I’ve been super lazy recently with a very basic, very essential beauty task: washing my face. Some late nights, some travel and some sheer stupidity left my batting average for making the move to splash some water and soap on my face extremely low for the week, leaving my skin looking absolutely terrible.
It first showed up on my pillowcases. Those pristine white pillowcases weren’t hiding anything, only to serve as a blatant reminder that I needed to clean up my act (literally). Then, it showed up on my face a few days later. Everyone I had any interaction with was fast to interject that always-flattering, “You look tired.” Finally, the mirror wouldn’t let me deny it any longer, as it came screaming at me, “You need to do something!”
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Of course, just going back to washing my face every night was the logical solution, but my skin was too far gone for that to be the only factor in the mix. My complexion was clogged, dull and just felt like it had a really rough texture. I needed serious help.
Luckily, Drunk Elephant‘s new mask-meets-treatment T.L.C. Sukari Babyfacial ($80) was quietly hiding on my shelf. I love the company’s sunscreen, but hadn’t opened this release because I was convinced it was way too strong for my sensitive skin (as the label lets you know, it contains a pretty high 25 percent AHAs and 2 percent BHA). I can handle a little glycolic and lactic acid, but I was sure this level would leave me totally red and end up giving my face a whole new slew of issues.
Turns out, it IS strong. You can really feel it working on your face. It’s not a full-on, can’t-tolerate-it burning, but there is a sensation as you wear it, yet somehow when you wash it off, there’s absolutely ZERO redness. The company says it’s because of the way they formulated it—there’s a pH of 3.5 and the acids (there’s also citric, salicylic, tartaric) were specifically selected to work in a way that’s not irritating. Throw in some calming ingredients like milk thistle, enzymatic, dead skin–eliminator pumpkin ferment and the powerful vitamin of niacinamide, and you’ve got yourself a potent product.
The end result: I can honestly liken it to a mild, in-office peel. My skin looks a million times better, feels really soft and there’s no trace in my pores of my lackadaisical face-washing habit.
