The Essentials and Learning How to Skincare as you get Older

Skincare can feel overwhelming fast.

In this episode, Laura and Amanda dive into skincare routines from a real-life perspective. No complicated 10-step routines or unrealistic expectations. Just honest conversations about how to take care of your skin in a way that actually fits your lifestyle.

We talk about building a simple and intentional skincare routine, taking a more holistic approach by understanding your body and how your skin changes over time as you move through different stages of life.

This episode is for anyone starting their skincare journey, feeling overwhelmed by the number of products and advice out there, or simply wanting a routine that feels better aligned and more manageable.

Wait… what’s next?

Wait... What's Next? 

Host: Laura Alba 
Co-Host: Amanda Brilhante
Executive Producer: Lauren Atkinson

Instagram: @waitwhatsnextpod, @lauraalbaz & @amandakbril

Email:  waitwhatsnextpod@gmail.com

Transcript

SPEAKER_03 0:00

Hi guys, welcome back to Wait. What's next? The podcast where we talk about transitions, including the one your skin decides to go through without asking for permission. Today we're getting into skincare. But don't worry, we're not gonna get into the 20,000 products that you may need or having to have a lab degree to understand your routine. More like how do we actually take care of our skin as normal girls living in real life? We talk about taking a more holistic approach, understanding your body, and building everything that feels intentional instead of overwhelming. Because let's be honest, the skincare world right now is a lot. New products every five seconds, everyone telling you something different, and somehow your skin is still like, hi, I'm confused. We also share how our skin has changed over time, the transitions we've gone through as we've gotten older, and what we've learned along the way. The good, the bad, and the why did I ever put that on my face moments. If you're just starting your skincare journey, or you've been in it and still feel like you're figuring it out, we got you. You're not alone, and we're taking you along with us as we navigate it all together. Let's get into it.

SPEAKER_01 1:29

Guess the last time I washed my hair and styled it. Because it's not okay. I think it was like Saturday, so I guess it's Tuesday. Oh, dude, I thought it was. I thought you were gonna do something different. I've got to do it. I did go five days the other day. But this is what? This is day four, but it's also like full of dust because I was at that festival, so I need to wash it. Yeah, no, going after festival. Wait, tell me about the festival you went to what's it called?

SPEAKER_02 1:56

Crust?

SPEAKER_01 1:57

It's so fun. Crust. It's yeah, definitely. Insanely packed, especially the first stage when you walk into the entrance. I could not do it. And I'm somebody who like likes to be in the front. I want to be in the center. Maybe it's just because I'm getting older, I no longer want to be that person. And I definitely did not want to be that person. But besides that, it was super fun. And Dom Doll is great. He was the headliner for Sunday. You got to see some of our friends too, which is um always fun. Our college friends. And I got to wear sparkly shirts that I usually don't wear because I'm in my ripe age of 30. So I feel like shopping at Addicted is a little bit too young. But for Cross, I was like, let's go.

SPEAKER_02 2:43

Looking a little bit FOMO because it reminded me when we used to all hit Coachella, and it was just really fun, and like we were playing the outfits, and now it's so different.

SPEAKER_01 2:56

It was fun to be able to be there with somebody that we're all friends with. You guys made me miss everyone.

SPEAKER_03 3:02

I know. I like so that I was like, oh my god, that looks so fun. But you guys didn't blend this, it just kind of happened that you both went to the same festival.

SPEAKER_01 3:10

Yeah, she texted me like three weeks ago, maybe, and asked if I was going. It might have been less, and I had a ticket. So we just both happened to buy a ticket, but I ended up spending more time with her probably than anybody else, like than my original group, just because it's so nice to be around people who just know you for you. And I love my friends that I had the ticket with too, but I just I was bouncing back and forth. It's like, who do I see less? And my San Diego friends, I obviously see more than my friends that live out of San Diego.

SPEAKER_03 3:42

So honestly, it hits different. It hits different. I haven't we haven't really gone on a girls' trip since probably like Bachelor last year. I've been getting into YouTube lately. I don't I really want to get into YouTube, but I've been loving the YouTube content too. And I followed some of these influencers and they went to St. Bart's, and I literally, I don't know where I just sent a text to our group shop and I was like, can we go to St. Bard's or something? Like, can we plan a girl trip? Like, I immediately just got that feeling of when all of us used to get in one place, like when we used to go to Vegas or something. And because I remember back then was exciting. Now I think twice to plan those things because it takes a lot of energy and all of that. And I don't tell you this, but when we went to Spain, like there were moments where I had to sit in this one down because it's a lot, we're going everywhere, but now I'm craving that I just want to go with my friends somewhere and just be and go out and just do all these things because sometimes you just get so cut up with real life.

