Aesop Skincare by the Number$: Justifying the Cost for Great Products

Let me preface this very long post with a big thumbs up endorsement for Aesop. In this post I will walk you through my decision process that made me first aware of this well designed brand and why I eventually paid my hard earned money for my first bottles of product.

So to start, let's state for the record that I'm just like you; I work hard, I like nice things, and I'm a sucker for great packaging. So it's no surprise that after seeing this social media darling brand on Instagram prominently for over a year now I finally caved and plunked down the funds for a toner and a moisturizer. I didn't do it because I'm a brand whore. Sure, I'm a weak person and am occasionally blinded by labels, but I'd like to think that I rise above that temptation more often than not. To state it simply, I'm a consumer and a human being just like you; I get up in the morning and wash my face, slather on moisturizer, get some SPF in there, and get ready for my work day. I too get frustrated when my skin occasionally erupts with pimples, or insane dry patches mixed with what seem like oil slicks, or even hives on crazy sensitive days. I've been #blessed with pretty good skin in that I never had very bad acne, but the fact is my own face is on my person for life, and when it's not in tip-top shape it eats away at my resolve to be a confident person. So I research the hell out of products to try.

I was on the Kiehl's wagon for a couple years before, but my skin was ultimately either too sensitive to some of the more antioxidant oriented products or just plain unchanged by the much-heralded tried and true favorites. So I moved up to Aveda: I liked it! I love some of the hair products and like that they are more natural and plant based than other products. But after a while I was wishing the toners and moisturizers I was using were a little more potent — had more oomf to really last through the day. I even tried laddering up to the even more intense product line, but that ultimately proved too oily or equally ineffective. So I sat without a go-to skin regimen for months. I didn't want to just go out and buy anything either, so I was using body lotion on my face, or over the counter Ponds cream, which was nice for a while, but over time the lack of quality of ingredients, or the mish mash of ingredients (or both?) really started to run amuck on my face. Disaster. 

Sure, I am using Glossier's moisturizer, but I consider that product strictly makeup because it really does nothing more for my skin that make it ready to accept the skin tint. That leads me to a couple weeks ago when Aesop became a real frontrunner based off of what I read online about their ingredients and convincing product descriptions. So I lurked around the intimidating beauty counters with pricey skincare items and I practically insisted that the salespeople everywhere give me enough samples to try an entire regimen with Aesop for long enough to verify a) nothing would make me break out in pimples or hives, or b) if the designer/cult hype behind them was real. 

I worked like a conman, hitting up different stores at different times getting samples to make sure I had what I needed to try Aesop out before buying anything. This, my friends, is not tacky behavior, and in fact I stand by it because Aesop is not cheap. The initial cost of 2-3 bottles of anything will run about $200+. (Tangent/support message: If you too are on the fence but feel all sheepish about asking for free stuff you need to snap out of it. Go out and get yourself some samples until you're happy and satisfied with your new resolve to spend over $200 on pricey skin care products. No one will judge you! And if they do, who cares! These people don't pay your bills!! You do!!! So you do you.)

Olga, I'm getting worried, this is a really long post, even for you. Is there a point?

Yes. There is. Bless you. My point is this: 

After living off samples for about 3 weeks I can attest to the fact that it takes very little of Aesop product to quench your beautiful face and slather it in concentrated beautiful smelling goodness. So when you do the math, a $65 of toner (like the Parsley Seed one above) will probably last you about 4-5 months. That's $13 a month, people, or $0.43 cents a day. Nice right? Take the superb Parsley Seed face moisturizer as another example, that bottle is even smaller but I only use about two pea size amounts on my face because this shit is that good. A little truly goes a long way here. That bottle costs another $65, and I can estimate there are about 3-4 months of pea sized portions in there. That comes down to $16.25 a month, or $0.54 cents a day. All told I purchased my favorite hand balm as well for $27.

That to me is a good purchase because I've not only proven to myself that it satisfies my skin's needs, but after the initial ramp up costs, the products themselves are well worth the money for how long they last. If anything, I suggest buying one bottle at a time with each paycheck and over time growing your favorites of whatever that brand may be.

Bonus: when there are beauty events that involve extra large gifts with purchase go for it. 

