Trying On…Drunk Elephant (Part 1)

Good things come to those who wait.

A lot of people have asked me about my thoughts on Drunk Elephant as I have shown bits and pieces of the products I’ve been using online over the past several months. And while I am always at the ready with an opinion and a recommendation, I wanted to spend some more time with the brand, try out more products and learn a little more about them before I put my official review together.

So here it is. My Drunk Elephant review. Hopefully worth it. I tried to keep it brief but it was getting so long I decided to break it up into two parts. Let’s start with a look at what I love.

First, if you aren’t familiar with the skincare super launch that is Drunk Elephant, it was started by Tiffany Masterson, a woman (and mom of four!) in Austin, Texas who stumbled across a seemingly magical bar of soap from Thailand (I believe) that she started importing and selling to locals in the market. What she quickly learned from the soap’s amazing results was that it wasn’t necessarily what was IN the product that was making such a big impact, it was what WASN’T in the product. So she based the development of her first skincare brand on the Suspicious 6 – a list of ingredients that she believes to be irritants that our skin reacts to when it gets oily, sensitive, dry, etc. It is a long and thoughtful philosophy and if you want to learn more, I recommend watching this interview with her and Caroline Hirons. It’s when my interest in Drunk Elephant became an addiction. This is not a natural line, which is a common misconception. It is rooted in science and uses active ingredients (some chemical, some non) that deliver results without synthetics, fillers, fragrance and irritants. Her concept just makes sense and I am happy to say, the products (for the most part) prove it.

What I love:

C-Firma Day Serum. This was my very first Drunk Elephant purchase and probably still my favorite. It is a vitamin-packed daytime serum that I use daily (after washing, before moisturizing), without fail. It leaves your skin looking bright and firm and had a considerable impact on my dark spots. The consistency can be a little sticky to some but I got used to it quickly. It is an investment and the product doesn’t have a long shelf life so you need to use it religiously right off the bat to get your results and money’s worth. But I think you will.

Pekee Bar. The DE philosophy recommends only washing your face at night and simply rinsing with water in the morning before moving onto your serums and creams. This was a BIG step for someone like me who is prone to oily skin and usually wakes up with a shiny forehead and t-zone. But since I started washing regularly with this bar soap (and alternating every few days with Juju, the exfoliating sister soap), my skin has looked and felt more balanced…even with only one wash per day. It took a few weeks to adjust, but it definitely did, and I truly believe this little wonder bar had something to do with it. This travel sized duo of the soap bars is a great way to experiment with both and lasts long enough for you to gauge the results for yourself.

Umbra. One of the Suspicious 6 culprits is the chemicals found in most sunscreen and/or skincare with sunscreen products and this is one area where I saw a direct impact after switching to DE. Umbra is their daily sunscreen (also comes in a tinted version, though I haven’t tried it firsthand) that offers SPF 30 UVA/UVB protection and a power-packed combo of antioxidants, nourishing oils and extracts. I love it because it’s lightweight and goes on sheer, though I have to admit that the scent is not my favorite. But most importantly, when I didn’t have it with me and switched back to using another product with chemical ingredients for just one day, the tiny bumps on my forehead that I have battled for years flared right back up. Umbra forever now. I have also started using it on my daughter’s pre-tween hormonal skin to try to fend off possible irritation from chemical sunscreens before they even start.

Lippe. It may seem silly to get excited over an $18 lip balm, but I am. I originally bought this on a whim with a leftover Sephora gift credit and am so glad I did. It’s hard to say what is special about this product but I use it night and day and it leaves my lips feeling smooth, nourished and yes, maybe even a little plumper than usual. It became an instant favorite at first use.

Those are my absolute must-haves from the Drunk Elephant collection and a great way to try them all (and more) is with their mini sample set, The Littles, which gives you eight products in a smaller size for only $90. A perfect test run.

Next up I will share some of the things I like (that you may love) and the things that just didn’t do it for me as well. Because those exist, too.

Hope you find this helpful in your skincare journey – mine has been a long one and it’s fun to share these finds where I can.

Have a great weekend. x

*this post contains affiliate links which means that if you click through to purchase something, I will receive a small commission. It does not impact the price of any product. The post is not sponsored and no products were gifted to me.