SPEAKER_01 4:42

Yeah, that's funny you said that you texted the group chat because I was actually gonna text you and all of our friends for the same reason and be like, hey, can we finally plan a trip? Because I know we were talking about doing it. So now when we're done with this, we're gonna have to go and text everyone. Yeah, let's do it. Let's do it. I think we need to do this.

SPEAKER_03 4:59

Um, I need it for my health. Girls' trips are essential, they're essential, and once you and there's something about that group of friends that we have that when we all get together, we all rally each other up. It's just the vibes are immaculate, they're fun.

SPEAKER_01 5:14

So yeah, and we'll add in some breaks so you can feel like you are getting some rest in. Okay, I think you will be my person though.

SPEAKER_03 5:22

I think you would have been my person who would have been like, dude, I'll stay with you. Right. All these crazies, they're going out for 12 hours, come back home at midnight. They're getting ready to go out. And I'm looking at them, all of them look miserable. They look miserable because they do not want to go out. And all of a sudden, they're like trying to convince me. And I was like, You guys don't even look like you wanna go out. Don't try to convince me. Like, I'm good in my bed. Serio FOMO. I was so happy and content with the day that we had. I'm good. And they're like, no, we're just gonna go to this club for like an hour. And I was like, you guys are not gonna go for an hour, it's gonna go all night. And then I went to bed, woke up, and in an hour later, at like seven, they walk in the door in the morning.

SPEAKER_01 6:05

And I was like, You guys are crazy. I would be in bed with you, like, haha, no, thank you.

SPEAKER_03 6:10

Like I would just grab the snacks, bring them. We're not going out.

SPEAKER_01 6:15

Laura, I had two and a half drinks Saturday night, and I woke up Sunday unwell. And it's not like I went to bed at a crazy time. This festival ended at 11 p.m. I was home at 11:30, and then I stayed up a little bit because I needed to take care of my dog and get some energy out. So I went to bed at like 12:30 at the latest, but I did not feel well the next day. And you know, the segue into how that affects her health. I don't want to mess up my skin.

SPEAKER_03 6:46

Dude, it's so real. I literally am resonating with you 110% every time. No, I and it's so hard to I I drink one drink, Amanda. I drink one drink and I'm feeling it, and I feel that I'm losing control. I used to never feel like this, and it's so interesting because you know, we tell I told my boyfriend or I tell like new people that I meet in college, like our tolerance was so insane, and I love talking about those stories, but then when it comes down to start drinking now, it's kind of like I can't keep up, and they're like, Wait, was that the same girl that you were talking about? And yeah, it's so crazy. And tell me why the next day, after I drink one or two drinks, my skin either I'm like my face feels swollen, or I feel like, oh my god, everything that I'm working for is gone. It's so true.

SPEAKER_01 7:40

Same swollen, dehydrated. I feel like I look at my skin, my face, especially, and I'm like, I just don't look like youthful and plump, and my head hurts, and my body hurts. But I know that you and I have pretty different skincare routines, and you're kind of on your journey. Just full disclosure, I think I've been getting Botox since I was 24. So kind of on the younger side, but because I was working overnight and my body was already not handling that, so I was waking up and I was having fine lines in my forehead. Really? And yes, and I was not about it. I was going to bed at I stopped work at three. So I was going to bed at 3:30 if I was lucky. And I was only getting about five hours of sleep those nights, multiple nights. And it was just, it took a toll after about a year and a half. So that's why I started doing it. And I only get it in my forehead, so I don't get it anywhere else. But I do have, you can see I have some movement right now. It's a conservative amount, but that was like probably the big thing that I started. And I'm probably more in my journey now than I was then because now I'm checking out different topicals, and I've struggled with trentinoin or retin-e my entire life. I'll use it, my skin will peel too much, I'll get off, and then I'll do it again. And so I'm finally back on that. I think I found a method where my skin doesn't peel off my face like a lizard.

