HALL OF FAME SUNSCREENS

SUNSCREENS COOLA / SHISEIDO / ANESSA / SUPERGOOP

Happy midsummer homies. Here are my favorite sunscreens as of late. As a recovering tanorexic, I've become obsessed with finding the perfect sunscreens over the past several years. With so many amazing self tanning and bronzer products out there, there's just no need to subject yourself to sun damage. If you're a believer in healthy living but don't care about protecting your skin, it's time to reevaluate. Preservatives probably won't kill you, but melanoma sure can. And don't we all want to be MILFs (and DILFs) someday?

I absolutely love the Coola Makeup Setting Spray. I have SPF in my BB creams and almost always wear a hat at the beach, but this is great for reapplication and to make sure your face and chest are completely covered. These are the areas with the thinnest skin and the first to show sun damage. And duh, it's your face--there's no hiding that shit. Made with green tea and aloe, it's super refreshing and can be spritzed right over your makeup. Daytime wedding or beachside Sunday funday? This will be your best friend. The Shiseido is a perfect "sport" formula (what's a sport?), SPF 50 and water resistant up to 80 minutes. Wear this for a day spent at the beach or pool, or anytime you know you'll be getting your sweat on. My favorite every day sunscreen is Anessa, which I picked up in Tokyo. It dries to an undetectable powder finish--no stickiness at all. Asians are serious about their sunscreen formulas and this is no exception. It's sold everywhere in Japan but unfortunately not in the US, however it is available on Amazon. Expect to either pay double for express shipping, or to wait over a month for it to arrive to the states. I've tried quite a few Supergoop products thanks to Birchbox, and really love this spray on "play" formula. It's not organic per se, but it's packed with antioxidants and there's nothing funky in the ingredient list. SPF 50 resistant and great for reapplications, as the spray makes it super easy to use in the middle of your day--so there's no excuse not to apply, even if you're a little tipsy on rose.

CURRENT ROUTINE: PM SKINCARE

CLEANSERS GLOSSIER & TATA HARPER / TONER BIOLOGIQUE RECHERCHE / EYE CREAM SHISEIDO / ESSENCE SK-II / SERUM SUNDAY RILEY / MOISTURETATCHA

My current favorite nighttime routine, featuring a nice mingle of born and bred American bombshells and culty international products (you'll recognize some pretty faces from my recent Tokyo post). I'll go into more detail than usual since I've gotten some questions recently about the basics of my routines. Probably just people trying to be nice. Let's begin with the double cleanse. Considering my vested interest in being an early adapter in the skincare world, I depended upon my gel based cleansers to remove makeup for far too long. Enter Glossier's Milky Jelly Cleanser. I'm willing to be a lot of things about my skincare routine, but time-inefficient isn't one of them. As in, I will not devote two minutes to removing a cleansing balm from my face with a tepid cloth lest it's residue break me out. This is absolutely NOT a problem with this cleanser. I apply some on my eyes and then to the rest of my dry face and rinse it off, and all traces of makeup and oil have disappeared (and it smells incredible...I know rose scented and colored and flavored everything is 'yuge right now, but Glossier really gets it right). I then let Tata do her thing as my second cleanse. I can't imagine this cleanser ever leaving my rotation. It is the perfect thing for sensitive, acne prone skin. 

P50 toner. To my knowledge the only places you can realibly purchase this cult product are Peninsula Hotel spas, and the only two in the States are in New York and Chicago (quite distressing to me as I order everything from açaí bowls to toilet paper to Manolos online). Via my first Via I trekked all the way to the Upper East Side, the land of Birkins and tourists, to score this cute little bottle. Believe it or not I have had this on my to do list for nearly six months, but since Barney's is back downtown and I no longer have any wedding related errands it took me forever to successfully execute this voyage. It was about $65 USD for the smallest size. Thus far I am very impressed. I perhaps should have purchased the formula for sensitive skin, but the aesthetician recommended I use it every other night (to avoid daytime redness), adding a little water to dilute. I have been using it for nearly a month now, approximately every other night. It does burn a bit, but I do not experience any significant redness--I could potentially use it during the day, but I like to use my most potent skincare products at night when my skin isn't exposed to as many toxins (cosmetics, sun, pollution). I spray my cotton pad with some rosewater beforehand and add 3-4 drops of P50. Perfect. Definitely a noticeable glow.

