Every now and then, I luck out and get chosen for a really good campaign from Influenster, the website that choosers influencers to test products from their clients. Although I’ve had some not so great campaigns, I’ve had several terrific ones.
Recently, I was chosen to participate in a campaign from Drunk Elephant, the clean beauty facial skincare brand (cruelty-free and vegan) that has gotten so much buzz since it launched in 2012. The founder of Drunk Elephant, Tiffany, a mother of 4, who after being disappointed by so many skincare products she tried on her own skin, created a line of facial skincare products formulated without toxic chemicals and without any fragrance at all. She determined there were chemicals that always gave her own skin trouble, so she named them the “Suspicious 6” (Essential Oils, Drying Alcohols, Silicones, Chemical Sunscreens, Fragrances/Dyes, SLS) and left them out of all the products she created.
BTW, the unusual name “Drunk Elephant” came from the myth that elephants gorge themselves on the fruit of the marula tree (from which the skincare ingredient Marula oil comes), and the fermentation that happens in their bellies make them appear drunk on the fruit. Very cute.
Drunk Elephant is carried at Sephora as well as on the Drunk Elephant website, and I had always intended to buy something and try it out. The products are on the pricey-ish side, so I was happy that I got to try 5 Drunk Elephant products for free!
Here is a summary of my experiences so far with Drunk Elephant skincare products.
- Beste No. 9 Jelly Cleanser: The clear gel cleanser that is what I’d call medium weight comes in an easy to use tube with cute designs on it. I have tried a few jelly cleansers, and some of them are very thick, almost like balms. This one is much easier and less sticky to use. Mixed with water, Beste No. 9 Jelly Cleanser turns to a milky lotion. It is supposed to remove makeup as well as gently clean the skin. They recommend not using it on your eyes, so I don’t use it to remove mascara. Most of the time, I do a double cleanse to remove my makeup so in all honesty I don’t rely on the jelly cleanser to take off all of my makeup. Mostly it removes any makeup or dirt that’s left behind by my MW. It leaves my skin feeling clean and not at all stripped. It’s a gentle cleanser. Two of its key ingredients are cantaloupe and glycerin. It purifies the skin and dissolves makeup, oil and dirt. I like it. 5 fl. oz./150 ml for $32
- T.L.C. Framboos Glycolic Night Serum: First thing, “framboos” means raspberry in the language Afrikans. I wondered about that when I saw the name of the products because “framboise” is raspberry in French. TLC Framboos contains 12% AHA/BHA from a combination of glycolic, lactic, tartaric, citric, and salicylic acids, and blended with raspberry extract and other natural ingredients. The lightweight clear gel serum was formulated to brighten and resurface skin. In truth, I had trouble getting used to this serum. Although I have used glycolic acid of 10% strength not too long ago, this particular blend would sting my skin when I first started using it. As I continued to use it, my skin got used to it and it stopped stinging. But my skin also felt a little dry after using it, though it was supposedly developed to prevent dryness. Must just be me. I like the neat pop-up airless pump packaging. 30 ml /1.0 fl. oz. for $90 or 50 ml/1.69 fl. oz. for $134
- C-Tango Multivitamin Eye Cream: I really like this pale yellow lightweight but nourishing eye cream. It is formulated to brighten and firm the under eye area. I use it on my under eye area as well as on the skin under my brows. C-Tango Multivitamin Eye Cream contains eight peptides, five forms of vitamin C and cucumber extract to firm and strengthen skin. Like the Framboos Glycolic Night Serum, it comes in the airless pop-up pump that I love. 0.5 fl. oz./15 ml for $64
- Lala Retro Whipped Cream: Lala Retro Whipped Cream is my favorite product from the quintet, followed by the C-Tango Eye Cream. It is a rich and thick white cream that’s fluffy at the same time. So comforting to wear it. It was developed to strengthen skin’s barrier by reinforcing the skin’s acid mantle and defending against the effects of everyday stressors. It is formulated with ceramides, hyaluronic acid, antioxidant-rich green tea, omega acids, and plant oils from Africa (including Marula oil). Lala Retro Whipped Cream comes in an airless pump that doses the right amount of moisturizer via a central tube that comes up through the top. 1.69 fl. oz./50 ml for $60
- Lippe Balm: Lippe Balm is a moisturizing lip balm that is also supposed to be volumizing. For me, it is mostly moisturizing. The balm is packed with antioxidants and peptides from a combination of plant oils, green tea leaf, vitamin C, and sea algae. It comes in a wide, chubby twist up stick. Frankly, I’m not sure why it’s so wide. It’s a nice, hydrating lip balm, but for my ultra-dry lips, I need something more viscous like Dr. Lipp Miracle Balm or City Beauty City Lips. 3.7 g/0.13 oz. for $18
How about you, do you have favorite products from Drunk Elephant?
So happy you had this opportunity to try Drunk Elephant skincare, Allison! Their products have been amazing for my skin, and I couldn’t stop raving about them. Now, if only the brand wasn’t so pricey. By the way, I especially love Framboos, it’s my favorite product from DE!
