The perfect eye cream is hard to find. It has to have the right consistency, a formula that won’t give you milia or cause irritation and a blend of ingredients that actually delivers noticeable results. So once thatholy grail is in your possession, there’s really no turning back. For many, that eye cream is the Kiehl’s Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado — it’s a bona fide classic.
As its name suggests, the formula is creamy and emollient, yet is fast-absorbing and non-greasy. The star ingredient is avocado oil, which is packed with fatty acids to moisturize and soften skin, plus beta-carotene for a dose of antioxidants and shea butter to hydrate and make skin supple. Plus, a little goes a long way, so you get plenty of mileage out of a small tub. As if we needed another reason to love this eye cream, we recently discovered a new way to use it: as a primer for eye makeup. Trust and believe, it’s a game-changer.
When we typically apply eye cream, we use a finger to lightly tap it (never pull or tug at the skin!) along the orbital bone, starting at the edge of the nose and outwards, and then up to brow bone. To try the primer hack, take another fingertip-full and gently apply it over the eyelid before going in with your concealer or eyeshadow.
Unlike so many other eye creams, the Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado doesn’t slide all over the place or make your skin oily or sticky. Instead, skin is smooth and hydrated, i.e. the perfect base for crease-free, long-lasting makeup.
In addition to your shadow, your under-eye concealer will get the same red-carpet treatment. You’ll find that when applied after the Kiehl’s eye cream, your product glides on evenly without flaking and never settles into your fine lines which can make them look more pronounced.
Excuse us as we add another tub – or three – to our carts.
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If you’re constantly washing your hands and using sanitizer around the clock, your hands are probably dry AF. While it’s important to wash your hands as often as possible, it can wreak havoc on your skin. Your skin is your body’s first defense against bacteria, so you need to ensure you keep your hands hydrated. Cracked, dry hands and damaged skin means a weakened skin barrier, which makes it easier for germs to enter.
Fortunately, we’ve got some easy solutions so you can say goodbye to dry hands, for good!
Find a Nourishing Hand Wash
Many celebrity dermatologists recommends avoiding bars of soap as they can seriously dry out your skin. They explains, “Soaps have a special molecule that finds oils and strips them from the skin. We need our natural oils for retaining moisture.” Therefore, trade-in your traditional soaps for a nourishing hand wash instead. We’re currently using the Bath & Body Works Gentle Foaming Hand Soaps, $8.50, as they’re infused with essential oils, as well as vitamin E to nourish and clean the skin. Plus, they foam into a rich lather that smells so good – it makes washing your hands feel luxurious! Another hydrating soap that’s a little more boujee is the Aesop Resurrection Aromatique Hand Wash, $52. The formula boasts orange, rosemary, and lavender essential oils to cleanse and restore the skin.
If you already have a liquid handwash, you can try adding in a tablespoon of coconut, olive or grapeseed oil, which will help to lock in moisture while you wash. After you wash your hands, try to follow with a moisturizer almost immediately.
If you don’t have any hand creams use oil instead and massage it into your hands. Our favorite oil to use is extra virgin olive oil, a recommendation we got from Julia Roberts. It’s super-hydrating and packed with vitamins, antioxidants, and fatty acids that help hydrate while repairing damaged skin. It’s also suitable for all skin types and is anti-microbial. If you don’t have olive oil in your cabinet, you can use coconut oil (our go-to DIY oil), or any other oil.
If your hands are super dry, create a DIY hand mask by massaging oil into your hands, then put on a pair of plastic gloves. If you don’t have gloves, you can wrap your hands in clingwrap. Try to leave them covered for up to an hour for super soft, hydrated skin.
Apply a Rich Cream or Balm
As you can probably guess, applying hand cream RN is essential. In fact, we’ve gotten into the routine of applying lotion immediately after we use hand sanitizer. You can also keep hand cream next to your sink for easy access after hand washing.
