A 2021 Skincare Retrospective

I’ve now been a full-fledged skincare fanatic for over two years (fun fact: Skincare Fanatics FB group started at the end of February 2020) and a skincare blogger for over one. I never expected the group to hit a thousand members, let alone 65k (it’s doubled in the past year). And I never expected to be so diligent about blogging — I posted every weekend of 2021, with the exception of the two weekends I was out of the country. I absolutely love working in software, but skincare has given the workaholic in me some much needed balance. As such, I wanted to share a bit: first, my stash coming into the 2022 calendar year, and second some of the highlights of my year in blogging and skincare.

🛍 The Stash

In 2021 I really figured out how to shop smart. I went into 2021 with a fairly large stash, as evidenced by my 2020 retrospective, and had totally planned to do a no buy, which I promptly failed at and still get dragged about by certain skincare friends. But realistically having a lot of skincare stashed doesn’t always mean you have the RIGHT skincare stashed, which is why more purchases happen and eventually I wound up with a spreadsheet to track everything I had open, closed, or in my window shopping carts. Things are pretty well-tuned now, though, so I anticipate being able to trim my skincare budget a bit ($100 USD / month) while loving the skin I’m in.

Before we jump in, some caveats and disclaimers:

  • This stash actually serves two faces — mine and my husband’s. He’s still on a minimal skincare routine, but he can definitely go through sunscreen in the summer.
  • All skincare boxes say their expiration date on the bottom, and you’d be surprised by just how far out the expiration is. Granted some products (aka my unopened vitamin c) live in the fridge, but where my stash lives the shelf-life has been great.
  • I love a long routine, and it has really helped my dry, dehydrated skin navigate the high desert climate of Colorado. I actually have around 20 products that I use pretty much daily.
  • Because of other lifestyle choices I’ve made, I don’t feel guilty about the carbon footprint of my skincare. That said, the empty containers I do get rid of (most I keep for photos later) get disposed of in as eco-friendly a way as possible, and since much of my skincare come from overseas (to me) I try to buy enough to make the environmental effects of shipping worthwhile when I do.
  • I’m not advocating for over-consumption. You should definitely use skincare in line with what’s best for your budget and your skin concerns (while ensuring you cleanse, moisturize and use sunscreen, of course).
  • Some of these products have been discontinued, but I intend to use them up anyway.
  • I started the year with additional skincare, but those have been opened and you’ll have to hold out for the January Openeds post. All products pictured are unopened
  • I also decided not to include body products or single-use items (pimple patches, sheet masks).

Now that that’s out of the way, the stash, listed by how I organize them in stash:

First Cleansers: Farmacy Green Clean Cleansing Balm, Drunk Elephant E-Rase Milki Micellar Water (mini), Then I Met You Living Cleansing Balm (mini), MIZON Cicaluronic Cleansing Balm (mini, Pure Fit Cica Clear Cleansing Oil (mini)

Second Cleansers: Cosrx Pure Fit Cica Cleanser, Biossance Squalane + Elderberry Jelly Cleanser, Tatcha The Rice Wash Skin-Softening Cleanser (mini), Rhonda Allison Foaming Peptide Cleanser (mini), Peach & Lily Power Calm Hydrating Gel Cleanser (mini)

Exfoliants: Stratia Soft Touch AHA, Paula’s Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster, Sunday Riley Good Genes (mini), Farmacy Honeymoon Glow (mini)

Wash-Off Masks: Tonymoly I’m Green Tea Hydro-Burst Morning Mask, I Dew Care Matcha Mood soothing Green Tea Wash-Off Mask, Topicals Like Butter Hydrating Mask, I Dew Care Cake My Day Hydrating Sprinkle Wash-Off Mask (mini)

Toners/Essences/Mists: COSRX Full Fit Propolis Synergy Toner, Elmt Advanced Calming Solution, ROUND LAB 1025 Dokdo Toner, Pyunkang Yul Essence Toner, Sioris My First Essener, Benton Snail Bee High Content Essence, Isntree Hyaluronic Acid Water Essence, RNW DER. SPECIAL Ceramide Mist, Dr. Ceuracle Vegan Kombucha Tea Essence, Laneige Cream Skin Refiner (mini), Klairs Supple Preparation Facial Toner (mini), Peach & Lily Wild Dew Treatment Essence (mini), COSRX AHA BHA Vitamin C Daily Toner (mini)

Serums and Face Oils: Good Skin Days C’s the Day Serum (2), The Inkey List Ceramide Hydrating Night Treatment, iUNIK Noni Light Oil Serum (2), Peach & Lily Glass Skin Refining Serum (full-size and mini), Rhonda Allison Grape Seed Hydrating Serum (mini), Farmacy Filling Good (mini) Missha Time Revolution Night Repair Probio Ampoule (mini)

Miscellaneous Facial Skincare: The Inkey List Caffeine Eye Cream, NuFace Hydrating Leave-On Gel Primer

Lips: I Dew Care Plush Party Buttery Vitamin C Lip Mask, Biossance Squalane + Rose Vegan Lip Balm, Aquaphor Lip Repair, Rohto Mentholatum WaterLip, Farmacy Honey Butter (mini), Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask (mini)

Moisturizers: Stratia Liquid Gold (2), Isntree Cica Relief Cream (2), Pyunkang Yul Ato Cream Blue Label, Isntree Aloe Soothing Gel, Beauty of Joseon Dynasty Cream, Barr Centella Calming Barrier Cream (full-size and mini), Peach & Lily Glass Skin Water-Gel Moisturizer (mini), Klair Rich Moist Soothing Cream (mini), Klairs Fundamental Water Gel Cream (mini), Laneige Water Bank Moisture Cream (2 minis), Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel (mini), Farmacy Honey Halo (mini), First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Face Moisturizer (mini)

Sleeping Masks: COSRX Propolis Honey Overnight Sleeping Mask, Purito Dermide Cica Barrier Sleeping Repair Pack, Laneige Water Sleeping Mask (mini)

Sunscreen: Isntree Hyaluronic Acid Watery Sun Gel (3), Hyggee Vegan Sun Cream (3), Krave Beauty The Beet Shield (3), Banobagi Milk Thistle Repair Sunscreen (2 full-size, 1 mini), Dr. Ceuracle Cica Regen Vegan Sun, Thank You Farmer Sun Project Water Sun Cream, OMI Verdio UV Moisture Essence, Etude House Sunprise Mild Watery Light, Neogen Day-Light Protection Airy Sunscreen (mini)

💡Highlights

While I was good about posting empties in 2020, my other content was fairly irregular. That changed in 2021, however.

First, I added the notion of “Openeds” (yes, probably should be “Opens”, no, not going to change it) reviews, with first impressions of skincare I opened. I don’t rate newly opened skincare because it doesn’t feel appropriate, but it’s a great way for me to track when I opened something, and it’s nice to keep folks up-to-date on what’s on my face.

Then I started my “Face-Off” series. I try enough skincare in enough general categories (e.g. propolis serums, moisturizing toners, beginner retinols) that it’s nice to put those experiences to use for others. I only have one face, but I plan to do more this year. First up will be ceramide serums — I’ve tried a lot so it’s taking me a while to gather all my Many, Many thoughts.

Late autumn in 2021 was characterized by sheet masks. Every day, in the case of December — I set myself a challenge to sheet mask every day in December, and I actually succeeded (more on this with a post later, but let me just say I did not see a single fine line thanks to all the hydration). I also did my Twelve Days of Sheet Masks for friends and family this year, scaling from 10 sets of 12 masks to 24, and even had some folks pay me for them! More on that project at some later point, for sure, though I wrote about the experience last year, too.

In general, 2021 was a great year for my love of skincare, as evidenced by having so many products I rated 10/10 that I had to write not one, but two top-rated skincare posts last month. I love the whole cycle of researching, buying, stashing, tracking (in a spreadsheet, wow I’m a nerd), using and writing about skincare. Thanks to everyone who reads this and to all of those (particularly the Skincare Fanatics modmin team) who encourage me to take my skincare obsession to new heights. You make it hard for me to stick to my budget, but I love you all anyway.

Cheers to 2022! May we all have realistic skin expectations and take care of ourselves, and our skin. And maybe in 2022 I’ll even start ironing backdrops — this one is wrinkly as hell, but at least my skin isn’t!

December Openeds Reviews

My skincare in December felt very dominated by my “sheet mask every day” challenge — which I did succeed at! But I did still empty a fair bit of skincare, so I had to open a fair bit too! And since I get questions every time: I don’t rate skincare when opening it — you’ll have to wait till I empty it for that!

🍓 boscia Berry Blend Smoothing Facial Mask with 28% Acid Complex

I haven’t reached for boscia, as a brand, since early on in my skincare days, but when I got the Berry Blend Smoothing Facial Mask with 28% Acid Complex as a sample from Sephora I figured I may as well give it a go. On long, dark evenings — like I’m experiencing now in Colorado — I really enjoy using an exfoliating mask and then a moisturizing mask as a way to lengthen my PM routine. The 28% acid complex is a combination of glycolic acid, malic acid and lactic acid, all AHAs, as well as salicylic acid and some fruit extracts. I have had issues with some other exfoliating masks tingling, but so far this one does not.
Price: $44 USD / 80 mL for the full-size; shown in a sample size

🌾 I’m From Rice Toner

The I’m From Rice Toner is one of the cult favorites from the brand, and this is technically my second time opening it — I previously had it as a mini. As you can tell from the picture, it’s very easy to wear. I previously compared it to Laneige Cream Skin in a Face Off post, but this definitely layers in a way that does not. I’ve been doing two layers of this, AM and PM, after my One Thing Galactomyces and Cosrx Cica toners and before my Beauty of Joseon Ginseng Essence Water. My hope is that continued use over the period of a few months will help address some persistent post-inflammatory erythema (PIE) while giving my skin some extra cushion through the cold months as these are two areas where rice can really excel.
Price: $28 USD / 150 mL

🥑 Glow Recipe Avocado Ceramide Recovery Serum

Y’all asked me to review this, and Santa made it possible — I got the Glow Recipe Avocado Ceramide Recovery Serum for Christmas. I stand by a ceramide serum, as you all know, and this one is definitely an aesthetic experience — it’s the same green as the bottle itself, and has more of a standard serum texture than a ceramide gloopy texture. It actually reminds me a fair bit of RNW Der Concentrate Ceramide Plus: both have five ceramides, avocado oil, niacinamide, cholesterol, peptides (though RNW beats Glow Recipe on this — 8 to 1), green tea water/extract, and loads of other plant extracts for extra antioxidant support.
Price: $42 USD / 30 mL

