Fun things to do with your face

[m o l l y]

Oh maybe! I also think I've heard (from Korneel??) that it is vitamin related.

[astral hellion]

Yeah me too! I thought that it was angular cheilitis, which is basically a fungal infection (like athlete’s foot). I’ve read that it can be caused by lack of iron and vitamin D, which, since I’m anemic, makes sense. Def flares up in stressful times.

[yourfriendclaire]

Mouth-crack solidarity!

[yourfriendclaire]

Update from the mouth-crack trenches!

My mom sent me a small pot of a cure-all Ayurvedic cream called Kailas Jeevan—she picked some up in India years ago and swears that it's vanished her warts and mysterious midnight foot pains. It's an ointment with camphor, sandalwood, coconut oil, neem and other antiseptic and astringent herbs. It has the weirdest texture of any skincare product I've ever tried: a waxy, yet watery paste? According to the internet it really is miraculous, so I tried it on a small eczema flareup on my hands, several pandemic kitchen-experiment cuts and burns, and my mouth cracks. The eczema's almost gone after one day and my burn scar's already faded. It's almost scary. Seven bucks on Amazon or (I bet) at any Indian market near you!

[m o l l y]

Oh, I like this hot tip.

[meadows]

damn, a very cool paste!

[yourfriendclaire]

It smells wild too...kinda like dust

[yourfriendclaire]

I love an ointment. Maybe every culture has its proletariat cure-all cream pot? Like a generic drugstore potion whose graphic design hasn't changed in 100 years that everyone has in their home? I grew up with the British SUDOCREM, which is equally prescribed for diaper ("nappy") rash, mosquito bites, burns, sores, chafes, etc. It's very rich and thick, with an overwhelming talc smell. My friends in Australia swear up and down on Lucas' Pawpaw ointment, which comes in a bright red plastic pot. Molly, is there a Belgian thing like this?

[m o l l y]

I've been trying to get my hands on some Australian pawpaw but my buddy here hasn't been home in a while for obvious reasons (also she had twins)

I got so behind this Belgian product's graphic design that I asked our friend Matthew to use it as the basis for my urban honking blog. It's basically iodine-schmeer.

[infopetal]

sudocrem is the real deal! used it during my time in London and have been wondering if it's worth getting a jar from the British import grocery in my neighborhood. haven't done so yet but I take great mental comfort seeing it behind the counter every time I go there.

[yourfriendclaire]

I didn’t know you lived in London!

I miss buying lil household and pharmacy products in foreign lands...always my favorite form of travel memento. Fine Australian drugstore sunscreen. A strange double-wide toothbrush from China. Strongly medicinal German lip balm. And from the French pharmacy, my all-time favorite: perfume for babies.

[m o l l y]

Perfume for babies is a thing in Spain too. It turns out 'that baby smell' is different in different countries! I used to use it in Spain because it is dirt cheap and just smells fresh and clean and light, not like 'baby powder.' And then my roommate was like, dude why do you smell like a baby?

I have not gotten a clear answer from Belgians about what a baby smells like. Typical.

[alexshred420]

Sudocrem really brings me back to my youth in England...I'm sure I had that stuff smeared on my taint at some point #nappyrash #chafedtaint

[yourfriendclaire]

Update on the Ayurvedic miracle cream: all my burns, cracks and eczema bits are gone. Three days y’all! That’s kooky.

[m o l l y]

So apparently Sudocrem is Dermocrem here in Belgium. That's fun. I also just learned that it is a zinc oxide cream. I like to keep the Waleda brand zinc oxide cream in stock, which they market as calendula diaper cream, and using it on everything form bug bites to "butt stuff."

Now enjoy looking at creams:

[m o l l y]

Update on the Ayurvedic miracle cream: all my burns, cracks and eczema bits are gone. Three days y’all! That’s kooky.

Want it!

[RCH]

I got an odd red patch near my mouth, maybe as a result of reading this board.

(just dripping rosehip oil on it a lot)

[yourfriendclaire]

Have patch? Try CREM

[infopetal]

@yourfriendclaire I moved to Los Angeles from London. I've lived too many places…

another in this genre of Salves Of The World™ is topical ibuprofen gel, which you can find over-the-counter in the UK, and maybe elsewhere in Europe? but definitely not available in the United States. I get tension headaches and would but it on the tender spots of my neck and voila! also good for aches and pains after new exercise.

(ETA: check out the way the transparent background dithered!)

