Summer Skincare Routine

Let's get the scary part out of the way. Here's how my skin looks now. On a better day, that minuscule pimple on my nose wouldn't exist, the raised bumps on my right cheek would magically disappear, and I wouldn't have two random gashes on my forehead. But it's important to acknowledge that this is still a good skin day. Impossible expectations have a way of weighing us down, let's try not to do that to ourselves!

Skincare has always been a ritual for me. I grew up watching my mother slather creams on her face day and night and dutifully started doing the same when I was a teenager. I disliked Clinique's astringent toner as soon as I tried it, precipitating years of being annoyingly meticulous about the textures and effects of what I use on my face. I've finally reached a place where I think my skin is as good as it gets without more drastic intervention.

As with all talk of skincare, your mileage may vary (YMMV). What works for me may not work for you. I subscribe to the belief that skincare is part science part psychology, which is why one person's HG is another person's dud. Here are the products that work for me.

Mr. Plant Pot says hi!

Essence
The two in my current rotation are Tatcha The Essence and Sulwhasoo Concentrated Ginseng Water. The Tatcha essence looks and feels just like water out of the spout, which makes applying it without spilling a couple precious drops an exercise of dexterity. Ironically, the Sulwhasoo water is viscous and requires a good ketchup shake to get out. It's stickier but doesn't bother me, and sorts of smack you in the face with its delicious ginseng scent (which, unghhhh, give it to me).

One of the hardest things to definitively answer about a skincare product is "how do you know it works," which my partner brings up every few months as he puts on whatever toner's on our vanity. I notice the difference this step makes to my skin because I usually skip it when I'm traveling and my skin is less... good. Nothing would be outwardly wrong, I just know it would not be up to its usual standards. And I can safely say it's the essence step because the rest of my skincare pretty much stays the same.

Serum
If there's one item I wouldn't like to be without, it's this $21 miracle worker Cosrx Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence. It's a tad slimy, which might take getting used to, but every time I put it on my skin soaks it up like it's been thirsty for days. The fact that it costs a fraction of the other stuff in my routine is icing on the cake.

Close on its heels is Holy Snails Double Shark Sauce (or its OG Shark Sauce or Sauce du mois variants). Preventing age spots and unevenness is my #1 goal, and having a healthy dose of niacinamide (10% in the double!) is key. I'm partial to supporting Holy Snails because she started out as a blogger and created this product for her friends. I would caution that form factor aside, it doesn't travel well. I've had at least two heartbreaking instances of shark sauce blowing up in the plane.

The Sulwhasoo Concentrated Ginseng Renewing Serum is pure decadence for me. Do I have clinical, scientific proof that ginseng does something for my skin? No. Do I like the hanbang smell and does it make me feel extra fancy? Yes. The optimist in me hopes that the anti-aging stuff is true, and maaaybe that's why I don't have wrinkles and fine lines. But I'm also 30, so that sounds like a stretch? You know what, it's okay to just do a thing (that doesn't make anything else worse) because it makes me happy. Pardon me as I sniff the ginseng off my face.

I've started incorporating vitamin C into my routine since learning that it's one of the few ingredients in skincare that has been clinically proven to reverse signs of aging. I haven't gone all out and optimized for concentration and pH yet, mostly because I'm using up what I happen to have at home. Currently going through Glo Skin 15% Vitamin C Serum, which is as straightforward a vitamin C serum as it gets, housed in a bottle with dropper that repels sunlight. I apply to face twice a week or so, but I'm gauging effectiveness by putting it on a blemish on my knee caused by an errant curler.

Eye Serum
I dismayed when trying a sample packet of the Sulwhasoo Timetreasure Renovating Eye Serum and seeing my eye bags vanish the next day, because the $260 price tag is hard to swallow. Fortunately, my brother's girlfriend was on a trip to Korea and got me one for less. I use this sparingly and only on days I didn't get enough sleep or want an extra boost. In my experience, the effects are more pronounced when used overnight.

Cream/Lotion
I question whether the occlusive layer is strictly necessary in summer, but I do it out of habit anyway. I'm using Tatcha The Water Gel to give myself the lightest of watery layers.

Sunscreen
I'll go more into sunscreen in another post, but please! Apply it every day, rain or shine, and put on way more than you think is necessary (like 1 tsp just for your face). Preferably SPF50 and broad spectrum, every two hours that you spend outdoors. I've repurchased many tubes of Tatcha Pore Perfecting Sunscreen throughout the years because it's scentless and I happen to like its creamy texture for the face over other, more aqueous Japanese sunscreens. But the best sunscreen is the one you would use.


This might sound like a lot, but it takes no more than a couple minutes to complete and I've come to relish that bit of time that's wholly for my self-care. We'll talk about acids and exfoliators and masks and cleansing another day. In the meantime, I'd love to hear about your own skincare HGs and journeys!