Look for a hand moisturizer that contains rich, hydrating ingredients like shea butter and oils like apricot and avocado oil, as they’re packed with natural goodness that will help seal in moisture and repair the skin. Here are three of our faves:
Vaseline Intensive Care Lotion, $16.26: While this may not be the most luxe hand cream on our list, it’s a household staple. The fast-absorbing formula is clinically proven to heal dry skin within five days. Plus, it doesn’t leave your skin feeling greasy or tacky.
L’Occitaine Honey Harvest Hand Cream, $29: This hand cream leaves our skin feeling so smooth! The rich combination of shea butter and honey hydrates while strengthening the skin, helping prevent future moisture loss.
Kiehl’s Ultimate Strength Hand Salve, $28: This cream is infused with sesame oil, avocado oil, and olive, which are all packed with essential fatty acids to nourish and repair dry skin.
Bring on the bath bombs, candles and body wash, because taking a bath is one of the best ways to reset, recharge and relax after a day that, TBH, was just way too long. To help you indulge in some much-needed,spa-like self-care, we’re sharing how to get yourself and your tub prepped and ready for the best (and most luxurious) bath of your life. Take it from us, you deserve this.
STEP #1: Set the Temperature Make sure your tub is clean as can be before filling it up with water. We then recommend turning the nozzle to a lukewarm temp so it feels warm and relaxing, but not scalding hot when you step in. Water that’s too hot can strip your skin of essential oils and dry you out, so make sure to test the water with your fingers before letting the bath fill to the halfway point.
STEP #2: Add Essential Oils, Bath Bombs or Body Salts
As the water is running, add in 10-15 drops of your favorite essential oils for a soothing scent that will put your body and mind at ease. If bubbles, bath bombs or body salts are your preference, now is the time to drop those in too. We’re currently obsessing over the Bathing Culture Big Dipper Mineral Bath Salts. It’s rich in minerals and melts away stress.
STEP #3: Face Mask Time!
We hope you have one of your all-time favorite masks nearby, because applying a face mask while in the bath is seriously the way to go. Your skin will feel fab after stepping out. Not sure what mask to bring with? We recommend the Kiehl’s Avocado Nourishing Hydration Mask. And hey, if you’re really trying to go all out, place some cucumbers on your eyes.
STEP #4: Candles, Candles and More Candles
Just before stepping in, set the atmosphere by lighting some of your favorite candles, put on some soothing tunes and grab a book or magazine. As tempting as it is to have your phone nearby, we suggest you don’t. Let yourself unplug for a while.
STEP #5: Pick Your Products
Last but not least, make sure your bath is stocked with all the products you need. We suggest a creamy body wash like theKiehl’s Made For All Body Cleanser to keep skin clean and moisturized. If you plan on shaving, make sure to throw in a body exfoliant, like the Ouai Scalp and Body Scrub to slough away dead surface skin cells and prep for a clean, close shave.
STEP #6: Enjoy
Now that everything is prepped and ready to go, step into the tub and enjoy a night of R&R. Just one more thing though, make sure to moisturize once you’re done with your spa-like bath. We suggest lathering on the CeraVe Daily Moisturizing Lotion.
As you know, rule number one of working out is to take off your makeup! Doing this alone is a great to start ensuring your skin looks better, not worse, at the end of a workout. But when it comes to working out we don’t often think about our skincare routine, but treating your skin properly before and after your workout will make a huge difference to your skin. When you exercise, your body temperature increases and more often than not, you sweat – a lot – and that makes your pores dilate, making it even easier for makeup and bacteria to make its way in and block your pores.
So, we’re here to share the ultimate skincare routine for before and after your workout to ensure your skin brings its a-game every time. We’ve even discovered some workout skincare products that are giving us incredible results while we exercise – now that’s multitasking at its best!
Pre-Workout Skincare Routine
Step 1: Wash your Face
…Not with makeup wipes!!
A.M.: If you’ve just woken up or you’re not wearing makeup, do a quick wipe with micellar water on a cotton pad or splash your face with a little water. It’s important that your skin is clean, so if you feel like your skin needs it, do a gentle cleanse with a milk or gel cleanser.
