I consider myself a bit of a skincare tool skeptic. Mainly because I’ve never had to buy one – I have two hands and beauty products can cure anything; rosacea, wrinkles, sallow skin, uneven skin tone, fine lines and acne just can’t stand up to the serums, oils, masks, cleansers, toners and scrubs I’ve used over the years.
Another reason is that I’ve always worried that these products might actually be worse for my skin. I’m in my 20s and wrinkle reduction isn’t a priority for me, but when those new facial rollers started popping up on my Instagram feed, I decided I needed one, too, and got sucked into a beauty tool spiral. Surprisingly, I discovered a few must-haves in the process.
Facial Massage Roller
Ah, that’s where it all started. I started with the Shiffa Jade Facial Massage Roller, a brand that focuses on incorporating modern and Ayurvedic treatments into its beauty products. Shortly after opening it, my cat mistook it for a toy and knocked it to the ground. Now I can confirm the roller’s durability.
It feels cool on the skin when I first use it. I used it habitually for about a week, but since I don’t have wrinkles, it didn’t show any noticeable signs of improvement on my skin. That’s fine with me. Now, I keep it in the fridge and use it when I need to relax. The cool feeling is great, and it really helps with lymphatic drainage – important for skin recovery.
Silk Pillowcase
The Slip Silk Pillowcase has been in my Sephora cart for a while now. For a long time, and now I regret not sleeping with a silk pillowcase under my head every night. $79-99 a pillowcase sounds expensive, but humans spend about a third of their lives sleeping.
Even I was a little shocked, but I really think I should only use silk pillowcases from now on. I will no longer laugh at it as an unnecessary luxury. My rosacea has decreased, my hair has become much less, and my sleep experience is much more comfortable. Even without considering the benefits to skin and hair, the comfort of the silk pillowcase alone is enough for me to recommend it.
Microneedle Roller
When I first received the GloPro, I was terrified. I knew that celebrities like Kim K and Sienna Miller regularly get their skin done in clinics and microdermabrasion facials to get the best skin possible. But I wasn’t too comfortable with having my face poked by what I imagined to be a million tiny needles. So I decided to try it out on a day when I had nothing to do and nowhere to go, just in case.
However, it turns out that this roller wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be – in fact, it did exactly what it was supposed to do. The needles on the roller create tiny wounds in the skin (so small that they can’t be seen with the naked eye), which stimulates collagen production and allows beauty products like serums and oils to be absorbed more deeply. The red LED light and vibrations also help repair the skin when using the GloPro in particular. It’s now part of my beauty regimen.
At-Home Facials
Honestly, my first thought when I took the ZIIP Facial Device out of the box was, “What the hell is this all about?” To be honest, it took a while to learn, but I got the hang of it after some googling. You apply a layer of conductive cream to your face and neck—it feels gross, but don’t worry, it washes off easily with water—and then massage the device in a variety of directions.
The massage pattern depends on the facial you choose on the app. You load your facial program onto the device in advance via Bluetooth. Electric facials are all the rage at spas, but I’ve never had such satisfying results with an at-home product in my life. Every part of my face I wanted was enhanced. The ZIIP may be expensive ($495), but it’s saved me thousands of dollars on facials. And, with Fashion Week around the corner, it’s become my new best friend.