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My love of skin care and desire to keep my complexion looking youthful is in complete opposition with my sunbathing habits—and I’ve paid dearly for this. Over the last several years, what started with one dark spot on my cheek turned into a cluster of melasma on my forehead,  until one day last summer I looked in the mirror and didn’t even recognize my own skin. My years of sun worshipping had finally caught up with me, and I had no choice but to take action. I made it my mission to treat this difficult pigmentation disorder and rid myself of the spots on my face. I began going for in-office treatments and tried a chemical peel, three RF microneedling sessions, and a new cryotherapy technology to help fade my melasma. While these pro-grade options helped tremendously, I knew I’d need to supplement them with at-home products that would help maintain the results and defend against future discoloration. My search for a best-in-class product led me to  ISDIN Isdinceutics Melacle...

While I’ve been devotedly using facial skin-care products for years, I’d never thought much about caring for my neck… until the pandemic it, and Zoom meetings became my only way to connect with the outside world. Instead of focusing on the other people on the screen, something else kept grabbing my attention: the slightly loose skin under my jawline and the crepiness on my neck. I apparently wasn’t alone in experiencing this distraction, because in the wake of the “ Zoom Boom ,” products that target signs of aging in the neck and décolletage seem to be everywhere. Since the height of the pandemic, I’ve tried many of them—and while I’ve seen some decent results, nothing seemed to tighten the skin in the area quite as much as I wanted. I began considering cosmetic procedures, but thankfully, Skinceuticals Tripeptide-R Neck Repair ($135) came into my life before I took the plunge. Skinceuticals, Tripeptide-R Neck Repair — $135.00 Shop now According to Kelly Sullivan,...

One of the perks of being married to a commerce editor at a wellness publication is getting to test a lot of skin care. At least, I think it’s a perk—my husband does not. In fact, M would just rather just stick to his bottle of Dr. Bronner’s peppermint soap as a body/face/ shampoo / conditioner all-in-one wash and call it a day. But sometimes, he indulges me. Like when I noticed him checking out the puffy bags under his eyes after a long night of video gaming a few months ago. “I have a solution for that,” I said, and before he could say anything, brought out the big guns: Peter Thomas Roth 24K Gold Hydra-Gel Eye Patches ($75). Peter Thomas Roth, 24K Gold Hydra-Gel Eye Patches — $75.00 Pros: Firms and de-puffs skin High-quality ingredients Stays on without slipping Works in 10 minutes Cooling Cons: Expensive Results are temporary Shop Now He relented—not worth the argument when you can just put the shiny gold masks under your eyes while you dr...

It’s no secret that people are absolutely in love   with Avène . The French skin-care brand is known for its soothing skin-care formulas and is a go-to for those traveling to France for the best beauty products. But, don’t let its sensitive skin-friendly products fool you—Avène skin care is just as potent as it is gentle, and has several coveted products that skin-care aficionados swear by for clearing acne, reducing fine lines and wrinkles , and actually replenishing dehydrated skin. The only downside is that some of the formulas aren’t the most budget-friendly—but that changes this week. From May 16 (today!) until May 22, the French skin-care brand is offering 25 percent off site-wide with any $60+ purchase, so you can stock up for a fraction of the usual cost. Without needing to book a one-way ticket to France! With  so  many incredible skin-care formulas to choose from, shopping the sale can get a little overwhelming, so we went ahead and picked out our favorite be...

No matter what day of the week it is or how many zillions of things I’ve got going on, my morning routine is always the same: Wake up, work out , walk the dog , take a shower, slather on skin-care products , and pop my anxiety meds. When I’m at home, this process is seamless—it’s so second nature that I don’t even really have to think about it as I move through the motions. But when I’m traveling, it all sort of falls apart—I’ve forgotten my medicine, or I don’t have the specific sunscreen that I absolutely need to protect my skin, or I can’t find my contact lenses—and then I’m forced to start my morning feeling just a little bit less like myself. It may sound silly to think that such little steps can make such a  massive difference in my day, but it’s true. Having specific steps to rely on first thing help to ground me, and set me up for success later on—and it’s worth noting that psychologists agree with this sentiment . “Making choices and reinventing the wheel each day t...

Last year, I shared my favorite (of all time!) moisturizer with Well+Good readers: Comfort Zone’s Hydramemory Cream . And apparently, y’all were convinced, because the Italian dream cream sold out on multiple sites. And trust me—I get it. Despite receiving a bounty of free skin-care products to test and review, this is one item I’ve spent my own money on again and again. So now, it brings me great joy to be the first to tell you: This deliciously hydrating, deeply quenching moisturizer just got a major upgrade. Hydramemory Cream already delivered intense , long-lasting hydration in a sorbet-like texture using macro hyaluronic acid and fair-trade moringa oil. But apparently that wasn’t enough for the wizards over at Comfort Zone, who decided to tweak the formula to target some of the root causes of dehydration. And after using it every day for the past two months, all I have to say is, WOW.  Keep reading to find out why. Comfort Zone, Hydramemory Rich Sorbet Cream — ...