P.M.: Double cleanse to remove all your makeup! We love to use the Face Halo, because all you have to do is wet it, and the tiny little fibers will lift off makeup and dirt, so it’s super easy to use on-the-go. To finish, we love to use the Foreo Luna 3 cleansing device with a gel cleanser to remove every last trace of makeup – the T-sonic pulsations and soft silicone bristles help clean extra deep into pores, which is exactly what you need before a workout!
Step 2: Actives That Work
Just because you’re working out, doesn’t mean your skin shouldn’t get a little love. We love to use lightweight, hydrating and protective formulas while we work out, like a vitamin C serum, or an antioxidant-rich gel moisturizer to protect our skin from free radicals that attack during exercise. Avoid anything to rich and heavy, which could feel uncomfortable when you sweat.
Without a doubt, one of our most exciting new discoveries is Face Gym’s Training Sticks, $49, aka heat-activated skincare that gets to work while you do! Since we’ve discovered these, we literally haven’t worked out without them, and we love how they warm up on your skin while you work out, slowly releasing potent actives that penetrate deeper as your skin’s metabolism is accelerated. The controlled delivery system also helps improve your complexion for up to six hours post-workout (even after cleansing).
The Training Sticks are so quick and easy to use – literally just swipe onto your forehead, cheeks, chin, and temples – and we love the different options: Spirulina for lifting and firming, Activated Charcoal for detoxing, and Brazilian Pink Clay for brightening. You can also buy all three in mini version, plus a hydrating Multivitamin stick for $75 – so you can multi-mask to target different issues. The charcoal formula leaves our skin feeling super soft and bright post-workout, and we love that these fight against damaging free-radicals, which are rife during exercise.
If you’re working out outside in the sun or going for a hike, SPF is essential. We recommend a mineral sunscreen, which means when you sweat your eyes shouldn’t sting (chemical SPFs often sting the eyes). Check out one of my fave mineral sunscreen here.
Finally, don’t forget a little lip balm to keep your lips moist and to prevent cracking. And always tie your hair up to avoid hair and hair products mingling with your skin.
Post-Workout Skincare Routine
Step 1: Cleanse
We know after working out you often have places to be, but it’s so important to wash your face post-workout as soon as possible. If you’ve washed your skin before your work out (we really hope you did), use a gentle water-based cleanser to get rid of sweat and bacteria. We love the Holi Frog Superior Omega Nutritive Gel Wash, $36, which is pH-balanced and deeply cleans the skin while nourishing it with omega fatty acids, probiotics, and antioxidants to replenish the skin. It also has natural antibacterial properties to help prevent breakouts and clogged pores, without stripping your skin.
Finish your cleanse by splashing your face with cool water, which helps to tighten the pores and shrink blood vessels, which will help to reduce redness more quickly.
Step 2: Hydrate
First things first, drink plenty of water to hydrate your body and skin – the best hydration comes from within! Then use plenty of hydrating ingredients on your skin. Start with a toner that’s soothing and calming, so look for ingredients like chamomile and aloe or opt for hydrating milky formulas. We love the Pixi Rose Tonic, $18, which helps to reduce redness and calm the skin while balancing your skin’s pH levels. Follow with a lightweight serum or hyaluronic acid, like the Sarah Chapman Intense Hydrating Booster Moisture Serum, $98, which is formulated with Bioecolia and Beta Glucan to activate the skin’s natural defenses against bacteria and irritants, plus hyaluronic acid and soothing rose water. We love how fluid this serum is and how easily it melts into the skin to instantly hydrate and repair the skin after the stress of working out.
Step 3: Lock it in
Now your skin is well hydrated, lock it all in with a moisturizer. We prefer to steer clear of thicker formulas post-workout (save that for nighttime), instead, stick to gel-like or lightweight moisturizers like the Biossance Squalane + Probiotic Gel Moisturizer, $52, which helps to reduce redness (great for after a workout), tighten pores, and balance your skin.
Now enjoy that glow-up and feel proud of yourself for working out and showing your skin some love at the same time.
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