Tatcha Water Collection: Luminous Deep Hydration Firming Serum + Revitalizing Eye Mask

As a beauty blogger (who also has a day job in beauty), I've had the incredible fortune of being exposed to many brands – I affectionately/despairingly call my office desk a magpie's nest, and more often than not, apologize for the beauty products littered on my apartment floor when visitors take a peek. With such product overload, there are few brands that I am absolutely loyal to. There's a constant need to try new things and form opinions. Occupational hazard, I joke.

If there is one brand I return to over and over again, it's Tatcha. Since my first post on their Beauty Ritual in October 2012, my love for them has only deepened. Very rarely do you find a fledgling brand (it's only ~4 years old) that maintains such integrity and dedication to detail, from marketing to customer service to the products they sell. It's funny to reread my old Tatcha posts and see that I offered suggestions, like hoping they'd create an eye cream, and know my wishful thinking did come true in a few months. For the curious: According to posts on their social media, they're working on sunscreen (!) and lipstick (!!).

This summer, Tatcha introduced two new items to their Water Collection, adding the Luminous Deep Hydration Firming Serum and Revitalizing Eye Mask to its already impressive roster (comprising of the Dewy Skin Mist and Lifting Mask).

While the Radiant Deep Brightening Serum works as a radiance serum that combats hyperpigmentation and discoloration, the Luminous Deep Hydration Firming Serum ($90 for 30ml/1 fl oz.) is purely for hydration. According to the Tatcha blog, Vicky was inspired to create this serum after makeup artist Daniel Martin told her that he loved using the Deep Hydration Lifting Mask on models' faces before painting them, but needed something that worked quicker. Vicky essentially bottled the deeply hydrating spa-in-a-sheet mask and created this serum.

In addition to firming and plumping effects, this serum contains crushed 23-karat gold that brightens the skin ever so slightly. The soothing scent features hints of green tea.

The Luminous Deep Hydration Revitalizing Eye Mask ($12 per sheet/$95 for 10 sheets) is essentially a concentrated version of the Lifting Mask, temporarily banishing signs of fatigue from the eye area by giving it a firming hydration boost. I wore it while writing this post, and within the 15 minutes of application, noticed a marked improvement in the skin around my eyes. I looked as if I'd slept undisturbed for 12 hours. Loathe to waste the extra serum (and because my mouth area sorely needed help), I stuck these to the sides of my mouth and enjoyed the same benefits.

It is a shame that the effects of masks are ephemeral, because my post-mask skin looked radiant, happy, and healthy. I highly recommend use before important events. When I get married, I'm going to make sure I have a stash of these in stock.

Tatcha Luminous Deep Hydration Firming Serum and Revitalizing Eye Mask are available for purchase online at tatcha.com.

P.S. Tatcha just launched an amazing gift with purchase offer! For every $75 purchase on tatcha.com, you'll get a complimentary "Summer Essentials" kit that contains the Dewy Skin Mist, Original Aburatorigami Blotting Papers (super essential), and Deep Hydration face and eye masks. Use code SUMMERFUN14 at checkout to redeem. Offer is valid till July 3, or while supplies last.

Full disclosure: This entry contains sample products sent by PR or the manufacturer for editorial consideration.

Miyu Beauty Hydrate Mi Beauty Essence

Taken from my Instagram

One of the good things about semi-living in two apartments is the opportunity for two skincare routines. Yes, I am the type of person who would relish having two regimens to fiddle around with. But that shouldn't be news, yes?

I'm delighted to introduce this Miyu Beauty Hydrate Mi Beauty Essence. I, being the time-saver (read: lazy person) that I am wont to be, relish the fact that this serum comes in spray form! For a whole month I spritzed wantonly at my face, enjoying the cooling misty feeling on my face, but to preserve the bottle I have since taken to doing a couple pumps into my hand and applying it like I would a regular serum.

The serum is relatively fragrance-free, which means there is a very light rose smell but it is pleasant and unobtrusive. I was initially skeptical that a hydrating serum that came in mist form would be good – why I doubted its efficacy based on delivery, I do not know – but it turns out that this is immensely hydrating indeed. I follow this serum with two drops of Tatcha Beauty Oil, and that is all there is to my very short and simple (but effective!) beauty routine.

Well, one of them anyway.

Miyu Beauty Hydrate Mi Beauty Essence is available at miyubeauty.com for $34. For tea enthusiasts, Miyu Beauty also created a complimentary Beauty Tea, which tastes like a mixture of fruit and flower. The pairing retails for $42.

Full disclosure: This entry contains sample products sent by PR or the manufacturer for editorial consideration.

Tatcha Beauty Ritual

Three months in and this has to be the most thorough I've ever been in testing a product. In July, I eschewed my usual robust routine (oil cleanser, regular cleanser, toner, serum, moisturizer, eye cream)  in favor of the streamlined Tatcha Beauty Ritual: Pure, Polish, Radiant, and Supple – the four steps to achieving beautiful skin.