UPDATED: So you're interested in the Glossier Phase I set...

UPDATE TO THE UPDATE: 09/15/16: Despite my initial update last year claiming that I would be repurchasing the Glossier Skin Tint and the Moisturizer, I have to admit that I never did repurchase any of the Phase I set or the Phase II or anything else from Glossier. It all seemed a little too hastily launched and a little too vague for me to play around with my skin routine on unknown and virtually un-vetted formulations. Plus, I just don't think the Glossier Phase I set was doing anything for my face that was worth writing home (or here) about further.
 So what did I end up doing? I ended up going with my go-to makeup of choice since 2015, which is Armani Luminous Foundation. This is considerably more pricey than Glossier at $65 a bottle, but the packaging comes in glass and it feels more pigmented and premium when it blends into my face.  As for primer moisturizing? I use Armani's Maestro UV Skin Defence Primer, which gives my skin a smoothing effect and a really nice dewy effect. This is honestly the effect I wanted with Glossier — the youthful dewy skin, no glitter involved, and a light coverage. I only apply the Armani Foundation in trouble spot areas and try to let the rest of my skin shine through, even if it isn't perfect. I find that this gives me the more natural look i've wanted, without the caked on feeling with other products, including Glossier. If you're looking for something with less coverage, and lighter in general, I'd recommend the Armani Fusion Meastro Makeup. WARNING: A little goes a very long way with this liquid, and I recommend applying it with a brush instead of on your face, since it tends to build easily and applying directly to your face will mean uneven application.

So there you have it. After a couple years I figured I'd return to this post, which still is pretty popular according to my analytics and give you all an update. Once again, none of this is sponsored.

Another caveat, however, is that I am very militant about my skincare routine. I wash my face every night with Tatcha's One-Step Camellia Oil Cleanser and then follow it with the Indigo Rice Enzyme Powder to eliminate the greasy feel. Trust me, this is the most brilliant combination that gently removes makeup (even waterproof mascara) and doesn't strip my skin of moisture. After this, I like to add Creme de La Mer, which is unfortunately very fucking expensive, but holy hell it is the best moisturizer I've used in a while.  A little goes a really long way with La Mer, and that's why I feel like the cost per use is worth it based on the results I'm seeing on my skin. When I'm in super budget mode or looking for lighter moisture at night I use Clarins Multi Active Night Cream after washing my face, and this does a lovely job as well .

Every 3-4 days I use Dr. Brandt's Microdermabrasion Exfoliator in the shower and gently scrub it in for about 3 minutes. And finally, every morning I use good ol' St. Ive's Green Tea Acne Exfoliator.

There you have it. I've explained this on my new blog, but this post still gets too many hits to not cross post it here!

Feel free to email me with questions!

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UPDATE 3/4/15 : It's been a couple months since I've purchased my Glossier Phase I set (4 months to be exact) and I figured it's time to give this post an update. The photo below is a picture I had taken recently and features "my problem areas" — that is, my chin and capillary showy nose area. I haven't edited the photo above, so you can see how Glossier is good at making the skin dewy but not perfect. The effect isn't obliterating your features, which is awesome and over time has become my favorite feature. 

In my review below I was pretty adamant about the only two pieces of the Glossier Phase I set being the Skin Tint and the moisturizer, and months later, I'm still 100% behind this statement. The moisturizer is definitely not replaceable, despite by braggadocio attitude at the end of my review that I can just replace it willy nilly with something else. It turns out the moisturizer truly acts (as advertised) as a primer for the Skin Tint. Further research on the Glossier site to find a reason behind this claim's efficacy finds that the moisturizer has a sort of skin plumping action and some alleged "diamond powder" that helps your skin glow. Listen, this may just be marketing speak but I'm on board because it does follow through on the promise to prime, therefore helping your skin be a little smoother before even applying the Skin Tint.

The takeaway is that I will be repurchasing the Skin Tint and the Priming Moisturizer together because I like the simplicity of the two products and how well it works into my makeup routine. I do have to reiterate though that beyond the occasional pimple on my chin my skin is not much of a hassle (#blessed, #notahumblebrag, #factsonly, etc.) When I do get more than the occasional blemish (which I do thanks to my woman hormones) I do supplement the Skin Tint with some more heavy duty concealer that I simply dot on top of the entire process.

