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How to Get 'Glass Skin' – I Tried the K-Beauty Skin Care Routine


In certain circles, where the difference between ampoules and essences needs no explanation and double cleansing is practically religion, “glass skin” is a term you’ll hear spoken in reverent terms. It’s a phrase that originated on the K-beauty scene and quickly went viral on social media and used to describe a complexion so luminous and poreless, it could be modeled from glass.

I’ve scrolled through plenty of pictures depicting the awe-inspiring results of a glass skin routine—and even once tried to fake it with a single highlighter-serum hybrid. The results of that experiment were successful, but my skin beneath the iridescent liquid was still my regular skin (in pretty good shape, but hardly mirrorlike).

When Peach and Lily founder, Alicia Yoon, recently asked me if I had tried a complete glass skin routine before, I saw my chance to finally attain the reflective cheekbones of my dreams. I’ve known Yoon for a long time, and let me tell you, the woman has no pores and always manages to look the exact right amount of dewy. If I were to have someone guide my foray into this radiant land, she was the ideal candidate.

There was just one caveat: somewhere during the past month, I had gotten complacent where beauty was concerned. My laziness crept up on me subversively, rearing its head only when I opened Yoon’s email and immediately gulped. The screen was crowded with lines and lines of meticulously detailed sentences that outlined the precise steps I should take starting from the moment I woke up.

She encouraged me to think of the process “as a meal plan—giving your skin the 360-degree care it needs to thrive: proper cleansing, exfoliating, balancing, antioxidants, humectants, vitamins, minerals, fatty acids, and protection!” My actual meal plan is about 75 percent croissants, and baguette-shaped blood cells flow through my veins, so we were perhaps on different pages about that one. Nevertheless, slathering my face in assorted creams and serums is literally my job, so I persevered.

While the experiment Yoon had me run through consists of 11 different products, she stresses that it’s not necessary to purchase that many things to duplicate the results. “It’s not so much about the number of steps, but what your skin needs to be at its absolutely healthiest,” she says. “Cleanse properly; either double cleanse or use a cleanser that can both dissolve makeup and remove water-based impurities. Balance your skin’s pH with a toner. And hydrate, hydrate, hydrate.”

Drenching your skin in moisture is the hallmark of this approach; it’s what gives your face that liquid highlighter (without actually using a drop of highlighter) glow. There are other things you should add too: sunscreen, exfoliants, and face masks. The most important thing, according to Yoon, is to keep everything gentle. “Don’t overdo it with too many acids or harsh actives,” she advises. “In the long run, your skin will get inflamed.” Check your ingredients labels. If you’re using products with vitamin C, be very careful about cocktailing them with high concentrations of AHAs, BHAs, or retinol.

I followed the routine below for a full week (Yoon estimates you need anywhere between one to three weeks to see “profound results”). However, I will prematurely reveal that I was already impressed after only seven days. So when you see the results below, imagine them given additional time. (You may have to sit down for that one.) My arsenal of topicals would have been completely overwhelming if not for the accompanying instructions, so I will now selflessly bequeath them to you.





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I Tried Amazon's Skin Care Line Belei, and It's So Good


I had two thoughts when I stepped off a nondescript industrial elevator and into the pastel-wallpapered, candlelit showroom holding Amazon’s debut skin care line, Belei. One, this collection is a millennial Instagram fever dream. Two, Amazon knows its beauty customer well.

This may sound like a lot to deduce from a display of skin care products in minimal mint and forest green packaging, laid out for editors to snap, test, and take home (not necessarily in that order). With its clean serif font logo and muted colors, Belei immediately reminded me of the Glossiers and Summer Fridays of the online beauty world—before you’d want to slather a bottle’s contents on your face, you’d take a picture of the package. Dig inside the initial 12-product offering, and the focus of the collection is on-par with the most-shopped beauty brands of today. Belei’s first drop is entirely skin care essentials like face wipes, moisturizers, and serums; this being Amazon, the prices stick between $9 and $40.

Amazon already offers every beauty product under the sun from independent beauty brands, but its foray into a private skin care brand makes sense as a next step. eMarketer estimates that Amazon’s beauty and personal care products reached $16 billion in online sales in 2018; that’s also the third-fastest growing sales category on the platform. The numbers say it all: There’s money to be made in beauty, so Amazon is getting in the game.

