Yay or Nay: Product Edition

A few products I wanted to warn you about share. 

First up: 

Covergirl concealer. I bought this because the shade is absolutely perfect for me and I'm over that Maybelline kind I've been using for years. And I admit, it goes on smoothly and the color was great. After a day or two though, I started to break out and I remembered why I Do Not Use Covergirl. It's cheap. The ingredients are awful and it makes me break out. Unless you are good with CG products, don't. Nay. 

I've also been really into the idea of liquid blush. I don't like the heaviness of cream blush and I saw that powder blush makes you look old or something. So I got this pretty shade that is supposed to be for cheeks, eyes, or lips. ....It's Covergirl. Matched with the concealer, I had breakouts on my cheeks within two days. It's a shame. Nay. 

Next, I found this serum from Arbonne. I'm always into vitamin C products, especially serums, and I saw this as a free gift with a replenishment order. I snatched it up and then they told me it was no longer a free gift and "sorry". I complained and they sent it to me for free anyway. I was thrilled. This is a $110 product and I thoroughly expected it to change my life. 

Well, within a few days of use, I was breaking out (this was pre-Covergirl products). I pushed through because I was assuming there was an adjustment period and I wanted it to work miracles. (Or I wanted an excuse to buy Arbonne...one or the other.) I stopped after a a week and then went back to my regular products and my skin got better. Then I went and used those Covergirl products and doubled down by switching back to the Arbonne serum and...everything got worse. Nay.

And that was end of that. 

So really I'm coming off of 3 weeks of non-smooth skin that had a bunch of random breakouts. I even used tretinoin for a couple of days to clear it up and that dried my face out and, I swear, tretinoin can make things worse if you're not careful (for the love of goodness, stay out of the sun). 

Lessons learned.

What does work?

I bought this last summer, and am just finishing my first bottle. I already bought another one. I cannot recommend it enogh. Yeah, it has some citrus fragrance but I love it and it keeps my skin smooth. Bonus: It's $14. YAY. 

I'm also using La-Roche Posay moisturizer and this moisturizing oil from Adel. 

I think Arbonne is good for supplements but it will be awhile before I attempt their skincare again, if ever. And I think Covergirl is good for mascara but it's back to Maybelline for me if I'm looking for a drugstore brand.