And finally, don't forget the SPF! Just because it's not in the product (because it would likely change the texture of the moisturizer or tint) doesn't mean you should shy away from slathering some on your face after you moisturize. 

**This post has NOT been sponsored. These opinions are my own and unbiased. In other words, I'm just like you, tryin' to figure it all out.**

ORIGINAL REVIEW 11/1/14:
You're looking at the only two pieces worth having in the Glossier Phase I pack: The primer/moisturizer and the skin tint (mine is in Medium.)

The experience: I recently purchased the set in medium with zero expectations. I'm not expecting miracles, but I was excited by #skinisin approach and their impressive roster of bloggers and fashion people that seemed to speek wonders about Glossier. I researched the products for days after the initial launch trying find some concrete answers about what the skin tint was all about since it seemed to be the star of the lineup. The website is pretty vague, cute!, but vague. Admittedly, I was intrigued and ultimately compelled to purchase because of the promise that Glossier — how the hell do you even pronounce the name anyway? Glossy-eh? Glossy-ER?— will not cover up your skin. It doesn't hurt that Emily Weiss, the gorgeous founder with seemingly perfect "I'm not wearing makeup, this is just my face" skin, is a very pretty salesperson for her own brand. The free shipping on the entire pack was also a plus, and upon reading the fine print there was a return policy if you were unhappy. So there's that.

The packaging: The box the set comes in is pretty nice. I didn't care for the pink bubble zip baggies the products com in, or emojis all over the inside of the box for that matter. I chose not to use the stickers because I really just don't care to accessorize my makeup, and frankly they did not seem authentic to the brand Glossier is trying to be. I would have eaten it up if this was Tavi Gevinson venture, who made a name with the Rookie hand-drawn whimsical feel, but not for Glossier. A major downside right off the bat was for the moisturizer tube cap not being as secure as it should be. I traveled with the Phase 1 set recently and opened my make up bag after a flight to find moisturizer literally everywhere due to the cap buckling under the pressure of being in my carry on. Other than that, pretty nice. 

THE PRODUCTS

Rosewater spray: it's nice, but it's essentially just plain ol' rosewater spray.  There's nothing really new here. I will say that the spray itself is a little intense — big globlets of water all over your face in one giant generous burst — but otherwise the water itself is just...nice. I probably won't order this again since I prefer Aveda's toners and sprays over this.

Moisturizer Primer: This is a winner for me, but only because it seems to make the skin tint work better. The lotion absorbs quickly, which is a great relief since the consistency is so thin. It does seem buildable as advertised, but be warned that if you have dry skin in the winter skin like me, you'll need another moisturizer before you put this on your face to get through the day. Otherwise you'll be itchy and with each smile and wince you'll have that awful stretchy skin feeling. Also, WTF at the fact that there is NO SPF in this. Wrinkle prevention = SPF daily, even when it's cloudy, so it's kind of insane that it's not even mentioned where or when any SPF would be used with this system. I use Neutrogena's Dry Touch 100 SPF daily anyway, but it would have been nice for a moisturizer to have it built in so I don't have to layer so many things on.

Balm Dot Com: This is a tube of Vaseline. Real hard-to-get-out-of-the-tube Vaseline. Nothing to see here.

