If you have a couple of things on your SpaceNK wishlist or need to stock up on essentials, now is the time to do it. SpaceNK's semi-annual giant gift with purchase is here! I've been making my list and checking it twice in preparation for this gift that is always a phenomenal value. This year the buy-in is quite high at $285 but I had a gift card to make the price easier to swallow.
There are lots of great items in the gift this time around. I'm especially excited to try the African Botanics Marula Buchu Botanical Enzyme Polish, the Verso Night Cream, the Omorovicza Balancing Moisturizer, and Eve Lom Radiance Face Oil. Honestly all the skincare minis were curated perfectly this time around and I always like to bring minis with me on trips.
I think the makeup picks could have been a bit better. The By Terry Stylo Blackstar seems like a full-size but I wish it was a color other than a black so I could use it as an all-over shadow. I love the Kevyn Aucoin sculpting powder but I think the sample is too tiny to really get a contour brush into the pan. I am looking forward to trying the Ilia powder though! I've had so many samples of the By Terry powder so I'm glad they opted for a different loose powder this time around.
Let's see what I actually purchased to get the gift! I have a mix of everything: skincare, makeup, haircare and body care.
I was introduced to Votary at a SpaceNK event earlier this year and the brand rep had gorgeous skin so I wanted to give something from their line a try. I'm almost out of my Bobbi Brown Oil Cleanser so the Votary Super Seed Cleansing Oil made it to my cart. I love that they include one of their premium face towels with every cleansing oil purchase. This cleansing oil is supposed to balance skin while tackling inflammation and irritation. It sounds perfect for my acneic, dehydrated skin.
Another product I tried at the aforementioned SpaceNK event was the ByTerry UV Base SPF 50. Again, I'm almost done with my current SPF so I wanted to try a luxury brand to see if there was any difference from the Japanese drugstore SPFs I usually use. This is definitely the most expensive sunscreen I've purchased myself at $55 for 1 oz but I figure I can actually finish this product with daily use instead of spending $55 on a By Terry blush palette.
Lately I haven't been really feeling the spot treatments I currently have in my beauty cabinet (except for my CosRX patches for pus-filled pimples!) so I just neglect treating my spots. I'm hoping the Odacité Bl+C Black Cumin & Cajeput Pimples Serum Concentrate will help stop my breakouts in their tracks. It's a super small dropper bottle of just three oils (black cumin, cajeput and vitamin E) which you can use as a spot treatment or mixed into moisturizer as an all-over treatment. Odacité makes oil combinations for seemingly every skin concern and the mad skincare scientist in me would love to own a bunch of them to tinker with one day.
Moving onto makeup, I got two Hourglass complexion products. I got a sample of the Hourglass Vanish Seamless Finish Foundation Stick from Sephora and I freaking love it. I remember hearing lots of good reviews for this product but I didn't know if I would like a stick foundation. I think I'm now a convert. The shade range is extensive which is awesome; I purchased the shade Linen for reference. I also picked up the new(ish) Hourglass Veil Translucent Setting Powder because I saw lots of good reviews for it and face powder is one of those makeup products that I actually use up.
I'm super conflicted about the products and remedies Goop and Gwyneth Paltrow shill but body brushing has been on my mind since I read about it over a year ago. I finally took this opportunity to get the Aromatherapy Associates Polishing Body Brush. I'm super lazy about exfoliating my body and I've tried so many body scrubs that don't seem to do anything. I'm hoping this is a more economical and environmentally friendly answer in the long run.
I picked up the Ouai Repair Conditioner simply because my boyfriend requested that I pick up a "bougie" conditioner. I brought him to the Le Labo boutique in Soho a few months ago and he really liked the line's aesthetic so he's been joking that we should get some nicer hair care products (our bathroom has lots of products from Philip Kingsley and Briogeo but clearly these aren't high-end enough). I tried a sample of the Ouai Repair Shampoo and Conditioner awhile back and remember liking the scent so I ordered the full size. I plan on alternating this with the Olaplex conditioner that I recently bought and really like.
I'm feeling really confident about my picks and hope everything works well! The SpaceNK promotion is still going on and you can enter FALL18 to get the gift once your order hits $285 (before tax). If you don't want to spend that much or aren't interested in the gift, you can also use my referral code to save 15% off your order until September 30 (I also get 15% off and 20 points towards SpaceNK's rewards program if you make a purchase). Let me know if you get something! I'm always up to live vicariously through other people's picks!