Morgan's Skin Journal
the seventh journal
Hello, hi there and a very warm welcome to the seventh edition of the journal! Thank you for coming back, we have some super fun beauty talk ahead of us.
Today we have a bumper issue including a spotlight on one of my fave cult status products, the baby pink blush combo I just discovered and the return of What’s Up Wednesday with a look at Vitamin A vs AHAs.
Plus! Of course we have a look at some of my top picks from all of the recent beauty releases and my big three for the week.
Enough chit chat; let’s talk beauty!
Cult Status: Lanolips 101
I don’t think there’s any denying that Lano is an icon and not just in Australia! It’s been featured in just about every beauty publication you could think of and you can find a tube in many celeb beauty bags. It has a heritage beginning 100 years ago on a family farm and continues to support local Australian and New Zealand farms to this day.
The original 101 ointment is a multipurpose balm that uses the moisturising properties of lanolin to help dry and cracked skin wherever you need it - whilst it is a fantastic lip balm, there’s so many different spots you can use it. Some personal faves of mine are putting it around my nose when I’m unwell, as a cuticle balm treatment overnight or on eczema patches.
I always have one of these on me, at my desk, in my car, in my handbag etc and I am loving all the new scents and iterations that are coming out. My forever go to is the Coconutter scent, but both of the Gelato Messina collabs are delightful and the newer Raspberry Shortcake option is heavenly. Feels like it’s own little treat.
Hello New!
Holme Beauty Alignment Lip Liner:
If there’s one beauty brand you should get behind now, it’s Holme Beauty. The products are fantastic, the messaging and branding is incredible and they’re having important conversations about inclusivity and self worth, with this latest release starting one about accessibility. Their packaging now has braille, there are accessibility filters for the website and disability visibility throughout the latest launch images. The new liners are a square design, with flat edges to make it easier to grip and less likely to roll off your dresser. They come in 6 shades and are priced at $34 each, which when you see the size of the liners is incredible value. I cannot wait to get my hands on these to try - a lip liner and gloss is my favourite way to do a daily lip.
Straand Crown Companion Cleansing Pre-Wash Scalp Oil:
Straand are doing the good work by continuing to bring out everything you need to take control of your scalp and hair health, so of course they’ve brought out a delightful oil as a pre-wash step. I know that hairtok has been obsessed with a cleansing oil, especially ones that include rosemary oil, which is widely loved for it’s ability to help improve circulation and hair growth. It’s only $30 for a bottle that looks like it will last you many wash cycles. I for one am very excited to get my hands on this one to try - 2024 is absolutely the year of hair for me.
Mecca Max Glaze Phase Lip Oil:
Oh hello, it’s a new lip oil! And she comes in 4 shades with a high-gloss, juicy finish and priced at just $15, which is an absolute steal. I am yet to try these myself, but a few of my beauty friends have said they lean more towards a gloss that also has oil, rather than a pure lip oil. Either way they look so pretty! The richer Blackberry Glaze shade is speaking to me and looks like the perfect option for a berry toned lip in the cooler months ahead.
The Ordinary Retinal 0.2% Emulsion:
Retinal is having a moment and if there’s one brand I trust to nail it, it is The Ordinary. It is the strongest retinoid formula they offer, and is recommended for the more experienced users i.e. this is not an ‘intro to retinol/retinal’ product. Of course, it’s main benefits are to help with cell turnover for bouncier, brighter, more even skin. Also included in the formula is synthetic oat to help reduce any discomfort from application. You can read about it in comparison to a pricey cult fave here.
DedCool Rocco Mint Fragrance:
DedCool are making fragrances that really excite me at the moment - their Taunt scent is an absolute favourite of mine, I love to use their Milk formula for layering and I’m currently working my way through a sample of Red Dakota. This new scent however is one of a few that launched recently and features Moroccan mint amongst a combination of ‘expensive blooms’. I am a certified mint scent lover and it is rare to see it in a fragrance, so I will absolutely be getting my butt into Mecca and giving this a go. PS this is not a new scent for the brand, just new to Mecca & Aus.
Holifrog Caspian Silk Amino Oil:
A face oil for stressed skin? Have you ever heard of a more ‘me’ product… Seriously though, it’s an interesting facial oil formula that intends to help with dryness and discomfort in the skin, calming stressed out or damaged skin. It’s the 3 key ingredients alongside the oils that have my attention: hydrolyzed silk for deep hydration; chloroplastim for restoring and improving skin texture; saliporine-8 for strengthening the skin barrier and softening the skin. This arrived on my doorstep the day after I finished my current oil and that felt like a serious sign to get it on my face ASAP.
Current Blush Combo Obsession
If you weren’t already aware, I’ve been working through my blush collection and sharing it in my blush series over the past month or so. As part of that I asked a few of my beauty friends which formulas and shades they can’t stop reaching for and in recreating my girl Bekky’s combo found a delightful, baby pink cheek that I’ve fallen in love with.
She recommended the Saie Dew Blush in Baby + topped off with the Too Faced Cloud Crush Blush in Candy Clouds. I also own and love the Saie Baby shade, but didn’t have the Too Faced formula, so gave it a go with a similar one I owned - the Mecca Max Cheek Crush Powder in Pinky Promise.
We’re working with two true baby pink shades: very cool toned, very pale but still with a lot of pigment. The shades between the two brands are quite complimentary, but the formulas are a bit different and that’s where some of the magic is. You have a dewy finish liquid in the Saie, topped with a blurring powder in the Mecca Max. You could even play around with the placement of the powder to control where the dew sits. Here’s how they look on my cheeks:
You can also watch my application here.
