I’ve always been more invested in skincare than makeup. Why, you ask? Well, because makeup always seemed so COMPLICATED to me. Leaving aside the frustration of trying to find shade ranges for black skin, there were so many things you had to consider before you could get to the good stuff: product formulations; product layering; brush types and materials; application techniques; pre and post steps; and on and on and on.
To someone like me who was struggled with self confidence and was insecure about her looks, makeup was so overwhelming and honestly, intimidating. It was something for the pretty cool girls, not awkward nerds. And so, I never practiced, which means I never got better at it, and buy the time I felt more self-assured, it was too much time and effort. The other consequence of not having gotten used to feel of makeup on my face, is that every time, I did put it on, not matter how lightly, I always felt as if my face was suffocating.
Despite that, every so often, I have a moment where I convince myself that I am ready to perfect a no makeup makeup look. Case in point: my recent fall into an aspirational fugue at Sephora where Sephora Ed persuaded me that I needed a contour product (my first ever), which I now regret because it was hella expensive and unsurprisingly, lies gathering dust among the other detritus of my failed makeup hopes. An expensive reality check that reminded me that I am actually quite happy in my lane of skin tints, waterproof eyebrow products, blush, mascara and a fierce lipstick.
Skincare rules, on the other hand, were more straightforward:
[cleanse]
[tone]
[moisturize]
[exfoliate - consistently and calibrate to your skin type]
[focus on the 4 or 5 superhero actives for your particular skin type]
[use the right tools]
The end.
The other bonus? Skincare products made my face feel as if it could still breathe
Together with my trusted YouTube dermatologists (to be discussed in another post), over the last few years, I developed better skincare literacy as well as a fairly minimal routine. And although my derms recommend amazing investment investment-level products, they also always deliver on suggesting much more accessible products with the same, or close to the same, bang.
So let’s get to the list (I insert the usual disclaimers here - disclaimer, disclaimer, disclaimer), and for reference, I have normal/combination skin).
One. Vaseline.
I know, right! Who would have thought that one of the cheapest and ubiquitous products would also be one of the most unrated yet versatile products in my bathroom. Wound care. Lip Balm. Slugging. Under eyes. Cracked heels. According to Doctorly, it IS all that and a snack. Check out their video on Vaseline HERE.
Two. CeraVe Hydrating Cleanser.
In addition to makeup facial claustrophobia, my other hated skin sensation is tightness. You know the feeling after you use a product, usually a cleanser, where your skin feels so squeaky clean it's as if it is being stretched on a rack? Hard, no. This cleanser, formulated as a non-foaming cream, absolutely gives soft as a baby's bum feels.
Three. Bioderma Micellar Water.
First, I'd like to thank the makeup counter experts at Shoppers Drug Mart for turning me on to this product, and my favourite sunscreen below. Although Bioderma is billed as a makeup remover, I use it as a standard step after cleansing, regardless of whether or not I've worn makeup or sunscreen that day. No tight feeling after use and it does a great job of removing gunk on my face. I note that I’ve recently being told that I am supposed to be oil cleansing to remove makeup and sunscreen, but I have not investigated this as yet.
Four. Roche-Posay Anthelios Ultra-fluid Lotion SPF 50 (invisible finish)
Every black woman (and person of colour) knows the struggle of trying to find a sunscreen that does not leave a white cast on the skin. So many products make that claim but then you quickly realize that it is only true on significantly less melanated skin.
I’ll be honest. When I first started wearing sunscreen regularly (which I didn’t do until well into my 40s), I didn’t see the point of “investment” sunscreen i.e. one that costs more than $25 (remember this was a decade ago!). However, when I came to appreciate sunscreen as an essential, non-negotiable part of a good skincare routine, I made the leap. Recently, I also found out that it is one of the only sunscreens currently available in Canada that contains bemotrizinol or BEMT, a safe and highly effective, chemical UV filter. BEMT has been approved for use in sunscreens in Europe and Asia for years, but has only now been approved for use in Canada. Aside from its efficacy and finish, RP is my go-to because of its ease of access; it is usually available at my local drugstore. Others that I've tried and liked like Supergoop and Black Girl Sunscreen are only available at Sephora and specific spas respectively. Light and unscented, the invisible finish formulation truly does absorb into the skin leaving behind only glow. This sunscreen also comes tinted, which I tried and did not like. See point one above.
Five. Shiseido Facial Cotton.
This one is a tool more than a product. But as something that is on my skin just as much of any of my products, I made the switch years ago when someone told me that regular "cotton balls" were often made from cheaper bleached materials such as nylon and polyesters. Yikes. Shiseido, on the other hand, was 100% cotton. Yeah and yes, please. Back in the day, this cotton was $11 dollars per pack. Now? It's $22. See this Reddit discussion here. Am I going to switch? Not unless I can find a comparable dupe. Like so many other consumer choices these days, product safety and peace of mind carry a higher price tag.
Honourable Mention: No Name brand Witch Hazel.
I have no idea if this does anything to my face. But a few spritzes of this on my face after I cleanse, makes for a really refreshing feeling before going to my other skincare steps.
Do you have any drugstore products that you can't live without?
