What's your beauty routine/approach? :)

I’ve always been a big proponent of using sunscreen, and it’s served me well. I’m twenty-eight now, and facially, I recently got mistaken for a high school graduate thanks to taking care of my skin. I mostly chock that up to applying sunscreen religiously since I was twelve, despite having cystic hormonal acne due to endometriosis.

Both my grandmother and my mother are very pale and Swedish/Scottish, and both had skin cancer issues from lying in sun back in the sixties when sunscreen protection wasn’t a big thing. So my mum was always a really strong supporter of sunscreen and staying out of the sun (even though I play beach volleyball competitively (when not in a pandemic), I’m always the weirdo wearing long sleeves and more layers than necessary/reapplying sunscreen). I don’t want to be a victim of skin cancer either, since it obviously runs in my family, so I’ve always been very strict in terms of just sweating it out in more layers of clothing, rather than wearing a bikini or a sports bra to the beach (unless it’s 30+- then my Canadian ass can’t handle it and it’s hat and religious application all the way (including hands) xD).

Besides that, as I get older, really you learn that less is more, and too much bad makeup application can age you negatively. Especially with COVID-19 and people only seeing half your face at any given time, I really just focus on a good skincare routine that doesn’t flair up my sensitive, acne-prone skin, and is free of unnecessary fragrances and irritants. I tend towards K-Beauty and French beauty (glass skin), as well as more traditional Swedish beauty (think Ingrid Bergman), because all three culturally focus on creating a solid base and treating the skin, and letting your skin and your natural beauty shine through.

That’s why the one thing I do splurge on in terms of cosmetics is Dermalogica’s Special Cleansing Gel. It’s 53 dollars from Sephora in Canada, which is expensive, but it’s the only face wash I’ve had that completely neutralises my endometriosis-driven hormonal acne (along with antiseptic medication and birth control pills), and a little goes a long way (I can nurse a 53 dollar bottle for three months. Presuming you’re washing your face morning and night times thirty-one days, sixty one times three, that’s 183 washes for 53 dollars, which pretty much works out to 30 cents a wash. A solid investment in my books.

I also use both Mario Badescu’s Drying Lotion for zits (cheap and the best for zits), Benton’s Aloe Propolis Soothing Gel for a moisturiser (propolis is used as an antiseptic so it’s great for acne-prone skin), and if I’m feeling fancy, Klairs Midnight Blue Youth Activating Serum. I’m only twenty-eight, but I’m a big believer in preventative skincare. (Another great moisturiser I used in the past and sometimes use as a body moisturiser besides just plan aloe gel is Clinique’s gel moisturiser for your face. It’s light, a mid-priced moisturiser, and you get a ton of product for a mid-line price).

The other thing I focus on spending more money on is sunscreen, although there are some great cheaper buys in the K-Beauty field. I’ve used the Innisfree No Sebum sunscreen in the past, which is anywhere from 8-12 dollars depending on where you get it- it’s leaves a slight white cast on my face, so it’s probably not the best for POC, but I can usually blend that out with makeup or a slight bronzer. I’d honestly rather look paler than I already am and have solid sun protection that doesn’t make me break out, than not have protection at all.

I also just purchased the Bare Minerals fragrance-free Complexion Rescue which is a great alternative. It’s another Sephora purchase, so it’s more expensive, but I bought it at the beginning of the year when the sunscreen I usually use was weirdly making me break out, and I mix it with NYX’s Bare with Me Skin Veil to create a naturally glowing look that is a little less than foundation (the Complexion rescue honestly doesn’t cover up scarring or pigmentation super-well, so that’s why I mix the NYX in with it- but it’s an easy one step for SPF in the morning). It also comes in several shade ranges, and has SPF 30.

Lastly, the sunscreen I use for my body is Bioderma Photoderm SPF 50+. It’s great, a thin layer of sunscreen, and doesn’t provide a cast. And makeup removal is Bioderma’s Micellar Water in Sensibio if I’m wearing heavy makeup (which I usually never do anymore). Otherwise, I just wash it off with the Dermalogica.

In terms of makeup in quarantine, I really look for double-duty products, or keep it to a super-light bronzer so I have some colour to my face, but I don’t look like I’m trying too hard. Maybelline’s City Bronzer in 100 is a great bronzer that’s super-cheap at eight bucks, not orange, and honestly I find it better for my super-pale skin than anything comparable at Mecca or Sephora (and trust me, I’ve always been a fan of a light bronzer- Too Faced or any of those more expensive brands have nothing on this in terms of looking like a natural outdoorsy slight ‘healthy’ tan). I also just ordered Wander Beauty’s Double-Date Cheek and Lip Tint as an easy double duty product for the next couple of months.

(Oh, and if you want a holy grail foundation/concealer, the best options are Laura Mercier. Also fragrance-free, and although more expensive, you can mix a bit with your Bare Minerals if you want a bit more coverage and it goes a long way. I recommend their radiance foundation, as well as their moisturising foundation, even for people with more acne-prone skin. If I want to actually wear foundation, Laura Mercier covers any lingering acne brilliantly, and actually looks like skin, rather than covering it up with horrible layers of product.)