DOPE NEW FACIAL SKINCARE PRODUCTS FROM THE INKEY LIST THAT CAUGHT MY EYE!
Enjoying a homemade ginger snap ice cream cookie!
It’s May first and boy was April a looooong month. On top of the whole surreal nature of it all, it rained at least fifteen days of the month here in NYC. And nearly every day over the past week. Seriously?!
But I made the best of it indoors. I baked, of course, and continued to cook for myself thrice daily. I can’t wait to eat out or even order in; anything to not have to cook every bit of food that goes in my mouth. I love to cook but this is getting ridiculous.
I’m proud of the fact that I’ve kept up with my daily yoga and am gratified that it’s become part of my early morning routine.
I’ve also started 21-day meditation challenge from Deepak Chopra. I’ve been wanting to meditate for the longest time!
Honestly, I think the greatest challenge for me, and likely for all of us, in the weeks and months ahead is going to be caring for our mental health. I’m really feeling the strain on my psyche the last few days. Perhaps it was the depressing nature of the cold, damp rain adding insult to injury.
But I think it’s more than that. The lack of intimacy and connectivity is hard. Zoom and FaceTime calls just don’t cut it long term. This is starting to feel a bit like being in prison — except if you wanna eat, you cook it yourself!
I’ve been paying close attention to how people in my life are dealing mentally with the quarantine and the changes to our daily lives. It’s kind of odd that we’re seemingly at the point where even compassion for one another is difficult to muster. We’re all traumatized by the same circumstances out of our control.
And I’m fascinated, too, by how much our lives have changed — and much of it may be permanent. During my rained-in quarantine this week, I caught a thought-provoking article in The New Yorker titled, The Coronavirus is Rewriting our Imaginations. In it, the author explores what she defines as the “structure of feeling,” that characterizes historic periods of human civilization. While we’re experiencing our world anew, “we know that we’re living in a moment of historic importance.”
“The virus is rewriting our imaginations. What felt impossible has become thinkable. We’re getting a different sense of our place in history. We know we’re entering a new world, a new era. We seem to be learning our way into a new structure of feeling.”
- Kim Stanley Robinson, The New Yorker, The Coronavirus is Rewriting our Imaginations
Give the piece a look. It’s really set something off in me. Something good, something deeply reflective. As everyone, I’ve clearly been doing a lot of thinking. And I think one of the really positive things to come out of this will be the fact that we each had the gift of and the time for self-reflection.
Use this time for true self-reflection. For all of us, our lives will be divided into two periods — before 2020 and after. Look back at your life before this happened and think about what changes you want to make going forward…
Okay, let’s get to the skin care…
I might be the biggest, most unabashed fan of The Inkey List anywhere on Earth. I first wrote about the UK-based brand in late 2018 in an article titled, Brands I Love And Believe in: The Inkey List Bs-Free Skincare. As I recall, they started with something like a dozen products. The day I discovered Inkey, I bought them all, the entire range.
From that first-ever Inkey review:
“You really can’t go wrong with The Inkey List. As they begin to establish and expand distribution, it will become more readily available. I’m currently purchasing The Inkey List products through Cult Beauty’s web site, also UK-based. Shipping to NYC hasn't been an issue; I usually get my order within a week or so. I acquired nearly the entire Inkey List range about a month ago and have been playing around with the products ever since. There are 15 in total and I can’t possible cover them all here, but I’ll review a few of the standouts.”
In the year and a half since that first piece, Inkey has launched some of the most intriguing products I’ve come across in my skincare journey.
The Inkey team has been phenomenally supportive of me and the Skincarma community over the last year and I’m so honored to collaborate with them.
Since 2018, I’ve written numerous times about three day-one faves — the Bakuchiol cream, the Turmeric moisturizer and the Glycolic Acid toner. In fact, you may recall that the Turmeric cream was the moisturizer selection for my Complete $100 Skincare Routine. Such a fun, inexpensive and effective formula.
And last month alone, the brand introduced six new intriguing products — all of them clean formulas. Six products at once!? That’s no small feat. I had the distinct honor of testing out several of the new Inkey products pre-launch and I’m excited to share what I discovered.