[yourfriendclaire]

Ooo wow slather me in that crem

[yourfriendclaire]

Anyone got a rec for a good tinted moisturizer / SPF one-stop solution?

[infopetal]

I use suntegrity's impeccable skin, although these days I mostly just use their untinted moisturizer since no one sees me sans mask IRL (both previously plugged in this thread). credo near west hollywood carries it, dunno if there is some covid-safe way to visit there to figure out your shade and/or try their other options, but that's how I ended up with it after testing a couple things they carry.

[m o l l y]

Anyone got a rec for a good tinted moisturizer / SPF one-stop solution?

I feel like you should ask Luc.

[yourfriendclaire]

@infopetal thank you! I guess I should have just scrolled up in this very thread to answer my own question, huh? I love the metric this website uses for determining shade. I think I'm "SAND: suitable for skin tones with a golden undertone similar to the following actresses typically when they have a tan/spray tan: Jennifer Aniston, Cameron Diaz, Lucy Liu and Sandra Oh."

[infopetal]

wow having never reviewed this product page closely I am delighted(?) to now learn that my light skin tone (BUFF) puts me in league with "Angelina Jolie, Meg Ryan, Julia Roberts, Katie Holmes, Carrie Underwood, Tao Okamoto, Shu Qi, Kim Sung Ryung, Soon Yoon Ah and Go Doo Shim." who chose this particular list of celebrities…? I'll add that suntegrity is based in Las Vegas, and I feel strongly one should buy their SPFs from high-sun-exposure climates. Australia also makes really legit sunscreen especially for sporty ocean occasions, they know what's up!

[yourfriendclaire]

That's definitely wise—last time I was in Australia I asked a glamorous lady at a dinner party what regional drugstore item is an absolute must-buy (related to our earlier thread about pharmacy ointments) and she most enthusiastically plugged her people's sunscreen. Lots of reef-and-ocean-safe varieties.

[m o l l y]

This is going to be my new go-to conversation starter. Thanks, Cog!

[m o l l y]

Y'all have fave summer-time day creams? Or moisturizer/face sunscreen ingredients I should look for? Budget friendly!

[meadows]

For a long time I used a Nuetrogena sunscreen moisturizer that I really liked! No fragrance, not too heavy. I don't remember what it was called but could be worth dabbling in those waters...

[RCH]

I use Neutrogena Age Shield Face SPF 70, with the power of Age Shield(R)! It cost about $10 for a big tube that will last me through a summer of face, neck, and arm applications.

[meadows]

Supergoop is having a sale rn on all of their various sunscreens!

[yourfriendclaire]

I've been on a CeraVe tip—I've always had a soft spot for "dermatologist recommended" plain drugstore skincare brands. They make a very decent SPF 30 tinted daily sauce.

[RCH]

Current eyeshadow method: load a liquid eyeliner brush (flat/chiseled, medium size) with untinted primer (I'm using an oil-based eyeshadow primer) and mix into an eyeshadow cake until the oil and powder are evenly blended. Spread on a heavy, even line of eyeshadow that won't come off until you want it to!

[m o l l y]

Great sunscreen tips. Thanks. Very on board with a scent free run of the mill that feels clean on a face. Supergoop?? That sounds dangerously close to goop! Watch out!

[meadows]

I've heard great things about Supergoop! Fragrance free and comes in a lot of different formulations (serum, lotion, tinted, etc).

Right now I"m using an Elta MD sunscreen that I really like. I also got a little sunscreen stick just for the eye area, since sometimes that's sensitive for me. It's pretty fun to chapstick my eyes every morning.

[RCH]

Chapstick is kind of a secret trick!

Way back when I was coupled up, I kept an overnight bag with a simple morning makeup routine. Of all things, a basic vegetable lip balm was a champ. I used it under my eyes as a concealer and for whatever reason it looked like makeup!

[RCH]

It's very basic but my hair and scalp have been loving witch hazel. Once a week or so, I soak my head and hair in sea buckthorn oil overnight and shampoo in the AM--makes it soft as a bunny, even in hard water.

Because of this board, I picked up some serums in July and it's made such a huge difference. Niacinamide and hyalauronic acid by The Ordinary, only about $5 a month to use both!

Washing my face with a non-vegetarian, carbon-friendly local lard hippy soap. I don't know if it's age, health, or the products, but normally my skin would be so red and chapped from soap. Now it's less red and hydrated.