Vanicream gentle facial cleanser (Walgreens?) – I bought this earlier this year but finally used up the last of my old-formulation CeraVe hydrating cleanser. I like it; it’s more gel-like than the CeraVe but seems to be gentle with no skin reaction. It does sting when I accidentally got it in my eyes, more than the CeraVe did anyway, so it wouldn’t be great if you wore a ton of eye makeup and used it alone to cleanse.
Body Shop Vitamin E eye cream (Ulta) – picked this up because of a buy 2 get 3rd free sale at Ulta. It’s fine, a reasonably emollient eye cream that doesn’t sting. Probably will use up but not rebuy.
Kiehl’s Line-reducing concentrate – this is a vitamin C product that I got when Nordstrom had a sale on Kiehl’s. I’ve never had good luck with vitamin C serums but this is more of a lotion. It doesn’t sting or cause bad reactions and it does seem to make my skin smoother. The jury’s still out on the line reducing and texture improving claims. You do have to use a fair bit and it’s pretty pricey per ounce.
Neutrogena Rapid Wrinkle Repair regenerating cream, fragrance-free (Target) – I *think* I’ve used this before a few years ago. After the major disappointment that I had with the Olay Regenerist Retinol24 cream, I wanted to pick something that would work. I’ve been using it every other day at night and it seems to improve texture without irritation. I do try to avoid the edges of my lips and near my eyes because it can sting there. It’s not going to compare to a prescription-strength product but it seems decent.
Rusk Wired styling cream (Ulta) – this reminds me a lot of the old formulation of the Alterna CC cream and I’ve been using it similarly, putting it in my hair after washing and either letting it air dry or blow drying it. It seems to help with frizzies and a little bit of hold. I was trying to use up a container of Shea Moisture Curl Enhancing Smoothie but I think that even mixed with gel it’s too heavy for my hair and leaves it weighed down and greasy. I’ve given up on a strict Curly Girl regime in my climate; I got decent waves 20% of the time and the rest of the time my hair looked like a mess. At least with a few silicones involved my hair may be less wavy but it looks more polished.
L’oreal Age Perfect radiant serum foundation (15 Rose Ivory; Target online) – This and the two foundations below are all recs from Jessica Braun on YouTube. This one isn’t a great color match for me – despite the name rose ivory doesn’t have much pink to it and is too brown/orange. I really like the look of the formulation and it has SPF 50 in it, so it could serve as an all-in-one option similar to the IT cosmetics CC cream (which lots of people love but which breaks me out like crazy).
Covergirl + Olay Simply Ageless 2 in 1 foundation (205 ivory; Walmart?) – this is a good color match for me. It looks better applied with a brush or sponge and has a very silicone-y feel, which I don’t love. It’s a bit too greasy looking on me without powder afterwards, but it is very moisturizing.
Covergirl Clean Fresh skin milk foundation (530 fair/light; Ulta) – despite the name this is more of a tinted moisturizer than a foundation. It’s quick to put on with your fingers and gives a bit of coverage and smoothing out. It doesn’t last forever but it’s a nice quick option.