‘Tis the season when the heating is on, and I want to crawl inside a bucket of lotion to soothe my very itchy, dry skin. I have more emollients and lotions than ever, but we also have many, many favorite beauty, nail, and skin products to recommend!
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During the Quarantimes, I started giving myself a weekly manicure, and I’ve gotten pretty good at it. I love seeing the fun colors on my finger tips when I wash my hands for the ninety-eleventh time, and I love some of the nail polishes that fade from one color to another.
My favorite brand is still ILNP, and the color I’m gravitating toward is Abundance, which fades from copper to red to orange, like fall leaves.
I also love Cygnus Loop, which changes color from blue to purple to magenta. My neighbor saw my polish and said her daughters would be obsessed with my “mermaid nails.”
My basecoat of choice was hard to find lately, so I switched and I really like this one a lot!
Probelle basecoat: $9It holds the polish without chips, it doesn’t make my nails peel, and it dries quickly, too.
Elyse recommends this nail strengthener:
Mavala Scientifique K+ Nail Strengthener, $24
You know it’s good if it’s scientifique!
Shana mentioned this product a few months ago, and WOW is it amazing:
“I bought this Fenty Bright Fix Eye Brightener ($25) color-correcting undereye concealer that magically makes me look less tired. It’s pretty much the only makeup I wear now. I use the peach color.”
Sneezy says, “So far I haven’t found a sunscreen my skin likes as much as this one:”
Juice Beauty SPF 30 Oil Free Moisturizer, $23
And for people living in cold snowy places with wind chill trying to scrape your face off, I used to use this balm to keep my nose on: Bum Balm for Baby from Bee23 ($25CAD).
I have dry, eczema and acne prone skin, but I can’t use product heavier than this. I’d only use it in winter (so half the year) when I was in Toronto.
Sarah: I was given a Sephora sample pack for my birthday specifically because it had a tiny sample size of this product: ExfoliKate Exfoliating Treatment from Kate Somerville.
Exfolikate from Kate Somerville, $98 AMZ | Sephora
It smells like a Christmas tree farm, and it goes on for two minutes. I use it once a week by applying a thin layer, then brushing my teeth while it does the magic. And when I rinse it off, holy crap, is my skin soft. It’s astonishing.
The tough part: it is expensive. Frightfully so – but I found a new/sealed one on Poshmark for about $30. PHEW. And I don’t use much each week so one tube will last me awhile. I look forward to my ExfoliKate evening when it rolls around!
Kiki: Krave Beauty Great Barrier Relief “is a go to “fuck I did to much to my face mayday mayday” product.”
KraveBeauty Great Barrier Relief Serum $35 AMZ | $28 KraveBeauty.com
Also this Greek pre and probiotic yogurt facial cleanser from Korres:
Korres Foaming Cleanser $28 Korres.com
Does your face need pre/probiotics? I have no idea, but this is creamy and works up to a great lather so you don’t have to use a ton
Amanda: I’m an oily gal, so I prefer a more water-based moisturizer and love this one: HelloFAB Coconut Water Cream (Ulta $36).
Sarah: I received a sample of the OSEA body oil when they sponsored the podcast, and I’ve since gone back for more of the body oil. It’s amazing.
Osea Undaria Algae Body Oil, $53 (L) | OSEA Malibu.com $48
It is so light and absorbs really quickly, and the scent is mild so I really like it. I use it on my arms and legs nearly every morning to avoid the dry-skin-itchy, but I also use it in the summer because it gives my skin a nice glow. I love this stuff.
And! I just checked: my coupon code from OSEA still works! Get 10% off your entire first order with promo code SARAH at OSEAmalibu.com.
Speaking of dry, my older child is on a course of Accutane and his lips are very chapped from that, from the weather, and from playing trombone, French horn, trumpet, and tuba (not at the same time).
I found this lip balm and it worked wonderfully for him – and I needed some for myself, too:
Dr. Dan’s Cortibalm, 3 for $17
Dr. Dan’s Cortibalm was developed for patients on Accutane, and I adore it. It stays on, and it really helps with bad cases of chapped lips.
Both my son and I use Aquaphor before bed. I think the folks on TikTok call it “slugging.” We put on moisturizer then seal it in with a thin layer (which may not qualify for slug-related usage):
Aquaphor, 20oz for $21According to my purchase history, I bought this tub in 2019, and we are close to running out now. In 2022.
I also bought tiny spatulas like these so we weren’t sticking our fingers into the tub (it holds a LOT).
And in my kitchen, I have a pump-top tub of Vanicream:
Vanicream, 16oz, $14I use it every evening, and it is very, very thick, so if the texture of creams like that is not going to work for you, you might like the Vanicream Lite. After I’m done cooking or washing up, and my hands start to hurt where my skin is very dry, this soothes everything immediately.
