This week Deciem announced that this year they are doing Black Friday a bit differently this year. Personally I applaud their efforts to draw attention to consumer habits and to the impact of our personal choices. Of course there will always be grumblers, but for a brand that's as inexpensive as TO a 23% discount feels generous. Transparent pricing is one of the things I love about Deciem and I appreciate the way they use marketing to expand the thinking of the beauty industry.
MY BLACK FRIDAY ORDER:
A quick summary of my order: basically one of each product (I didn't order multiples) from these categories:
- Regular Use Products. This is basically everything that I use on a daily basis or that I rotate into my routine seasonally. Including hydrators, actives, oils, etc.
- Products I've been wanting to try or test. This includes products that are new to Deciem (Subq mist) or upgrades on products I usually use (C25 instead of EAA).
- Treats! I figure that Black Friday is usually my chance to nab a deal so why shouldn't I? My treats this year were Hydration Vaccine (which is a similar price to my normal moisturiser anyway) and Modulating Glucosides (because I can't get my head around what this product actually is so I feel like I need to try it if I want to find out).
- Extras. I also ordered some stuff that I want to test. Things that probably won't make it into my regular rotation but I want to see what it's like so that I can speak from experience if anyone asks me about it (the SA mask).
SPENDING: I spent about $200, which is pretty much what I plan for my Black Friday purchases.
All good and well, you think, but how does that help me? No, I'm not recommending that you 'do as I do'. My reason for posting a summary of my purchasing is to demonstrate that there is a thought process there. A reason for each thing I ordered. It's up to you to figure out your own logic.
THINKING THROUGH YOUR ORDER
Once you've been Bullet Journaling for a while it's a snap to look through your records and see what you use and how often you replenish. But, if you're new to tracking your skincare you might not know how much you use and therefore how much to order. Let's take a look by category to break it down.
Basics: Cleanser, Moisturiser, Sunscreen. If these are your Go-To basics then order as much as you think you'll use in a year.
Hydrators: HA, Marine Hyaluronics, Amino Acids, mists, etc. Order as much as you can! These are products you will use. They are generally easy to fit into any routine and make your skin happy. Go for it.
Oils: most of us can use the barrier support provided by oils. This is a good opportunity to sample a few to test how they work for you. Some oils are best seasonally so you may want to prioritise the ones you'll use for winter.
Actives: If you are set with certain actives already then go ahead and order what you know you'll use. Where it gets more complicated is when you are considering *bumping up* or moving to something stronger. Generally I would say that you don't really need more than one product from each category: retinoid, direct acid, etc. Especially if you are ordering any products that cause re-surfacing, don't overload on actives.
Anti-oxidants: ok, these are technically actives, but I like having a few different ones to rotate so I'm putting them in their own category. And always a Vitamin C!
ANYTHING NEW: If you haven't tried a product before then I wouldn't recommend ordering multiples. Unless it's really cheap and you don't mind spending the money on something you might not use.
PRODUCTS I RECOMMEND TO PRETTY MUCH EVERYONE
Hylamide High Efficiency Cleanser. If you've never used an oil cleanser before then this is a great place to start. You only have to use 4-5 drops at a time and it's good to remove make-up or as both a first and second Cleanse. A bottle lasts forever.
Marine Hyaluronics: the easiest to use of all the humectants
Squalane: barrier support that is unlikely to clog pores or cause congestion
Sea Buckthorn: just wow! You'll thank me.
Argireline: this one takes some time. But if you are concerned about lines on your forehead this is the one to try.
NAAP: anyone who wants to use regular chemical exfoliation should strongly consider this one instead. This is a HG product for me.
PRODUCTS WORTH CONSIDERING
LVCE: this Niod cleanser seems expensive but the bottle is huge and it lasts FOREVER. Niod is special - it leaves a film on your skin that helps your actives absorb.
Pycnogenol: anti-oxidant powerhouse
Euk: I love those ant-oxidants
Peptides: I prefer the Subq formula to the TO peptides, but it's personal.
Eyes: I don't necessarily use anything specific for the eye area, but the peptides are great around the eyes as they are light and hydrating. Buffet or regular Subq are good options as an eye serum.
The Red Peel: even though this is a strong acid I often recommend this one. Because you wash it off it's easier to control than leave-on acids.
Sunscreen: I know the TO sunscreens don't get a lot of love but I use mine all summer long. It's so hard to find a decent mineral sunscreen so this one is worth a shot. I order the SPF30 and use less of it during the winter.
You may notice that I haven't mentioned any retinoids (I don't really use them and which one you use is very individual), direct acids (so harsh for general use, but if you have KP or *chicken skin* anywhere on your body you might want a direct acid) or anything too *luxe* (by all means, splash out if you can afford it - but if that's the case then you probably already have your eye on something).
Am I forgetting anything? What are your HGs? Let us know what you're ordering/have ordered.
Not sure? Have questions? Comment with your Wish List and let us help you out!