Supercharge Your Moisturizer (or
Your Serum, Your Oil, Even Your Toner)
No matter how well your favorite skin-care essentials are working, there are some brilliant ways to get even more powerful results out of them. Using vibration to push moisture and nutrients into skin is our new favorite technique (we learned it from top makeup artist Jillian Dempsey), but there are other surprisingly simple, super-low-tech
strategies, too.
The tip: vibrate
When makeup artist Jillian Dempsey discovered this vibrating twenty-four-karat-gold-plated bar on a job in Japan, she started using it right before she put on makeup. “I like to smooth on some oil or a cream, then vibrate my face for ten or fifteen minutes,” she says. “The results—sculpting, lifting, freshening—last all day. Then, if I’m going out at night, I take off my makeup and do the routine again.” She showed our editor in chief, Danielle Pergament, how to do it here:
The tip: exfoliate
Clear away dead skin cells on the surface of your skin and the cells underneath will get more of the skin care you’re smoothing over them. Physical exfoliants, from scrubs to something as simple as a washcloth, are perfect for this.
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goop by Juice Beauty
EXFOLIATING INSTANT FACIAL
goop, $125 -
Dr. Barbara Sturm
ENZYME CLEANSER
goop, $75
The tip: WET YOUR FACE
It sounds ridiculously simple, but wet skin absorbs whatever you put on it much more effectively than dry skin. Water loosens the bonds between skin cells, so ingredients—whether moisturizers or actives—can travel deeper within skin. While it’s a great way to optimize skin care, it’s also good to remember if you’re sensitive and more-active products irritate you: Apply them to dry skin and you should experience less of a reaction.
The tip: LAYER YOUR PRODUCTS
Different formulas work differently on skin; a prime example is the two products from Vintner’s Daughter. One formula is water-based and packed with water-soluble ingredients, and the other is oil-based and made with oil-soluble nutrients, so the two complement each other, working through different pathways in the skin.
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Vintner’s Daughter
ACTIVE BOTANICAL SERUM
goop, $185 -
Vintner’s Daughter
ACTIVE TREATMENT ESSENCE
goop, $225
Even formulas designed to do something similar—say, to moisturize—can work better in tandem. A thicker moisturizer over an oil or serum can help seal in the benefits of both.
Serums and Oils
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Tata Harper
ELIXIR VITAE
goop, $400 -
Balmyard Beauty
MOONLIGHT LOVER FACIAL OIL
goop, $95 -
Dr. Barbara Sturm
GLOW DROPS
goop, $145
