Note: While trying these moisturizers, I am using the same serums, oils, and night cream. By trying one new item at a time I will know how that product reacts with my skin and skincare routine.
I started with samples I had for IT Cosmetics Secret Sauce. I had enough foil samples to fill the Dior jar with the moisturizer, which is amazing when you think about it. At one point they gave a lot of those away with other purchases! The sample amount lasted just about 2 months with daily use. (I feel I gave this a real “test!”)
IT Cosmetic’s Secret Sauce has an amazing number of ingredients. (Extracts, oils, and so forth.) It is a thicker formula than the Dior creme. It is sticker and takes longer to sink into my skin. It is free of parabens and sulfates. However, it works just as well as the Dior creme and keeps my dry skin at bay.
Both of these day creams are in the same price range. The third product I tried, Water Drop Hydrating Moisturizer by Dr. Jart, is a K-Beauty (Korean Beauty) product and about half the price. This product did not work well with my skin. It is very thin and basically seems to turn into water when applied to the skin. (Which is a very cool effect I must admit!)
After about a week dry patches appeared on my face and I had a few blemishes. I switched back to another sample I had of the IT Cosmetics Secret Sauce and after 5 days my skin evened out again. This formula isn’t for me, although it could work for someone with less dry/sensitive skin.
The final sample I tried is Waterfall Glacier Water Cream by Saturday Skin. This is also a lower cost product compared to Dior and IT Cosmetics. It is a K-Beauty product. The consistency is somewhat between the Dior and the It Cosmetics formula. It soaks into the skin quickly and does not have a distinctive scent. The product is vegan. It doesn’t have parabens, sulfates, synthetic fragrance or synthetic color.
So how do these products stack up? Eliminating the Dr. Jart moisturizer, which did not work for my skin, leaves the IT Cosmetics Secret Sauce and Saturday Skin Waterfall Glacier Water Cream. Both work just as well as the Dior Hydra Life Creme to combat dry skin (although I would like to test out the Saturday Skin brand longer). Saturday Skin costs less than the other two brands. Dior uses recycled packaging for their products and you can reuse their glass jars–as I did with my samples. So right now I don’t have a firm decision to share.
Over the next few months I will be trying other samples that I have somehow accumulated (including ones with SPF) and I will let you know at the end which brand/product I plan to purchase.
On a side-note–these posts are a benefit for me. Not only is it keeping me on track with my low-buy project, but I am taking very thorough notes. I feel that my knowledge, my understanding, of skin care is increasing by leaps and bounds.
Do you have any recommendations for a daily moisturizer? Let me know in the comments below.
Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored post. I purchased all of the products discussed.
