My beauty-in-quarantine regimen got a head start this fall when my dermatologist recommended I try a Retin-A cream (with hyaluronic acid and niacinamide) from Skin Medicinals. The company’s aim is enabling physicians to better treat their patients by creating tailored prescriptions to treat specific needs—at affordable prices. To get my scrip, I didn’t have to set foot in a pharmacy; my doc e-mailed my prescription and I sent it to Skin Medicinals with my payment (about $60 for one ounce, as opposed to the usual $100-plus). At renewal time, the company automatically sends an e-mail. Whenever I see my dermatologist again, I plan to ask what else she might prescribe for me.
LEFT: No. 7 Laboratories’ Line Correcting Booster Serum ($41.99, Walgreens) is designed to be applied directly to areas of the skin most likely to lose definition/firmness. Yes, that’s right—the neck and jawline. In the era of Zoom, necks are front and center. In case you didn’t know though, the Zoom app includes a filter that softens lines and blurs blemishes so you look subtly better on screen. CENTER: For smoother-looking, more moisturized skin, I head to the grocery, not the wellness, shelves of Whole Foods. Save yourself some bucks with the store’s Organic Refined Coconut Oil (14 ounces, $5.99). RIGHT: The Ordinary takes a science-based approach to skin care and specializes in single-ingredient products. Nothing costs more than $20; most of it sells for less than $10. Products that contain skin-plumping, volume-adding products such as hyaluronic acid can be spendy. So, relying on the advice of a woman doing a fellowship in my dermatologist’s office, I decided to try The Ordinary’s Hyaluronic Acid 2% (1 ounce, $6.80, Sephora). I have been using it with their Vitamin C serum in the morning. My exercise buddy on Zoom remarked that I looked “fresh.” That could be thanks to the Zoom filter.
FAR LEFT: I wasn’t mad about Hourglass’s new Vanish Airbrush Concealer ($34, available in more than 20 shades, Sephora) at first. I thought the liquid was too heavily pigmented, but I’m beginning to see the benefits of applying it more sparingly in the corners of the eyes and down around the nose. Its light-reflecting properties makes your eyes and face look more alive. NEAR LEFT: About two months ago, I was listening to a podcast on Girls of a Certain Age blog, featuring Goop beauty director Jean Godfrey-June. She had a down-to-earth approach to beauty and what it means to look your age. Godfrey swears by True Botanicals powder Vitamin C Booster ($90) for the raves she got from her friends about her skin. When added to your daily serum treatment or just mixed with water, it is touted to brighten and even skin tone. A 15 percent discount hasn’t yet been enough to push me over the edge. NEAR RIGHT: I’m tempted by Westman Atelier Super Loaded Tinted Highlight ($75, Goop), a multipurpose polish for eyes and cheeks in soft rose. I already own the one in bronze gold, which I’ve been using for at least a year and still have plenty left, which kind of justifies the splurge. I think the rose color would work better now when my skin has that sallow look from too many days/hours spent inside. RIGHT: I’m down to the last nibs of my favorite Burberry lipstick. Kosas’ Weightless Lip Color in Rosewater ($28, Violet Grey) looks a lot like it. And I bet I could use it as a blush, too.
LEFT: I loved Westman Atelier’s super-sheer Lit-Up Highlight Stick ($48, Violet Grey) until it melted in my purse one hot day last summer. I bought it from Barneys (sic transit gloria …) mostly because the guy behind the counter wasn’t pushy and once I gave the okay to put it on my face, I could immediately see my skin perk up from dull to slightly glowy despite overindulging in white wine the evening before. RIGHT: I know I’ve sung Weleda’s Skin Food Original Ultra-Rich Cream ($18.99, Dermstore) praises before. It’s a terrific moisturizer (with fatty acids and Vitamin E) for hands, feet and elbows, but pssst, I use it on my face when I need extra moisture, which is almost always. (It follows my application of The Ordinary’s Vitamin C and hyaluronic acid). The aforementioned Godfrey-June said it was one of her favorites. (I knew I liked her.) And the calendula flower extract makes it smell divine.
—Janet Kelly
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