Skin Tint (medium): Let's start by saying that my face skin is pretty fair, so it was a huge surprise that my skin shade matched so well with the Medium tint. I'm usually on the fair spectrum in any brand of tinted moisturizer or foundation, so I'm really kind of shocked that this is called Medium. I'll be very curious to see what Glossier names their additional shades for people with actual dark or medium skin tones — More-Medium? Super-Medium? Initial shade shock aside, the skin tint is an anomaly: It's a liquid, so just know that. And the bottle is tiny. There aren't really directions for how to apply it, or even how much you have to use, so I just pretty much go for it each morning with about 8-10 drops (depending on my complexion that day) to get the full effect. What's the full effect? In a word it's kind of rad. I put drops directly on my face, kind of dotting out a grid pattern over my cheeks, chin, and forehead, then I gently pat and spread the tint around my face until it disappears. Be warned that it will look like it does absolutely nothing for about a minute, but then all of a sudden it just changes to make your skin look a little more even and dewy as advertised. The less you use, the less this effect is apparent. So I'd say you have to be generous with the skin tint to be able to achieve the illusive "I'm hardly wearing makeup" look. After waiting a bit my skin is noticeably smoother, but definitely not caked or even made up, which is what makes this worth posting about in the first place. Disclaimer: My skin is pretty nice to begin with and I'm not a huge fan of foundation or "covering up" my skin. This is not a humble brag, but rather just a fact that I don't have to do (or like doing, for that matter) much to my face other than cover up my crazy visible capillaries around my nose and cheeks and the occasional pimple and redness. The Glossier skin tint is pretty great at obscuring those little imperfections but not hiding my skin or caking on a new texture to get a more airbrushed look. My makeup routine in the morning is 5-10 minutes tops, including washing, moisturizing and makeup, so if you're used to spending more time on your face in the morning you may not be into this super light coverage.

Overall? I'd buy the skin tint again, but maybe not the moisturizer. I'm going to continue to experiment with the lotion and whether I even need the Glossier one. Honestly, right now some readily available drugstore Pond's night cream is the most comfortable thing for my face right now, so I've been using that more and more.

GLOSSIER Phase 1 Set

Dr. Hauschka

I play favorites with my skin care. My face, hands, and décolletage get a disproportionate amount of product love compared to my torso, legs, and feet. It's because the upper parts of my body are the ones that I see the most, and also the parts I expose most readily to the world. So my thought is why not spoil it a bit? Now this is not to say I'm too good for Lubriderm, Cetaphil or other drugstore staples, but I believe the top half of me deserves something a little more special. In this case, special means it must work very well at doing what it promises, smell fantastic or not at all, and is preferably derived from natural sources and processes.

I've been wanting to try something new for the summer to mix up my routine a bit and was lucky enough to be able to work with Pharmaca to find a new addition to my routine. I've been reading a lot about Dr. Hauschka on other blogs like Into The Gloss and decided to give Rose Body Moisturizer a try after the reviews on Pharmaca seemed to be glowing as well. Ever since receiving the bottle I've been applying it on after my shower, mostly on my chest, shoulders and arms while my skin is still a little damp. It helps make my skin soft and smooth, which is impressive because my skin is prone to really annoying dryness. Even though it doesn't smell exclusively of roses the fragrance is lovely and floral, but not overwhelmingly so. I'l probably end up trying some more Dr. Hauschka products, most immediately by upgrading to the Rose Body Oil just in time for the drier winter months. 

Mosey over to Pharmaca if you'd like try Dr. Hauschka or other natural products for your routine. They're having a 20% off sale, FYI!

Dr. Hauschka Rose Body Moisturizer c/o Pharmaca

Aveda Skincare for Dewy Skin

I'm just like you. I read beauty blogs constantly, inspect the "Top Shelf" interviews vigorously, and ultimately buy and try anything that sounds like it would work for me. This is not necessarily a bad tactic, but it sure as hell hasn't lead to any results and it has been quite expensive. So I took a step back and assessed what I knew worked for me: I know my skin is ten times better when I drink more water. Cool, so I do a lot of that. I know my skin likes when I get more sleep and can avoid drinking like a fish most times. Awesome, we try our best for that. Finally, my skin likes routine — like a cleanser, followed by a toner, then a serum, then a lotion -- even when I'm too tired, it must be done. That insane amount of product works on my needy skin to stop the patchy dry areas that pull on my face when I talk or smile. Turns out what works so great for my hair also works wonders for my face. I didn't even now Aveda had a skin care line, but their hair products are magic on my high maintenance hair follicles. So here I am swearing by their skincare, buying samples for my mom and recommending them to friends (even to Nick!). I can't explain why it works, but I do know it is plant based, which is fine by me. If you think this is a sponsored post, man I wish it was. I'm talking genuine recommendation here. If you're ready to try, go for the trial back in the box. It's $38 and it lasts forever. 

Put a bow on it

The hair bow returns. Unlike the sweet ribbon-tied varieties seen on Disney princesses, this one from Balenciaga is a modern take on the concept. I prefer it on brunette hair, since it looks more subtle that way. If you're down to spend an insane amount on what is essentially a leather Balenciaga headband, here it is. 

