3 Products I'm 1000% Into Right Now (they're actual game changers), and 3 I'm Long-Term Testing, But Already Like.

Read this newsletter and you'll never smell again. I'm serious.

I’ve worked in fashion media for the better part of 20 years, but my gateway into this world was actually through beauty. In the early days of my career, I found fashion extremely intimidating and off-putting. I didn’t have the body or the budget, let alone the insight, to participate (or so I thought). But beauty? It felt more democratic, more welcoming, more me. 

The beauty editors at the publications I interned and worked for—specifically: InStyle, Harper’s Bazaar, and ELLE—were the coolest, kindest women, and treated me like an actual person, not just a peon to send to the lobby store to buy them a single stick of gum (true story; that happened a lot, actually). These beauty directors and writers not only assigned me some of my first big stories, they also made me realize that my oversized curiosity was not a personal liability, but actually a professional strength. 

They taught me how to report on trends, understand the science behind products (or lack there of), and why it’s important to keep an open mind, because you never know where a good idea or a great product recommendation will come from. And to this day, when I try a new product and consider writing about it for this newsletter, I still think about those women and their journalistic standards. (How would Emily frame this? What would Polly think about my caption? Is this up to Kerry’s standards?)

On that note, and perhaps totally unsurprisingly given the set up, I’m happy to share a few of my new favorite beauty products, as well as a handful I’m currently testing. As always, I’d love to know what’s working for you, and what products you’re wondering about, as well. 

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3 PRODUCTS I RECOMMEND WITH MY WHOLE HEART

1. Dieux Air Angel Collagen & Peptide Hydrating Gel Cream ($44)

Full disclosure: I adore this brand. I’ve written about my love for many of Dieux’s products, including the Deliverance serum and Auracle eye serum, and today I have one more I’m super into: the brand’s Air Angel gel cream.   

I’m always a little nervous to try new moisturizers, as I’ve got that winning combo of fine lines and skin that will still form a blemish if you look at it sideways. But this ultra-hydrating oil-free one is truly a revelation. It works for basically all kind types (normal, dry, combo, and oily) and for all concerns (fine lines, dryness, acne), plus it has a weirdly satisfying and futuristic consistency that Dieux calls “jelly velvet,” which is apt and excellent.

Hydrating enough for winter, but light enough for warm weather, it’s the sort of all-around winner that you absolutely should have in your skincare wardrobe. I’m also very happy to note that Dieux is now stocked at Sephora, and also that Sephora does same-day delivery, if you’re into that kind of thing. (Couldn’t be me.)

Also: If my love of this Dieux product isn’t enough, after I started writing this, one of Who What Wear’s “Deep Reviews” stories went live, and it just so happens to feature Air Angel. So if you don’t trust me, at least trust WWW editors?

All the moisture, none of clogged pores. Perfect for any season. This, my friends, is a true heroine product. One of my lifetime favorites. It’s that good!

2. Kosas BB Burst Tinted Moisturizer Gel Cream ($38)

Speaking of the algo, this Kosas product has been all over my IG and TT feeds, and as someone who likes a LOT of Kosas products (I’m Team Air Brow for life), I had to pick it up. 

The premise is interesting: a buildable tinted gel moisturizer with skincare benefits. I found it to be less a moisturizer for me, and more of a skin-like veil, which I like. It’s so wildly light, you truly don’t feel like you’re wearing anything at all, which is very much my vibe. That said, if you prefer a more full-coverage look, this isn’t the product for you IMHO. More of a daily driver than red carpet essential, if you catch my drift. I don’t have a product like this in my routine right now, so for the days I need more than a spot concealer, but not a full face, this is going to be it. 

One thing to note: I read some comments on both Sephora and TikTok saying that folks felt like it pilled, and then other responses basically saying: If it pilled, that’s user error and you’re not letting your skincare and sunscreen to really absorb before applying. Additionally, there’s some back and forth about the best way to apply it, meaning: Brush versus hands.

