Exfoliating your face is a crucial step in your regimen. However, the wrong method of exfoliation can do more harm than good. In fact, it can send your complexion in an extreme direction, making oily skin even oilier and dry skin even drier. Check out my latest for Well + Good on How to Exfoliate for Your Skin Type.
For two weeks after my chemical peel, my skin was super high maintenance. These are the products that helped to calm and heal my skin as well as show face in public.
Thanks to my on-going battle with hyperpigmentation, bi-yearly moderate peels have become part of my skincare regimen. I've been fighting hyperpigmentation since what seems like the beginning of time (or more truthfully, since I learned what the brown spots on my face were back when I worked at Cosmo). For me, it's 100% from the sun. While I used to bake in tanning beds when I was young (I was an idiot), as soon as I became an beauty editor (over a decade ago), I've been shunning the sun or at least slathering my skin in SPF and being diligent about reapplying. No matter how careful and mindful I am, the hyperpigmentation always comes back. Therefore, after the summertime, I always do a good peel as a jumpstart to a new skincare regimen with a focus on lightening.
Overnight masks are genius, because they take little to no effort. When I first received this Overnight Recovery Mask from Exuviance, I placed it in my "must try" basket in my bathroom along with about eight other face masks. (They're my favorite products to test!) Now, I use it once to twice per week and wake up with simply refreshed skin.
In my first column for AhaLife's The Good Guide, a reader asked, "What anti-aging ingredient should I be looking out for?" Immediately, one ingredient came to mind that topped all of the rest. I’ve been a beauty editor for over ten years now and watched as ingredient trends came and went, but there’s one anti-aging powerhouse that’s remained consistent: retinol. Retinol is a derivative of vitamin A that helps speed up cellular turnover in order to help even out discoloration, boost collagen, rid acne and reduce fine lines and wrinkles. Beauty companies have been loyal to the ingredient by placing it in night creams for decades. Read the rest of my response here.
Cleansing with a gadget is almost imperative these days. Studies prove that the sonic technology helps to remove dirt and makeup better than simply washing your face with your hands alone. When PopSonic's Leaflet landed on my desk, I was immediately intrigued, because I never saw a facial cleansing device without a brush head. This travel sized gadget is completely made out of silicone. After putting it to the test, I found it was gentle, yet effective and good news – it's available on QVC this Friday, but you can enter now to win one before it launches. Here's the scoop.