SPEAKER_03 9:16

Yeah, I feel honestly, you literally look the same as college, which is really good. I do want you to, because you've definitely been in this journey longer than me, realistically, and this was very embarrassing. Uh I didn't start taking care of my skin probably since after college, and it was because one of my Colombian aunties came to visit once, and she noticed that I would come out, come out of the shower, and she'd be like, What are you doing? Like, you don't put anything. I was like, No, and she's like, You need to start pouring hydration, like put sun uh sunscreen in just literally moisturizer because your skin is just gonna be using lotion, do no moisturizer. I ride off my whole life without wearing moisturizer. I am telling you. I have never done that one. Oh yeah, no, it was it was bad, and she she brought it up to my attention and I was like, Oh my god, you're right. Like, I need to start putting something. I did start feeling there was a point in my 20s, I think it was 22 or something, when she would when I would come out of the shower and it felt dry. And I was like, oh, this feels weird, but I didn't know honestly why. And so then I started putting moisturizer. I was not putting sunscreen. I think sunscreen didn't come to until later on. I wouldn't get so much, you know, sun in my face because we were kind of inside, and I was not the girl that was tanning because I get dark super fast. So I think I was off the sun a lot. I didn't start wearing sunscreen until I was like probably 27, 28, and then I got hit with acne during COVID, and that's when I was like, wait, I think 2021 was a huge wake-up call for me when I had to sit down and understand that something was going on with my skin. I need to start doing research. I went to my first dermatologist, she tried to do anything on me, but my skin was so sensitive. She couldn't do anything. She was like, I literally can't touch her skin. She would ask me if it would like how it would feel, and it was that kind of itching and it was uncomfortable. And I was like, I'm feeling this, but I don't know if I'm supposed to be feeling it. She's like, No, you're not supposed to be feeling that. It's been 2021, and then I just kind of lost it because it wasn't going anywhere, it wasn't looking better, and I tried being introduced to retin retinol and all of that, but I haven't been successful, and now every time that I go to somebody who is gonna help me with my skin, they're like, you shouldn't do that because X, Y, R, and C reasons. And so I haven't even started that. Before I jump into my uh routine, and we can do that towards the end. I do want to hear from you because a lot of people kind of go back and forth with Botox, and you have been able to stay consistent, but also you haven't gone on the side of okay, let me just put it all over my face and kind of just changing that. How do you manage that? And also how did your body respond to Botox? And how did you just keep it so like you stay natural? Because honestly, Hollywood has been looking crazy, and it's so hard for you to not think like, oh, once I start doing Botox, like maybe I just get addicted to doing more. Like, how do you stay grounded?

SPEAKER_01 12:28

It's funny, once you start doing it, I think it's easier to see like the celebrities and I mean your friends too who have it. And I have thought about am I going to be at the point where I do more? Like, when do I do my crow's feet? When do I do other parts of my face? But I don't know. I've never really wanted to not look like me, I guess. Like, I'm there's not much that I want to change, if anything, at all. And I just wanted to preserve how I looked. And that's kind of how I approached it. And there's certain things like I have massive dimples, they are turning into creases when I'm resting. And when I wear makeup, that creases. But what am I gonna do? Put Botox in my dimples. So there's certain parts of my face that I know will just always have a crease. I know this is gonna one day be a really big line, and I have to be okay with that because what are my alternatives other than getting rid of them? And then when it comes to things like crows' feet or lines right here, I don't really feel like I have too much of that right now. My concern was my forehead and my 11 because that is what I was seeing first. And I've done Botox, I've done Disport. I'm currently using the product Xomin, and I've been using that one for about three plus years now. It's been my favorite. I didn't know it existed until one day I went somewhere and they offered it, and it was like maybe a dollar less a unit than Botox. And my body has responded differently.

SPEAKER_03 14:08

Can you explain what that is for those of us who don't know?

SPEAKER_01 14:11

Yeah. Yeah. So the units are how much they put in your forehead. So typically, I was just talking to somebody about how much you can do in like your 11s, and I think she was saying the minimum was like 14 on average or something like that. And I probably have like I don't know how much I have. I know at one point I had like 40 units. So it means like I had like 20 units of Botox here, and it's the it's on the syringe. So the unit is the little markers on the syringe, and and then I had like maybe 20 collectively coming into here and right here and right here, so all across my forehead above the eyebrows in the middle. They price Botox by unit, so it'll be like $13 for one unit, and then they times it by how much you have. Yeah. Or you can go to a place where they do it by area of the face, but I don't get enough to do it by area of the face, so I do it by unit. Botox was giving me headaches, and it was the most frozen I felt. Like I it would kick in, I can feel when it kicks in. It'll be a few days after, and all of a sudden you're like, oh, something's going on. Like you feel it tingle. And that one gave me a hard time because I just felt like I was getting weird headaches. Disport, I can't remember exactly why I didn't like Disport, but after doing it for enough times, same kind of thing. There was something that it just wasn't sitting right for me and I could just feel it. But Zeomen so far has been the easiest where yes, I still feel it kick in, but I don't get any headaches. I also metabolize it pretty quick. Like I think I I think I got mine about three months ago, so I'm definitely coming up on when I need to redo it because it's every three months or so. But things that make you metabolize it quick outside of your body are like physical activity. Are you in the sun? Are you in the heat? Which are all things I do. Like I'm in San Diego, it is 80 degrees the same. Every time I'm always in the heat, yeah. But I don't mind.

SPEAKER_03 16:14

So those different types that you call, those are just different types of Botox, they're just different things that you that they put in, right?

SPEAKER_01 16:21

Yeah, it's just different products. So it's all the same purpose, it's all to freeze those muscles, right? But they're different products. So you could go and depending on where you go to a med spa or dermatology or whatever, you could ask them what products they have for that, and then they'll probably have different ones. So, and then I'm actually looking at my eyebrows right now, it's funny. So I have one eyebrow that likes to raise higher than the other, it's always been like that. It's my strong eyebrow, and I can tell where my Botox is sitting because of how much the eyebrow is raising. But I tell my injector, I'm like, I want my eyebrows to be twins, not sisters. I want them exactly the same. So I'm like, make this one, you know, move and make this one not move. That's I don't actually want an eyebrow lift, I just want everything to be symmetrical.