The push for “total wellness”—often conflated with diet culture —is everywhere. It looks like Instagram captions about “no cheat days,” conversations about being “bad” for eating dessert, multi-hour-long skin-care routines, journaling every morning at 5 a.m., and more. From advertisements to daily interactions to TikToks, we’re bombarded with the idea we have to eat and exercise perfectly. In other words, there’s no room for half-assed wellness. But life doesn’t (and shouldn’t) work that way. As Mikala Jamison wrote about in her “Body Type” newsletter, “we have to be okay with ‘half-assing’ wellness sometimes.” What a freeing and beautiful thought that is, you know? “Perfect” is no longer the everyday goal: “Half-assing” is. Maybe you skip Zumba one Tuesday because your kid is sick, or you’re sick, or maybe just because you’d rather catch up on a TV show and eat takeout. Those are all totally valid reasons—and according to experts, they’re healthy, too. How ‘half-assed’ wellness is...

Come spring, the overproduction of oil is a major concern for so many folks. Incorporating niacinamide into your skin-care routine is great this time of year as its anti-inflammatory properties counteract the effects of stress hormones on the skin , thus decreasing your oil output (since oil production is often hormonally driven ). But niacinamide can cause irritation for those with super sensitive skin. That’s why Undefined just launched a new serum starring blue lotus—a gentler oil-regulating alternative. “Blue lotus is a great ingredient that helps with balancing oil production,” says Dorian Morris , founder of Undefined . “I incorporated this because in all of the other products in the line I incorporate niacinamide, which does a great job at balancing oil production. But listening to my community, not everybody’s skin can tolerate niacinamide. So I wanted to make sure I created a product that did not have it, but you still get the benefit that niacinamide would provide with the b...

Back in 2018, scientists made a wild discovery— your hair follicles have a sense of smell . And they really  like the smell of sandalwood. So hair-care brand Nioxin partnered with the scientist behind that discovery to create a scalp serum that’s rich in woody, leathery scent. As your hair follicles sniff up the serum, they anchor into the scalp ( reducing excessive shedding ) and spend more time in the growth phase of the hair cycle. “You don’t really think about your hair having smell capability, but this is what makes this research so exciting,” says Fatima Fahs, MD, a board-certified dermatologist in Canton, Michigan who works with Nioxin. “This is something that is going to empower both patients and consumers to be able to start to use something on their hair even before they necessarily notice hair shedding or even before they notice that their hair has gotten too bad.” Nioxin, Ultimate Power Serum — $50.00 Shop Now The Nioxin Ultimate Power Serum ($50) i...

It’s no surprise that Ilia Bright Start Retinol Eye Cream ($46) has gathered more than a 3,000-person following after it sold out recently. This do-it-all eye cream was sought after for its de-puffing and brightening superpowers, making eyes look like they’ve been treated to eight hours of sleep and an Instagram filter. And after much awaited anticipation, the eye cream is *finally* back in stock. Not sure what the fuss is all about? Let us explain. Ilia, Bright Start Retinol Alternative Eye Cream — $46.00 Shop Now What makes Ilia Bright Start Retinol Eye Cream so good This eye cream is like a shot of espresso for tired eyes. Formulated with caffeine, peptides, and avocado extract, Bright Start brings down puffiness and reduces the appearance of dark circles, helping you look more awake. Also in the formulation is sea fennel extract, a retinol alternative that firms and smooths fine lines without the harshness of traditional retinol, making it ideal for people ...

Whenever I look at a photo of myself from 10 or 15 years ago, the first thing I say is, “Damn, how I miss that collagen!” It sounds like I’m joking, but I’m not; our bodies naturally produce  less collagen  over time as we age, which can affect our skin, causing wrinkles , fine lines, loss of firmness—all that fun stuff. Don’t get me wrong, aging is cool and all (and a privilege!), but that doesn’t mean I’ll throw caution to the wind and stop taking care of my skin. Like many others, I still want it to be in the best shape as I get older. SkinCeuticals A.G.E. Interrupter Advanced ($185) is the latest tool I’ve been using to do just that. SkinCeuticals A.G.E. Interrupter Advanced — $185.00 Shop Now How A.G.E. Interrupter Advanced works The A.G.E. moisturizer gets its name from the skin-aging biological process it addresses—and this gets a little science-y, so bear with me. Advanced glycation end-products, or A.G.E.s, are the result of a chemical reaction cal...