the 23rd journal
the bumper sensitive skin guide
Hello, hi there and a very warm welcome to the 23rd edition of the journal! Thank you for coming back, we have some super fun beauty talk ahead of us.
Today we are talking all things sensitive skin because… I was on a podcast! The lovely people over at YouBeauty had me on to yap about my routine, as well as my favourite (and least favourite!) skincare things. We spent a little time talking about what it means to have an ‘In Case of Emergency’ skincare kit, my full routine and how I prioritise or choose to include things in my lineup.
The SPF series has also started! I’m trying 20 SPF formulas in 20 days and sharing how they look on my skin so that I can help you find your perfect SPF formula. Sunscreen is just one part of your sun safety, so it’s important to have a formula that you’ll wear and continue to reapply.
Enough chit chat; let’s talk beauty!
How do I know if I have sensitive skin?
There is a bit of debate around how relevant or accurate using the skin types model is, but regardless, it’s probably pretty obvious to you if your skin naturally tends to be more sensitive feeling or reactive.
It may feel like:
Skin that gets easily itchy, rashy or red and bumpy.
Skin that doesn’t respond well to more active ingredients like vitamin c, retinol or exfoliating acids.
Skin that feels tight.
A specific condition like eczema or rosacea, which it really is worth seeing a dermatologist if you think you have one of these.
Typically, with skin that leans more sensitive, you can absolutely still use wonderful products and get results your after but you may need to tread a little lighter, lengthen timelines and be prepared for those ‘oops’ moments.
It’s also good to note whether these sort of reactions are happening in your skin often or if it seems quite isolated. If it’s happening quite often, say once a month or more where your skin feels actively uncomfortable, it is worth taking a look at your routine and adjusting it to be a little more gentle.
If it happens quite rarely and you can easily link it to a product use or contributing factor, it’s probably just a compromised skin barrier and you can get back on your merry way quickly by supporting it.
🚨 Help! I’m Having a Skin Emergency 🚨
Oh dear! Your cute face is in trouble, feeling uncomfy and you don’t know what to do. Good thing you already have that little kit we put together for in case of an emergency.
If you don’t already have one, then what I mean is having a couple of products on hand for when you can feel your barrier struggling or for those moments where a reaction happens in the blink of an eye.
My kit contains 3 main products, a mist, a serum and a cream. These can be used individually depending on the type of reaction or altogether as a back to basics routine. Let’s talk through them in more detail:
Tower28 are such a wonderful brand in the sensitive skincare game and I’ve been a big fan of this mist for years. It’s hypochlorous acid, which sounds a little scary but it actually really calming and soothing for the skin. The mist makes it super easy to get some relief whenever you’re feeling itchy or uncomfortable.
I’ve spoken at length about my love for this product and it’s impressive formula. Created in collaboration with Hannah English, it’s a well thought out serum that can be used to help calm and support the skin, or on the daily as a supercharged hydrating serum.
A long standing mainstay in my skincare lineup, this cream is calming and protective, perfect for even the most uncomfortable skin. It draws on a patented postbiotic ingredient, along with copper-zinc sulphate. Applying it feels like a thick, reparative texture that spreads easily.
You can listen to my episode with Erin on You Beauty here! Tag me if you do listen and I’d love to know your thoughts on what we spoke about 👀
☀️ Summer SPF Series ☀️
It has begun! And by that I mean my quest to help you find a sunscreen that is the *perfect* fit for your skin and your needs. We’re covering a range of textures, finishes, ingredients + cult faves so that you can find your new everyday SPF habit. Every single product is $52 or less, with most coming in under $25 and readily available.
The best part? I’m going to be measuring out and showing you the correct amount to apply so you can see what it actually looks like when you’re getting your full SPF50 coverage. No more sneaky white cast or super thick finish because the ad only showed a teeny swipe.
Here are some of the formulas I’ve shared about so far:
Mecca Cosmetica to Save Face SPF50+ Matte Sun Serum
La Roche-Posay Anthelios Invisible Fluid SPF50+
Ultra Violette Future Fluid SPF50
Go To Nifty Fifty Fluid SPF50
Hello New!
We are only one, single month into 2025 and already we have had some seriously good beauty drops - no really, my resolve to reduce spending is being well and truly tested at this point.
Summer Fridays Dream Lip Oil shade expansion
Our favourite tinted lip oil is now available in four new shades and honestly, thank goodness! In case you missed it, this formula made it onto my makeup faves for 2024 and it’s honestly no surprise. It is both hydrating and pigmented enough to give a solid wash of colours to the lips, which is why I’m so excited to try the new berry shade.
