Okay, real talk. My skincare routine has seen more products come and go than my dating apps. I’m the person who gets excited by a shiny new bottle, uses it for a week, and then it becomes expensive bathroom decor. So when I say I’ve been using the West&Month Moisturizing Face Cream every single day for a solid month, you know it’s passed a pretty high bar.
I picked it up because my usual drugstore moisturizer was just… fine. It did the job, but my skin in this weird spring weather was either a desert or an oil slick, no in-between. I saw the “citrus oil and niacinamide” on the West&Month label and was intrigued. Also, the jar looks nice on my sink. Judge me.
The First Impression Wasn’t Love at First Sight
Listen, I’m gonna be upfront. When I opened the jar, I was a tiny bit skeptical. The cream is thick. I mean, thick thick. My first thought was, “This is going to sit on my face like a greasy mask and I’ll wake up with a new zit colony.” I was already mentally writing the one-star review in my head. But I dabbed a little on the back of my hand, rubbed it in, and… huh. It vanished. Like, it went from rich cream to absorbed-into-the-skin nothingness in about 15 seconds. That’s when I got interested.
So, Does It Actually Work?
Here’s the thing. I don’t have a fancy machine to measure my skin’s hydration levels. My review method is way more scientific: I stare at my face in the harsh morning light and see if I look like a dehydrated raisin. After about a week of using this morning and night, the raisin look was gone. My skin just felt… calm. And soft. Not that fake silicone soft, but a genuine, bouncy softness. The citrus oil gives it a faint, fresh scent that’s not overpowering, which I appreciate. No headache-inducing perfume here.
The niacinamide is the real star, I think. I have these annoying red patches on my cheeks that usually throw a fit with new products. They didn’t just not get worse; they actually calmed down. My skin tone looks more even now, which is a win I wasn’t fully expecting from a moisturizer.
Let’s Be Real About the “Cons”
It’s not perfect. I gotta say, for the price (around $34), the jar isn’t huge. If you slather it on like body butter, you’ll run out fast. You only need a pea-sized amount, though, so it lasts if you’re careful. Also, the “bright skin” claim? I see more hydration and evenness than a dramatic “glow from within” brightness. Maybe that comes with more time. And if you hate jar packaging for hygiene reasons, this won’t convert you.
I made a quick comparison chart because I was curious how it stacks up against my old standby.
| Feature | West&Month Cream | My Old Drugstore Cream |
|---|---|---|
| Price | ~$34 | ~$12 |
| Key Stuff | Niacinamide, Citrus Oil | Glycerin, Dimethicone |
| Texture | Rich but absorbs instantly | Light, can feel a bit slick |
| My Skin Feel | Hydrated & balanced all day | Okay, but gets shiny by 3 PM |
The Final Verdict
Honestly, I’m keeping it in the rotation. It’s the first moisturizer in a while that feels like it’s doing something more than just preventing flakiness. It fixed that tight, dry feeling I’d get an hour after my old moisturizer wore off. Is it a miracle in a jar? No. But it’s a really, really good, solid, effective moisturizer that lives up to most of its claims. If your skin is fussy, dry, or just unpredictable, and you’re willing to spend a bit more than drugstore prices, I think it’s a great pick.
I’m even considering getting it for my mom. But shh, don’t tell her, her birthday isn’t for months.
