Skincare At 66.5, Or, Saturday Morning at 8:45am

Some can’t resist new shoes. Some collect lipsticks, small coral tubes of cheer in a drawer. Me, skincare. Love it. I am made nearly unruly by Sephora’s “Bazaar,” for example, that program whereby if you sign up and buy stuff they give you more stuff.

Since at the moment I’m quite happy with the products on my bathroom countertop, I thought I might share them with you. No, I don’t put them away. They make me happy, why would I?

Cleaning

Both Sue at Une Femme and Alison at Wardrobe Oxygen recommend Colleen Rothschild’s Cleansing Balm, so I tried it. What a joy (shipping is very slow, but it does arrive eventually). Smells delicious, and, true benefit, you don’t have to rinse it all the way off, just wipe with a damp washcloth. CR includes the washcloth. I hate rinsing. (But their moisturizer, also recommended by others, made me break out. This is a theme of today, prepare yourself.)

This is great for taking off makeup and sunscreen. I hate sunscreen too, but still wear it if I’m under the sky for more than 10 minutes at a time (to be precise, I use the Cicapair Color Correcting Treatment. Green in the jar, even tone and SPF30 for the skin.) When I wash my face in the shower, which I do, don’t @ me as I used to say on Twitter, I use Saipua’s olive oil soap.

This black one is my favorite but they have a whole bunch of other amazing scents–and one unscented. If you spend $100 (makes a great Christmas present) they will include a cool wave-shaped soap dish for free.

Everything Else

Seruming

Here I opt for inexpensive, single-ingredient products.

My skin veers crepey, as opposed to leather. I still remember the woman on the Santa Monica beach, about my age, whose skin was so tanned my 9-year old self could not stop staring. I don’t get many fine lines, but my cheeks slide inexorable toward my mouth, creating the skin dunes commonly known as jowls. Peptides, I’ve found, have the most impact. I use The Ordinary. For retinol, Sephora’s store brand. I should get prescription retinoids, probably, but I just haven’t. Feel free to @ me. Oh, and I might throw in some extra hyaluronic acid now and then, because it’s the garlic of skincare.

Moisturizing

Until my daughter gave me the Tatcha Indigo for Christmas, I didn’t much like moisturizer, because it always made me break out. I’ve changed my mind. This is gorgeous and light and makes my skin super soft. I use it at night, with the Laneige lip mask, also a present from my daughter. The circle of life. In the daytime I use the Dr. Jart gel, because it really does quiet redness and sensitivity, along with eye cream in a pump that doesn’t make my eyes dry out.  (P.S. I also love Brian+MW’s lip treatment but it’s pricey so I wait for sales.)

Skincare, so romantic.

Correcting

I have some Drunk Elephant Babyfacial peel, which I use occasionally, but in the end I find that good old-fashioned drugstore variety benzoyl peroxide is the best thing for breakouts, and whatever those bumps are that rise and fall with some mysterious force I can’t explain.

And, Believe It Or Not, A Skinpliance (Skin Appliance, Get It?)

I sort of want to call this little beeping machine balderdash, but, although I haven’t done a controlled test, haven’t kept data per se, anecdotally in those times when I make time to use it, the NuFace helps with my crepe. Might just be all the extra hyaluronic acid you apply before you roll it up your aging face, wait, I mean I and mine, but in any case I enjoy myself in the mirror after use.

And there we have it.

I hope your weekend is absolutely beautiful.

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