SPEAKER_03 17:15

Let's just be symmetrical. That's what we're going for. Yeah, okay. I just learned so much about that. That's so crazy that you you think that with 43 units, that sounds like an insane amount. I feel like I wouldn't be able to notice. Honestly, I couldn't, if you didn't tell me you get buttocks, I wouldn't be able to know.

SPEAKER_01 17:32

I might be just off on my units, by the way. I'm probably very off. I honestly just go in there, tell them what I want, and then go out and pay. Yeah, so I might be off. I haven't asked how many units I was actually doing in a while. So I could be, I need to text him, I need to ask him because I am probably way off. It's probably not 40. That kind of sounds crazy. But it sounds insane.

SPEAKER_03 17:55

Just when you're like that's crazy. Sounds crazy, and I don't know anything about buts, but I do know about units. I have been listening to a lot of podcasts about this. I'm obsessed with facial care now. I listen to different people because I do want to hear different opinions. I was going to ask you, there's one thing, one little fine line that is driving me insane. I don't have any fine lines yet, but I have one right here that is starting to emerge, and I see baby girl coming in through here and there. And I'm like, why? What's going on? Like, what am I doing different? I'm not sleeping on this side either. So I'm like, what's going on? And these eye perfect. Nothing. That's not even correct, like nothing. I'm gonna tell the story, but also tell it so then I can build up how I build up my uh face routine. So I did research a few months ago, and I was like, okay, what do I necessarily need to start doing? And obviously, monsterizing was very important for somebody who doesn't understand anything about skin, hasn't been doing it, can be pretty overwhelming, especially because the beauty industry is so overwhelming. You would can go online and find 20,000 products that are the same, but you have no idea what peptides are, you don't have no idea what serums are, like where do they go, what our actives are. Like I've been just learning all of these things. It's a slow process for me. I use ChatGPT, our little best friend, to kind of tell it this is my type of skin, narrow it down, what do I need essentially? And I also, you know, I'm a very holistic person, so I am also telling it, give me a very holistic, natural uh face routine that I can follow through and I understand what it is and what it does. And so it it's half what I eat and then half what uh products I use. And so the narrow simple version was I did go to Sephora and they tested my skin and they re they told me that I have extremely dry skin, which I wish I knew this because I need it. You're like, oh oops, how'd that happen? You know, it's been 25 years. Um, I think naturally I do have dry skin though, and so they're like, you need to moisturize. And I was like, story of my life, I know. And so they gave me moisturizer and an extra hydration thing product that now that I'm using it, I'm like, holy cow, how can I live with that product? It feels amazing on my skin, like I feel flexible, it feels I don't feel dry because musterizer wasn't doing it on its own. So that would be my first tip: know your skin. Like you have to know your type of skin, then you can address everything after. And then, of course, I'm dealing with acne and all of that, so part of it is food, and I'm testing hormones, and I texted our friends, Alexia, actually, the one that you saw on the festival, and I was like, Alexia, I think my hormones are off balance, like, what should I drink? She is president of a vitamin company, so she's our go-to pharmacist, and she was like, Honestly, dude, when it comes to hormones, it's crazy, it's really hard to narrow it down. You just kind of have to really to research on like your symptoms, where are you getting acne, like all of that? So it's not just a one pill fix-all, you have to really go deep and understand to what's going on to your body. I did do a deep dive in Chat GPT, it's amazing for this. Honestly, if it's my one thing to tell people, find out everything that you can about yourself, the type of skin, your age, all of that, put it into Chat GPT and give it the option of what type of care do you want to have. And so, with all of that, it turns out that I've been, I think my cortisol levels are just very high because one, I work out in the morning on an empty stomach, I do intermittent fasting, and I drink coffee on an empty stomach, and I don't. Eat for a long time after my my my meals. Basically, it was just like dude, your cortisol levels are through the roof, and it's probably getting worse because you it's compound over time. So I have been doing this for years at this point. Those habits I've been having to change, which had been extremely hard for me because I feel like it's getting me out of my routine and I feel crazy and I'm like, oh my god, I'm not gonna be where I want to be anymore. But I will say I've been doing it for four weeks, eating something before I drink coffee. I am actually not waking up in the morning to work out anymore because I did notice I was super tired and crashing in the afternoon. So now I'm leaving my workouts later in the afternoon now that it's getting lighter earlier, and we have light until late. And taking sink. I was like, okay, you know what? I'm gonna do this for four weeks, see what happens, check back with Chuck GPT doctor, and what happened? Dude, noting the differences. Good. This is all to say that for me, I this is how I approach life. When your body has a reaction of something, most likely it's telling you that something's wrong and you need to shift your habits. It's not just this cream is gonna take all of this acne away. I like to go the extra mile and understand where it's coming from because your skin is gonna thank you later and your body's gonna thank you later.

