the 29th journal
Hello, hi there and a very warm welcome to the 29th edition of the journal! Thank you for coming back, we have some super fun beauty talk ahead of us.
Today we are tackling the world of neck & dec skincare, which has been all over my feed. It’s an interesting conversation and I’d love some of your input too. Isamaya beauty has launched at Mecca and I know nothing about the brand, so let’s find out together.
We also have some fantastic beauty faves and my very best blush recommendations for those just dipping their toes into the blush world.
Enough chit chat; let’s talk beauty!
Neck & Dec: Why Skincare Doesn’t Stop At Your Face
As of late my feed has had a noticeable increase in content about looking after your neck and décolletage as part of your skincare routine and thought it was worth exploring more. It’s an interesting area since we don’t really give it much thought until we notice that it’s perhaps not looking the way we want.
Now the obvious train of thought here is that the skin below your chin is also just skin, so really you can just extend what’s going onto your face down there too. If I spend a minute thinking about it, my concerns for my neck are the level of pigmentation and my skin barrier strength, which aligns exactly with my face skincare priorities.
That’s just me though and of course for some of you lovely people there may be a mismatch between your face and neck, so a specific treatment for that area could be useful. One of the more common issues I see mentioned is the firmness of the skin, as well as pigmentation (especially if you regularly wear open neck tops) and that ‘crepey’ look. The good news here is that there are a few easy things you can start doing right now that don’t involve buying anything.
Apply and reapply your sunscreen. Whilst a lot of us are getting much better about our sun safety for our face, our neck and chest area need a little more love. You can use either your face or body sunscreen, just make sure you’re applying a proper amount.
Share what’s on your face. Literally just take the products or routine you’re applying on your face down further. Zoe Foster Blake has famously said that you apply down to the nipples, but feel free to stop where feels right for you.
Products designed for your neck + dec that you may be interested in:
My friends over at Current Body have recently given their Neck & Décolletage LED Mask the Series 2 upgrade, which means a better fit and additional LEDs. If you’re an LED lover like I am or especially trying to help reduce sensitivity and pigmentation, this could really be an answer for you.
See me modelling it here:
Andddd that’s probably about it for actual products I’d recommend. There are a lot of skincare products marketed for use in this area that make promises of lifting and tightening but truth be told, a lot of them feel a little bit icky to me. Some of the language used to describe this area is some of the worst in the beauty space and I honestly debated whether to write this segment at all. How do you feel about how the industry speaks about neck & dec skincare?
Isamaya Beauty is now at Mecca
ISAMAYA, founded by celebrated makeup artist Isamaya Ffrench is now available to shop at Mecca and I know barely anything about it. After about 5 minutes looking into the brand, it turns out this is just my own ignorance because the brand has a very loyal, very passionate following and the products have a very clear purpose.
As a makeup artist, Isamaya has incredible credentials and experience within the beauty industry, working with some very famous faces on the runway and in editorial print. For example:
It then makes sense that the brand and product launches revolve around artistry; think high performance, multi purpose and colour theory. What I was not too surprised but very excited to see is the very purposeful inclusion of skincare throughout the entire line. Based on the brand website and the description of ‘powerful’ and ‘active’ ingredients, hopefully the skincare is included at a level that means it can actually deliver benefits.
My interest has absolutely been piqued and a few of the products are on my radar to try - namely the Sculpting Stick, Microbial Gel and Colour Correcting Serums. These three feel like the more innovative or different products from the line up and I’d be very interested to see how they could enhance my base.
Beginner Blush
It shocks me but apparently not everyone is in love with blush as I am? Or maybe just don’t know exactly where to start. Which is exactly why I’ve brought together my favourite formulas and shades if you’re a blush beginner.
There’s a truly staggering number of cheek products available on the market and I’ve tried nearly all of them. Ok, that’s not quite true but I have tried many, many, many blushes and feel qualified to share some wonderful ones.
Tower28 BeachPlease in Magic Hour
Rhode Pocket Blush in Freckle
Nudestix All Over Colour Blush Balm in Sunkissed
Holme Beauty Embodiment Blush in Phoebe
What makes all of these so good? Easy to work with, cream based formulas that blend well into the cheek and match well with basically any look. I will note here that these shades are obviously well suited to my more fair complexion, so may not be a neutral base for everyone.
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: SUMMER FRIDAYS SKIN TINT
This skin tint has been a formula I come back to and obsess over time and again because it’s just so lovely. When I think of what I want in a skin tint, this is really the benchmark. It’s lightweight and sheer but does actually provide some coverage - it’s ‘your skin but better’ in the very best way.
A key ingredient that helps make this so gorgeous is the inclusion of tigergrass, which is known for helping to soothe the skin and reduce the appearance of redness. It’s normally an ingredient in a lot of colour correcting products for this exact reason. Whilst you can absolutely apply this tint just using your fingers, I like using a brush because it still works so well and is genuinely so quick. It has a great natural finish and wear on the skin that has me coming back to it on the daily.
Shop it here.
MOON: MURAD HEARTLEAF GENTLE RESURFACING SERUM
Well, I may have just found the best exfoliant for sensitive skin. This whole range from Murad is especially designed for us more sensitive folks and includes the normal lineup of a gentle cleanser and soothing cream but also this incredible exfoliant. It works with a slow release, smaller dose of alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs) so you’re getting those exfoliating benefits but in a super chill way.
Of course, Murad have included skin barrier supporting ingredients such as ceramides to give your skin a big hug at the same time. I really appreciate formulations like this because as someone who is more sensitive, getting even skin cell turnover and that lovely smooth surface can be a bit tricky. I recommend that while this is quite gentle, it is still an acid, so it’s not something I’m reaching for every evening, but can use it regularly.
Shop it here.
RISING: PAULA’S CHOICE C5 SUPER BOOST MOISTURISER
Here we are with yet another absolutely stellar Paula’s Choice moisturiser. It contains a concentrated dose of vitamin C, along with squalane, niacinamide and hexapeptide to brighten and hydrate the skin. They were kind enough to send this my way just as my last vitamin c product was finished up and so I slotted it straight into my morning skincare routine.
We think so much about vitamin c serums, but a vitamin c moisturiser is such a great option to have. As someone who is currently time poor and often rushing in the morning, being able to bundle up a bunch of steps into one is literally the best. One pump does the whole face, sinks in quickly and sits well under SPF. This in the morning plus their peptide moisturiser formula at night is such a great system and I’m quite obsessed.
Shop it here.
And with that, we’ve reached the end of the 29th 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 to come in 2025 and I hope you join me for it. I’ll play myself out with a little song recommendation for your week 💚