Skin Care Indulgent And Thrifty, Or, Saturday Morning at 9:51am

I am enjoying my current skin care products. I shall share here, as you may enjoy them too.

First, as the easiest first step towards reducing plastic containers I could imagine, I now wash my face with bar soap. This has a nice, faint scent, and does not tighten my skin across my cheekbones like a vise. Check.

Next, a host of different serums and, what should we call them, activators? Potions? Perhaps best understood as a list of items rather than a category: peptides, hyaluronic acid, retinol. I spend very little money on these, as I am buying ingredients, not magic.

• Hyaluronic acid apparently attracts moisture. The Ordinary’s Marine Hyaluronics can be had for $6+. No, I am not kidding.
• Peptides encourage your skin to build collagen, even when they cost only $11
• Drugstore retinol is also good for collagen. Tthe experts advise prescription strength retinoids–to date I have not bothered. Don’t be me unless you are also cheap.)

I choose on impulse what I want to use on any given day. I’m old enough to know how peptides will feel, vs. the other options. How crazy is that.

Thirdly, exfoliants. I like the Drunk Elephant Babyfacialpum at first , but before I  finish the jar it dries out, and I get annoyed by unnecessary and sub-functional packaging, so I’m switching to Sunday Riley’s Good Genes.

Fourthly, moisturizer. For a year or two I did without any sort of moisturizer, relying on serums alone. And then one night I thought, “My skin feels dry.” So I scrolled through the ratings and reviews on Sephora and this one, from a brand I’d never heard of, sounded good. Lo and behold, for skin prone to not exactly breakouts, but, um, bumps, it’s excellent. Not at all oily, light scent, and a wonderful thick gel sort of texture.

Fifthly, believe it or not, the generic Benzoyl Peroxide of our youth. Because, um, bumps.

And finally, that which did not work and I have repurposed. I loved this oil with Vitamin C and turmeric when I first used the sample, but over time, yes, bumps. Now so as not to waste it, slathered on my alligator shins. I feel like an empress, albeit minus the retinue.

Et voilà. Have a wonderful, smooth, glowing weekend.

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