As for facial sunscreens, I still swear by Neutrogena Clear Face Sunscreen, SPF 55 and I wear it every single day.
But I also discovered SuperGoop Unseen Sunscreen in a sampler set, and wow, wow is it nice!
Supergoop Unseen Sunscreen SPF 40, $32 AMZ | $36 Sephora
It’s extremely light and worked marvelously when I was on vacation.
My go-to lipstick, on those rare occasions that I want to wear a lipstick, is Maybelline Matte Finish Color Sensational in Touch of Spice:
Maybelline, Touch of Spice, $6
And Amanda swears by Divine Wine if you want Serious Lip Color:
Maybelline, Divine Wine, $10
That is a very dramatic shade but it is fabulous.
Claudia recommends Clinique Black Honey, and Three Custom Color in Simply Beautiful.
“Three Custom Color also has a program that you send them the last remnant of a fave but discontinued lipstick and they recreate it for you!”
Amanda: I treated myself to a Lush Kitchen Subscription Box!
Lush Kitchen Subscription Box, $50
“It’s great for people who love baths and skincare. I get my first box soon after watching so many UK unboxings for years. It just came to the US in September. I think normally US people would have to pay for shipping from the UK.
“There’s also a voting process and around half of the top voted products out of 6ish options will be included and the other 3 or 4 will be a surprise.”
What about you? What beauty products are your absolute favorites? What are you gifting or getting this year?
WOW those ILNP colors!! That’s stocking stuffers for my book club solved 🙂
As someone who has just moved to Malta, I’d love to hear any beauty product recommendations (especially sunscreen or facial products) from any of my fellow EU smart bitches!
I started using Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream a few years ago, after I poured hot soup on both legs, as my skin recovered. Not allowing the new skin to dry out was important, so I spent 5 minutes putting it on 3 times a day. I never thought my skin could be so soft, including my hands and other areas that hadn’t been damaged.
I highly recommend One Love Organics line of skincare products. I particularly love the Botantical B cleansing oil, the Skin Dew coconut water moisturizer and the Gardenia Tea anti-oxidant body serum. And in the winter I live by the “overnight slugging hydration kit”. https://www.oneloveorganics.com/products/overnight-slugging-hydration-kit.
Woman owned + organic + small business with great products = winning combination for me. And at least of today their site still shows a cyber Monday sale with 25% off!
I also love Weleda Skin Food as a very rich hand lotion (you can get it on Amazon).
And the Soap Fairy regular body butter is the best thing I’ve found for when my skin is super-duper dry. It’s from the Lavender Fields at Warrington Manor, which is also a woman-owned small business. https://lavender-fairy.square.site/product/body-butter/1?cs=true&cst=custom. You can order from them as I often do or if you’re lucky enough to be visiting the Eastern Shore of MD/DE you can visit their shop and farm in DE (it’s particularly lovely in June).
@AlliK https://www.ecco-verde.com/ is a skincare website based in Germany but available from everywhere (I think) in Europe. There is a lot of brands on it and you can filter by vegan/plastic free/certificates,etc.
I was in a colder EU country last winter with A LOT of wind and the skin on my face was peeling off non stop so I tried Weleda Skin food and it’s great then discovered Avril Quenching Serum and omg it saved my skin.
It’s a french organic brand that prides itself on offering affordable skincare and they do make-up too (I have only tried a glittery blue-green eye pencil from them and it was really nice quality)
We are huge fans of Cerave cream. It is in the same realm as Vanicream and Cetaphil 🙂
I confirm Weleda products are just great! And Dr. Hauschka (but this is on a bit expensive side). Also The Ordinary skincare products are life changers.
I love Rinse Soap Skin Sticks – solid lotion you can easily take with you https://rinsesoap.com/collections/skin-sticks-solid-lotion
Yet another vote for Weleda Skin Food which is working very well on my intertrigo.
I like the Eucerin Redness Relief line (though it’s harder to find lately for some reason, with the exception of the night creme—I’ve been afraid to try the reformulated day lotion, but it looks like the original may be back) and The Ordinary Azelaic Acid for my rosacea. (Does anyone have experience with the Tower 28 SOS Daily Rescue hypochlorous acid spray? I’ve read articles that it’s a godsend for redness flareups, but, ya know, acid…)
@Dror, thanks so much for the link and the suggestion about Avril Quenching serum! Super helpful!
If you like Native, they also make face wash, moisturizer, and serum. I was inspired to try their face wash since I like their body wash and hair care products. I used their skin brightening face wash and really liked it. They also make it in a sensitive formula and a moisturizing formula. I haven’t tried their serums and moisturizers yet, which they also make in brightening, sensitive, and moisturizing formulas. The face wash I normally use is Cetaphyl, and I have used it for years.