🏆 Stratia Liquid Gold

Stratia Liquid Gold is back, baby, and this time bigger than ever. My husband loves this stuff, for good reason, so Santa got him the big size (and the smaller size, for a back-up). This will probably last him until summer, so you might not see it in an empties review again for a while. Highly recommend as a go-to moisturizer or a cost-effective skin barrier serum.
Price: $49 USD / 120 mL

👄 Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask

I’ve tried plenty of other Laneige products, but somehow it took till now for me to try their Lip Sleeping Mask. Of course, this month I finally got two sample sizes of it, so maybe just getting it as part a kit (Sephora birthday gift as well as the Sephora/Laneige/To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before set) rather than jumping right into a huge size was what I really needed. I can certainly see some of the hype already — this is nicely hydrating and emollient. I can see why others aren’t pleased with it though, as it has basically no occlusivity. It’s been a great soldier in the war against dry lips from drinking too much red wine (the struggle is real), but probably wouldn’t hold up too well against, say, wind burn.
Price: $20 USD / 20g; shown in a sample size

🎭 I DEW CARE Let’s Get Sheet Faced Face Sheet Mask Pack

Going through 31 sheet masks in a month will make you feel like you need more, so Santa brought the I DEW CARE Let’s Get Sheet Faced Face Sheet Mask Pack. I’ve only just started getting into the brand due (dew … puns) to their wash-off masks. I appreciate the pricing on this box — my usual rule of thumb is to pay around $2 USD per sheet mask. This includes 2-3 of each mask type, and thus far I’ve tried an “Up All Night” and a “Time Warp.” They seem to be fairly high quality, compared to other inexpensive mask like Tony Moly — even better, they’re set to go 50% off in the Ulta Love Your Skin Event, so I may pick up another batch to share.
Price: $25 USD / 14 masks

🛁 Neutrogena Body Oil

Turns out if you dig around on the internet, you can find Neutrogena Body Oil in enormous bottles. You all know that I love this oil for use in the bath, so I’m very excited to have a bottle with an easy pump, and which will actually last me longer than a month. Unfortunately the fragrance free version is only available in the smaller bottles, but hopefully eventually they’ll release that in large sizes.
Price: $30 USD / 946 mL

December Empties Review

I was a bit surprised to see that I still managed to empty a fair bit of skincare in December — it felt like a very busy month, between holidays and a birthday staycation, and my sheet mask every day challenge (which I did manage to finish! More on that at some other time) did cause me to frequently skip steps of my routine in the name of expedience. But the heart wants what the heart wants, and what mine wants is to slap as much skincare on my dry-skinned face as possible, and to submerge my body in as much hot water as possible, so here we are.

Wash-Off Masks

🍓 I Dew Care Berry Groovy Brightening Glycolic Wash-Off Mask

I Dew Care doesn’t seem to get much play except for with their masks (sheet and wash-off) but so far I’ve been enjoying all the ones I’ve tried — the Berry Groovy Brightening Glycolic Wash-Off Mask being the latest installment. They say it’s gelato-inspired and, having made two raspberry gelatos in the past month, I can confirm that it’s very similar though (presumably) not as delicious and, of course, you should always strain the seeds from your gelato. This is one of those weird k-beauty masks that strikes a balance between physical exfoliation (from walnut shell powder and strawberry seeds) and chemical (glycolic). I did not find this mask to be tingly at all, though it’s not immediately clear if that’s from the quality of formulation or the low percentage (the brand doesn’t state it, and it’s the last ingredient on the list) of glycolic acid.
Opened: November
Price: $25 USD / 100 g; shown in the 10 g sample size from the Mini Scoops set
Rating: 8/10

🌿 Isntree Real Mugwort Clay Mask

I won the Isntree Real Mugwort Clay Mask in a giveaway earlier this year and as far as clay masks go, I can see why it’s a popular one in the k-beauty sphere. It doesn’t dry as fast or as tight as many other clay masks I’ve tried, and if your skin responds well to mugwort (sometimes known as artemisia), it’s a really good dose of it. I can see this being really great for normal-to-oily skin, especially if it’s acne- and inflammation-prone. That said, I am none of those things — I don’t even find mugwort to be soothing or redness reducing, because I guess that’s not my flavor of skin irritation. It took me a while to use this up, since I mostly only wanted to use it in the tub (it’s hard to rinse off, especially with all the tiny mugwort bits) when I had enough time to follow up with a hydrating/moisturizing mask.
Opened: July
Price: $24 USD / 100 mL
Rating: 6/10

Leave-On Facial Skincare

💧 elmt Skin Activating Solution

I picked up two of the elmt toners this summer when they were on sale at Wishtrend (the only place, to my knowledge, where they’re currently available), and started with the Skin Activating Solution to add some antioxidants to my routine. Each of the elmt toners are designed with a specific synergistic pair of ingredients at the forefront, and for this one it’s green tea and chinese skullcap. I found that this toner layered really nicely — on its own it’s not particularly deeply hydrating, but as part of a seven (or more) skin routine, it worked great. I also really appreciate the aesthetics of the brand, though the chonky bottle took up a fair bit of space in my skincare bin.
Opened: September
Price: $20 USD / 150 mL
Rating: 9/10

🧱 Cocokind Ceramide Barrier Serum

Cocokind is one of the most accessible “clean”, Asian-owned beauty brands available in the US, and because I’m always on the lookout for ceramide serums, I had to give their Ceramide Barrier Serum a try. This serum includes five types of ceramides and two ceramide precursors, as well as cholesterol, giving it a lot of skin barrier support vavavoom. This is also a very hydrating serum, with aloe juice, lactic acid and beta-glucan, so it doesn’t have a gloopy serum texture, either. I was honestly really surprised and impressed. Having gotten it from Target, in my mind it wasn’t going to be particularly nice, but I’d peg Cocokind, as a brand, as up there with Versed and Naturium: drugstore prices/accessibility with k-beauty or mid-range efficacy.
Opened: October
Price: $20 USD / 30 mL
Rating: 10/10

🎈Kate Somerville Kx Active Concentrates Bio-Mimicking Peptides Serum

I really wanted to love the Kate Somerville Kx Active Concentrates Bio-Mimicking Peptides Serum, but given the price I’m glad that it was just, in my book, pretty okay. There were a couple mornings while using that I woke up particularly glowy and I attribute that to accidentally using two layers of this, but that price is hard to justify when a daily light exfoliation (this includes plant enzymes) will get you that without the markup from the five epidermal growth factor peptides.I used these AM and PM (always a few steps away from any actives) and while my skin is looking quite wrinkle- and fine-line-free, I don’t think I can attribute too much to the peptides themselves. I am intrigued by what EGF peptides could do long-term, but I use so many products with peptides packed in hither and thither (thanks, k-beauty) that I don’t anticipate I’ll be going out of my way to find them.
Opened: November
Price: $98 USD / 30 mL
Rating: 7/10

🏆 Stratia Liquid Gold

Stratia Liquid Gold is a cult classic, and made my top-rated skincare of 2021 list. This empty is technically my husband’s, who raved about the product in his first Hub Take. This product is a beautiful golden color (ergo its name) due to sea buckthorn oil, which is an incredibly nourishing ingredient, but the real claim to fame here is the ratio of ceramides to cholesterol and fatty acids. If you’re into “skipcare” or are the sort of person who typically has an aversion to skincare, I strongly recommend trying this! I occasionally steal a pump or two in lieu of a ceramide serum, but my husband uses it day (under sunscreen) or night (after azelaic acid).
Opened: July
Price: $27 USD / 60 mL
Rating: 10/10

🌱 Abib Heartleaf Sun Essence Calming Drop

This summer was a summer for branching out in sunscreen, so I had to try the Abib Heartleaf Sun Essence Calming Drop. After all, how often do you see sunscreen in a dropper bottle? Heartleaf, or houttuynia cordata extract, is just starting to get popular as a hero ingredient due to its anti-inflammatory properties, as well as its high number of flavonoids. This sunscreen is really liquidy and emollient, but I did find that it tended to pill when used over too many serums. I actually quite enjoyed using it on my arms, though, as that emollience made them incredibly soft. This sunscreen is SPF 50+ PA++++, though I’m not sure if it’s gone through any third-party validation, and would probably great for acne-prone skin that can’t use too many heavy products.
Opened: August
Price: $23 USD / 50 mL
Rating: 7/10

Body Care

Sol de Janiero Coco Cabana Cream

I’m a December baby, and though I got the Sol de Janiero Coco Cabana Cream as part of 2020’s birthday gift I only just got around to opening it. I … did not love it. I know many people love Sol de Janiero for their scents and while I have not yet opened the Brazilian Bum Bum Cream (also part of said birthday gift), I have to say the smell of this did not do it for me. It was pretty sickly sweet, and when it clung to my fingers too much it actually made me feel nauseated. This was a bit of a hate pan, with me using it on my legs to use it up, and then deliberately washing my hands. On the bright side, it didn’t leave any sort of greasy residue, and my skin did feel softer afterwards.
Opened: December
Price: $45 USD / 240 mL; shown in a sample size
Rating: 2/10

🛁 Neutrogena Body Oil

I’ve honestly sung the praises of Neutrogena Body Oil too much. They should probably sponsor me. But suffice it to say that I went through yet another bottle of it in the tub, in about a month.
Opened: November
Price: $13 USD / 250 mL
Rating: 10/10

🩸Butters Hygienics The Blood of My Enemies Bath Oil of Vengeance

I was so excited about the thematic awesomeness of the Butters Hygienics The Blood of My Enemies Bath Oil of Vengeance that I bought four in October. And it is a really nice bath oil — my legs and lower back never ever felt stripped, dry or chafey after using. The oil turns bath water a deep pink or middling red, and there’s a faint shimmer to the glitter. I kind of struggled to finish this bottle, however, because WOW does this turn my tub pink. First-world problems, but I only wanted to use it on the couple days before our house cleaner comes because otherwise it makes the tub look like watermelon-snow central. I did already give another bottle away to an avid bather, and I will certainly use the other two up, but buyer-beware unless you love scrubbing tubs.
Opened: October
Price: $25 USD / 12 oz
Rating: 6/10

Lisa’s List: Top-Rated Skincare of 2021 Part 2 — Wash-Off Products, Actives, Sunscreen & Other Skincare

This is Part 2 of Lisa’s List! Check my last post for most of my top-rated skincare of 2021. This one includes wash-off products (cleansers and masks), actives (retinol, exfoliants and vitamin c), sunscreen and other skincare like lip and body products.

