“Well, it’s true, I’m totally freaking hooked and in love with drunk elephant skincare”

Trust me, I wanted to not like it, I have TONS of amazing skincare and the last thing I wanted was to fall for a new line. Obaji, Neocutis, Sunday Riley, Skinmedica, Revision, Skinceuticals, PCA, Osmosis have all crossed my path in the last year- a couple items hooked me, the CE ferulic from skinceuticals, the ceramic slip cleanser from Sunday Riley, the Obaji C therapy serum, the skinmedica AHA cream and .25% Retinol, the revision papaya cleanser and Vit C, the Revision Teamine eye complex, the PCA intensive brightening treatment and  their Pigment corrector,  and the skinceuticals retexturizing activator.  Ok so I found a lot I liked.

I will start out with the cons:

Drunk elephant skincare is all natural and fragrance free (haha, hear me out). I love things that smell lovely. Nothing smells bad (eh hem TNS serum, or PCA nutrient toner) but there is nothing noteworthy about the scent. This isn’t a REAL con, i know, but I do love products that have a scent despite the fact that fragrance can cause some irritation. I’m realizing the scent is never a true benefit to the product other than just that-so I’m getting over it.  The lack of scent in no way deters me from being obsessed with all things drunk elephant.( ps in May the ‘littles’ trial set returns ($80) perfect for travel or tricking 🙂

Drunk elephant skincare is not inexpensive. The packaging is adorable and the ingredients are natural, toxin free and legit. So its pricey. Despite this being a downfall – they only have like 9 products– one of them being an ALLURE BEST OF BEAUTY WINNER its first year in the game. Not bad.  You can seriously go all in for only a couple hundo. A definite reason to hold off on spring new arrivals and winter clearance sales for a lil bit.

That my friends is where the CONS end, everything else is superb.

 The UMBRA SHEER DEFENSE SPF 30 caught my attention as a best of beauty, but also its outstanding review on beautypedia– with a pretty reasonable price tag. ($38) I continued to find rave reviews about this and finally had to try. Here’s why this matters:

In the past, My routine consisted of vitamin c and skin serum, then I spot treated any dry patches and followed with a tinted moisturizer. The truth is- we should not rely on makeup for spf. So- I decided it was time to be a big girl and start using an SPF day cream before makeup. I also have found THE BEST foundations lately, that put cc/Bb/ and tinted moisturizers to shame. HINT: they look WAY more natural and do not fit the typical ‘foundation’ mold. ( Armani, guerlain, Cle de peau) They don’t all have SPF though- so I needed a day cream that did.

So- I purchased the UMBRA, and upon my FIRST use I was a believer. I did my normal cleanse/ toner/ serum routine, slapped on the UMBRA ( took dog for walk, made nespresso) and did makeup after- wanted it to settle in. It literally acted like a primer, it created this glowy base for my makeup, with a super smooth texture. Also important, my skin looked great hours later and unlike other SPFs, it didn’t break me out. Impressed

The next star player is the glycolic night serum. ($90) if you haven’t figured it out yet- adding glycolic to your skincare regimen is super important. It turns over skin cells while hydrating skin and allows for a ‘clean, porous slate’ for the absorption of your morning products.

This product is badass, don’t let the pink fool you… 

My backup glycolics are the Paula’s choice 2% bha ( which looks like toner) and the Dennis gross alpha beta peels. I’d rather be drunk with this glycolic above all others.

NEXT star product: SOAP

YEA, BAR SOAP. (Que your Disgust face) Except this shit is amazing – and get this, formulated at a pH of 6.34 (juju) and 6.51 (peekee) so you don’t really even need a toner. (Sound the clapping) In all seriousness- These soaps are perfect. 

The juju ( brown) in the AM to Loosen any debris/ dead skin from overnight – formulated with magical thermal mud and bamboo powder. Thoroughly cleanses  with a creamy lather without stripping.

Follow with the peekee ( like ‘sleepee’ ) in the pm ( white). Designed to ‘cleanse and calm’ skin with blueberry extract, marula oil and honey.

I really can’t say enough how impressed I am with these bars. I love the one step cleansing, my skin feels refreshed, pores are diminished and skin looks great. Perfect base for serums, oils and moisturizers 😉  purchase the travel pair to try both for $18 

There is more, the oil of all oils :

VIRGIN MARULA. Making elephants drunk since the dawn of time.
The marula oil for skin is what olaplex is for hair: unicorn semen.  ( grin) A little goes a long way- but instantly reduces redness, improves overall texture, provides true hydration for a seriously extended period of time and calms any irritation. Works as an outstanding post procedure product as well.

As of now, these are all the products I own from DE, However, I plan on incorporating the C FIRM, lippe, and eye complex ASAP. I am not normally one to buy into an entire line, but I feel really confident in DRUNK ELEPHANT, so I’m going for it.