the 24th journal
dupes, LED and sunscreen, oh my!
Hello, hi there and a very warm welcome to the 24th edition of the journal! Thank you for coming back, we have some super fun beauty talk ahead of us.
Today we talk about dupes (again) because a certain milk toner has been causing a stir and I have some *thoughts*. We also dive into the world of LED with a brand spotlight on CurrentBody.
There is another bumper Hello New! segment because beauty brands simply aren’t slowing down with the exciting new releases and I am very much here for it. Then to top it off I’ve got a bunch of recommendations including more SPF and a powerful peptide serum.
Enough chit chat; let’s talk beauty!
Brand Spotlight: CurrentBody
This has been a brand spotlight a little time in the making because I’m so excited by what CurrentBody are doing in the LED space, but also wanted to do the technology and brand justice. LED has been around in the beauty world for a while now, but it’s only in the past few years that the accessibility of having it at home has been a reality, but it’s meant that navigating where to start or invest your hard earned dollars has become a bit of a minefield.
CurrentBody have really been leading the way for a while in terms of creating effective LED technology whilst also putting the resources into the science and testing to support it. Their core product, the LED Light Therapy Face Mask focused in on what really matters when you’re using a device like this in your own home - clinically tested wavelengths and confidence that the device will consistently produce them. When you’re in a clinic receiving an LED treatment, you have a trained specialist there to help you determine which wavelengths are best suited to your concerns and how to use them. When you’re at home, you don’t really have that and whilst there is a certain appeal to a mask that offers changing LED colours, it probably isn’t going to give you the results you actually want. In order to have the different lights available, you have to use different bulbs that aren’t necessarily going to have a consistent strength across every colour. You also are going to see the best results by picking a treatment path and sticking to it, rather than changing up the colour every single evening.
That was a lot of words, but essentially the CurrentBody technology comes in here by focusing on specific wavelengths and then just ensuring that the bulbs will reliably produce that in a mask that gives even delivery to the skin. Their first version of the mask combines red and near-infrared wavelengths because they have so much clinical evidence to back them up. The new version of the mask combines these two with a third frequency, deep near-infrared with almost twice as many bulbs for even better results. It also comes with a card that provides additional information on the quality testing that the mask has to go through in order to arrive at your doorstep - a level of guarantee and transparency that sadly is not standard for all beauty devices.
As someone who comes from a science background, but is also an avid beauty consumer looking for something that just works, I find it incredibly frustrating when I’m looking at making an investment purchase like this mask but the brand can’t give me a solid reason on why their product will actually deliver. That’s why I wanted to put this piece together and share about a brand that I think is really turning that around and investing in giving you that purchase confidence (FYI individual quality testing is not a cheap process).
They do of course have a whole range of products beyond the staple LED mask, including radio frequency devices but I personally haven’t tested those, so would recommend talking to them directly to understand what may best work for you.
But there we have it! A snapshot look into the world of LED masks and CurrentBody and hopefully answering some of the questions you have about it all. As a bonus, here’s some real cute pics of me with my mask on:
Tiktok failed to load.Enable 3rd party cookies or use another browser
Shop the mask here.
For full transparency, I have been gifted both the Series 1 & 2 masks by the brand. The first gifting was made after I reached out to the brand because I’d already done my market research and had decided that this was the one I wanted to invest in. Regardless of gifting I will always share my own opinions - if I didn’t like it, I wouldn’t spend my time writing a piece like this ☺️ If you are looking at purchasing, you can use the code MORGANSKIN for 10% off - no kickback for me, just a great discount for you.
Let’s Talk About Dupes….Again
When is a product a *dupe* and when is it simply in the same product category?
It’s a question I’ve been asking myself lately as I continue to see product recommendations that are being talked about as a dupe for something else, when realistically I think it’s just…similar.
