaps and body washes. As always, the scents are gorgeous, and the buffers effectively exfoliate dead skin cells and clean the skin. The travel size body buffers offer 7+ uses, and that is why I finished three of them in a month. Purchase Again? I just opened another Spongellé Body Buffer!
Spongellé Sugar Dahlia Spongette, "meets Daisy Collection’s signature flower design. Everything you love about our travel-friendly Spongette with the bonus of soft petal curves to enhance your cleansing experience. Treat yourself to the sensual blend of sugar dahlia and evocative musk. Plus, our Spongette is accepted on all airlines making Sugar Dahlia a romantic addition to any seaside or stateside escape."
Spongellé Coconut Verbena Spongette, "meets Daisy Collection’s signature flower design. Everything you love about our travel-friendly Spongette with the bonus of soft petal curves to enhance your cleansing experience. Treat yourself to the scent of the tropics with creamy coconut and juicy citrus on tap. Plus, our Spongette is accepted on all airlines making Coconut Verbena a necessary companion on your next exotic vacation."
Spongellé Beach Grass Spongette, "meets Daisy Collection’s signature flower design. Everything you love about our travel-friendly Spongette with the bonus of soft petal curves to enhance your cleansing experience. Treat yourself to the scent of carefree summers near the water and the sweet musk of your lover’s arm. Plus, our Spongette is accepted on all airlines making Beach Grass your go-to for warm hideaways and memorable excursions abroad."
LilyAna Naturals Retinol Cream ($29.99 from LilyAna Naturals, Walmart): is a gentle, and yet effective Retinol cream that actually hydrates the skin. It is a lightweight, fast-absorbing and while it promotes skin cell turnover. Ingredients such as Botanical Hyaluronic Acid, Shea Butter, Aloe Vera Juice, Jojoba Oil and Sunflower Seed Oil ensure that skin is left hydrated and moisturized, rather than dry and peeling. While LilyAna Naturals posits that this cream can be used morning and night, I only use it at night and I always use a high SPF sunscreen during the day since skin is more vulnerable when using actives that encourage skin cell turnover. This cruelty-free brand is affordable, ethical and their products are very effective. Purchase Again? I have numerous other retinol-based products to use first, but I liked this enough to use it again!
TATCHA Polished Classic Rice Enzyme Powder ($68.00 for 2.1 oz. from TATCHA, Sephora, Ulta and Amazon): This is a very effective, yet a remarkably gentle, exfoliating cleanser. I really enjoy the metamorphosis from powder to paste, and the routine itself is immensely pleasurable. There is just enough grit to the texture of this refined and silky paste to loosen and remove all debris and dirt. I chose the Polished Classic Rice Enzyme Powder because I have combination skin, and it definitely is a very good fit for my skin type. Despite the fact that this cleanser exfoliates the skin from the fine gritty bits, it also depends on the enzymes to dissolve dead skin cells as well. It is a very effective exfoliant, but truly is gentle enough to be used on a daily basis. I cannot believe just how soft and smooth that this leaves my skin. I also found that leaving the paste on your face for a few minutes, as you would with a mask, renders even better results. I have found that doing so results in clean fresh skin that one experiences after getting a facial. This is such a magical powder! Purchase Again? Oh, definitely!
dearcloud new/youth collagen cream with niacinimide + algae ($20.00 for 3.38 oz. from Ulta): is a lightweight, and yet very emollient, cream that melts into the skin and leaves behind no greasy residue. The charming cloud-shaped container puts a smile on my face each time I reach for this cream. The brightening formula leaves skin luminous, and the antioxidant-rich formula protects skin from free-radical damage. Furthermore, it leaves skin soft, smooth, hydrated and supple. I do not detect a scent, though the ingredients do list fragrance. Purchase Again? I really love this cream, and will buy it again in the future, but I have a lot of open jars of cream to use first.
René Furterer KARITÉ HYDRA Hydrating Shine Mask ($36.00-$56.00 for 3.4 oz.- 6.9 oz. from René Furterer, Dermstore and Amazon): If ever there was a hair mask that nourished, moisturized and left hair soft, manageable, shiny and frizz-free, it is this one. It offers dry hair much-needed moisture without ever weighing it down, and it rinses clean. It has the most delectable light, nutty aroma that is an absolute pleasure to the senses. This conditioning mask is heavenly! Purchase Again? Without question!
Archipelago Botanicals Black Forest Candle ($44.00 for 6.7oz. from Nordstrom Rack, Archipelago and Amazon): This is one of their best-selling candles, and I definitely understand why. This dark and moody woodsy candle has the key notes of Dark Ebony Wood, Douglas Fir, and Black Currant, and those aromas are intermingled with Mulberry and Black Patchouli, and the end result is a dark and warm aroma that has a hint of sweetness that smells like a winter walk in the woods. It is a wonderfully sublime scent that is truly enchanting. I love the way that it makes my house smell when it is lit, and even when it is not. I find the scent so lovely that I often just pick it up and inhale. Fragrance Notes: Dark Ebony Wood, Douglas Fir, and Black Currant are paired with the sweet hints of Mulberry and Black Patchouli to create a dark and sweet scent you won't soon forget. Purchase Again? I already opened another one! It's truly candle perfection!
Purchased and Press Sample (Affiliate Links). All views expressed are categorically my own.
Copyright © 2025 www.lolassecretbeautyblog.com All Rights Reserved.