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That’s so funny, Anastasia, that the TLC Framboos Serum is your favorite since it was my least favorite, lol. We’re all so different! But I was so happy to get to try out 5 of the products. For me, the whipped cream and the eye cream were my faves.
I’ve heard SUCH great things about this brand!
I think you’d like Drunk Elephant, Sarah. It is so well made!
I have tried most of their products. I still have 2 bottles of the sukari babyfacial I need to finish.
I was wondering what you thought about DE, Kathryne.
I’ve always been curious about the brand but I was worried it would be fragranced. I’m glad to read that it’s not. But the prices are pretty high. I guess I should take advantage of any samples of it from Sephora so I can try it out.
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I would definitely go the samples route. I like the packaging, the fact that it’s fragrance-free, CF & vegan, and free from toxic chemicals. But to be honest, there are other skincare products that suit me & my skin better than these.
You lucky girl! What a great campaign! I have been wanting to try DE, but I have been worried that it was just over-hyped. These look great!
In some ways, Helen, I do think DE is over-hyped though the products are well made. I also think they are too expensive. Since the brand targets a young or youngish audience, I am surprised that the prices are so high. I was definitely lucky to get to try 5 of the Drunk Elephant products as part of an Influenster campaign because I certainly wouldn’t be able to afford to try them all – it was more than $200 worth of products.
I’m glad you got to try some of these, and I’m glad you enjoyed them. I really like a couple of the DE products (and many more from other brands sporting new “clean” seals) but I’m getting a little jaded with the “clean” label concept as a whole, and the scare-mongering type of marketing that typically goes with it. No, of course I don’t want something truly toxic like lead popping up in my eye cream, but I don’t think that every silicone or fragrance or ingredient that each particular brand decides not to formulate with (for whatever reason) need be tarred with the same brush. And yet that’s the general feeling I get from a lot of marketing. The subtle (or sometimes not so subtle) implication that products not marked “clean” must then inherently be “dirty” or somehow “toxic”. And clean or not, it really has no bearing on whether your skin can handle it- plenty of reviews find Framboos too harsh and drying, ditto for the cleanser. I personally like them both, but that just further illustrates the point that you always make about skincare being more about finding what works for you. 🙂
I really liked two of the 5 Drunk Elephant products, but they are so pricey that I will stick with the products I’m using. Rachel, I am so glad you brought up your feelings about the label “clean”. It drives me crazy, but I was worried about mentioning that in the post because I don’t want to offend Drunk Elephant users of which there are many. I feel exactly as you do. I remember the first time I heard a Panera TV ad that used the term “clean” to describe their food, and I was livid. It made me never want to eat there again because it disparaged all other food. So, I don’t love that term, but sadly, it seems that the cosmetics industry or at least the skincare industry has adopted that term. I think that “natural” had been so diluted in terms of its meaning that they needed something else. I wonder who came up with “clean”? BTW, the Drunk Elephant TLC Framboos Glycolic Serum is too much for my skin – would you like it? I haven’t used much at all. LMK
You are fabulous! Thank you, I’d totally use it. Not only does my picky skin actually like the stuff, but the hot pink swivel lid is just as cheerful to behold as it is fun to play with. 😀
Given time, I’m sure “clean” will make way for the next big buzz-term. Goodness knows what that’ll be. One can only hope it will be more rational, but buzz and rationality don’t often seem to make such great bedfellows. lol
I agree, 100%. And I used to work in advertising, lol!
Rachel, I’m assuming that your address hasn’t changed, right?
Yep I’m still in the same place. I sometimes joke about relocating to somewhere more remote… Alaska…. Shetland…. but so far that hasn’t panned out. Lol
I always hear great things about the Drunk Elephant products — maybe one day I’ll give them a try, but the prices scare me lol 🙈
I can understand why. The Drunk Elephant prices are scary high especially since their target market is young women.
those all sound pretty nice but their price tag is a bit more than I like to spend.
I’ve only tried samples from the Sephora birthday set, but I really liked them. I’m interested in the brand, although the price tag keeps me away. That said, I need more eye cream, and I might pick DE up to try out for myself.
The DE eye cream is $64! My Belif eye cream is $48, and I thought that was a lot. I noticed that Sephora is selling an intro kit for DE with a cleanser and moisturizer for $22 that seemed like a decent deal. Too bad they didn’t include some of the eye cream in the kit.
Is that the cleansing balm and Protini one? I just saw that today, and thought I might order one since I’ve been wanting to try the cleansing balm. They should indeed do a mini duo kit with an eye cream. It would probably wind up being more than $22 but if it came in under $30 I would still be tempted. I think their other mini duos were something like $28?
Yes, it is. That kit was mentioned in the Sephora email I received today, and it caught my attention because one of the other bloggers said she was tempted to try DE but that it was too pricey. So I checked it out, but it didn’t have an eye cream, which was what she wanted to try. 🙂