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I have been doing that in every Beauty Low Buy Year Update, but will stress it even more today: Some of the products I show you have been sent by PR.
I did not pay for them.
The brand sent them over.
With no obligation for me to use them, show them or even take pictures, I might add.
No contract, no money exchanged, nothing.
Why I repeat that in such an annoying manner?
Because I was recently accused of not properly disclosing sponsorship on my YouTube channel. Classic troll comment, but it hurt having my integrity questioned. Even if the accusation was pretty absurd.
So for full disclosure: The Beauty Low Buy Year November Update features products by AVON (sent by PR without obligations), by Instytutum (sent by PR without obligations), by The Inkey List (purchased with my own money) and by ELEMIS (received as part of a paid for writing job for QVC beauty, mentioning the product on my blog was not part of the contract).
But because this introduction is incredibly boring to read, this will be the first and last time you see it in such an excessive way on here – in the future I will stick to my legally approved disclaimer in the head line. And now, on to the actual products!
The Inkey List
If you wonder why The Inkey List Oil and Water Double Cleanser is featured yet again (I just mentioned it in my Low Buy Update October), that is because I already repurchased. Not because it is empty already (that would be serious overcleansing), but because I gave mine away to someone that it was perfectly suited for and ended up missing it so much that I immediately repurchased. (You can read my full review of The Inkey List Oil and Water Double Cleanser here).
Another thing that I loved so much that I purchased a backup is The Inkey List Caffeine Eye Serum. If you have read my review here, you know that for me it is the perfect morning option, and as my current tube is nearing its end, this one was added to the basket.
And because I am currently reintroducing prescription strength retinoids in my routine and avoid Vitamin C while my skin tries to adapt, I needed another source of antioxidants – insert The Inkey List Q 10 (you can read my review here).
The Inkey List is pretty affordable, so my total amount of money spend on beauty was: 39,99 €
Instytutum
Instytutum is a brand that you have seen featured on here several times already, and they recently released a new serum, modestly called Super Serum. And judging by the claims it is indeed a super-serum, as it is supposed to hydrate, firm and smooth the skin. The price reflects that, at 129 € a bottle it is definitely something for a „treat yourself“ moment rather than a must have.
The ingredient list features Glycerin, Panthenol, different molecular weights of Hyaluronic Acid and Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5 and the texture is absolutely beautiful. I will make sure to provide you with a full review once I have used it a little longer.
To be completely honest, I am not sure if I would have purchased the Super Serum at that price point myself, but now that it is in my stash I reach for it every day, so I am going to count it against my Beauty Low Buy.
Avon Distillery
Avon released a new skincare line called Distillery. It is claiming to be „clean beauty“, a term you know I dislike, which for Avon means that it is free from alcohol and fragrance as well as vegan.
The line could be used exclusively, as it features a cleansing balm called „Clean Break“ (50 ml for 20 €), a face oil on jojoba oil basis called „Purify“ (30 ml for 32 €), a Vitamin C in powder form, aptly named „C Shot Powder“ (5 g for 32 €) and two moisturizers. One is called „Shade the Day“ (30 ml for 25 €) and is a standard cream with an SPF of 25, the other one, called „Sleep Potion“ (30 ml for 25 €), is a lovely gel texture rich in Niacinamide.
As you can already tell, the products are a tad more expensive than what you usually expect from AVON, so I will make sure to test them thoroughly and film an overview video.
Out of these products I would probably have purchased the Clean Break, the C Shot Powder and maybe the Sleep Potion.
If I sum that up, that brings me to a total amount of money saved through PR: 201 €
ELEMIS
And now the ELEMIS Peptide4 Plumping Facial Pillow, which I received for an external writing job. I am not sure how to classify that, it is not PR, but it is also not purchased myself.
It is a brand though that I have been meaning to try for a while now, and the Peptide4 Plumping Facial Pillow is a sleeping mask, one of the very few kind of masks that I reach for these days. A word of warning: ELEMIS is not a brand to try if you want to avoid fragrance or essential oils, as the scent is part of the product story. In this case the mask has a warm floral scent and a slight lavender tint, which triggers relaxation – very welcome after a long and stressful week.
Which means, my beauty expenses for the month of November are a total of 250 €
What did you purchase in November?