Our Favorite Products: July 2018 Edition

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Welcome to Our Favorite Products, a monthly feature in which ITG's editors discuss our favorite products. They're the best things we've tried all month long, reviewed, photographed, and anthropomorphized before we have the opportunity to get sick of them and move on to something new. We've been sweating–more than a little. So here's everything that kept us cool, kept us calm, kept us collected. It's super chill on ITG these days.

Frederic Malle Signature Travel Case

Fragrance is my favorite beauty product (besides blush—here's to Cloud Paint in Storm giving me the appearance of life right now), so my challenge has always been how to travel with it well. I refuse to risk a shattered 50ml bottle just to smell the way I do at home while on vacation. Problem solved when I found out that a travel-sized version of Frederic Malle's perfection of a perfume fits into this travel case. I got it in red. And I just turned on my Vacation Autoresponder. —Anna Jube

Renée Rouleau Redness Care Serum

Guys, I’m so happy to tell you: I’m doing great. Better than ever. My personal relationships are productive, my online shopping skills have much improved, and I’m all aboard that Retin-A train like it's nobody’s business. Wow, what an invention. Shani Darden was right—retinol can seriously cure you of all ills. And while my prescription Tretinoin 0.025% has replaced all of my spot treatments, masks, toners, and exfoliation, I do like to add a nice light layer of moisture on top of that at night. Right now, Renée Rouleau’s Redness Care Serum is doing me proud. It alleviates any of the irritation from the retinol and calms the residual redness I have from zits long dead and gone. Ashley was also right—you don’t always need a face lotion to feel moisturized. —Emily Ferber

Eminence Calm Skin Arnica Masque

Sometimes I murder my skin a bit: clay masks, scrubs, going too hard on the Foreo, popping too many pimples. It's just part of my life, until I muster up some self control. As a response, I look for calming products. It took me a while to find this mask, which I love. Joanna Vargas used it on me once, that's how I was introduced. First of all, it feels so, so nice. Afterwards, redness is reduced, itchy reactive-ness totally calmed. And I like that an ingredient used to heal cuts and wounds is also helping perfect my skin. —Tom Newton

Bioderma Sensibio Deo Anti-perspirant

I packed this ahead of a three-day bachelorette party in the Catskills. Bold move. I’d never used it before, and a half-day hike was on my weekend itinerary. I am, if anything, adventurous—in both matters of leisure activities and personal odor. Anyway, this is your average, run-of-the-mill antiperspirant. Except, French. The deodorant is actually a liquid, and you roll in into your pits kind of like a chubby rollerball fragrance vial. It checks out, and it kept me dry and not stinky. It’s not a fancy show pony deodorant...thank God. —Ashley Weatherford

Stratia Liquid Gold

This month, I crawled my way back to tretinoin! On the nights I don’t use it, I’ve been testing a couple new chemical exfoliators—oh, and I’m trying a new toner. The result of all these additions into my life? Clearer, but stressed skin that’s left my face kind of greasy. Past experiments let me know that it was only a matter of time before my skin broke out in revenge, so I slowed down and picked up Stratia Liquid Gold. The fact that it's a bright yellow serum-oil is extreeemely fascinating to me. But using it in the mornings has really helped my skin recalibrate. After applying all my serums, I top it off with this, skip a moisturizer, and at the end of the day, my skin feels a lot more balanced. —Utibe Mbagwu

Kimiko Super Fine Eyebrow Pencil in Coffee

I'm pretty new to the filling-in of my eyebrows, but this pencil has me really excited to start doing it. It's the only pencil I've used that doesn't look fake; the tip is super fine and, I guess...dry? It literally just looks like little brow hairs. Plus it doesn't smudge. I use Boy Brow in Brown on top. And then I go get a little shape + tint once a month at the Tenoverten in the Financial District. New me! —AJ

Donni Silk Chiquita Scrunchie

Until recently, I was not a fan of this whole “the scrunchie is back” trend. Maybe it’s the terminology? Scrunchie isn’t really the pinnacle of the English language. Hair clouds, on the other hand—now that’s a nice term. They’re the brilliant brainchild of some artsy Danes (not surprising) and they are airy and gorgeous and chic. I must have one. Problem is, they’re $150—and in Denmark. So the Donni Silk Chiquita will do for now. It comes in a zillion colors but Dusty Rose goes with my summer palette. —EF

Paula's Choice Hyaluronic Acid Booster

Addicted to these. I'm a newly obsessed Paula's Choice fan. Not yet subscribing to the entire philosophy but digging my toes in deep. I've been using this right after toner on wet skin as a super light moisturizer, sometimes mixing with other light serums. It's incredible. Just the amount I need for a little glow but no grease. The texture is aloe vera-like, and it spreads so nicely. —TN

Dr. Sturm Glow Drops

A lot of people ask me what kind of product I would call Dr. Sturm’s Glow Drops (I have been talking about them...a lot). It’s not really skincare, and it’s only kind of like makeup. That’s just to say that it’s very subtle—and, apparently, good for my skin, too. There are some antioxidants in it that speak to that—vitamin C (to glow, duh), and vitamin B (to make my skin look a little smoother)—and micro glints of silica to really really make my skin glow. I mix it with my hyaluronic serum every morning and I look...healthy. And radiant, but like I’m not trying to look radiant. Natural, you know? —AW

Snail Bee High Content Mask Pack

You guys chose this for me. Truly, there was a time when Into The Gloss’ Instagram account got a DM every other day tagging us and praising this sheet mask. So I tried it, and as you would guess, it’s soothing, plumping, and perfect to wear as you attempt to complete banal yet formidable tasks, like making a pot of Carla’s shrimp scampi. It’s pretty cool that a sheet mask has such powerhouse ingredients, like EGF and snail mucin. The verdict is still out on how much it’s improving my skin’s texture, but I love how it makes my skin a really nice, fortified canvas for the other stuff I pile on it at night. —UM

Photographed by Tom Newton.