If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, STYLECASTER may receive an affiliate commission.

I know it’s fall when my typically oily skin starts to get dry patches and flake. Don’t get it twisted, there are so many things I love about the season, but the way it affects my skin is not one of them. Sometimes, even my most hydrating moisturizers seem to lose their appeal. I cover a bazillion different gels and creams as a shopping writer, but one, in particular, has caught my eye.

Youth To The People is a relatively fresh brand known for its vegan, superfood-packed formulas. I love its Superfood Cleanser, which is chock-full of kale, spinach and green tea. Who knew these green juice ingredients could also transform and nourish the skin? That’s just one of YTP’s innovative, fan-favorite formulas, but I’m here to introduce you to the Adaptogen Deep Moisture Cream.

The product has a 4.7-star overall rating on the brand’s site, with over 700 perfect ratings. Shoppers are hooked on the moisturizer because of its plant extracts and peptide complex. These ingredients create a deeply hydrating cream that’s perfect for dry, reactive and sensitive skin.

The star of the show, an adaptogenic extract blend, targets dryness, irritation, redness and visible signs of aging. At the same time, peptides keep your skin barrier in check and rewind the clock on your complexion. It kind of sounds like the complete package, right? 

The face moisturizer gets the job done so well that one reviewer wrote, “This completely changed my skin. It’s sooooo soft and incredibly plump now!”

Say less—we’re on it and you should be, too. Shop the Adaptogen Deep Moisture Cream from Youth To The People for all-around healthier skin.

RELATED: This $9 Firming Collagen Moisturizer Is So Effective, Shoppers Have Stopped Getting Botox—& We Can’t Believe It’s Still on Sale 

Photo: Youth To The People.

Winter is just around the corner and fall already has my skin feeling drier than usual, so I’ll keep it short and sweet. That way, you can grab your own jar of this moisturizer ASAP.

Squalane, jojoba and shea butter are the main ingredients that are responsible for delivering deep hydration. They achieve this without clogging pores, which is a major bonus. As for the adaptogenic blend, ashwagandha, Rhodiola and reishi team up to protect, minimize the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines and hydrate. You’re probably used to seeing adaptogens on the ingredient lists for beverages that claim to calm your mind, but this formula proves that it has multiple uses and benefits. Adaptogens have actually been utilized in Eastern medicine and Ayurveda for thousands of years, per the brand.

Enough with ingredients, I’m going to turn it over to a few passionate shoppers who swear by the soothing face cream.

“Amazingly light and refreshing. I have dry skin and after I put this on it feels so satisfying… like my skin’s thirst for moisture has been quenched,” wrote one reviewer.

“This is an incredible product. Provides the right amount of moisture, and helps to make my skin appear smooth, as well as radiant. I feel that I am glowing when I put this on. I highly recommend trying this product,” another one raved. “I have sensitive skin, as well as allergies… and this is the best moisturizing product I have come by yet!”

“Never understood why my skin was always so angry and irritated, this changed everything! My skin is so calm and my redness is way down,” a third shopper wrote. 

The product boasts so many stellar reviews, I literally had a hard time choosing which ones to include in this story. That’s how coveted the moisturizer is! Shop Youth To The People’s Adaptogen Deep Moisture Cream to avoid the dry patches and flakiness that usually crop up around this time of the year.

If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, STYLECASTER may receive an affiliate commission.

I know it’s fall when my typically oily skin starts to get dry patches and flake. Don’t get it twisted, there are so many things I love about the season, but the way it affects my skin is not one of them. Sometimes, even my most hydrating moisturizers seem to lose their appeal. I cover a bazillion different gels and creams as a shopping writer, but one, in particular, has caught my eye.

Youth To The People is a relatively fresh brand known for its vegan, superfood-packed formulas. I love its Superfood Cleanser, which is chock-full of kale, spinach and green tea. Who knew these green juice ingredients could also transform and nourish the skin? That’s just one of YTP’s innovative, fan-favorite formulas, but I’m here to introduce you to the Adaptogen Deep Moisture Cream.

The product has a 4.7-star overall rating on the brand’s site, with over 700 perfect ratings. Shoppers are hooked on the moisturizer because of its plant extracts and peptide complex. These ingredients create a deeply hydrating cream that’s perfect for dry, reactive and sensitive skin.

