Photo courtesy of Anna Dabrowska/The Licensing Project
The Top 10 Beauty
Questions We Get at goop
How do I find the perfect shade of tinted moisturizer? Should I layer my skin care? What’s the best way to treat dry skin? Breakouts? The beauty concierge team—they’re part of goop’s new personal shopping department, and they’re here to field all your beauty questions—has the answers.
1
How do I pick a foundation shade online?
Send a selfie or a close-up picture of yourself—with clean skin, in natural light—to [email protected], and they can help you choose your shade based both on brands you like and whether you want subtle or more-intense coverage (it helps to send your current foundation shade, too). Also keep in mind that no matter your skin color, undertones matter. If you have pinkish undertones in your skin, using a clean foundation listed as cool matches best; for golden undertones, foundations listed as warm blend in better. For more tips, we have a great article shade-matching (Westman Atelier founder and makeup artist Gucci Westman and Kosas founder Sheena Yaitanes have some cool tricks to share).
-
Creamy Foundation and Concealer in One
Westman Atelier Vital Skin Foundation Stick goop, $68SHOP NOW -
Sheer Tinted Moisturizer with SPF 20
Beautycounter Dew Skin Moisturizing Coverage goop, $45SHOP NOW -
Ultramoisturizing
Tinted Face Oil
Kosas Tinted Face Oil goop, $42SHOP NOW -
Foundation Brush for Subtle Application
Westman Atelier Foundation brush goop, $80SHOP NOW -
Tinted Serum with SPF 40
ILIA Super Serum Skin Tint
SPF 40 Foundation goop, $48SHOP NOW -
Light Cream for Dewy Skin with SPF 35
Saie Slip Tint goop, $32SHOP NOW
2
What’s the best moisturizer for dry skin?
Occlusive formulas—thick creams, rich face oils, and balms that lock in moisture by forming a barrier over skin—work best for intensely hydrating and soothing dry skin. Layering your skin care takes the moisturizing to another level: Smooth a hydrating serum onto cleansed skin as the first step and follow with face cream or face oil if your skin is especially dry. So does exfoliating regularly. Sweeping away dead skin and grime allows moisturizer and any other products you apply to penetrate your skin better. In fact, alpha hydroxy acids were initially developed to treat dry skin.
-
Aloe Gel
Dr. Barbara Sturm Aloe Vera Gel goop, $70SHOP NOW -
Serum
Dr. Barbara Sturm Hyaluronic Serum goop, $300SHOP NOW -
Light Lotion
goop Beauty GOOPGLOW Glow Lotion goop, $58/$52 with subscriptionSHOP NOW
-
Firming Supercream
for All skin Types
goop Beauty GOOPGENES All-in-One
Nourishing Face Cream goop, $95/$86 with subscriptionSHOP NOW -
Balm
Furtuna Skin Rinascita Delle Olive
Replenishing Balm goop, $185SHOP NOW -
Thick Cream
Tammy Fender Celestial Rose Crème goop, $145SHOP NOW -
Skin-Balancing Face Oil
Vintner’s Daughter Active
botanical Serum goop, $185SHOP NOW
3
What’s the most flattering way to apply bronzer?
Smooth bronzer anywhere the sun might naturally hit—along the bridge of the nose, on the apples of cheeks, sparingly across the brow bone. For a subtly chiseled effect, blend it from the cheeks at a slight diagonal up toward your temples. Dusting a touch over eyelids adds gorgeous warmth and instantly wakes up your entire face. Bronzers with gold undertones light up darker skin shades beautifully, while bronzers with cooler bronzy tones flatter fairer skin types. Bonus: For a just-back-from-vacation radiance, sweep on a sheer blush before blending bronzer on top.
4
What’s the difference between GOOPGLOW 15% Glycolic Acid Overnight Glow Peel and GOOPGLOW Microderm Instant Glow Exfoliator?
-
Both are exfoliating and packed with replenishing botanicals, and both leave skin impossibly glowy—but they differ in terms of how and when to use them. Once a week, sweep the overnight peel over clean skin. The blend of glycolic acid and fruit extracts retexturizes skin while you sleep (GP wanted it to mimic the skin-renewing effects of an in-office chemical peel). Swipe it on clean skin and go to bed—that’s it. It’s a powerful peel, so go easy on anything exfoliating the following morning. The glowy effects should last about a week, until your next treatment.
-
goop Beauty GOOPGLOW 15% Glycolic Acid Overnight Glow Peel goop, $125/$112
with subscriptionSHOP NOW
-
Microderm, on the other hand, is a facial exfoliator designed to be used two or three times a week, depending on what your skin can handle. It’s made with both physical and chemical exfoliants—micro minerals sweep away impurities, while glycolic acid dissolves dead skin—and it can be used morning or night. Smooth it over wet skin and let it sit for two or three minutes before rinsing. Apply your usual toner, serum, moisturizer, and sunscreen afterward.
-
goop Beauty GOOPGLOW Microderm
Instant Glow Exfoliator goop, $125/$112 with subscriptionSHOP NOW -
Note: Don’t use the peel and Microderm consecutively. They are powerful treatments, and exfoliating excessively is irritating. If you have very sensitive skin, forgo the peel and (after patch-testing) start off using Microderm once a week.
5
in what order do I apply my skin care?
