March 15, 2019
Breaking Glossier news, a dry-shampoo alternative that buys you an extra day, a new way to get your adaptogens, La Prairie's incredible essence and Clinique flashback.
And the biggest beauty news of the week is…
There’s no denying that the digital-native brand Glossier shook up the beauty industry with a whole new (and wildly successful) approach to getting their goods in the hands of just about all of us. The Internet collectively freaks out whenever a new product drops—and this week saw beauty pandemonium of an entirely new level with the launch of a sister brand, Glossier Play.
See, Glossier started with a focus on skincare basics and no-makeup makeup—but we all want to have a little fun with color on occasion, right? That’s where Glossier Play and its tightly edited range of eyeliner, lip lacquer, highlighter, glitter gel, pencil sharpener and glitter-gel application tool come in.
With perfectly on-trend colors and formulas, as well as an easy-on-the-wallet price point, anyone who’s ever experienced the joy of receiving a Glossier package (with stickers and their signature pink bubble-wrap bag) should definitely check these products out!
This product helps me go one more day without washing my hair
I spend a good chunk of my day reading up on the latest beauty news, product launches and (of course) tips and hacks—and I’d say there’s usually one or two stories about how to deal with dirty hair every week. The advice is usually pretty much the same (other than the recommended products), and it goes something like this:
Day 1: Enjoy your squeaky-clean strands
Day 2: Bust out the dry shampoo
Day 3: Dry shampoo if you can, pull hair into a ponytail or bun if you can’t
Day 4: Get creative with a scarf or hat—or just wash it already!
See, this “schedule” doesn’t work for me for two reasons. 1. I don’t have enough hair to pull my hair back without it looking like I’m getting ready to wash my face. (Half-up half-down is even a stretch—and this doesn’t address the back.) 2. I intentionally stick to foils for highlighting my hair (i.e. no base color to lift my natural brown) because I like a rooty look—and when my hair is dirty, there’s even more contrast between the brown and blonde. Slicking this situation back when I’m due for a color is not a pretty picture. (This is one reason I actually like a dry shampoo that leaves a bit of white residue, but I digress…)
I’ve tried a handful of dry shampoo foams, but never really fell in love with any of them because they tend to make my hair fall flat and feel even greasier. But then I tried Unwash’s Volumizing Foam Cleanser—and I just bought myself an extra day before I finally succumb to the real shampoo.
This game-changing product is also beyond easy to use. I put a palm-full in my hand, flip my head over and massage it into my roots all over my head. Once I’m done, I stand up and allow it to dry without touching it—at all. Yes, I look like a crazy person while emptying the dishwasher or folding a load of laundry but being made fun of by my husband and/or son is well worth it. Once I’m ready to get back to my hair, I just rake my fingers through it to create some semblance of a style and that’s it. The texture is amazing, and you should totally try this fabulous foam even if you do have enough length for a ponytail or a bun because it will probably give your hair enough grip to maintain a pulled-back style through Day 5.
This fun brand makes it so easy to enhance your wellness (and your skin)
I’d say I fall somewhere in the middle of the supplement spectrum… I’m usually incorporating some capsule or powder into my daily routine, but I’m hardly one of those who can’t get by without their daily adaptogen dose. But when I come across a unique way to give my body an extra superfood-boost, I’m all for trying it—and that’s what happened when I learned about Four Sigmatic. (And by the way, their cheeky copy and creative packaging is amongst the best I’ve seen in quite some time.)
When I was offered a chance to try a few of the latest and greatest from this mushroom-based, adaptogen-packed wellness brand, the first thing that caught my eye were the instant coffees. I figured these would be the easiest way to get my caffeine fix along with some extra benefits. The “Create” Mushroom Coffee Mix with Lion’s Mane and Chaga tastes just like the usual java I make at home, but I get the cognitive-enhancing effects of Lion’s Mane mushrooms, immunity-boosting Chaga mushrooms and rhodiola to support concentration and memory.
I’ve also been sipping on the Adaptogen Coffee Mix, and I really enjoy the subtle cinnamon kick. I’m also down with the mood-, digestion- and energy-balancing benefits of tulsi, along with ashwagandha (which I’ll never learn how to spell off the top of my head) to fight stress and fatigue. This blend also features eleuthero (Siberian ginseng) for stamina, endurance and overall well-being. One cup and I’m ready to tackle whatever may be next on my never-ending to-do list.
