When I was at Ricky’s the other day, a store associate happened to be passing by while I was studying the ingredients label of the Freeman mask. She said, “Not gonna lie—that mask is awesome.” Something about the way she said it made me believe her (or maybe I just wanted to buy something). Anyway, I ended up purchasing it and using it that very night. Yes, I’m heavily swayed by in-person recommendations from strangers (at least when they appear to be genuine). Today,…

I love buying stuff online. But I also like shopping for products in person, and when I don’t feel like having my senses bombarded by the loud music, bright lights, and strong perfumes at Sephora, I head to Ricky’s NYC. It’s one of my favorite places in the city to explore skincare products at my leisure. They also stock The Ordinary products, as well as items from a bunch of other brands. I noticed quite a nice hodgepodge of American and international brands, including lots of…

A few years ago, I bought a tub of Aztec Clay, because I heard it was great for fighting acne. Every now and then, when I feel like going into detox mode, I pull it off the shelf and mix up a clay mask for myself. If you look at the jar, you’ll see that the marketing copy is reminiscent of Dr. Bronner’s Castille Soap—it’s unapologetically wordy and boastful about itself. The long name for this product is: Aztec Secret: Indian Healing Clay. If you have acne, you’ve…