my top shelf: winter ‘19
Skincare
_Cleansers
In case you didn’t know, I’m a big fan of not wearing makeup. Please don’t get this confused with a good ole “glow up”, I enjoy shining bright like a traffic cone as much as the next girl, but at my core, I thoroughly enjoy skincare more than makeup. That all said, when I do go to town with makeup, I make sure to get every bit of it off. Mascara, lipstick, eyeliner, blush, bronzer, concealer, foundation—it’s all stuff that’s packaged or bottled with the intention of sitting on a shelf for months, if not years. And for these reasons, I triple cleanse.
STEP 1: Burt’s Bees Makeup Remover Wipes (whichever variety works for you, I opt for the “sensitive cotton extract”) to gently—I repeat, gently—remove what I can see. I think makeup remover wipes get a bad rep because people expect too much from them. They are not meant to cleanse your face in totality! Just a quick wipe down of what you can topically see.
STEP 2: Farmacy Green Clean cleansing balm (just a little bit) to soften my skin and prep it for my last cleanse. I love cleansing balms because they wash off and emulsify into a milky texture that doesn’t strip the moisture barrier.
STEP 3: Kate Somerville Eradikate Daily Cleanser is my “active cleanser” of the moment because I’m (hopefully) exiting a really bad episode of hormonal acne. I say “active cleanser” as my way of saying a cleanser that contains an active ingredient. In this case, it’s sulfur which can tend to dry out the skin but the formula also features honey and oat bran extracts to help soothe the skin.
THE EXTRAS:
Acure Brightening Facial Scrub is not part of my triple-cleanse routine but is my once-a-week physical exfoliant. I love letting it sit for a few minutes while I brush my teeth to let the french clay in the formula draw out impurities.
Biologique Recherche Lait U is my morning cleanser. I swear to god, I think it’s just Lubriderm in a fancy french bottle, but I guess I’m sticking with it.
_Toners
*inhales deeply* Toners can serve many purposes. From plain ole rosewater that balances out the pH of your skin after cleansing to a tingly glycolic acid toner to tighten pores and remove dead skin, if you’re not using a toner, you’re probably missing out. I like my toners to do what a zamboni does to an ice skating rink after an hour of free skate. You catch my drift? That chemmmiiiccaallll exfoliation.
Ole Henriksen Glow2OH Dark Spot Toner is not here to fight my acne or impending breakouts but will bat .400 when it comes to knocking out pigmentation and scarring thanks to highly potent AHA’s (alpha hydroxy acids) glycolic and lactic acid. I’ll only apply this to the areas of my face that need the extra boost.
Biologique Recherche P50W 1970 is the much-loved, tried-and-true, cult-favorite french toner that I succumb to time and time again. Could I solely rely on it? No. Does it enhance the efficacy of my other products? I think so. Will I keep using it to pander to the NYC version of myself that doesn’t exist (yet)? Yes.
Glossier Solution is my ride-or-die toner/exfoliant. Inspired by aforementioned^^ P50, Solution keeps my pores nonexistent, whiteheads/blackheads/breakouts at bay, and is on my shelf regardless of the season. If you haven’t tried it, it’s the tough love your skin needs (and deserves).
_Serums
Serums are to my routine what the mitochondria is to a cell. They’re my powerhouse and workhorse and magician all in one. Determining what you need out of a serum can be hard and if you’re new to serums, I highly recommend this fabulous exposé by Into the Gloss that gives you a quick crash course on three very popular serums to start off with. I look at serums as a way of delivering one very specific treatment directly into the skin. Not like an injection… but kind of like an injection.
Caudalié Anti-Dark Spot Serum is my go-to brightening serum right now. I couldn’t find a Vitamin C serum I loved so I opted for Caudalie’s take on a brightening serum. Its active ingredient is Caudalie’s patented high-tech grape extract “viniferine” and it’s done a terrific job of evening my skin’s tone and texture, as well as lightening up my dark spots. The base of the serum is squalene oil which makes it nice and hydrating for the winter months.
