OK, What's The Deal With Summer Fridays' New Cloud Dew Moisturizer?

With thousands of beauty brands crowding virtual shelves and influencers touting a new product every day, how do you decide what's actually worth a shot? You leave the trial and error to the pros. In Elite Daily's new beauty review series, What's The Deal With..., we'll sift through and test the buzziest products to give you an honest, no-bullsh*t look at how it works IRL, from the price and packaging all the way to the actual results. From there, you can decide which ones deserve a coveted spot in your beauty arsenal.

Not to flex on you, but my severely overflowing collection of moisturizers and commitment to using them might just be a hop, skip, and a jump away from landing me on an episode of TLC's My Strange Addiction. Maybe that's dramatic, but my ears perk up like a dog's the minute moisturizer news emerges. Naturally, a review of Summer Fridays' Cloud Dew Oil-Free Gel Cream, in all its hyped-up glory, is next up in my book.

The buzz around pretty much any drop from Insta-worthy brand Summer Fridays seems unwavering. From the brand's widely-loved Jet Lag Mask to its newer lip balm, its products are a staple on many an influencer's #shelfie. Cloud Dew ($42, Summer Fridays), the brand's first moisturizer, has had a similar impact since it's Jan. 8 launch, already racking up a 4.7-star rating on Sephora's website. Given its initial ratings and the formula — a lightweight gel cream with three types of hyaluronic acid and natural humectant glycerin — Cloud Dew sounds like hydration paradise. Add in amino acids with antioxidant properties to protect skin from environmental stressors and pineapple enzyme, which has skin-brightening effects thanks to being rich in vitamin C, and you, theoretically, have yourself a home run... right?

Here's how I scored Summer Fridays' Cloud Dew Moisturizer after a week trying it out for myself:

While I wouldn't trade all my Earthly belongings for Cloud Dew, I don't really have anything negative to say about it, save for my general disdain for moisturizers in tubs. (I don't like any added opportunity for bacteria to enter my moisturizers, sue me.) First and foremost, the product feels damn good on my fingers, on my skin, on everything. True to its name, the texture is cloud-like and feels impossibly soft and light. Its odor is minimal, which I like, and it's easy enough to use — you just rub it all over your face.

That said, I have pretty dry skin, and despite Cloud Dew's soft, silky consistency, I didn't experience as much long-lasting moisture as I would've hoped. Here's how my skin looked immediately after the first application, compared to how it looked a few hours post-application after a week of use.

While my skin was hydrated to the touch and dewy immediately after I applied it, my stubborn dry patches returned within a few hours, and my skin wasn't nearly as dewy. A week later, I have noticed a sliiiiiiight difference in my overall skin brightness and texture, but not enough for my liking. However, given it's winter, I think this moisturizer is better suited for summer and would likely be a favorite for someone with oilier skin. As for me and my Sahara Desert face? It's nice, but I'm gonna need something thicker. Still, the impeccable texture pushed Cloud Dew over the edge from three stars to four for me.

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