Anyone still reading? I now shake out 4 drops of SK-II essence on my (clean!) palm, touch my hands together briefly to warm the product, and gently press my hands onto my face. This is how the product has been applied forever by it's Asian fanbase. I have recently seen bloggers that promote the product and use it with a cotton pad, but this seems like a waste. I wrote in my last post that I haven't seen much of a difference using it, but my skin has been behaving recently and I definitely think this has something to do with it. Essence assists the rest of your products in working more effectively, so it would make sense. I then apply a pat of Shiseido eye cream with my ring finger (this assures the perfect amount of product and that you don't pull at the delicate skin in the area), and apply serum once the essence has dried. I rub Luna in until all the blue has disappeared, and apply a few sprays of this Tatcha Luminous Dewy Skin Mist for light summer moisture. This mist is absolutely incredible. I will write more about it in a near-future post dedicated to glowy skincare, but as a teaser: this is like a revolutionary moisturizer that you can just spray right over your makeup. And, spoiler alert: it imparts the most perfect, seductive, on-trend, dewy glow. And it LASTS.

Sweet dreams!

HALL OF FAME HIGHLIGHTERS

Considering I've branded this blog the GLOW-trotter, this is a pretty essential post: my very favorite highlighters. They play such an important role in natural and fresh beauty. Keep in mind that nearly all highlighters can be used in similar places: browbones, corners of the eyes, cupid's bow, cheekbones and down the bridge of the nose. However, through trial and error I have found I like certain highlighters in certain places. Start with your tinted moisturizer or foundation of choice (my current favorites are Jouer Luminizing Moisture Tint and Chanel Vitalumière Aqua) and you're ready to play.

Benefit Watt's Up is a creamy, champagne toned highlighter that dries to a powdery consistency. I like it applied to the corners of my eyes and at the browbones. MAC Prep + Prime in Bright Forecast is one of my holy grail products. I use it in a V-shape between my eyebrows, down the bridge of my nose and covering any redness under it, and in sideways little "v" shapes bracketing either corner of my mouth. Anticipating an entire day and/or night out of the house, I find this is pretty much the only thing I need to bring along with me for touchups. It is a true multitasker--it's neutral, sheer tone magically works for both covering my dark undereye circles as well as camouflaging spots. The Balm Mary-Lou Manizer is an amazing powder highlighter, perfect over or instead of blush at the cheekbones. It's versatile pale gold tone is pretty for any skintone. The most adorable award goes to the RMS Beauty Living Luminizer. It's a unique solid consistency that stays on all day and isn't exactly a shade as much as it is luminescence itself. I literally just use a pinky dab of this daily on my cupid's bow to draw attention to my upper lip. I've had it for quite a while now and haven't made a dent in it because it might just be made for this perfect little purpose.

And lastly, makeup or possibly just magic, the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Palette. This is honestly like walking around all day with the angelic baby-faced Snapchat filter on your face. I just dust it lightly all over before walking out the door and somehow I bring the good lighting around with me, as the name promises. It's virtually undetectable but makes all the difference. #glowgoals 

TOKYO BEAUTY FAVORITES

My favorite beauty scores from Tokyo starring Shiseido and SK-II. From left to right: the Shiseido Benefiance W-Resist eye cream is a very well priced anti-aging product. I saw a difference overnight--it's rich but not too heavy for younger eyes, and completely erased any dry skin lines in my undereye area. The Shiseido White Lucent Brightening Cleansing Foam is perfect when you want an immediate glow--I love it before a night out when I want to remove a day's makeup, but only need a gentle cleanse without any particular treatment. TheShiseido lash curler is one for the hall of fame--super lightweight bestowing the perfect exaggerated curl. I found these for about $10 USD in Tokyo and available in all of the drugstores...stock up if you ever have the opportunity!

The SK-II selection was particularly exciting--I discovered several stores in Japan that offer the brand at 30% off AND tax free with a foreign passport. Within the country the products are also available online with domestic shipping for an even deeper discount, but these websites are in Japanese only. The story behind SK-II and it's cult following is based around it's main ingredient, Pitera. The anti-aging benefits of the ingredient were discovered in a sake brewery. The elderly brewers were found to have aged skin everywhere, except for markedly youthful hands where they had contact with components unique to the sake fermentation process. The magical ingredient was extracted, improved, standardized and bottled and alas a luxury skincare brand was born. Pitera is exclusive to SK-II and is packing with vitamins, minerals and amino acids. 