Go from lightest to thickest: After cleansing, smooth on toner or facial essence. Toning helps the rest of your products penetrate more effectively and removes any residual impurities. Serum comes next. Give it a beat to absorb—the time it takes to smooth on some lip balm is perfect—then layer on a moisturizing face cream or oil. (Or both, if your skin needs it. We like to apply face oil over cream, but it’s personal preference.) Finish with sunscreen, the most effective way to protect skin against UV damage, preserve collagen, and stave off premature wrinkles.
-
Oil
goop Beauty GOOPGENES All-in-One
Super Nutrient Face Oil goop, $98/$89 with subscriptionSHOP NOW -
Lip Balm
goop Beauty GOOPGENES Clean
Nourishing Lip Balm Trio goop, $42SHOP NOW
6
When do I apply face oil?
Whenever your skin feels dry or in need of a midday pick-me-up or if your makeup needs refreshing (instead of applying more pigment, spritz on a hydrating face mist and press in a few drops of oil to instantly wake up your skin). Clinically proven to help minimize the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles (it’s made with bakuchiol, a retinol alternative), improve firmness, as well as nourish and boost glow, there’s no downside to using the GOOPGENES face oil multiple times a day. It’s deeply moisturizing on its own, but layering it over a face cream seals in all the nutrients and leaves skin with an especially gorgeous sheen.
7
Which products best address fine lines and wrinkles?
-
A healthy diet is critical to how your skin looks and feels, which is why GOOPGLOW Morning Skin Superpowder—it tastes citrusy and refreshing—is such a brilliant way to get a daily dose of antioxidants, vitamins, and skin-boosting nutrients to help protect against physical signs of aging like dullness and fine lines. GP calls it her drinkable skin care.*
-
goop Beauty GOOPGLOW Morning Skin Superpowder goop, $60/$55 with subscriptionSHOP NOW
-
Powerful topical skin care can make an enormous difference, too. One of the most researched antioxidants for improving firmness and tone, as well as brightening skin, is vitamin C. The vitamin C serum from goop combines L-ascorbic acid (the best-for-skin form of vitamin C) with moisturizing hyaluronic acid; you mix the two together on your first use to maintain potency. The serum leaves your skin looking noticeably smoother and more youthful—usually in less than a week, someone will ask, “What are you doing with your skin?”
-
goop Beauty GOOPGLOW 20% Vitamin C + HyaluronicAcid Glow Serum goop, $125/$112 with subscriptionSHOP NOW
Follow the serum with a high-tech moisturizer like the one from GOOPGENES, which is clinically proven to improve firmness and elasticity, or the velvety anti-aging face cream from Dr. Barbara Sturm, which is loaded with antioxidants, hyaluronic acid, and nourishing botanicals to help restore tired skin. We also love devices: Designed to stimulate collagen and elastin by delivering microcurrent into skin, the ZIIP OX subtly sculpts, tones, and lifts.
8
I’m looking to switch to a clean mascara.
What are great ones that really perform?
There’s no reason not to switch at this point—the clean tech is there, and the only things you’re sacrificing are the microplastics and by-products of coal-tar combustion that are commonly found in conventional mascara. These are our favorites for gorgeous, glossy, defined lashes that give your whole face a boost.
-
For Fluttery Length
ILIA Limitless Lash Mascara goop, $28SHOP NOW -
For Sexy Volume
Westman Atelier Eye Love You Mascara goop, $58SHOP NOW -
For Inky Definition
Kosas The Big Clean Mascara goop, $26SHOP NOW
9
What’s a routine to help treat blemish-prone skin?
Fight the urge to dry out your skin—counterintuitively, blemishes respond to gentle treatments. Ones that are stripping can have the reverse effect of spurring oil production. Wash with an exfoliating cleanser, like the one from G.Tox, which combines detoxifying acids with nourishing fruit extracts and antioxidants, and use GOOPGLOW Microderm right afterward a few times a week.
For a toning step, the G.Tox daily tonic combines glycolic acid with hyaluronic acid and vitamin B3 to soothe blemishes and flood skin with hydration. Ideally, follow that with topical vitamin C, which is also amazing for oily complexions.
A mildly resurfacing night treatment, like the AHA serum from KORA Organics, is excellent for calming skin. It bears repeating that all skin types benefit from moisturizer—just choose a light one like Glow Lotion if you’re breakout-prone.
LED light masks have long been known to be therapeutic for acne, and this one from Dr. Dennis Gross is designed to calm breakouts and redness with different settings.
10
How do I choose a flattering blush shade for my skin?
Generally, deeper skin tones are enhanced by deep red, pink, and berry shades (pale pinks can show up chalky on dark skin), while fair complexions benefit from dusty-rose and peachy tints. Sheer, hydrating pigments that melt right into skin, like the ones below, leave a subtle just-went-for-a-jog warmth and are forgiving and buildable enough to work on all skin tones.
-
Sheer Blackberry
Balmyard Beauty Baby Love Balm Lip + Cheek
Tint in Black Roses goop, $32SHOP NOW -
Dusty Rose
Saie Dew Blush in Rosy goop, $22SHOP NOW -
Bright Pink
Westman Atelier Baby Cheeks Blush Stick in Poppet goop, $48SHOP NOW -
Dusty Pink
Tata Harper Vitamin-Infused Cream
Blush in Lovely goop, $42SHOP NOW
More Questions?
Contact the beauty concierge team at [email protected], and they’ll get back to you with answers (good ones).
*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