It’s not all a money grab, though. According to Amazon, the collection is intended to offer a solutions-oriented approach to skin care, legible to any shopper. The ingredient lists on each product are short and natural: no parabens, phthalates, or sulfates are to be found. The line wasn’t tested on animals, and its carton packaging is 100% recyclable. Every product outlines which skin type should use it, and how to incorporate it into your existing skin care routine. I expected to get a whiff of a minty or generic clean scent when I opened the packages, but none of the products use fragrances. It’s clean beauty, plain and simple.

The transparency only goes so far. Amazon didn’t reveal how it landed on the 12-product edit that makes up Belei’s first collection. All I could get out of an Amazon representative at Belei’s preview event was that the line derived from “listening to the Amazon customer.” In an official release, the company states that Belei is meant “to help customers spend less time and money searching for the right skin care solutions.” A peek at its Beauty Best Sellers page shows several overlaps with the products found in Belei’s inaugural drop—like hyaluronic acid and vitamin C—so it’s safe to assume that users’ shopping data played some role in the collection’s development.

Trying a handful of the collection’s items myself convinced me that they’re worth adding to my stacked Amazon cart. My visit to the Belei showroom coincided with the conclusion of a long day at work, so I could immediately take a few of the products for a test-drive at home. When I made it back to my apartment, I didn’t think twice before ripping open the Micellar Facial Cleansing Wipes and scrubbing off my makeup. Scrubbing is the wrong word, though—a few quick wipes dissolved a face-full of heavy foundation, Boy Brow, and triple-layered mascara. Some facial wipes have given my skin an unpleasant burning sensation or dryness afterward. I experienced neither with these.

Then there were the topical treatments, like the Triple Peptide Eye Cream (whipped and creamy to the touch) and the Acne Spot Treatment. Most spot-treatments I’ve tried have a strong, chemical scent and they come in florescent or reflective packaging that’s even more embarrassing than the acne itself. The Belei spot treatment applied in a silky, thin layer; it reduced the swelling and redness at the worst part of my current breakout, but it didn’t dehydrate my skin.



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Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer Gives You the Glowiest Skin Ever


Foundation has never been part of my makeup routine. I’m partial to a natural dewy look, and every foundation I’ve ever tried has always gone on too cakey, too heavy, and too thick. So I resigned myself to believe my skin tone will forever be uneven. Better that than cake face, right?

Then one fateful day in December, I hired a makeup artist on GlamSquad to do my makeup for a wedding. As we were chatting about how I wanted to look, I casually offered up my skepticism about foundation. “Nothing works on me; I can’t use it,” I told him. He raised his eyebrows, reached into his bag and said, “Well you’ve probably never tried this.”

This referred to Laura Mercier’s Tinted Moisturizer, which he told me he “swears by.” He went on to extoll its virtues, telling me about how he uses it on “absolutely everyone,” whether they think they need foundation or not. He said he’d even converted full-coverage foundation lovers on to its light-as-air finish. His enthusiasm intrigued me, but I wasn’t sold until he put it on.

Seeing it on my skin, I completely understood where this guy’s fervor came from. The change was subtle but unmistakable. The tinted moisturizer gave my face that natural, dewy glow I wanted without looking like I was wearing anything at all. I even liked the way it looked before he put any other makeup on, which is something a mascara addict like myself would honestly never say. I usually feel naked without any eye makeup on, but this tinted moisturizer was really changing everything.

The real test came when I was actually at the wedding—dancing, sweating, and doing other things that makeup usually hates. The product held up for hours and looked just as good while I was staring at myself in the mirror at 2 A.M., questioning my decisions at the open bar.

The next day I decided this wasn’t just a formal occasion look, I needed this tinted moisturizer immediately. So I did what anyone would in that situation—I Googled it. Apparently I’m the only one who wasn’t in on its magic. The reviews and five-stars for it were in the thousands.On Nordstrom alone, Laura Mercier’s Tinted Moisturizer has 2,500 glowing reviews. On Sephora it has 4,000!

I’d been slightly hesitant to actually buy it, because at $46, it’s not the cheapest. But after reading the hundredth review by someone who claimed they “couldn’t leave the house without it,” I clicked add to cart—and I’ve never regretted a decision less.

When I’m in a rush, the tinted moisturizer is the only product I’ll put on. It gives me the confidence of a full face of makeup while also making me look like I just came back from a beach vacation. It also blends really nicely with all of the other makeup products I use routinely, like Milk Makeup flex concealer and Glossier Cloud Paint. Plus, it lasts forever! The tube itself is not that large, but I’ve used it every day for four months now and I haven’t run out. (A little on a Beautyblender goes a long way.)

