Grace Notes: November 2020
WORKING AS A BEAUTY WRITER PRACTICALLY REQUIRES ME TO TURN UP AT WORK WEARING AS LITTLE PRODUCT AS POSSIBLE – A BLANK CANVAS IF YOU WILL – TO BE SMOTHERED AND SWATCHED IN POTIONS AND PIGMENTS FROM 8 ‘TILL 5. AS IT'S MY JOB TO SWATCH AND SNIFF MY WAY THROUGH THE LATEST AND GREATEST BEAUTY LAUNCHES, EACH MONTH I DEBRIEF ON THE ONES WORTH WRITING HOME ABOUT.
Beauty Pie Qi Energy Ginseng Sleep Mask
Days 2-7 of the rona were like entering an alternate reality where even sitting up in bed and sipping water felt like The Most Impossible Mission. Needless to say, my skincare routine shrank from 10+ products to just three (anyone who knows me well knows this is A Big Deal). Drunk Elephant Milki Micellar Water morning and night, Peter Thomas Roth Water Drench Hyaluronic Cloud Mist all day every day, and Beauty Pie’s Qi Energy Ginseng Sleep Mask standing in for serums, moisturisers, eye creams, and everything else. The combination of energising ginseng, hydrating hyaluronic acid, skin barrier-strengthening squalane, and brightening circasynch was like a comforting hug for stressed skin and made my skin look 563974 times more alive than I actually felt. TLDR: Stay inside, kids. 2020 germs are no joke!
Bioderma Sebium Purifying Cleansing Gel*
Bioderma is the cult French pharmacy brand best known for its iconic micellar water, but its extensive product range should not be overlooked. Particularly, the Sebium range, and especially if your skin is prone to oiliness and/or breakouts. This product is the hero for me. While some people have an inherent bias against foaming cleansers - if you can get pass that (not always correct) instinct, or if you’re someone whose skin type will benefit from the type of formula, then this is a great option as a morning cleanse or second cleanse in the evening. I personally love it in the morning because it leaves my skin feeling fresh and toned - eliminating an extra step from my routine.
Tan-Luxe Super Glow*
Fake (tan) news! This facial tanning serum is a winner for my ghostly, blemish-prone skin. It doesn't break me out! It's not orange! It hydrates! It cancels out redness! And it smells amazing!!! I use it every third morning in place of my usual hydration serum so all credit to my healthy glow is owed here and not because I've jetted off somewhere for some secret winter sun. Actual tan = bad. Fake tan? Getting better every year.
Refy Brow Sculpt
Pre-lockdown I was paying £45+ every 6 weeks to get my brows professionally laminated. During lockdown I even experimented with an at-home kit (which had great results but was a lot of effort). Then I discovered Refy Brow Sculpt, a glue-like clear brow gel which goes above and beyond all other brow products and literally locks hairs in place. It gives the results of a fresh brow lamination in a matter of minutes and doesn’t even need topping up throughout the day. Obsessed is an understatement.
Davines Solu Sea Salt Scrub*
You'd think you wouldn't need to exfoliate your scalp, as long as your shampoo removes the dirt, right? Well, grime (plus oils and product buildup) fills hair follicles and clogs pores in exactly the same as the pores on the rest of our body get clogged. So it really does matter - particularly if you use a lot of hair products or have temperamental skin (oily, dry, prone to acne etc), since you should think of your scalp as an extension of your skin. My scalp is super sensitive - it’s prone to dryness in the winter, oiliness in the summer, and even when I think balance is restored, the wrong product can easily trigger it. I’ve found some great solutions to these flare-ups but I love this scrub for keeping on top of things - I use it every other week when my scalp is calm and every week if it’s not. It exfoliates physically and chemically, is incredibly satisfying to use, and makes roots feel pouffy and weightless.