In Your Face: Chloé Beauty Backstage

style.com

In Your Face: Beauty Backstage at Burberry

Lovely to see a makeup look that is actually embracing natural features, like freckles. Beautiful.

Unlike Yoncé, I Did Not Woke Up Like This: A Makeup Post

My skin is very fair and almost transluscent in that you can see tiny little red veins and capillaries throughout my cheeks and nose — and if you're as judgmental and close to my face as I like to get sometimes, you'll hate them like I do. But it is what it is. "You've got to work with what you've got" blah blah, etc. While I don't like wearing boat loads of make up, I do enjoy faking a more even complexion than I do have, especially around my nose and cheeks. Enter the Lancome Teint Mircale. Everyone has their favorite foundation, but even though I use it very sparingly, Lancome always  manages to even out the veiny lines around my nose and cheeks. TMI? I'm just being real withchu.

Try it. Bloomingdales and Nordstrom are notorious for their amazing return policy. Sephora is great for that, too!

PS: I am on the market for an amazing moisturizer though. Any recommendations?

Cat Eyes, Ruby Woo, and Ear Piercings

I'm taking a dose of my own blog medicine and practicing the proclamation that "Multiple piercings are the new arm party." While I'm patiently debating on getting more piercings done, as it seems like the only financially reasonably way to get the Repossi Berber look, I still can't decide if this is a fad for me or if this is truly something to give into. 

The 6 piercings on my ears were done against my will — a true testament to a Mexican upbringing, in which my aunt whisked me away when I was baby-months old in Guadalajara and did my mom the favor of getting them done on my ears on her behalf. Needless to say, my mom had other plans and was pretty angry her baby-young daughter's ears were now Swiss cheese. To this day they are a reminder of my outsider status and I look at them remembering where and how I grew up. In high school, I always wondered why no one else besides the latino kids had their ears pierced and even felt a little bit embarrassed when I compared my bejeweled self to the pristine, no-jewelry ways of my American peers. I was told by my friends that they had to literally beg their mother for a piercing only for the promise of one being allowed when she turned 16. Yikes. Add  to that about a dozen gold bangles I was into wearing as a child (because my mom wore them and I wanted to be just like her) and you've got yourself a little kid with a strong point of view on jewelry. 

Today I look at my piercings as something I was almost born with, since I can remember a time when I didn't have them. Having them be such a part of me allows me to occupy some time with coming up with amazing combinations of how to creatively style my ears. Will it be knitting my favorite Kathleen Whitaker earrings through one ear today? Maybe a combination of studs and bars? Maybe I'll be minimal and wear the tiniest Jennifer Meyer mini stud on each? Options, people. I has them.

Wearing: MADEWELL earrings (1 of this and 2 of these)  //  TOPSHOP coat  //  RUBY WOO lipstick  //  STILA cat eye liner

Thank you for taking my picture, mama!

Weekend Muse: Karlie's Peroxide Crop

Weekend Muse: The Almighty Heidi Braids

To get pretty Heidi braids you need dirty hair. This is a wonderful fact of life when your hair is actually dirty and you're in a hurry. But what about when you want a messy Heidi braid like the beautiful one above when your hair is squeeky clean? Well, I like to moisturize my hair, then mess it up with some beach spray or styling wax. Trust me, you will want to put this on damp hair then dry it. Otherwise, you're going to wish your hair was wet when you're accidentally pulling out strands of hair stuck on your sticky product. If you still managed to forget to put the texturizer when your hair was damp, no worries, I do too. You get some product in your wet hands and swish it around, then apply as normal. You can blow dry your hair at this point, or air dry, and notice the hair will feel dry and a little crunchy. This is normal and in fact necessary. It makes the hair in the braids easier to stay put without so many bobby pins or spray. Now, braid your hair! Finish it with some light hair spray and you're done. 

