June 26, 2020
The home appliances I can't live without, a "clean" acne treatment that really works and a customizable haircare kit.
Home appliances are the new shoes
Week 15, here we go, and with nearly a week of record-high new daily COVID cases, it doesn’t look like I’ll be going anywhere for quite some time. We’ve all had to take on some new roles and “in-source” over the past few months, and this week I invested in a few new household tools to help me get all the jobs done.
I obviously have a slight obsession with vacuuming (who knew?) and although I’m still devoted to my little handheld device, I finally bought the Dyson Cyclone V10—and my life will never be the same. In the good old days when I had a housekeeper on the regular, my inexpensive cordless Shark was enough for spot-cleaning between her visits or in the case of a kitchen mishap, but it just couldn’t handle deeper-cleaning situations (and I refuse to schlep the hose for the central vac to and from the garage). It has a special head for wood floors so it doesn’t get tangled up with hair (I hate that), and it becomes a Dustbuster with one touch of a button. It also came with so many attachments there’s nothing I can’t vacuum. I went to town on the dog hair on the living room couch and our upholstered headboard yesterday, and today I plan on tackling the stairs (with the carpet head) and the plantation shutters (with the dusting tool). I’m so in love I would make out with this vacuum if I could.
And since I don’t feel comfortable popping over to Raw Juce whenever I’m craving an AB&J, a new blender was in order as well. The under-$20 one from Target I’ve had for several years just wasn’t cutting it, and I found an AWESOME Ninja one on Costco.com. Now it’s smoothies for everyone! (And pina coladas for me!)
Remember when Carrie Bradshaw said, “I like my money where I can see it—in my closet”? That may have been true for me before quarantine, but apparently now I like seeing mine in the laundry room and on my kitchen counter.
You don't want to miss this beauty sale
Sale season is in full swing, and I’ve spent a better part of my week browsing Matches, Shopbop and Net-A-Porter. I’ve picked up a few solid pieces that feel right for the more relaxed-yet-polished post-pandemic aesthetic I have in mind (whenever that may be), yet I wasn’t prepared for the sheer breadth of discounted offerings in Net-A-Porter’s beauty sale section!
Now’s the time to stock up on Marc Jacobs, Rituel de Fille and even Charlotte Tilbury—and so much more! If you lean “clean,” you’ll find plenty of Ilia and Grown Alchemist, as well as Tata Harper kits (which I have been coveting for quite some time. You can also (finally) treat yourself to Slip’s amazing scrunchies and pillowcases, or try The Nue Co.’s buzzed about wellness supplements to help make staying-at-home a bit more bearable.
Happy shopping! (You deserve it!)
This "clean" acne treatment REALLY works
Similar to this whole stay-at-home/quarantine situation, my skin has been on a crazy roller-coaster ride. Over the past few months, a “good skin” week is usually followed by an insane breakout without any identifiable cause. Sure, stress can do a doozy on any complexion, but I’ve never experienced such dramatic changes—like ever.
I always use a salicylic acid cleanser after I work out, and topical clindamycin and retinol or a retinoid are staples in my evening routine. I use a salicylic acid cream as soon as I feel a flare-up coming on, and I have a benzoyl peroxide treatment in my medicine cabinet as a last resort for when my skin gets really bad.
As you know, I’ve been trying to transition to “clean” skincare products, and acne treatments have been the final frontier. While in the throes of my last skin eruption, I spent a few hours researching and perusing products on The Detox Market and Credo Beauty—and a long list of five-star reviews I decided to try Zyderma HS Clarifying Cream.
Since I’ve tried salicylic acid with no success, products with willow bark extract (a natural derivative) were off the table, as were products with tea tree oil because they did absolutely nothing for me when I was pregnant (and anything that went in or on my body was organic). I settled on the Zyderma because it contains micronized silver, which is a scientifically-proven natural antibacterial agent. And just so you know, there’s a difference between micronized silver and colloidal silver (which can be found in various types of products). Micronized silver do not absorb into the skin, and it provides long-lasting benefits because it works until it’s rinsed off.
I slathered it on as soon as it arrived, and my skin was visibly less inflamed by the very next morning. Not exactly a cream, and not exactly a gel, it has a smooth, velvety feel similar to a makeup primer. It definitely leaves my skin more matte than dewy, but that’s fine by me because within five days of using it, my complexion was crystal clear—and it’s stayed that way with the exception of one “period pimple.”
Anyone who’s struggled with acne knows that it can take some trial and error to find the routine that works for your skin, but I’m thrilled to have finally found a product that keeps my skin in the clear without harsh or potentially harmful ingredients. And when my almost-12-year-old son needs more than the anti-acne cleanser he’s currently using, I’ll definitely be buying Zyderma for him, too!
Finding the right shampoo-conditioner combo just got a lot easier
Travel-sized products are the best way to try something new without making a significant investment, because we all know that things don’t always work out as we hope. Haircare poses another issue since your primary goal may be color protection (for example) but maybe you want extra volume or hydration, too. Enter Rahua’s Customizable Daily Hair Care Kit and you can mix and match shampoos and conditioners to your heart’s content until you find the perfect combination.
The kit includes minis of the Classic, Hydration, Voluminous and Color Full shampoos and conditioners, which means you can even adjust your routine as needed, such as after a day at the best or when getting ready for a night out (when nights out are actually a thing again).
And just a refresher… Rahua relies on organic, plant-derived ingredients sourced from the Amazon rainforest—and this “clean” line is free of parabens, sulfates and gluten while meeting Sephora’s “Clean Beauty” standards. P.S. The scents are amazing, too!