The Best Things I've Bought in 2020 & A Spring Wishlist

I started out this year thinking I’d put myself on a spending ban. Obviously from the title of this post you can see that didn’t pan out, but I’ve found I’ve been more mindful about my purchases. In the past I was queen of the impulse buy, and while I wish I had bought less things so far this year, they’re all things that fit into my routine/style/needs, and I thought about them quite a bit before purchasing. I could have done better, but at least now I have a list of some great buys I’d recommend.

Pepper Bras

If you’re a bra-wearer and you’re small-chested like me, I’d HIGHLY recommend checking out Pepper for bras. I didn’t know that even smaller cup sizes of mainstream brands are modeled and scaled down from a C cup, but Pepper’s bras are made with smaller chests in mind. The cups are shallower, and the wire in the wired bras is shorter. I can’t believe how much better these bras fit me - the cups don’t gap! I have all three colors of the All You Bra, and I wear them every day. I’m really interested in trying their wireless bras next. EDIT: I’m also now an affiliate! Using the code KELSEY at checkout will get you free shipping.

Rothy’s Chelsea Shoe

I was posting about needing some shoes that fit the “fancier than sneakers, but not as fancy as heeled booties” gap in my wardrobe - I had a cheap pair of high-top, faux leather slip on sneakers from Target that I didn’t love, but it fit this gap. Then Olive threw up in them and they weren’t worth saving. Those were my most-worn shoes, so I figured I could justify something a little pricier if it meant they’d last a long time. Rothy’s were highly recommended to me, so I got the Chelsea in Black. I’m obsessed! They go with all of my outfits, they look chic but not too dressed up, and they’re super comfortable and well-made.

Bobbi Brown Crushed Oil-Infused Glosses

This year has been all about the lip gloss for me so far. My daily makeup look has been more barely-there than ever, so sheer glosses just fit the bill. These new Bobbi Brown glosses are just beautiful. They provide a sheer wash of color, feel nourishing on the lips, and are perfectly glossy without feeling sticky. I like the shade Slow Jam for a flush of color, and my new everyday favorite is New Romantic, a soft neutral pink.

Kosas Revealer Concealer

I’ve only been using this for a couple weeks at the time of writing this, but I can already tell it’s a winner. The new Kosas Revealer Concealer is beautifully creamy, gives great coverage (I’d say medium), and looks like nothing on the skin. It works equally well on undereyes as on redness and spots, and it also works well whether you’re wearing it with foundation or on bare skin. On super rushed mornings I’ll just dot concealer all over my face and blend it in instead of going in with some kind of foundation first, and this blends in with the skin so seamlessly that you can’t tell I’m only wearing concealer. The finish is just what I like in a concealer, too - neither too matte nor too dewy, and it lasts really well throughout the day.

AE Stretch Mom Jeans

For the longest time I avoided the Mom Jeans trend. I always assumed I’d get the dreaded waist gap, but I was getting really tired of wearing nothing but skinny jeans. I had a code for a free pair of American Eagle jeans (so far the only brand of jeans I’ve found that I like), so I went for a pair of their Stretch Mom Jeans. It was a medium blue wash with rips at the knees and frayed hems at the back. I think they’re the only jeans I’ve worn (besides the gross pairs I wear only to work) since I’ve gotten them. They’re so comfortable, and I really do like the shape. I try to wear them with slightly more fitted tops and save my loose, boxy tops to wear with skinny jeans, but they’ve been such a nice addition to my closet.

Everlane The Perform Leggings

I love Everlane and when I saw them start teasing a legging launch, I put myself on the wait list right away. I’m always looking to get more pairs of leggings for working out - I only have a couple pairs I like right now, and it’s a hassle to always have to do a load of laundry before I can work out again. The Everlane Leggings are really comfortable - they’re a good medium between a “naked” feel legging and a more structured one. They make my legs and butt look good (lol), and they have a sort of slippery finish to them. They’re quite high-waisted, which I really like, and I find the waist doesn’t roll down while I’m moving around. I got the ankle length and they’re more like a full length on me (I’m 5’3”). I’m super impressed! I would for sure get another black pair, and I also really want the other colors, although I sweat A LOT so I normally avoid colored leggings.

Spring Wishlist

With making more thoughtful purchases in mind, I’ve been looking through my collections and really considering what I need (or rather, what I’d like that also serves a purpose). I’m especially interested in adding some pieces to my wardrobe. I’ve been trying so hard lately to really elevate my outfits!

Rothy’s Slip-On Sneakers in Camo Cat

Yes, after one day wearing my new Rothy’s, I already decided on another pair I wanted. I love slip-on sneakers, and they’ve always been a staple in my wardrobe. I don’t own anything animal print, so I thought these would be a fun addition to my closet, and I’m sure I’d still wear them with everything as the tone is neutral.