SPEAKER_01 23:30

Oh, I was just gonna say I agree with you about understanding your skin because that also made a big difference for me. I also, by the way, think it's wild you're doing all of that on an empty stomach. But I'm a breakfast girl. I've always had breakfast. I will have yogurt, eggs, something in the morning, every single day. I've tried to intermittent fast, not for me. And not because it makes me feel bad, but because my body, it was not making me look better. I was, if anything, I think I gained weight when I was trying to do that. I just didn't, it was not right for me. But by the way, I did look up how much I spend on my Botox and how many units I'd probably be. It's probably more about 20 units. So the girl I still have to go for me for saying some number.

unknown 24:15

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 24:16

I think it's about 20 units.

SPEAKER_03 24:18

So the girls think he notes are like 41 units by Amanda.

SPEAKER_01 24:23

20, 20 on each side. Yeah, I think that would 40 sounded crazy. As I was thinking about it, I was like, that's not right. But going back to what you were saying about knowing your skin type, I have big breakouts, and I know that. I know I'm kind of fortunate with my skin. Growing up, I would get white heads on my forehead. I definitely had a very textured forehead, and now I get like kind of hormonal acne, and I think they're called comodomes, comodones something on my chin. So I actually recently switched lotions because I also went to Chat GPT doctor and was like, my lotions or something's clogging my pores. Like, let's figure this out. So we were talking about what lotions were bad for my kind of skin and what was better. So I switched lotions and my chin has been better. Also, my girlfriend, my very close friend, uh soon-to-be sister-in-law, works for a medical company, and she was telling me, and her and her aesthetician there who does my forehead, they were telling me that sometimes the price of the product, like, that's not actually better. And these girls have great skin, and they're using products that are like a fraction of the price of what we're being pushed in stores and online. So a lot of my products aren't expensive. Like I use right now, speaking of moisture, I'll give you some stuff that I'm using. So I use the ordinary hybridic acid, and I've been using that for a while. I really like it. Maybe there's better ones, that's fine if there's better, but this one works for me. And then I just bought snail mucin, which is Korean skincare. Big fan. It's been about two months maybe of me using it. Use it every day, use it twice a day. Love it. And then I have a Korean skincare lotion that is more for my type of skin. Big fan. Also have really liked it. It's like $15. It's not expensive. I will probably continue to use it. And I know everyone says sunscreen, sunscreen, sunscreen. If it makes me feel any better, I don't use sunscreen every day. I know that's not what I'm supposed to say. But I try to stay out of the sun. I wear a hat, I stay in the shade.

SPEAKER_03 26:41

To me, though, I noticed, and this is why I listen to different people. Because some people are like, it's all about retinoids, it's and retinol, it's all about the sunscreen, it's all about all these things. And then they I have these other women that also have like very famous dermatologist like practices and all of that in LA. And this woman has flawless skin, and she was like, honestly, you don't have to put that much sunscreen, like just do the the what's that, the drop, drop whatever, just keep your face out of the sun. You still need sun in the morning, so it's okay to get the sun morning. And I'm more about that type because she feels more holistic, and she's like, I'm using natural product, and I think you say at some point, Amanda. I've been going to Sephora and Alta and Macy's and Blooming Girls and all of these places. Now that I'm more obsessed with face care, I look at these prices and I'm like, oh my god, this cream is like $170.

SPEAKER_01 27:36

Yeah. Insane. And my products collectively are probably like half of that, like $100, if that. And I do. So the the Retin A I do use. But again, I think it depends on your skin. And if you're doing the routine wrong, it's not gonna help you. So I have finally figured out how to layer it. So I do my entire moisturizing skincare routine, and then I do the retin A last. So far, my skin has been yes.

SPEAKER_03 28:04

So you don't put it like without because they said you put the retinol and then masterizes like the end.

SPEAKER_01 28:11

No, and I talked to my dermatologist about it too, and even he said to put lotion on first and do the retinol towards the end. That way you're giving your skin some barrier. And I do mine every three days, so not every day because if I I'm not ready to up it yet. I tried to do it every other day, the other day, and I just realized my face was extra sensitive and burning. So I went back. It wasn't for me, but like my brother uses it every day. But my brother has had great skin since they started using it, it's working for him, which is awesome. And I'm like, okay, let me get there too. And then the other thing too is we haven't talked about facials yet. I'm not a big facial person. As much as I love to get them, it's just not in my budget. I also hate extractions. If I go get a facial, it doesn't matter what it is: a clear and brilliant, a hydrofacial, a diamond glow, any of those, I will tell them do not do extractions because it ends up making my skin worse and I just don't have enough to extract.

