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Pregnancy Skin Care: Best Tips for a Pregnancy-Safe Routine


My skin is still adjusting to pregnancy life, so I’m trying to give myself a little grace that this is just part of the process. I certainly don’t have a pregnancy glow, more like a few hormonal acne spots and undereye bags. I have had lots of issues with nausea and exhaustion, so I don’t have the energy to stand at the sink and do a long skin care routine. Three to five minutes, and I need to be done.

I’ve always been obsessed with beauty products. My pre-pregnancy skin care routine was pretty intense. I would try new brands and products every few weeks. If it was new and trending, I wanted in.

But with pregnancy, you have to be careful about what might be harmful to you and baby. Early on during my pregnancy I learned that I had to stop using tea tree oil, which I used faithfully on my breakouts, because it could potentially send me into early labor. It’s a muscle relaxant, and my doctor immediately alerted me that the scent alone could be a trigger.

Finding products that are safe and useful during pregnancy can be tough, so my pregnancy skin care philosophy became “get back to basics.” Clinique’s 3-Step System was one of my go-tos, since it had worked for me in high school when I had crazy hormonal outbreaks. I also indulged in my fair share of vitamin E oil. I really liked Nature’s Truth. The oil really helped with the extreme dry skin that pregnancy brought on.

That was probably the biggest change I had to deal with–I found that throughout each trimester, my face slowly became more and more dry. So every few weeks I found myself adding more moisture to my skincare regimen. I vividly remember my skin feeling rough and scaly the last week of my first trimester. It was so hard to camouflage the changes, especially because I kept my pregnancy a secret until 16 weeks. [Triena’s son, Brave, was born in late October 2019.] I indulged in facial masks, steam sessions, and heavy creams and oils. The Clinique Moisture Surge 72-Hour Auto-Replenishing Hydrator was one of my favorites.

My favorite part of my pregnancy was my second trimester. It was primetime! I had the mom-to-be glow, and my skin tone was even and radiant. I felt beautiful.

Aadilah Tootla Saley, founder of South African modest apparel brand Zaynah

I have always been a firm believer in taking care of my skin through nutrition. Vitamins and raw foods are the best ingredients for hydrated, youthful glow. And eating a clean, balanced diet—including a lot of greens and protein—has always contributed to my skin being clear and bright. In the morning, I have a green smoothie with spinach, cucumber, green apple, and vegan protein powder. After my workout I usually have eggs. Lunch and dinner consist of fish or chicken, rice and broccoli. In between I eat plenty of fruit, and I keep away from dairy. I also take a marine collagen with vitamin C. I actually started my own supplement brand, called FitForce, to get the exact mix I like. It really makes a difference.

This is my second pregnancy, and my skin is still pretty clear and glowing, but relatively dry compared to normal. I don’t have specific brands I’m loyal to—I change it up depending on how my skin feels. But I do always use a face wash and a konjac sponge, followed by an SPF. At night, I use a cream and I add a lemon anti-bacterial night serum to deal with my skin dryness.

Sara Gaynes Levy is a writer in New York City. Follow her on Instagram @saragayneslevy.





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Dr. Lara Devgan on Her $12,849 Beauty Routine


I’ve been having a little bit of a hair-clip moment lately: Deborah Pagani has these really cute clips ($45). I typically will just put a couple of clips in and sometimes toss up my hair in a bun if I’m going into surgery, and then if I have a more special day, or I’m seeing patients in the office, then I’ll wear it long.

My morning skin care routine: mostly free because of my job (but if I paid it would be $690)

When you’re 16 and you wake up with a pillow crease after sleeping, it’s gone in five minutes, but when you’re 35 and you wake up with a pillow crease, it’s not gone until 10 a.m. I try my very hardest to sleep on my back to avoid positional wrinkles, but sometimes I wake up on my face, and this silk pillowcase ($85) by my friend Nell Diamond [founder of Hill House Home] makes me feel better about it. When it comes to skin care, I obviously love my own products. I’ll use my Platinum Eye Repair Complex ($215) and Hyaluronic Serum ($245) and SPF 45 ($145), which is a BB cream, religiously. And that’s my morning routine! I like to keep it fairly minimalistic—I like few products that have high efficacy. I’m a busy person; I’m not the “12-step skin care routine” girl.