I tested the product a number of different ways, and for me, the best results (and by that I mean really really really good) happened when I did the following:

-Washed face (I use iS Clinical Cleansing Complex)

-Applied serum (My go-to is Dr. Idriss Major Fade Hyper Serum)

Waited three minutes

-Applied sunscreen (Supergoop Unseen Sunscreen for life)

Dried and styled my hair, approximately 20 minutes

-Applied a small amount of Kosas BB Burst Tinted Moisturizer Gel Cream with my hands, working quickly because my skin really absorbs it. 

Another note, I bought two shades after doing some online research—Light Neutral 12 (recommended by the shade finder on Kosas’s site) and Light + Cool 15—and ended up preferring the slightly darker shade. For me, the product ran a bit fair, so but it wasn’t crazy off. Just something to keep in mind.

I think the Kosas BB gel cream is great and quite natural. Your skin looks real, but better, which is nice. I’m wearing that product here, my go-to Dior mascara, and the Kosas brow product I write about all the time .

3. PanOxyl Maximum Strength Acne Foaming Wash ($13)

Do you remember when I was trying to find the best clean deo? The most interesting tip that came out of my reporting was that the deo wasn’t as important as using an antibacterial soap on your armpits, as it’s the bacteria on your skin that causes your sweat to smell, not the sweat itself.  

This information—combined with knowing that board-certified dermatologists co-sign the idea, and hearing from many beauty-loving friends that a product with 10% benzoyl peroxide was the way to go—finally made me buy a bottle of PanOxyl’s foaming acne wash. As someone with sensitive skin and a sweaty body (oh, the joys of this meat sack I call home!), I was a little nervous about how this would go, but I tried it anyway.

Yeah, it works.

It totally, totally works. 

Even if you’re not a natural deodorant person, if you’ve ever been remotely concerned about the way your sweat smells, I very very very much recommend this product. I use it a few days a week in the shower, and the difference is remarkable. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not Botox—you still will sweat—but you will smell fresh as a daisy, even after a grueling workout. 

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3 PRODUCTS I’M CURRENTLY TRYING

Did anyone else wake up recently and wonder, what the hell is going on with my hair? Well I did, and it freaked me out so much, I finally decided to start trying some new products. 

My concerns are many, or at least several.

1. The Problem: Grays | The Product: Arey To The Root Serum ($55)

First things first: Yes, I highlight my hair, and yes, I’m 44, but I’ve never had many gray hairs. And trust me, I’m on the lookout at all times. The last few days before getting my color done, you can find me contorting my body in the bathroom, as I peer into the mirror upside down and examine my roots. Despite this bizarre behavior, I’m not particularly concerned about being gray—after all, aging is a privilege and also, I work with Lorri Goddard, who is an amazing colorist—I just want to know what’s happening up there.

After years of nothing much going on, I suddenly noticed a seemingly overnight flurry of new baby grays at my hairline, and a handful along my part. In addition to being new and short, so therefore very sticky-uppy, they’re also a slightly different, more wiry texture, which really stands out. 

Could it be work stress? Sure. Aging? Of course. Covid-induced grays? Also a thing. Either way, it was a change. And then I remembered: Last year I interviewed this amazing founder, Allison Conrad, who launched a company called Arey to deal with this exact problem. She makes incredible products to help delay and even re-pigment gray hair—how crazy is that?? It works best on people that have less that 30% gray hair (me!), and I immediately bought the brand’s oil-free hair serum and Not Today, Grey Supplements ($127 for a three-month supply). 

I just started using the serum a few days ago, so obviously way too early to tell how it’s working, but wanted to share if anyone else wants to go on this journey with me? Will check back in four to six months and let you know what I think. In the meantime, the before and afters are pretty amazing, as is Allison’s story, if you want to listen to it. (We get into the science of it, for those who are curious.)

2. The Problem: Thinning Hair | The Product: Burgeon Gorgeous F**king Hair Serum + Nutriments ($150) 

In addition to the new grays, I’ve also noticed slightly more hair shedding than normal, which again, I am chalking up to a combo of work stress + getting older + the aftermath of my first round of Covid this past fall.

