When it comes to beauty, I've long prided myself on being a minimalist. I have always tried to get away with as little makeup, lotions, etc. as possible, even though my bathroom cabinets (and random drawers and closets around the house) are filled with expensive, coveted beauty products thanks to my years as a Conde Nast editor. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate all that stuff as much as the next girl, but something about slathering all sorts of stuff of unknown chemical origin on my body dampened my enthusiasm. But I confess as of late my minimalist ways are starting to feel more like neglect! In order to keep up my, ahem, appearance, I am finding it necessary to do more: more moisturizing, more exfoliating, more serums, more makeup, more taking care. Thankfully, a friend of mine recently launched an awesome line of chemical-free skin-care products and cosmetics called Beautycounter that caters to my purist ways--i.e., they're safe, straight-forward and effective. I am officially obsessed with Beautycounter's Lip Sheer in Coral to the point where--shocker!--I will apply it every morning even when I know it'll just be me interfacing with the computer all day long. It's a gloss that's thick enough for a subtle shine yet sheer enough to feel barely there, with just the prettiest hint of orange-y red. True perfection. I also love the Rosemary and Citrus Lustro Body Oil, an intensive moisturizer that instantly soothes my winter-dry skin and has worked a miracle or two (such as on the cracked hand variety when I was skiing in Colorado for a week earlier this year). I also reach for the facial hydrating creams day and night. Without getting too infomercial on you, I have to admit that now that I have to do "more" for myself, I am glad that I am doing it with products that are clean and 100% good for me.


P.S. My twin sister photographed Beautycounter's latest campaign, including the pic, above. Clearly, this is a family affair!