Everything about Tatcha - from its origin to its execution - feels exquisite, and I think that's a great strength for the company. Ingredients matter, I'm sure, but I personally believe placebo effect is strong when it comes to skincare. If something makes you feel good (and when something is pretty to look at, the battle is half won), chances are it's going to work too. 

Step 1: Pure - One Step Camellia Cleansing Oil

The One Step Camelia Cleansing Oil ($48 for 150ml/5.1 fl oz) beats my old HG RMK Cleansing Balm. It's lightweight for cleansing oils (for reference, Shu Uemura Premium A/I is heavy) and gets everything off without stripping moisture. I gauge that I have less than a quarter left, since I can hear air coming out of the pump when I use it now. Since I'm currently on a skincare ban, I dread to hear the squirt of the last drop.

Step 2: Polish - Classic Rice Enzyme Powder

Tatcha has three offerings of this powder according to skin type, and the Classic Rice Enzyme Powder ($65 for 60g/2.1 oz) is for combination skin. It's essentially a very fine exfoliator, so you can use it everyday instead of a harsher one once per week, which may damage your skin. If you're not wearing makeup, this doubles as a 2-in-1 cleanser. To use, you wet your face and hands and pour a dime size amount into your palm. Rub your hands together to create a lather, then work onto face. Leave it on for 15 seconds before rinsing off.

I'm actually very grateful for this. If you've been reading Messy Wands for some time, you'll remember that I have a flaky nose. This solves that problem.

Step 3: Radiant - Deep Brightening Serum

The Deep Brightening Serum ($150 for 30ml/1 fl oz) provides just a tinge of moisture while working as a radiance serum. When I was communicating with the PR rep, she mentioned that this also combats hyperpigmentation and lightens acne scars, and while it sounds way too good to be true, I actually agree with her (seriously, I'm surprised myself). Whatever scars I had are not completely gone, but it's fading.

(Time for the disclaimer: So, even before I used this it's not like I had a gash or anything, but I had some acne scars that were basically one or two tones darker than the rest of my face. They are now the same tone as the skin around it.

Serums are hard to talk about in general because you can't really measure the effects. Is it the serum working its magic or is it the body's natural process? Anyway, my stance is eat well, have enough sleep, drink lots of fluids, and apply serum as the bonus, not the cure.)

Step 4: Supple - Moisture Rich Silk Cream

Finally, my favorite step! The Moisture Rich Silk Cream ($150 for 50ml/1.7 oz) is a gel-cream moisturizer that doubles as a makeup primer. The cream is lightweight and moisturizing without being oily. I remember when I first used this, it felt stickier than what I was accustomed to. Thank goodness I was hell bent on trying out the ritual, or I would have stopped using it right then. It took a few more applications for me to get used to the stickiness. Of course, by now I don't even feel it anymore.

Also, I hate to be all gushy but the primer claim is true! My blushes last way longer over this cream than my other moisturizers. And since I've stopped using foundation and don't like primers, it helps to have something for my blushes to adhere to.

As of writing, I've used the ritual twice a day exclusively for the past three months. The rate of use for each product varies. I'm down to the last quarter for the cleansing oil, 1/3 of the brightening serum, half of the silk cream, and still have at least three quarters of the rice enzyme powder.

Conclusion:

Currently, my skin is literally the best it has ever been. I am at a place where I actually don't want to apply foundation because it will make my skin look worse. In the below picture, all I have on is concealer under my eyes and around my nose. Oh, and drawn on eyebrows of course.

The thing that makes me so terribly fond of Tatcha is they sweat the small stuff. On their website, under each product's "How to Use" tab is a short video that shows you how to apply the product (I mean, sure you can just slap it on to your face, but I like knowing how a careful hand would approach it). When you purchase something, in addition to an exquisitely wrapped package, you'll receive a handwritten thank you note from one of the team – and I'd like to stress it's not just because mine was a PR sample. I purchased the Dewy Skin Mist from them (with my personal email) prior to reaching out, and I was accorded the same personalized treatment. 

Above all, it's details like this spoon-holding ribbon (as opposed to no holder at all à la Cle de Peau La Creme) that makes me feel the brand cares about the user. My only complaint is I wish they would put their full ingredient lists on the website instead of just the actives. I threw away the boxes because I assumed this information would be online, but I wasn't able to find it. 

Tatcha is exclusively available at Barney's New York, Beverly Hills, and San Francisco. Do not fret if you're not close to any of those locations, you get free US shipping if you purchase from their website. For those who are hesitant to take the plunge, they offer a generous sample kit for $49.

Skincare reviews are tricky because it's difficult to pare down the words to make for a concise but comprehensive post. So, be sure to check out Cute and Mundane and theNotice for additional thoughts and an in-depth discussion on ingredients.

The products in this post were provided by the company for editorial consideration