An example that’s been all over my feed lately is the tbh skincare Rebound skin milk and of course the Rhode Glazing Milk. Realistically, I think we just have two milky toner style products that are both aimed to calm the skin and one of them happened to come out first and go viral. tbh are not the only brand to make a similar style product since it launched and Rhode were also not the first brand to ever make a milk toner.
Having tried both products, I wouldn’t even say it’s a dupe in the way so many people think it is. There are a few key differences in the ingredients list that give each product it’s own purpose. The main point I’m trying to make here is that the tbh toner is a great product. Full stop, end of story. It stands on it’s own and doesn’t need to be compared to the glazing milk in order to prove it’s place in your routine.
☀️ Summer SPF Series ☀️
It continues! 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:
Cancer Council Day Wear Serum SPF50
Software Skin Daily Skin Defence
Ultra Violette Supreme Screen
Skinstitut Face The Day SPF50
Hello New!
It currently feels like every single week is bringing a whole slew of new beauty releases and announcements - lucky you have me to round them all up and give you a breakdown on what to expect and where to shop them.
Straand HeavenScent Hair Perfume + Gloss
Ever tried using a hair scent or perfume only to find that it actually doesn’t really help your hair? Enter Straand, who once again are changing the haircare game with a perfume that’s designed to have both a gorgeous scent and give your hair an added layer of environmental protection. Think notes of Neroli, Bergamot, Mandarin with just a touch of Rose and Magnolia for a refreshing and uplifting scent. Check it out here.
Rare Beauty Soft Pinch Matte Bouncy Blush
I feel vindicated in calling it that 2025 will be the year for a return to matte finishes when this is the first of 3 matte products in the list. This one in particular is a bouncy, cream to powder blush formula and will be available in 7 shades. Knowing Rare Beauty we can probably expect vibrant shades and good colour payoff in an easy to use formula.
It looks like Rare Beauty teased these themselves at an event and then ended up putting a small number available to purchase at Sephora for a short window, but the actual launch will be more like mid March. My guess is we should see these in Sephora Australia not long after the US (Rare do tend to be pretty good at a global release date).
Make Up For Ever Super Boost Skin Tint + Lip Gloss
An interesting step sideways from Make Up Forever to a more bared back style base and lip formula that I am absolutely intrigued by. When I think of the brand, I think high performance, artistry style products with real staying power, so I’m expecting that but in a softer style. We have a classic skincare meets makeup approach, with a hydrating base to the skin tint that will provide light to medium coverage.
The lip gloss may be the more exciting launch though because we’re seeing a high-gloss, hydrating lip colour in some of our very favourite shades of their iconic Colour Pencils. Think Anywhere Caffeine or Wherever Walnut but in gloss form - somewhere Hailey Bieber just had her day made.
Alpha-H Melting Moment Cleansing Balm
Every year Alpha-H bring out a gorgeous, limited edition scent of their iconic Melting Moment Cleansing Balm and every year it has me completely enamoured. I am not usually a fan of scents in skincare products, but these are just always done so well. For 2025 we are getting a Geranium Leaf, Rose + Orange Oil scent, that just sounds so fresh and uplifting. The product itself is a really effective cleansing balm that really melts away makeup and grime, and I find the scent really elevates that whole experience too.
Benefit BADgal Bounce Mascara
We have a new member of the BADgal mascara family and it may be their most exciting formula yet. It’s a long wearing, volumising formula that promises to give you fluffy, fuller lashes without the compromise. The best part about it is the new style wand that has two different brush types to help get you the effect and application you want. This is absolutely on my list to try.
Revlon Illuminance Glow Primer + Balm Primer + Glow Wands
The Revlon Illuminance range already has some killer products, so it’s no surprise to see them adding to help give you that glowing routine from start to finish. We have the addition of two different primers as well as a glow wand/blush situation. Having tried some of the other products in the range, I’m excited to see how these also perform and add to it - bonus points for each product being $36 or less (and often on sale). The primers come in a more lightweight glowy formula, or a more balmy, moisturising version.
Tower28 Get Set Blur + Set Matte Powder Blush
Thankfully before this journal went live, Tower28 decided to properly announce these because I’ve been DYING to talk about them since I saw one of my favourite creators tease them over two weeks ago. Essentially it looks like they’ve taken their powder formula and turned it into a blush, with 6 glorious shades to pick from. No news yet on a solid release date but the blush is now available to see, but not shop, on the US Sephora site, so hopefully we see them at Mecca very very soon!
Tiktok failed to load.Enable 3rd party cookies or use another browser
Anastasia Beverly Hills Impeccable Blurring Second Skin Matte Foundation
Oop and it’s another matte product! This feels like it went under the radar a tiny bit on my feed, but ABH have brought out a new matte foundation product. It’s described as giving you a blurred, seamless finish but without completely flattening out the face - basically your 2016 matte makeup routine is getting a real refresh. ABH base launches are few and far between, which says to me that they’re really putting the time and consideration in to get it right. It’s also launched with a companion setting spray as part of the new Impeccable line.
Bubble Cleansers at Priceline
Bubble launched into Priceline with a bang but also a slightly reduced product line, so I am very excited to see that their cleansers are now available down under. There are three to choose from, depending on your skin type or which cleanser step you’re shopping for and they all sound delightful. We have a micellar milk texture, a cream cleanser and an oil cleanser, all with a focus on being gentle yet super effective.
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: BENEFIT 24-HOUR BROW SETTER INVISIBLE BROW GEL
If there’s one thing that truly makes me feel put together, it’s a tidy brow and this is the perfect product for it. It truly is invisible in the brow and doesn’t feel to stiff or heavy, giving a more natural hold throughout the day. It comes with a wand that has two different shapes to it, to help get your hairs under control and stay in place.
I’ve been using this pretty much everyday for about 3 months and there’s still plenty of product in there, which is always a win as well. I feel like Benefit really are known for their brow products and I’ve never had a disappointing one from them.
Shop it here.
MOON: SSEEN SILK SKIN POWER PEPTIDE SERUM
I wanted to give this a proper try before sharing because I know peptides are a bit of a hot commodity at the moment and I only want to share the best - so I can confirm that this truly is a great formula. The key ingredients are a combination of specifically chosen peptides (4% Syn®-Ake & 10% Matrixyl™ 3000) that work together to help inhibit the muscle movements that contribute to fine wrinkles, as well as enhancing growth factor activity to improve collagen production.
It feels like they’ve set a high bar, but I truly enjoy using this as part of my nighttime routine. The texture of the serum is actually quite silky and sinks into the skin well, plus it’s paired with hydrating glycerin, squalane and rosehip oil to help calm inflammation and plump at the same time. For me, it’s basically an all rounder serum and has become a pillar of my nighttime skincare.
Shop it here.
RISING: GARNIER PINEAPPLE HAIR FOOD
Rather than narrowing it down to a specific single product, I wanted to share about this range in general and also put a little respect on the Garnier hair food selection. The pineapple has been my formula of choice because it focuses on a glossy finish (something my dry, curly hair would love to see) but there’s genuinely one out there for whatever your hair needs. I have specifically been reaching for the shampoo & conditioner, as well as the hair drink as a treatment style product.
The shampoo provides a deep clean whilst not feeling too intense or drying for my curls, followed by the conditioner that really does give that hydration back. I could possibly use a little more nourishment for my ends, but this is easily addressed by adding some oil post-wash (or perhaps I need to admit I am well overdue for a trim). The glossy hair drink is a unique lamellar style formula that works quickly and helps to bit of a softness and sleekness to my hair - which is not a small thing to say for hair as thin and poorly maintained as my own. The scent of each product is also unmistakably pineapple, but in a delightfully fresh way that has me feeling a little happier that it’s still summer. Next time you’re in the supermarket or chemist, I really recommend giving this range a go!
Shop it here.
And with that, we’ve reached the end of the 24th 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