Skincare Journal wk29: Freshen up with facial sprays

Ahh, summer. At first it was nice, with the warm sunny days and the dresses……but then it gets a bit too sweaty and hot for my taste. I hate feeling stinky and grody, so facial sprays has became part of my summer essentials. While water in a spray bottle is fine, it condenses and is not really hydrating (which is why we use moisturizers instead of just splashing water on dry skin). Facial sprays helps to refresh/set makeup, helps to cool down the face after a day in the sun/heat, and provide a burst of hydration. I keep it in the fridge for extra cooling, and it’s also great for long plane rides with the brutally dry cabin air. With so many uses, I may be just a little addicted to them…… …so after this picture I realized I forgot to include some spray on toners, and I’m not really interested in sprays purely for makeup purposes (like the Kat Von D, MAC or Urban Decay makeup setting sprays). I like things with skincare benefits, and these are the ones I’ve been using as refresher during the day/travel and after skincare regimen lately, listed from the most lightweight to most hydrating.

Caudalie Beauty Elixir – it provide a mild tingling/cooling sensation and have a lovely fresh herbal scent. It refreshes my skin and wakes me up. I also like how fine the mist is, and how it dispense steadily as you press down instead of a squirt. However, it does contain alcohol and evaporates quickly, so it might not be suited for sensitive skin or very dry skin. If you don’t like the sticky/residue feeling some facial spray leaves, this is for you.

Super by Perricone, Detox Elixir – it feels like water on the skin, but I’m NOT a fan of the scent at all, it’s some combination of wilted lettuce and plastic, ack. I do love the reusable frosted glass bottle and it’s got good ingredients. If you are looking at Super by Perricone tho, I would recommend the coconut one over this detox/watercress one. That one smell like young coconut and feels just like water.

Mario Badescu Spray with Aloe/Rosewater – this is actually my first facial spray (awww). It have a mild powdery rosewater scent and feels slightly more hydrating than water on the skin. Sometimes I also spritz it a couple times on my hair in the morning to tame flyaways. The price is also good so if you just want to try a facial spray I would recommend it.

Clinique Moisture Surge Facial Spray – this doesn’t really have any scent or sensation, almost feel like a slightly more moisturzing version of water. If you have sensitive skin or is paranoid about ingredients reacting with your skincare, this would be a good choice.

Philosophy Hope Springs Eternal – this have a mild fruity scent and can feel a little sticky if you overspray (5-7 times instead of just 2 or 3) but doesn’t really leave much of a residue. It also gives a spray instead of fine mist, so sometimes the nozzle sprays droplets but it’s nice most of the time.

Body Shop Vitamin E Spray – it have a mild almost baby powder scent and is more moisturizing than others, almost like a watered down lotion and leaves the skin soft/velvety instead of weightless. It’s a bit much over skincare for my combo skin, but It’s perfect on long plane rides with the dry cabin air (where sprays with high alcohol contents evaporates too quickly) or temporary fix for after exercise but before shower (wipe off sweat then a couple spritz instead of the whole skincare regimen again).

As for favorite, I have to say I’m addicted to the scent of Caudalie Beauty Elixir. It’s lightweight, gives a wonderful fine mist and just perks me up. I do like Body Shop Vitamin E for dry environments and Mario Badescu because it serves the purpose and is inexpensive. Do you use facial spray? any favorites?