Peter Thomas Roth Retinol Fusion PM is my tried and true retinol serum. Let me first disclaim this by saying I have NOT tried a lot of other retinol serums and this is because PTR’s is a medley of low-percentage retinol AND Vitamins C&E. It’s a lighter-bodied oil that I have to give a minute to sink in but the results are worth it. If you’re a newbie to retinols and are looking for a baby step into anti-aging products, I can’t recommend this enough.
Little Barn Apothecary Carrot Seed + Rosehip Eye Serum is my eye serum (lol)! The ultra nourishing and naturally-occurring Vitamin A in from the rosehip oil combined with the brightening properties of carrot seeds keep my eye area looking tip-top. If you think eye creams are a myth, that’s cool, but maybe try an eye serum? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
_Moisturizers + Oils
I look at moisturizers the same way I look at cleansers. Find one that does the job it claims to do REALLY well. If you’re a face-landscaping pro, exercise moisturizing certain areas of your face more intensely than other areas. For example, I have combo/oily/dry skin so I build my heaviest moisturizers closer to the higher points of my face (cheekbones, cheeks, chin) and leave lighter layers where oil tends to build up and congest (t-zone, forehead). It takes practice but it’s worth learning overtime so that you can get the most mileage out of your moisturizers. If there’s anything I’m lacking right now, it’s that none of my moisturizers are humectants (like hyaluronic acid) which suck in and retain moisture. Most of them are occlusives, which lock in moisture by forming a barrier.
Drunk Elephant Lala Retro Whipped Cream was my go-to moisturizer last winter (in tandem with a hyaluronic acid serum) and made me look like I had glass skin all winter long. I feel a little betrayed by it right now because I can tell the differences between the product I used last year v. what I bought recently for this season. The packaging feels slightly cheaper and the whipped, almost cream cheese schmear-like texture of the product is just a little deflated. I’m putting it here because it’s technically part of my top shelf, but I’m not so sure I’ll be repurchasing it for the future.
Little Barn Apothecary Lavender + Frankincense Original Oil is one of my holy grail face oils. Honest to god, it’s one of the few products that LBA really got right and I owe it to its hemp oil base and the healing properties of frankincense. Great for treating my dark spots but also giving my skin a subtle gleam.
Glossier Futuredew… gah! Why are the majority of my moisturizers semi-problematic?! Here’s the “sitch” on Futuredew: it’s a great product… if you know how and when to use it. It’s truly something that has to fit your a) look and b) routine. I’ve resorted to wearing it at night as the final topcoat to my skincare before I apply makeup. It holds up really nicely under full coverage foundation and gives the skin that highly sought after Glossier glow. Can I also just say that it smells EXACTLY like the bread at Macaroni Grill?
_Toppings!
Not to be confused with frivolous ice cream toppings like sprinkles, the “toppings” of my skincare routine are the final steps that I can’t go without. They’re the maraschino cherries on top of my 1000 calories Sephora points sundae.
Volition Prismatic Luminizing Shield SPF 50 is my “thank god I finally found an SPF I like” SPF. Listen, I was not on the sunscreen train until recent. Like, summer. Yeah. I’m a moron, it’s fine. It really took the most veteran Sephora employee telling me that everything I do (basically all of the listed above) is WORTHLESS without wearing sunscreen. I knew that with SPF, I wanted a topcoat-type of situation that could be my last step and maybe even act as a primer for makeup (or just make me look fine without it) because a lot of SPFs can either look greasy, shiny or chalky depending on the formula. Thank god for Volition. I was nervous at first since it came out of the bottle white, almost iridescent but it blends in smoothly and does everything it promised.
Aquaphor Healing Ointment in the ON THE GO TUBE aka “I Can’t Believe It’s Not Lip Balm!” is to me what windex is to the dad in My Big Fat Greek Wedding. Use a thick layer as a lip mask, a thin layer as a primer for lipstick, put it on zits that you picked one pick too far, put it on burns, put it on EVERYTHING. I love this stuff. It’s magic. Can’t go anywhere without it. 12/10 would recommend.
Caudalie Beauty Elixir is the face mist to end all face mists. I use it to set my makeup and to freshen up midday. There’s almost always a travel-sized bottle on me and a resident big bottle on my vanity. Is it expensive? Yes. Is it worth it? Yes. Do you feel expensive and worth it when you wear it? Absofuckinglutely.
😘