I always imagined I’d be well equipped for my mid-20s: meeting new people, travelling, working. While I’m slowly coming to terms with the fact that not knowing what’s going on is a part of life, the pandemic has only made this so much more real. Like everyone else, I tried to find joy in zoom quizzes and banana bread — but to little avail.
The last two years haven’t exactly set the tone for celebrating. With so much grief and violence, even birthdays have felt poorly timed. When it comes to the holiday season, it feels almost easy to call the whole thing off and add it to the list of things that were cancelled due to the pandemic. Instead, I found comfort in the known and immersed myself in one of the many joys in life: beauty.
Over time, I’ve come to see beauty as a reason to celebrate — ourselves, our culture, the connections we form with other people. There’s something so delightfully magical about the glint of a new eyeshadow, a creamy swipe of a fresh tube of lip gloss, the way you feel when you finally mastered the no-makeup-makeup look (has the embargo on that state secret lifted yet?). Here’s my poorly kept secret while getting ready for the festive season: The best makeup looks start with healthy skin — there’s only so much a vat of concealer can do.
This brings us to my extremely important discovery of 2021: Sulwhasoo’s First Care Activating Serum EX. Formulated with five Asian herbs, this K-beauty product has taken the beauty world by quite a storm, and I had to find out why.
Sulwhasoo’s serum throws a wrench into the typical regime by being in the consistency of a serum yet recommended to use right after cleansing the skin. After about a week of experimentation, I settled on the time-tested strategy of: Do What I Want, and I must say: it’s been fantastic! Some nights see me using this right after cleansing, and on some nights I mix this in with other serums. Surprisingly enough, the serum put some rosy colour in my cheeks, perhaps due to some of the extracts in the product stimulating increased circulation in the skin. After a few more days of using it, I found myself happily going blush free without looking like someone out of the exorcist! This is a huge deal in my world.
You might also notice that alcohol is high up on this list, and while I’m no alcohol avoider (in life or skincare) this can be a sensitising ingredient for some people. I do suggest keeping an open mind as alcohol could be a part of your product. It’s a solvent and is often added to herb-heavy skincare products to stabilise and allow for better absorption.