My Favorite Product Discoveries of Late 2023

As always, 2023 was a year filled with the enjoyment of the indulgence of beauty products. Being in mid-January of 2024 now, I've taken a step back from weekly vlogging for the year, but wanted to pop on briefly to share about some new discoveries that came in at just the tail end of 2023.

Pacifica Activist Volume Mascara ($16 USD PacificaBeauty.com. and Ulta.com) :The Pacifica Activist Volume mascara is truly a product made from my dreams. It combines many features of mascaras that I have loved and also gushed about on La Petite Rose ad nosium, For instance, this gives the length and natural-looking but buildable sweep of the lashes as in Glossier's iconic Lash Slick, the curved wand and curling effect on the lashes of Jones Road Beauty's mascara, and fuller, fluffier thickness almost on par with the famous L'oreal Voluminous. All the while, this semi-magical concoction does not wear heavily on the lashes, does not irritate my eyes, and is fairly easy to remove. This, plus the somewhat cleaner and more natural-based formula that products from Pacifica Beauty are known for makes this a real standout option. Also, as a bonus, the tube is made of glass that feels weighty and sturdy, which makes it more eco-friendly and also means it can be recycled, a move that I'd hope many more brands of all price points might consider in the future.

The Body Shop British Rose: This listing refers to the entire scent collection of the Body Shop British Rose range. For a bit of context, I received one of the Body Shop advent calendars as a gift during Christmas 2023 and was impressed by many of the items. But for anyone who knows me a compelling, real rose scent steals my heart instantly. Utilizing fresh English rose de mai, this line of products captures about the most realistic and pure rose scent I've come across. It is not a thick, jammy rose say of the Jo Malone cologne Velvet Rose and Oud or Lush's Rose Jam bath and body products, This is a fresh, single petal rainkissed rose that feels fresh, clean, and pretty. For a shower gel, this can't be beat, but I am enjoying is cooling, naturalistic "garden vibes" in the hand cream too (both of which were pieces in the Advent Calendar). You can try a 2 oz version of the shower gel as I did for $8 USD or go up to the full 8 oz size for $13 USD. The hand creams come in 1 oz and 3.3 oz sizes for $8 and $21 USD respectively. Likewise there are also different levels of body moisturizers, a perfume, and even a face mask all modeled after this beautiful scent that I might just have to try one day along with some more Body Shop goodies. All Items are purchasable through TheBodyShop.com

Blissoma Fresh Mild Rice Exfoliating Cleanser: Rounding out this list as a kind of honorable mention, I wanted to highlight once more this cleanser from Blissoma because it has been instrumental in keeping my stressed and overdried skin clear and glowing through a recent cold snap and bout of snow post Christmas. I already featured this product in a post I did last month detailing three items from Blissoma that I have fallen in love with, but since then, my affections for the cleanser have grown even deeper. Truly, with every use my skin feels softer and renewed but not at all over stimulated. The healing of spots is quicker, and they are smaller and fewer as they do show up. As a bonus, a little goes a long way with this product, and you can also manage the intensity of the exfoliating effects slightly by either dampening the skin before initially applying the product for more of a cleansing experience or putting on the product first for more of a scrub effect then adding the water slowly as you rinse. Yes, this wonderful lemony, herbal scented dream has become a staple in my routine. So if you are looking for a lovely, gentle rebalancing treat whether you are battling excess dryness, acne, inflammation or all three, I'd recommend giving this one a glance. You can find it at Blissoma.com for $58 USD in the full 4 oz size, but also pick up a sample that is generally good for 2-4 uses for $4 USD to dip your toe in.

I don't know what 2024 will bring in the way of beauty articles or in the products I try, or certainly in life itself, but here's to making it a wonderful year of discoveries, profound and also pretty.