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battle of the azelaic acids! paula’s choice vs. the ordinary

🌱 the ordinary: $7.90/30 ml, 10% AzA, no frills

feels smooth and velvety on the skin and creates a smoothened, matte finish that looks quite pretty — until you try to layer more skincare or makeup on top, that is, and it starts to roll up. the pilling made me use it only as my last step of my evening routine, but the decrease in redness it helped me achieve was almost instantaneous, and it also faded my hyperpigmentation spots. that price is unbeatable, but i wish the formulation was less annoying.

🌱 paula’s choice: $36.00/30 ml, 10% AzA, also features salicylic acid, adenosine, licorice root extract, allantoin, bisabolol.

more expensive, more lightweight, with an ingredient list that features more interesting actives — and yet the PC AzA leaves my skin slightly less nourished, and i’ve seen less of a drastic reduction in redness, though it does effectively target hyperpigmentation. it does not roll up under other products, either.

the verdict:

it’s really hard to choose, but based on price and results, i’ll go with the ordinary as my winner — i use azelaic acid in my evening routine, anyway, and the simpler formulation is less irritating to my skin! 

you’ll love it it if… you’re prone to redness, rosacea, acne, hyperpigmentation and/or broken capillaries.

Introducing our special June/July issue of Vogue, which features on its cover an unpublished (and breathtaking) photograph—Rose ‘Colour Wonder,’ 1970—by Irving Penn. “I don’t think I am alone in wishing for a little bit of hope right now,” Anna Wintour writes in her editor’s letter. “It’s a brave act to optimistically consider the future—but that’s the kind of bravery we need now more than ever.”  

See our June/July portfolio, #VoguePostcardsfromHome—which was commissioned, designed, and produced entirely remotely–as well as read Wintour’s full editor’s letter: here.

The Rise of Korean Skincare

Fun fact: did you know that South Korean women spend twice as much of their income on skincare than their American counter parts. 

The Koreans are big into their beauty and skincare regime, so its no wonder they are at the forefront of creating new, innovative skincare products. And  these products have caught on in Europe and America. 

The now commonly known and used product of a BB cream came from Korea. It was first launched in America in 2011 but Korean women have been using it for decades. It is a blend of a moisturiser and a foundation, in 2014 the US market for BB cream alone was worth $164m.

In the UK the most common beauty routine is a 3 step one, cleanse, tone, moisturise. Whereas in Korea is it most common for a 10 step routine, which is…

1) Oil cleanse - This is the initial cleanse. The oil binds with makeup and dirt on the skin that then washes away when you wash off the oil cleanser.

2) Foam cleanse - Foam cleansing now really cleans your skin of the excess oil and bacteria. 

3) Exfoliate - Exfoliating slews away the dead skin cells and helps prevent clogged pore, pimples and comedones.

4) Tone - After cleansing and exfoliating this can throw your skins PH balance, a toner balances your skin, and gives it vital antioxidants. 

5) Essense - This is a lightweight nutritional hydration. It adds moisture and has high levels of active ingredients that takes the natural extracts deep into the skin.

6) Treatment - This step is dependant on your skin issue. If you have acne or blemishes, this is where you would use a spot treatment. If you dark marks, lines or pigmentation you would a retinol or glycolic acid treatment.

7) Mask - Again the type of mask will depend on your skin type and skin needs. Nor is it a daily use product, most Koreans will use a mask twice a week. The mask is an intense version of a treatment, it could contain high levels of vitamin c to help brighten the skin, it could have high levels of witch hazel or tea tree oil to help acne.

8) Eye cream - This is an anti-ageing step that helps prevent dark eyes, fine lines and other signs of ageing around the eyes.

9) Face cream - This is to lock in the skins moisture, keeping it plump and hydrated.

10) SPF sun-cream - the biggest signs of ageing, fine lines, dark spots, are all predominantly caused by the sun. SPF is a vital step in Korean skincare routines.

This routine is obviously a bit excessive and not for everyone. If you have sensitive skin, or any skincare issue it may aggravate it. 

This kind of routine is best for people who have a normal skin type and are looking at preventing the signs of ageing, so probably for people in their late 20′s to 30′s.

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