Every week, our DMs become a fascinating glimpse into our collective beauty brain. We get a lot of questions – from seriously technical to very funny. Below, some good ones to get into.
Q: Is there a mascara that can survive summer heat without the dreaded ‘smudge’?
A: In fact there are two. One is The Perfect Waterproof Mascara. The other is Wrap Star Tubing Mascara. No notes.
Q: Am I using too many skincare products?
A: Who are we to judge? But we will say: if it’s taking you 25 minutes to do your morning skincare routine, then yes, you are. While it’s optimal to have a good lineup of products at your disposal – so you can exfoliate less or more, barrier repair less or more, and vitamin C and peptide less or more – if you want healthy radiant skin you should follow our fave dermatologist, Dr Andrew Markey’s ABC+SPF system, include a product with skin longevity peptides and use an LED Mask (3-4X/week, please). Need a reminder about what ABC+SPF stands for? Refresh yourself here.
Q: Does taking Collagen Powder actually do anything?
A: Yes, taking 10g/day (that’s one scoop of our) hydrolysed collagen powder has been clinically proven to benefit your skin’s hydration and elasticity - but you have to be consistent with it. Chocolate lovers should try Chollagen. Very habit forming.
Q: How many active ingredients can I use at the same time?
A: The answer is somewhere between the ideal - a daily ABC and SPF routine and having to draw yourself a ‘flow chart’ (you know who you are).
Because one of the joys of Beauty Pie membership is that you can simultaneously own a high-performance pigment-brightening Vitamin C, a big bottle of our peerless YouthBomb Radiance Concentrate, the miracle-working Flash Face Lift Peptide Superdrops, AND that viral Triple Hyaluronic Acid Serum for less than a single 30ml bottle of ‘a doctor brand we will not name that is way more expensive and less effective’.
This, of course, is marvellous. It can also awaken a tiny voice that dares you "What if I just ‘active stack’ all of them?"
Now, we get it. But please remember, Beauty Pie products are already generously loaded with high-performance actives. This isn't skincare Jenga, where adding one more layer somehow means everybody wins.
The smartest approach is to build your skincare routine gradually. Introduce one active at a time, let your skin get acquainted, then add the next. Your skin will know when enthusiasm turns into ‘overdoing it’. If that happens, just dial things back, and let your routine settle.
Of course, if you’re too busy for this kind of obsession (or just not that into it but still want super glowy skin) you can use this amazing morning moisturiser with Vit B and C built-in, a fabulous night moisturiser with starter levels of Retinol (A), and SPF, and you’re also good!
Q: Why does concealer make my dark circles somehow more obvious?
Concealer used too heavy-handedly can cling to dry skin, settle into fine lines and seem to magnify the area you were hoping to minimise. For under eyes, take a three-step approach. Eye serum first. Always. We swear by this one. Then neutralise dark circles with a very sheer layer of Superluminous Under-Eye Genius (blend it with this brush) before adding a dot (or less) of a stay-put high-pigment concealer. Blend again. Remember less product is always more.
Q: I’ve heard rumours that your body cream is the same as a luxury french brand’s face cream.
A: Let’s just say our Super Healthy Skin Deluxe Body Moisture Crème has a rather glamorous French relative – except theirs is packaged in a jar for the face and costs considerably more. That’s just Beauty Pie: same lab postcode, very different price tag.
