10 Beauty Products I Swear By as an Instagram Home Cook
Jessica Nguyen is a home cook, recipe creator, food influencer and freelancer, whose mission is to inspire people to cook at home for themselves and the people around them - one Instagram story at a time. Follow her on Instagram @jessica_nguyen_ for delicious things.
A lot of people may not know that before my career in cooking, I actually spent 10 years working in the beauty industry.
Beauty was my first job and my first love, and after so long in the industry, I have seen, launched, and tried so many brands and products on the market.
Now that I work from home and cooking is my job, my beauty routine has definitely changed, but for the better.
Case in point, eating spicy prawn linguine while masking.
A typical workday for me involves spending a lot of time at home and in my kitchen, so I have edited my routine down to the essentials and the products that really work for me.
There are still a few beauty steps I do every day that make me feel done and ready for work, though.
So these are the 10 products I swear by in my beauty routine, most of them mainstays I have used for years, with a few more recent discoveries that I now love.
1. SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic Serum.
SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic Serum - 30ml is a product I've been using for years, and now, every day. I first heard about it through beauty editors who raved and wrote about it... I wasn't sure if the hype was real, but wow, it truly gives my skin a noticeable difference after only few days of use.
Now, I get why it’s a cult product- I’ve tried so many Vitamin C serums and this one is the BEST! Yes, it’s expensive, but it’s one of those beauty products I’ll always repurchase because it’s honestly liquid gold in a bottle.
P.S. It smells like bacon and you might not be used to that, but I like that it’s the natural fragrance. Plus, I love bacon.
2. Ultra Violette Queen Screen.
If you aren’t wearing SPF 50+ every day, you absolutely should. Wearing sunscreen is one of the easiest ways to protect your skin, not only against sun damage but also visible signs of ageing.
It’s something my parents ingrained into me from when I was a kid. I always put on SPF after my serum and moisturiser and before I apply any foundation, so it needs to feel lightweight, act like a primer and work with the other products I layer on.
Ultra Violette Queen Screen SPF50+ 50ml Luminising SKINSCREEN is a best-seller for a reason. If you haven’t found an SPF you’ve liked yet, try this one.
And of course, SPF is only one part of sun protection!
Always seek shade, and wear sunnies, a hat and protective clothing. Use sufficient sunscreen for all unprotected areas and reapply sunscreen as directed. Always read the label. You know the drill.
3. Kiehl's Crème de Corps 500ml with Pump 500ml.
I've been using this body cream for nearly eight years now and it is, hands down, the best one I’ve used.
I am so obsessed with it, I buy the giant Kiehl's Crème de Corps 500ml with Pump and go through that every six months. It’s the only cream that truly nourishes my skin, even after months of not moisturising in winter.
The biggest different is it gives my skin a lasting sheen and hydrating glow that I’m yet to find from another body cream.
4. Foreo UFO 2.
I discovered this device a year ago and love using it for an at-home facial either in the bath or while watching TV.
Initially, I thought the Foreo UFO 2 looked like a speaker (you see it, right?), but it’s an electronic mask device that has a full-spectrum LED light, as well as Thermo and Cryo Therapy, giving you a luxurious facial within 90 seconds. Yes please.
5. Foreo UFO Masks.
You use the Foreo UFO Mask - Call It A Night 7 Pack with the the UFO device - they're little circular sheet masks that click onto the UFO to deliver that at-home facial experience.
They also come in different variants based on benefits like brightening, hydrating and nourishing, so you can buy a few to target different concerns with each facial.
I find my skin looks more radiant, hydrated and even the morning after using the UFO the night before - it's the same feeling post-facial!
6. Pureology Hydrate Shampoo and Conditioner.
A few years ago, a hairdresser friend used the Pureology Hydrate Shampoo 266ml and Pureology Hydrate Conditioner 266ml on my hair.
I'd previously tried and hated them, but when he told me you need to wash your hair with shampoo twice, I was blown away by how hydrated, soft and clean my hair felt.
Think of shampooing twice like a double cleanse for your hair; once to clean the surface and the second to go deeper and clean the scalp.
Also, the aromatherapy scent makes for an incredible sensory experience in the shower. The conditioner smells of peppermint and gives you that tingly fresh feeling once you step out of the shower.
7. ghd platinum+ black hair styler.
Even though I work from home, doing my hair is the one way I feel ‘done’ and ready to work. It’s the way I transition from home to work mode - the beauty equivalent of getting out of your pyjamas.
I love waves and volume in my hair, so I use the GHD Platinum+ Hair Straightener In Black to curl my hair. It only takes 10 minutes to use, and then I brush my hair out to break up the curls, spritz with some hairspray, and I’m done.
I’ve used this straightener since I was 18. It took more than 10 years for it to finally break and for me to repurchase another new one last year, so I can personally vouch for these stylers truly lasting the distance.
8. Aesop Resurrection Duet.
I have the Aesop Resurrection Duet above my kitchen sink and it’s a little bit of luxury for my hands now that I’m constantly washing them when I’m in the kitchen.
Both the hand wash and cream smell incredible. They’re nourishing, a little bougie and pretty to look at.
Add to cart next time you want to treat your hands.
9. Sensori+ Freshfield Mask Sanitiser.
I only discovered this product a few months ago when it first launched during the second Melbourne lockdown, and it's the product I didn’t realise I needed until this year.
With just a few spritzes, the SENSORI+ FRESHIELD MASK SANITISER 30ml sanitises your mask between uses and instantly refreshes it, making it smell and feel like it’s been freshly washed.
It's just a great staple to have in the handbag and at home. I recently made a top up order for three more - now, I have them scattered in my car, handbag and around home like a lip balm.
Such is life in 2020.
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