My Honest Review of Trader Joe’s New Skincare Products

For years I’ve gone to Trader Joe’s for one reason: the snacks. Typically I pass right by the beauty section, but something about my last trip said it was time. I tried everything so you don’t have to! Here is my honest review of Trader Joe’s new skincare products.

For this review, I used the follow products over the course of a few weeks:

• Rose Water Face Toner
• Vitamin C Serum
• Retinol Night Serum
• Marula Facial Oil
• Watermelon Lip Mask
• Watermelon Overnight Mask
• Hand Cream
• Ultra Hydrating Gel Moisturizer

Did I miss any favorites on your list? Let me know in the comments below what I need to try.

About My Skin

To help understand why I ranked the products the way I did, here’s a but more about my skin:

I’m 38 years old with no botox. Slight smile lines. With the warmer months, my skin isn’t too oily or dry. I can be sensitive to heavy products. They tend to feel bad on my skin and can lead to a breakout on regular use. No complaints or trouble areas otherwise!

I don’t currently have a skincare routine and I don’t wear makeup daily.

The Review

Ultra Hydrating Gel Moisturizer- 8.5/10
Cost: $8.99

I was excited to try this moisturizer because I saw someone compare it to Clinique’s Moisture Surge (which I used before I switched to Dieux).

Overall I really liked this product and would buy it again! It’s lightweight and perfect for summer or to wear under makeup. I’ve used it every day since purchasing. There’s a lot of product and it feels like it could last for a while.

I’d be curious to see how this helps with winter dryness. I get the sense that its not heavy duty enough, but time will tell when the seasons change!

Rose Water Facial Toner– 10/10
Cost: $3.99

This is absolutely one of my favorites! Great smell, great price, and left my skin feeling… (you guessed it) great. I use this daily as part with my skincare routine or when I feel like my skin just needs a pick-me-up.

This hasn’t dried my skin and I think it has actually made it feel a bit tighter overall. For the price, you can’t go wrong with giving this a try.

Ultra Moisturizing Hand Cream- 6.8/10
Cost: $4.99

I found this hand cream to be lightweight enough for regular use. There’s a very light fragrance which is nice if you like floral scents.

My main complaint with is is that it’s not moisturizing enough. At least for me. After crafting all day for work and working in the garden, I use my hands a lot. Putting this on feels nice, but I think my skin is craving more moisture than it’s giving.

It’s a great item to have in your purse on the go, but I’ll probably stick to other lotions to keep my hands from drying out.

Watermelon Lip Mask- 5/10
Cost: $5.99

This lip mask works okay, but I didn’t like the thick consistency at all (I found it difficult to put on). The watermelon scent is again.. okay. There’s nothing offensive about it if you like watermelon. I’ve tried vanilla version in the past and have felt the same about it.

But for the price, I’ll save my money and stick with Vaseline.

Watermelon Overnight Face Mask- 7/10
Cost: $6.99

I liked how this made my skin feel, but I didn’t love the smell. It’s not an every day product, and you do sleep while wearing it, so I could tolerate and overlook the smell for what it is. It’s just not a preferred scent for me.

I like how my skin feels in the morning the next day, so I plan on continuing using this one.

Marula Facial Oil- 6/10
Cost: $6.99

It’s hard to give this product a true rating, because I think when it comes down to it, I might just not like the feel of oils on my face. I think this would feel differently in the winter when I tend to have dryer skin. Right now it just doesn’t feel like an item that my skincare routine is missing out on.

I might try to mix a drop or two into the moisturizer to see if I like that application. If you love this product, please let me know how/when you use it in your routine! I’ve heard nothing but rave reviews and I want to make sure I’m not just using it wrong.

Vitamin C Serum- 9/10
Cost: $9.99

I’m new to vitamin C serums, so this was my first introduction. It makes my skin feel so soft! The smell isn’t the best, but I’ve read that it’s not really supposed to smell like oranges anyway (heard that it smelling like hot dog water is ideal if that gives you an idea– please tell me if that’s not true!).

Over the course of the time I’ve been using the product, I’ve come to really enjoy it and how soft it’s made my skin feel. It’s been easy to add it to what I’ve already been doing and I’d absolutely purchase again.

Retinol Night Serum– 7/10
Cost: $9.99

This is my first time using a retinol, so my introduction has been slow (I’ve only been using it once a week). I use this when I’m taking time off the watermelon overnight mask.

Because this product isn’t an everyday product like the moisturizer, I think I need more time with it to give it a true rating on how it changes my skin. So far so good, and I’m happy to keep this one in my routine for now!