Many things in life carry hidden costs that aren’t reflected in their initial price tags (caveat emptor indeed). For example, if you buy a large house, you’ll most likely need to spend more money to get it cleaned (or more time cleaning it yourself). If you start using waterproof mascara, you’ll also need to purchase eye makeup remover. If you color your hair, you’ll have to start buying sulfate-free shampoo to help preserve that color—and hair treatments like the one…

I just spent the past week in Vegas, and boy, did my skin feel like it was actually sizzling in that 100-degree heat. The sun feels much stronger out there—and indeed, the UV index was 9 in Vegas today, compared to 7 in NYC. You can look up the UV index for your city here on the EPA’s website. It definitely served as a catalyst for getting serious about finding a quality sunscreen that I could apply on my body every day (without going broke). And I think I found it: Alba Botanica…

When I first visited the DECIEM store in NYC last April, I picked up a bottle of The Ordinary Azelaic Acid Suspension 10% upon the store associate’s recommendation. I’ve been using a pea-sized amount every morning for months now, per instructions from The Ordinary customer service team (I emailed them for help). In this post, I’ll finally be sharing my honest thoughts on The Ordinary Azelaic Acid Suspension 10% (spoiler alert: this post is categorized under “disappointing…