On the verge of letting yourself go? Medicine cabinet look like a disaster zone? Don’t fret—I am here to help.
Written By CASSANDRA GREY Photography By NAJ JAMAI
VIOLET VANITY UPGRADE:
CASSANDRA GREY’S
GUIDE TO VANITY
MAINTENANCE
On the verge of letting yourself go? Medicine cabinet look like a disaster zone? Don’t fret—I am here to help.
Written ByCASSANDRA GREY Photography ByNAJ JAMAI
For Customers Only:
In my experience, living my best life starts with clearing out my closet, whether it’s skeletons or expired face cream. It’s why I’m always recommending a monthly, quarterly, or at the very least, an annual spring cleaning ritual of sorts, where you clean out the clutter, tidy up, and start fresh. Trust me when I say that it will make you feel like a person who has it all together. I would know. Before starting VIOLET GREY, I pretty much bought anything marketed to me. I was a complete sucker for department store sales tactics. If I was told J.Lo was using it or there was a gift with purchase or it was simply shiny and new, I was definitely putting it in the bag. As a result, I had a lot of stuff I wasn’t using—or didn’t know how to use—just laying around sucking the joy out of my life.
Now, of course, I have VIOLET GREY standards and subscribe to the conscious consumption movement that the VIOLET GREY team is over here trying to make a thing. VIOLET GREY exists to enable you to feel confident in your purchase decisions. We think everyone deserves to know what products are worthy of their time and money. So please allow me to indulge you in the art of cleaning out and upgrading your vanity, as achieved in five simple steps—starting with skin care.
SUPPLIES NEEDED: bins or trays, disinfectant wipes, a large surface area like a kitchen table or counter, pen and paper, label maker, shipper boxes, and a trash can.
STEP 1: GATHER YOUR PRODUCTS
Take all your skin care out of your cabinets and place it in a bin or a tray. Transfer everything onto a large surface area such as a kitchen table or counter.
STEP 2: DECLUTTER AND SET ASIDE YOUR FAVORITES
Remove all the products you don’t use, don’t love, or those that have expired. For products you don’t use or love (that are almost new or gently used) give them away or place in a shipper box to be donated. For expired products or near-empties, give the bottles/jars a good rinse, separate by material, and recycle. You can also contact the brand to see if they have a customer recycling program.
STEP 3: CATEGORIZE YOUR PRODUCTS INTO A ROUTINE
Clean the exterior of each remaining product with a disinfectant wipe, and organize by skin care category. Write up a list of everything you have, what’s missing, what you need to replace, and what you need to replenish.
Suggested categories:
Cleanser Face Oils
Toner Eye Care
Essence Sunscreen
Daily Serum Face Mist
Treatment Serum Masks
Moisturizer Devices
STEP 4: ADD NEW PRODUCTS TO COMPLETE YOUR ROUTINE
Now that you’ve categorized your existing products, it’s easy to see where the holes are and perhaps the areas that need upgrading.
STEP 5: PLACE EVERYTHING BACK INTO YOUR VANITY BY CATEGORY—AND LABEL
Identifying and assigning specifics like when to use (AM, PM, twice weekly, as needed) and how to use (steps 1, 2, 3, 4, for breakouts, etc.) to each product will help you stick to a consistent regimen. Then, label the shelves with your skin care categories and place the corresponding product(s) under each label. Et voilà, you are living your best life.
Take a picture of your #VioletVanity, post it, and tag me @cassandragrey. You can also DM me with any inquiries, too. I am eager to help you through the process. I can’t tell you the level of affirmation we will feel when we inspire you to fill and organize your medicine cabinet shelves with skin care that you love using. It is literally all we dream about when we are curating products at VIOLET GREY.
Once you’ve cleaned out your vanity, I highly recommend you now upgrade. Here are my top 11 #VioletCodeApproved skin care products I always keep stocked and labeled in my #VioletVanity.
1 / 11
Duh. We have all been obsessed with THE CREAM THAT WORKS ever since VIOLET GREY introduced it. I personally prefer The Cream versus The Rich Cream.
2 / 11
I can’t imagine the good life without the invention of microneedling. I use this three times a week religiously on my face, body, and lips. More than any other product we have approved, this product has made the most impact on my skin.
BEAUTYBIOGLOPRO MICRONEEDLING REGENERATION TOOL WITH GLOPRO FACE MICROTIP ATTACHMENT HEAD
3 / 11
This is one of those products I didn’t know I needed, but now keep three neatly stocked in my medicine cabinet for fear of running out. It just makes my skin feel fresh.
ROYAL FERNPHYTOACTIVE SKIN PERFECTING ESSENCE
4 / 11
Dr. Sturm takes care of the most famous skin in the biz. Hyaluronic acid is what most of these people are injecting in their faces every three months. This product combined with the microneedling can instantly create youthful-looking skin.
DR. BARBARA STURMHYALURONIC SERUM
5 / 11
I suffer from sun spots and while I laser them, they come back and this product helps diminish and brighten between derm appointments.
IS CLINICALWHITE LIGHTENING SERUM
6 / 11
I LOVE this product as I often wake up with puffy eyes usually as a result of balling my eyes out to This Is Us. I’m not exactly sure how it works. Does it really matter? It just works. Mask and puff be gone.
111SKINSUB-ZERO DE-PUFFING EYE MASK
7 / 11
I use these genius pads on the days I can’t be bothered to microneedle. The single use delivery system makes it super easy to resurface my skin and give me that glow I am always after.
DR. DENNIS GROSSALPHA BETA UNIVERSAL DAILY PEEL, 30 PACKETTES
8 / 11
This is an inexpensive yet high quality clean body wash that also looks good in my shower. Comes scented or unscented. I prefer eucalyptus as it makes me feel like I’m at the spa.
NÉCESSAIRETHE BODY WASH
EUCALYPTUS
9 / 11
You’ve probably seen this on Kate Hudson’s very popular series “Sunday Self Care” now streaming @katehudson. Mutha founder, Hope Smith, spared no expense to make the perfect body oil that in addition to hydrating your skin, also prevents stretch marks.
10 / 11
I’ve noticed a significant improvement in the strength of my nails and the shine in my hair since putting two scoops of this in my coffee every morning. Unlike a lot of collagen powders, this one is odorless and tasteless, which I like because if any part of my routine involves a blender, I will almost always skip.
SHORE MAGICHYDROLYZED MARINE COLLAGEN PROTEIN
11 / 11
La Mer remains the OG beauty provider that continues to deliver expensive-but-worth-it skin. I always have the classic Crème de la Mer stocked. I apply it when I want to feel pampered and loved. And the lip balm is always in my car and in my bag. It’s particularly hydrating so it’s good for me when I’m running around in the harsh weather of Los Angeles County.
