What Is Ectoin If you have spent any time on this blog, you know I have little patience for ingredients that seem to exist purely for the algorithm. My roundups on retinoids, vitamin C, and barrier repair products for overexfoliated…
View Post
What a year. If you’d told me in December 2024 that 2025 would unfold like this, I probably would have skipped the whole eating-12-grapes-under-the-table-at-midnight ritual in Connecticut for good luck. Clearly, the grapes were feeling bold. What was meant to…
View Post
At the risk of sounding like a snob and a half, The Ordinary continues to be the epitome of a mixed bag for me. I love the clinical aesthetic and fully support the concept, but only every fifth product I…
View Post
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…
View Post
To be fair, Argan Oil should rightfully take credit for the single ingredient facial oil craze that began over a decade ago. This skincare enthusiast, however, had never been persuaded by what the New York Times once referred to as…
View Post
The Ordinary built its reputation on a simple premise: effective ingredients at prices that make the rest of the industry look embarrassed. No elaborate packaging, no inflated claims, no markup that requires a second mortgage. Just straightforward formulas with active…
View Post
Acetyl hexapeptide is one of the more interesting ingredients in skincare. It works by interfering with the neurotransmitter signals that cause facial muscles to contract repeatedly, which over time creates expression lines. It does not freeze anything. It softens. The…
View Post