December 2020: Objects for Interior Life

How is everyone? I didn’t know how I’d approach holidays this year with increasing restrictions in the greater NYC area, and general feelings of disconnectedness. I ended up taking this time away from being online, so please give me a bit more time if I haven’t replied to your DM/message over on Instagram. As we near the end of this tumultuous year, I did want to pop on here both as a check-in and to jot down a few items in vastly different categories that are helping me through these days of “interior life.”

Mija Superstar

Oh how I love thee. This supplement has been my tried and true for over the past year. The founder, Sarah Koszyk is a doll, and a treasure trove of knowledge (she actually served as a dietitian/nutritionist specialist at Zuckerberg General Hospital in San Francisco), and I just think they’re really pushing forward what clean supplements can do as I found the first-wave offerings from brands like Sun Potion and Moon Juice to lack a true scientific approach. As a clinically formulated one-and-done daily supplement, it has streamlined my routine significantly. The formula contains a ratio of vitamins, minerals, and otherwise necessary nutrients (Sarah Koszyk delights in discussing the formula’s digestive and immune supporting agents), using over a decade of Sarah’s clinical work as a chair of the Board of Dietetics as data points, making it one of the most scientifically-backed, comprehensive, and universal supplements out there.

And a bonus is the inclusion of adaptogens, a special class of plants that help with stress, mood, and regulating the hormones linked to sleep, anxiety, and happiness, which has been very much needed this year. Take this in the mornings, you’ll get this feeling of someone letting the sunshine in and feel good the rest of the day.

NuFace Trinity Microcurrent Device

If there is anything I’ve been doing a lot of this year, it is at-home facials. Since I don’t go out I have the time to play around at home, and I barely even order food delivery so going out to see a facialist isn’t on my calendar either. I upgraded to the Trinity with attachments during holiday sales. What I didn’t foresee was all the shows I’d be binging during the holidays (favorites are The Flight Attendant, Industry, and The Crown, leave a comment if there are any others I should watch), which create the perfect downtime to do these at-home micro-current treatments.

Sometimes I just do the quick 5 minute swipes which is good for toning and maintenance since results come from consistent usage. It’s when I do the more involved 20 minute sessions that I always notice a different in my skin the next day. I also like double-teaming with the LED light wrinkle reducer first, then the micro current orbs. By the time I’ve watched an episode of whichever show I’m streaming, I feel like I’ve turned back the clock on my skin. It makes me feel incredibly productive.

Sigil Amor Fati

I’m so glad Sigil exists. Prior to discovering Sigil, I had grown a bit disappointed with the state of green beauty fragrances. You might notice that I haven’t covered clean fragrance brands like Ellis Brooklyn, or Phlur, and that’s because they don’t smell any different from generic perfumes out there, and worse – to me, they’re also very cloying and artificial. The only brand I remember really loving was Strange Invisible Perfumes, which were so beautiful, and just worked within a green formula of natural ingredients. Unfortunately they pulled out of most retailers, and I’ve kind of lost touch with their line in recent years.

Then Sigil came on my radar, and I took a chance. And wow – what a payoff! Sigil is entirely green, no synthetics, just pure beautiful plant made fragrances. At the same time there is that touch of complexity and sophistication that is rare in the pure, green fragrance space. Where Strange Invisible verged on the overtly floral, Sigil is all about edgy, modern, non-binary scents. Amor Fati is what the founder Patrick Kelly, recommends as the gateway fragrance. It’s simultaneously unexpected yet easy-to-wear for anyone. There is a fresh, yet deep opening with notes of oud and green pine needles connected through a more bitter bergamot top note. As it dries down, you’ll go through a phase of grounding Palo Santo and balsam-like resins that might at first challenge your aesthetic but manages to stay on the side of pleasing. The final dry down that defines the life of the fragrance that remains is what won me over with a beautiful almost floral, milky combination that is so comforting, and gentle that I wear it to bed.

This green fragrance is such a pleasure, and never cloying nor artificial where it would aggravate sensitive-nosed individuals. Wear-time is significant, but as it doesn’t use synthetics to prolong nor project, I’d say 3-5 sprays will you get through the day if you want to be more subtle by mid-day/afternoon. But that’s the thing about non-synthetic perfumes, they don’t over-extend, so you can always top up if you’re missing those top notes, or you just want to get another fresh hit.

I look forward to playing more with this line in the future. Thus far, it has made me excited about green fragrance again.

YÜLI Pure Mask

I’ve always loved Pure Mask. It has been a product that I’ve used over and over. But in the past year specifically, I felt like I finally had an opportunity to use this to its full potential. In many high-end spas from Los Angeles to Paris, masks are stored as powders that are mixed on-the-spot by the facialist according to the client needs. The YÜLI Pure Mask is actually one of the most used base formulas by many renowned Asian facialists, so I took advantage of my time at home to figure out how to replicate those fancier facials since I already have the base.

One formula that I’ve been obsessed with is mixing Pure Mask with half the amount of water I’d normally use, then using a plain yoghurt, and adding two pumps of their Ambrosia Beauty Nectar. To replicate the K-beauty facial experience, I even use a spatula to apply this creamy mask. The yoghurt gives the mask a texture like a creamy moisturizer that keeps the actives in the mask lively, moisturizes the skin, and contains probiotics which are good for the skin anyway. The double pump of Ambrosia Beauty Nectar gives the skin the good stuff like epidermal growth factors and the vegetal placenta extract in a more intensive mask application. It works for any skin type because it’s creamy and hydrating, resurfacing and purifying, and is an absolute beast when it comes to the level of nutrients and actives. With that said, sometimes when I just want to take it easy, Pure Mask is good on its own, mixed with just water. I like doing this before evening showers, and rinsing off in the shower. It somehow leaves my skin feeling baby smooth and so soft when I step out of the shower.