What’s Up Wednesday…on a Friday
If you’ve never seen one of my What’s Up Wednesday videos, they’re a regular occurrence on my page and provide a space for sharing beauty knowledge, answering FAQs, ingredient explainers or even myth busting. This week we explored how to decide between needing Vitamin A or AHAs/BHAs in your routine.
What’s the difference between Vitamin A and AHAs/BHAs?
They are two different structures that work in different ways. Vitamin A or your retinoid/retinol/retinal derivatives are powerful antioxidants that essentially communicate with your skin cells and pathways within the skin and tell them to ‘act younger’. This process is sometimes just referred to as skin cell turnover - older skin cells (lacking firmness or appearing dull) being replaced by new skin cells (firmer, bouncier, fresher). AHAs/BHAs are acids and primarily work as exfoliants on the skin, normally by breaking down the bonds holding dead skin cells together. Exfoliating these old skin cells away reveals newer, fresher skin.
What skin issues do they address?
There is quite a bit of overlap in the benefits they provide - AHAs are probably best known for that exfoliation, revealing smoother, brighter skin. If you’re dealing with roughness, uneven skin tone or dullness, you’re probably already reaching for an exfoliating acid. Vitamin A has a range of benefits, one of which includes encouraging the production of hyaluronic acid, for a more plump and hydrated appearance. Because of the cell turnover style mechanism, you can also see improvements in texture, dark spots and brightness.
How long do they take to work?
It depends a little on the formula, but using an AHA/BHA gives a very quick results, usually overnight or even less than 20 minutes if you’re using a mask or treatment (it will tell you on the specific product). So if you’re after that smoother, brighter effect ASAP, this is the option for you.
Using a Vitamin A is more of a long term investment - the formula will start working on your skin cells straight away but will usually take a few weeks before you start to see changes and a few months before you’re getting those optimum benefits.
Can I just use both?
Yes you can - although probably not both at once. Over time, a routine can definitely incorporate both and you can use AHAs/BHAs in quite a symbiotic relationship with your retinol. However, if you’re looking to introduce either for the first time, please tread carefully and lightly - even at low concentrations, they are both still quite active ingredients and can be a lot for your skin barrier. If you’ve never used ingredients that exfoliate, I recommend starting with a low concentration AHA, patch tested on your arm and then on your face to see how reactive your skin may be.
TL;DR? Just watch the reel instead:
The Big Three
Ok, you know how you have your big three in astrology? This is just the beauty product version of that, and yes I think I’m pretty clever thank you very much. The Sun will be something that’s going on my face on the daily, Moon is for the nighttime routine heroes and Rising is for the newcomer or rising favourite of the week.
SUN: BEAUTI-FLTR FEATHER LIGHT SPF50+
When it comes to SPF, we need to be wearing it and reapplying it every single day. This means that I can get a little fussy about two things - how comfortable is to put on and if the price tag is going to get in the way of me using it the way I should. Let’s be honest here, as much as I know the importance of wearing SPF and looking after my skin in that way, I don’t love how much it can cost when I’m restocking my daily formula.
This is part of why I’m so impressed with Beauti-fltr: it’s $25 a tube which lasts me about a month when applied (very liberally) twice a day. It is a lightweight formula, sinks into the skin well and has a lovely finish by itself or for under makeup. Bonus points for being fragrance free, non-irritating around my very sensitive eyes and the inclusion of antioxidant skincare. It really is just a beautiful formula (even beauty expert Susan Yara gives it her tick of approval) and I can’t recommend it more.
Shop it here.
MOON: TBH SKINCARE REBOUND SERUM
It truly surprises me that I haven’t mentioned this serum yet, considering how much I love it and what it does for the skin. This was created in collaboration with pharmaceutical scientist, skincare content creator and author Hannah Collingwood English, who I think is amazing and really really knows her stuff. We have a range of hydrating, calming and barrier supporting ingredients in concentrations that are actually useful; I’m talking niacinamide, panthenol, glycerin, hyaluronic acid, electrolytes, green tea, ceramides, oat extract, copper peptide and centella.
So, yes it really has everything your skin needs and is great as an everyday hydrating and barrier support serum but even better for those more sensitive or damaged moments. I love to keep a bottle on hand at all times for whenever I have a really bad reaction or flare up and my skin just needs a big hug. My skin has been in that place recently, thanks to crying and stress (tysm life) and this is just truly unmatched.
It is a thicker texture serum, in the best way possible and just glides across the skin - I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say it starts to feel comforting as you’re applying it. If I were ever to custom design a serum, it would be this one, so that’s great because now I don’t have to.
Shop it here.
RISING: MAKEUP FOREVER ARTIST COLOUR PENCIL IN WHEREVER WALNUT
I bought this about 6 months ago and I know there is a lot of hype and love for these, so I was super excited to try. It got a little lost in one of my boxes until I found it the other day and went ‘oh, I need to try this’. Well…I was absolutely missing out. This applies so smoothly and the colour is like my lips but better in the absolute best way.
I used it in combination with the Summer Fridays Dream Oil in Blush Dreams and holy moly am I now addicted to that lip combo. Wherever Walnut is that neutral brownish, pinkish shade that you’re always looking for and once you find it, you can’t stop reaching for it. The wear time is fantastic and I like to use it for a slight over line of the lips before then using it to shade in a little. Just delightful.
Shop it here.
And with that, we’ve reached the end of the seventh edition of Morgan’s Skin Journal! If you’ve made it this far, I hope it means you’ve enjoyed it and would consider sharing with a friend who might like it. There’s so much beauty goodness to come in 2024 and I hope you join me for it.
I’ll play myself out with my song of the week and see you all for the next journal 🩵
Love, Morgan