My Four Sigmatic package also included two other new products—the Superfood Serum and Mushroom Face Mask & Tonic—which I initially assumed were strictly skincare products. When I ultimately sat down to take a closer look, let’s just say my mind was blown. Yes, these products are designed to treat your skin to the benefits of magical mushrooms and more—BUT YOU CAN INGEST THEM, TOO. Yup, after you pat the hydrating serum’s blend of nutrient-packed oils onto your face, you can put four drops in your mouth. To use the powder-based face mask, simply mix with water, slap it on and give it 10 to 15 minutes to dry. While you’re waiting, fire up the kettle, mix with water and enjoy a warm, detoxifying drink. Talk about multitasking products!
To say that I’m obsessed with these offerings that have me covered inside and out is an understatement. Maybe I am becoming one of those “wellness supplement” people…
This extra skincare step has made a MAJOR difference
You’ve probably realized by now that I use a lot of products, and trust me, it takes a bit of planning and effort to squeeze everything in. My mid-day, post-workout mini-regimen has opened up a few more “slots” for products I may not use in the morning and evening, but I still have a queue of lotions and potions patiently waiting to get worked into the rotation.
In a nutshell, my basic morning routine goes a bit like this:
Cleanse with my FOREO Luna
Vitamin C
Treatment Serum
Moisturizer
Sunscreen
At night, my skincare sequence always includes these steps:
Cleanse with a balm or oil
Cleanse with a foamier wash and my FOREO Luna
Micellar water
Prescriptions (clindamycin and a retinoid)
Treatment serum
Facial oil and/or moisturizer
Keep in mind these are just the essentials, and I’m always working in a few extra steps here and there. But as of last month, a new product wormed its way into my routine, and I now use it religiously morning and night immediately after cleansing: An essence. Essentially a toner with a thicker consistency (but definitely more of a fluid than a serum), you gently pat it into clean skin and move on to your other products. There are many essences out there to choose from, but I have fallen head-over-heels in love with La Prairie’s Platinum Rare Cellular-Life Lotion.
As luxurious as it is effective, this simple extra step has really made a huge difference in my skin. Maybe it’s the detoxification that promotes skin renewal… Maybe it’s extra energy this essence delivers to the skin… Maybe it’s the helping hand my skin gets for fighting environmental damage… Or maybe it’s all of the above. The one thing I know for sure is that this is what my skin looked like last night after completing my routine—with no makeup whatsoever.
And believe me, this is a world of improvement from when I started the La Prairie lotion (which happened to be immediately after the flu completely annihilated my skin). As with many other things, you do get what you pay for—and this product is certainly an investment. But to quote Ferris Bueller, “It’s so choice. If you have the means, I highly recommend picking one up.”
Try this new Clinique foundation with a classic lippie you probably forgot about
We all use anti-aging skincare—and we all wear foundation (at least on occasion), so why not use makeup that doubles as both? Clinique’s brand-new Even Better Refresh Hydrating and Repairing Makeup is designed to do just this, giving you major bang for your beauty buck.
In addition full yet natural-looking buildable coverage (in 27 shades!) that stays put and renders pores practically invisible for up to 24 hours (if you’re lifestyle so requires), you get a lot more than that. This makeup-meets-skincare hybrid formula also features hydrating hyaluronic acid that instantly plumps up fine lines and wrinkles along with anti-aging peptides that work to help your skin look younger over time. Although these ingredients are probably already part of your usual skincare routine, this makeup can help you get the extra benefits (and potential improvement) associated with an all-day dose.
And while we’re on the subject on Clinique, I recently bought the “Black Honey” Almost Lipstick after an (almost) 20-year hiatus. You likely remember the sheer, natural, berry-ish hue that leaves a stain-like hydrating finish—and it’s just as good now as it was way back when! Unfortunately, this and “Pink Honey” are the only remaining shades of the Almost Lipstick range (obviously because they’re classics!), but I wish Clinique still made the “Ruby Red” because that was a great one, too.