Ever since I can remember, I've been getting acne all over my face. I'd wake up to head to school, dust on some BareMinerals powder to "cover" my imperfections, then spend the rest of the school day avoiding eye contact with literally everyone.
It's time for you to get acquainted with oxygen masks (no, not the kind on airplanes), aka bubble masks. You apply them to your face while they're in a sheet mask, cream, or gel state, and they snap, crackle, pop into a foaming masterpiece that gives your skin a boost of anti-aging oxygen. Consider these masks CPR for dull, tired and aging skin.
Here's an all-too familiar scenario: Every morning you cleanse, prime and mattify your skin to pore-less, oil-free perfection. But by the time you walk through your office doors, you need another dab of powder — and by midday, it looks like you've slathered a layer of Crisco on your face. What gives?
Pumpkin spice lattes. Autumn's colorful leaves. Halloween. This season ushers in a slew of delights, and with them comes a brand new slate of beauty products to covet. Whether you choose the ultra-hydrating serum, the perk-you-up body oil, or the purifying mask straight from one of the biggest celebrities of all time, there's truly something for everyone. Stock up now and ensure that your October is all treats, no tricks.
Finding new skin care products can be tough, but you know what makes the process a whole lot easier? Well, online shopping, of course. And, luckily for us all, Amazon happens to offer quite a few great finds where great skin care is concerned -- finds worthy of your favorite It girl's beauty shelf, in fact.
In a world where beauty brands come and go, Mary Kay is pretty much the O.G. on the block. Founded in 1963, the company not only has a long heritage of promoting female entrepreneurship (remember your mom going to Mary Kay parties?), but also of constantly developing innovative new products. Case in point: They've been granted more than 1,300 patents, with 130 in 2016 alone. We're talking big-time developments in ingredients and technology that make the latest Mary Kay finds way different from what your mom -- heck, maybe even your grandma -- was buying. From a whole new take on Vitamin C to the ultimate do-it-all night cream, check out the 11 Mary Kay standouts you should definitely get your hands on.
There's no sugar-coating it: Clogged pores are the worst. Whether you're talking about blackheads, whiteheads, or full-on pimples, it's never a pretty situation. Adding insult to injury, preventing blockages is no simple feat. While there are certain ingredients that are more likely to clog pores than others (if you want to get technical, these ingredients are called 'comedogenic'), there are multiple other factors to consider, points out Emily Arch, M.D., a dermatologist at Dermatology + Aesthetics of Wicker Park in Chicago. "It really depends not only on the ingredient, but also its concentration, how it's been processed, what other ingredients are in the product and your skin type," she says.
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.