My morning makeup routine: $374

I’m so over Instagram makeup. I want a functional, easy look that looks good in real life. I love what Gucci Westman has done with Westman Atelier. I use a little bit of her blush stick in Petal ($50). And then I use her foundation stick ($68) just for a little bit of light freshening on my face. I also love the Able Cosmetics eyeliner ($27) and mascara ($29). I pull off a cat eye about once a week, but this is my go-to look. My last steps are my Platinum Lip Plump ($50), an incredible lip plumper that enhances the natural pink tones in your lips, and Long Lash growth serum ($150) on my lashes and brows.

My signature scent: $26

The fragrance I wear is called Truth by Calvin Klein ($26), which sadly isn’t made anymore. I think I was the only person who ever bought, so it’s been discontinued! It was the fragrance I wore when my husband and I started dating, so it’s sentimental to me. He really loves it and made me say that I would always wear it. So I have to special order it from who-knows-where. I buy it in bulk, 20 at a time, every few years.

My evening makeup routine: $112

Even at night, I like to keep my make up pretty minimal. I think that good skin looks better than good makeup. So I’ll do something smoky with a Chanel eye quad ($62), with a little bit of a heavier brow using Anastasia Beverly Hills brow powder ($23), and a more winged eye with Able Cosmetics liquid liner ($27). What’s cool about the liner is that it comes with a slanted rubber-tipped cap so you can use it as a guide if you need.

My evening skin care routine: free because of my job (but if I paid it would be $900)

I actually like to wash my face and my hands as soon as I walk in the door. I use lukewarm water and my Platinum Revitalizing Cleanser ($65). It helps me unwind from the day and ensures that I never fall asleep in my makeup. Then I play with my kids, have dinner, and hang out with my husband. I have a totally naked face situation for probably about four or five hours before I do any kind of skin care routine. I think that it allows my skin to reacclimate to its normal milieu. I’ll do my skin care routine right before I go to bed. After I brush with my Apa Beauty toothbrush ($250), I use my Platinum Vitamin C+ Luminous Night Serum ($145) and Glow Serum ($295), and if my skin is feeling dry, my Recovery Cream ($145). Then I like to use my Long Lash again. I’m really into eyelashes.

My in-office treatments: free because of my job (but if I paid it would be $9,200)

I definitely practice what I preach in terms of maintenance and injectables. I do a very conservative and judicious amount of Botox ($1,200) and fillers (averaging around $3,500). I get my own signature Gold Microinfusion Microneedling facial ($3,000), which includes Botox, fillers, and PRP (platelet rich plasma). I also do PRP scalp injections ($1,500), which have been amazing. I had a lot of hair loss after my pregnancies and PRP is a really nice way of encouraging your hair follicles to wake up.

My supplement routine: $13

I take a drugstore brand multivitamin (~$5), and actually, I take a prenatal vitamin (~$8) even though I’m not expecting. I think prenatal vitamins are actually really good for anyone over 30, if it’s cleared with your doctor. They’re very rich in biotin and folate, so that helps give you really pretty hair.

My fitness routine: $360

I love The Class by Taryn Toomey ($165 for pack of 5 classes). Taryn is a friend of mine—I love what she’s done to make an ordinary exercise class into a spiritual experience. She’s very cool and brilliant. For more routine exercise, I love Physique 57 ($195 for a pack of 8 classes). But I also love just hanging out and walking around with my kids in Central Park. We go to Central Park, the Metropolitan Museum, or the Museum of Natural History pretty much every single weekend.



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Lori Taylor Davis, Smashbox Makeup Artist, on Her $9,091 Beauty Routine


These days it’s nearly impossible to know what women are spending on the way they look. Someone with Instagram-flawless contouring might have honed her craft using the finest from the drugstore aisles, and the utterly makeup-free type might be spending thousands on laser treatments and serums. Enter our series What It Costs to Be Me, in which we’re asking interesting women for radical transparency.