Wash-Off Products

Banila Clean It Zero Cleansing Balm

I. Love. This. Cleansing. Balm. Truly. The Banila Clean It Zero Cleansing Balm easily turns into an oil, and emulsifies and rinses super cleanly, without stripping. I did not find that it irritated my eyes or caused any blurriness, even when using it to remove eye makeup, though I know some folks do. This does have a light scent to it from the acerola extract, but I find that that actually helps me enjoy it more. There’s definitely a reason it’s a cult classic!
Number Emptied: 2
Number in Stash: 0
Currently in Use: no (using PKY)
Price: $19 USD/100 mL

🐌 Peach Slices Snail Rescue Intensive Wash-Off Mask

Peach Slices really nailed it with their snail line. The Snail Rescue Intensive Wash-Off Mask has a funky jelly texture due to its use of potato starch as a thickener, but it doesn’t dry out if you, like me, tend to leave your masks on for too long. True to its name it has 95% snail mucin, but also includes centella asiatica extract, licorice root extract, strawberry fruit extract and birch juice for an extra soothing, brightening and antioxidant boost.
Number Emptied: 2
Number in Stash: 0
Currently in Use: no
Price: $17 USD / 100 mL

🍯 I’m From Honey Mask

The I’m From Honey Mask is a cult favorite for good reason. I love this mask for use after a clay or exfoliating mask to help restore my skin, and for an additional boost if I’m experiencing inflammation. I leave it on for 10 minutes or up to 60 (or over, if you’re me) and you’ll experience no ill effects. This mask has honey, propolis and bee venom, as well as, moisturizing oils like sunflower and jojoba, and humectants like bamboo water, lotus water, aloe water, beta glucan and glycerin. This is one of the few products that I’ve ever actively hoarded until I could get a replacement.
Number Emptied: 2
Number in Stash: 0
Currently in Use: yes
Price: $38 USD / 120 g

Actives

🥬 Krave Beauty Kale-lalu-yAHA

I’m a big believer in AHA 3-4 days a week to keep my seborrheic dermatitis at bay, and Krave Beauty Kale-lalu-yAHA fits that bill. The 5.25% glycolic acid puts it slightly stronger than some of the other AHA toners out there (Ren, Pixi) but less strong than The Ordinary. The aloe juice and other extracts are a nice added benefit to make it feel like you’re doing more for your skin than just getting rid of the dead bits. I personally put it on a cotton pad to apply, to ensure I could get it everywhere, but you could potentially just apply with your hands — just make sure you spread it evenly.
Number Emptied: 1
Number in Stash: 0
Currently in Use: no
Price: $25 USD/200 mL

🍒 Good Skin Days C’s the Day Serum

If you’ve been reading my empties and openeds for a while, the Good Skin Days C’s the Day serum should need no introduction — I go through a bottle every 1.5 to 2 months. This is an incredibly non-sticky vitamin c that is great for more sensitive skin. This vitamin c serum includes 10% ascorbic acid, so it will oxidize slowly but surely. It also includes niacinamide, licorice root, camu-camu, ginseng and mushroom for some great brightening and hydrating power. I cannot evangelize the Good Skin Days C’s the Day serum enough.
Number Emptied: 5+
Number in Stash: 3
Currently in Use: yes
Price: $26 USD / 30 mL

💜 Versed Press Restart Retinol

Versed Press Restart Retinol is my holy grail retinol. After working up my frequency (start slow! Once per week), I found that I could use it daily, even on exfoliation days. This has a very low (.03) percentage of encapsulated retinol, as well as bakuchiol, but it’s enough to be effective. In particular, I’ve noticed that improves the redness around my nose where I had previously thinned my skin from overuse of cortisone on seborrheic dermatitis. It takes me about four pumps to cover face, neck and chest, but I also give it credit for keeping me from pronounced tech neck, and love that it’s gentle enough for me to use there.
Number Emptied: 2
Number in Stash: 0
Currently in Use: no (using the SANA retinol toner)
Price: $22 USD / 30 mL

🌃 Stratia Night Shift

Stratia Night Shift came highly recommended from a dear friend, and I think the hype was very fair. This is a night cream with encapsulated retinol and skin-barrier-supportive ingredients like ceramides and cica (would we expect anything less from the creator of Liquid Gold?). More normal or oily skin types could certainly use this as a night cream, like it’s billed. My poor dry skin needed another moisturizer, a facial oil and a sleeping mask overtop. A great starter retinol, if you’ve been debating taking the leap. Once I built up my usage I found this usable every day, even on exfoliating nights.
Number Emptied: 1
Number in Stash: 0
Currently in Use: no (see note above re: Versed)
Price: $28USD / 50mL

Sunscreens

😎 HYGGEE Vegan Sun Cream

The Hyggee Vegan Sun Cream is a recently released k-beauty sunscreen that’s been getting a lot of play because it passed external SPF validation and because, according to the ingredient list, it’s basically a dupe of Krave Beauty Beet Shield. Same color, almost all of the same UV filters, and a bunch of antioxidants including beet extract. Like Krave Beauty this does also include alcohol for stabilizing and dry-down purposes, but unlike Krave this doesn’t feel drying — the texture itself is actually quite creamy and moisturizing, so I actually don’t feel like I need a moisturizer under this (though I use a bunch of serums so your mileage may vary). You’ll definitely need to reapply this as you go out and about and it’s unfortunately a little pricey, but if you’ve struggled to find something good, give it a go!
Number Emptied: 1
Number in Stash: 3
Currently in Use: yes
Price: $25 USD / 50 mL

☀️ Isntree Watery Sun Gel

The Isntree Watery Sun Gel is officially my husband’s favorite sunscreen. After the Krave Beauty Beet Shield was pulled off the market, this has been a skin-saver. This is a lightweight, chemical sunscreen which uses modern filters and has been verified that it meets its SPF 50+ PA++++ rating. It holds up nicely during long wear, and is a great sunscreen for people who don’t like sunscreen, because it doesn’t leave too dewy or too drying a finish. We even used it down in Belize and, while it won’t hold up to long periods in the pool or ocean, it kept us from burning.
Number Emptied: 3
Number in Stash: 3
Currently in Use: no (using Hyggee Vegan Sun Cream)
Price: $17 USD / 50 mL

Other Skincare

🏭 Vaseline Original Healing Jelly

Vaseline has been around and in use as a skincare ingredient for ages, but it feels like it’s only really been having its moment lately. Many people use it for slugging, but I use it for my body. In June, my legs reached the point where it literally hurt to bathe because I had bathed so much for so long that I had stripped the heck out of my skin barrier. So I started slathering Vaseline on my legs before hopping in the tub. The very occlusive nature of petrolatum kept my legs comforted and protected for hours. I’ve now backed down to putting Vaseline on my legs one out of every two or three baths, and it definitely helps without feeling yucky or greasy.
Number Emptied: 1
Number in Stash: 0
Currently in Use: yes
Price: $4 USD / 212g; or $2 USD / 49g

👄 Rohto Mentholatum Water Lip Color Balm SPF 20 PA++

As a card-carrying member of the dry lip club as well as an avid outside-in-the-summer human, an SPF lip balm is critical. The Rohto Mentholatum Water Lip Color Balm SPF 20 PA++ has no meaningful flavor, no noticeable smell and, at least on my lip color, on distinguishable color. It goes on smooth and does actually nourish the delicate skin of the lips. Other ones I’ve tried have either tasted awful (Aquaphor) or left a white cast (Vanicream).
Number Emptied: 1
Number in Stash: 1
Currently in Use: no (using another Rohto Mentholatum lip spf from a different line)
Price: $6 USD / 4.5 g

🔴 Cosrx Acne Pimple Master Patches

I’m a recent convert to pimple patches, but I’m a big believer in them. I don’t get many spots but I can’t not pick at them to save my life, and I get post-inflammatory erythema that sticks around for months literally every time. I love the sizes on this so I can use them on spots of any type, and there are enough of them that I feel able to put them on early and keep them on even after the white head comes out, which seems to help reduce the PIE.
Number Emptied: 1
Number in Stash: 3
Currently in Use: yes
Price: $6 USD / 24 patches

🧴 Derma: B Mild Moisture Body Lotion

The Mild Moisture Body Lotion was the first product I ever tried by Derma: B. Derma: B gives off strong drugstore skincare vibes, but comes to them with that classic Korean take on skincare which I very much appreciate. It features your standard drugstore lotion ingredients like caprylic triglycerides, glycerin, cetearyl alcohol and she butter, but ups the ante with grape seed oil, camellia seed oil, panthenol and allantoin. This lotion is incredibly nourishing without being greasy at all.
Number Emptied: 1
Number in Stash: 0 (though I do have another lotion from them)
Currently in Use: no (though I’m using the body cream from the same line)
Price: $18 USD / 400 mL

🛀 Bioderma Atoderm Body Cleansing Oil

Moisturizing after a bath is all well and good, but if you bathe as often and as long as I do, you might find that you can feel your skin start to be stripped mid-tub-time. But using a cleansing oil like Bioderma Atoderm Body Cleansing Oil as a bath oil really helps. Because of the surfactants it doesn’t just stay on the surface of the tub like some other oils do, but it also doesn’t strip my skin more like a bubble bath might. The one drawback? This does have a baby powder fragrance to it, but it fades fairly quickly.
Number Emptied: 1
Number in Stash: 0
Currently in Use: no (using the pictured Neutrogena)
Price: $20 USD / 1 L (not pictured due to infeasibility of storing)

🛁 Neutrogena Body Oil

This is the best oil to use in the bath that I’ve found. I’ve tried many others and I keep coming back to this one. I prefer the fragrance-free version, but the one with masking fragrance is much easier to find It’s got the right amount of oils and surfactants in it to keep a long bath from feeling stripping while still ensuring that the oil doesn’t just pool at the top of the bath water. I like a good few squirts of this in with almost all of my baths, unless using a bath bomb.
Number Emptied: 3
Number in Stash: 0
Currently in Use: yes
Price: $10 USD / 250 mL (pictured in a 946 mL size)

Lisa’s List: Top-Rated Skincare of 2021 Part 1 — Toners, Essences, Serums, Creams & Oils

Folks seem to love my ratings (out of 10) of skincare, so I figured there’s no time like the present to collate all of my top-rated (10 out of 10) skincare for the year. Note: I only rate skincare when it’s emptied (if it’s newly opened, I haven’t been using it for long enough to get a good read on it), so there are some products currently in my rotation that may well be 10/10 for me but won’t be making this list until next year.

Over 30 products made the cut, so I had to split them into two parts! I also haven’t included products I know to be discontinued (e.g. Krave Beauty The Beet Shield), or tried to include categories where I’ve yet to find a holy grail (e.g. cleansers). I’ve also added the new category of “Actives” just this once, to group retinol, vitamin c and exfoliants — but those will be coming in my next post, so stay tuned! Next week I’ll cover wash-off products, actives, sunscreen and other skincare.

