Who doesn't love free skincare?!

As you may already know, my birthday month is something I take very seriously! Yes, I know I'm crazy. So with that, you know I love to get all the free stuff from my favorite stores, restaurants, and everything in between because it is your birthday, duhhhh! I was on my way to Sephora to grab this new mask I had discovered from Instagram and realized I still didn't grab my free birthday gift! I was so pumped up, I chose to get the Drunk Elephant collection. I actually had never heard of this particular brand before. Ive always used LimeLife products because of the results and cruelty, vegan, chemical free aspect. So, before using the products on my skin, you know I dug into some research and was pleasantly surprised.

This brand's philosophy is to specifically use products that will benefit the skin in some way. They stay away from, what they call, the "Suspicious 6", (Essential Oils, Drying Alcohols, Silicones, Chemical Screens, Fragrance/Dyes and SLS,) they believe these ingredients are the cause of most skin concerns. They are free of parabens, fragrance, and are strictly made in the USA! Most importantly cruelty free, never tested on animals, this is the most important to me with any beauty product I use. Another thing I loved, was that they show all the ingredients in the product, but specifically choose the top ones and explain exactly what each ingredient will do for your skin.

The first product I tried was called Beste No.9 Jelly Cleanser. This particular cleanser is vegan and gluten free, BONUS! This jelly cleanser is meant to remove excess oils, makeup and pollution leaving your skin feeling clean and soft. Most importantly no irritation or sensitivity. After using this cleanser my skin felt clean and not that squeaky clean type feel, more of the smooth and refreshed feeling. I loved it! With this cleanser, a little went a long way and just adding water made the cleanser lather up just enough.

The second product I tried was called Protini Polypeptide Cream. IM OBSESSED! This moisturizer made my skin so soft, visibly smoother and glow-y. I also felt like my pores were smaller and my skin felt tighter. Drunk Elephant describes this on their website as adding protein to your smoothie. You should be adding this moisturizer to your skin care routine as an added bonus with whatever you use. This specific ingredient is taken from their website and describes as "-9 signal peptides (made up of amino acids that form proteins in the skin) are cell-communicating and serve to bind moisture to skin, plump, firm and restore bounce to skin’s appearance, helping to boost skin’s self-renewal." I could tell just after one use, my skin was visibly firmer and improved. This is for sure sneaking into my skincare routine from now on. I did not feel greasy after using this cream either, I even added a few drops of Marula Oil to this and it was light enough for me.

Okay, so did you forget about why I actually stepped into Sephora in the first place? I was scrolling through Instagram and came across this brand called Summer Fridays. You babes know I'm a sucker for names and that grabbed all my attention. When I started searching, they too were all about clean beauty. Some of my faves about this brand was that they are cruelty free, vegan, gluten free, sulfate free, no parabens and made in the USA! Summer Fridays has three masks. The specific one I tried is called the R + R Mask. What I thought was interesting about this mask is the 2 in 1 feature it described. It starts off as an exfoliator with the ingredient rose flower powder and then it locks in moisture with multiple antioxidant rich oils. You leave on for ten minutes, rinse with warm water and pat the oils left on your skin for an extra glow. I added my moisturizer on after and my skin felt so soft. The ingredients are also listed on their website in detail, which I find very helpful. I'm excited to try their Jet Lag Mask as well. With this particular mask, you don't have to rinse it off. You leave on for ten minutes and rinse off any excess. This is suppose to be a very hydrating mask packed with vitamin C. Im excited to try!

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That wraps up my skincare products for now babes! Be sure to check back every Sunday for a new product that I try. Make sure to follow me on instagram @Fashionablyfitfran