The star of the show, an adaptogenic extract blend, targets dryness, irritation, redness and visible signs of aging. At the same time, peptides keep your skin barrier in check and rewind the clock on your complexion. It kind of sounds like the complete package, right? 

The face moisturizer gets the job done so well that one reviewer wrote, “This completely changed my skin. It’s sooooo soft and incredibly plump now!”

Say less—we’re on it and you should be, too. Shop the Adaptogen Deep Moisture Cream from Youth To The People for all-around healthier skin.

RELATED: This $9 Firming Collagen Moisturizer Is So Effective, Shoppers Have Stopped Getting Botox—& We Can’t Believe It’s Still on Sale 

Photo: Youth To The People.

Winter is just around the corner and fall already has my skin feeling drier than usual, so I’ll keep it short and sweet. That way, you can grab your own jar of this moisturizer ASAP.

Squalane, jojoba and shea butter are the main ingredients that are responsible for delivering deep hydration. They achieve this without clogging pores, which is a major bonus. As for the adaptogenic blend, ashwagandha, Rhodiola and reishi team up to protect, minimize the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines and hydrate. You’re probably used to seeing adaptogens on the ingredient lists for beverages that claim to calm your mind, but this formula proves that it has multiple uses and benefits. Adaptogens have actually been utilized in Eastern medicine and Ayurveda for thousands of years, per the brand.

Enough with ingredients, I’m going to turn it over to a few passionate shoppers who swear by the soothing face cream.

“Amazingly light and refreshing. I have dry skin and after I put this on it feels so satisfying… like my skin’s thirst for moisture has been quenched,” wrote one reviewer.

“This is an incredible product. Provides the right amount of moisture, and helps to make my skin appear smooth, as well as radiant. I feel that I am glowing when I put this on. I highly recommend trying this product,” another one raved. “I have sensitive skin, as well as allergies… and this is the best moisturizing product I have come by yet!”

“Never understood why my skin was always so angry and irritated, this changed everything! My skin is so calm and my redness is way down,” a third shopper wrote. 

The product boasts so many stellar reviews, I literally had a hard time choosing which ones to include in this story. That’s how coveted the moisturizer is! Shop Youth To The People’s Adaptogen Deep Moisture Cream to avoid the dry patches and flakiness that usually crop up around this time of the year.

BravoCon 2022 Fashion: Southern Charm

It’s the Thursday following Bravocon 2022, and the looks just keep coming! We’ve finally made our way to Southern Charm, but the delay is not for lack of loving their looks. Madison LeCroy served up some of my favorite looks of the weekend, and her cast mates followed suit! Check out some of the best, and stay tuned for more as they pop up.

Click Here to See #RHOBH Bravocon Looks

Click Here to See #RHOSLC Bravocon Looks

Click Here to See #WinterHouse Bravocon Looks

Click Here to See #RHOC Bravocon Looks

Click Here to See #RHOP Bravocon Looks

And stay tuned as we add the rest of the franchises!

The Realest Housewife,

Big Blonde Hair

Madison LeCroy’s Yellow Dress and White Ruffle Blouse

Shop Her Alice + Olivia Blouse:

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Shop Her Alice + Olivia Dress:

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Style Stealers:

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Madison LeCroy’s Yellow Cutout Dress

Click Here to Shop her Sergio Hudson Dress

Style Stealers:

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Madison LeCroy’s Black Mesh Cutout Dress

Click Here to Shop her Dion Lee Dress

Click Here For Additional Stock 

Click Here for Even More Stock

Style Stealers:

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Madison LeCroy’s Pink Feather Dress

Click Here to Shop her Patbo Dress

Style Stealers:

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Kathryn Dennis’ Nude Embellished Jumpsuit

Click Here to Shop her Retrofete Jumpsuit 

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Leva Bonaparte’s Tiger Print Top

Click Here to Shop her Norma Kamali Top

Click Here to Shop Pure Leaf Tea

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Originally posted at: BravoCon 2022 Fashion: Southern Charm

For me, it all started when a stranger walked into a craft shop…

I always thought the old saying about entering your second childhood was a load of nonsense. Now it has taken on a totally different meaning to me.

A few of years ago, I read about a study that carried out research into the things retired people were most happy doing.

