my 2023 favourites: skincare, hair, and all the rest
Fast and the Favourites 2: Tokyo Drift.
Earlier this week, I shared my makeup favourites for the year – now it’s on to everything else! Skincare, bodycare, haircare, and yes, even some fashion and book faves too. Take it all.
(I somehow published the last one without any links to the products. I know people can Google and all but they’re there now for ease of reference.)
JVN Hair Complete Air Dry Cream
I’ve mentioned this in quite a few empties posts by now, so to be brief: I rarely blow dry my hair, just out of pure laziness, and a little bit of this helps to define my waves and keep things cute enough until I can persuade myself to heat style. One of these days I’m going to buy the full size instead of being constantly tempted by mini sets, I swear.
Andrew Fitzsimons Apres Sexe Texture Spray
Texture spray has always been a key product in my haircare arsenal, but now that my hair is short, I rarely go without it. I loved how this lifted my thick, heavy hair without leaving it crunchy or sticky, which is not guaranteed with all texture sprays. The JVN Air Dry Cream + this = hair that could reasonably pass for being actually styled. And when I actually do blow dry my hair, it’s all over for you bitches.
Maison Margiela REPLICA Jazz Club
This was my most worn fragrance of the year – I bought it as my wedding perfume, wore it through the summer despite it being a distinctly autumn/winter scent, and now it’s settling nicely into all my cosy knitwear. I think I just like these rich, slightly masculine, autumnal fragrances all year round. It’s boozy and smoky and sweet and delicious, and now I’m quite sentimental about it, of course. I can see myself loving this for a long time.
Palmers Coconut Hydrate Body Oil
It really took me this long to discover body oil! Apply straight after the shower on still-damp skin, and enjoy some actual moisture on your body for once you desiccated freak. Seriously though – it’s quicker to apply than regular body lotion (though I sometimes do the two, if I’m arsed and in need of yet more hydration), dries in fast, and in this case, leaves you smelling gorgeously of coconut. My husband touched my calf the other day and said “No one’s leg should be this soft,” a compliment I will take with me to the grave. Oil yourselves up girls.
CeraVe Hydrating Cream-to-Foam Cleanser
I’ve been pretty choosy with skincare favourites, since I flit through things like cleansers and hydrating serums, so the following products are things I’ve repurchased or saw notable results from. I’m on to my second thing of this, and I think I can confidently assert that it is my favourite of the CeraVe cleansing formulas. All the gentleness of a cream cleanser with the satisfying clean feeling of a foam.
La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Baume B5 and Toleriane Dermallergo eye cream
These saved my bacon so many times this year. My skin freaked out before the wedding (because of course it did), resulting in painfully dry eyes and scaly cheeks. The Toleriane eye cream de-lizard-ed my eyes, and I’ve been using it ever since – if it works, it works, and I’m not willing to risk inflaming my eyes again at the moment. Cicaplast similarly came in clutch for the rest of my face, and I still use it now to treat healing spots, soothe dry or irritated patches, and even as a kind of sleeping mask when things get dicey again, as they so often do. My poor skin barrier, LOL.
I had been using the Skinceuticals retinol, but when I couldn’t find the next strength for love nor money, I switched to this one on the recommendation of multiple South William Clinic staff members. I didn’t see a huge difference going from 0.3 to 0.5, but 0.5 to 1.0? Woo! My skin is noticeably (to me, anyway) smoother, less textured, more glowy, especially on my forehead. The anti-ageing effects will obviously only be seen in the long term, but for now, I’m pleased with the results.
Biore UV Aqua Rich Watery Essence SPF50+++
As someone who has been interested in Asian skincare for a while now, I was really late to the party with Asian sunscreen. I literally had to go to Asia to try it, but I’m so glad I did. This Biore one is excellent – non-greasy, decently moisturising, good under makeup – and I’m grateful to it for giving me the push to explore even more Asian SPF products (such as the very popular Beauty of Joseon one, which is predictably gorgeous). Is it annoying that I’m now into products that aren’t readily available in a pharmacy near me? Yeah. But I am an annoying person, so that tracks.