Toners & Essences

🍶 Missha Time Revolution First Treatment Essence

The Missha Time Revolution First Treatment Essence is my second most repurchased skincare product, because the galactomyces in here does wonders for my pores and redness. Galactomyces was supposedly discovered as a skincare ingredient when the scientists of SK-II noticed the young hands but old faces of sake brewers. Galactomyces doesn’t work for everyone — especially those who are fungal acne-prone — and it’s a frequently slept-on ingredient due to cost because it takes a while to see results, but after about a month you can tell there’s a difference. It hydrates, strengthens the skin barrier and provides antioxidant benefits. While I won’t always be using Missha, I’m determined to never go without galactomyces again. It’s worth noting that Missha does reformulate this every year, and I’ve only tried the fourth generation of this. It appears that the fifth generation may have bumped down the actual galactomyces percentage, but I’m sure I’ll be trying it at some point, you know, for science.
Number Emptied: 4
Number in Stash: 0
Currently in Use: no (using other galactomyces toner/essences, though)
Price: $25-$54 / 150 mL depending upon retailer

🍶 MIZON Skin Power Original First Essence

Within a week of switching onto the MIZON Skin Power Original First Essence (from the Neogen Microferment Essence), I noticed my pores start to shrink and my persistent redness, particularly on my chin, start to diminish. This first essence — so named because it’s intended to be the first step of your skincare routine after cleansing, even before toner — has 94.5% galactomyces, as well as some extra skin-beneficial ingredients like niacinamide, cocoa extract and coptis japonica root extract. Those with acne-prone or sensitive skin should probably tread lightly, as this also includes castor oil and a few essential oils. There is some fragrance to this, but the full-size is the most affordable first essence on the market, so there’s a good chance I’ll be coming back to this in the future — I’m never going without galactomyces ever again.
Number Emptied: 1
Number in Stash: 0
Currently in Use: no (see note re Missha)
Price: $22 USD / 210 mL for full-size; pictured in the mini size

🍃 COSRX Pure Fit Cica Toner

The COSRX Pure Fit Cica Toner has been a holy grail for me since I initially won the full size version in a giveaway from the brand. This is an incredibly watery toner that basically uses every part of the centella asiatica plant thanks to COSRX’s Cica-7 Complex, as well as pinus pinaster bark extract, or Pycnogenol, which is an anti-inflammatory antioxidant. I find this to be a deeply hydrating toner which layers incredibly well to soothe and plump the skin — I usually go for two to three layers AM and PM, and it really helps bring my skin back from the brink when it’s distressed. I’m hard-pressed to think of anyone I would not recommend this toner to, except for those that generally eschew anything beyond the basic cleanser-moisturizer-spf routine.
Number Emptied: 3
Number in Stash: 0
Currently in Use: yes
Price: $22 USD/150 mL

🐝 Cosrx Full-Fit Propolis Synergy Toner

The Cosrx Propolis Synergy Toner is one of the products that got me onto propolis, and I’ve been here ever since. Despite being a toner, this almost has an essence texture to it — you probably would not want more than two layers, though it does pair nicely with other toners (see: Cosrx Cica) for seven skins. If you’re looking for a cost-effective, lightweight way to introduce propolis in your routine (and I recommend it for almost any skin concern — acne, hyperpigmentation, even dryness), I urge you to give this a go.
Number Emptied: 2
Number in Stash: 1
Currently in Use: no
Price: $22 USD/150 mL

🐌 Peach Slices Snail Rescue Blemish Busting Toner

If you’re interested in snail but aren’t sure about the texture, the Peach Slices Snail Rescue Blemish Busting Toner is a great cost-effective option — the toner has 95% snail mucin (just 1% less than the cult classic Cosrx Snail Mucin) but has no gloopiness to it. It’s just a lovely, slightly thicker toner that’s great for layering. Snail mucin, of course, has many great skin benefits mostly centered around wound healing, which is why this is marketed towards blemish-prone skin but works really well for those of us fighting other skin-barrier fights as well.
Number Emptied: 2
Number in Stash: 0
Currently in Use: no (I’m not actually using any snail at the moment … not sure how that happened)
Price: $14 USD / 120 mL

💧 Pyunkang Yul Essence Toner

This was basically the first “essence toner” to really get popular, and put Pyunkang Yul on the map in the western market in a lot of ways. As the first of its type, a lot of folks didn’t really know how to use it — was it an essence? Was it a toner? Did parsing that difference really matter? The answers are yes, yes and maybe. This is an essence in that its very focused on a single ingredient (astragalus membranaceus root extract, aka milk vecht root extract), which is the focus of many of Pyunkang Yul’s products that are geared towards dry skin. It’s also a toner in that you can feel comfortable putting on several layers and apply directly after cleansing. This has a nearly jelly texture, so if you’re really into seven skins you probably won’t want to use this for all seven. For my part, I really enjoyed the texture and would happily use it as my essence step.
Number Emptied: 1
Number in Stash: 1
Currently in Use: no
Price: $19 USD / 200 mL

🥛 Laneige Cream Skin Toner & Moisturizer

Laneige Cream Skin is labeled as both a toner and moisturizer due to its relatively high oil content (for a toner, anyway), which gives it good body. The hero ingredient is the white tea extract, which has even more antioxidant benefits than green tea, but it’s the meadowfoam seed oil which really gives it that nice texture and emollience without feeling greasy. If you’re hoping to give your skin a bit of an extra hug, Laneige Cream Skin Toner & Moisturizer may be the product for you, and can even function as a moisturizer for more oily skin types.
Number Emptied: 1
Number in Stash: 1 (a mini)
Currently in Use: no
Price: $33 USD / 150 mL

Serums

🐝 Some By Mi Propolis B5 Glow Barrier Calming Serum

Some By Mi Propolis B5 Glow Barrier Calming Serum has 73% propolis extract as well as panthenol (vitamin B5) to fulfill its name, but it also has honey extract, royal jelly extract, niacinamide, lactobacillus extract, saccharomyces, mugwort, tea leaf water, coptic japonica extract, ceramide NP and a bunch of variations on centella asiatica. This has a nice, easy to apply texture and the pump format makes it really easy to use, and while it has fragrance it seems to just be a honey masking one. I stand by having a dedicated propolis serum in my routine but if you’re looking for propolis but want a “does it all” sort of serum, I’ve been super impressed with this. It’s certainly the most cost-effective of the propolis serums: $20 for 50 mL, versus the more typical $30 for 30.
Number Emptied: 1
Number in Stash: 0
Currently in Use: no (using a different propolis serum)
Price: $20 USD / 50 mL

🧺 AMPLE:N Ceramide Shot Ampoule

Long-time readers will know that I swear by having a dedicated ceramide serum in my routine, and the AMPLE:N Ceramide Shot Ampoule is basically the most cost-effective option out there — even available in a 100 mL size. It doesn’t have the ceramide gloopiness of RNW or Kate Somerville, but still delivers skin supportive benefits with ceramides 1, 2 and 3, plus cholesterol, beta-glucan and niacinamide. Those looking for a hydrating serum that also has a lot of skin barrier support will definitely enjoy this.
Number Emptied: 1
Number in Stash: 0
Currently in Use: no (getting my ceramides from Stratia Liquid Gold and Farmacy Honey Halo at the moment)
Price: $36 USD / 100 mL; or $20 USD / 30 mL

🧺 RNW Der. Ceramide Concentrate Serum

Of all the ceramide serums I’ve tried, RNW Der. Ceramide Concentrate Serum has a particularly lovely ingredient list: five types of ceramides, niacinamide, a variety of antioxidant plant extracts, a bunch of peptides, and a few other nice-to-haves like squalane. It’s got what I’m now considering to be a classic ceramide serum, meaning a bit gluey and goopy thanks to the fats. To offset the gloopiness, I enjoyed cocktailing (aka mixing) it with another serum. This is a great “do it all” anti-aging ceramide serum.
Number Emptied: 1
Number in Stash: 0
Currently in Use: no (see notes above re: Ample:N)
Price: $32 USD / 30 mL

Creams and Oils

☘️ Isntree Cica Relief Cream

The Isntree Cica Relief Cream was an instant holy grail. I loved it for reducing irritation — both generalized redness and specific itchy patches. It’s a great weight for an AM moisturizer, and the light green tint helps visibly neutralize skin tone. In addition to centella asiatica extract and asiaticoside, this includes four different peptides (sh-Oligopeptide-1, Acetyl Hexapeptide-8, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1, Copper Tripeptide-1), multiple plant extracts for brightening, and panthenol and allantoin for additional calming.
Number Emptied: 1
Number in Stash: 2
Currently in Use: no
Price: $22 USD / 30 mL

🐝 Cosrx Full Fit Propolis Light Cream

I loved this so much I used it up in a month. I used it AM and PM this spring as the weather transitioned and let me just say, it’s a delight. Like the rest of the Cosrx propolis line, it includes honey, royal jelly and the titular propolis. Light enough for use under sunscreen, but great for cold nights under a facial oil and/or a sleeping mask. I definitely recommend it for those looking to add some bee magic to their routine but aren’t feeling a toner or serum.
Number Emptied: 1
Number in Stash: 0
Currently in Use: no
Price: $32 USD / 50 mL

🏅 Stratia Liquid Gold

Stratia Liquid Gold is a cult favorite for a reason. It’s quite striking to look at, if nothing else, since the sea buckthorn oil makes it that particular shade of gold. It’s super lightweight, so depending upon your skin type and routine you can use this either as a serum (I like it right before retinol), as an AM moisturizer (why I originally purchased it) or as a PM moisturizer (how my husband uses it). One of the many things that makes Liquid Gold special is its balance of ceramides, cholesterol and fatty acids, all of which are key components to the skin barrier and which it includes in ratios equal to those found in your skin.
Number Emptied: 1
Number in Stash: 3
Currently in Use: yes
Price: $27 USD / 60 mL

💙 Pyunkang Yul Ato Cream Blue Label

I LOVE THIS CREAM. So so much. I’ve recommended it to a ton of folks, and I just convinced a friend to get it as the k-beauty step up from the classic CeraVe Moisturizing Cream. It’s got a nice cream texture without being too waxy, so it’s eminently spreadable and great if you want something nourishing but not heavy-feeling. While it’s ostensibly also a body cream, I’ve just been using it as my PM moisturizer — it’s much too precious to me to smear it all over my boring old body skin. I love that it’s got nourishing oils and extracts while still having a lovely bit of occlusivity from the shea butter and beeswax.
Number Emptied: 1
Number in Stash: 1
Currently in Use: no
Price: $20 USD/120 mL

🛌 A’pieu Madecassoside Sleeping Mask

If I have any irritation from earlier in my routine (hello, the occasionally stinging exfoliation), the A’pieu Madecassoside Sleeping Mask eradicates it. The madecassoside — an important compound from centella asiatica — makes it super calming and almost cooling, and the value is pretty unbeatable. If you live in a very dry climate (the humidity in our house tends to hover around 32%), popping this on will keep your skin from being tight when you wake up. I put just a thin layer at the very end of my routine and when I wake up my cheeks feel soft and comforted.
Number Emptied: 2
Number in Stash: 0
Currently in Use: no
Price: $15 USD / 80 mL

🛢 Chiasm Skin Horizon Oil and Custom Facial Oil

Chiasm Skin launched last year and not many people have heard of it, so I’m combining these two reviews in the name of expediency — and because frankly, it’s hard to parse out differences between two oils some 10 month since last using them. Chiasm Skin is an indie brand focusing on oil blends. The Horizon Oil combines prickly pear, oil, cloudberry seed oil and sugarcane-derived squalane for a super lightweight oil, and absorbs beautifully, even as the last step of my fairly extensive PM routine. The month that I was able to use it for was not long enough to truly tell a difference, but if you’re afraid of oils yet wanting to try one, get this! You’ll love it. As long as you like herbaceous smells, that is, as this definitely has a strong aroma thanks to the addition of blue tansy and immortelle essential oils. Immortelle essential oil also featured heavily in my custom facial oil. Working with the founder over e-mail, we discussed my general skincare preferences, skin concerns and allergies, and she put together a formula for me — similar in some ways to Horizon, so it absorbed easily, with a vitamin C derivative, licorice root extract, rosehip oil and kakadu plum extract for added brightening.
Number Emptied: 3 (two Custom, one Horizon — I’ve also used Wild Being and Daybreak from the brand)
Number in Stash: 1 (well, another oil from Chiasm, not one of these two)
Currently in Use: no
Price: $56 USD / 30 mL for Horizon; $165 USD / 40 mL for Custom (only the Custom Oil photographed due to current inability to find the empty of the former)

For the Joy of Sheet Masks

On some level, I feel that my skin owes sheet masks a life debt. It was not too long ago (well, not too long ago in just-turned-34 time, it was actually around 30) that I was a casual user of moisturizer and sunscreen, and an incredibly reluctant user of cleanser. To be fair, I’m still a reluctant user of cleanser — I still haven’t found my holy grail. It really took me finding glycolic acid, which helped me fight back my seborrheic dermatitis, to REALLY get me into skincare. But I always loved sheet masks for the indulgent self-care aspect of them.

Why I Love Sheet Masks

Sheet masks are a great intro to skincare precisely because they’re indulgent. Buying skincare can be tough — figuring out what your skin type is, what your skincare concerns are and what ingredients and products are right for it is a whole thing. A whole thing that I love, to be sure, but I acknowledge I’m an odd duck. Buying skincare can also be expensive, even if you’re just trying to stick to the cleanser-moisturizer-sunscreen trifecta at drugstore prices. Buying skincare can, to put it plainly, feel like a chore. But sheet masks? Never a chore. Okay, maybe sometimes a chore — if I had a dollar for every time I’ve struggled to unfold one, I could buy several more sheet masks.

When the hype around 10-step Korean skincare routines hit the Western market, many people felt that they needed to be doing a sheet mask every day. You absolutely don’t. Arguably, you shouldn’t — get yourself a serum that treats your skin concerns, which you’ll be able to use every day or even every routine. But if you’re shopping around for what ingredients you might like, or are just desperate for some hydration, I truly recommend getting yourself some sheet masks. You can buy boxes of 10, which frequently bring the price-per-mask down to around $2 USD. You can also buy mixed sets so you can try ingredients like ascorbic acid, collagen, and more, without investing in a bottle of serum.

I have set myself a completely arbitrary goal of using one every day in the month of December. The calendar attached is my progress so far, and I’m pleased to say that I’m nailing it, even during my trip out-of-town for my birthday. The sheet masks really helped in the forced air at the hotel, and helped my skin recover from my birthday facial. I find that using a sheet mask really forces me to just sit and be, which has been a bit of a struggle due to how busy this month has been, but simultaneously that much more necessary.

How To Use Sheet Masks

You can use sheet masks in your AM or PM routine, but I generally recommend PM as some sheet masks (looking at you, my beloved MediHeal NMF masks) can pill.

Sheet masks go during the serum step of your routine, so post-toner (if you tone) and before your moisturizer. If you have oily skin or live in a tropical climate, you may actually be able to get away with sheet masks as your last step — I certainly could in my pre-diligent-cleansing days.

I usually use my water-based serums before my sheet masks. The whole point of a sheet mask, in addition to all those glorious milliliters of serum, is the mask itself holding in that hydration. So why not have it help the penetration of your water-based serums, too?

If you have a beard, flip up the bottom half of the sheet mask onto your nose. Otherwise the mask will slide down as you hang out talking and eating. (Do other people not talk and eat while masking? Just me?). You can use the extra ampoule in the packet or the mask to smooth into your beard area afterwards.

Take off your sheet mask before it dries. Since the principle point of sheet masks is hydration, letting all that hydration evaporate can defeat the purpose. Each sheet mask should have a range of how long you can have it on your skin. If you have sensitive skin, opt towards the shorter amount. In general, you probably don’t want the mask on your skin for more than 20 minutes.

There’s usually some extra ampoule in the packet (not so much for cheaper sheet masks, like Tonymoly, alas), as well as in the mask itself. This is great for your neck, chest, hands and arms, or to smooth into your face skin after removing the sheet mask (especially if you’re bearded and had to miss that area). Personally, I love using my Nuface after a sheet mask with all the extra ampoule. I do recommend using that extra ampoule right away — sheet masks are designed as single-use items that don’t have to deal with sun or air exposure.

November Openeds Reviews

It may have been an unseasonably warm November in Colorado — we still haven’t gotten any meaningful snow in the Front Range, and I even had the windows open this week — but the wind and low humidity is hitting hard. I’ve specifically been finding my skin drying out during the day, so while many of my openeds were simply to fill newly opened slots in my routine, many of them were specifically picked to provide an extra boost of moisture and comfort during the day.

Exfoliants

🍓 I Dew Care Berry Groovy Brightening Glycolic Wash-Off Mask

If you’ve ever wanted to rub raspberry ice cream onto your face and have it exfoliate your skin, look no further than the I Dew Care Berry Groovy Brightening Glycolic Wash-Off Mask. This is a creamy pink wash-off mask with strawberry seeds in it. There is some physical exfoliation in here, technically, due to said seeds and some walnut shell powder, but it’s really about the fruit extracts for exfoliation (this includes a mere smidge of glycolic acid). Because of the cream texture, this is suitable for more sensitive, drier skin types that aren’t bothered by fragrance and some physical exfoliation. I’ve used this size twice so far, and think the next use will empty it out for me, so the full size would last quite a few months.
Price: $25 USD / 100 g; shown in the 10 g sample size from the Mini Scoops set

🤍 Paula’s Choice 8% AHA Gel Exfoliant

Paula’s Choice is most known for their 2% BHA, but they have many other exfoliants, including this surprisingly gentle 8% AHA Gel Exfoliant. Unlike many exfoliants higher than 5%, this one is not a mix of multiple acids — it’s just glycolic acid. But thanks to the chamomile, aloe, green tea and panthenol, this isn’t irritating like some higher percentage glycolic acid products (I’m looking at you, The Ordinary 7% Glycolic Acid Toning Solution). This has a more serum texture, but when I use it I use it on dry skin, directly after cleansing and before any toners or essences.
Price: $30 USD / 100 mL for the full-size; $10 USD / 15 mL for the travel size shown.

Toners, Essences & Mists

💦 Dear, Klairs Fundamental Ampoule Mist

The Dear, Klairs Fundamental Watery Oil Drop is a staple among the Skincare Fanatics Modmins crew, and I enjoyed it immensely myself, so I was interested in trying their Fundamental Ampoule Mist. Like the watery oil drop, this mist includes green tea, rice extract, kelp extract and the obligatory ceramide. But while the serum promotes skin barrier repair with peptides and probiotics, this is all about hydration and calming, with cucumber extract, mugwort extract and okra extract. The mister is satisfying — not as much of a blast as the Pyunkang Yul Mist Toner, not as light a spray as the Peach & Lily Glass Skin Veil Mist — and I find that it takes me about three sprays to rehydrate my skin between steps.
Price: $27 USD / 125 mL

🍃 COSRX Pure Fit Cica Toner

If you’ve been reading my content for a while, you know that the Cosrx Pure Fit Cica Toner is a holy grail for me, so it’s coming back into my routine for the … fourth time? Like the entire Cosrx cica line, this includes seven different centella asiatica derived ingredients, making it a powerhouse for antioxidant support, anti-aging and skin-soothing. This is a very watery toner and I find it to be deeply hydrating. As my skin has been feeling drier during the day, I’ve been enjoying using three layers of this in the morning to keep my skin satisfied.
Price: $22 USD/150 mL

💧 Beauty of Joseon Ginseng Essence Water

Beauty of Joseon is getting to be a pretty popular brand online and in my own skincare stash, so I was excited to open their Ginseng Essence Water. This includes several compounds from panax ginseng, the specific type of ginseng endemic to Korea, China and parts of Russia, including ginseng root water, ginseng berry extract, ginseng root extract and, intriguingly, lactobacillus/ginseng root ferment filtrate — you know I love a ferment. I haven’t used it long enough yet to see particular results, but I’m hoping the antioxidants in the ginseng, plus the niacinamide, will bring some nice brightening benefits.
Price: $18 USD / 150 mL

Serums

🍒 Good Skin Days C’s the Day Serum

I had an empty of Good Skin Days C’s the Day Serum in November, so of course I had to have an opened. This bottle had been living in my fridge to keep its 10% ascorbic acid from potentially oxidizing from sun and heat prematurely, and I can attest that despite not being the newest bottle, it’s just fine. I love how non-sticky and gentle this is, and how the niacinamide, licorice extract, camu-camu extract and mushroom extracts hydrate and brighten my skin.
Price: $26 USD / 30 mL

🐣 Rovectin Clean Forever Young Biome Ampoule

It’s taken me a while to get around to trying Rovectin, but I was really interested in trying their newly released Clean Forever Young Biome Ampoule. Probiotics are becoming increasingly popular in skincare for replenishing the microbiome of the skin barrier (apply the tiny critters, eat the tiny critters, become the tiny critters), and this ampoule includes multiple lactobacillus and bifida ferments. It’s a gel serum with plenty of body, and my biggest gripe at the moment is simply that, due to Rovectin’s stripped down packaging, it doesn’t have one of those little plastic dropper guides at the opening, so I find that some of the serum goops onto the package as I withdraw the dropper. I’m glad I haven’t added any of their cute stickers to the package, because I definitely need to be able to wipe this bottle down.
Price: $36 USD / 50 mL