NARS Overlust Cheek Palette

I love a good cheek palette, and I fell in love with this NARS one when I saw it in person a couple weeks ago. It looks a lot different in person than in photos online! The shades are just the kinds of blush shades I love to wear on an everyday basis, and the highlight shades have a bouncy, putty-like texture that’s super interesting. I usually impulse-buy NARS cheek palettes and then use them daily for months!

The Perfect White Button-Down

It’s been years, but I’m still on the hunt for the perfect white button-down shirt. I don’t want it to be too structured, but not so baggy that it looks weird and billowy when I tuck it in. It’s been so hard to find one that doesn’t make me feel like a waitress on duty. I still think it would be a great addition to my wardrobe and meshes well with my style, but I just can’t find one! If you have any favorites, please let me know.

Converse High Tops in Ivory

I don’t know how I went so long in life without wearing Converse as part of my outfits. My sister was getting rid of a pair of gray high tops so I took them, and I’ve ended up wearing them so often! I love the really casual look they add to any outfit. I’d love a pair in the ivory shade - it feels a little more “me” than the gray ones I have now.

What are your favorite things you’ve bought this year?

This post contains affiliate links

How I Cleared My Skin (Hopefully for Good)

I don’t want to jinx it, but lately my skin has been really, really good. I haven’t broken out in weeks, my skin is smoother and less blotchy, and I only got one small whitehead before my period instead of my usual angry cystic spots. (A quick background on my skin: it’s mostly normal but leans on the dry side, I’m very prone to dehydration, and I’ve struggled with adult hormonal acne for almost four years now.) I’ve made quite a few changes in my routine lately, and I think they’re all helping to contribute to this skin improvement. My skin isn’t perfect, and I don’t think it ever will be, but the changes I’m seeing lately are enough to motivate me to stick with all these habits that are helping.

Reduced Stress

A look at my skin now (I don’t really have a before and after because I never documented when my skin was really bad). This is at the end of a workday when my skin tint has mostly worn off. I still have some marks from old acne but no active breakouts or blotchiness.

I’ve been going on a lot about how much better I’ve been feeling now that I’ve changed jobs, but I really can’t believe how much my old job was bringing me down. It felt normal while I was in the middle of it, but now that I’m out on the other side I feel like a whole new person. (Don’t worry, I’m still working on that “How to Spot a Toxic Workplace” post) I was constantly on the verge of a panic attack all day every day at my old job, so it’s no wonder my skin was always a mess. Stress really does show in my skin, so having this huge source of stress out of my life has led to much improvement.

A Strictly Consistent Routine

After changing jobs, the next thing I tackled was taking a good hard look at my skincare routine, or lack thereof. I was doing the same basic steps every day and night, but I was constantly changing up the products I was using. It was too much fun to use whatever I wanted, and I justified it by saying I was simply “paying attention to what my skin needed” and adjusting accordingly each day. Well, I started sticking to the same exact products every day and every night, and I saw a huge improvement in my skin. Whoops. Now the only time I change something up is when I use up a product. It’s not great for Instagram content, but it’s better for my skin.

Introducing Retinol

I had been meaning to introduce a retinol into my routine for awhile, now that I’m almost 28, but I just never stuck to one consistently (probably because my routine was always all over the place). Now that I have a set skincare regimen, it was really easy to just add in a retinol and use it consistently. I decided to go for the First Aid Beauty Skin Lab 0.25% Retinol Serum. I’ve had great results with other First Aid Beauty products, and since it was a low percentage I had high hopes it wouldn’t cause any irritation. I started slow, using it once a week, and now I’ve bumped it up to two or three times per week. I use it in my nighttime routine right after cleansing. I’ve noticed my skin becoming smoother and more even, and old acne marks have been fading. I’m excited to keep using the retinol and seeing more results. I think the First Aid Beauty one is a winner too, and I’ll be sticking with it. I had no irritation, dryness, or flakiness at all, even when first starting use.