Let’s have a look at four of them…
The Inkey List | Oat Cleansing Balm
I can’t help myself. I love cleansers! And particularly oil-based cleansers like the Purito From Green Cleansing Oil and The Ordinary’s Squalane Cleanser. There’s just nothing more pampering than massaging the day off of your face and feeling entirely renewed. It’s truly akin to a sacred rite for me.
So I was naturally super excited about The Inkey List’s new Oat Cleansing Balm. It’s a thick, gooey, oily treat for the skin and a real pleasure to use.
There are many cleansing balms on the market — and I think the most conventional of them are the semi-solids that come in tubs.
Consider the icon of K-Beauty, the Banila Clean It Zero 3-in-1 Cleansing Balm. Or Drunk Elephant’s relatively new Slaai Makeup-Melting Butter Cleanser. Maybe you’re more familiar with Clinique’s Take The Day Off Cleansing Balm.
All of them are fantastic formulas, and all have brought me great pleasure at the bathroom sink basin. But as pleasurable and effective as they are, they’re a bit of a pain to use. I’ve often reached for one or the other and thought, ugh, I’m not in the mood to get out a spatula and scoop up cleaning balm right now. So I go for something else.
Inkey solved my conundrum — or let’s just call it my laziness. The Oat Cleansing Balm is juuuuuuust liquidy or runny enough to come out out of a tube and not need to sit in a cumbersome tub.
The first ingredient in Oat Cleansing Balm is Sweet Almond Oil; I imagine that comprising upwards of 65-70% of the clean formula. There are several other non-fragrant, replenishing plant oils, including soothing Oat Kernel Oil and Sunflower Seed Oil. It’s a relatively simple formula with just about a dozen or so ingredients in all.
But I gotta say Inkey nailed the texture. It melts instantly into your palms as you massage it onto dry skin. Then, a little bit of warm water emulsifies the formula to break up sebum and the gunk and grime that can easily become embedded in pores — especially if you live in a busy city like me.
Inkey describes the Oat Cleansing Balm this way: “A luxurious cleansing balm that gently dissolves makeup and excess oil without stripping sensitive, irritated skin of the moisture it needs.”
The next time you’re in the market for a cleansing balm, give the Inkey List’s Oat Cleansing Balm a look.
SHOP THE BLOG: Purchase The Inkey List Oat Cleansing Balm for $9.99 here.
**EXCLUSIVE SKINCARMA GIVEAWAY**
ENTER BELOW FOR A CHANCE TO WIN ALL FOUR INKEY PRODUCTS FEATURED IN THE BLOG…AND TRY THEM FOR YOURSELF!
The Inkey List | 15% Vitamin C and EGF Brightening Serum
All four of the new products I’m reviewing on this week’s blog have unique textures. I don’t know if that was intentional but it’s a welcome surprise.
And the 15% Vitamin C and EGF Brightening Serum is, perhaps, the most unexpected. I was honestly expecting a conventional cream; instead, I found what can best be described as a translucent “dry serum”.
I know. A dry serum? If you’re familiar with dry oils like The Ordinary’s 100% Plant-Derived Hemi-Squalane you have an idea of what I’m getting at with Inkey’s new 15% Vitamin C and EGF Brightening Serum. It applies like a wet serum and almost immediately dries on the skin. It’s such an unusual formula — in a wonky, sciency kinda way.
15% Vitamin C and EGF is powered by Ascorbyl Glucoside, which according to the expert team at Paula’s Choice is “a stable form of vitamin C combined with glucose. When properly formulated and absorbed into skin, it breaks down to ascorbic acid (pure vitamin C). It functions as an antioxidant and works well with other replenishing and antioxidant ingredients to preserve key substances skin needs to look smoother, brighter, and younger.”
I’d venture to guess that its unique texture is derived from the combination of the Ascorbyl Glucoside and PEG 40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil — a safe, innocuous mixture of synthetic polyethylene glycol (PEG) with natural castor oil that functions as a surfactant, a solubilizer, an emulsifier, an emollient, and/or a cleansing agent.
So what does Inkey’s super cool new Vitamin C and EGF Brightening Serum do exactly?