The results suggested that many of us would benefit from thinking back to the type of things we liked to do at primary school age and taking up interests connected to those childhood hobbies.

I used to collect dolls from around the world. Often, people would give me old dolls in rather tatty clothes. So, I set about recreating their outfits. I got such satisfaction and sense of achievement from it.

Then, as I grew up, I carried on sewing and knitting when I had time, mainly making clothes for my two daughters – my living dolls, you might say!

My Journey Back in Time!

Towards the end of my working career, I wrote a children’s book. It was a labour of love bringing together all my experience as a teacher and nutrition consultant. TG and the Rainbow Warriors is a fantasy story with a nutritional theme that carries a thread of anti-bullying and building self-esteem.

As children’s health and education have always been dear to my heart, you can imagine I had naively high hopes about finding a publisher. But it wasn’t easy, so I got myself an editor and published it myself. Sadly, it had to be without illustrations, though it is a colourful book.

After selling the first print run, I reinvested in another. When half were sold, I had to make the decision of either paying for advertising or calling it a day. The remaining books went under the bed.

Then one day, a random event set off an amazing chain reaction. A stranger walked into my local craft shop asking the owner if they knew someone who could make an outfit for an antique doll. They recommended me.

I spent many a happy hour researching the subject, made the outfit and the lady was extremely pleased with the result.

The books I’d found on the topic had instructions on how to make cloth dolls, and that triggered a light-bulb moment – I thought, “you may not be able to draw – but you can sew!” This is when I remembered the article about retirement hobbies.

So, I decided to illustrate my book with dolls.

A Crafting Decathlon

I spent two years making the dolls. This included the dolls themselves, their clothes and many of their props.

The process led me to discover worlds I didn’t know existed, ranging from dolls’ house miniatures to supplies from a taxidermist!

I attended a specialist cloth doll making course – and am now part of a Facebook community talking to other cloth doll making enthusiasts around the world.

In the last scene of my book, the characters have a banquet, so I had to learn how to make miniature food from polymer clay – it is great fun, but it took three days to make a pizza!!

Then, of course, we needed a banqueting table and throne for the Crystal Lady – so off I went again into the realms of sourcing acrylic and how to cut it and stick it together.

My most daunting task was painting the backdrops for the final photo shoot, because I really can’t draw. Once again, I was Googling away for copyright-free sketches of the things I needed.

I managed to copy them, make them my own and then paint them with acrylics – a book on How to Paint in Acrylics in one hand and a brush in the other.

We had the first photo shoot a week later. The dolls and I had great fun. The next backdrops will be mixed media on cloth background, painted then embroidered by hand and machine – another foray into the virtually unknown.

Your Past – Your Future?

I am all too aware that the odds of the book ever ‘getting’ out there in the way I dream of are extremely low. If I wasn’t having so much fun doing all these things, I wouldn’t be carrying on my mission to get the book published.

Whatever the future holds, I know I will still be exploring the crafting world for new things to try – just for the fun of it.

What did you love to do when you were 10? What hobbies do you indulge in now? Even if you don’t feel like rekindling a childhood hobby, there are bound to be others linked to it that you might like to research. Follow the thread and see where it leads. It would be really lovely to hear about interests and hobbies you have rediscovered and how they have enriched your life.

Since a number of you have requested information about how to use a makeup sponge and all the different ways to use it, that’s exactly what today’s article and accompanying video are all about. And I think you’ll be a bit amazed by the variety of things we can do with a makeup sponge!

Why Use a Makeup Sponge?

Makeup sponges create the most skin-like finish since they push the product into the skin. This means that the makeup product doesn’t sit on top of the skin and appears more seamless and natural. Makeup sponges can also help “sheer out” a thicker or creamier product, and they can build up coverage.

What’s the Best Sponge to Use?

If we decide to use a makeup sponge, we need to select one that is appropriate for us. There are many different makeup sponges on the market since just about every makeup brand produces them – and they come in a wide array of sizes and shapes.

The larger size sponges are great for applying makeup to larger areas of the face. The smaller sponges are great for use on smaller areas such as under the eyes or where we apply highlighter, contour or bronzer.

Tip: If you don’t want to buy small sponges, you can simply take a paper-wrapped wire – like the ones you sometimes see around the end of bread wrappers – and tie off the end of a larger sponge.

