Beauty Favorites from the First Half of 2021

I know I will be forgetting some things because I haven’t gone back through all of my posts since January 1, but this will do. There have been a lot of products that I have tried for the first time that I have really enjoyed so far in 2021. Here are at least the ones I can remember!

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Bath & Body

• Rubber Ducky Sunscreens: I hit the jackpot discovering Rubber Ducky No-OX Sunscreens over the past few months. My favorites among their products are the lightweight, no greasy chemical sunscreen SPF 50 (that don’t contain oxybenzone) cream in the tube and the fab SPF 50 spray. Also, the lip balms with the yummy vanilla taste and scent and the lightweight slippery feel as well as SPF 44 are products I can’t live without!
• Summer Ready Innovative Vitamin D Promoting SPF Technology: I also love Summer Ready SPF 30 Sunscreen lotion. Like Rubber Ducky Traditional Sunscreens, it is reef safe and non-greasy. But it’s extra benefit is that it lets through the non-dangerous rays that help our bodies create vitamin D. Since I have to take vitamin D to help my depleted D levels, I figure this can only help. 
• Crystal Magnesium-Enriched Coconut + Vanilla Deodorant: Crystal is my aluminum-free, natural deodorant brand of choice. I like lots of their products, but the Coconut + Vanilla scent of the new line of magnesium-enriched deodorants is divine! It comes in several different scents.
• Typology 10 Ingredient Body Moisturizer: I misplaced my silver tube of lightweight but exceedingly hydrating body cream from French natural brand, Typology. It is just about fragrance-free (it’s made with some coconut oil so there’s the faintest coconut scent if you sniff the cream in your hand). It’s also greaseless but super hydrating. Plus I love the retro silver tube. I’ve gotta find it!!
• 12x Lighted Magnifying Mirror: Game changing, inexpensive 12x lighted mirror that I picked up for a song at CVS a few months ago with my 40% discount code and Extrabucks. I am embarrassed to think about how my eyebrows looked for the past year before I discovered this! It’s the antidote to my new state of far-sightedness, lol.
• Molton Brown Orange & Bergamot Shower Gel, Hand Wash & Hand Lotion: I am a big, big fan of this scent of shower gel, hand wash and lotion that smells like orange tea. It has a sharp fragrance note that works as a morning pick-me-up for me.

Health & Beauty

• Earthly Body CBD Daily Original Intensive Cream: Formulated with 60mg of hemp extract, this fluffy, white, minty cream does a good job soothing run-of-the-mill aches and pains as well as hydrating my dry skin. One of these days, I want to try the Extra Strength version.
• First & Free 25mg CBD Softgels: I never expected to say this, but I love these CBD softgels from First & Free, a brand that I think may be related to CBD Daily Original Intensive Cream. They actually work for me to calm anxiety and help me sleep.

Skincare

• Abib Good Morning & Night Ampoule Secret Plan: A 5+ day morning and night intensive treatment for stressed, dull skin from Korean brand, Abib, that should be more well-known in the U.S. than it is. You use the clear ampoules in the morning and the black ampoules at night. Each ampoule is supposed to be good for one day, but they give you so much that each ampoule lasted me 2-3 days. Definitely a terrific treatment for winter dry or summer dry skin! Abib is having a sale to introduce its new website, and in July, they’re offering an extra 5% off with a coupon code. I have more products from Abib yet to try, so I’ll let you know.
• Typology Hydrating Cleansing Bar with Palmarosa: Typology has hit it out of the park for me. I love so many of their facial skincare products made with only the essential natural ingredients. I am a fan of bar soap for my face especially after exercising or gardening, and this mild, firming, cleansing but hydrating soap does the trick.
• Typology Glycolic Acid 10% Serum + Mastic Tree Extract: Although at first this 10% glycolic acid serum stung a bit, I have gotten used to it. It’s terrific for tightening pores, exfoliating and minimizing fine lines. Love the old school brown glass apothecary dropper bottle.
• Typology Firming Botanical Blend with Nopal: Nopal is cactus, a plant well known for hanging on to every drop of water that comes its way. This hydrating, firming oil is like a drink of water for my face. Just a few drops pressed into my skin at night does the trick!
• Typology Organic Orange Blossom Hydrolate: Love this orange blossom water that I use as a radiance-inducing toner on a cotton pad. It doesn’t smell like citrus; it smells like the orange blossoms on the trees in Seville!
• Aforé by Dr. Few CBD Effusive Soothing Skin Mist with CBD, Green Tea & Vitamin C: This ultra-fine green tea scented skin mist is so delightful. I usually hate spraying myself in the face, but I look forward to using this mist. I use it at least twice a day (AM/PM) as a toner or during the day to refresh my skin, even over foundation. This stuff rocks!
• Replenix Age Restore Nighttime Therapy: I discovered that Replenix is a sister brand to Derma E. It was developed years ago for dermatologists to sell in their practices, but now it is sold to the public, and it’s on sale on a number of online retailers. This anti-aging gel-cream from Replenix is rich, protective, and hydrating. Love using it every night. I even put aside my Tatcha Dewy Skin Cream to use this one.
• Derma E Stem Cell Eye Lifting Treatment: I use this eye cream all around my eye area: under my brows to firm my skin, in my dry often irritated crease, on my dry lids, to soften my crow’s feet and under my eyes. It is gentle, non-irritating, and firming. I stopped using my pricey fave PCA Skin Eye Gel for this one.

Makeup

I know I had more makeup faves than this, but I couldn’t find them: lightweight lipsticks, eyeshadow palettes etc.

• Half Caked Totally Tubular Mascara, The Heights: Honestly, I can’t believe that I am listing Half Caked Totally Tubular Mascara as one of my favorites of the year, but yes I am. It looks and sounds like it is targeted to 12 year olds with its Valley Girl name and its purple tube. And I usually hate tubing mascara. But I love this mascara!!! It is the best curling mascara I have ever tried, bar none! I am also a fan of the wand with the small plastic teeth. 
• Maelle Clearly Brilliant Tinted Lip Balm, shade Rose: This “tinted lip balm” is hydrating, super smooth, and unbelievably long wearing. When I hear tinted lip balm, I don’t think about real color that lasts, but this one is totally different. I love Rose’s rich pink shade, though there are 5 other colors. It stays on for a long time, leaving color behind as it fades. Love it!
• Viseart Petits Fours Palette, shade Lilas: I love all my Viseart palettes, but this one with cool-toned, neutral shades that is about 2 inches square is so easy to travel with and super smooth and easy to blend. Plus it’s affordable. There are 3 other colorways if Lilas doesn’t suit you.

• Haus Laboratories Sparkle Lipstick, shade Burlesque: Although I wrote about this just last week, I got it a couple of months ago, so it still counts. The shade of true red with gold shimmer is stunning, and the lightweight feel makes me forget I’m wearing it. Plus, it doesn’t bleed. A real beauty. I just bought some more makeup from Lady Gaga’s brand during her 2 year anniversary sale. I was sad that there’s only the one shade because I would love more in this fab formula.

So there you have it, the majority of my favorites for the first half of 2021. Obviously, I loved a lot of the new-to-me products that I tried. What have you tried so far this year that have become your faves?

Today's Author

Allison Cohen

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