I wanted to take a month to really evaluate a couple of new-to-my-beauty-routine products and am dying to share the results.
Glycolic Acid Wipe Review.
First up: Glycolic acid wipes. A special thanks to Julia, who first shared this beauty wonderproduct on her Instagram. She caught me at just the right moment, as I had been battling frustrating breakouts since I got pregnant with Hill. I kept chalking them up to hormones, but — at seven months post-partum, and no longer breastfeeding, that explanation felt tenuous at best. And I was pretty fed up. I also felt that though my skin looked bright (in large part owing, I believe, to my beloved serum), it didn’t look balanced or “clear” to me. I decided to give these glycolic acid wipes a try after Julia raved about them and mentioned that she’d want to be buried with these — ha! The first week, I was a little underwhelmed and also a little scared. These felt more “heavy-duty” than any cosmetic product I’ve used in the past, especially since my skin kind of tingled/stung for a minute after application. But by week three, I was astounded. My skin was clear, balanced, and I swear to God you cannot see a single pore on my face. Most impressively, my skin is so smooth. I find myself running my hand across my forehead (probably not good for my skin), shocked at how impossibly smooth and soft it feels.
In short: tese are definitely worth testing, especially given the reasonable price — $32 for a two month supply (60 wipes). I purchased the 15% strength, for reference. My regimen has been to use my Tata Harper cleanser in the morning and then, at night, remove makeup with Bioderma micellar water (with my beloved Shiseido facial cotton — the best the best) and follow with one of these wipes before moisturizing. I’m a believer. Will be locked into this skincare regimen until further notice and am convinced my skin has never looked this good!
Important note: glycolic acid can make your skin extra sensitive to sun, so be sure to wear your daily SPF! I swear by La Roche-Posay fluid sunscreen, which glides into skin and absorbs quickly without any white residue.
Avene Moisturizer Review.
One of my provocations this year has been to test out more drugstore-variety products in order to evaluate whether prestige products are worth their price tags. I wrote about this earlier this year, but one product category that particularly interested me was moisturizers, as a friend had once told me that her dermatologist insisted that you did not need to spend over $50 on a moisturizer, as they are all pretty much the same. This seemed to fly in the face of my addiction to La Mer soft cream, and to the current hype around Augustinus Bader’s face cream, which I am still dying to try. I tried Neutrogena’s Hydro Boost after a friend swore it was a dead-on dupe for Belif’s Aquabomb moisturizer (which I love). I did like it — it absorbed quickly into skin and was very light. The scent is a bit overpowering and about a week after starting to use it, I was breaking out horribly, and I am 90% certain the Neutrogena product was the culprit, so I stopped using it. Of course, not everyone’s skin will have this reaction, so it’s worth testing if you’re game, as I was impressed with the overall quality of the product; it just didn’t work well with my skin.
I turned instead to Avene’s Eau Thermale, a French pharmacy staple, and am in love with it. It’s reasonably priced, beautifully hydrating, and just sinks into my skin. It has a scent that brings back the most intense memories from childhood, but I can’t figure out why. (But, do beware: this does have a scent for those who prefer unscented products. Not as heavily perfumed as the Neutrogena, but definitely there.) I also slightly prefer this to Belif’s aquabomb because it comes in a tube. It’s a small thing, but I don’t like tub-style moisturizers — just more convenient to squeeze out the right amount from a tube!
New Beauty Products I’m Dying to Try This Spring.
+I mentioned this last week, but Peter Thomas Roth’s Rose Stem Cell face mask has been getting a lot of buzz lately, and — thanks to Courtney — I discovered it at Walmart for only $29 (versus the $55 price tag everywhere else). Can’t wait to try.
+Muji facial cotton. A reader pointed me in this direction — she shared that these inexpensive Muji cotton pads are getting a lot of good reviews from former devotees of Shiseido’s facial cotton! At half the price, worth a test.
+Westman Atelier products are also turning a lot of heads these days. I’m intrigued by their cult following and want specifically to try their Lit Up Highlighting Stick and their Vital Skin Foundation Stick. In the summer, I only wear tinted moisturizer, but especially given my breakouts, I have been using foundation more regularly this winter. I have been using Wander Beauty’s Liquid Foundation and am OK with it. It provides good coverage but looks natural. I just don’t love the applicator. I’d been thinking about returning to my Armani classic, but am going to give the Vital Skin Foundation Stick a try next instead.
+California Salt Scalp Scrub. Looking forward to introducing this weekly deep cleanser into my routine.
Post Scripts.
+I don’t formally exercise these days (yikes), but if I did — how great is this new post-workout dry shampoo mist?!
+I keep all my skincare products in our mirrored medicine cabinet, organized in these divided trays.
+This will need to be updated with some of my newest finds, but here is a roundup of all of my favorite cosmetics and here is my daily makeup regimen.
+Love these clear, customizable cosmetics pouches — great for travel, so you can see everything, or if you’re tossing your essentials in your gym bag. I also use these very inexpensive clear pouches (5 for $17) to stow samples and overflow beauty products in a big tupperware bin under my sink. I have a separate pouch for different categories — one for hair, one for travel-sized products, one for skin, one for cosmetics, etc.
+I keep mini sizes of all my beauty must-haves in a Truffle pouch in my everyday bag.
+Pretty spring finds: this flouncey floral mini, these Emilia Wickstead slingbacks (an amazing “something blue” for a bride!), these flower earrings, and this English Factory dress, which gives me major Rhode Resort vibes thanks to the braided belt.
+A perfect dramatic floral for a mama-to-be (or new mom!) at Easter! (And love this floral midi as another Easter Sunday option as well as this pareo by the same brand.)
+Things I use and love every single day.
+Don’t you love the gauzey voluminousness of the chic pea’s top above?! I just cannot get over what Cecilie Bahnsen has done for fashion. Still swooning over items like this burnout floral and this Rita blouse, but thankfully, there are more affordable scores to nail the look, like my jacquard mini (restocked in all sizes!), which I’ll be wearing this weekend to mini’s birthday, this $200 stunner, my $35 organza top, and this flocked statement. You can also score STEALS like this $80 (!!!) Cecilie original from TheRealReal.