Happy New Year, friends!!
Last year was full of big changes and blessings. Maybe I manifested it all by focusing on my word for the year, which was abundance. This year, my word will be 'positioning.' I want to focus on settling old debts and building up savings for the next chapter of my life, which hopefully will involve home ownership.
I also ran my final, and potentially last, marathon. An old injury has crept back into my life and has come undone into a more serious injury. So, that should be a ~fun adventure~ this year.
But one thing remains constant: my love for skincare, bodycare, and haircare. Any sort of care that can give me a little bit of me-time is always welcomed here.
Here are my essentials for the month:
FRAGRANCE: I’ve been experimenting in this category and leaning into new-to-me scents. It’s been pretty fun. I discovered Heretic and fell in love with Florgasm. It's an unapologetically bold floral that hits like a blooming bouquet in full rebellion—sweet, sensual, and just a little wild.
HAIR: Normally, my ‘empties’ basket contains a lot more hair products, so enjoy this lean hair bit this month. This year, I really want to focus on getting my hair and scalp as healthy and strong as possible. I tried TGIN’s Honey Miracle Hair Mask with no expectations and fell in love with its rich, buttery texture that melts into curls like honey on warm toast. It left my hair so soft, hydrated, and easy to detangle. I’m picking up the tub of this product next time I’m in Ulta!
FACE / SKINCARE: As usual, we got more heavy hitters in this section.
Sometimes, I need a physical exfoliant, but without the damage.Enter Dermalogica’s Daily Microfoliant. It's a gentle powder-to-paste exfoliator that left my skin feeling smooth without that peach-scrub harshness (IYKYK). Over time, my skin looked brighter, smoother, and more evenly toned.
I always have a toner in my AM routine. I've been using and loving Farmacy's Brighten Up 3% TXA Toner for the past few months. It combines tranexamic acid, azelaic acid, and polyhydroxy acids to target dark spots and uneven skin tone. It's gentle enough to use every day and really helped fade my post-acne marks.
Naturopathica’s Pumpkin Enzyme Mask is like autumn in a jar—warm, spicy, and packed with exfoliating power. With pumpkin enzymes and lactic acid, it gently resurfaces the skin, leaving it soft, glowing, and baby-smooth after just one use.
Another mask to put on your radar before the brand discontinues is Peter Thomas Roth’s Rose Stem Cell Mask. It's refreshing, soothing, and hydrating, with a delicate rose scent. My skin always feels plump and dewy after use, and in my opinion, it is underrated.
As I've gotten older, I've been leaning more into skincare brands with better ingredients, like IMAGE Skincare. I love their Ormedic Balancing Facial Cleanser, among other products. The cleanser is a gentle gel formula that removes the day without stripping the skin of moisture. It also soothes and hydrates the skin, leaving it feeling balanced.
FACE / MAKEUP: Last year felt like the year of lip balms and one that stood out to me and became a repeat purchase was rhode’s peptide lip tint. I love all their tints but toast is definitely my favorite. It’s nourishing and hydrating, and the color is buildable for your desired look.
BODY / SKINCARE: Osea has an amazing lineup of luxurious body care products, and the one that stands out the most is their Undaria Algae Body Oil. It's a silky, fast-absorbing formula that hydrates and nourishes without the greasy feeling.
SHOP MY ESSENTIALS:
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