How Retinol Changed, and the Formulas That Matter Now

How Retinol Changed, and the Formulas That …

Best retinol treatments that worked magic on my skin. In my early skincare fascination days, retinol felt like the ingredient everyone whispered about but few explained well. The turning point came in 2006, when I read Jean Godfrey-June’s Free Gift…

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The Best Peptide Moisturizers, Explained

The Best Peptide Moisturizers, Explained

Peptides have become one of skincare’s most overused words. Not because they don’t work, but because the term has been stretched to mean everything and nothing at once. In creams especially, “peptide-powered” can signal anything from a thoughtfully built formula…

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Smoothing vs. Soothing Skincare: What Your Skin Needs Now

Smoothing vs. Soothing Skincare: What Your Skin …

Smoothing and soothing are technically skincare opposites. And opposites attract. Here’s how I combine the two for best results. When it comes to my own skincare efforts, smoothing almost always comes before soothing. My skin isn’t naturally sensitive, so I…

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The Best Clay Masks for Pores, Congestion, and Blackheads

The Best Clay Masks for Pores, Congestion, …

From $18 to $105, these fifteen clay masks tighten pores, nix blackheads, and deliver that post-facial glow without the facial. A recent DM asking about my favorite clay mask for congested pores had me answering instantly and then adding two…

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The Maelove Retinal Serum Really Delivered. Here’s My Honest Take.

The Maelove Retinal Serum Really Delivered. Here’…

My skin responds well to retinoids. Most of them, actually. I’ve only ever felt like backing down once, after upgrading my Tazorac cream from 0.05% to 0.1% strength. For well over a decade I’ve hopped around various formulas, both Rx…

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Maelove Adds Marula Oil To Their Lineup!

Maelove Adds Marula Oil To Their Lineup!

A bit over a year ago I wrote about three Marula Oil formulas that ranged significantly in price (and all that contributed to both value and quality). You can still check out those musings here. Most recently, Maelove, a brand…

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