What are your must-have "holy grail" products or pieces?

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:I'm reading through this thread, enjoying the posts and have to comment on how hilarious it is when Bitter Betty, crunchy granola grey haired posters come on here to ding a 30-something who posts their beauty regimen in response to requests to weigh in from others.

We get it - you are "all natural"...aka you don't want to be bothered taking care of yourself and investing in your appearance. Somehow you think this makes you special and above it all. Knock yourself out, but knocking down others about what they like just makes you sound envious and cheap (even if that's not what was intended).

I'm a 45 yo professional woman and I think it's absolutely interesting to hear what other women do and find value in for themselves - even if I don't feel the need to try it all. I can't for the life of me understand all the whiny posts about how expensive some things used by others are - why do you care. Get your stuff at CVS if that floats your boat.

The thread was clearly started for people to share what they each like. If you don't have anything nice to say, zip it.

I'm the first poster that was critical of "publicist PP"'s recommendations in this thread, and I am 27 and absolutely invest in my appearance. Nontoxic is different than all natural

Again, instead of being a preachy bore, why not just dazzle us with your own list of products that you use and love.

Fair enough.

AM:
splash face with cold water, dry with clean cotton wash cloth to dislodge any dead skin cells or sebum loosened overnight
drunk elephant c-firma vitamin c serum and drunk elephant b-hydra serum
moisturize with drunk elephant lala retro whipped cream
1 pump of burberry fresh glow fluid for added radiance
always sunscreen- my favorite is la roche posay anthelios 50 mineral sunscreen. I apply this every morning and reapply if I'm outside for long periods of time, which I often am.
hourglass and yves st laurent make my favorite mascaras
I almost always do a sheer lip color: generatation g, bite beauty, or clinique almost lipstick in black honey
glossier boy brow

PM:
cleanse with la roche posay toleraine cleanser, or if I'm not doing a chemical exfoliant, I use the drunk elephant juju bar for a light physical exfoliation
exfoliate with drunk elephant TLC framboos serum 2-3 times a week
facial oil-- marula, rosehip, or argan are my favorites

I obviously love drunk elephant-- it has completely transformed my skin from dehydrated/dull/sensitive to glowy and even-toned. nothing in my routine is particularly cheap but I save money with a simple routine and no foundation or concealer.

I have this sunscreen, is it supposed to be gritty? I can't really put makeup over it. It almost "pills" like a sweater. Does it do this to you?

As a side note, you are 27, your stuff was stuff I could use at 27 but not so much at 45. I do agree with publicist pp on some of her items. Like for example glossier boy brow, this doesn't help fill in the "weak" spots of my brows that come with getting older, sadly.

NP. We just got back from the beach and I experimented with some new sunscreens. The "water" version of this (chemical, not mineral) is amazing. I used a little translucent powder over it one afternoon, but generally didn't use any makeup with it. I can't see it being a problem though. I have extremely sensitive skin and it was fine for me. I'm 45 FWIW.
https://www.amazon.com/Roche-Posay-Anthelios-Water-Lotion-Sunscreen-Resistant/dp/B00I8NUF2O/

Do you exfoliate? The LRP doesn't pill on me but I am careful about either chemical or light physical exfoliation. I don't wear foundation so the sunscreen is the last layer on my face. Chemical sunscreens have a nicer feel but can be irritating, ymmv though. Drunk Elephant is about to come out with a reformulated version of their sunscreen that they say won't pill-- looking forward to that!

[Anonymous]

Products:
Mac lipstick
Moroccan oil argan oil (for face)
Keihls avocado under eye cream
R+Co hairproducts, especially badlands
I am ride or die for Cerave. Love it more than products five times as expensive.

And this may sound flaky, but I love essential oils for aromatherapy. I'm better looking when I am relaxed.