A Better Diet

This is the most recent change I’ve made, but I think it’s definitely made the biggest difference. I thought I had a decently balanced diet, and I assumed I was good because I was cooking a lot of my own meals instead of eating frozen dinners loaded with preservatives or going out to eat. When I actually took a closer look though, I was eating a lot of pasta, a decent amount of fruit, but not many vegetables. I was also sick of slapping together a PB&J for my lunch everyday at work. I decided I’d start meal prepping my lunches every week, and after looking around at recipes and nutrition facts I settled on roasted vegetable bowls with quinoa and lentils. Now every Sunday I’ll spend a few hours roasting all the vegetables and building the bowls. It’s so convenient to be able to just throw a pre-made container into my lunchbag every day instead of having to make something in the morning. The veggie bowls taste great, are really filling, and I can’t believe how much better I feel now that I’ve been eating them for lunch every weekday for almost a month. My energy levels and moods seem much better, and I saw the quickest improvement with my skin after making this change. I’ve done some research, and apparently cruciferous vegetables (ie broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts) help to balance hormones, so for a lot of people it helps to get rid of hormonal acne. I think it has for me! I seriously have not gotten one breakout since I started eating these bowls for lunch. I have a quick recipe saved on my Instagram highlights, but let me know if I should post a recipe here!

A small disclaimer that this is just what has worked for me, but hopefully it works for you too!

What do you do to keep your skin clear?

Winter Skin Saviors

It hasn’t even been a bad winter yet here in Connecticut, but my skin has probably been the most dry and irritated it’s ever been. It’s taken about a month of diligent hydration and moisturization, but I’m happy to say my skin is finally getting back to normal. Maybe this winter is just extra dry, because I’ve had a few friends ask for help with dry skin lately, too!

First: Dehydration vs. Dryness

First let’s talk about skin dehydration vs. skin dryness. They’re two different things! You can have both, or you could have just one. Dry skin is a skin type and is often genetic, and is when the skin is lacking oil or lipids, and dehydrated skin is a skin condition, meaning it temporarily is lacking water. You can have dehydrated skin and still be oily, for example - and often dehydration causes more oiliness as your skin tries to compensate the lack of water by overproducing oil.

---

Dehydrated Skin Symptoms:

• Tightness, feeling parched even after applying products

• Increased sensitivity

• Skin drinks up foundation/makeup

• An increase in fine lines/signs of aging

Dry Skin Symptoms:

• Flakiness

• Redness

• Rough Texture

• Tightness

• Dullness

Source

---

The symptoms can be quite similar and hard to differentiate, but personally I end up just treating both during the wintertime. For dehydration, I focus on layering hydrating serums under my creams that contain hyaluronic acid, and for dryness I add facial oils into my routine.

Serums

If you’re dehydrated, you’re going to want to look for serums containing hyaluronic acid to layer under your creams. Hyaluronic acid can hold over 1000x its weight in water, so adding it to your skincare routine helps drive more water into your skin. These serums normally have a gel-like consistency and feel instantly quenching on the skin. My favorites are the Bioderma Hydrabio Serum and the First Aid Beauty Ultra-Repair Serum. These both feel soothing and instantly help my skin feel more hydrated. There are also much simpler hyaluronic acid serums that are great if you want to keep things basic. My favorite is the Good Molecules Hyaluronic Acid - some of these serums can pill under makeup or other skincare, but I’ve never had that issue with this one. And it’s such a good price!

For dry or irritated skin, you can look for serums/products that will aid in barrier repair, usually containing ceramides or cholesterols. My two favorites for this are the Krave Beauty Great Barrier Relief and Stratia Liquid Gold. Both are thin cream consistencies that are almost more like light moisturizers than serums. Ceramides and cholesterols are both components in the skin’s moisture barrier, so products containing them help the skin repair itself when it’s been irritated. Since my skin is both dry and dehydrated, I like layering one of these over my hydrating serum before moving on to a cream.

Creams

I don’t put much thought into the cream I use, as long as it’s thick enough to not be fully absorbed throughout the night or day and it works well with the other products I use with no pilling. My favorites when my skin is having a freakout are the new Drunk Elephant Lala Retro Whipped Cream, the Fresh Rose Deep Hydration Face Cream, the Dr. Jart+ Ceramidin Cream, and the Laneige Water Bank Moisture Cream. All of these coat the skin with a thick layer of nourishment that keeps going all day/night, but they don’t feel heavy or clog the pores. If you’re more dehydrated than dry, I’d go for either the Fresh or the Laneige, as they have a slightly more gel-like texture and thus feel more “quenching” on the skin. For dry, flaky skin the Dr. Jart+ and Drunk Elephant work really well. Like the serums listed above, these also contain ceramides to help repair the skin.

Oils

To really make sure my moisturizer lasts all day or night, I like to either mix it or seal it in with an oil. My three favorite oils of all time are the Deviant Skincare Facial Oil, Leo Oil, and the First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Dry Oil. They are all so soothing and repairing for the skin.

The Deviant Skincare oil has the thickest texture of the three, but still doesn’t feel too heavy or greasy. It contains a blend of tamanu, black cumin, rosehip, pomegranate seed, raspberry, cranberry, and blueberry seed oils that is meant to repair, soothe, and brighten the skin. This is the one I reach for the most in the wintertime. It makes my skin feel so plump and “juicy” when I use it.

