Collagen may just be one of the longest-lived trends in the beauty industry. Most of us know just enough about collagen to know that it’s important, and many of us assume that, since collagen is everywhere, there must be something to it, right?

The problem is that these same companies stand to make a LOT of money off of anti-aging products that look and sound clinical. There’s a reason that so many creams and supplements have bare-bones, muted, prescription-style packaging: We naturally tend to trust things that look and sound pharmaceutical.

The truth is that collagen as a skincare or supplement ingredient does have its merits, but it is NOT the elasticity-restoring Fountain of Youth that most products make it out to be.
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If you’ve done any reading whatsoever on topics like acne, scarring, freckles or even just skincare in general, you’ve probably come across the acronyms PIH and PIE. A lot of times, when people talk about them they use the terms interchangeably, even though they’re not the same thing.

I think that most of the time this stems from not really understanding the difference. This is totally forgivable because unless you’re a major skincare enthusiast or you have a science background, there really isn’t a reason for you to dive into the nuances.

Since I fancy myself a skincare junkie enthusiast and a scientist, I’m going to give you guys a simplified crash course on the differences and why you can’t treat one the same as the other.

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For most of us, winter is a time to sob and shake our fists angrily at the sky while we douse our faces in so much mist it looks like a tsunami happened.

…no? Just me?

Just kidding. Honestly though, I know a lot of us have a hard time transitioning from summer routines to winter routines, especially when you live somewhere where the weather is unpredictable (I’m looking at you, North Carolina.).

While I can’t recommend specific products for you, I can give you a few helpful tips and tricks to help your skin from feeling dull and dry all winter long.

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I’m back! I had a few long weeks of chaos, vacationing and coming down with The Actual Plague, but I’m here with something fun today.

You know that saying, “less is more?”

Well, when it comes to skincare, I tend to disagree.

Generally speaking, my skincare mantra is “more is more.”

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Deciding whether or not a product works for you is obviously an important part of establishing a routine. Before you can figure out if it will help improve your skin, you need to be certain it won’t cause an allergic reaction or make skin problems worse. The best and safest way to do this is to follow a process called patch testing.

The patch testing steps I’m going to outline might seem tedious, but if you’re someone with sensitive or picky skin, it can save you a lot of time and headache in the long run. Fixing the damaged caused by a bad reaction takes way longer than patch testing, trust me.

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