HERE WE ARE, HOME

“Men often complain of the wickedness of women. Of how we delight in what power we have over their hearts. But they reign over everything else so, of course, they grudge us this, should we ever come to rule over this thing the size of their fist. I had to restrain in myself the urge to laugh at him, at the idea that he loved me, that he truly loved me.”

Nobody tagged me in the fave products of 2015 post but I’m a nosy asshole so here are my faves anyway. This noticeably doesn’t include any makeup, really, or perfumes, because I don’t really have any favorites on either front.

Hourglass’s N*28 Primer

Best moisturizer of 2015 is belif’s aqua bomb.

The IOPE Air Cushion is my favorite base makeup and I’m mad at myself for not using it sooner. 

Most of you probably know how much I love this Acure mask. It’s still my favorite clay mask discovery of 2015. 

Thought I’d put together a list of super affordable skincare products - I’m not usually into very expensive products anyway but I wanted to show you that you can get a really good, extensive routine for less than you pay for an impulse purchase at Sephora. All of these products are less than $20. You should be able to get (most of) them at your local drugstores or Target etc, as well. 

Cerave Foaming Cleanser ($10) is a good choice because of the pH (it’s really close to the natural pH balance of your skin – you don’t want cleansers that are too harsh, which is the cause of a lot of trouble for most people ignorant to what they’re putting on their face). A cleanser that is way too acidic is going to exacerbate your acne and hyperpigmentation etc. This won’t, plus it’s $10 and you get a lot of it. If you want it to go even further, I suggest getting a foaming net. Foaming nets are super fun and foam up your product even more so you end up using much less of it over time and are more gentle with application. 

I’m a big fan of double cleansing so that cleanser wouldn’t be enough for me. Remove your makeup before cleansing – the Simple Micellar Water is perfectly wonderful for that, and it’s only $6. 

CosRX AHA/BHA Clarifying Treatment Toner ($15) is my current favorite toner and daily exfoliant treatment. I find gradual chemical exfoliators so much more effective than a deep physical scrub. I used to use (and still love) the Paula’s Choice AHA/BHA products, but they are considerably more expensive. These work just as well if not better. 

Of course my all-time fav exfoliant product is $20 on Amazon and is more of a weekly treatment option – though if you use this toner you might need to use it even less. 

You might not have a serum in your routine already but I find that they make a noticable difference. I think the Estee Lauder ones are great marketing for a mediocre product – you don’t need to spend $100 on a serum. This Mizon Snail Repair Ampoule is $11, and it’s good for acne prone skin and dry skin. The Hyaluronic Acid Ampoule is a good option for extremely dry skin and it’s around the same price. 

For moisturizers at a drugstore price point, Neutrogena’s Hydroboost ($16) is my pick and I use it in revolution with my belif. aqua bomb, which is more than twice the price. I do think the aqua bomb is better, but the Neutrogena one is a good alternative. Don’t bother getting the travel sized version of the belif stuff instead, the ratio to price is a ripoff. You’d be better off saving up. 

In the shower, and often on the mornings I don’t shower, I use a gentle gel-type cleanser, like Cetaphil (available at drugstores, also used by a lot of dermatologists) or this new one from Cosrx (a brand I discovered last year that does wonders for struggling skin; I buy it on Amazon). If I didn’t wash off my makeup (worst, but happens) or if I haven’t been exfoliating or if for some other reason my skin feels rough, I’ll give it an extra, literal scrub. Physical scrubs are rougher and not as effective as chemical ones, though also more satisfying, so I’ve split the difference with this brightening peeling gel from Tony Moly (bought on Amazon), which has chemical ingredients and a physical effect that amounts to, like, lint-rolling your skin. If my face is breaking out in a way that surface exfoliation won’t help, I put MUAC’s 25% or even 40% mandelic acid (bought on the Makeup Artist’s Choice site) on cleansed and dried skin under a charcoal-flavoured sheet mask (I like Dermal Korea, bought in Chinatown), and I leave the mask and acid on for minimum half an hour, max an hour. (Once I did this overnight, the night after no sleep and a plane flight had made my face feel like an ant’s nest, and I woke up as close to transformed as I’ll ever be by two simple products.) I also like a charcoal clay-type mask in the mornings, but Boscia’s is a scam and Origins is too expensive for how quickly you go through it, while Clinique’s is the same $ as Origins but lasts months (bought at Clinique, available at drugstores and Sephora). Clinique’s Moisture Surge mask is meant to be done overnight, but like most night formulations, all that means is you’re supposed to leave it on for a few hours and not add makeup (makeup doesn’t wear well over thick creams or gel-creams anyway). I got it because in the house where I’m staying, which is also where I took these pictures, the air is excessively dry. For a winter-level but still light-enough-to-be-daily moisturizing cream, my favourite is Cerave (available at drugstores).

