The summer of skin care is in full effect! — and I’m currently using and loving the heck out of products from Drunk Elephant.
You’ve probably heard about them already. They’ve been makin’ major waves lately, and it seems like everyone is talking about them (including me!).
For the record, this Drunk Elephant did not have too many Coronas. It’s a cruelty-free brand out of Texas, and I really like their no-nonsense, balanced approach to skin care.
Here’s some cool backstory on their website, but, basically, they see themselves as a “clean” skin care line, rather than a “natural” skin care line, and they incorporate both natural and synthetic ingredients, but the synthetic ingredients are things they believe are effective but aren’t going to disrupt the way your body is designed to work.
And their name, “Drunk Elephant,” comes from an ingredient they use in several of their products called marula oil. Legend has it that when elephants eat the fallen fruit of the marula tree…the fruit ferments in their tummies and gets them completely crunked!
Cheap drunks, those elephants.
C-Firma Day Serum
The product that lured me into loving the line was their C-Firma Day Serum ($80), which contains 15% l-absorbic acid, ferulic acid and vitamin E.
I heard it was comparable to Skinceuticals CE Ferulic, which I used for years to mellow out my pigmention probs, but I stopped using it when I got pregnant with the Coywolf.
Dude…sh*t is crazy expensive. It works, but dropping $165 on a bottle of CE Ferulic got old real quick.
C-Firma costs half as much ($80), which, I mean, isn’t exactly budget…but it’s A LOT less expensive than Skinceuticals.
Anyway, I’m into it — so much so that I plan to snag a refill when I finish this bottle, whenever that happens…and I have no idea when it will happen because the bottle is opaque to prevent light from breaking down the Vitamin C.
But good luck figuring out how much is left in there, LOL!
I’m pretty sure that my cheek look plumper after using it?! I don’t know for sure, but that area looks more…voluminous than it did before, and my cheeks look less “sunken in.”
Some people feel the serum is “stinky,” like it smells like sausages or hot dogs or lunch meat (that’s what I’ve heard), but I don’t really think it smells like anything at all.
My only issue with it is when the weather’s hot, like during last week’s heat wave. I can’t stand to wear it when it’s hot because the formula feels extra sticky and heavy on my skin. Other than that, though, it works, and I love it.
Shaba Complex Eye Serum and Lala Retro Whipped Cream
As for the Drunk Elephant products I like but may or may not end up refilling, there’s the $60 Shaba Complex Eye Serum, which has fermented black tea, copper peptides and Co-Q10 to keep the fine lines and dark circles from going buck wild; and the $60 Lala Retro Whipped Cream, which is a surprisingly moisturizing, lightweight face cream with African oils (but no silicones, which is rarer and rarer among face moisturizers these days).
I’ve been using both, along with C-Firma, since April, and I like ’em. They layer well with other skin care products and work well under makeup.
My skin looks and feels moisturized when I use them, for sure, but I feel like my 40-something-year-old skin needs an even more aggressive anti-aging approach.
Twenty-year-old Karen, though? She probably would have stockpiled them both.
Umbra Tinte Physical Daily Defense
I know that I’ve talked about Umbra Tinte Physical Daily Defense ($36) at length, so I won’t rave about it again…but it rocks. It’s a lightweight tinted physical sunscreen (so its active ingredients reflect light rays instead of absorbing them), and it has a gorgeous, glowing finish.
The thing about physical sunscreens, though, is that they’re usually thick and difficult to blend into your skin. Many of them also leave behind a white cast.
Umbra Tinte actually absorbs quickly and, because it’s tinted, doesn’t leave behind one of those white casts.
I’m into Drunk Elephant, man! And I’m going to try their T.L.C. Framboos Glycolic Night Serum ($90) next. It’s supposed to be their version of Sunday Riley’s Good Genes.
Super stoked about that.
The summer of skin care continues… 🙂
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
Eleni says
June 28th, 2017 at 3:03 pmΙ love the natural no makeup photo, your skin looks so good, not sure you need many products. The serum sounds really nice and I love it when products make me feel plumped. Caffeine usually has this effect for me, it’s one of these ingredients x
Eleni recently posted … Becca x Chrissy Teigen Glow Face Palette review, swatches & FOTD
Eleni says
June 28th, 2017 at 3:03 pmΙ love the natural no makeup photo, your skin looks so good, not sure you need many products. The serum sounds really nice and I love it when products make me feel plumped. Caffeine usually has this effect for me, it’s one of these ingredients x
Eleni recently posted … Becca x Chrissy Teigen Glow Face Palette review, swatches & FOTD
Lupe says
June 28th, 2017 at 4:35 pmI like this brand, but it can be pretty pricey. I want to try their Lala Retro Whipped Cream. It sounds lovely!