Here are some of my faves:

The Huffy Secret Treasures Bike of Sweaters

I typically love an all-black wardrobe and this is no surprise here on my blog. But every so often I find something lovely like this Acne sweater to pull me out of my comfort zone of all-monochrome all-the-time and live in what is known as Girl World. This wool blend garment has the complete appeal of what fashion types call the "statement sweater" — the voluminous sleeves, a boxy man shape — yet looks like spun cotton candy from afar. (Disclaimer: this sweater is quite itchy, if you're allergic to some kinds of wool like I am, you will to best to skip this splurge as I eventually had to unless you want o live your life with a rash — yuck). What is it about this shade of pink that makes it so irresistible and almost punk to me? I think it's the fact that pink seems like an unapologetic color because it screams girl and there is no confusion about it. You can't hide under shades of black or act too tough in pink. You just have to wear it with confidence.

I grew up as the middle child and the only girl in the family. This meant that all my older brother's friends were cool older boys who loved to roll in the grass and play baseball, and my younger brother's friends were all silly young boys playing in the dirt. There was little room for pink in this  adolescent equation and all I wanted to do was fit in. I tried so hard to be one of the boys, but I was secretly pining for girl stuff, like dresses, or delicate ballet tutus, and even Easy Bake Oven bake offs.  My mom, in her all-knowing mom-wisdom, must have known my secret need for these girl things when she bought me the pinkest, princess-iest bike in town: the Huffy Secret Treasures bike. (You're welcome for the ad, BTW). There was no hiding my glee for it when I opened the box. It was a bike that only I could ride, because it was so pink, so girly, and so perfect.

This Acne sweater is the equivalent to that bike. You take it out of the box and wear it with confidence, no matter how boxy or voluminous the shape is.

Beauty note: The beauty gods smiled upon me last week because the cool gals at Refinery29 asked me what I thought of Maybelline's Color Elixir lip gloss and sent me a sample to try. You know what? I loved the Scarlet Red color. The deep red tones blend in with my natural lip color, but with a slight sheen (hard to capture in photos above), to produce a berry stained pout. I find this combination just the right amount of pink to compliment such a prolific Acne sweater moment. 

ACNE sweater / ZARA skirt / ZARA flats / THIERRY LASRY sunglasses / MAYBELLINE Color Elixir lip gloss (courtesy of Maybelline and Refinery29)

Like a Bouqet of Sharpened Pencils: L'Occitane Almond Shower Oil

It all started one afternoon walking through the mall in San Francisco. It was right before the high school students were out, so it was a quiet afternoon and the salespeople still had the patience to indulge my window shopping behavior. I was feeling extra fancy having just had a kick-ass week at work and figured I'd do what other fancy people do; go into shops like William Sonoma and L'Occitane where the people are friendly and the music is always set to some old Judy Garland tune.

I was intrigued by the pretty yellow bottles of Almond soaps, and picked a bottle up ready to purchase the soap sight-unseen.  

"It's actually an oil," said the man who helped me in the store as I eagerly nodded as if I was already aware that a person can bathe successfully with an oil. This only made me want it more. So I bought the Huile De Douche, and just like in that You've Got Mail montage with nothing but the sounds of the street of New York, I too felt a slight buzz from feeling accomplished and purchased a $26 bottle of body oil — surely something fancy grown people do on a regular basis. 

I'm happy to report that years later, I still use this fancy oil as part of my own fancy grown-up winter ritual. It's a lovely experience that I recommend to all my readers who want to feel fancy and kick some winter dry skin to the curb, too. It has, what I like to describe, a "gentle almond smell" that stays on your skin after the shower. After a long day at work, it's a little bit of fancy-people comfort in your own shower. For those of you who have asked, the bottle lasts me a little over 3 months, which is just enough time to ring in 2014 smelly like a gentle almond.

Oh my darlin', Clementine...Or is it Tangerine?

Every now and then I stumble across these pictures above, of gorgeous, minimal applications of a bright bold orange. Not just any orange, but a tart Tangerine hue, that is applied as if it were a plain old black eyeliner. Except it's not. It's much greater than that. The impact is subtle, but incredibly alluring. So on one of my random trips to Sephora I picked up this color by Make Up Forever. It's an ideal hue of Clementine orange that complements my skin tone, without screaming "I was at a rave last night and haven't slept!" The only problem now is that I have yet to master its application. Should I go full cat eye or just highlight the water line? Do I dot the dinner corners of my eye? The possibilities are annoyingly endless. I'm enjoying the practice phase of this beauty look with girlish gusto — with plenty of Bioderma on hand to gently wipe away every mistake.