Rhode Peptide Lip Shape
Look was all knew this release was coming but it doesn’t make it any less exciting. Mrs Hailey Bieber has been teasing a lip pencil style product for months and now it’s finally available to the world. It features a creamy pencil on one end, with a silicone smudger on the other and comes in 11 delightful shades. Coupled with leaks that Rhode might be soon available at Sehpora in the US, are we inching towards a world where we can pick these up directly in Australia?
Glow Recipe Glow Hues
Glow Recipe are expanding their territory in colour cosmetics, with their super viral glow drops formula as the base. So far they’ve announced that the Rosy and Bronze all over serum formulas are now permanent, as well as newer blush shades! I was able to sit in on their first brand global conference where they shared all of this news, as well as a sneak peek of other upcoming products.
Rare Beauty Soft Pinch Liquid Contour
The soft pinch liquid family has a new member and it’s a matte contour formula! It’s available in 7 shades and it does seem to have prioritised that cool/neutral tone you want in a contour shade. As with the blushes from the same line, it is quite pigmented and a little goes a long way.
Nars Valentines Collection
We have just dipped our toes into February and already we have some gorgeous love-themed collections coming out, including the Amour range from Nars. It features some of their iconic eye, lip and cheek formulas in stunning new packaging featuring a red and pink heart motif. Love!
Paula’s Choice Pro-Collagen Peptide Plumping Moisturiser
I already predicted that in 2025 we’d continue to see peptides and yep, I was right. Paula’s Choice have added to their already incredible line up with this peptide-powered formula. I’ve used products form their range before and their use of peptides is always so well done, so I’m excited to see how this new formula goes.
Alpha-H Liquid Gold + Vitamin C
An icon got a little upgrade! The cult favourite Liquid Gold exfoliant, which has been at the centre of Alpha-H since it’s inception now comes in combination with vitamin C. It’s still with the 5% glycolic acid base you know and love, but with the addition of stabilised vitamin c for additional brightening.
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: La Roche-Posay Anthelios Invisible Fluid SPF50
Considering I’d never tried this formula a fortnight ago and I already have a number of SPFs I love, this surprised me with how quickly it’s become my daily go to. It truly is the most lightweight fluid formula that melts into nothing on the skin. As someone who is prone to sensitivity, I appreciate that it’s a fragrance free formula and love how gentle it is around my eye areas.
If you’re someone who doesn’t like the feeling of sunscreen or maybe just want something a bit utilitarian that you can pop on and not worry about, this may be the sunscreen for you. As someone who doesn’t wear makeup to work, I find the finish is quite undetectable on the skin and doesn’t look too greasy or crazy without a base.
Shop it here.
MOON: tbh skincare Rebound toner
If you know me, you would be shocked that it took me as long as it did before I tried this, but also completely unsurprised at how much I love it. Boy, do I love this product. It’s a collaboration between tbh skincare and Hannah English and they absolutely nailed this formula. It has activated cica, ceramides, panthenol and ginger root extract.
It has a thicker, milky style texture to it that feels calming on contact and really just sinks into the skin. I opened it the day I got my parcel and have been obsessed with it in my routine ever since. I have a patch of irritation and redness on my cheek + down my neck that has calmed down so significantly and my skin barrier is feeling stronger and less reactive than it has been for a long time.
Shop it here.
RISING: Sibling Skincare Future Bright Vitamin C serum
The brand were kind enough to send it to me a little while ago and I was just waiting to finish up my open bottle of vitamin c before moving onto this. My first impression is that the texture is gorgeous and I like the lack of scent (a LOT of vitamin c products have a weird ham-like scent). The formula is a little bit of genius, combining a stabilised and well tolerated form of vitamin c with ingredients that hydrate and smooth the skin at the same time.
If that wasn’t enough for you, Leigh Campbell herself recommended it if you’re looking for an alternative to the $249 Skinceuticals formula that many know and love. In my opinion, I agree but also might just have to add that this stands on it’s own, without the comparison to a super pricey product. Time will tell how it helps with my reducing the appearance of my dark spots and overall pigmentation, but so far, so good.
Shop it here.
And with that, we’ve reached the end of the 23rd edition of Morgan’s Skin Journal! if you’re made it this far, I hope that means you’ve enjoyed it and would consider sharing it with a friend who might enjoy it. There’s so much beauty goodness still 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