Although many of us (if not all) despise January for being one of the coldest months, I happen to think it isn’t so bad. For one, it’s my birthday month, and for two, I get to be one of the first to claim my free Sephora birthday gift (I can’t have birthday BBQs or pool parties, so this is the least that you can give me!).

If you’re unfamiliar with their Beauty Insider program, it’s free to sign up and the more you spend at the store, the higher you climb in status and therefore reap more benefits. Regardless, everyone wins and gets a free birthday gift!

This year, the choices are bigger and better than ever! Your decision lays between two strong contenders: Drunk Elephant and Kat Von D. However, if you’re a VIB or VIB Rouge member, you have additional options: Milk Makeup or 250 bonus points.

I’ve been interested in trying out Drunk Elephant but considering the price points of the products, I could never bring myself to make a purchase without being confident in their effectiveness. As soon as I saw that DE was one of the gift options, it was the obvious choice!

It’s a cruelty-free brand that only uses ingredients that benefit your skin in order to maintain its pH level and stray away from essential oils, drying alcohols, silicones, chemical screens, fragrance/dyes, and SLS.

A generous 30mL of the Beste No. 9 Jelly Cleanser is the first product that I tried out. It’s an unscented and soft cleanser targeted for oily skin to remove makeup, excess oil and all the other gunk that your skin picks up from the day. It left my sensitive skin clean, smooth and non-irritated. I didn’t experience any skin tightening, so a major plus!

Be careful with this tube! I was so eager to try the product out that as I attempted to twist off the cap and struggled to remove it, I felt the product trickle down my forearm…it’s actually a twist top opening so the cap doesn’t fully come off.

SRP: $40 for 150mL

After cleansing the skin, the Protini Polypeptide Cream will moisturize and firm it. It’s a practical 15mL size that’s packed with protein and a concentration of actives to improve the tone, texture and firmness of the skin. It’s suitable for all skin types to restore elasticity and radiance to the complexion. It’s very light in texture and didn’t leave an oily film after application. It has more of a gel texture than a rich cream.

I’ve read reviews that some broke out after using this product but I haven’t reacted to it yet after using it for a week.

SRP: $84 for 50mL

Do you have any favourite Drunk Elephant products that you swear by? Let me know in the comments below!

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