Lupe recently posted … Becca Ultimate Eye Colour Quad in Galactica & Papaya/Topaz Beach Tint Shimmer Souffle
Sandra says
June 28th, 2017 at 4:36 pmOooh, so glad to read this!! I recently started using the Drunk Elephant marula oil, fell madly in love, and planned on heading to Sephora tomorrow on my lunch break to pick up some OTHER Drunk Elephant Goodies!!!
Who needs sustenance when there’s skin care goodies to be had???? ?
Kris says
June 28th, 2017 at 5:24 pmI love DE Lala Retro – just a great cream! I think the perfect antiaging combo is RetinA with Lala for soothing moisture. And have you tried the cleansing bars? They’re awesom- one for everyday, one for exfoliating. I’m trying out the Night Serum and Virgin Marula and so far,so good. Umbra tinte doesn’t work for me – the tint is too dark and orange on my fair skin tone, plus I found it to be heavy & sticky – I’ll return it to Sephora.
Keep the skincare reviews coming – loving them!
Katie says
June 28th, 2017 at 5:24 pmI like the idea of a “clean” brand instead of a “natural” brand! Just because something is natural doesn’t mean it’s gentle or effective, and there are great synthetic ingredients out there. I like that DE uses a thoughtful combination of both. I think the thing I’ll splash out on is the vitamin c serum, since I don’t think I’ve ever heard a bad review of it! That eye serum looks nice too. I’m only 21 but I already have fine lines under my eyes so I think I am going to need to start using gentle anti-aging ingredients soon, and it’s pricey but not as exorbitant as a lot of eye creams.
Sami says
June 28th, 2017 at 6:58 pmCasey Holmes just raved about the vitamin c serum & the framboos night serum in her favorites video. She thinks they drastically improved her skin texture. I want to try them especially after reading your thoughts 🙂
Chelsea says
June 28th, 2017 at 7:07 pmYour skin looks amazing!
LindaLibraLoca says
June 28th, 2017 at 11:52 pmI have not tried Drunk Elephant yet, but the Vitamin C Serum is high up on my to buy list. Even though it is a little expensive.
And have you seen the videos of the drunken elephants? We used to watch them back in school before the holidays, they are the cutest!
LindaLibraLoca recently posted … June 2017 – Favorites and Recap
Ana says
June 29th, 2017 at 6:35 amKkeo up the skincare reviews Karen. Love them!
Michaela says
June 29th, 2017 at 11:24 amHi Karen,
Thank you for your insights into how your taking care of your skin this summer. I am curious what are you doing for dried up feet? I notice that the more I wear sandals as opposed to closed-toe shoes,especially my heels and between the toes, my skin gets all dried up. Even with a cute pedicure, my feet don’t look that great with the dried skin. What do you do to take care of your feet?
Kim says
June 29th, 2017 at 12:03 pmI feel like the only person out there who doesn’t love this brand. I thought the samples I tried were OK (didn’t hurt my skin but didn’t really improve it) but it certainly works for a lot of people! I’ve tried the C-firma, Framboos and the B-Hydra. I’m not too broken hearted because they are on the spendy side. 🙂
Sakura says
June 29th, 2017 at 1:01 pmSo cute…Elephants are cheap drunks!
I’m a big fan of Drunk Elephant and I like that they are cruelty-free. Thanks for pointing out that C-Firma could be a dupe for Skinceuticals CE Ferulic! I’m a sucker for the scientific formulation of Skinceuticals, but C-Firma gets a glowing review from Paula’s Choice too. I will consider buying this one next time.
I am using the Framboos product and wow is it strong! I bought a mini duo from Sephora with the Marula Facial oil (which I haven’t really tried out yet.) My skin is pretty sensitive so I can only use it occasionally. I like the Lala Retro whip too, but it is just a bit more than I want to spend on moisturizer. (I got a deluxe sample.) The other products I haven’t tried. The sunblock looks good. I’m using Coola tinted matte sunblock right now, but I would like to compare!
Have a glowing day!
SuziL says
July 2nd, 2017 at 2:28 pmI started using the Skinceuticals CE Ferulic several years ago and it really helped with pigmentation and cystic breakouts that appeared with perimenopause. I kept dodging the high cost by buying little travel bottles on Amazon (after checking out the product in retail locations to make sure I’d recognize if it was fake or watered down). Whoa. It’s easy to recognize because of the odd smell. Then I did some research and found the Timeless 20% C+E+Ferulic Acid Serum on Amazon, with a slew of positive reviews. Surprise! It works just as well for me. I’m on bottle #3 and my skin has been clear now for years. The best part is the price (under $20) and the second best part is no funky smell.