Good morning from another beautiful day in Connecticut. This weekend the sun was shining and the temps were in the 60s. It was one of those weekends that you deal with the long winters to get to. And it was made even better with my mom in town and my sister and niece who surprised us with a visit.
It was most likely the last time we’ll all be together before my sister has her second baby girl so it felt extra special. My mom is going back to California tonight which is always a bummer but she’ll be back to meet my new niece this spring or summer.
After many many many requests on Instagram, I’m sharing her skincare routine below before I get into this month’s 5 random things. She is in her 70s but looks like she’s in her 50s. Her skin is truly a thing of beauty and, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but it’s mostly in part to close to no sun exposure and zero alcohol.
Her routine consists of drugstore products and she’s never done any medical beauty treatment!
My mom’s skincare routine:
Facewash: Cetaphil gentle face cleanser
Face cream: Cerave lotion with sunscreen in the morning and Cerave cream at night. Then she uses Cerave ointment (basically Vaseline!) on her entire face two nights/week.
Retinol: A very thin layer of prescription Retin-A every single night.
Eyes: Strivectin eye cream (she was influenced by yours truly!)
Lifestyle: No sun ever, no alcohol at all…. “and don’t forget to tell them, no cigarettes!” This is the most important part of why her skin is perfection in her 70s.
Medical treatments: She’s done none ever. No Botox, fillers, or lasers. It’s unreal.
Foundation: While her skin looks and feels like a baby’s bottom, she is human after all and has some spots. She covers them with Chanel Flawless Finish foundation which is a pretty magical product.
Pictured above: Dress / Sneakers
WHAT I’M READING & WATCHING
Books – Luster by Raven Leilani: My friend who works in publishing (Hi, Kara!) recommended this book when I asked her what I need to read immediately. She’s never started me wrong, including with Luster. It was A NYT Notable Book of the Year, winner of countless prizes, and named the best book of 2020 by Barack Obama, NPR, NYT Book Review, O Magazine, Vanity Fair, LA Times, Glamour, Shondaland, Boston Globe, and more.
It’s about a young black woman, Edie, who falls for an older married man… in an open marriage with his wife. This review from the NYT Book Review sums it up perfectly:
“So delicious that it feels illicit . . . Raven Leilani’s first novel reads like summer: sentences like ice that crackle or melt into a languorous drip; plot suddenly, wildly flying forward like a bike down a hill.”
I’m halfway through and cannot put it down. I love the way it’s written like one long stream of thought. If you’re squeamish about sex, however, skip this book!
The Lase House Guest by Megan Miranda: I really needed a mindless thriller and this did just the trick. I plowed through it in a few nights and it was just what I needed to get my adrenaline going. It is about Avery, a young woman in “Littleport” Maine whose best friend, Sadie, commits suicide at the end of the summer season… A year later Avery begins to realize that maybe it wasn’t a suicide after all. Oooohhhhh.
TV Shows– Yellowstone (Peacock): We haven’t watched much else because we really got deep into Yellowstone. We’re almost done with season two and it’s fair to say that I love to hate the Dutton family with a firey firey passion.
Life & Beth (Hulu): I have been excitedly awaiting the show for months not only because I adore Amy Schumer, but because our neighbor, and Amalia’s favorite babysitter, plays the teenage version of Amy’s BFF. The show itself is hilarious and (so far, after one ep) great, but seeing Grace on our TV is so fun!
5 THINGS I’M LOVING
1. Ilia Color Haze Multi-Use Pigment (in Temptation): I saw this lip color on Julia Berolzheimer and bought it immediately because I loved the color. I didn’t realize that it’s both a cream blush and lip color in one. It stays dewy on your cheeks and shows up in a more matte finish on your lips. I almost never like the way lipstick looks on me but this one is a real winner. Also available here on Amazon for the same price.
2. Duolingo Language App: I cannot tell you how much I’ve been loving my Italian lessons every day. I find myself doing them for more than the 20 minutes I allot for it. I find myself getting into competitions with random people trying to rise up in the ranks of my level. It’s just so fun and I love that it’s only for me. Read my original post about Duolingo.
3. Pedi-Perfect electric pumice stone: Ok this is so random but when we came out of our COVID quarantine back in December, my first outing was to CVS. I saw this electric pumice stone at checkout and impulse-purchased it. To say I’m obsessed feels like an understatement. I subbed it into my daily footcare routine post and find that my feet are softer than ever. When I get pedicures, I don’t even let them do anything to the bottom of my feet anymore because I feel like it makes it worse long-term.
4. Haven’s Kitchen Sauces: I randomly bought the Herby Chimichurri sauce for chicken a few weeks back then followed it up with the Gingery Miso Sauce and marinated salmon in it last week. I also had the Golden Turmeric Tahini on rice and all three sauces were incredible, tasted homemade, and added the perfect flair to my meals, with minimal effort on my part. I just ordered a 4-pack of each of the previously mentioned sauces for future cooking endeavors.
5. Dr. Dennis Gross SkincareAlpha Beta Extra Strength Daily Peel: Nothing will ever replace my go-to skincare favorites but these peel pads are now a part of my routine, 3x/week. So many of you, as well as the esthetician who does my facials, recommended these, so I finally decided to try them and I’m so glad that I did. My skin reacts really well to peels and being able to do a clinical-strength peel at home is exactly what I’ve been missing.
The peel promises to help with fine lines, dullness, acne and acne scars, pores, and shine. I personally like it for the way it gets rid of every little tiny bump and blackhead on my skin.
If you’re not ready to fully commit, you can sample a 5-pack here on Amazon.
Bonus kid product- Beddibaby Acrylic Diaper Caddy: A local mom started the brand Beddibaby and sent me an acrylic diaper caddy that makes our diaper routine just a little more organized. This is going to be my go-to baby gift going forward. We love ours!
Photo by Julia Dags.
