Current Favorites #1

Now that we're already halfway through the year (yikes!), I thought it'd be a good time to do my very first round-up of current favorites! I typically rotate products around in my routine to try out different things, but these are some of the standouts that I find myself reaching for over and over. I have a tray on my bathroom counter of products that I use most often, and these are all sitting there right now because I want them front and center. Let's get into them!

ENature Birch Juice Hydro Essence Skin*: This is a product that had been quietly sitting in my skincare stash as I tried to get through the other essences I had open, and I'm annoyed at myself for not trying it sooner because it's so good! It's a clear, lightweight liquid, but has some viscosity to it so it's not just a watery texture. It's nourishing, and my skin looks and feels more hydrated when I use this thanks to the birch juice and safflower seed oil. Plus this is a massive bottle, so if I need to layer up when I'm extra dehydrated there's plenty to go around. 

VII O2M Oxygen Eye Mask (one box, $55)**: one of my bigger insecurities is dealing with my undereye area because I feel like I've been trying to tackle this dark circle, crinkly skin situation since forever. I wear eye creams, eye serums and I'd probably try anything else that claims to help, but I hadn't tried an overnight eye mask until VII's O2M Oxygen Eye Masks landed on my doorstep. These are different than other eye masks cause they're meant to be worn as an 8-hour overnight treatment, and I was surprised at their staying power considering how much I toss and turn. It's a little harder if you're a side sleeper, but if they stuck on me then they'd probably stick on most people. They're a gel-like material, and have Vitamin E and aloe to soothe, and sodium PCA to retain moisture. The texture of the gel feels cooling once it hits your skin, and shapes perfectly around the corners of my outer eyes. Mornings after using these my undereye wrinkles were plumped out and the skin looked healthy and hydrated, with my puffiness decreased. I feel like these are great treatments if you're looking to prep before a big event, or to perk up your undereyes from a tired week. I already have a pair waiting in my fridge for me because the cooling sensation is so nice in this hot heat!

COSRX Ultimate Moisturizing Honey Overnight Mask*: A cult classic for a reason, this has served as a nighttime moisturizer, a sleeping mask and a dry spot treatment, and I never want to be without it. As I've upped my acids and retinols lately, sometimes my skin feels a bit drier and this is the perfect product for overnight healing and restoring. It's nourishing but not heavy, it's soothing, healing, moisturizing - basically anytime I want to perk my skin up I'll reach for this. Once winter hits I'd probably slather this on during the daytime also. I'm not sure how it measures up to the rice version, but this is a wonderful multi-tasking product.

Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid*: I feel like this past year has been a journey into testing and discovering acids, and I've found some really great ones, but am LOVING the Paula's Choice BHA liquid. It has a different feeling to it than other acids when I apply it to the skin, like my skin feels plumped up and hydrated, like there's almost a layer of essence it leaves behind? It has been a huge help with the congestion around my t-zone and any closed comedones, as well as the texture of my skin which has a tendency to become bumpy and dry. If I use this too many days in a row it will dry my skin out a little, but I've felt good about alternating nights using this with retinols and its been a good method for me.

Moss Beurre Celeste*: I've had some ups and downs with testing and trying oil cleansers, mostly ending in me using products that I don't love but end up using because I don't have any other options - until I met the Moss Beurre Celeste. This is literally everything I want in a cleansing balm, it removes my makeup and spf, doesn't sting my eyes, doesn't dry out my skin, emlusifies and it washes off cleaner than any other oil cleanser I've tried. The only two cons are that it doesn't have the best spreadability so you have to use quite a bit, and it's on the pricey end at $70 (but honestly I think it's worth it).

Tokyomilk Shimmer Lipgloss*: on paper, this is a pretty basic gloss. It's pink in the tube, but on me just shows up like a clear gloss, and the shimmers are practically undetectable. The texture of the gloss is what I like so much about it, because it's not thick or sticky, but has kind of an oil-like feel that makes it thinner, glossy-er, and like a more natural gloss rather than shellac on the lips. It's a low-key, every day, throw on and go kind of product.

What products are you currently loving? Have you discovered anything new that's absolutely blowing your mind?

*gifted items
**sponsored by VII Code, all opinions are my own

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