I received a question from a reader the other day, and it got me thinking about when it makes sense to save or splurge on skincare products. Sara left a comment on the Neutrogena vs. Trader Joe’s Sunscreen Stick Comparison blog post, saying that she had tried Trader Joe’s sunscreen stick as a less expensive alternative to her normal go-to sunscreen stick from ThinkBaby—but unfortunately, the TJ’s version wasn’t able to protect her daughter from sunburn. For reference,…

Despite all the recent-ish drama surrounding the future of The Ordinary, DECIEM is taking the world by storm. Here in NYC, there are now seven locations—I still remember there were only two stores around a half year ago (~March or April), when I first visited the location in SoHo. Here’s a drive-by picture of the new Upper West Side location:

I recently received a request from a reader, asking me to compare the old CeraVe Foaming Facial Cleanser against the new formula. The reader wanted to know why the new formula was making her and her husband break out, whereas the old formula had been a favorite of theirs for years. First of all, reader, I feel your pain. I understand the frustration of realizing that a formerly holy grail product no longer makes your skin happy—simply because the company decided to change its formula for some…