Some people absolutely swear by the original Beauty Blender sponge. But there are certainly many other less expensive sponges on the market such as those from Real Techniques and Elf. If you can, it’s great to try both a Beauty Blender and a less expensive sponge so you can compare them to see which you prefer. Frankly, I think it really just boils down to personal preference.

How to Get the Best Results

To get the best results from makeup application with a sponge, there are two very important things we must do: first, it’s necessary to prepare the sponge for use in the right way; and second, we have to use a very specific application technique when we use a sponge.

Follow these three steps for best results:

1. It’s necessary to get the sponge thoroughly wet which will actually double its size.
2. thoroughly squeeze out the sponge
3. Take a dry paper towel and squeeze the sponge once again so it’s still very damp, but not too wet.

I’ll demonstrate this process in the video.

Best Application Technique

It’s very important to avoid rubbing the sponge across the face. What we want to do is to bounce it to create a uniform, seamless coverage without streaks and lines. And as we bounce the sponge, we’re just barely lifting it off the surface of the skin.

Be sure to check out Elise’s YouTube channel which specifically focuses on makeup tips, techniques, and product reviews for those of us 50+. Don’t forget to subscribe!

In the accompanying video, I’ll demonstrate using a makeup sponge to apply a surprising number of makeup products. During my makeup application process, I’ll also use a variety of makeup formulas – creams, liquids and gels – so you can see how the sponge works with all these different makeup formulas.

Face Primer and Foundation

Some people like to apply the product on the back of the hand, then absorb the product into the sponge and then apply. That’s certainly fine to do, but I prefer to dot the product on my face with my fingers and then use my sponge to blend it in. I feel this application technique doesn’t absorb and use up as much product.

Concealer and Powder

I use a smaller sponge to apply under eye concealer and face concealer. To do this, I first dot the product on and then blend it in using the sponge.

To set the concealer under my eyes, I’m going to dip the small end of a sponge into loose powder and then gently press it over the concealer which will help keep the concealer from creasing.

Contouring, Blush and Highlight

Because I don’t want to apply too much contour, I’m not going to apply the contour cream directly to my face from the applicator. Instead, I’m going to put some on the back of my hand and then use a small sponge – or the small end of a sponge – to pick it up and strategically place it under the cheekbones, on the bottom edge of the jawline and on the forehead.

Using a sponge to apply contour is a great way to keep the contour looking more natural and to avoid that dreaded look of two stripes down the sides of our face.

Because I want to apply only a small amount of blush – and then build it up if I need to – I’ll put blush on the back of my hand and then apply it with the rounded end of the sponge.

Since I’m using a highlighter which is pretty intense, I’ll also apply that on the back of my hand and then pick it up with the sponge.

Eyeshadow and Lipstick

These next two applications will most likely surprise you the most. Using the makeup sponge, I will apply eyeshadow and help blend out my lipstick. I’ll apply both liquid and powder eyeshadow using a small sponge. And it’s certainly also possible to use cream eyeshadow.

To help soften the look of my lipstick, I’m going to use the sponge to tap over it. Next, I’m going to take a couple of lip glosses and combine them on the back of my hand and then dot them on my lips using the sponge.

The Finishing Touch

No matter what makeup I use, or how I apply it, I always like to finish my makeup routine by going over my entire face with a damp sponge. And you really want to push the sponge into the skin so the layers of makeup blend together. This ensures a more seamless look.

Then, if I want to keep my makeup in place longer, I’ll spray some setting spray on my sponge and pat it over my face.

Although we usually can wait a week to clean our makeup brushes, it is important to clean a makeup sponge after each use since bacteria can easily build up in it. And, it’s also very important to let it air dry.

If you’re wondering what you can do with your old makeup sponges, Beauty Blender has come up with a few tips.

They can be used to apply self-tanner, bounce away deodorant or other stains on clothes, and buff out scuffs on shoes. They can also be used as a painting tool or – if sprayed with glass cleaner – they’re great to use to clean phones, tablets or computer screens.

But I must admit that my most favorite suggestion was to use them as cat toys!

Let’s Have a Conversation:

Do you use a makeup sponge to apply any of your makeup? If so, what makeup do you prefer to apply using a sponge? Why do you feel a sponge works best to apply this makeup?