It's nearly impossible to wander the aisles of Sephora without letting one of the store's skin care sets catch your eye. Maybe in the past you've been strong enough to resist the siren call of these curated minis -- but why should you? These skin care sets actually tend to be pretty cost-effective -- and practical. For one, they let you sample the buzziest new launches, without blowing your entire beauty budget, and they can give you a way to tote luxe, carry-on-sized products on your next trip (bonus: they often come in an adorable, travel-ready pouch. Not to mention sets can make a great gift -- so really, when you think about it, it's a win-win-win. So, where to start? Here, 16 skin care sets to check out during your next Sephora trip.
If you're asking yourself (and we're pretty sure you are) what the heck a booster even is, let us enlighten you. The original booster concept came from, where else, Korean beauty. "A skin booster is considered a more powerful, effective toner that allows the rest of your skin care products to absorb better, which enhances the effectiveness of your routine," explains Charlotte Cho, K-beauty expert and founder of SoKo Glam. Their textures are very lightweight and watery, she notes, and generally prime the skin for the rest of your routine. However they can also be used alone to create a brighter, more hydrated visage.
Have you ever heard that you shouldn't pinch pennies when it comes to skin care? That your face is one of your greatest investments? While these statements are based on good intentions, we're here to tell you that price isn't always the best indicator of a quality product. In fact, some of our most treasured skin care products come from the drugstore.
I have a confession to make: I occasionally skip washing my face for days at a time. As someone who writes about beauty for a living, I definitely know better. But after spending eight-plus hours in the office and hitting up the gym or happy hour after work, sometimes my skin care routine just goes out the window when I get home. TBH, I rarely ever wear makeup, so my skin doesn't look all that worse for wear when I steer clear of cleanser. (You could say I'm #blessed.)
You might have noticed recently that many of your favorite skin-care brands have been releasing foam versions of their classic cleansers. Consider it an extension of the latest trend that's turning all of your favorite beauty products into bubbly mousses (sunscreen, body wash ... even dry shampoo). Besides being fun, foam cleansers are great multitaskers. They do killer job of removing makeup while cleansing, exfoliating, toning and hydrating your face.
Hyaluronic acid is a common skin care ingredient. It's in cosmetic products you might find over the counter -- and hyaluronic acid is the primary ingredient in some facial injectable fillers, like Restylane.1 So why all the hype?
If you've never had a chemical peel, you might imagine it would make your skin look like beef carpaccio a la Samantha in "Sex and the City." But the truth is, chemical peels have come a long way in the last 15 years. "You used to have redness for three to four weeks," says Los Angeles Facial Plastic Surgeon Taylor Pollei, MD, of Lasky Skin Center. Now, thanks to buffering ingredients and customizable treatments, there's minimal downtime. "Even though you're peeling, exfoliating, and flaking... you can still get out and about and do your thing. That's different from the peels I used in the past," he says.
Even if you bathed in SPF all summer, you probably now have a few more freckles than you did back in May. All the lotions, hats and umbrellas in the world can't seem to keep them at bay completely. But that doesn't mean you have to sit back and let them take up permanent residence on your face.
Once upon a time, in a land far, far away, a fountain of youth overflowed abundantly — bubbling out refreshing sips of anti-aging magic. One gulp or quick splash filled in lines and wrinkles, lifted saggy bits, de-puffed eyes, evened out skin tones and textures and reversed sun damage.
Get this: the secret to anti-aging was discovered more than 80 years ago. Practically every dermatologist recommends it, and you probably already have it in your medicine cabinet. Yes, we're talking about retinol.
By now, you've probably heard of Skin Laundry. Even if you don't live near one of the 18 locations in California, New York, Arizona, Hong Kong or London, you've probably heard of or tried one of the brand's skin-care products -- I'm partial to the Skin Laundry Hydrating Facial Sheet Mask, $10, and super gentle Skin Laundry Purifying Cleansing Cloths, $15, myself.
Acne spot treatments are so last year. The current blemish-busting craze? Stick-on acne dots, which typically fall into one of two camps, says Joshua Zeichner, M.D., assistant clinical professor of dermatology at Mount Sinai Hospital in NYC. Many of these acne stickers are essentially hydrocolloid bandages -- adhesive, gel-based dressings that absorb excess fluid (in this case, pus and oil) while also keeping the skin hydrated. "Hydrocolloid bandages have long been used to promote wound healing, and they have a similar effect on pimples, reducing inflammation, swelling, and speeding the healing process," explains Zeichner.
Dame Helen Mirren recently made headlines when she graced the cover of Allure's September issue at 72 alongside the words "The End of Anti Aging." Soon after, the magazine announced that it will be banning the term "anti-aging" from its pages. It's a move Mirren herself advocated for when working with L'Oreal. She explained to Allure that she told the brand, "This word "anti-aging" -- we know we're getting older. You just want to look and feel as great as you can on a daily basis."
If you've logged onto your Facebook account at all recently, chances are you've seen someone you're friends with selling Rodan + Fields skin care products. The uber-popular line was founded in 2002 by two ladies who know their stuff: Dr. Katie Rodan and Dr. Kathy Fields, both Stanford-trained derms. While Rodan + Fields started out as a department store brand, it's now sold by independent consultants across the country (hence why you see so many of your peeps hawking it on social media). But are any of the R + F products really worth the hype bestowed by motivated sellers? Turns out, a lot of Total Beauty readers love their stuff. Find out which Rodan + Fields products Total Beauty readers love the most before making your decision. (You can also check out all Rodan + Fields product reviews here.)
You already know the importance of incorporating greens into your daily diet -- everything from kale and spinach to seaweed and celery plays a key role in providing your body with the vitamins, minerals and antioxidants it needs to function at top-notch. But your internal body isn't the only part craving these essential nutrients -- your external body needs some love too.
Hygge: It's the Danish term for the feeling of warmth, comfort and coziness (and it's pronounced hoo-gah, by the way). It's the contentedness you feel when your house is full of family and good food for the holidays, or the peace you feel sitting on a patio as you watch the sun set with a glass of wine in hand. It's a concept that has taken the wellness world by storm, and now it's seeping into skin care. After all, what makes you feel more content and comfortable than having a great skin day, every day? And, there is no one better to help you get your hygge on than Danish skin-care expert Ole Henriksen.
We all love Lush bath bombs, but we're also well-acquainted with the fact that they can get expensive -- which is where DIY comes in, of course. It turns out that it's actually pretty easy to make your own bath bombs -- most are made with baking soda and citric acid (which is what makes it so satisfyingly fizzy) and not much more. Plus, with dozens of aromatic essential oils to choose from (not to mention fun add-ons, like cosmetic grade glitter and dried flowers), there's a ton of room for customization. That said, you can basically create the DIY bath bomb of your dreams with a little practice... and once you've perfected it, you can start gifting it to all your friends.
While you're probably pretty conscious about the foods that you're putting into your body -- from checking for refined sugars to added GMOs -- what about the products you're putting on your body? Annie Jackson, the COO of Credo Beauty, the mecca of clean beauty products, says it's important to understand the ripe benefits of fruits, nuts, oils and vegetables as powerhouse beauty treatments. But just like you might prefer one black eyeliner over another, certain freshly-picked garden all-stars offer a variety of qualities and benefits. "Certain foods have tremendous benefits for your skin, and the most wonderful part about them is that they have proven health benefits documented back hundreds of years," Jackson explains.