Little Magazine 19

Little Helpers

I admit

that I didn’t really use too many facial tools prior to Quarantine. I dove into a few little helpers and am still in the process of evaluating them, so for today, I’m going to cover the “removers.” The cleansing assistants, the cell-turnover helpers. I’m keeping the list to 3 items, to keep it short and simple. I also try to isolate new products as much as possible to eliminate as many variables as I can regarding the differential outcome.

This little doodad

has been surprisingly awesome. At a super reasonable $20 price tag, I chose it for its ergonomic factors, and for its super gentle bristles. I find that this not only expedites my second cleanse (after oil), the mechanical movement suds my cleanser up substantially than it would otherwise with just my hand movements, cutting my facial cleanse time in at least half. I use the softest bristles and go in soft tiny circles going upwards and outwards on my face on the highest setting.

I find that most people are erroneously over-cleansing their face or under doing it. I’ll post more videos to demo, eventually, but until then, getting the proper steps in place should assist you towards the right path.

The other option

that I have for a facial cleansing brush is this little guy ($24). This is more gentle because it’s silicone, so less friction means happier skin, without sacrificing the efficiency because of the design and the vibrations. It breaks down product faster than I can get done with just my hands alone, again, unless I’m doing a thorough cleanse every day (2-3 minutes with hands)—not gonna lie, this is not happening on the daily. If I’m using the previous facial brush around 2-3 times a week, I’m using this all other days. It’s very gentle. As always, use gentle pressure, though, no need to tug on the skin. Let the tools do the work for ya!

All of us are probably

in dire need of a facial right now, and this little dude ($49) is sufficient in tying us over until we melt into the hands of our magical estheticians. It’s a mini microdermabrasion machine that literally fits into the palm of your hands. It takes a little finagling and getting used to, but I’d recommend short, quick strokes and you absolutely have to hold the skin taut. Start on the jawline, jump to forehead and then the cheek and chin area. Avoid eye area; it’s too delicate. The diamond-tip head exfoliates the outermost layers of dead, dull skin. This is helpful in assisting skin cell turnover and also in helping product penetration. This is an aggressive move, so don’t overdo it, especially the first few times, until you get the hang of it and until you see how your skin responds. I’d probably use this once every week to ten days.

For an ultra decadent self-care scenario, follow-up with a sheet-mask, like the ones recommended in the this article.

Thanks for reading, friends. Til next Tuesday. -Renee :)