Most people like to splurge on clothes, shoes and bags. I, on the other hand, like to invest in my skin. Like really invest. Just the other day I spent about $500 on a Silver Night Elixir and Gold Day Emulsion from Julisis. You’d expect that I’d feel shame or guilt, but the only thing I felt was a deep sense of satisfaction. Now I’m not sharing these details to show off. I’m not an heiress who was born with a silver spoon in her mouth. I save to spend on skincare and really believe every penny is worth it. However, even spending is an art.
When I was a beauty writer in Cosmopolitan more than 15 years ago, I’d save to splurge on a Dior lipstick, when all the other girls were spending on clothes. As someone who has struggled with bad skin, one of the biggest pleasures is to acquire a tool that makes your skin look amazing. It could be the perfect red lipstick that lifts your complexion (Bite Beauty Amuse Bouche in Gazpacho), or Clarisonic to make your pores look smaller. To wake up with a clear, glowing complexion is one of life’s sweetest joys, and all naturally clear-skinned people will never understand this feeling. So, over the years, I’ve developed an eye for what works and what doesn’t. People who claim that Pond’s Cold Cream is their ultimate beauty secret were just born with beautiful skin. For the rest of us, it’s a daily struggle.
While I will say that good skincare is worth every penny, not all luxurious products work. In fact, you’ll be shocked at how many of them don’t. One of the worst skin reactions I got was from a ₹25,000 bottle of rose-based face oil from one of the most luxurious skincare brands. Within days of using it my skin became red and flaky, and I had go to a dermatologist who put me on an emergency steroid treatment just to undo the damage.
So how does one know if something works? As someone who buys, and is sent, a lot of products to test, I am very careful about what I put on my reactive skin. Before applying anything, I always check empirical evidence. My favourite platform to check the performance of any product is makeupalley.com. If the product doesn’t score more than four points out of five, it’s not worth my time. One also has to see how many people have reviewed it. So, a product that has scored 3.9 from 50 reviews is better than one that scores 4.7 for two reviews. Get it? Even Reddit is a great platform to get honest reviews, unlike bloggers who are paid for their posts.
Then there are some very niche brands that will have very few reviews on any platform. That doesn’t mean the products aren’t good, just that they aren’t so popular. With those products, you just have to use your instincts and read the reviews of the founders. For instance, Purearth will not have many reviews because it’s made in such small batches. But it is one of my favourites because I know the founder and she is truly ethical, as a person. And the brand I really splurged on, Julisis, founded by alchemist Julisis Engelberg, I really loved. I’ve read the founder’s interviews. He sounds cranky, hates the media and bloggers, and is extremely proud of his creations — all signs of a true artist.
Julisis’ products were also recommended to me by my most trusted blogger friend Arjun Sudhir of justaskarjun.com. I trust him implicitly, but even then I looked at the comments under his reviews before I was fully convinced. Similarly, when it comes to cosmeceuticals, I trust Caroline Hirons. I don’t agree with her suggestions for skincare routines (acid toners twice a day with retinol at night will make your face peel off), but she does know her products.
You can call it indulgence, self-obsession or vanity, and perhaps it’s all three, but for me looking good is a symptom of great health. It’s an interest in your own welfare, it makes you value yourself a little bit more. I invest in beauty (very wisely) because I really do feel like I’m worth it.
A fortnightly column to remind you about all things skin deep.