So we’re firmly into 2020 and just now posting our 2019 furvorites. Blame it on too much gallivanting during the pawliday season.

Renee’s Furvorites

So WordPress has converted to some asinine “block” editor thing which I accidentally accepted. And now I am like a Boomer on AOL dial-up. STOP FIXING shit that don’t need fixing.

I will press on. We’re down from a weekly post to approximately yearly post because of the ever-increasing attention deficit of this generation. Also I had a few encounters with some demons but that’s all resolved now. In exchange they gave me eternal youth and some coupons, so back to BAU.

Without further ADD, here are my favs. Yes, Angela and I still empty our pockets of moneys even though we haven’t been telling y’all, or explaining to our parents why we’re homeless but still look so good.

*note: these links ARE NOT affiliate links. We don’t make any money in any way from these posts. So use at your own peril but rest assured I’m being honest.

Body Stuphs

1. Le Petit Marseillais French body wash smells amazing, is soft on skin, and comes in big economy containers. There are quite a few scents and they’re all pretty amazing. It’s about one of the few imported French products that are still affordable. You can pretty much get them anywhere online. I’d seen them in stores at Le District in Manhattan, but with severe markup.
2. In tandem with the body wash is my favorite winter lotion: Le Petit Merseillais body lotion. The scent is heavenly. The lotion is thick but spreadable and not greasy. It’s harder to find than the body wash and the prices are all over the place. If you can find them at a reasonable price, grab all of them!
3. My next fav thing is the Shiseido Senka Body Oil Essence Fresh Floral Fragrance. It’s like a lotion/oil hybrid. It’s creamy but runny. However it goes on lovely and makes your skin so soft. I’d tried it on my eczema-ridden hands at a Takashima store and it kept them hydrated the whole day!
4. Babo Organics Sheer Zinc Continuous Spray Sunscreen SPF30 is the sunscreen I’d been waiting for in the last decade, due to my extreme allergies to sunscreens. It’s not just sensitive skin (eyeroll), I actually get hives unless the sunscreen contains only titanium/zinc oxides. I usually use Hamptons Suns but this is much more affordable. It comes in SPRAY form, which is very rare for a mineral-only sunscreen. It’s also relatively invisible and doesn’t have that clay-like white cast like the lotion formats. Runs out pretty quickly at 6oz but I have bought half a dozen bottles.

Face Stuphs

1. Finally a good sunscreen for the face too! I grew a substantial sun/melasma mustache since last summer so aside from very expensive laser (more on that later) and bleach cream, I really need to get into the habit of wearing sunscreen every. single. day. Found this on sale at a random shop but so far so good! Vant 36.5 Baby Sun Cushion SPF 50+ PA+++ ( (look at all those plusses; I’m like Angela now!) The Amazon ratings aren’t good, but I take it with a grain of salt because the general public can be idiotic.
2. I never use cleansing balms, cuz I don’t wear full face makeup, but for drag nights, the Rafra Balm Orange Black takes off even waterproof eyelash glue! It’s hard to find and expensive, but the original version should be restocked on ABeauty shop shelves everywhere. It also really smells lovely (like an orange, but not in that caustic citrus way).

Furvorites Short list:

• Fresh Youth Preserve Dream Night Cream: used as a day cream for extra dry winter days
• L’Occitane Immortelle Divine Cream: for that extra luxurious pick-up when your face starts to look like the grim reaper after a holiday party. Use sparingly; it’s ‘spensive af
• Avene Cold Cream Lip Butter is really buttery and succulent moisture for your lips. Works well as night lip mask too; better than the Laneige one
• Avene Rich Compensating Cream has been my everyday staple in the winter months. I slather it generously on my face both day and night whenever it feels parched.

Angela’s Furvorites

Skin Stuphs

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1. Purple and MOAR purple! I unabashedly support gratuitously purple skincare. Tatcha Dewy Skin Cream and Gentle Rice Polish top the list for both the joy factor and effectiveness on dry skin. I’ve even enjoyed Farsali Unicorn Essence, which–while not amazing–leaves skin smoother and tighter for makeup prep.
2. Botox: No skincare can match the power of Botox. Like a Japanese erasable pen, Botox smooths away the lines on my forehead that remain even after I’m no longer huffing at Renee’s latest dig. Curology/tretinoin can’t undo these kinds of wrinkles, which form and deepen so long as, well, your forehead can move. For me, the cost is about $10-13/unit for 8-10 units injected into my forehead and brow furrows, and the effects last about 3 months. Compared to fancy anti-aging serums and creams, Botox is well worth it for superior and guaranteed results. Consult your derm/plastic surgeon of course. I go to Dr. Perry Liu at Avant Aesthetics and also like Nurse Alexis’s work.
3. Bioderma Matricium: My HG furrrrefurrrrr. Applying Matricium is like applying a new layer of skin. It’s the fastest skin repairer when my skin is flaky, irritated, and red from overexfoliation, zitpopping, or tret overdose. Basically comprised of amino acids and other goodies naturally found in skin–it even smells like skin–Matricium is wasted on healthy skin but miraculous on compromised skin. It’s hard (impossible?) to find in the U.S. other than online, so it’s a must-buy when I (or Renee) are in Europe.

Makeups

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1. Brow and Eyeliner Tattoos: The biggest timesaver, by far! I went to Sherri Permanent Makeup (in LA’s Koreatown) again to touch up my 5-year-old brow tattoos and to get–drumroll please–eyeliner tattoos. Shockingly, the eyeliner felt like tickling and scratching; compared to when Renee first had hers (very painfully) done, the anesthetic cream has gotten stronger. That’s my before & after on Sherri’s IG!
2. Huda Beauty Nude Obsessions – Light: I came for the lavender and stayed for the neutrals. Such a gorgeous combo! Best for fair to light skin (I’m NC15-NC20). To make the lavender really pop and last all day, I press it on with my fingertip on top of a lavender base (Colourpop Daddy and then Nabla Lotus).
3. Patrick Ta Blush – She’s Seductive: The purrfect non-blush blush: adds dimension and life and goes with errrrrything without screaming “Hi, I’m makeup!” the way that pinks and corals do. The description (“mauve plum”) is unexciting, which is exactly what you need sometimes, like when you’re wearing sparkling lavender eyeshadow by Huda. (If you liked Tarte Exposed before Tarte was canceled for racism, you’ll like this one!)
4. Lisa Eldridge Lipstick – Love of My Life: Another under-the-radar essential. This face-brightening rose didn’t get the attention that Skyscraper Rose or Rainbow Spill got. As a founding member of Team Hot Pink, I thought I’d love Skyscraper Rose 100x more than Love of My Life, but guess which one I reach for day after day? Love of My Life is also in the comfortable and more forgiving Luxuriously Lucent formula.

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Hairs

1. Olaplex No. 6 Bond Smoother Styling Creme: I have fairly easy hair (undyed, straight, medium-coarseness) and simple needs (a quick Voloom and a flip of the ends is all I do). Even so, I notice the difference that Olaplex No. 6 makes: softer, straighter, more obedient hair! It’s also more economical than normal Olaplex because I only use about 1-2 almonds’ worth before blow-drying whereas I go through Olaplex No. 5 Bond Maintenance Conditioner in like two months. Of course, more damaged hair will need the more concentrated conditioners.

Welp, that’s it for 2020 now. We’ll try to post more than annually, and please keep up with us over on IG at @beautyandthecat.