So now when people tell me that they hate foundation I turn to them and say, “Well you’ve probably never tried this.” Weeks later, they’ll come to me and say, “I can’t leave the house without it.” But, of course, I already know. How couldn’t they?

Buy Now: Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer, $46, Nordstrom



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Tatcha The Dewy Skin Cream Is the Best Moisturizer for Glowing Skin


There’s no shortage of material possessions that spark joy for me: sweatpants that qualify as daywear, croissants of every variety, and $435 LED face masks that double as Instagram props. Moisturizers, even the very best ones, rank somewhere near the bottom of this list. I need them in my life, but they’re just not that exciting. The most effusive I’ll ever be about a face cream is to say that it does its job without any additional bells and whistles. I have a soft spot for one $23 version you can pick up at Target in the baby aisle. It hydrates and soothes, and it doesn’t pretend to have powers beyond those simple tasks. I leave the brightening, plumping, glow-boosting work to flashier things—like power ingredients-packed serums or resurfacing acid peels.

I would be lying if I said I changed my mind when every beauty editor I knew began raving about Tatcha’s Dewy Skin Cream. Look, I love Tatcha—the brand has inspired me to set exceedingly high standards for my blotting sheets (if it’s not flecked with gold leaf, why are you even telling me about it?) and body lotions (you mean it’s not infused with indigo and won’t leave me smelling like the spa? Pass). But, it was a moisturizer. How life-changing could a moisturizer possibly be? Even the knowledge that it was inspired by Mario Dedivanovic (Kim Kardashian’s makeup artist) and would reportedly give my complexion the texture of a “freshly steamed dumpling” elicited no more than a feeble eyebrow raise at first.

Then, one recent Sunday evening, I really did everything you can possibly do wrong for the general wellbeing of your complexion. In my defense, if you’re going to pour me a well-chilled glass of white wine and plop a pint of Ben and Jerry’s Half Baked ice cream in front of me, I’m not going to be act like they’re not there. One fantastic dinner party and way too much sugar and alcohol later, I climbed into bed somewhere around 1:30 A.M., too lazy to go through my usual, meticulous skin care ritual. (I did still remove my makeup, though. I mean, I have some standards.)

I woke the following day with a strong suspicion that my face had taken on the flattering gray pallor of a corpse. Four hours of early morning German grammar drills did nothing to help that situation. With each repetition of the Konjunktiv II Vergangenheit form, I could distinctly sense another piece of my soul exiting my body—and another sign of life leaving my face. By the time I got home, drastic measures clearly needed to be taken. Hobbling into my room, I suddenly spied a previously forgotten pot of Dewy Skin Cream hanging out under my bed (this job comes with certain perks) and recalled all the fervent, steamed dumpling praise it had inspired. It seemed like the perfect opportunity to put those claims to the test.

This is the part where I admit that everyone was correct and I now feel as though I’ve spent my entire life being lied to about the true potential of face cream. The formula is packed with purple rice bran, which does way more than lend the contents a charming lilac hue. The ingredient is rich in anthocyanin, an antioxidant that helps your complexion recover from stress and pollution. Other botanical extracts, like algae, thyme, and marjoram are added to intensely hydrate, reinforce your skin barrier, and retain more water. There’s also ginseng, which contains the same amino acids found in collagen.

Apparently, when you mix this up—and sprinkle in whatever magic Tatcha adds at the end—you get the first moisturizer that has ever made an instant, dramatically noticeable difference to my face. This is not one you have to use patiently for many days and nights in a row to reap the rewards, although you certainly could. And unlike some other products that are billed as “glowy,” it doesn’t contain microshimmers or light-reflecting particles to accomplish any of these results. I pat it on, my face drinks it in, and then I simply look better. Shadows recede, signs of life come flooding back, and my skin takes on a freshly-watered, luminous quality. It’s truly miraculous.



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11 Best Body Oils That'll Leave Your Skin Super Soft


There are beauty products that are necessities like a good cleanser, a reliable spot treatment, and a concealer that makes me look like I got enough sleep to be a functioning human. Then there are ones that are totally extra and make me feel like I’m living my best life, like pretty much anything Pat McGrath puts her name on. There’s a bit of a grey area, though, and some products straddle the line between the two, my current favorite being body oils. They have a purpose, sure, to moisturize your body, but they do their job in the most luxurious way possible.

Using a body oil takes moisturizing from a chore to a full-blown experience. When I rub myself down with a body oil after a shower (always moisturize your body when it’s damp!), I’m not in my subpar Brooklyn bathroom, I’m in a gorgeous spa somewhere in the Italian countryside preparing for my date with Timothèe Chalamet. Fantasy aside, they really work—they make my skin smell amazing and softer than any lotion can (I especially love to use one on my legs after shaving).