The Leo Oil is one I’ve raved about for a couple years now - Dena’s mix of Meadowfoam, Rosehip, and Blue Tansy Oils is so simple and yet so effective. I’m convinced this cleared up my skin for my wedding. I love this oil because the meadowfoam helps to balance the skin (it’s the same molecular weight as the skin’s natural oils), the rosehip nourishes and brightens, and the blue tansy soothes. I’ve been using this one mixed into my moisturizer during the day, and I’ve noticed my skin gets a lot less red and irritated from the space heater at my desk now.

The First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Dry Oil is the newest oil to my collection, but I fell in love right away. It’s a dry oil, meaning it’s a super light texture that sinks into the skin quickly. Since it’s so light, this is one I always mix into a cream rather than putting it on top. The oat & hemp seed oil are really beneficial to the skin, soothing irritation and sensitivity. If you’re usually on the oily side or don’t like the feeling of most facial oils, this would be a great one to try!

Masks

I haven’t been using masks as often as I used to, but when I do use one it’s always a hydrating/moisturizing mask. My favorite way to use them is to pop one on before I get in the shower and rinse it off when I get out. This way, my face is protected from the hot water that may be too drying, but I think the steam really helps activate them, too. For really dry/irritated/flaky days I love the Fresh Creme Ancienne Nourishing Mask. It’s pricey, but oh so worth it. It’s thick and comforting, and it always leaves my skin so glowy and smooth. Honey is one of my favorite skincare ingredients, so it’s no surprise my skin just drinks up this mask. My favorite to use while showering after a workout is the Korres Hydra Biome Mask - it’s cooling and soothing as well as really nourishing, so it feels amazing when my skin is still hot and flushed from exercising. For just a good, simple moisturizing mask, I love the Caudalie Moisturizing Mask. It feels like a thick moisturizer, and sometimes I’ll use a thin layer as a night cream if I’m feeling really dry. It really works to smooth my skin and make it glow.

Sleeping masks are always so helpful too if you’re finding your moisturizer just isn’t lasting throughout the night. Right now my favorite is the Laneige Cica Sleeping Mask. I use it as the last step of my nighttime routine, using it over a cream & oil, and I find it just helps seal everything in and keeps my skin moisturized all night long. The Cica also helps to soothe irritated skin, so it’s been the only one I’ve reached for all month.

Balms

Sometimes you just need a good balm to really help dry winter skin. For dry lips, a dry nose when you’re sick, or just any other dry patch, I’ve been really loving both the First Aid Beauty Oat & Hemp Multi-Fix Salve and the Lanolips 101 Ointment. The Salve has a really interesting texture, feeling like a stiff, matte cream. It melts into the skin and doesn’t feel greasy, dewy, or sticky, and it’s incredibly soothing. The Lanolips ointment is much thicker and depending on how much you use can be a bit sticky. It also leaves a glossy finish on the skin. They’re wonderful separately, but even better together. I’ve been putting a layer of the First Aid Beauty on first, and then following it with the Lanolips to really amp it up.

Bodycare

The skin on my body is not as sensitive to the change in temperature/humidity as the skin on my face, but it still needs love too. I’ve never been one to be “extra” when it comes to my bodycare routine, and yet here I am about to recommend a body serum. When the Necessaire Body Serum first came out, I was intrigued, but I didn’t think I could ever motivate myself to add an extra step to my routine. But like a lot of my skincare, I found that mixing it with my body cream still really works and bumps up the hydration factor a lot. I occasionally get dry, flaky skin on my legs, but that hasn’t been an issue at all since I started mixing the Body Serum into my body cream. For body cream I bounce around a bit - I was using the First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream for awhile with great results. Right now I’m using the Bioderma Atoderm Intensive Balm. It still has a cream consistency despite being called a balm, and it’s incredibly rich and soothing. Mixing it with the body serum makes it easier to apply, too.

Other

Piling all these products on won’t really help if the real problem is just you not getting enough water. If you find yourself consistently dehydrated, try getting a big water bottle to carry around throughout the day! I take my 40oz Hydro Flask with me everywhere, and it makes me drink so much more water. The large size is key because (for me) I don’t have to refill it during the work day, which is what was stopping me from drinking enough water before.

Another thing that’s really helped my skin is getting humidifiers for our house. We have one in our bedroom and one in our basement (we hang out the most in the basement, and as it’s heated by a propane stove it gets incredibly dry). I can’t believe what a difference these made in my skin - I noticed right away my skin didn’t feel dry when I woke up in the morning once we started using the one in our bedroom.

What do you do to help your skin in the winter?

This post contains affiliate links.