[Anonymous]

Would be helpful to post age and skin type too. I'm 41 y/o and totally skincare addict with very sensitive and acne prone skin. Cleansers: DHC cleansing oil and then sometimes vanicream gentle cleanser in the summer. Treatment: refissa, differin, skinceuticals resveratrol, Dr Brandt vitamin D serum, skinmedica c&e. Always Euro sunscreen, I like ducray melascreen. Very little make-up - usually mineral powder foundation and blush - I like Nars and Becca blushes. Laura Mercier caviar sticks are good because I'm not great at applying liner. I like tube mascara - I have huge eyelashes and these are great for me. I haven't found a big difference between brands so I use the loreal one (red & white). I can't stand having lipstick on my lips so I usually use only lip balm. My hair is very long (past bra strap) and blonde. I love natural products (no sulfate, no silicones). The Maui line at Target is great and also love Sally's GVP conditioning balm - super moisturizing and $5. I don't blow dry my hair and use just leave in with some living proof nourishing oil.
Next step is to get some laser for some stubborn brown spots after I'm done breastfeeding.
Fashion: I love love st John's suits & dresses - I'm mostly T&A and these fit well without altering . DVF silk wrap dresses. Kate Spade pumps for comfort. I also like the metallic birks for casual especially with cute summer dresses (sorry haters). Jcrew has also cute comfy shoes with leather liners - I have slightly wide feet with high arches and shoes can be torture.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Micellar water to remove makeup/sunscreen (with a cotton pad). My dry skin improved immensely after using it. I don't use any other cleanser afterwards.

+1. I just discovered this recently, and I love it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Micellar water to remove makeup/sunscreen (with a cotton pad). My dry skin improved immensely after using it. I don't use any other cleanser afterwards.

+1. I just discovered this recently, and I love it.

Would love to try this, which brand do you use?

[Anonymous]

I tried the crest 3-D white glamorous toothpaste for the first time earlier this week - it's really awesome! Thanks for the heads up about it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Micellar water to remove makeup/sunscreen (with a cotton pad). My dry skin improved immensely after using it. I don't use any other cleanser afterwards.

+1. I just discovered this recently, and I love it.

Would love to try this, which brand do you use?

Not PP but I use the Garnier one. Blue top bottle works better than pink top bottle IMO (pink top doesn't take off liquid lipstick that well, for instance).

[Anonymous]

Publicist PP -

Does anything at all work for minimizing or mitigating the look of cellulite or crepy body skin. You know all, please share!

[Anonymous]

Extremely sensitive skin with mild rosacea on cheeks

Morning: cold water and biologique recherche p50w (sensitive) then wait 10 minutes;
apply bioloqique recherche serum Erythros (for reducing redness)
Followed by Herbivore Lapis facial oil.
Wait til that dries then sunscreen as final layer. Alternate between Coola tinted sunscreen (awesome whipped texture) or Andalou naturals sensitive tinted sunscreen

At night I use Cerave or Cetaphil facewash,
followed by same biologique products (use twice a day) and again Herbivore Lapis facial oil.

Products (except cerave/cetaphil) are moderately pricey but I use a couple of products that I trust and know that work with my super reactive and sensitive skin

[Anonymous]

Drunk Elephant, Drunk Elephant, Drunk Elephant

[Anonymous]

I just wash my face mornings and night, wear a bit of mascara and lipstick. Am 32.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm sort of confused why everyone is so excited about "publicist PP" posting a bunch of expensive shit. there are so many things wrong with her list, particularly the skin care.

glamglow is irritating to the skin and overpriced. excerpt from beautypedia: "Despite the hype, GlamGlow does not have exceptional, or even mediocre, products worth considering. Their primary two masks are overpriced and offer a mix of ordinary clays, potent fragrance and irritating plant extracts with a few beneficial antioxidants present but they are rendered useless because of the jar packaging."

here's what beautypedia says about la mer eye concentrate: "The Eye Concentrate contains some incredibly helpful, state-of-the-art ingredients for creating and maintaining healthy skin. What a shame so many of them are subject to reduced potency because of jar packaging! Moreover, how depressing that La Mer included a troubling amount of eucalyptus oil, which only serves to irritate skin. Without that and in better packaging, this really would have been an “ultraluxe eye treatment.”

glossier balm dot com is most just petroleum jelly in cute packaging.

I take good care of my skin and use effective products (not all natural, but definitely NONTOXIC) and I don't waste money on makeup to cover the skin. people get into a vicious cycle of layering crap onto their skin in the name of "skin care" and then covering it with makeup, which just perpetuates the problem.

