I rarely review skincare for the body but I’ve been testing out quite a few new products so I decided to combine them all in one review. I also have a few things for the face that I’m going to include. My goal is to have a full, updated skincare routine post by January. However, in the meantime, I still want to talk about the newer things I’ve been testing out. Let’s start with the face!

*Skin type: combination that is oily in the T-zone, sensitive, acne prone with acne scarring

Face:

Shea Moisture

The Shea Moisture Glow Getter Pressed Serum Moisturizer and Velvet Skin Gel Cream are newer releases that I’ve been using for around two months. They are $13.00 apiece and contain two ounces of product.

The Glow Getter Pressed Serum Moisturizer contains manuka honey, yogurt and vitamin C. It claims to calm and soothe stressed skin while providing hydration. I really like this, even more than I thought I would. It has a thick, almost Vaseline type, texture with a slight honey scent. Only a small amount of product is needed and it just melts into the skin. It does leave the skin feeling slightly oily so I only use this at night. Even though it has a thicker consistency, it did not break me out or clog my pores. It moisturized my skin very well and I could see this replacing my need for a facial oil. If you’re not a fan of oils but still want that hydration, give this a try.

The Velvet Skin Gel Cream contains purple rice water, wild orchid and papaya extract. It claims to hydrate the skin and leave it plump and smooth. I like this cream but not quite as much as the Glow Getter Pressed Serum. It has a very lightweight, whipped, texture that melts into the skin. It’s unscented and it moisturizes well but it’s not going to work the best for the driest of skin. This did not cause me to break out or clog my pores but it does slightly sting each time I apply it. I’m assuming that is because of the papaya extract, a natural AHA. This is a good moisturizer but I prefer the level of moisture I get from the pressed serum and the pressed serum doesn’t sting my skin. I recommend this if you want a lightweight moisturizer but don’t have very sensitive or broken skin.

The Ordinary

The Ordinary finally came to Ulta and I wanted to try something from the brand. I decided to buy the Alpha Arbutin 2%+ HA Serum. It is $8.90 for one ounce of product. It contains 2% purified Alpha Arbutin and hyaluronic acid. It claims to help reduce the look of spots and hyper pigmentation.

I wanted to try this because I hoped it would help my acne scarring but this did nothing for me; except make my face a greasy mess. This is basically an oil that would not dry or sink into my skin. I made the mistake of wearing it under my makeup and it caused my makeup to slide off my face. I can’t say with 100% surety, but I’m also pretty sure this caused me to break out. Overall, this just didn’t work for me and I don’t recommend it.

Body:

Alpha Skincare

From Alpha Skincare, I purchased the Renewal Body Lotion. It is $18.00 for 12 ounces of product. It contains 12% Glycolic AHA which is supposed to hydrate and gently exfoliate the skin. I have keratosis pilaris, little red bumps, on my arms and I was hoping that this lotion would help to exfoliate them. I used this daily and honestly didn’t notice much of a difference. It did slightly sting when I would apply it to my arms but I never noticed any significant improvement in the bumps. It is unscented, not too thick and moisturized my skin decently well but was nothing spectacular. This isn’t a bad lotion and might be worth trying but I do not plan to repurchase it.

Tree Hut

I usually love Tree Hut’s products and these two are no exception. I bought the Moroccan Rose Body Butter months ago, I’ve actually almost used it up. It is $7.69 for seven ounces of product; keep in mind, Tree Hut is more expensive at Ulta than WalMart so you can get this cheaper in other places. This body butter has the same delicious scent as the Moroccan Rose Scrub that I love. The scent is like a sugary rose that isn’t too strong but is just perfect. I desperately want them to create a perfume in this scent. As for the formula, it’s excellent. It’s just thick enough to really moisturize my feet but not so thick that I can’t use it other places on my body. It’s not greasy and it’s just everything I want in a body butter. I highly recommend it.

I’ve talked about Tree Hut’s scrubs many times and I love them. I decided to pick up one of their new holiday releases, the limited edition Marshmallow Lodge Shea Sugar Scrub. It is $9.00 for 18 ounces of product. The scent isn’t bad but I don’t like it quite as much as I thought I would. It has a mild, sweet scent that doesn’t particularly make me think of marshmallows. It’s not bad, just not what I wanted. The formula is the same fantastic formula as always. I recommend any of their scrubs.

Ulta

Last but not least, I bought two lotions and two perfumes from the Ulta brand. I have the Crisp Apple Lotion and Perfume. I also have the Pumpkin Spice Lotion and Perfume. All four products are $9.50 apiece. The lotions contain ten ounces of product and the perfumes contain six ounces of product. I actually really love all of these.

The Crisp Apple products smell like apples, obviously, but they also have a hint of a syrupy/sweet type scent. The scent does fade relatively fast but it lasts overall for a surprisingly long time. The lotion moisturizes just as well as any I’ve tried from Bath n Body. It’s not sticky or greasy. I’m very picky about the lotion formulas that I will apply before bed and I’ve worn this one, and the Pumpkin Spice one, to bed many times.

I love the Crisp Apple products but the Pumpkin Spice ones are my favorites. They smell just like you would think they would, pumpkin with a hint of spice. They almost smell identical to Bath n Body’s pumpkin spice products but are available at a cheaper price, especially during Ulta’s frequent sales. The Pumpkin Spice products have the same great formulas that the Crisp Apple products have. I fully recommend all of these.

Final Thoughts

That is everything for my most recent skincare purchases! I hope this was helpful to you if you’ve been curious about any of these products. I’d love to know your thoughts or if you’ve tried anything I mentioned! Thanks for reading and have a great day!