Aging Teen (25) Shares Her List of Holy Grail Beauty Products

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Since turning 25 (tw: age reveal), I’ve acquired a niche taste not just for the books I read, but also for the products I use.

Full disclosure, I’ve been writing on here since 2016 only daring to hint at my young age but never to reveal it because oh, no, no one would take a teenager serious. But now, that version of me feels so far away, like her type of thinking and mindset. But the products I’ve been using still hold my loyalty, so it felt fitting to share with the audience. It’s the invisible string theory. Or one of those theories.

If you’ll indulge me, first: It feels so good to be writing again after years of doom scrolling because university took up all of my time… What I’ve learned from doom scrolling is that, if you’re too busy consuming media without a limit, it becomes kind of hard to produce original content. It’s like your inner voice gets pushed aside by the wave of like fifty new voices all with pressing ideas to share into the social media void. But… (echo of Jo’s voice in Gerwig’s Little Women) I’m so bored. How can I resist accessible entertainment? Maybe something I’d like to expand on more in the future.

For now, I digress… Below, you can find the perfect routine, appearing in the order I would use them:

  1. Avène Thermal Spring Water:

Some might say there’s no difference between the different facial mist sprays, but I feel like it’s the same as drinking water. I can always tell the difference.

2. C E Ferulic® with 15% L-Ascorbic Acid

    I mean, it might smell like hot dog water by the end of the day, but to some, that’s not necessarily a negative… It does the job.

    3. Cicalfate+ Restorative Protective Cream

    Makes me feel protected from the sun, like those Australian surfers smearing their faces with Zinc. In the summer time, I do tend to add an actual zinc product on my face (and then skip the vitamin C), thanks to those surfers. This Dermocrem below is the least harsh one I’ve found so far, it does the job of keeping me protected from the sun.

    4. Advanced Brightening UV Defense Sunscreen SPF 50

      My skin, but better. Glossy finish, perfect texture. But I do think an actual zinc product offers up more protection from the sun. This is just like a perfect addition to your no-makeup look.

      5. Rouge Hermès-Satin lipstick, Rose Épicé

      My lips, but better. You get the theme.

      6. Hair Rituel by Sisley® Precious Hair Care Oil

      I’ve tried them all, and my hair only reacts well to this one. Might as well hope to spend the money on what works instead of dupes that do nothing. Oh, and it smells incredible so that’s a great perk.

      In that vein, let me know some of your holy grail list of products, I’m always on the look out for new ones to add. I mean, I can’t deny that I do jump with joy whenever a handful of samples are added with my purchase. I love trying out new products.

      An English Major’s Take on a “Wuthering Heights” Adaptation

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      With the new “Wuthering Heights” adaptation starring Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi coming out, I thought how most people never really get to see what gets discussed in English university lectures. So here’s a peek behind the curtain. It’s the perfect texture to revisit Emily Brontë’s dark, stormy tale.

      In class, we were talking about the Romantic novel. We started with Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice and then jumped to Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights.

      First, context: Wuthering Heights was published in 1847. That’s two decades into the Victorian era, so technically Romanticism is supposed to be winding down. But for Emily Brontë? Romanticism is alive and kicking in her novel.

      A quick family note: Emily’s Wuthering Heights is her only novel. She died a year later. Charlotte wrote Jane Eyre, Anne wrote Agnes Grey. All three sisters are what professors call transitional figures between Romanticism and Realism. Fancy way of saying they bridge emotional intensity with social observation.

      When we moved to Austen, the lecture pulled up images. One was Chatsworth House, inspiration for Darcy’s Pemberley. The other was Turner’s painting Frosty Morning, evoking the Yorkshire moors. Immediate contrast: Austen’s world is manicured estates and social rules; Brontë’s is wind, cold, and drama sweeping across the moors. Landscape as a character—big point the professor hammered.

      By the time we hit Wuthering Heights, it wasn’t about plot. It was about structure and perspective. Frame narrative, multiple embedded stories, mirrored volumes—Volume 2 is Heathcliff doing to others what was done to him in Volume 1. And then there’s the “unreadable mind” concept: Nelly Dean can’t explain Heathcliff. The narrator can’t explain Roderick Usher. Bartleby? Forget it. When a character baffles you, the lecture pointed out, it’s easy to label them “mad” rather than try to empathize.

      We wrapped up by situating Wuthering Heights in Romanticism. Wordsworth and Coleridge laid the foundation. Shelley and Keats developed it. Austen and the Brontës carried it into prose. And this newest adaptation is set to bring it to new heights. Take a peek:

      Reading is Back in 2026

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      What’s it called when you’ve been reading everyday but none of it counts towards your Goodreads goal? Oh, yeah, university.

      This year I’m taking up the challenge to bring back my reading appetite. I used to read over a hundred books a year. Now, I’m barely crossing the double digits. I’ve been blaming my newly acquired reading taste where it has to hit a specific mark for me to even crack open the spine (figuratively speaking, of course).

      So this post is dedicated to all the books I’m looking forward to reading this year. Comment down below some of yours to add to the pile. Happy reading!

      1. The Listeners by Maggie Stiefvater:

      The penultimate promised Maggie Stiefvater experience is why I keep returning to her writing. I even got to meet her in person at her book signing in Amsterdam in 2023. I was beyond elated! So in true fan fashion, I’m keeping my loyalty.

      2. All the Way to the River by Elizabeth Gilbert:

      Having lived through a situationship (maybe more like imaginationship), I’m gravitating toward the queen of messiness. I remember reading Eat Pray Love and thinking, hmm, Elizabeth Gilbert probably invented the storytime genre of of spilling all the details on someone’s romantic partners. It’s too good to miss out on. Like, the kind of reality TV behavior where men stand by acting uninterested in the show you’re watching, but in reality, they can’t leave because they have to know how it will end. This is Gilbert’s non-fiction writing, for me.

      3. Thief of Night by Holly Black:

      I think it’s a true testament to the aforementioned imaginationship that I didn’t even realize my most excited book release was already out… for months and month. Stunned. Again, Holly Black is the kind of writer I trust to take me on a wild journey, physically unscathed but not emotionally. Hmm, maybe circling back to that imaginationship. True talent.

      4. Cherry Baby by Rainbow Rowell:

      Been reading Rainbow Rowell since 2013 and haven’t stopped. Her romance is exactly my type of niche because she’s the one who created the mold with Fangirl. When you’ve been introduced to guys like Levi, you simply cannot endure most modern romances where the leads are insufferable if you imagine them as a real life couple. In most cases, they would probably be labeled with a severe case of rabies if they came to life from their books. But you can trust Rowell to create real life people who have real life interactions. I love her dialogue. I still think about lines from her debut Attachments. Her words have staying power. Looking forward to this newest release.

      5. Dead Beat by Leigh Bardugo:

      Speaking of new releases, the much awaited conclusion to Alex Stern’s story is also a few months away. To me, Alex Stern and Charlie Hall (from the above mentioned Holly Black book) are truly intertwined. Like twins separated at birth. They would be inseparable in real life. Great minds think alike. The true embodiment of Taylor Swift’s mad woman from folklore. Not to be missed or messed with. I’d like to think Suren from Holly Black’s The Stolen Heir would tag along with them. No men allowed.