SK-II Facial Treatment Essence is the product that introduced the whole "essence" craze to the States, if not to the entire skincare world. This is the first essence I have used myself--a few drops sprinkled on the palms, rubbed together and pressed onto the face following your toner, but before anything else. It helps the face absorb any serums or creams following application. I can't say I've seen a huge difference immediately that I can contribute solely to the product (it's also ideally meant for thinner/drier skin types than my own), but if Japanese and Korean women swear by it, I'm sticking it out. I'll keep you guys posted. The SK-II Facial Treatment Clear Lotion and cotton pads are a great anti-acne toner: both gentle and effective. The cotton pads feel super luxe and are absolutely the best I've tried, but I think they are only available as part of SK-II skincare sets. Perhaps the best for last: the SK-II Facial Treatment Mask. This is the one you've seen Chrissy Teigen wear on the plane (I do this too, don't hate). The price may seem absurd for a disposable cotton mask but the quality is so sturdy that it feels like something you could wash and reuse instead of throwing away. Cleanse your face then apply the mask and revel in the fun of looking straight out of Silence of the Lambs for 20 minutes. Then remove the mask, wipe off some of the excess serum but be sure enough is absorbed to really reap the benefits, and enjoy an immediate, significant glow.

I also wanted to include a photo of my favorite drugstore finds in Tokyo, which you can see below. Much of the descriptions are in Japanese, but top row to bottom row (minus the Nexcare) I tried a moisturizing mask, vitamin C mask, brightening mask, collagen mask and what seems to be a multitasking everyday sort of mask--my Japanese friend says she uses it for five minutes every morning before she does her makeup. I also stocked up on these Nexcare Acne Absorbing Patches (my best friend/fellow fanatic and I call them "pimple stickers"), which are available in the States via Amazon. Stick them on any blemish with a whitehead and it sucks up anything in there overnight, without drying your skin out at all--they are amazing.

HOW TO: AT HOME FACIAL

An at-home facial is one of the best things you can do for your skin. I like to do a multi-step facial twice a week to give my skin that extra TLC. It's a perfect activity on a hungover Sunday, when putting on pants to leave the house seems too daunting a task. You'll feel so accomplished! Here are the three steps I typically follow, along with my favorite masks in each category. Don't cleanse your face between every step or you'll dry it out--use micellar or rose water and fluffy square cotton pads (they do a much better job than cotton balls).

Treatment: First, I treat my breakout-prone areas with a deep cleansing mask. Look for a clay mask that dries to a thick paper mâché-like consistency. This helps draw impurities from your pores to prevent breakouts and prep your skin for the next steps of the facial. Unless you have allover oily skin, only use this mask in areas that you break out--for most people, this is your T-zone. Typically, this kind of mask should only stay on for 5-10 minutes, and you will most likely need to wet a washcloth with warm water to remove it. The Peter Thomas Roth Therapeutic Sulfur Masque is incredibly oil-absorbing, and is perfect for oily skin. The Natura Bisse Stabilizing Cleansing Mask feels like silk when applied, and leaves your skin with a nice glow when taken off. For a natural and budget friendly option, try the Yes to Tomatoes Skin Clearing Mask. For dry or mature skin types that do not experience clogged pores and blemishes, skip the clay mask and look for a gentle scrub mask to slough away dry skin (such as Glamglow Youthmud Tinglexfoliate Treatment or derma e Microdermabrasion Scrub). 

Enzyme: This is the active, glow-producing step of your facial regimen. Enzymes/acids encourage cell turnover, even skin tone, reduce fine lines, and diminish hyperpigmentation and scarring. Ingredients to look for include lactic acid, fruit enzymes and glycolic acid. It's good to rotate these masks, as the ingredients are extremely potent and may be irritating if used more than once per week. Some of these masks can be left on for up to an hour, but make sure your skin has a tolerance for such active ingredients. Starting with a 10 minute application and observing how your skin reacts is a good idea when trying any new mask. The REN Glycol Lactic Renewal Mask is very powerful, with a marmalade-like consistency. It has four different types of acids that do a phenomenal job of fading spots and visibly brightening the skin, even after only one use. The Tata Harper Resurfacing Mask provides an incredible glow, and can be left on for a long time--the instructions say up to 30 minutes, but I don't find my skin to be irritated even after an hour or two. It dries clear with a slight sheen, so I have applied this when leaving for an early flight and removed it once the plane takes off. I also love this one before a night out because of the immediate radiant effect. The Mario Badescu Enzyme Revitalizing Mask is great for dehydrated skin and leaves a similar instant-gratification sort of glow following use. It has added antioxidants to help fight free radical damage. Sunday Riley Good Genes isn't only a mask, though it can definitely be used as one. This miracle product is an extremely effective lactic acid treatment that can be used in the morning or evening. It leaves skin looking smoother, brighter and more even toned. There is no better at-home treatment for reducing scarring and hyperpigmentation.