SPEAKER_03 29:12

So I always think like is extractions eating healthy because I got that. I went to Colombia, and by the way, pro tip if you want to get great service for a cheaper amount, go to another country. Colombia has really, really good like beauty and medicine and all of that, and it's so much cheaper. I pay $70 for a whole facial, it was like a laser clearing out like all of my spots and like my scars and all of that. It was $70, Amanda. That's like why are we going to St.

SPEAKER_01 29:42

Bart's for girls' trips? We should be doing Colombia then.

SPEAKER_03 29:45

Oh my god, we need to go to Colombia. That'd be so fun. Skin care journey. Okay, you brought something up. We think I still need to make that trip with to Colombia with all my friends. I don't know. For me, it's just not that not that exciting because I know Colombia and so I want to go different places, but yeah. But you'll be the perfect tour guide. Oh, I will. Listen, my brother is a crazy planner. This man blends to the tea. He always tells me, whenever your friends come to Colombia, I'll have the itinerary for you guys. You you sit down and relax, I'll have you guys ready because he does have it rhyme to the tea and he knows the perfect places. Food, places to go, where to stay. Yeah, no, I got you guys.

SPEAKER_01 30:27

Yeah, let's do that. I have to ask you, have you heard about peptides?

SPEAKER_03 30:31

I hear about peptides and serums and actives from my research and listening to different institutions. Peptides, you have to be very careful because one, uh some people are saying that they increase the risk of like cancers and stuff like that, and you know how to use them. You have to be careful because again, like you don't know how your skin is going to react. As of right now, I hear about all these things. The only thing that I'm using extremely extra is vitamin C in the morning, which I know that's inactive, and I've been liking it just to wrap up my skincare. I bought this eye cream that was really expensive, by the way. I don't I forgot the name, I have to give it to you, but it comes with like a little applicator, so like it feels like a little bit into your eyes, and then I do vitamin C and then this moisturizer that also was so expensive, but I'm kind of liking it because it's kind of thick, so my my skin feels like okay, I'm taking it. I don't do sunscreen in the morning. I get in my car and I kind of just take in that little sun at 9 a.m. Because the UB at that time is the best. Then I go into my office and I don't take sun, and I do go on a walk at noon, so that's when I put my first like sunscreen situation, and then at nighttime I'm doing I wash my face, LED light, which I don't know if you are you doing LED light because all of our friends got on that train this week, this the end of the year.

SPEAKER_01 31:59

Really? I've thought about it, and my boyfriend actually has the mask because he was doing it, but I haven't started doing it myself yet. Okay, I think you should start doing it.

SPEAKER_03 32:08

It actually does make a difference, and you notice immediately. I started noticing I would take up so I wash my face, right? And I after I wash my face, it gets very dry. So I you put this little LAD mask before you do your skincare. I do it three times because I did a lot of residual on this, and you can only do it for 15 minutes. But I heard that doing it longer, it creates like it's better than just doing it every day. So you can just uh skip days, but on the day that you do it, do it longer. So that's what I do. I I do it every day, no matter what, because I think I found it relaxing. When you take it out, it does create this mouse in your face, and I'm okay, I can feel it, and so yeah, I guess it opens up better to grab all of your skincare and settle well. I am using this Celtics product that this like the Colombian dermatologist gave me, and it's for anti-aging, so I do that, and then what's it called? Hydrogenic acid? Eerolonic. Yeah, I do that one, and then I do my eye cream and then my musterizer, and sometimes I musterize with two different creams because I like it to just like really stay in my face, and that's what I'm doing. So I definitely want to hear about peptides or anything else that you can tell us because I am very, very new still to this journey.

