Speed Dial: Your "Embarrassing" Questions Answered

pimple patches, pregnancy & spf eyeshadow

Hi friends!

Did you miss me? Hopefully not, but if you did it is because Q1 has gone ahead and did that thing again where it’s almost over before you even start to get going? I was talking to someone the other day who very candidly, with no excuses, just admitted that time had gotten away from them. I found that really refreshing and inspiring! So here I am telling you straight that I am behind and this newsletter has fallen victim to that. The good news is that I always thrive in Q2 and this year, the beginning of the quarter coincides with my 30th birthday, so I have extra good vibes.

I realize that my upcoming birthday good vibes don’t mean much to you (they give you good skin?), so to make it up to you, instead of just one person, I’ll be picking FOUR paying subscribers this month to win a box of skincare goodies! (In case you forgot, each month I randomly select a paying subscriber to get a box of skincare products. The winner is notified via email, BOLO!) 

After today’s issue, I’m giving myself another few weeks to finish up a bunch of drafts and we’ll be back in action in April. I sincerely appreciate your patience and understanding, but I also totally understand if you want a refund, which you can request via your Substack dashboard. Y’all are the best and I can’t wait to keep talking skin with you throughout 2023. 

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I got so many excellent “embarrassing” skincare questions of varying complexity, so I’ll be breaking it into 2 issues. If you haven’t submitted yours yet, you still have time!

One theme that I’ve noticed is the fear of using something wrong. Might I suggest checking out this issue about product layering?

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I know not to touch an active breakout, but should I be putting my moisturizer/sunscreen on over it? And if I'm using a zit patch, do I apply it after doing my full skin care routine or do I just, like, leave the zit alone and cover it up?

This is a great question and one that troubled me a lot when I first started using pimple patches. The “apply to clean dry skin” thing threw me off, but then I remembered it is a 10mm piece of hydrocolloid and I am a 5 foot 4 inch human adult, so I am in charge and I can choose my own adventure. Here’s the adventure I suggest: do your whole routine, try your best to avoid touching the spot, but don’t worry too much about getting any product on it. After applying everything (sunscreen included), take a clean cotton pad or q tip, gently wash off any residue, pat dry and apply my patch. I also do this with all spot treatments!

Why is pregnancy skincare so complicated? By that I mean, why is there no clear answer as to what you can and can’t use? I’m not even asking your opinion necessarily (though please share!), but more so trying to understand why it is so hard to find an answer in the first place.