Truthfully, working from home for the majority of the pandemic means that my hair is healthier than usual because I’m doing so much less to it. I’m not drying it every day, nor using heat tools, plus I’ve basically quit dry shampoo, salt spray, and rarely use any products on it at all. Overall, I would say it’s significantly more plentiful and stronger than it was the majority of my adult life.

But.

Maybe this is everyone, or maybe I’m just newly aware, but I’ve noticed that the top of my head (like, hairline to the top of my ears) doesn’t feel as thickly foliculed as the back of my scalp. And I’ve also noticed the aforementioned increased shedding, which isn’t significant, but enough that I’m aware. 

With all of this in mind, it’s probably no surprise that I’m in a slightly suggestible state, as of late. Also, I’m not going to lie: Sometimes, my most skeptical side gets swayed by excellent vibes, so when I saw this serum popping up on my feed on a regular basis, always mentioned by the coolest of cool girls, I just bought it. Maybe it’s amazing! Maybe there’s a lot of great science behind it! Honestly, I don’t really know. I just saw that actor/producer/showrunner/writer/director Brit Marling and hyper-talented makeup artist Kate Lee both saying they liked it, and that was good enough for me. Also, the founder is Laini Reeves, an incredible celebrity hairstylist who works with ladies like Emily Blunt, so that’s definitely something!

The system (the two products are sold together) addresses hair concerns both internally (a pre/probiotic-packed supplement that also is formulated with anti-inflammatory ingredients, because healthy gut = healthy hair) and externally (a scalp serum to reduce inflammation and stimulate growth). As someone who has literally never paid one second of attention to my scalp, I figure, it can’t hurt, right? 

And now that I own the products, I’m actually committed to doing the full test, so again: Watch this space for more details. 

3. The Problem: Hair Damage | The Product: Virtue Damage Reverse Hair Serum ($60)

“Use it like you would use a serum on your skin, but for your hair,” the note read. “It’s a daily leave-in treatment that you apply just below your roots. It’s a must have.” Reader, if you got that note from a trusted source, what would you do? You’d try the product, right? Right.

Let me back up.

So a few weeks ago I was on set for Who What Wear’s upcoming March cover, and was chatting with the incredible Adir Abergel, who is not only one of the most talented hairstylists in the world, but also the creative director of Virtue. Adir is a force: Brilliant, delightful, and has the best taste and eye ever. His involvement with Virtue put the brand on my radar, as I trust him and his insight completely.

Shortly thereafter, I received the above note and a bottle of Virtue’s new hair serum that uses a patented hair-identical protein that fills in damaged hair and heals it. Was this a coincidence? Fate? A very subtle suggestion? We’ll never know. But what I do know is that I’m already completely obsessed with this serum, and I’ve only had it a week.

(Also, I know I just said that my hair is much healthier than it used to be, but take that with a grain of salt. I mean, I still bleach it regularly, wash it (probably) too much, and am not exactly gentle on it. So yeah, there’s still room for some healing, to put it mildly.)

So what’s the deal? The serum’s a leave-in treatment that’s remarkably lightweight. In fact, I totally forgot I had applied it the first day I used it, which is great because most serums weigh down my fine hair or make it look greasy. An independent clinical study showed that it repairs 98% of split ends immediately, and it makes your hair stronger and less prone to breakage, 

It’s early in my journey with this product, but I’m already seeing results. I’ve been using it on clean, damp hair, though you can use it on dry hair too. I shake the bottle, then apply three pumps to my hands, and smooth it through my hair, but skip my roots entirely. Then I either let my hair air dry, or will wait ten minutes before styling. Again, it’s early days (the product only launched less than a month ago), but I’m really really really excited about this one.

Gang’s all here. Will report back on the two serums in June (four months away!), but I’m shocked by how quickly the Virtue is working already.

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Okay friends, that’s it for now. If you want to follow me on @hillarykerr, I’d love it. And if you have anything to say or ask (preferably nothing terribly mean), please drop me a note either via DM or in the comments below.

As always, thank you for taking the time to read this post. I’m truly so glad you’re here. If you like what you’re reading, please consider sharing this newsletter. (And if you have the time to like it, that would mean a lot to me!) All products mentioned are independently chosen, and some may be affiliate links. Your support is appreciated.