🎈Kate Somerville Kx Active Concentrates Bio-Mimicking Peptides Serum

I don’t usually go for mid- and up-market Western skincare due to the price point, but the Kate Somerville Kx Active Concentrates Bio-Mimicking Peptides Serum got such rave reviews from friends that I picked it up last year (yes, it’s been in my stash that long, oops) on sale. In my opinion, the Western market tends to price gauge for peptides, but this product does include some very nice ones — sh-Polypeptide-1, sh-Oligopeptide-2, sh-Oligopeptide-1, sh-Polypeptide-9, sh-Polypeptide-11 — all of which are cell-communicating peptides, meaning they’re some of the few peptides which actually do signal your skin to produce more collagen. This also includes a combination of fruit extracts (mango, banana and whatever spondias mombin is) known as Exfo-Bio, which is very lightly exfoliating. Exfoliation and peptides in one serum, you ask? Yeah. It’s interesting. My guess is that the pH is high enough that the peptides don’t actually break down in solution. As it is, I make sure to always use my exfoliants a few steps away from this serum, just to ensure I don’t break them down necessarily.
Price: $98 USD / 30 mL

🐝 By Wishtrend Polyphenols in Propolis 15% Ampoule

I’m a sucker for propolis serums, and the By Wishtrend Polyphenols in Propolis 15% Ampoule has gotten so many rave reviews (mostly by Youtuber Kelly Driscoll, if we’re being honest) that I finally gave in and tried it. Unlike the propolis serum I usually gravitate towards, which have propolis at 60% or higher, this has the stated 15% propolis, and feels significantly less gel-like than other propolis serums accordingly. Instead, this ampoule has 59% houttuynia cordata, or heartleaf, extract, which is great for calming, as well as multiple plant extracts for that antioxidant polyphenol boost. My initial take is that this is a propolis serum particularly formulated for those who want propolis for acne fighting — in part informed by the inclusion of zinc PCA and the exclusion of honey and royal jelly — rather than moisturizing and brightening.
Price: $32 USD / 30 mL

Creams & Emulsions

🥛 Etude House Soon Jung Centella 10-Free Moist Emulsion

At long last, my first emulsion! I enjoyed the classic Etude House SoonJung pH 5.5 Relief Toner, so I was interested in trying their new cica line and its Soon Jung Centella 10-Free Moist Emulsion. Emulsions are a product category fairly unique to Asian beauty — they’re functionally a toner/moisturizer hybrid, so they’re perfect as a moisturizer for folks who don’t like moisturizer, or as an extra layer for those, like me, who just need a little bit extra moisturizing support during this time of year. Two pumps of this cover my face, neck and chest nicely before using my other moisturizers, or more moisturizing sunscreens.
Price: $20 USD / 130 mL

🖋 The Inkey List Bakuchiol Moisturizer

I used The Inkey List Bakuchiol Moisturizer as my AM moisturizer all summer during 2020, but it’s been a minute since this moisturizer, or bakuchiol itself, has been in my routine. This lightweight lotion has bakuchiol, considered to be a plant-based alternative to retinol, at its clinically effective percentage of 1%, and despite that seemingly low percentage it really does have the loamy smell of bakuchiol. Because it has (some of the) effects of retinol without being actual retinol, it’s safe for AM use, or using multiple times a day. Last summer I did notice some faint wrinkle reduction using this, but right now I mostly just wanted a lightweight, comforting AM moisturizer.
Price: $10 / 30 mL

☀️ Hyggee Vegan Sun Cream

The Hyggee Vegan Sun Cream is part of the new generation of Korean sunscreens which are SPF verified (this one is confirmed to meet its SPF 50+ PA ++++) and use the latest and greatest Korean chemical filters. Korean sunscreens generally are easy-to-wear and elegant, and this is definitely a lightweight but moisturizing, so I was excited to re-introduce it into my skin as the weather got cooler. In addition to SPF filters, this formula includes a variety of antioxidants to enhance its protective benefits.
Price: $24 USD / 50 mL

Body, Lip & Eye Products

👀 Fourth Ray Beauty Chill Sesh Hydrating Eye Masks

Eye masks are an absolute gimmick, but I’m really coming around to them as a quick pick-me-up at my desk, so during one of my recent Colourpop orders I picked up the Fourth Ray Beauty Chill Sesh Hydrating Eye Masks. These are the least expensive of the eye masks I’ve tried, but I think they’re actually my favorite. Many eye masks have serum that tends to pill up like mad, making them unwearable during a routine and frustrating during the day. These do not, but still provide some nice cooling hydration to the under-eye area, so I actually feel like I’m getting the benefits of the chamomile, aloe, peptides and hydrolized collagen because it doesn’t immediately rub off.
Price: $15 USD / 30 pairs

👁 Etude House My Lash Serum

I don’t consider lashes to be part of skincare, but we get enough questions about lash care in Skincare Fanatics that I thought it was worth mentioning the Etude House My Lash Serum. This formula uses panthenol, ginseng extract, dogwood berry extract and swertia japonica extract to stimulate hair growth. The spoolie on this basically looks like a trimmed-down pipe cleaner, which isn’t the best, but given the price I suppose high spoolie expectations are unreasonable. I have sensitive eyes and do find that this can get in my eyes if I apply it too early in the evening (I use it in my PM routine), but doesn’t bother me nearly as much as many mascaras.
Price: $5 USD / 9 g

🍵 Rohto Mentholatum Melty Cream Lip Matcha Lip Balm SPF25 PA+++

After the untimely demise of the Water Lip Color Balm SPF 20 PA++, it was time to try the Rohto Mentholatum Melty Cream Lip Matcha Lip Balm SPF25 PA+++. While the former had no distiniguishable taste or smell, this is definitely matcha-forward. I find this to be a bit distracting for daily use, but if you’re all-in all the time on matcha, you’ll love this. It is definitely a creamy texture and, despite my initial concern, none of the green color of this product transfers.
Price: $9 USD / 2.4 g

🛁 Neutrogena Body Oil

I can’t seem to get bottles of Neutrogena Body Oil to last too much more than a month, and that’s because I love it, and baths, too much. This body oil can be used as a cleanser for dry skin (hello, fellow humans who cannot use normal body washes lest they turn into a dried out husk), as a post-shower moisturizing treatment, or, in my case, as a bath oil. Because I take too-long baths, I find some oil in the tub to be critical. The surfactants in this make it miscible in the bath water without breaking the oil down so much that it can no longer moisturizer. I don’t care for the fragrance of this version, but the un-fragranced version is not as readily accessible.
Price: $13 USD / 250 mL

November Empties Reviews

Helloooooo depths of autumn. This is the latest it’s been before getting some serious snow here in Colorado, and the weather has been remarkably mild, but the increased cold weather dryness has definitely begun to hit. My empties seem to come in phases, with this month being lots of serums in particular. As a reminder, I have dry, dehydrated skin, and my primary skin concerns are hyperpigmentation and well-aging.

Exfoliants & Toners

🍋 Primera Mild Facial Peeling Gel

I got the Primera Mild Facial Peeling Gel as part of the Sephora sampler from the brand last Christmas, and I’m glad it was only a sample size. Peeling gels are products you rub onto your skin and then rinse off to exfoliate, and I’ve always found them to be gimmicky — the bits you feel on your skin as you massage are not actual dead skin coming up, but rather the cellulose in the product beginning to pill to do the exfoliation. My particular frustrations with this product were both the strong lemon smell (bathroom cleaner who?) but also the difficulty in rinsing — the cellulose bits stuck to my vellus hairs a few times, making me panic that the gel was actively messing up my skin. It wasn’t, but still, no thanks! This was definitely a “hate pan”, where I tried to use it as fast as possible (on my body) just to get it out of my life.
Opened: this month
Price: $22 USD / 150 mL; shown in a 15 mL sample size
Rating: 1/10

🍉 Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow PHA + BHA Pore-Tight Toner

The Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow PHA + BHA Pore-Tight Toner is really an exfoliant and a toner in the Korean style. While it is technically lightly exfoliating (gluconolactone for PHA, betaine salicylate for BHA), I found that I was able to use this every night, and even layered in a routine with a gentle retinol. Because it’s Glow Recipe, this toner focuses on a variety of plant extracts. Despite being part of their watermelon line, the smell is really that of cactus, which is the first ingredient. If your skin struggles with exfoliation or you struggle with sticking to a rotating actives (e.g. exfoliation one night, retinol the next) schedule, I recommend it — when I look at how long it took me to use up, the price doesn’t seem quite as high.
Opened: April
Price: $34 USD / 150 mL
Rating: 8/10

💧 Rovectin Skin Essentials Activating Treatment Lotion

The Rovectin Skin Essentials Activating Treatment Lotion is a staple in the k-beauty sphere, and one of the few Korean products I’m aware of that have yoinked the “lotion instead of toner/essence/skin” terminology. This is a clear, fragrance-free, full-bodied toner — I personally think the texture is pretty similar to Klairs Watery Oil Drop. It includes seven forms of hyaluronic acid, though thankfully it didn’t seem to dry out my skin, as well as multiple plant extracts, caffeine, panthenol and niacinamide to boost and hydrate the skin. If you’re looking for a straight-forward, hydrating toner with a variety of benefits and ingredients without irritation, this is a great option.
Opened: October
Price: $29 USD / 180 mL; shown in a sample size
Rating: 9/10

🍓 SkinRX Lab MadeCera Cream Double Essence Toner

The SkinRX Lab MadeCera Cream Double Essence Toner is a milky, two-phase toner (think the Dr Ceuracle essence, or the mists from Sioris). The whole line has a bit of a strawberry milk aesthetic and smell to it, which I enjoyed in the cream but enjoyed less in this toner, since it made it a bit overwhelming sensorially to layer. The formula is generally very nice, though — quite milky, in part due to the milk proteins, with madecassoside (a cica compound), ceramides, panthenol and beta-glucan.
Opened: October
Price: $26 USD / 150 mL for the full size; shown in a 30 mL travel size
Rating: 8/10

Serums

🍒 Good Skin Days C’s the Day Serum

I cannot evangelize the Good Skin Days C’s the Day serum enough. I just bought three more (currently safely next to the mustard in my fridge until they’re ready to open) during Soko Glam’s November sale. This vitamin c serum includes 10% ascorbic acid, so it will oxidize slowly but surely. This doesn’t have the characteristic stickiness or “hot dog water” smell that can characterize vitamin c serums, however. It also includes ginseng and mushroom extracts for extra antioxidant support, niacinamide and licorice root for brightening, and camu camu extract for an additional vitamin c boost.
Opened: August
Rating: 10/10
Price: $26 USD / 30 mL

⏪ Stratia Rewind

I originally fell in love with Stratia for their iconic Liquid Gold, and was actually gifted the Strati Rewind serum by the brand after they wanted to use a photo of my husband with his Stratia Liquid Gold haul. The hero ingredient of this is 2-Dimethylamino Ethanol (DMAE), which some studies show increase skin firmness, though it also includes niacinamide, hydrolized rice protein, panthenol, licorice extract, cica extract and tamarind extract. I didn’t notice any particular difference with this serum over other hydrating serums. I actually struggled a fair bit with this serum because it didn’t layer nicely with the rest of my (admittedly excessive) skincare routine, but think this might be a good option for those looking for workaholic serums in a minimal skincare routine.
Opened: June
Rating: 7/10
Price: $18 USD / 30 mL

🐌 Beauty of Joseon Revive Serum

The Beauty of Joseon Revive Serum, née the Repair Serum, was renamed because in Korea there are particular requirements around a product being considered “repairing”, but this does serve to “revive” the complexion as well. Ginseng, its principal hero ingredient is a particularly good antioxidant, as is mushroom extract, while snail mucin, niacinamide and centella all help support and promote healing of the skin. This serum isn’t gloopy at all, and is a good option for those looking for an antioxidant serum that also promotes skin barrier health.
Opened: August
Rating: 9/10
Price: $17 USD / 30 mL

🐝 Some By Mi Propolis B5 Glow Barrier Calming Serum

I love a propolis serum, so when Some By Mi launched their Propolis B5 Glow Barrier Calming Serum this summer, I immediately added it to my cart. Spoiler alert: I think it may be my favorite propolis serum. It’s certainly the most cost-effective: $20 for 50 mL, versus the more typical $30 for 30, and comes in a convenient pump bottle. This serum is 73% propolis, as well as the rest of the bee trifecta (aka honey and royal jelly), panthenol (ergo the B5), tea tree water, a variety of ferments and other plant extracts, as well as niacinamide, multiple cica compounds, and ceramides. The one potential drawback? It does include some masking fragrance, but the overall formula just smells like honey.
Opened: August
Rating: 10/10
Price: $20 USD / 50 mL

Last Step: Creams & Sunscreens

💦 Laneige Water Sleeping Mask

Laneige is mostly famous for their Cream Skin Refiner and their Lip Mask, but being a Korean brand they also offer a sleeping mask. This is a lightweight sleeping mask — definitely intended to be put over a moisturizer instead of in lieu of one, in my opinion. The color (blue, like the container) and fragrance (faintly floral) make it a nice experience, but otherwise it’s nothing special.
Opened: September
Price: $25 USD / 70 mL; shown in the 15 mL sample size
Rating: 6/10

🚫 Krave Beauty Beet Shield

Krave Beauty Beet Shield was my introduction to lightweight, wearable, Korean chemical sunscreens. The brand had been utilizing a labeling loophole such that they could sell it in the US (where the newer chemical filters aren’t yet FDA approved), so last Black Friday I bought 10, and still have three in my stash. This is a lovely sunscreen and, frankly, the one that I measure all other sunscreens by. It was shown to not be SPF 50, but my guesstimate is that this is still above SPF 30, just because I’ve personally see how it performs against sunburning. I now mostly use this as my go-to going-to-be-on-video-calls-all-day sunscreen.
Opened: August
Price: N/A — discontinued
Rating: 9/10

☀️ Isntree Watery Sun Gel

This is not our first empty of the Isntree Watery Sun Gel, and it won’t be the last. After the Krave Beauty Beet Shield was pulled off the market, this has been a skin-saver. This is a lightweight, chemical sunscreen which uses modern filters and has been verified that it meets its SPF 50+ PA++++ rating. While this bottle was opened in August (probably) we went through two of these during our Belize trip, too. It holds up nicely during long wear, and is a great sunscreen for people who don’t like sunscreen, because it doesn’t leave too dewy or too drying a finish.
Opened: August
Price: $17 USD / 50 mL
Rating: 10/10

Other Facial Skincare

👄 Rohto Mentholatum Water Lip Color Balm SPF 20 PA++

I loved the Rohto Mentholatum Water Lip Color Balm SPF 20 PA++ not wisely but too well — it met its demise in the laundry. As a card-carrying member of the dry lip club as well as an avid outside-in-the-summer human, an SPF lip balm is critical. This has no meaningful flavor, no noticeable smell and, at least on my lip color, on distinguishable color. It goes on smooth and does actually nourish the delicate skin of the lips.
Opened: May
Price: $6 USD / 4.5 g
Rating: 10/10

🍃 Cosrx Pure Fit Cica Powder

I won the Cosrx Pure Fit Cica Powder as part of a giveaway of the entire line from the brand last November. Notionally, skincare powders are an easy way to add an ingredient to your routine, without needing to add an additional serum. I had never used a skincare powder before, and frankly I don’t think that I will again — I’ll leave the formulating to the formulators. I found it difficult to tap out an appropriate amount (thank goodness it was just cica powder and not, say vitamin c powder — I’m looking at you, The Ordinary), and if I tapped out too much it it caused my other skincare to pill. If you’re looking for an easy way to incorporate centella asiatica compounds to calm your skin, I highly recommend the toner or serum from this line instead.
Opened: January
Price: $18 USD / 7 g
Rating: 2/10

Body Skincare

🛁 SOL Body Cleansing Oil

The SOL Body Cleansing Oil is piña colada yumminess. It is intended as a first cleanse for your body, which would make it great for use during the summer (is it just me, or is there no getting mineral sunscreen off your arms with a normal cleanser?). It definitely emulsifies easily — perhaps too easily, in my case, since I used it as a bath oil. It’s a bit of a fancy splurge, but if you’re at the point where you’ve tapped out your facial skincare potential and are looking for body skincare products and you don’t mind rum drink fragrances, this is a fun pick.
Opened: October
Price: $16 USD / 170 mL
Rating: 8/10

🧼 CeraVe Psoriasis Cleanser

Being obsessed with ceramides (the ingredient from which CeraVe takes its name), being curious about products which combine multiple actives and having had psoriasis during the summer of 2020 (thanks, Colorado wildfires — it was apparently a pretty widespread occurrence for folks), I decided to pick up the CeraVe Psoriasis Cleanser. This has 2% salicylic acid (BHA), as well as gluconolactone (PHA) and glycolic acid (AHA). But because CeraVe is all about skin barrier support, it includes ceramides, niacinamide, cholesterol and urea. Unfortunately this focus on skin barrier support did not keep this from being a very stripping body cleanser. It didn’t really foam — in fact, the texture was quite watery — but it was completely infeasible to not moisturize the very moment I got out of the shower after using this. Thankfully I didn’t have any psoriasis patches while using this, so I can’t speak to how well it would beat those back.
Opened: January
Price: $15 USD / 237 mL
Rating: 4/10

🥛 AmLactin Moisturizing Body Lotion

The AmLactin Moisturizing Body Lotion is a fragrance-free exfoliating body lotion, and a prime example, in my opinion, of why many brands can and should add fragrance to products. This smells awful. The texture is a standard, non-greasy lotion, and I’m sure with regular use it would have had my body looking soft and flawless due to the lactic acid (which, incidentally, is also why it smells terrible — lactic acid tends to have a very distinctive smell). But I couldn’t use it regularly, because of how bad it smelled. The moment I popped it open, Fran (my mini aussiedoodle) came running to lick it, because her take on tasty is basically “smells strongly.” In order to finally use it up, I had to be prepped to slide my pants up over my legs so she couldn’t immediately lick it all off (this had the added bonus of shielding my nose from its characteristic smell), and wash my hands immediately after.
Opened: April
Price: $13 USD / 225 g
Rating: 2/10

🔵 Make P:Rem UV Defense Me Blue Ray Sun Fluid

My husband is notorious for not liking the heavy feel of US sunscreens, so I picked up this large face and body sunscreen from Yesstyle for us for the summer. This bottle kicked around with our outdoor gear — whether in the mountain biking backpacks or by Fran’s leash — and was great because it dried down quickly without being too drying or too dewy. Unfortunately the brand has since reformulated the Make P:Rem UV Defense Me Blue Ray Sun Fluid, and the new formulation has a white cast, though this one did not.
Opened: July
Rating: 9/10
Price: N/A — discontinued in its current format

How to Sustainably Level Up Your Skincare Routine

So you’ve been using your skincare routine for a little while, and you’re eyeing the (many many, painful number of) November sales, and you’re wondering “What’s Next?” for your skincare journey. Maybe you just want to add a little something to get some additional results or add a little joy to your routine, or maybe you’re ready to escalate from the standard cleanser-moisturizer-sunscreen starter routine to using a variety of actives. Regardless, here are some things to consider as you travel down the road of collecting and incorporating additional skincare to ensure that your skin and your wallet are both set up for success.

Disclaimer: I use a lot of skincare. My skin loves it. I also own a lot of skincare, just generally, but I manage it within my means. (My empties & openeds can attest to how rapidly I really do go through all this.) You absolutely should not try to use more skincare than your skin likes, or buy more skincare than your financial situation permits.

⏯ Start with the basics

If you’re not loving your current cleanser-moisturizer-sunscreen combo or (heaven forbid!) you’re currently skipping one of those steps, that needs to be your first step in leveling up your skincare routine. If you need help getting the basics down, I’ve written about the basics of a routine elsewhere. It can be tempting to jump right into treatments for your various skin concerns, but if you don’t have the basics down you can do more harm than good in the long run. Furthermore, if you find that you’re not cleansing every evening even though you have a cleanser, or don’t put on sunscreen every morning even though you have a sunscreen, you may first look at upgrading those to products that you will happily use day after day after day.

🧹 Declutter before moving on

Nothing is sadder than opened skincare gathering dust and expiring. (Alright, there are many sadder things, but it’s a mega bummer.) If you find that you currently have skincare that you’re not reaching for, figure out why that is — and address that, first. Maybe it’s a basic that’s not bringing you joy so you’re not using it. Maybe it’s an active that was way too strong for your face. Maybe it’s a moisturizer that broke you out. Maybe you’ve just lost interest. I personally love a good “hate pan” where you just use up a product in a rush because you’re not enjoying it. Maybe you can “downgrade” the product to your body — this works particularly well for actives or sunscreens that don’t work well for your face. If it’s pretty full yet, you can regift to a friend or get on one of the many buy/sell/trade groups in the world to send it off to a stranger. Regardless, give it a new lease on life before buying or opening more.

🚵‍♀️ Know your actives

The first thing pretty much everyone looks to add to their routine is an active: exfoliating acids, retinol, vitamin c, etc. If this is you, figure out which active will benefit you the most, and start with that one rather than playing skincare Pokemon and trying to catch them all — that way lies skin barrier damage. If you’re already using an active but want to add another, make sure you know how the actives will play together. You’ll also want to check your current products — many products slip some actives in without labeling it, so you’ll want to ensure you’re not doubling up. When I was first starting to get into skincare, I was unwittingly using AHAs every night (ah, Origins Night-a-Mins, I miss your creamsicle smell).