Regular nail appointments
Hello, I have a regular beauty appointment now, and I love it. BIAB has obviously been a game-changer for my nails, and I’ve written about that in more detail before, but beyond that, getting my nails done every three to four weeks has made me really happy. I don’t get my brows or my eyelashes or anything else done, so this is my treat. I was a biter and a cuticle picker and a hangnail chewer; I don’t do that any more. I feel so put together, and now that my nails are long, like I have elegant lady hands. I love getting nail art inspired by whatever I have going on that month – silver chrome for a music festival, basic bitch glazed donut for a wedding, a glittery red French mani with tiny golden bows for Christmas. It sparks joy in a big way.
Adidas Gazelle Bolds in pink
Surprise! It’s a… fashion favourite? IDK, let’s spice things up a little. I love these little bitches. I used to hee hee ha ha at how Irish women of a certain age love a flat shoe with a wee platform, but now I’ve changed my tune. I’m 5ft 2, and you’re telling me I can get some extra height while staying comfortable? Sign me up. I went to a rugby match in the Aviva during the summer (long story) and as we were going in, a posh lady goes to me, “LOVE your Gazelles.” I tell you, I sparkled. They were trendy this year, yes, but I will probably keep wearing them once they’re not cool and rat myself out as the millennial I am.
Regatta x Orla Kiely coat
As you can see, I remarked when I bought this that I had completed my full OMGWACA transformation. Be that as it may, this coat is fantastic. It’s huge, it’s warm, it’s loudly patterned, and it has people shouting after me on the street asking where I got it. So yeah, if you don’t want to attract attention, it’s not for you, but I personally don’t mind cutting about in a giant yellow flowery sleeping bag. I really resent having to buy anything practical, so I managed to find the most impractical version of a practical coat. Score.
That fucking Uniqlo bag
I’m sorry, but every second woman has this bag for a reason. It holds a ton, I’m not afraid of it getting dirty or bashed around, it looks relatively cute, and it’s affordable. My friends and I went to Lanzarote in November and all four of us turned up with one of these each. We took photos to commemorate the occasion.
Books’n’Substacks
This was my worst year for reading in a long time but listen, I did have a lot going on. Let me offer a few recommendations anyway.
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin: I didn’t really think a novel about video games would make me think so much about the nature of creativity and art, but here we are. It centres on a group of friends who make a best-selling video game, charting their rise to fame, rivalries, unrequited love, the whole lot.
Say Nothing by Patrick Radden Keefe: I am a PRK stan – I tell everyone to read Empire of Pain and also devoured his collection of New Yorker articles this year – but this is an exceptional piece of nonfiction, chronicling the Troubles through the lives of a few central figures.
Aisling Ever After by Emer McLysaght and Sarah Breen: What a lovely end to the OMGWACA series, truly. The care Emer and Sarah have for their main gal is evident and while Aiso did a lot over the five books, I loved the return to the cosy hometown vibes.
And here are a few fellow Substackers I subscribe to and read regularly – there are many more, but here are the ones who slid into my inbox most recently.
- by Rosemary Mac Cabe: I really love how frankly and naturally Rosemary writes about life, motherhood, and relationships, and of course I am a nosy bitch who reads every word of her money diaries every week.
- by Louise Bruton: Louise’s essays and reviews are essential reading on the ways in which this country is and is not serving disabled people. My fiver a month is money well spent.
- : Another Louise! The bestselling author is now on Substack, and her pieces are full of wisdom and humour that I’m finding very comforting at the moment.
Thanks for reading Vanity Project this year, whether you’re a paying or free subscriber. I very much appreciate your support! I’ve donated the proceeds from December to UNICEF’s Gaza Crisis Emergency Appeal. I’m hoping for a more peaceful 2024.
Ah thank you so much for this, Valerie 🥰