The Weekly Shop 1.0

Got a hyper-specific beauty concern? Looking for a holy grail skincare product? Need help deciding between two almost-but-not-quite identical red lipsticks? Every weekend I take to Instagram to offer up my personal shopping services pro bono. And every week I record the questions and answers on here - an ever-growing archive of product recommendations. Can’t find the answer on here? Join me for The Weekly Shop next weekend - @thatgracegirl. No dilemma is too big, no request too niche, and no question will go unanswered.

From post-pill skincare recommendations to my thoughts on NuFace, scroll down for this week’s shopping list.

An everyday moisturiser that won’t break me out.

Check out Starface’s Moisture On Mars - it’s specifically designed with acne-prone skin in mind. I wish this had been around when I was a teenager and thought moisturiser would give me more spots (some do, this one doesn’t).

A NuFace Mini. Are they worth it?

They’re expensive yes, but in my opinion totally worth it - if you can commit to using it regularly and properly. I can see a lift in my face with the NuFace Mini immediately but mostly just use it for long-term benefits. I don’t love the gels they come with but you can use other products - I like the Yes To Cucumbers Cooling Jelly Mask.

The best body scrub.

The answer is Beauty Pie, but I love both the Super Healthy Skin Nourishing Body Polish and Soul Providers Dry Oil Sugar Scrub equally. I threw this one out to the audience and the latter option won with 62% of the votes.

A morning face wash. I’m using Cetaphil but don’t love it.

Try CeraVe for a similar price point. Their Hydrating Cleanser is a good start and is good for all skin types but they also have a salicylic acid-based option more suited to oily and blemish-prone skin.I’m also partial to Glossier Milky Jelly Cleanser if my skin is feeling dry, or Dermalogica’s Active Clay Cleanser for a more intensive cleanse.

Affordable skincare for when I start accutane.

Accutane is mega drying so you’re going to need to cut out the acids and go OTT on the moisture front. My top picks would be CeraVe’s Hydrating Cleanser, La Roche-Posay’s Cicaplast Baume B5 SPF50 for day, Dr Jart+’s Ceramidin Cream for night, and Elizabeth Arden’s 8-Hour Intensive Lip Balm because accurate hits lips hard.

A body scrub with no oil in.

I love scrubs with oily formulas (like the two recommended above) but I know a lot of people don’t. Try the & Other Stories scrubs instead. They have thick gel textures (which I also really love) and so many fragrances to choose from.

Bridal makeup for blue eyes.

To enhance blue eyes, use warm-toned shades like bronze, copper, rose gold etc. Or if you’re feeling brave, reds and oranges! Check out Bobbi Brown Shimmer Wash Eyeshadow in Rose Gold, Nars Voyageur Eyeshadow Palette in Copper, Charlotte Tilbury Luxury Palette in Copper Charge, or Laura Mercier’s Caviar Stick in Blossom.

A boujee product that will make me look and feel beautiful.

I loved this question! Corny answer coming up: I truly believe that if you feel beautiful then you look beautiful. For me it’s about feeling confident and nothing gives me confidence more than an incredibly boujee perfume - specifically Maison Francis Kurkdijan Baccarat Rouge 540. I literally feel like a new woman when I wear it so I save it for big occasions or days when I need a pick me up. I once described this as smelling like the world’s most expensive candy floss. It’s magical.

A capsule makeup wardrobe.

Check out Nudestix! They have so many multitasking products. I love using the blusher and bronzer sticks on my eyes and lips as well.

A vegan night cream for combination skin — dehydrated and acne prone.

If for some godforsaken reason I had to use one night cream for the rest of my life, it would be NIOD’s Hydration Vaccine. It packs in the moisture and strengthens the skin barrier so it makes a big (and instant) difference if your skin is dehydrated. In fact, even if you don’t think your skin is dehydrated I can guarantee you will after using this.

Skincare to help me with post-pill breakouts.

I have so many clients who come to me with this problem but having been in this situation myself I have a lot of first-hand experience to draw from. It’s crazy how much difference hormones make to skin! These products are always my top recommendations for fighting hormonal breakouts. Skincare By BEAUTY BAY Soothe Paste, NIOD Flavanone Mud Mask, Eve Lom Rescue Mask, and La Roche-Posay’s Serozinc Mist.