Name: Ranise F.
Age: 44
Location: Brooklyn
Do you have children? No
Do you smoke? Yes, cannabis
Do you drink? Sometimes—zero to two drinks per week
Skin care routine: AM: Dr. Loretta Gentle Hydrating Cleanser, homemade toner made of witch hazel and rosewater, Dr. Loretta Intense Replenishing Serum or homemade oil mixture, Kiehl’s Powerful-Strength Dark Circle Reducing Vitamin C Eye Serum, CeraVe moisturizer with SPF. PM: same as daytime except Shani Darden Retinol Reform Serum and collagen facial moisturizer. Hydrating facial once every three months, buccal fat facial massage twice a year.
Estimated annual amount spent on skin care: $1,037
“A lot of things I use are DIY, because skin care is so expensive. So I figured, I’ll just make my own! But certain things, like a gel cleanser, I don’t know how to make.
I was obsessed with the marula oil from Drunk Elephant, but it costs so much money. That’s why I ended up making my own from scratch: I got marula oil and mixed it with a little bit of jojoba oil and rosemary oil. It’s definitely trial and error figuring out what percentage of oil I want for each serum. Like with a tea tree oil blend—I remember putting the first batch on my face, getting into an Uber, and the driver was like, ‘What’s that smell?’ And I said, ‘I’m sorry, it’s my face!’ That was bad.
Everyone is so surprised when I tell them how old I am, but personally, I think I look my age. Everyone sees their own flaws when looking in the mirror. So I see my dark circles, my undereye wrinkles. I see things that I believe make me look older, but because I’m told so often that I don’t look like I’m in my 40s, I guess I should believe it.”