Next up? Lori Taylor Davis, global pro lead artist for Smashbox, 52, from Los Angeles. Her grand total? $9,091

If you’ve ever admired that bronzy, sun-kissed California makeup look celebrated by, well, basically everyone, chances are you’ve got Lori Taylor Davis to thank: the global pro artist for Los Angeles-based Smashbox (and a born and raised Angeleno herself), Davis has been creating her signature glowy, natural looks all around the world for over two decades. She’s also a beauty enthusiast to the core and has been since childhood. “My entrée into makeup was through my two grandmothers. They were my personal beauty influencers,” says Davis. “They both had trays of perfumes, Avon lipsticks…they were full-on glamazons. One of my grandmothers would wear incredible lashes and wigs, like a little Diana Ross. My first makeup came from her. Of course, it was makeup designed for someone much older than me and the colors weren’t right, but I would literally go to school in a full beat.” That beauty curiosity and infectious enthusiasm is instantly apparent when Davis runs through her regimen, whether she’s detailing her handmade Ayurvedic hair oil recipe, her latest Smashbox loves, her treatment splurges, or her “seven layer dip” skin-care routine.

My shower routine: $295

My poor husband has no room for his things in the shower. We have five tiers of products in the shower, and I fill up every shelf! For my body, I use a neem oil soap ($5) that’s super-natural and really moisturizing. For shower gel, I go between Dr. Bronner’s Almond Castile Soap ($11) and a body wash from that new brand Nécessaire ($25). It smells so good: like eucalyptus but not overpowering, and also somehow very fresh and citrusy. I love that scent. Sometimes I use a scrub from Mario Badescu ($26) to exfoliate, and I also like to wash with a natural sea sponge ($10) or a scrubby mitt—I always see the ladies at the Korean spa using them, and I can get a bunch for something like $1 each on eBay.

Because I have naturally curly hair I don’t necessarily shampoo that often, but I do always work in some kind of conditioner every time I shower. For natural hair you always want to have the right amount of moisture, and you want to get a good curl pattern after you wash. My friend is into Ayurvedic skin care, so I have a special custom oil blend that I mix up myself and put into all my conditioners (read my recipe for it below). I add it into every conditioner I own, and sometimes I’ll just apply some of the oil mixture directly onto my roots. That’s my one little secret-secret potion—that oil is like my superhero costume for my hair, and it makes my hair a lot healthier. The conditioner I currently use is Bumble Bb Curl conditioner ($34). It’s not too heavy, but it still manages to do a lot for my curls. I shampoo twice a week at the absolute most—for my hair, the conditioner plus my oil potion sort of is the wash, it’s a co-wash. When I do shampoo every so often, I use Living Proof ($27).





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Facialist Georgia Louise Vassanelli on Her $14,026 Beauty Routine


I have five different creams that I switch between because sometimes I want a fluid, and sometimes I want a richer cream. Right now, I’m using my Bespoke Cream by Georgia Louise ($350). I recently launched a machine in my spa where we analyze your skin and create a bespoke skin care cream. I use either my Vital Finishing Serum ($150) or the Genaissance de La Mer the Serum Essence ($665) to finish, and then I will use SPF. I love La Mer the Broad Spectrum SPF 50 Daily ($95). I use my Rose Water mist ($120) during the day to rehydrate my skin. I like to have it in my handbag—I just like the way it feels and smells.

My Nighttime Skin Care Additions: $2,183

Three months on and three months off, I’ll use a retinol. The Environ South Africa line has retinols that are really gentle. I’ll do that at night with a vitamin C like Lara Devgan Platinum Vitamin C+ Luminous Night Serum ($145). The finishing serum is always La Mer the Concentrate.

Three times a week, I do my Sleeping Beauty Oil ($120) and gua sha with my Butterfly Stone or my Cryo Freeze Tools. I then wash my face and apply Pulse+GLO Ion Enhancer ($165), which is an electric sheet mask, for 20 minutes. The other two times a week, I use my GLOLite LED Mask ($950) for 10 to 20 minutes. Once I finish, I’ll put on either my Bespoke Cream or the La Mer Moisturizing Soft Cream ($180) and Eye Concentrate. The other thing I use is my Environ Gold Roller ($298) five times a week. It takes one minute, and I’ve been doing it for so many years now to push the product further into my skin and induce collagen. On Sunday mornings, I use the NuFace Facial Toning Device ($325), which is my favorite at-home microcurrent.

