The Ordinary just launched a Caffeine 3% + Escin 1% Face Serum, and the name will trip a few people up. This is not the Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG you reach for under tired eyes. It’s a face serum,…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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Good news: you only need one. If I were to name one ingredient that became ubiquitous to the point of annoying, it’s hyaluronic acid. Used, abused, and often misunderstood, it’s one of the best things you can put on your…
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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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To be fair, argan oil should take credit for the single-ingredient face oil craze. I was never persuaded by what the New York Times once called “liquid gold.” Then came a bottle of the African Botanics Neroli Infused Marula Oil.…
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