Well, with a 15% concentration of Vitamin C, it certainly brightens the skin. But deep in the INCI you find a Oligopeptide-1, also known as Epitensive. Epitensive is a synthetic, plant-derived Epidermal Growth Factor that helps to support skin’s elasticity and smooth rough skin texture and even surface lines.
15% Vitamin C and EGF Brightening Serum is one of the most intriguing products in the entire Inkey range. You can grab it for yourself for just $14.99 on the Sephora website here.
SHOP THE BLOG: Purchase The Inkey List 15% Vitamin C and EGF Brightening Serum for $14.99 here.
**WATCH MY VIDEO REVIEW OF THE NEW FACIAL SKINCARE PRODUCTS FROM THE INKEY LIST THAT CAUGHT MY EYE!…ON MY YOUTUBE CHANNEL HERE.**
The Inkey List | Apple Cider Vinegar Acid Peel
I don’t think I’ve ever used a skincare product formulated with apple cider vinegar before now. You know what that’s called? Innovation! While I’ve heard that people drink it every day to maintain overall health, I had no idea it had any real benefits for the skin. In fact, a little googling and I found several legitimate benefits of apple cider vinegar in skin care.
First, apple cider vinegar is rich in Acetic Acid. It can function as an anti-bacterial to keep pores clear.
More interesting to me is the fact that apple cider vinegar has the ability to regulate the pH level of your skin.
With all the skincare products I use, that can come in handy — though the last time I checked, my skin’s pH was a comfortable 5.0.
If you haven’t checked your skin’s pH and are looking for a cool way to do it, check out the new Atolla skincare brand. They make monthly custom serums based on real skin analytics that measure your skin health in the moment.
Inkey’s new Apple Cider Vinegar Acid Peel contains 2% Apple Cider Vinegar. Inkey says the formula “combines naturally occurring acetic acid to target blemish-causing bacteria and citric, lactic, and succinic acids for a more even-looking, radiant skin tone.”
In fact, the Apple Cider Vinegar Acid Peel contains a 10% concentration of Glycolic Acid, too — so you know what’s up here. This baby isn’t for the weak! In fact, it’s pretty potent. As with every Glycolic Acid treatment, I had to tread lightly. I can easily go overboard, igniting days of irritation.
Immediately on application you can feel the acids get to work resurfacing your skin and clearing out pores. It’s an innovative, efficient blend that delivers multi-level exfoliation to brighten and clarify skin, particularly blemish prone skin. Once or twice a week is sufficient IMO.
Of course, if you can tolerate more, by all means go for it. Personally, I don’t believe skin needs that level of constant exfoliation. It does the job perfectly well on its own.
At just $14.99, the Apple Cider Vinegar Acid Peel is not only efficient on your skin, it’s efficient on your wallet. I love that about Inkey! Grab a bottle of this intriguing little acid treatment here.
SHOP THE BLOG: Purchase The Inkey List Apple Cider Vinegar Peel for $14.99 here.
The Inkey List | Retinol Eye Cream:
Even Inkey’s new Retinol Eye Cream has an eye-opening texture. Just when I thought it was all in my head, expecting a conventional cream, something more unique came out of the slender tube. Something rich, yet lightweight on skin that breaks into more of a wet, watery lotion before it disappears into the skin.
Always curious about what’s behind a formula’s unique character, I go straight to the INCI. I’m confident the unusual texture behind the Retinol Eye Cream is attributable to its blend of Glycerin, Shea Butter Ethyl Esters and Cetearyl Olivate — an oily, somewhat waxy ester of cetearyl alcohol and the fatty acids from olive oil.
And this Italian-American can’t ever get enough olive oil. If I could use it directly on my skin, I would. But I shouldn’t — and you probably shouldn’t either. I found an interesting piece here on exactly that titled, Olive Oil for Skin: Can You Really Use It on Your Face? I Asked a Dermatologist. Hey, the learning never stops!
Of course, texture is often little more than a sensorial, cosmetic thing. What matters is what the product does and whether it does it well. And that takes me right to the Retinol part of it Inkey’s Retinol Eye Cream. Anyone and everyone who uses Retinol in any form knows that it can be a minefield of irritation anywhere on the face — but particularly in the delicate eye area.