My Daytime Makeup: $431

I’m more about skin care than makeup. I try not to use any coverage unless I have an event, but my new obsession is Gucci Westman’s blush sticks. I love the Westman Atelier Baby Cheeks in Dou Dou ($50) and Poppet ($50) to just get a little bit of color. If I’m going out after work, I can just literally accentuate my cheeks and I’m good to go. I use Trish McEvoy Lash Curling Mascara ($32) because it doesn’t transfer or smudge, and then I’ll use Charlotte Tilbury Feline Flick Liquid Eyeliner ($30). For me, it’s about more the eyes. During the day, I always use the La Mer Lip Balm ($65). I’m really obsessed over Lara Devgan’s Platinum Lip Plump ($50)—it just swells up your lips and gives them a rosy color. I also love Dior Addict Lip Maximizer ($34). For events, I’m obsessed with La Mer the Luminous Lifting Cushion Foundation ($120). It goes on so well and gives such lovely coverage, like a sheer look. It’s great to travel with.

My Nighttime Makeup: $118

I love the Westman Atelier Face Trace Contour Stick in Biscuit ($48) for my cheeks, and I’ll always do a bright red shade of Chanel Rouge Coco Lipstick ($38) to bring a bit of color to my skin. For concealer, I’m really loving Charlotte Tilbury’s Magic Away ($32).

My Bi-Annual Haircut: $1,360

I’m really lazy with my hair. I see Chris McMillan for my cuts ($680). I was introduced to him by Jennifer Aniston, and I see him when I’m in L.A. every four to six months. I have long hair that’s in good condition because I let it dry naturally. I don’t use a blow-dryer. Whenever I see him, he gives me bangs. He’ll always try and re-style me, but I just like my hair simple and clean. It’s expensive, but so worth it.

My Styling Extras: $130

I love Amika: 3D Volume Thickening Shampoo and Conditioner ($20 each). I use them to give my hair some thickness and some more luster. My new obsession is Deborah Pagani; she’s come up with these beautiful hair accessories, like pins. I typically do my hair in a French twist or a bun, so I like to do that with one of her Large Sleek Hair Pins ($90).

My Essential Treatments: $2,960

I go to L.A. every month now and when I’m there, I get a Japanese massage ($140) at Hideko Spa near Brentwood. It’s truly amazing. I have a weekly massage ($200 per session) that I get at home because I bend over so much with my job—I need it. My personal masseuse is amazing, but he doesn’t want to be named because he’s so booked up.

My Wellness Routine: $3,900

I’m a diabetic and also have Hashimoto’s disease, so I’m very careful when it comes to my wellbeing. I see Daniela Turley, who’s a naturopath. She makes me tinctures to boost my immune system, liver, and kidneys. I also go to Rahav Wellness, which is under the care of Dr. Miriam Rahav. She’s a functional medicine doctor who tests my blood, makes me easy programs of supplements, and offers holistic treatments ($500 per appointment, three times a year) for my morning and nighttime regimens.

I also do pilates at Equinox two times a week ($2,400 membership per year). It’s a great way to sculpt and tone your body and a workout that I really enjoy. In the spring and summer, I walk to work every day for 20 minutes. I love the freedom.





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Liah Yoo Shares Her Beauty Routine – What It Costs to Be Me


Anything that has AHAs is really great for getting rid of the build up on my elbows, or especially my legs, and my back. I do have an AHA product from Krave called Kale-lalu-yAHA ($25), but I’ll use any AHA product once a week or twice a week after getting out of the shower, and then I’ll use the Nécessaire Body Lotion ($25). For fragrance I always wear Jo Malone London Basil and Neroli ($140), I never change it.

My (mostly) low-key hair care: $654

For shampoo and conditioner I’m using the Naturelab Tokyo repair line ($14 each). I recently discovered it, and it’s been great. I tend to shed a lot, but ever since I’ve switched to these products, my hair actually falls out less. The number one product I swear by is a hair tool: the Dyson Airwrap ($499), it completely changed my hair. I used to heat style my hair a lot with curling irons and straighteners, but it does damage your hair, and I would use a hair dryer which adds another layer of damage. I’m still on the hunt for the perfect dry shampoo, but so far I’m using the IGK First Class dry shampoo and like it ($27).

I get my hair cut twice a year, and I haven’t found a salon yet in New York, but every time I go back to Korea, I go back to my hairstylist. The haircut itself is actually pretty cheap in Korea. It’s $50, which is really why I get it done there. I almost feel like you have to chop your hair to get your money’s worth in New York.

