Gift Guide 2023: Beauty Items!

Amanda did an edition of the gift guide and talked all about manicure supplies, nail polishes, and more. In this edition, we’re going to talk about beauty products we love, from the drugstore faves to the higher end splurges. After all, ’tis the season when the heating is on, and I want to crawl into a tub of lotion and hide until I am hydrated.

NB: some of these links are affiliate-coded, which means a portion of your purchase comes back to us at no extra cost. Our affiliate sales are one of the revenue streams that keep the hot pink lights on in the hot pink palace, so shopping through our links is much appreciated!

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In developing news, my skincare routine now has four (4!) (so many!) steps before bed. I used to get cranky about more than two, but here I am with four. I know there are videos where people have a 36 or 72 step process that can be influenced by time of day, humidity, temperature, position of the moon, but that’s too much for me.

Much like buying a shirt, where my requirements are one, do my boobs fit and two, is it machine washable, I want my skincare routine to not make my face hurt or make me break out, but I do want it to get rid of that tight, dry feeling. Moisture without acne!

So here are the four products in my bedtime routine, and three of them are wonderfully cheap and very effective.

First: Good Molecules Retinol Night Oil

Good Molecules Retinol Night Oil, $12

Then: Good Molecules Hyaluronic Acid Serum

Good Molecules Hyaluronic Acid Serum, $6-12

I was recently made aware that I am definitely retinol years old now, and have been hyaluronic acid years old for awhile, but missed the memo on both. WOW. I fully understand the hype. The retinol is for nighttime use, and is suspended in a plum oil, which has a really nice fragrance that I now associate with bedtime.

The hyaluronic I apply morning and night, and it’s lovely. At first I thought it was really gooey, but I figured out how much to use so I don’t feel all slimy. And it dries very quickly.

I still use the Dr. Alkaitis face oil, which always makes me pause at the price, but which also works perfectly to hydrate my face when it feels all tight and unhappy but never gives me acne. I buy one bottle a year and use it twice a day. A tiny amount works for my face and neck, so the bottle lasts.

Dr. Alkaitis Organic Nourishing Treatment Oil, $92

And honestly, if you’d told me in my twenties, when I was doing two courses of Accutane to get rid of my acne, that someday I’d be putting not one but TWO oils on my face ON PURPOSE, I’d have laughed. A lot.

And as always: sunscreen.

Neutrogena Clear Face SPF 50, $11

I use Neutrogena SPF 50 Clear Face every day on my face and neck. One of my teenagers likes it a lot, too, so he has his own bottle.

Amanda: I love the Futurewise “slugging” system. I do it a couple times a month.

It’s a three step system – spray, cream, balm.

Futurewise Slug Boost Hydrating Mist,$25Futurewise Slug Cream Barrier Repair, $25Futurewise Slug Balm, $25

I also keep the spray and cream in a skincare fridge.

Sarah: So you have a fridge for your food, and a fridge for your beers, and a fridge for your skincare? That’s freaking awesome.

Amanda: It’s in my bathroom on a little rolling island against the wall.

 

Cooluli Mini Fridge, $70

Tara: I’m a big fan of the Retinal + Niacinamide Youth Serum from Youth to the People. I’m also a big fan of their Superberry Hydrate + Glow Dream Night Cream + Mask with Vitamin C.

Retinal + Niacinamide Youth Serum, $23 or $69

 

Superberry Hydrate + Glow Dream Mask, $18 or $52

I’ve had such a good experience with their stuff that I just ordered their vitamin c serum and their triple peptide serum.

I don’t think I’ll shift my daytime moisturizer to them (Cerave baybeeeeee) or my face sunscreen (Neutrogena), but I’m very curious to see how these two go.

Sarah: I think the three powerhouse moisturizers in my house right now are Cerave, plus a big tub of Vanicream in the kitchen.

Vanicream, $13

And in the bathroom, a giant tub of Aquaphor, which might have lasted us more than a year.

Aquaphor, $19

I even bought little spatulas to scoop it out with so we don’t stick our fingers in the tub and make it all dirty.

Oh – and one more drugstore brand: I switched my morning face cleanser to the La Roche Posay Hydrating Gentle Face Wash.

La Roche-Posay Hydrating Cleanser, $17

I’ve also found store brand duplicates for this face wash at both CVS and Walgreens that are often buy-one-get-one and work just as well as the name brand.

I’m still working through the original tube of ExfoliKate Exfoliating Treatment from Kate Somerville that I wrote about last November.

Exfolikate from Kate Somerville, $98 AMZ | Sephora

It smells like a Christmas tree farm, and it goes on for two minutes. I apply  a thin layer, then brush 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. That one tube is still going strong, and I use it about every two or three weeks. I look forward to my ExfoliKate evening when it rolls around!

This is still my favorite lip balm, and I have tubes of it stashed all over the house. Dr. Dan’s Cortibalm, 3 for $17

Dr. Dan’s Cortibalm was developed for patients on Accutane, and I adore it. I found it after my older son was on Accutane (hereditary acne, yay) and now it’s all I want to use. It stays on, and it really helps with bad cases of chapped lips.

Sneezy: I’ve been really loving the 30 Miracle Cream by Some By Mi.

Some By Mi 30 Days Miracle Cream, $14

It smells has a light ‘green’ smell (closer to cucumbers than grass) which makes sense because of all the centella in it, and I really like it. It’s super light weight and works really well for my combo skin. I really appreciate that, because I’m dry and oily, and it’s been a struggle finding a moisturizer that works for all parts of my face.

My face seems to have broken up with the toner I’ve been using, so I’ve just been using this on its own and it’s been great! I’m moisturized where I need it, and the oily patches don’t just like it, they have been producing less oil too!

The price isn’t intimidating, so most people with sensitive skin on the market for a new moisturizer can def give this a try. (For the record my skin is very VERY melodramatic. So many things sets it off.)

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You can see some of the products in the collection from our 2022 Beauty Gift Guide, some of which are re-appearing this year because they’re so fabulous.

What about you? What beauty products are your absolute favorites? What are you gifting or getting this year?