Category: Best Practices

Get the most out of your skin care products and makeup purchases with these best practices.

  • Review: Neutrogena Beach Defense Broad Spectrum Sunscreen Lotion SPF 70

    This summer, I discovered a love of frolicking in the surf with my son. I also discovered how poorly my precious Nivea Sun Protect Water Gel and my Biore Aqua Rich Watery Gel fit into my new beach lifestyle. While amazing for everyday use, neither of these sunscreens is water-resistant, and frequent reapplication makes both extremely cost-prohibitive for beach use. I can’t slack…

  • How to Exfoliate: When to Choose Scrubs over Acids, Plus Two Scrub Reviews

    It has come to my attention that out of the four members of the Snailcast‘s Snail Unit, I’m the only one who likes physical exfoliation. Fiddy scrubs alone. And after spending so much time writing about how to exfoliate with acids yesterday, I feel the need to speak up in defense of my precious scrubs. You shouldn’t…

  • How to Exfoliate: Multitasking with Chemical Exfoliants

    The most recent episode of the Snailcast was all about acids and how to exfoliate safely and effectively, and I’m super bummed because I wasn’t able to join thanks to moving hassles. But the topic got me thinking about acids and reminded me that I’ve been doing mine in a different way than I used to. A…

  • Casual Wednesday: Stress, Change, and My Skincare Routine

    What do you get when you make a change-averse Fiddy move herself, her family, and her massive and ever-expanding skincare routine and beauty stash (also clothes and furniture and things) out of their home of three pretty accumulative years and into a brand new place?

  • 3 Asian Beauty Tools I Love (and a Couple I Can Live Without)

    So I had this revelation while shopping at Target the other day. I was doing an unenthusiastic token pass through the beauty aisles, thinking about how long it’s been since I really stopped and actively looked for beauty products to buy there, when I realized: I don’t even buy freaking cotton pads at the drugstore anymore.…

  • The Best Lash Growth Serum for My Asian Eyelashes, Plus Other Asian Eyelash Tips

    And now for something completely different. My decades of Asian Eyelash Struggles are over thanks to the best lash growth serum I’ve ever used. I’ve also found the best mascara for my lashes and have picked up a couple of tricks with eyelash curler and eyelash brush. Let’s talk about my HG eyelash serum and mascara (and a couple of…

  • Naruko Narcissus Repairing Mask Review

    I listen to you guys. For example, reader “DanielMattPhotography” left a comment on my review of Naruko Snail Essence Intense Hydra Repair Mask praising the Naruko Narcissus Repairing Masks as “some of the best masks I’ve ever used,” which is why I requested them when the brand reached out to see if there was anything they could send me to try. If…

  • 2016 Sun Care Megapost: Fighting Wrinkles with After-Sun Skincare

    Yesterday was a hideously beautiful SoCal day, so I dragged the family to the beach for a few hours. Lord Fiddy came home with a vibrant sunburn (“Hey look! I got some color!”). Young Master Fiddy and I were, of course, wearing sunscreen and remained Unburnt. I was, however, sandy and desperate for a shower, so I did…

  • #Enabled: May Skincare Purchases and the Stories Behind Them (aka Shopping Habits of a Beauty Blogger)

    As a beauty blogger, I make a lot of skincare purchases. Many more, I imagine, than a typical non-blogger beauty consumer would. We’ve talked a bit about blogger shopping habits here and there on the Snailcast, and I’m sure I’ve mentioned mine in passing elsewhere, but I don’t think I’ve ever sat down and walked…

  • Cosmetic Chemist Spotlight: Stephen Alain Ko and the Formulation Revolution

    When I think of cosmetic chemists and the beauty industry, the first image that pops into my head is the corporate cosmetic chemist formulating products to the specifications of marketers at one of the multinational conglomerates. But there’s a new breed of cosmetic chemist emerging to challenge the big beauty brands and their cost-cutting, undisclosed-actives-concentrations…