I've decided it's beauty week here at Cheryl Shops, mostly due to a conversation I had last week with my dear friend PR, in which we both confessed that as soon as someone recommends a beauty product, we'll eagerly try it. (
Into the Gloss is fabulous for this.) It's funny, clothing is pretty subjective, but skincare, makeup, hair products, and even fragrance have the power to transcend. Obviously my expertise is in fashion, but I'm just as obsessed about beauty products—why I rarely blog about them is a mystery to me. So to change that, here are the products that make up my skincare routine.
Daytime
I don't wash my face in the morning; my skin easily turns red, and I've found that scrubbing it first thing makes it irritated for most of the day. So I just splash with water in the shower. Then I mist with
Caudalie Beauty Elixir, a product that I read about on ITG (and also on
Fashiontoast). It seems completely extravagant at first, but I find it very soothing, and it helps everything else I put on sink in well. Also, you feel very glamorous doing it. Next comes
Kiehl's Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado, which is my favorite eye cream of all time. I used to use all Kiehl's products and have since moved on, except for this—it's super-moisturizing without being greasy at all, and I really think it keeps the crow's feet at bay. Then I use
Caudalie Vinoperfect Radiance Serum, which makes my skin incredibly soft and glowy; I think it's technically for people who have discoloration or age spots, which I don't have, but I feel that anything "brightening" makes your skin look radiant, and who doesn't want that? On top of that goes
Caudalie Vinoperfect Day Perfecting Cream SPF 15, which is the thicker of the two day lotions in this line, but my skin is so dry, I need as much moisture as I can get, even in the summer. And as you might have noticed, I'm a huge fan of Caudalie—once I found out the line was based on wine grapes, I was like, hello, that's perfect for me. That, and they use as many natural ingredients as possible, without parabens and all those other gross chemicals you don't want on your skin.
Nighttime
First I take off my eye makeup with
Almay Eye Makeup Remover Pads; I strongly prefer the oil-free version, as does
Allure magazine. Then I break out my
Clarisonic Mia. Now, the Clarisonic is something that everyone and their mother claimed was the best thing since sliced bread, and I was skeptical until I got one for my birthday. Oh. My. God. I seriously cannot recommend this device enough—it gets your skin so incredibly clean, you almost don't need facials. Really, it's the only thing that keeps my massive pores clean. I use it with
Avene Gentle Gel Cleanser, which smells nice and doesn't irritate my skin. If my
skin is super-dirty (like if I've been walking around the city all day or sweating profusely), I follow with
Avene Gentle Toner. (Do you really need toner? I feel like this is an ongoing argument. Personally, I like it, especially for the T-zone.) Then
Kiehl's Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado and
Caudalie Vinoperfect Radiance Serum again. And, finally, the
pièce de resistance:
Retin-A, otherwise known as tretinoin, or the most fantastic substance on the planet. You need a prescription from a dermatologist, and mine is for the .025% cream, which is the weakest, however my insurance covers it because I'm on it for "acne." Mmm-hmm. If my skin gets too dry, I use
Embryolisse Lait Creme Concentre, beloved by many, and now readily available at Ricky's.
Finally, and this is going to make you roll your eyes, but you know how in every interview with a celebrity, they claim their beauty secret is to drink a lot of water? Okay, for them, it may really be $500 facials at Tracie Martyn, but I can attest that drinking a ton of water really does help. At least 64 oz. a day. Yes, you'll be going to the bathroom once an hour, but you'll look fantastic doing it.
