Hey beauties! Hey! 👋🏼🧡

It’s been a little while since I’ve written a blog post, so what better way to come back than by getting back to the basics?

Can we talk, for a minute… (cue Tevin Campbell 🎶) …about serums?

Because serums are the  MONEEEYYY pieces of your skincare routine. 💰

Figuratively and literally.

But hear me out, they're the money pieces for a reason.

So… What Exactly Is a Serum?

Your serums are typically some of the most concentrated, targeted formulations in your skincare routine.

While your cleanser has the job of cleansing your skin and your moisturizer has the job of keeping your skin hydrated and supporting that beautiful barrier of yours, your serum is where we can get a little more specific.

Think:

✨ Acne
✨ Discoloration
✨ Fine lines
✨ Dehydration
✨ Redness
✨ Texture
✨ Scarring and post-acne marks
✨ Loss of firmness

Serums are formulated with specific ingredients and delivery systems to target particular skin concerns and efficiently get those ingredients where they need to go to do their job.

And THIS is why I love them.

We're not just throwing random skincare at your face and hoping for the best. 😂

We're choosing ingredients based on what your skin actually needs.

Why Are Serums So Targeted?

Here's the easiest way I can explain it:

Think of your skincare routine like your team.

Your cleanser? The cleanup crew.

Your moisturizer? The support system.

Your serum?

That's your specialist.

And just like you wouldn't send a plumber to fix your electrical system, we don't want to throw a random serum at your skin simply because the bottle is pretty or TikTok told you that you need it. 😂

Different serums are formulated with different combinations of ingredients, concentrations, textures, and delivery systems depending on the job they're designed to do.

For example, HydroPeptide has serums designed around very different goals.

Power Serum focuses on peptides and skin renewal.

LumaPro-C brings antioxidant support and vitamin C into the picture to help brighten and defend the skin.

Daily Drench focuses on hydration.

And there are other targeted formulations that can be incorporated depending on what your skin is doing and what we're trying to accomplish.

See where I'm going with this?

Serum isn't a category where one-size-fits-all really works.

And honestly, neither is skincare.

Which Is Why I'm a Big Fan of Keeping Your Basics… Basic.

This is something I talk about with my clients ALL THE TIME.

I generally like your foundation—your cleanser and moisturizer—to be simple and, when appropriate, free of a bunch of additional actives.

Why?

Because it gives us more control.

If your cleanser is loaded with exfoliating acids, your toner has another active, your serum has three more, your moisturizer has retinol, and you're adding a mask because TikTok said it was amazing…

…how the HELL are we supposed to know what your skin actually likes? 

Keeping your basic products simple allows us to use your treatment products strategically and adjust them based on what your skin needs.

Because your skin is going to change.

The weather changes.

Your hormones change.

Your stress changes.

Your lifestyle changes.

And sometimes your skin wakes up one Tuesday morning and chooses violence.

It happens. 😂

Your skincare routine should be able to change with it.

And PLEASE Remember: Skincare Is Not One-Size-Fits-All

Just because something is trending like crazy doesn't mean it's automatically right for your skin.

TikTok, I'm looking directly at you.

(Medicube… I’m talking about you too. 😂)

I am ALL for learning about skincare, discovering new ingredients, and getting excited about new products. I love that people are becoming more interested in taking care of their skin!

But viral does not equal appropriate.

Something can be an absolutely fantastic product and still be the wrong product for YOU.

And that goes for every single skincare product—not just serums.

Your skin is unique.

Honestly, it's kind of like your personality.

Your skin needs to find its people. 

The ingredients that work beautifully for your bestie might make your skin absolutely furious.

And that's okay!

That's why skincare should be personalized.

So… Is Your Serum Actually Right for You?

This is the question I want you to ask yourself.

Not:

“Is this serum popular?”

Not:

“Does everyone on TikTok have it?”

Not even:

“Does my friend swear by it?”

Ask yourself:

Is this serum actually addressing what MY skin needs?

Is it helping my skin become healthier?

Is it supporting my goals?

Am I using it correctly?

And perhaps most importantly…

Does my skin actually like it?

If you're not sure, that's where I come in. 🧡

Products and ingredients can be SO confusing, and one of my favorite parts of being an esthetician has always been helping people make sense of it all.

My Slightly Nerdy Skincare Confession

For a decent amount of my 13 years as an esthie, my career and my passion have revolved around product knowledge.

It started with learning the brands I worked with.

Then that turned into learning more about ingredients.

And then that turned into me falling down a giant skincare rabbit hole because apparently I cannot simply learn one thing without needing to know the next twelve things connected to it. 😂

I wanted to understand WHY certain ingredients work.

What they do.

Who they work for.

Who should probably avoid them.

How they interact with other ingredients.

And, most importantly, how I could use that knowledge to help YOU take better care of your skin at home when I'm not there to guide you.

Honestly?

If I didn't have to go back to school, I would LOVE to explore becoming a skincare chemist.

But school was not exactly my thing.

Test taking?

PSSSHHH.

Don't even get me started. 😂

Maybe one day.

When I'm not in the thick of raising three children, perhaps I'll go down that rabbit hole too.

Until then, you have me.

And I'm pretty happy right where I am—helping you understand your skin, helping you make educated product choices, and hopefully saving you from spending $87 on something because a girl with a ring light told you that you absolutely need it. 😂

Because at the end of the day, my goal isn't to sell you more skincare.

It's to help you find the skincare that actually makes sense for YOUR skin.

And if you're looking at your bathroom counter right now thinking…

“Okay Shelby… I have no freaking clue if my serum is right for me.”

Girl.

Let's talk. 🧡