Do you follow Eva Chen, recently-resigned head of Lucky Magazine, on Instagram? Besides her signature #evachenpose showcasing her shoes and bag du jour, her series of #beautifulempties is one of my favorite ‘grams to see pop up in my feed.

Each month or so, Eva shares mini reviews of the skincare and makeup products she used to the last drop. Plenty of YouTubers do this, too; but instead of a 15 minute video, Eva’s version only takes a few minutes to digest.

I love these kinds of ‘real life’ reviews when I shop for beauty products, so I’m jumping on board!

Philosophy The Microdelivery Exfoliating Wash ($28 at Sephora) – My husband and I both use this gentle exfoliating scrub in the shower almost every morning; a little goes a long way and the bottle lasted several months between the two of us.  With daily use, it helped keep pesky dry patches at bay, made my skin smooth for easier makeup application, and never made my skin feel tight or dry like other exfoliators. When we ran out, I repurchased.

Philosophy When Hope is Not Enough Facial Firming Serum ($45 at Sephora) I bought this in a value kit at Ulta back in January. While it seemed to keep my face smooth and healthy, and my occasional breakouts seemed to heal a little quicker, I did some research and opted for a retinol serum instead of repurchasing (more on that later).

Kari Gran Cleansing Oil ($30 at karigran.com) – Using this natural oil cleanser at the end of a long day feels like a little spa retreat at my bathroom sink. It smells so good, dissolves every speck of makeup, and leaves my cleansed skin feeling hydrated and balanced. I will restock this as soon as I use up some other cleansers in my medicine cabinet; it’s one of my all-time favorite products.

BareMinerals Complexion Rescue ($29 at Nordstrom) – I used this SPF 30 hydrating tinted moisturizing gel every day last winter. It’s quick and easy to apply, evens out my skin tone, and gives a dewy healthy glow that I really like. I used my Ulta points to repurchase, but found that doesn’t hold up very well to spring/summer heat and humidity (lots of shine and slip) so I’ll probably save it for later.

Simple Micellar Cleansing Water ($6.99 at Target) – Micellar cleansing waters are a staple in French pharmacies, and they’re gaining traction stateside. I decided to see what all the fuss was about with Simple’s new inexpensive drugstore version. I like it! It removes makeup with a quick swipe of a cotton pad, and no rinsing is required. I found it takes quite a bit of product to get the job done — up to three soaked cotton pads to remove every last bit of dirt and makeup — and I killed my first bottle in about 2-3 weeks. However, it’s been great to have on hand when I’m too tired to wash my face at night (which is most nights, let’s be honest) and it keeps my skin really balanced, so I repurchased.