Moisture: Finally, your skin needs to be soothed and moisturized. Moisturizing masks can be in a typical paste-like consistency, clear and runny like a moisturizer, or in a sheet form (we'll save that chat for another day). Make sure there aren't any irritating ingredients such as perfumes or propelyne glycol. I like to shower during this step without washing the mask off, so the steam helps the mask penetrate my skin. Remove with rosewater and follow with a nourishing moisturizer and facial oil for your skin type. The Mario Badescu Rose Hips Mask is an active yet calming multitasker. Great for sensitive or dry skin, this contains powerful antioxidants to brighten while also soothing the skin. If at any given time you feel your skin is too fragile for an enzyme mask, this is a great alternative. Also from Mario, the Azulene Calming Mask is my go-to last step in my facial routine. It is incredibly moisturizing and calming and perfect for sensitive skin. Andalou Naturals 1000 Roses Rosewater Mask is a great cheap and cheerful pick--all natural and soothing with a heavenly scent. Unlike the Mario masks, it has an indulgent, whipped consistency that only necessitates wiping off the excess (the directions actually say to wash off with cool water, but I think this is overkill). The Avene Soothing Moisture Mask is perfect for the winter, as it's lotion-like consistency and tissue-off removal are super gentle on chafed skin. The excess product following removal adds a needed layer of moisture.

PARISIAN PHARMACY FAVORITES

Parisian pharmacies are like a candy shop for the beauty-obsessed gal. Some of these items you can order online, but in Paris there they are all in the same wonderful place, often for a significantly lower price. Here are some of my favorites. Biafine is a wonderful soothing cream used to treat the skin. I use it to heal cuts and scrapes, to fade blemishes, and for sunburns (very rare these days!!). Homeoplasmine is technically for nursing moms to ease their chafed nipples (ouch), but I use it as lip balm, and to moisturize my cuticles and dry spots on my hands. Avene is a great brand--their products are made with gentle but effective ingredients. I love the Soothing Moisture Mask during the winter to ease dry skin. I usually use it as the last step during a multistep, at-home facial. The Antirougeurs Dermo-Cleansing Milk is a wonderful morning cleanse for dry, sensitive skin. I use that in the winter as well, when my skin can get quite red from those bitterly cold New York days. I am usually not a fan of micellular water, but the Bioderma Sensibio H2O is super gentle as a first cleanse. If I am wearing foundation as opposed to my usual tinted moisturizer, this is really nice to get all of my makeup off before cleansing. The legendary Embryolisse Lait-Crème Concentré is a true multitasker. It is a lovely, all-purpose primer and moisturizer that can also be used as a cold cream to take off makeup. Lastly, my favorite brand of hair products: Klorane. The ever popular Dry Shampoo with Oat Milk is honestly the only dry shampoo I have found to be truly effective. That is, it actually looks as though I washed my hair that day, it doesn't leave a residue, and doesn't have a weird baby powder/old lady sort of smell to it. Klorane's Shampooing à la Camomille is the absolute best shampoo I have found for my ever varying shades of blonde (J uses it on his light brown hair too). It preserves my color, and leaves it baby hair levels of silky, healthy-feeling and clean.

CURRENT ROUTINE: PM SKINCARE

MAKEUP REMOVER THE HERITAGE STORE / CLEANSER SUNDAY RILEY / TONER PETER THOMAS ROTH / SERUMS CLARINS & SUNDAY RILEY / EYE CREAM TARTE / MOISTURIZER KATE SOMERVILLE

For the record, I do not have perfect skin. Without intervention, my skin is extremely combination (more like bipolar), ruddy, acne-prone and sensitive. I have an allergy to products with significant amounts of propelyne/butelyne glycol, which is in nearly everything. Bottom line: if I can have 90% nice skin 90% of the time, you can too. That being said, I have gone through a lot of trial and error in my skincare voyage. Here's my current nighttime regimen: I remove my makeup with the rosewater before cleansing, then apply the rest in the order shown. Note: Luna is a strong retinol that may be too harsh to use every night. My skin can only tolerate every second or third day. For this reason, it also should not be used when pregnant.