elyse + residency
I started March in Orlando for the Annual American Academy of Dermatology meeting. It was a complicated week for me. On one hand, it was a great bonding opportunity to travel with my coresidents, I got to reconnect with old mentors and meet idols of mine, and I learned about the hottest topics in dermatology. On the other hand, it was the first time I came face to face with my ex-boyfriend since the break-up last year, so that was emotionally messy and heartbreaking – but necessary for closure.
I am so grateful to have had the best coresidents by my side during the conference. They wiped my tears, went on long runs with me, and danced the night away with me. They reminded me of the life I have started to build in NYC and how incredibly happy I’d been the past few months. Mostly, they were there for me.
The most exciting thing I learned about is the use of blue and red light for the treatment of acne. I was so inspired that I did my grand rounds presentation for our department on the topic. In short, red and blue light therapy combined has been shown to be beneficial for both inflammatory (red bumps, painful nodules) and comedonal (white and blackheads) acne. In one study, 15 minutes of daily red+blue light therapy was more efficacious at decreasing inflammatory acne and equally effective at treating comedonal acne as topical 5% benzoyl peroxide used every night (benzoyl peroxide wash is always my first line recommendation for acne patients because it’s over the counter, but I think I will start to recommend the Neutrogena mask also. Have any of you tried it? Definitely let me know your experience in the comments section.)
elyse + beauty
I mentioned in my instagram live and story that I was trying out a new skin care line for March. I pretty much fell in love with the Vivant skin care products I used this month, specifically the madelic acid wash and the Derm-A-gel. In general, I’m not very interested in a lot of beauty lines because I think tretinoin is the holy grail of beauty care but I’ve been finding my retin-a-micro (a name brand version of tretinoin) too harsh to use over the winter. So, I was v. interested when I found out the founders of Vivant Skin Care are Dr. James Fulton, MD PHD (one of the codiscoverers of benzoyl peroxide and tretinoin - the two products I swear by for acne!) and his chemist wife. When the company approached me, they stated they’d been "more focused on the science than marketing" for the past few years. This statement spoke to my intellectual sense because at my core I am a scientist.
I plan to write do a separate post on my March skincare routine after I finally publish this huge post so it's easier to reference but here it is in short.
Before I get to it, the company has offered free shipping on your order and a free travel size surprise if you use the code "LOVEVIVANT" at check-out!
AM skincare routine:
- Vivant Skin Care mandelic acid wash
- EltaMD UV Daily Broad spectrum SPF 40 facial moisturizer (my favorite sunscreens here!)
- Priming moisture rich (buy your glossier products through my rep page here! 20% off your first order!)
PM skincare routine:
- Glossier milky jelly cleanser or Vivant Skin Care mandelic acid wash (buy your glossier products through my rep page here! 20% off your first order!)
- Vivant Skin Care Daily Repair Pads (every other night)
- Vivant Skin Care Derm A gel (every other night)
Did I mention my skin was THE BEST it's looked since I completed accutane last year? I've already placed reorders on the madelic acid face wash.
elyse + glossier
The most popular glossier order for March through my rep page was... cloud paint - the brand's new blush line. Remember, you can always find my glossier rep page on the navigation menu of love and the sky.
Click here for my glossier rep page (and 20% off your first order!)
For more information on my partnership with glossier, see here.
I wore cloud paint almost every single day this month because I wanted to be able to give you all a favorite, but they're all classic colors for different reasons.
- BEAM: I consider beam the "basic b" of all the cloud paints. The color seemed non-descript, but it looks so good with almost any make-up look. It is my go to for the "no make up make up" look and probably the color I wore the most this months.
- PUFF: This is your classic baby pink, spring is here color. It makes me happy to put on.
- HAZE: This is a plum color that I love to wear with a bright pink or plum lip (generation g in jam in the below picture)
- DUSK: I thought this color wouldn't look good on my skin tone, but I LOVE IT. It's almost like an extra highlighter. It's perfect for the "no make up make up" look and for pulling off a bold lip like my favorite Sephora very red.
elyse + style
I'm finding myself lusting after more and more pastels this Spring. See my spring fashion lust list here (I've already ordered the sunglasses!) and I've linked up some spring/fall classics to build your wardrobe below!
elyse + culture
Beauty and the Beast: This was my favorite Disney money growing up, but I never realized how closely it matches with my life. It’s one part feminism, one part introductory conversation on what it means to be beautiful.
Get Out: This is one of those can’t explain, you just have to go see it movies.
Guys, I’m addicted to Showtime’s The Affair. It took me months to get through the first 6 episodes but now I can’t stop. Boz went to Japan for 1.5 weeks and I greeted him with the wrath of a middle aged white woman with four kids who’d just been left by her husband for a waitress.
okay.. I think that's enough for this month.
Update me - what have you been up to??
What are you looking forward to this Spring??
what do you want from me this april?
oh yeah - follow me on instagram, k? thx
xo
elyse