Fortunately, Inkey knows how freaked out many of us legitimately are by Retinol and made sure to use a slow-release form of Vitamin A to ameliorate any potential irritation in the delicate eye area. I presume the formula contains less than a half-percent concentration of Retinol, if that. It’s likely just enough to smooth lines around the eye area — without being too aggressive.
Retinol Eye Cream is a cool, clean, potent treatment that packs a punch for just $9.99. Get yourself a tube here.
SHOP THE BLOG: Purchase The Inkey List Retinol Eye Cream for $9.99 here.
That’s my latest deep dive into The Inkey List! I hope you’re safe, well and, well, staying sane. Again, I encourage you to use this time for self-reflection, to make positive changes in your own life. Master your baking skills and stick to using olive oil strictly in your cooking!
🖤 SKINCARMA
SKINCARMA….
GIVEAWAY!
Enter to win all four of my new Inkey List faves featured on the blog — including Oat Cleansing Balm, Retinol Eye Cream, Apple Cider Vinegar Acid Peel and 15% Vitamin C and EGF. ($50 value)
Share why you want to win in the comments below. Then, return to the Skincarma IG page and comment “Done”. Giveaway ends Sunday 05/10/2020.
**WATCH MY VIDEO REVIEW OF THE NEW FACIAL SKINCARE PRODUCTS FROM THE INKEY LIST THAT CAUGHT MY EYE!…ON MY YOUTUBE CHANNEL HERE.**
The Ingredient List of the Oat Cleansing Balm:
Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil, Cetearyl Alcohol, PEG-6 Caprylic/Capric Glycerides, Avena Sativa (Oat) Kernel Oil, Candelilla Cera (Cire de candelilla), Silica,Sorbitan Stearate, Tribehenin, PEG-60 Almond Glycerides, Avena Sativa (Oat) Kernel Flour, Aqua (Water/Eau), Benzyl Alcohol, Phenoxyethanol, Lecithin, 1,2-Hexanediol, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Tocopherol, Biosaccharide Gum-4, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil.
The Ingredient List of the 15% Vitamin C and EGF Brightening Serum:
Aqua (Water/Eau), Ascorbyl Glucoside, Sodium Hydroxide, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Phenoxyethanol, Benzyl Alcohol, Butylene Glycol, Xanthan Gum, Ethylhexylglycerin, Sodium Metabisulfite, Dehydroacetic Acid, Phytic Acid, Oligopeptide-1.
The Ingredient List of the Apple Cider Vinegar Peel:
Aqua (Water), Glycolic Acid, Glycerin, Caprylyl/Capryl Glucoside, Polysorbate 20, Vaccinium Myrtillus (Bilberry) Fruit Extract, Acetum (Vinegar), Sodium Hydroxide, Propanediol, Xanthan Gum, Saccharum Officinarum (Sugar Cane) Extract, Lactobacillus/Vaccinium Macrocarpon Fruit Ferment Filtrate, Phenoxyethanol, HippophaeRhamnoides (Seabuckthorn) Fruit Oil, Salix Alba (Willow) Bark Extract, Maltodextrin, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Fruit Extract, Citrus Limon (Lemon) Fruit Extract, CitronellylMethylcrotonate, Acer Saccharum (Sugar Maple) Extract, Ethylhexylglycerin, Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, Biosaccharide Gum-1, Phytic Acid, Agastache Mexicana Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract.
The Ingredient List of the Retinol Eye Cream:
Aqua (Water/Eau), Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol,Pentaerythrityl Distearate, Shea Butter Ethyl Esters, Cetearyl Olivate, Phenoxyethanol,Benzyl Alcohol, Sorbitan Olivate, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Sodium Hydroxide, Sodium Hyaluronate, Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Copernicia Cerifera Cera, Propanediol, Glycogen,Sodium Gluconate, Retinol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Dehydroacetic Acid, Citric Acid, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil,1,2-Hexanediol, Caprylyl Glycol, Disodium Cocoamphodiacetate, Tocopherol, Xanthan Gum, Humulus Lupulus Extract.
Orpheus doesn’t understand why I’m on the floor.
