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We’ll cut right to the chase — Dermstore is having its semiannual Friends & Family sale, and lots of great stuff (not everything, but lots of it) is on sale for 20 percent off. That includes DHC cleansing oils that our beauty writer Rio Viera-Newton loves, an Eve Lom zit cream that the Cut is crazy about, and (YES) Sunday Riley. Just enter the code FRIEND at checkout to score the discount — it’s on until October 12. Be sure to check out the best Columbus Day deals we found, too.
Our beauty writer Rio Viera-Newton tried these cooling gels and fell in love: “For a girl who’s tried a whole lot of eye treatments, it means a lot when I say I’m really, really into these eye patches. Since the consistency of most eye patches, including my beloved Gold Snail patches, is this kind of slippery gelatin, they tend to slide around, and I find myself having to readjust them every few minutes. However, these patches from Skyn Iceland are more of a stickerlike texture. So when you put them on, they stay put.”
Another one recommended by Rio: “This gold-star favorite can be found in virtually every Japanese drugstore, and people rave about it in my skin-care group chat (yes, my friends and I have a group chat about skin care). Trust the group chat: My friends have assured me that this stuff is a must-have if blackheads are an issue for you.”
Another dermatologist favorite for eczema-prone skin as “it contains colloidal oatmeal for calming inflammation and itchy skin, shea butter to protect the natural skin barrier, and ceramides.”
According to Cut beauty director Kathleen Hou: “As far as I’m concerned, Eve Lom Dynaspot is the only pimple cream worth using. It’s a less angry, more Zen version of a pimple cream that’s not less effective, containing tea tree oil and salicylic acid, which calm blemishes. I think I’m on my third tube.”
A cult classic daily peel that you can throw in your Dopp kit and forget about while traveling.
If you haven’t heard everything we’ve said about Paula’s number-one selling product by this point, we give up.
A blush pink lip balm with the softest touch of color.
The extremely calming tansy mask beloved by men with glowing skin.
Former Cut senior beauty editor Ashley Weatherford has an admittedly intense beauty routine and she swears by the Sunday Riley Good Genes treatment to make her skin “instantly glow.”
Another cult Paula’s Choice classic that she can’t keep in stock.
Rio’s favorite micellar water for removing all that makeup gunk.
Rio uses one of these little guys to prick her face full of microscopic holes to promote healing and diminish dark spots: “It used to look like a constant shadow on my chin and now you’d barely notice it, even when I’m not wearing makeup. Other friends have reported a crazy change in the plumpness of their skin — that derma-rolling in the extra essence from a collagen sheet mask had taken their skin to next-level baby status.”
If you’re a newbie to derma rolling, this one has tinier needles for less aggressive pricks — plus, it’s gold.
Rio relied on this to clear up her acne when it flared right before her sister’s wedding.
Rio’s number-one fave, the snail mucin power essence (“A truly skin-changing product”) that’s already affordable but now even cheaper.
The Strategist is designed to surface the most useful, expert recommendations for things to buy across the vast e-commerce landscape. Some of our latest conquests include the best acne treatments, rolling luggage, pillows for side sleepers, natural anxiety remedies, and bath towels. We update links when possible, but note that deals can expire and all prices are subject to change.
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