Skincare on a Budget – How Good Is The Inkey List (Part 2)

Continuing where we previously left with my The Inkey List review that was getting way to long.

As to popular demand the review has been cut into two parts to make it easier to digest. So here are five more product review from The Inkey List, which I have added to my routine more recently.

I highly recommend you read the part 1 as well.

Disclaimer: all of these products were bought with my own money.

Disclaimer bis: recommendations are based on my own experiences and one product might work for me but not for you. Please do your own research to further decide if this is something you wish to try.

The Inkey List Review Part 2

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Hyaluronic Acid Serum

Are you still here with me trough this Inkey List review? I know it’s a long one.

This serum is quite straight forwards. It has 2% Multi molecular Hyaluronic Acid. This means that it has different hyaluronic acids with different molecular weights. The molecular weight determines how big is the molecule and how deep it can penetrate within the skin. Having multiple different weight molecules ensures that the hyaluronic acid will hydrate the top as well as the deeper layers of the skin.

In addition to hyaluronic acids, this also has Matrixyl 3000™ peptide. Peptides are the building blocks for proteins such as collagen. They stimulate the production of it which in turn makes skin firmer and reduces the appearance of wrinkles.

I find that it’s a great serum at a very attractive price. Its doesn’t pill nor foam up. I had that unfortunate experience with The Ordinary one. It didn’t impress me to the point of raving about it, but I do see myself using it and repurchasing it because it’s such great quality and value.

Niacinamide Serum

You might be familiar with the 10% Niacinamide serum from The Ordinary. And you might also remember from the products that didn’t work for me that it pills on me. Which is a shame because I am a firm believer that everyone needs niacinamide in their routine.

The Inkey List Niacinamide Serum is also sporting 10% Niacinamide although instead of 1% zinc it has 1% hyaluronic acid.

Niacinamide works wonderfully at diminishing dark spots, balancing sebum production, and healing blemishes. I have dry skin now and on Accutane, the blemishes are under control so much that I haven’t had a pimple in weeks. My goal with niacinamide is to make my skin poreless *dreams*.

This niacinamide serum has a milky colour, spreads easily and absorbs easily. It doesn’t pill, hallelujah. And so far I am enjoying it although I am not poreless…yet.

The con is that this is very tacky but I don’t mind it since it’s a serum and I top it with a moisturizer. Oh, and the cap gets crusty, kind of yucky.

SPF 30 Daily Sunscreen

The most important skincare step!

This sunscreen is a mineral sunscreen made of 22% zinc oxide and 1% Pollustop®. Zinc Oxide is very chalky and leaves the worst white cast, so The Inkey List added to this a non-cosmetic tint to cancel the white cast. And yes it does work, however, the tint deemed universal doesn’t work for every skin tone. I have seen some influencers looking ashy.

My personal opinion is torn between two points: it’s messy and takes forever to blend, but I love the finish of it. If you use the 3 finger method it is just way too much to work with. I did use just a little bit less on another occasion and it made the application way easier.

But the end result is so pretty. I love how my skin looks put together and has a natural finish.

The con is it did irritate a little bit where I had some healing pimples and my skin barrier was compromised. On the completely normal skin, it didn’t irritate.

I don’t know yet if I love or hate this.

Oat Cleansing Balm

I couldn’t do this Inkey List review without the famous, popular, and oh so loved, Oat Cleansing Balm. This one goes out of stock constantly and I’m so happy I could grab it. Now is it worth it?

The ingredients are very tempting. As somebody who is experiencing dry skin (I don’t know if at this point I should just say I have dry skin, but it’s from Accutane?), I love that this has 3% Oat Kernel Oil which supports skin barrier function as well as Colloidal Oatmeal which a formidable soothing ingredient.

The balm feels luscious and luxurious with a light oat-y scent. But, at times it actually squirts out balm and melted oil. I don’t know the exact reason and I’ve heard that over people have experienced as well.

It does a great job at removing my sunscreen, as it’s great at removing most of my makeup. It’s a bit of a struggle to remove waterproof mascara, though in all honesty, the Lash Perm Curl Fix Mascara is ultra waterproof and a pain to remove with anything.

This cleansing balm didn’t sting my eyes. However, I insisted on removing my mascara, my bad. After that, I experienced very dry and irritated eyes for about an hour. I believe it was my mistake for trying to get that thing off my lashes. I am not kidding, that mascara is formidable but like glue.

The con is that this takes a while to emulsify with water, compared for example, to the Heimish All Clean Balm. And I also find it leaves a slight film on my skin though not uncomfortable and easily washed off with a second water-based cleanser.

I don’t hate this but I don’t love it either. I still find Heimish to be the best balm so far.

Hyaluronic Acid Hydrating Hair Treatment

I never thought I would do an Inkey List review on their hair line, but here I am, intrigued.

This hair treatment, as the name says, has hyaluronic acid in it, but for the hair. Very unusual.

This formula has 3 key ingredients: 2% ResistHyal™, 1% Betaine, 1% Panthenol. It is recommended for all hair types, and it works to reduce frizziness and brittleness.

The con here is that this hair treatment comes in a 50ml bottle. And you’re supposed to thinly coat your hair from roots to ends, once or twice a week.

Now I have short but thick hair, and I need quite some products to coat all of it. I can’t imagine how fast you’d go through this hair treatment is you have long hair. Actually, I can, because I had long hair for a very long time. I imagine I could’ve used this four times tops, before running out. It’s affordable, I can’t argue with that, but I would prefer paying a bit more for a decently sized bottle.

As to results, definitely there. After using this a couple of times, I did notice that my hair looked shinier and healthier. In terms of frizz, oh my hair was ruined after a bike ride through the fog. So this did nothing.

My goal was to get shine, and I got it. But I will probably look for something else because I just can’t deal with the size of this.

I hope you enjoyed these reviews. I will definetly add more products from The Inkey List to my collection as I simply adore the brand.

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You might also be interested in : Good Molecules Review

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