My quick morning skin care routine: $53

My skin is an ever-changing living organ, and I try to adjust my skin care products according to that. You don’t want to over-do skin care—over-wash it, over-strip your natural moisture barrier, or get too excited with AHAs, so I don’t over-exfoliate. I don’t really reach for a high percentage of active ingredients, I try to keep it gentle and mild when it comes to product choices, and I think the best way is to keep my skin hydrated and protect it with SPF.

My morning skin care routine is probably the simplest. I don’t wash my face in the morning to protect my moisture barrier. I learned talking to my dermatologist that your skin is never too dirty overnight unless you have extremely oily skin, so I just try to do a toner wash. I use Laneige Cream Skin Toner ($33), on a cotton pad, and I simply wipe it and swipe it all across my face, so my skin is clean enough, but it doesn’t need to be perfectly washed and stripped first thing in the morning. And then, with the same product, I add another layer but this time I will just pat it in. So the first step is to swipe with a cotton pad, and the second is to bring back the hydration. And then since the Cream Skin is so hydrating and nourishing—especially with the humidity level in New York, it’s enough as a moisturizer itself—I jump into using sunscreen right away. I use Krave Beauty The Beet Shield ($20), which is my own formula, and it offers SPF 50. It’s very pleasant, and works perfectly as a makeup primer, so I can actually finish my routine in the morning with just two products.

My foundation-free daytime makeup: $53

I like to be simple with makeup, especially with my face makeup. I don’t use foundation, and I’ve been foundation-free for the past two years. I started experimenting with this because Michelle Phan is a firm believer that her skin got so much better ever since she stopped using foundation. I used to have super congested acne-prone skin, and then I started cutting back, slowly but surely, from high coverage, to mid coverage, to no coverage. Then I switched to using only concealer, and surprisingly that really helped with my skin recovery process. If you have acne-prone skin, once you’re addicted to full coverage foundation, it’s kind of like a vicious cycle. You’re not really leaving your skin to recover or heal by itself, but also at the same time you want to have that boost of confidence by having that full coverage foundation. It was a really difficult journey, but at the end I’m so proud of myself for jumping into that because it really did help my skin.





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Meghan Markle's Post-Baby Fitness Routine Is So Relatable


By all accounts, Meghan Markle is settling into motherhood quite nicely. While she made an appearance at Trooping the Colour last weekend to celebrate the queen’s birthday, she’s been spending most of her time at Frogmore Cottage with baby Archie. “Meghan is radiant, taking each day one day at a time…what strikes me most is this authentic peacefulness that has settled within her,” a royal source said recently.

Given the whirlwind ride Markle has been on since her relationship with Prince Harry became public in 2017, it must be nice to take a step back to just focus on herself and her family. She’s reportedly adopted a similar mentality when it comes to her post-birth fitness routine.

Royal reporter Katie Nicholl tells Entertainment Tonight that Markle “hasn’t been in any hurry to get back in shape,” and nor should she be! “Before she fell pregnant, you know, Meghan was very fit,” Nicholl continued. “She was very into her fitness regime. She used to run around the park in Kensington, but she has been taking it easy. And I hear that yoga is very much on her post-birth fitness regime—nothing too strenuous.”

Karwai Tang/Getty Images

It’s great to hear that the Duchess of Sussex is taking care of herself and not worrying about the ridiculous expectations placed on women after they give birth. “The whole approach has been holistic, it has been gentle,” Nicholl tells ET. “It’s been a natural embracing of motherhood, and with that has come a pretty gentle routine … Meghan hasn’t been hitting the gym. She hasn’t been in any hurry to get back in shape. It’s only four weeks really since the birth, and she’s been taking that exercise regime very gently, indeed.”

The fact Markle’s practicing yoga should come as no surprise; her mother, Doria, is a yoga teacher and Markle has often talked about its benefits. “Apparently Doria took up postpartum yoga and baby yoga, and that’s all Meghan has been doing,” Nicholl also told ET. “And lots of proud walks around Windsor Great Park, so, gentle exercise, but no hard training, no weights. She’s apparently not in any hurry to ping back into shape. She’s enjoying this time. She’s being gentle to herself.” Cheers to that.



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