What's On My Face (A Beauty Post, People)

The beauty routine you see here is something that has been the product of many years of trial and error. I've gone the flashy route before, toying with expensive products with pretty packaging and runway worthy logos, and I've also gone the drugstore route. The sweet spot is really in the middle, where you're not spending a fortune and where you're not just wasting your money on what are ultimately cheap products. Behold Kiehl's — the friendly middle-of-the-road, no-perfumes, no-dyes, no-frills, decades long reputation of a beauty brand. I like their stuff because it just works. It does what is says. It's not promising magic and I appreciate the brand's realness.

My routine starts with the morning moisturizer, followed by a sheer SPF liquid over that. Kiehl's makes a great one, but I just so happen to be out of it and don't want to be wasteful, hence the Neutrogena liquid — which is also great. 75 SPF may seem excessive, but sun damage is the quickest way to wrinkles, people. And even city exposure, or even cloudy days, have a cumulative effect on your skin. Plus, it only takes a second, so just do it, ok?  If I'm headed to work I like to dab a couple drops of foundation. I like Lancome, but that's another post. A more makeup-ey type post. Let's skip to the night time. At night, I wash my face with the Ultra Facial Cleanser. I love this stuff. I removes everything on my face, including mascara. I don't do waterproof mascara on a daily basis, which makes removing the regular stuff easy with the cleanser. I used to hate washing my face because it left my skin feeling so dry, but this stuff is gentle. Use good products and follow the instructions. That's pretty much what it takes to have nice skin. Follow the rinsing with the Ultra Facial Toner on a cotton ball and you should be nice and squeaky clean. The toner essentially removes every smudge of makeup that might be left behind by the cleanser. Pad your beautiful clean skin dry and you're ready for the next step: moisture.

Any time you get out of the shower or wash your face you need to replenish the moisture on your skin. The same thing goes for your body, but let's just keep this post extra simply by focusing on your face and neck. I use the Ultra Facial Moisturizer and then layer on a 2-3 drops of the Midnight Recovery Serum  at night. Disclosure: this serum is fantastic when my skin is being a problem child, with patchy dry spots or annoying breakouts. My skin is happy in the morning whenever I use it. I don't use it all the time, since it can make my skin oily if I use it day after day, so just use it when you feel like you need it. Maybe once or twice a week.

Final step is the Abyssine Eye Cream and a dab of their Lip Balm #1. It seems like a lot when you write it all out, but I promise you it's easy and worth it. And don't take my word for it, buy a mini kit of all this stuff and try it out yourself. What works for me may not work for you. You can get a mini Kiehl's kit here.

Other essential tips for great skin? Don't pick at your face. This is key. When I am stressed out it's so easy to assume control of a situation by taking it out on your face. Just don't. It makes your skin irritated and you will have a hard time covering up the damage. Be nice to my face. Oh, and drink lots of water.

Weekend Project: The Matte butter Manicure

It's moving weekend for me (!!), so it's been absolutely nuts. I will leave you for the weekend with this fine nugget of manicure inspiration by butter LONDON. When I unpack my nail polish I'm going to attempt the matte french tip. It's literally how I want to design my business cards — matte recycled black thick stock with spot varnish only — but in nails! Try it out! Let me know how it goes!

Tip: The half moon manicure is easy as pie with hole punch reinforcers. It looks pretty ridiculous cutting one in half and sticking it on the nail, but it is a super clean line. Paint the bottom color first (the half moon color), then stick the half hole punch reinforcer where you want the curve to be, then paint above that line. Easy. Done. You're welcome.

Have a great weekend!

The tools for the matte manicure:

The Missoni Lip

Images: Vogue.com

Luxurious

Images: style.com, tory burch, the cut, tumblr, connected to fashion, foundry, french vogue, design conundrum

Loved looking at these images during the past week. The bold colors, subdued palette, and attitude is perfect with a background track of Gwen Stefani's "Luxurious".  I tend to cultivate a folder that sticks to one theme each week, and it's just astonishing to see how in line they all seem to be after a couple days of scouring the internet. What a lovely way to transition my summer mind into fall.

Shop the mood: