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If lipstick can have a national day all to its won, then why can’t Vitamin C? Shoot, we’re living in crazy times; we need to celebrate everything!

Sooooo, in case you haven’t marked it on your calendar yet, April 4 is National Vitamin C Day. 😺 I plan to celebrate by eating a bunch of mandarin oranges (but only the kind with the leaves attached!) and contemplating one of my favorite skincare ingredients.

(Vitamin C)

My favorite Vitamin C serum for the longest time has been SkinCeuticals CE Ferulic. If you want a serum that does everything — helps with fine lines, firmness and dark patches — this is the stuff! When I use it consistently along with sunscreen, my face (especially my cheeks, which is where I have most of my hyperpigmentation), looks noticeably smoother and more even-toned.

Unfortunately…it’s hella crazy expensive at $166 for a 0.50-oz. bottle.

(Yes, OMG!)

But it really works well for me.

SkinCeuticals CE Ferulic isn’t the only Vitamin C serum in the SkinCeuticals line though. There’s also Phloretin CF, which is for helping to fade post-acne marks, and their new Silymarin CF, which is an oil-free version for blemish-prone skin.

Here’s a handy-dandy chart to help figure out which one should be best for you…

If you’re looking for a Vitamin C serum at a lower price point, Vichy’s is also good IMO, and it’s $28.50 for 0.34-oz. I went through two bottles and saw a subtle improvement on the uneven areas on my cheeks. It doesn’t pack the same punch as Skinceuticals CE Ferulic, but it still works (albeit more slowly), and — added bonus — you can find it at drugstores. I got mine on sale at Walgreens.

vichy liftactiv — Gimme all the vitamin C.

While we’re on the subject of skin schtuff, here’s a heads-up for my oily-skinned friends about a sunscreen I tried from REN. REN Clean Screen Mineral SPF 30 is a face sunscreen made with 22% zinc oxide SPF and a very flat, uber-matte finish.

Right now my skin is dry, so it’s not the best fit for me, but if I had super oily skin like I did in my teens and early 20s, I’d be totally into it. It cuts down ALL OF THE SHINE and then some.

FYI, zinc sunscreens typically leave a white cast, and this one does too, but it’s very subtle. I’d say that if you’re lighter than I am (I’m a MAC NC42), you’ll be fine, but if you’re darker, it could leave a purplish-gray tint behind.

Other than sunscreen, the only makeup I’m wearing in this pic is JOY (seriously, where are my eyebrows, haha). I took this pic right after I got my first COVID vaccine shot yesterday!

I got weirdly emotional right after it happened… It was a mix of relief and happiness. I kept thinking of this exact time last year, when I thought that “all of this” would only last two weeks.

Yeah, I was a bit off with my estimate there. 😬 It’s been a LONG year, am I right?

Anyway, I practically danced on the way out, and I kept thinking of that song where all the people yell, “Shots, shots, shots, shots, shots, SHOTS!”

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

I suppose one could collect stamps or coins or Fabergé eggs or Banksy paintings…but why, when you could just collect toners?! HA HA HA!

Remember all the toner commercials in the ’90s and how you always had to apply toners with a cotton ball? I used to do that, but now? Forget about it. I pour a little in my palms and press and rub the liquid right into my skin. I think the liquid absorbs quicker that way and, bonus, I don’t feel like I’m wasting any of the product on the cotton ball!

There are currently five toners gracing my bathroom shelf. They’re mostly for exfoliation because I’m forever dealing with hyperpigmentation and acne, so I rotate among them, depending on how my skin’s doing. I usually apply them in the morning right after washing my face and before any serums. Sometimes, I’ll use just one; other days, I’ll layer two.

Lately, my skin’s been in the mood for extra moisture, so I’ve been using Fresh Black Tea Kombucha Facial Treatment Essence or Paula’s Choice BHA. Sometimes both.

I’ve also been using and liking REN Ready Steady Glow AHA Tonic, which is a triple threat with three exfoliating ingredients — willow bark, lactic acid and azelaic acid. Side note: DUDE, azelaic acid! If you’re not on that train yet, get on it already.

Occasionally, I’ll dip into the Niacinamide Brightening Toner by Good Molecules (niacinamide, vitamin C, arbutin and licorice root extract) or Kate Somerville Liquid Exfolikate (glycolic, malic, and lactic acids), if I’m craving something different.

On a side note, you know what I miss? Clinique’s old-school BHA toner, Mild Clarifying Lotion. They reformulated it a while back, and it just isn’t the same now. I should’ve stockpiled the O.G. version while I could… Le sigh! #BeautyRegrets

Are toners a “thing” for you too? Maybe we can start a toner enthusiasts club, ha ha ha! 😂

A quick-and-easy meal

Not related to toner at all, but this is my new favorite quick meal: a rice and edamame bowl. (Yes, you gotta have it in a bowl!)

I usually add a few shakes of Nori Komi Furikake Japanese Multi-Purpose Seasoning, but Coywolf prefers it plain.

edamame rice no furikake — Connor likes hers plain.

edamame rice furikake — I like mine with furikake (seaweed).

Speaking of TJs, you can get this meal in your belly in less than five minutes with a couple of Trader Joe’s-assisted shortcuts! First, we usually have leftover white rice in a tupperware in the fridge, but when we don’t, I reach for the microwavable white rice from the TJ’s frozen food section, which takes all but three minutes to make. Trader Joe’s also has shelled, salted edamame in the freezer section too. Just defrost in the microwave.

I think this could also be delish with a sunny-side-up egg on top, but I haven’t tried it yet.

Midi skirts!

I’m still slowly but surely chipping away at the wardrobe checklist recommendations (I’m on a mission to look and feel put-together) I found about a month ago and wanted to tell you about these pull-on midi skirts from Gap.

Both the black and white skirt have pockets (SAY WHAT!) and come in regular, tall and petite lengths.

FYI, it looks like they’re still on sale, in case you’re interested (I’m totally my mother’s daughter and hate to pay full price).

I haven’t seen either of these skirts in person yet, and I can see how they could potentially be 1) super cute and casual, or 2) make me look like I’m in a cult…so we shall see! I suppose that’s a major downside to not visiting a fitting room in months.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen