DORÉ

A little while ago, Veronica introduced you to a new brand on the beauty beat, Augustinus Bader, and the science behind its two products, The Cream and The Rich Cream. Like a true beauty junkie, Veronica committed to trying out The Cream for 27 days and she’s here to report her findings and generally talk skincare shop with Caitlin, a self-declared luxe beauty addict who’s newly devoted to The Rich Cream, Emily, who’s on a serious mission for clear skin, and Mary, one of the lucky few who’s cruising through life mostly blemish-free and consequently would rather spend her money on shoes. The group delves into their individual skincare histories and how they’ve evolved with age, tips they gleaned from their mothers, why Veronica and Caitlin will be continuing their journeys with their respective Augustinus Bader creams and more. We love learning about other people’s beauty routines, tricks and questions, so please share them with us! Also because Emily not-so-secretly loves to dive deep with readers in the comments!

[podcast_episode episode=”276150″ ]

On skincare…
Caitlin: As I’ve become older, I’ve been more focused on not necessarily acne per se, but more so wrinkles and having a smooth complexion all around. I’ve finally gotten to the point where I’ve realized it’s quality over quantity and being able to have a consistent method that can travel with me, that maximizes my time in the morning and evenings, but also makes me feel like I’m doing something healthy for my skin. It’s just been an evolution.

Initial thoughts on using Augustinus Bader…
Caitlin: First of all, I’m a luxury beauty product junkie.
Veronica: And she’s not shy about that fact. You invest in your beauty and skincare routine.
Caitlin: I do. It’s more important to me than investing in seasonal clothing. It’s constant maintenance and it’s my skin and my face. Once I find a product I like, I stick with it. I had been using a very specific luxury beauty brand for almost a decade. But, after we were introduced to Augustinus Bader and you were familiarized with the science behind it, I was super excited to try it. I’ve always been kind of sold on the feeling and the dream – it’s a luxury product with beautiful packaging, but it delivers and has a following. Even though this was something new, it had science behind it and 27 days is nothing! I chose The Rich Cream because I like a very rich cream in general. I like the feeling of having heavier cream; I feel more protected for some reason. I fell in love with The Rich Cream. It goes on super smooth and lasts all day. It replaced my night cream.
Veronica: Did you used to have a different day and night cream?
Caitlin: Yes.
Veronica: And this is now your day and your night cream?
Caitlin: Yes. And I saw a smoothness in my face within about two weeks. I told Mary within a week of using it that I was obsessed.

On the fear of editing your beauty when going through TSA…
Veronica: I recently got back from Scotland and learned that the UK is much stricter about liquids than the US. I got flagged hard core. These two TSA ladies took me to the side room, laid out all my beauty products, and were like, “What are you doing??” I explained that I write about beauty for the site and carry a lot with me and they said I had to throw some of them out. I was like, “Not this one. This cream has to go with me!” They were like, “Well what cream is this?” They’d never heard of Augustinus Bader because it’s a new brand and company, but by the end of my three minutes with them, they’d taken photos of it and were buying it on the spot.

On the skincare products you’ve used the longest…
Emily: I’d say miceller water and sunscreen.
Veronica: I need to get better about sunscreen.
Mary: I’ve been using a redness reducing cream, because I feel like I have discoloration, that my mom starting using and gave to me about six years ago. I use it everyday.
Emily: Ok, I’m going to preface this by saying I’m not a scientist, but I have read and heard that if you get redness on your skin it’s a sign of inflammation in the body. It’s a diet thing.
Mary: Oh gosh. Really? I didn’t know that at all.

Who do you trust and get your beauty and skincare recommendations from?
Caitlin: I’ve never been someone who’s picked up a random beauty product and tried it out because it was getting pedaled on the sales floor. It’s always been about someone validating a product and having a good experience with it.
Emily: Unless I find someone who has similar skin to me, I’ve learned that I can’t take anyone’s recommendations because it’s such a personal thing. I’m trying to trust a really good esthetician or doctor. It needs to a professional who knows what type of skin I have and says this is what I should be using. There have been too many times I’ve tried stuff just because I saw a cool girl was using it, but didn’t know anything about her skin or issues and it backfired on me.

On pain in beauty…
Emily: Do you guys enjoy getting facials? I HATE it. It’s so painful because of the extractions.
Veronica: I love the pain. I’m one of those people that’s like, “If it’s not painful, it’s not working!”
Emily: You’re such a masochist.
Veronica: I am. There’s a mask I’m using right now twice a week, and it burns so much.
Mary: I think we must be using the same mask.
Veronica: It burns fucking burns and turns my face bright red and I can only leave it on for two minutes.
Mary: Oh my god, we do not use the same one!

On beauty essentials…
Veronica: I like to treat beauty like I treat fashion, in the sense that it should be your essential edit. When I started using this Augustinus Bader cream, I was like this is an essential edit, this is like my white button down shirt that will never go out of style and I can use it for so long! It really targets so many different things in terms of long term skincare with preventing wrinkles and short term cell turnover so I can have acne scars disappear quicker.

On how skincare impacts your self-esteem…
Veronica: You don’t feel like your best self if your skin is broken out. There is always a spring in my step when I have a good skin day. Or hair day.
Emily: Oh, totally. The best is when I come into work and Mary tells me, “Your skin looks amazing!” You know how to get to my heart, Mary.