🛣 Understand your approach to skincare

Skincare is very personal, and individual approaches to skincare are even more so. Do you struggle to be consistent with a routine? Do you prefer products when they do (or don’t) include fragrance? Do you either use two products or ten products in a routine, with no in-between? There’s no right or wrong answer to any of these questions. But the best skincare routine is the one that you’ll use, so knowing your approach to skincare is critical. For my part? I stick with my categories of products and make sure products will fit easily into my current routine as I rotate through things. Sales and specials can trick you into getting products there’s no chance you’ll actually use and which you’ll just wind up needing to declutter in a month or two.

🐈 Think in categories

When it comes to actually building a routine, I always think in categories — not just in terms of product categories, but also in terms of purpose categories. Because I have a problem and spreadsheets are the solution, I actually have a spreadsheet where I track what I’m currently using, what’s in my stash and what I’d like to buy next — all organized by the categories within my routine. My routine is over 10 steps, but I use all of them regularly because each product has a purpose. Do you need this many steps? Absolutely not. Does my skin love it? Absolutely yes. Worthwhile callouts here are having specific categories for toners and essences, as well as categories for types of serums. For me, this helps ensure that I don’t open too many toners or serums of the same type, despite my love of toners and serums, and keeps me from having too big of a stash for any one category of product.

My Skincare Spreadsheet

💸 Purchase thoughtfully

Last but never least, when you start adding to your cart, is to purchase thoughtfully. This includes not just taking these concepts to heart, but also buying within your means. Sales can awaken a big sense of FOMO — I certainly fall prey to it myself — but you don’t want to jeopardize your day-to-day well-being for a skincare splurge. I’ve written elsewhere about being a financially responsible skincare fanatic, but wanted to drop some thoughts here, too. Budgeting is always a good idea, but setting yourself a budget during the holidays can be critical to make sure you don’t over-extend yourself. I also find it helpful to have rules of thumb around how much I’m generally willing to pay for a particular type of product, so I don’t get caught up in how much something’s marked down. For example, my usual rule of thumb is 50 cents per mL of moisturizer, 1 dollar per mL of serum or ampoule, or 20 cents per mL of toner or essence. And, of course, consider why you want to drop that money — if you’re purchasing from a place of fulfillment and happiness, or because you’re trying to solve problems through skincare. I particularly appreciated Kelly Driscoll’s most recent video, “Do this gut check before hitting checkout”, for its conversation on these themes:

Are you changing up your skincare routine? How? Are you struggling to figure out what’s next on your skincare journey? Let me know!

It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Skincare: A Guide to (Skincare) Gifting

Skincare is deeply personal, but if you, like me, are a skincare fanatic (or, realistically, just if you’re reading this), chances are it’s one of the principal things you want to gift people, whether this upcoming holiday season or year around. I know with 99% certainty that everything I’m gifting is skincare (or cooking) adjacent, and everything I’m receiving is skincare (or mountain-biking) adjacent, and so I’ve been giving this a fair bit of thought as I watch the sales at Soko Glam, Sephora, Ulta, Yesstyle, Glow Recipe, Farmacy … oh, I have a problem. If you do too, hopefully this gives you some answers:

Questions to Answer Before “Adding to Cart”

Given that the sales are going in earnest, I wanted to cover some key things to think about when buying skincare for other people.

🤗 What’s my relationship with the recipient?

Close friends are alway easier to give gifts to, though you may be interested in expanding that circle or doing a Secret Santa, which can affect how intimate of a skincare gift you’re getting (see categories below). If you’re close to the recipient, I also recommend a “gift buyback” agreement, where if they don’t care for what you got them (but you do, importantly — no reason to take back skincare you won’t use), they can give it back and you can give the gifting another attempt. How close you are will also, typically, affect your budget. Being closer also means you’re more apt to know their skin concerns and skin type, which will dramatically increase your success in selecting skincare for them.

🤔 What sort of skincare user is the recipient?

It can be really tempting to get someone who is not into skincare, well, into skincare. But realistically, if you haven’t had conversations about skincare with that person yet, you don’t know if they’d want try a new routine, or how much of one they’d be able to stick with. If you’ve had long conversations with that person, know they want to try skincare, and know their skin type and concerns, go for it! Get them that new routine (more guidance on how to do THAT below). But if you’re not sure? Tread carefully. Folks can be sensitive about their skin, and gifting a new routine might imply that what they’re doing right now isn’t working for them. You might also run up against their health or lifestyle constraints, if they’re vegan, prone to allergies, sensitive to fragrance, etc. Learning what they’re already using can help you figure out what to avoid — both in terms of product type and ingredients — and what they might be open to using.

💸 What are our budgets?

Sales can really tempt us to overextend ourselves financially, because the deals are Just So Good. But ideally you have a benchmark for what you can spend for everyone on your list, and you need to stick to it. If you’re buying a whole routine, or what you hope might become a staple item for the recipient, you also need to make sure they’ll be able to budget to repurchase: if you’re on a SK-II budget but they’re on an Inkey List budget, maybe that whole new routine of top-shelf j-beauty isn’t a good gifting idea, and you should go back to the drawing board. On the flip-side, if you know they’re spending big bucks on beauty products, you may need to be a bit creative on how you spend your coin.

Categories of Skincare Gifting

Now that you’ve thought a bit about who you’re buying for and what you might be buying, let’s get into the different types of skincare you might be gifting. Categories are enumerated from riskiest gift to least risky:

🆕 The New Routine

If you’re in for a penny in for a pound, and have talked to the recipient about skincare, you’re getting someone a new routine. This means you know their skin type and concerns. If you’re starting from scratch, I highly recommend getting minis — this lets the recipient try a lot, without committing to a whole swathe of bottles of their vanity. I generally don’t recommend buying all from one brand, but if this is someone’s first foray into skincare, it will make it easier for you to initially buy and for them to later rebuy. Many brands offer discovery kits with minis of every item in their line, making it a no-brainer, and they usually come in cute packaging so all you need is to pop a ribbon on it. The new routine can be the most expensive option here, if you let it, though buying directly from the brand can help defray costs a bit.

🌟 The New Staple

Ideally they’re already using some skincare, so you’re just fleshing out what they’re using currently with some well-targeted options. The new staple can also be good if you’re trying to get someone into skincare but maybe they’ve been resistant in the past. For example, if you know someone who hates sunscreen because they hate the feel of it, you might get them the k-beauty sunscreen you’ve been loving. Or if they’re a makeup wearer who only does skincare to get their foundation to lie nicer, you might consider a mist or a moisturizer. The good thing about this category is it may enable you to spend a bit more per item, so it’s a fancier gift, plus potentially go for less accessible (financially or geographically) options, since it’s more of a one-off.

🛀 The Self-Care Package / Stocking Stuffers

If you really have no idea if they’re into skincare, or you know they are but have no idea what they don’t have already (oops, it’s me). I know I, personally, was into masks long before I was into any other skincare, and masks are still many people’s entry into skincare. This is now the second year I’m doing my Twelve Days of Sheet Masks for, well, everyone on my list, but you don’t have to do something elaborate. A few sheet masks, a lip balm and/or hand cream, and a bath bomb or two can really come together for a nice gift. They also serve as great stocking stuffers as one-off gifts, if skincare isn’t the centerpiece of your gift. If it IS the centerpiece of your gift AND you know the person is really into skincare AND you yourself are not, you can also really make their holidays with one of the many skincare advent calendars floating around.

My Gifting Recommendations

Basically everywhere is running sales right now, or will be soon. If this post already give you the inspiration you need and you’re not waiting for your next paycheck to hit — QUICK ADD THINGS TO YOUR CART, SUPPLY CHAINS ARE A MESS AND THINGS MAY NOT RESTOCK. If that’s not your situation, here are some thoughtful things I would pick for each category:

🆕 The New Routine

I’ve recently gotten into Farmacy, and they do some super cute kits. They also run some particularly good sales through their website, so check there before Sephora.

If you don’t want to go all one brand, Soko Glam does 10 step skincare kits per skin type. It’s more expensive because it’s more (full-size) products, but they are doing 30% off all November.

🌟 The New Staple

If it’s a product you love that you want someone else to love, you probably know exactly what to get them and where to get it from. If you need some ideas, the below options are almost all on sale somewhere right now, if only through their own brand site:

Sunscreen for the sunscreen hater: Isntree Watery Sun Gel or Hyggee Vegan Sun Cream

Moisturizer for the person who thinks they don’t need a moisturizer: Versed Skin Dew Point Moisturizer, iUNIK Centella Calming Gel Cream or Rovectin Lotus Water Cream

High-impact actives for minimal skincare user: Stratia Night Shift, Versed The Shortcut Facial Peel, Good Skin Days C’s the Day Serum. Make sure they’re already using sunscreen!

Skincare for the makeup wearer: Isntree Cica Relief Cream, Peach & Lily Glass Skin Mist or Banila Co Clean-it-Zero

🛀 The Self-Care Package / Stocking Stuffers

I love curating a self-care package. If that’s not your jam, you may want to go for something already in existence (like the advent calendar from Soko Glam, Stylevana or Beekman 1802). But if it is, I recommend these sorts of things:

Masks: Sheet masks can be expensive and wasteful, but that can make them a good splurge. If you’re buying for multiple people, you can also get them by the box, which drops the price per unit a lot. You can also get cute mini wash-off masks, like the ones from I Dew Care, which are more cost-effective and better for the environment — and also more apt to be repurchaed.

Bath and shower fizzes: If you know the person has a bathtub — and uses it — nothing feels more luxurious than a bath bomb. Many people love the ones from Lush, but you can find better, more local options. A company local to me whose bath bombs I always rave about is Salus, since they smell great, moisturize my skin AND don’t stain the tub. Salus also carries shower bombs, which work for anyone on your list who can handle essential oils or parfum.

Creams and balms: As we get into the colder weather, it can also be nice to have small hand and lip products readily available. This is another great option to shop locally, if possible, though otherwise I recommend going for travel-size options of hand creams and lip balms you already love.

Other self-care bits: Candles and chocolate also go well in a self-care package, in my book. I love buying candles from the farmer’s market or local boutiques and then pairing with Nuance Chocolate, which I’m also blessed to have nearby, but really anything you think might enhance that person’s experience, and is small and fits in your budget, would be great to include.

P.S.: A Skincare Blogger’s Confessions

Yes, this is my tree skirt. I dug it out of the closet just for this shot.

No, I should not be using this SK-II for pictures yet because I have not yet received it as a gift! I picked it up from Costco at Santa’s behest and have it set aside.

No, I frequently don’t take my own advice, and DO get people things they wind up not using. But I feel better by having tried.