Dr. Ellen Marmur, a dermatologist in New York City, says that this extreme softness is because oils mimic the natural lipids found in our bodies and “like serums, they sink in between the cells and create a better smoother skin surface.” They also have protective qualities that some lotions don’t and are great at really locking in moisture. Dr. Joshua Zeichner, director of cosmetic and clinical research department of dermatology at Mount Sinai Hospital, adds that oils have natural emollient ingredients that help soften rough skin. Because of these qualities, they can be especially helpful if you suffer from super-dry skin or eczema, especially heavier oils like avocado.

A quick word of warning: If you tend to break out on your shoulders or back, lotion might be the better option for you, as oils can exacerbate body acne. But if you do reach for an oil, Dr. Zeichner recommends looking for ingredients like tea tree, coconut, or lavender oils, which are light enough to keep you breakout free.

If you want to get in on the fantasy, I’ve rounded up some of my favorites, as well as derms’ suggestions. Read on for the best body oils.



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I Got a HydraFacial and It Totally Changed My Skin


A few months ago, I met a friend for dinner. “Your skin looks amazing,” I said, leaning closer. It looked radiant and freakishly smooth, like that of J.Lo at two months old.

“I got the HydraFacial,” she replied.

I was sold on the spot. What also intrigued me was that it doesn’t hurt. My pain threshold is lower than the Mariana Trench. (I whined for a full half hour after getting the flu shot.) You’re not going to find me signing up for a fractionated laser session anytime soon, which is why a treatment that could deliver results without me breaking into a cold sweat has obvious appeal. Where do I sign up?

For those unfamiliar, the HydraFacial is essentially a peel, microdermabrasion, and hydrating mask in one. But unlike the facials an aesthetician would usually perform by hand, it’s done using a medical-grade device that pulls debris out of your pores, while also moisturizing and exfoliating. (You’ve probably heard of some variations of it called a “pore vacuum.”)

It can treat just about any skin condition, which is ideal as I’ve been feuding with a forehead breakout for months now. “What I love about HydraFacial is how customizable it is to each patient’s unique skin concerns,” says Deanne Robinson, M.D., the co-founder and president of Modern Dermatology in Westport, Connecticut, and member of The Women’s Dermatologic Society. “It’s a great treatment for all ages and skin types, from oily, acne-prone teenagers to more mature skin battling fine lines and pigmentation problems.” The only exceptions to this are an active rash, sunburn, or rosacea flare-up, she notes.

“Every patient benefits because it’s not only using targeted serums to help with hydration and breakouts and pores, but it’s also doing a vortex fusion of exfoliation and sucking out the dead skin,” says Graceanne Svendsen, the senior aesthetician at New York’s Shafer Plastic Surgery & Laser Center. She finds the treatment especially valuable during the change between seasons as well as before weddings, since it’s like giving your skin a hard reset.

There’s nothing spa-like about the experience, so don’t expect to hear Enya or fall asleep on the bed. Instead, the HydraFacial device is a huge machine with various attachments that whirr and suck and spin. First, Svendsen cleansed my skin twice, because the foundation I’ve been wearing is apparently comedogenic (meaning it clogs pores). The first was a foamy cleanser, which she then followed with a vitamin C enzyme mask. “The enzymes open up your pores to help release the makeup so I can get your makeup off, and the hydration is going to keep it from over-drying your skin,” she told me. (Yes, I have switched foundations since.)

Once my skin was clean for what must have been the first time since birth, Svendsen embarked on the hydro-dermabrasion portion of the treatment—which is, essentially, hydration plus the microdermabrasion-style exfoliation. “It spins serums out [of the device] and drags in dead skin,” she says. The first is what she calls a “deep pore-cleansing step,” in which she used a small wand to sort of scrape my skin—going lightly over problem areas. Then she buffered back over everywhere with a serum.

The next step is a gentle acid peel, with 7.5% glycolic acid and 2.5% salicylic acid. As a glycolic acid stan, I was delighted to feel the familiar tingle.

Afterward, Svendsen used the device to do extractions. Unlike the medieval torture of typical extractions, the HydraFacial method uses the wand, but with a new attachment, to suction gunk out of your pores. It felt so good; I wish I could hold it over every single one of my zits like a face vacuum. This suctioning action is multifaceted: It not only removes grime, but also boost circulation and stimulates the lymph system, which removes toxins from your face.



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