At night, if I’m wearing a full face of makeup and still in possession of half a brain, I’ll remember to use heaven’s own cleansing balm, Clinique’s Take The Day Off (bought on Amazon, where it was cheaper than at Sephora). I smear it all over, then splash on water, then massage without rinsing, then take twice the recommended dose of this cocaine-expensive “classic rice enzyme powder” by Tatcha and massage it in ’til it forms a fine, fine, very fine physical scrub, then rinse and rinse dry. This is called a double cleanse and doing it makes you feel as good as god. Buying Tatcha does not, however, even when it’s a travel size like this (bought at Sephora in the checkout line), so I’m looking for a knock-off, and if I can’t find one I’ll make my own alternative with storebought rice enzyme and pearl powders. Other nights I just use wipes, although the ones my skin tolerates best (Simple Micellar, available at drugstores) are never wet enough, and the ones that are wet enough, my skin likes less (Pond’s, also available at drugstores).

Morning and night, I spritz this Cosrx AHA/BHA toner (bought on Amazon) and pat in Clinique’s Even Better essence (bought at Sephora), which is expensive but not as essences go. If I have time and inclination in the morning, when my skin is no longer wet but a bit damp and tacky, I pat in either a BHA exfoliant (not pictured as I juuust ran out of it, but either Paula’s Choice or Cosrx, both on Amazon) or a Vitamin C serum with hyaluronic acid (this one is from Amara Organics, bought on Amazon), depending on whether my skin needs more exfoliation or more moisture, then wait 20 minutes before putting on moisturizer and sunscreen. If I’m in a rush I’ll skip the last part, moisturize and sun-protect right away (usually with Neutrogena Clear Face, sometimes if I’m pale with Jergens, uh, “Natural Glow”), and do my makeup immediately. I put Weleda’s Skin Food around my eyes and lips for occlusive shine, but also to make it easy, with that greasy layer beneath, to wipe off any eye or lip makeup mistakes. I like mixing a light moisturizer with a few different drops of heavy foundation(s) and/or concealer(s) for my own custom tint, and Embryolisse works excellently for that, but the fragrance makes my skin itch, whereas Weleda’s Wild Rose doesn’t and works almost as well—though I suspect I still react to it slightly, so next I’m trying a Palmer’s Cocoa moisturizer, something with a bit of SPF and no fragrance, which I bought at the grocery store in the town where I’m staying. 

If I get a reaction to a cosmetic, or to alcohol, or if I over-exfoliate (which is rare, as my tolerance for exfoliation is naturally quite high), or if I stay up all night and become dermatillomaniacal (which is not rare), I’ll do toner, essence, serum, moisture, then a layer of the freakily calmative A-Derma Dermalibour cream, which is mostly zinc oxide and occlusives (bought on Amazon). Lately at night, maybe two or three times a week, I’ve been doing a thin layer of MUAC 0.3% retinol (bought on the MUAC site) under a thick layer of Palmer’s Cocoa night cream (bought at the drugstore), which also has retinol, and makes the whole room smell like a rotten cake. Somehow this works, provided I actually sleep.

St. Louis and Chartres - 1900