SPEAKER_01 33:30

Funny hearing your skincare routine though, because we definitely, even though there's some overlap, they're so different. Like I can't use thick moisturizer because that's what causes me problems. I forgot to mention this earlier, but when I was like 27, I broke out on my chest and my back. And I'd never had that had that problem before. And I don't know if it was because I was just incredibly stressed out and environmental factors were causing it, or if it was something with my age, but that one I had to finally take something and do a totally different routine for. But peptides. So I'm actually doing peptide injections and not like Ozempic or anything like that, but GHK, which is supposed to be the one for hair, skin, and nails. I'm guinea pigging this one. My boyfriend is so about peptides, he did a bunch of research, so I figured I would try it and see how it happened like how it affects me. And I know there's risk with that, so I'm not saying, you know, everyone do that. But so far, the biggest thing I've noticed is I have very weak and brittle nails, and they don't grow long at all. And for the first time ever, my natural nails were strong and they actually grew out and were longer. And I was like, How are my nails getting to this point? Like, I wasn't thinking about it. I just thought it was maybe because I have a nail strengthener polish that I was being adamant about using. And then me and my boyfriend put it together. Oh, I don't know why it gave a thumbs down. All right, not thumbs down, but me and my boyfriend put it together and realized that it's probably the peptides because that's the biggest thing I've done differently. And I've taken biotin, I've done all that, it didn't make a difference. Can I ask you a question? How where did you get them injected? The peptides. And what are peptides? Yeah, so what are peptides? I'm gonna pause on that one because I don't want to say it wrong, but it's kind of been like a new and emerging healthcare thing. Like you'll have to go down the peptide rabbit hole, especially on TikTok. Ozempic is the peptide that everyone knows about, even though we don't know about it. Ozempic is an eject injection, but Ozempic is obviously used for a specific purpose, diabetes, people have used it for other things, weight loss. Mine is GHK1, I believe. So it's I think that's the copper peptide. It's the skin anti-aging nail hair one. And so you inject it. It's like a small insulin needle. I inject mine into my hips or where I have some extra fat because I don't feel it as much when I do that. Okay, so you can put it anywhere. Yeah, my boyfriend's been doing his injections. I think he does one in his arm, and he injured his foot, and he was on a peptide that was specifically meant for injuries and recovery. He broke his foot, and the doctor, for the record, called it a devastating injury because he ripped the tendon between his toes. It's a career-ending and injury for football players, so it's commonly seen for football players, and she said it's devastating. It's usually why a lot of football players end their career because yeah, because you can't recover from it that well. He's completely fine.

SPEAKER_03 36:54

Oh, that's one go and break their tendon.

SPEAKER_01 36:58

Running. He plays paintball, so he ran out to play paintball and stepped sideways. And I just think the force and the angle snapped that tendon and then broke, fractured his foot. But he was doing his injections close to the injury, and he's completely fine. Yeah, the gap closed. The doctor said she was shocked at how quick he healed. He didn't need surgery. He like three months later was able to walk, and now he's playing paintball again. So was that the peptide? Maybe, maybe not.

SPEAKER_03 37:33

I don't know, but you'll never know. Okay, just to I did some research and our friend Chat GPT says peptides are small chains of amino acids that's built in blocks of protein. Think of them as mini proteins that send signals in your body. And what they do is very simple. Tell your skin to make more collagen, help with glow and fewer wrinkles, help with healing and repair, support things like hormones and muscle recovery. Yeah. Yeah. And skincare peptide signals that help your skin at your younger and healthier.

SPEAKER_01 38:06

Interesting. So I'm doing the injection version, and so far it's been good. I haven't I haven't noticed anything besides the nails that have been substantial. But who knows, maybe if I wasn't doing it, I would feel different and it's not hurting me. And I believe that the FDA is pushing to get some of this stuff approved. So it's all over. It's there's different kinds for different purposes, but I'm just doing anti-aging.

SPEAKER_03 38:31

I'm gonna do more research on this and then we can do a 2.0 because I I just got down the skincare routine and I know why things do what they do now, but that's just the simple version. I am still gonna see if I want to do retinal. I know ordinary. Is it called ordinary ordinary? Yeah. Ordinary, is that the one you're using?

SPEAKER_01 38:52

Yeah, that's the hyalonic acid I use. And I have a gentle cleanser. So I had a lot of products that were very stripping, a lot of acids. So the BHA, the AHA, and I did try to add in some gentle cleansers. So one of my toners, I forgot to mention, I use a toner. I use the BHA toner, but in the morning, I use a toner that is meant for hydration instead of constantly stripping my oils, and I also changed my morning, morning cleanser to something that's more gentle for the same reason. So hopefully this helps some other people who are exploring skincare.

SPEAKER_03 39:31

I feel like that I am doing the same thing because my my cleanser too, I only watch my face at nighttime because I did a lot of research on this, and they're saying, like, if your skin feels too dry in the morning, you don't have to wash it. You just let because if it looks glowy and stuff, it just means like all of your skincare worked in the nighttime. Just wash it with water. If people are confused and they don't know what to start, I think, just like me, you need to start by understanding your body and your skin. I think at the very very minimum, you have to start there. And if you're having skin problems, I will go the extra mile first seeing like what am I doing that is creating these problems? Like, look at your habits, look at your food, look at all of that. Once you get rid of all of the important factors, you can put that to the side and then be like, okay, then for my type of skin, let's build this up from simple to whatever my skin needs. And again, I think this is a journey for everyone. I'm just starting because a lot of people are like, Oh, I love this product, and I'm like, How do you even know about this product? I think what I'm starting to learn is that you have to go and try it, and if it works, it works, and if it doesn't, you just pivot, and then that way you know, like this product works for me. It seems like a long journey, and it's gonna be interesting, but I think that's the way to do it because your skin is so complex, so unique to you. People can tell you like this worked for me, but they might not work for you, and that can be very overwhelming. So I would just say go simple, get to know who you like your skin, and then start building up from there.