I'm not sure why everyone would listen to someone who claims to be a publicist and take her word as gospel. She's not trained in skin care or beauty-- I'd rather take advice from a dermatologist, aesthetician, or makeup artist. Not impressed by bragging about an enormous collection of manolos, an insane collection of expensive sneakers, or heirloom hermes bags.

Publicist PP here. Let me start by saying that you are right, I'm not trained in skin care or beauty, and everyone here knows that. I've never claimed to be a dermatologist, aesthetician, or makeup artist. Just someone who works in the industry, who has access to a wide array of products and information about those products, and from that access and information has narrowed it down to a list of products she loves and swears by.

On page two of this thread, you will see that another DCUM user said the following: "Publicist PP- please weigh in !!" So, what I did, was weigh in. I am not here to impress YOU. I am not here to explain to YOU why other people on this board happen to like my posts. I am not here to justify or explain anything to YOU. If you don't like my posts, you know what YOU can do? Scroll. On. By. Don't read them. Don't respond to them. Don't even think about them. It's quite simple, actually. But for some reason, it bothers you - A LOT - that people on this board enjoy my posts. And it bothers you - A LOT - that in various threads, posters ask for my opinion and feedback. And more than anything, it seems to bother you - A WHOLE HECK OF A LOT - that I actually take the time to respond and that other posters seem to respond positively. I am so sorry for that. I am also so sorry that you are such a bitter, angry person.

It turns out that YOU don't need any list of holy grail products. Not mine, and not anyone else's. With an attitude like yours, it's inevitable that it'll show on your face. What YOU need is to make an appointment w/ someone like Dr. Shervin Naderi or Dr. Philip Schoenfeld ASAP. It's *probably* too late for you already, but considering the fact that they are miracle workers, they may be able to do a little something to make your face just a bit more tolerable than your attitude.

I'm not even sure if this is worth responding to, but good job going straight for an attack on my looks I guess? I understand that people asked for you to comment and I don't have a problem with you doing so, I was just expressing confusion about why your opinion is worth so much to so many people when it doesn't seem like you have any expertise in beauty or skincare. I'm sure you have lovely skin and that your routine works for you-- for many people with skin issues, the products you recommended will be highly irritating and problematic.

I've never weighted in on this before, but:

Publicist comes off as touchy and volatile and petty here.

PP comes off as mature and above the fray.

This match goes to...PP!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Rock on, PPP! I for one appreciate all the time and effort you put in your posts. Very helpful. Doesn't mean I'm going to run out and buy every single thing. Relax everybody!

+1! I love reading posts from publicist pp and wish she would link to her website! Her posts around the holidays were so interesting and helpful. Again, I didn't buy everything but loved looking at all the items. You don't have to look and there is no reason to complain.

[Anonymous]

I love Korean skincare and the Belif line which is carried at Sephora. Unfortunately, many of their products that I love and use like the Cleansing Stick, Hungarian Water Essence, and Aqua Gel Oil are sold out at the VIB Rouge sale.

Son and Park Beauty Water.

Marc Jacobs Remarcable foundation (use Marc Jacobs face III buffing brush to apply) over Hourglass veil mineral primer and Givenchy Prisme Libre Loose Powder in Mousseline Pastel (also sold out at Sephora).

Splendid tee shirts, long sleeves in winter and short sleeves in summer. Love their jogger pants too. Splendid uses the best fabrics, sooo soft, and made in America. Worth the money even for basics.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I love Korean skincare and the Belif line which is carried at Sephora. Unfortunately, many of their products that I love and use like the Cleansing Stick, Hungarian Water Essence, and Aqua Gel Oil are sold out at the VIB Rouge sale.

Son and Park Beauty Water.

Marc Jacobs Remarcable foundation (use Marc Jacobs face III buffing brush to apply) over Hourglass veil mineral primer and Givenchy Prisme Libre Loose Powder in Mousseline Pastel (also sold out at Sephora).

Splendid tee shirts, long sleeves in winter and short sleeves in summer. Love their jogger pants too. Splendid uses the best fabrics, sooo soft, and made in America. Worth the money even for basics.

Also, Stuart Weitzman heels. This is the only brand whose 3" - 4" heels I can wear for hours and walk and dance in without killing my feet. More comfortable than any other brand including Manolos, Choos, etc. for my feet.