Sarah Creal pHLip Liner + Other August Beauty Obsessions.

As a prelude to this post on beauty: Goop gave us early access to their labor day sale here! It officially opens tomorrow but you can get 30% off NOW with code goopvip. A great time to snag my long-time favorite cream blush (start with Afterglow — trust me, the best; blends like a dream and gives you a flushed-from-within look), their ultra-potent vitamin c (excellent), and their facial-in-two-minutes product, which I always keep on hand (always have a back up for my back up too). The sale also includes their insanely high quality knitwear. This slim belted cardigan is a longtime wardrobe favorite of mine. It is ultra-elegant, goes with everything, and wears like luxury personified. Get it in the oat. It is lightweight enough to wear year-round and has these overlong ribbed cuffs that give it real personality. It’s the kind of thing you can throw on over a tank top and pajama pants and feel like…well, Gwyneth herself.

Now onto some new beauty!

So many great beauty discoveries the past few weeks, starting with Sarah Creal’s new magical pHLip liner — it goes on clear and then adjusts to perfectly match the shade of your lips based on your body’s pH. I am OBSESSED. It gives your lips a much fuller and more defined look. I feel like as I’ve gotten older my natural lip color doesn’t seem as bright? (Has anyone else noticed this?). I really feel like I need lip color/balm every day so I don’t look washed out. This is such a great tool because you don’t need to be super precise with it and it just makes your lips look fantastic with minimal effort. I like to top with a lip color (this is my current obsession in the “Andie” color) but you could absolutely line and fill with this and your lips would look amazing.

These and a few other magical new discoveries below —

CYKLAR BODY WASH + LOTION // YSE BEAUTY SET // TONING PADS // SARAH CREAL LIP LINER // RHODE HIGHLIGHTING MILK

01. I’ve been a longtime fan of Rhode’s glazing milk, but this new highlight milk is next level good. It not only primes the skin like the glazing milk (making a perfect layer / canvas before applying makeup) but adds a gorgeous amount of glow. I like to apply my skincare in the morning, then go about getting the kids ready, having breakfast, etc, and then apply this as the first step before applying makeup. I’ve also been using it to brush on clavicle/shoulders when wearing a sleeveless dress for a little extra shine.

02. This YSE Beauty duo has been my other late-summer obsession. (Use code JEN15 for 15% off.) I apply them one after the other and skin is bright, glowy, plump, color-corrected/evened out, and protected from the sun! I was sold on this when Instagram served up a reel of a gorgeous influencer was getting ready to take her toddler to the playground and applied just these two products — using her hands to apply, no brush and no fuss — for the brightest, glowiest skin. I immediately ordered! The skinglow is an alternate to the RMS SuperNatural SPF Skintint. I absolutely love both and find them really fantastic products for when you’re low on time and just need to apply something by hand and run out the door. Both offer a little glow/tint plus SPF and other good stuff for the skin. The YSE formula is a little lighter/more fluid and maybe a hair more tinted. The RMS is a thicker and more glow-forward.

03. Broken record here, but I use this LED mask every morning. I’m such a believer and even have Landon hooked on it! (Use code JEN10 for 10% off.). The other morning tool I use as needed is this depuffing wand. I find it really helps after a night of low sleep, too much salt, an extra glass of wine, etc. I love the way it feels pressed against the sinuses when I’m congested, too.

04. I’m addicted to Cyklar’s body cream and body wash. I genuinely look forward to showering when I think about applying these products. The scent is divine and they are fantastic formulas — rich, luxurious, hydrating, packed with skincare-grade ingredients! Cannot speak highly enough about these products. I think they are vastly undervaluing their quality relative to price. I’d pay 2x as much for these items!

05. Mentioned this recently, but I’m a new convert to (and fan of) Ogee’s contour, blush, and bronzing sticks. They come in the best colors (over 20 different shades in their contour sticks, which are somewhere between a foundation and a concealer), are packed with good ingredients (they describe themselves as “88% skincare and 12% makeup”), and I really like how forgiving they are to apply for those of us who consider ourselves novices in makeup application. I recently snagged this set after watching this makeup tutorial video!

06. I love the unexpected honey-to-milk consistency of this face wash. Leaves skin super clean and is strangely appealing to apply, with a good lather once on the face. A great experience. I try not to be too fussy or specific about my face washes since they are on my skin for such a short period but I do have to say I genuinely look forward to using this cleanser int he evening.

07. Have been testing this liplift bioserum. I notice my lips feel slightly tingly after and look definitively fuller. It’s meant to fill in lines, boost color, and hydrate deeply. (Again with the color revival note — this must be part of aging?)

08. I exfoliate every other night; these toning pads have been a favorite. The skin tingles a bit in a way that shows you its working. Exfoliation was one of my aesthetician’s top three recs for great skincare in your 40s (this, plus retinol and a red light mask!)

09. When my skin is feeling ultra-parched, I adore this cream (JEN20 for 20% off). It feels like heaven and deeply, deeply hydrates skin.

10. Skin-barrier restoring lip balm. There’s been a lot of lip product talk here, but this is my go-to first thing in the morning and last thing before bed. Deeply, deeply hydrating. I discovered this while preparing for the overnight flight to London. It was a life saver then and I’m now hooked!

11. I get so many compliments on this lip stick in “Andie”! Both my mother and two girlfriends asked me about it. Super pretty on and a great satin finish consistency.

12. Plumping under-eye serum. My current eye cream. I love the cooling applicator and feel like it really firms up and hydrates the eye area.

P.S. Fall nanotrend: fringe + tassel.

P.P.S. A literary fall wardrobe.

P.P.P.S. What are your friday evening rituals.

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