We first saw this as a Japanese beauty product, but it’s now available in the US. Lo was the first to try this one and we warn you it is not for the faint of heart. You soak your feet in two small bags that come pre-filled with a solution of fruit enzymes, and let it penetrate for 45 minutes. About 5-7 days later your feet start to peel, and by peel we mean like a snake. It’s not a pretty process but you’ve never had a pedicure come even close to the results.
Lo: I have a lot of hyperpigmentation due to fair skin / sun damage and nothingโand Iโve tried a lot of thingsโand nothing has worked better at lightening the dark spots than these pads. Theyโre also great for keeping skin firm, smooth, and glowing. If I had to keep one beauty product and trash the rest, Iโd keep this forever and ever. (For the record, I also love the Ferulic + Retinol Brightening Solution)
C says: Iโve tried out a couple kbeauty brands, and these eye patches are no lie. Theyโre great for puffiness or when the under eye area needs a boost of moisture. Best of all they come in a tub of 50 for about $24, way cheaper than the individually packaged ones youโll find at Sephora.
We both always carry this with usโit is the perfect pressed powderโused either as a finishing powder, or anytime during the day when you need to take away the shine.
Lo says: If youโre like me & the husband and you have a squicky thing about putting on sunscreen (i.e. itโs greasy or at least feels that way) but you donโt like sprays either, this is the perfect product. I donโt know how to describe it other than it feels like liquid powder going on. It is magical.
C says: Thereโs a reason you see this palette everywhere. Not only are the colors great, but the formula is perfectionโeasily blendable and with little fallout. If I could pick only one palette to keep with me, this would be the one.
Lo says: I love this brow clay because it gives my brows such great definition, fills them in nicely, and doesnโt smear once itโs on.
C & Lo say: We both swear by this night cream. Even if you have really sensitive skin, this mask is amazing. You wake up feeling like you just put lotion on your face, and an added bonus is that you smell delicious.
And one last important tip:
C says: Check out Tretinoin/Retin-A. This isnโt necessarily a beauty product but it’s life changing if you struggle with acne. Pimples were never a concern for me as a teen, but when I had my hysterectomy my skin went insane. Thereโs a lot of science involved in how retinoids work, but in this case they keep pores clear to prevent pimples, help heal the ones you do have, and lighten areas that have been damaged by acne scars or the sun by sloughing off older skin and replacing it with new. Because of this you have to be super careful about sun exposure (which we should all be doing anyway), and a good sunblock is a must (for face, Lo recommends Lancรดme Bienfait UV 50+ or DDGโs Dark Spot Sun Defense 50+).
Bonus: removing old skin means it also treats fine lines and wrinkles. You need a prescription for any type of retinoid but according to my dermatologist EVERYONE should be using it.
Yes, there are two of us! Lauren (on the left) and Christina (on the right).
Christina Lauren is the combined pen name of long-time writing partners/besties/soulmates Christina Hobbs and Lauren Billings. The #1 international bestselling coauthor duo writes bothย Young Adultย andย Adult Fiction, and together has produced fourteenย New York Timesย bestselling novels. They are published in over 30 languages,ย have received multiple starred reviews fromย Kirkusย Reviewsย andย Library Journal, won both the Seal of Excellence and Book of the Year fromย RT Magazine, and have been featured in publications such asย Forbes,ย The Washington Post,ย Time,ย Entertainment Weekly,ย O Magazineย and more.
Their third YA novel,ย Autoboyographyย will be released this week, followed by a contemporary romance,ย Roomiesย in December.
Fangirlย meetsย Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agendaย in this funny and poignant coming-of-age novel fromย New York Timesย bestselling author Christina Lauren about two boys who fall in love in a writing classโone from a progressive family and the other from a conservative religious community.
Three years ago, Tanner Scottโs family relocated from California to Utah, a move that nudged the bisexual teen temporarily back into the closet. Now, with one semester of high school to go, and no obstacles between him and out-of-state college freedom, Tanner plans to coast through his remaining classes and clear out of Utah.
But when his best friend Autumn dares him to take Provo Highโs prestigious Seminarโwhere honor roll students diligently toil to draft a book in a semesterโTanner canโt resist going against his better judgment and having a go, if only to prove to Autumn how silly the whole thing is. Writing a book in four months sounds simple. Four months is an eternity.
It turns out, Tanner is only partly right: four monthsย isย a long time. After all, it takes only one second for him to notice Sebastian Brother, the Mormon prodigy who sold his own Seminar novel the year before and who now mentors the class. And it takes less than a month for Tanner to fall completely in love with him.