SPEAKER_01 41:08

I'm with you on the food, what you're drinking, your exercise. I definitely think bodies do best when you heal them from within, and it's worth it to explore all of that and then add in some of the skincare things. Because for me, if I'm drinking excessively regularly and eating really bad and not getting enough sleep, like, yes, my skin is gonna look worse and I'm gonna break out. So if you start to do what you need to heal your inside, you know, that'll make a change. And then you go and you add the stuff on the outside, you add your lotions, your potions, all of that. We're still exploring it too. I mean, our skin is everywhere on us, and I think it's a long journey since we have long lives. And if anybody has questions, they should definitely pop it in the chat and let us know and comment on our Instagram. I think that we should both post a photo of what we're using. So check out our Instagram so we can see that because we do have different products and we have different skin and we're on this exploration together.

SPEAKER_03 42:03

Yeah, and we can give a little bit of context of what you're dealing with and what I'm dealing with, and then so people can do and find whatever works for them. Yeah. I'm gonna ask a question so we can end the episode with that. If you were to choose one product that you could not live without for your skin, which one would it be? And also, what would be a product that you would recommend against so people can stay away from?

SPEAKER_01 42:29

Oh, against. Okay, let me go back to that one. Product though that I could not live without plain and simple, moisturizer. Laura. That would be my one product that I would take with me. I've been using moisturizer since I was younger. It is the because I don't want to wake up in the morning and feel like my skin is tight and dry. Like, that's not a good sign. Amanda, are you gonna have nightmares about Laura not moisturizing for me? Oh, every time my skin feels extra dry, now I'm gonna text you and be like, just put moisturizer on, did you?

SPEAKER_03 43:01

A friendly reminder that you gotta moisturize.

SPEAKER_01 43:04

Yep, exactly. Products that I would recommend against. I haven't had really bad experiences with products. I do have sensitive skin. I know what to stay away from. Like I stay away from anything that's really scented, lavender, vitamin C I actually can't really use, especially if it's in a high potency. Yes.

SPEAKER_03 43:23

I'm using, I would say I am using a vitamin C because I did a lot of research on this. By the way, I want to emphasize this enough. Do research because I don't I go back to what we talked about last last episode. I don't take it lightly when it comes to my skin. I research a product, I look all of their what did they have, like what do they use, all of the great ingredients. I have this app called Yuka, which I don't know if you heard of it. I scan all of these things and it tells you it has bad products, good products, it's clean, all of that. I do all of that research before I even buy anything. The vitamin C that I have, it is. A Korean brand and it wasn't that expensive. You're right. Korean face care is really good and it's not expensive. It's very gentle. Because I was gonna start with this, I think it's called Celtics. No, Celtics. That brand that is going around and it's everyone is using it. But I was doing research, and our friend Child GPT was like, since you're starting, I will start very light in a brain that is very, very subtle. Like you don't have to go crazy with vitamin C. So I'm glad that you said that because it's very important that you start very slow.

SPEAKER_01 44:32

I think maybe for what I would recommend not using and don't come for me are Neutrogena makeup remover wipes. And I have never been able to use them. They work on me, but I have to make sure I wash my face after, otherwise, I break out. So for makeup removers, I have found other brands of makeup remover wipes that I like more. But I personally love like a cold cream remover, and we'll have to talk about that another time. But quickly, Laura, same question for you. Then what would you live with without?

SPEAKER_03 45:06

I learned my lesson, Amanda. I cannot live without moisturizer. Like now when I feel dry, I'm like, I'm growing wrinkles. I need to moisturize. Yes. I actually find this really good brand. It's called Drunken Elephant. I don't know if you've heard of that one. It's not that expensive, and they do have that especial hydration one. I forgot the name of like what it has, but I put that one almost first, and I love it. I just feel like I'm glowing. I don't know what I wouldn't have because I really haven't had any bad experience. I would say though, I'm with you on the extraction. I think I could go without the extraction because I got it done once, and I'm not gonna lie, I felt not violated, but I felt like let my skin get rid of those things because we're so obsessed with taking out the blackheads, like taking out all these little things. And it's like if your body has those things and it's really not that bad, there has to be a reason. You know what I mean? Like, you don't need to extract every little thing of your skin because you're stressing it. I think that's the thing that I would take out if I was to get another facial. You don't need to go there.

SPEAKER_01 46:14

Agreed.

SPEAKER_03 46:15

Makes me break out. Well, Laura, always a pleasure. We will chat next week. Please follow us at wait, what's next? But we just created our TikTok, so we're gonna be doing videos there. I am adding more YouTube videos as well. So if you like to check us out, they're on our actually, they're on Laura Alba YouTube. But yeah, follow us, let us know what you think. I think it would be fun if we share our actual products and skincare routine, and we can we can do a 2.0 for more deep dive on it. But I think this was really fun, and thank you for joining us. It's always a pleasure. See you next week. Bye.