Harper’s Bazaar is a famous American women’s magazine that focuses on fashion, beauty and culture. It also has a successful YouTube channel with 1.31 million subscribers. On the popular channel, one playlist stands out in particular. The “Go to Bed With Me” series has multiple seasons, and it features celebrities and skincare gurus showcasing their nighttime skincare routine, most recently Rihanna and the YouTuber Hyram.
The routines aren’t flawless, but they give great practical advice on using these products properly so that viewers get the most out of them. They also offer many environmentally friendly products that reduce the cosmetic industry’s significant impact on the planet. Unfortunately, many of these products are more within the reach of those making millions.
The Environmentally-Friendly Routine
If you’re trying to incorporate sustainability into your skincare routine, then the “Go to Bed With Me” video by zero-waste expert Isabel Montes is the one for you. Montes also happens to be a producer at Harper’s Bazaar and has been living the zero-waste life for about three years.
Her routine begins with the True Botanicals Clear Nourishing Cleanser. It’s on the pricier side, costing $48, probably because green tea is in the ingredient list, which is great for your skin but is generally quite expensive. The cleanser is vegan, cruelty-free and sustainably made.
True Botanicals guarantees every product is “developed, produced, packaged, and shipped to you in ways that minimize their impact on the environment.”
For toner, Montes uses reusable face pads instead of makeup wipes or cotton pads, which is expected from anyone who pays attention to their impact on the environment. She uses the Chamomile Yarrow Gel Face Toner by her favorite brand, Meow Meow Tweet. The toner is made for people with dry, sensitive skin. For only $20, this is one of the more affordable products on her list; however, she does emphasize in her video that you have to invest in good products. The toner comes in an environmentally-friendly glass bottle and a recyclable pump.
Montes also uses the Tata Harper Rejuvenating Serum, which costs a whopping $120. It claims to help with dryness, lack of elasticity and wrinkles. The price seems to pay off, since it has a 4.9-star review average, with many active ingredients and without a lot of the fillers other brands use. The brand says all of its products have zero-waste packaging, and the products are organic and come from ethical sources.
The Dry Skin Routine
A lot of people have dry skin that develops as they age. This is the main skincare concern that Dove Cameron has, so her skincare video in Harper’s Bazaar’s “Go to Bed With Me” series is perfect for others with this problem. The 24-year-old actress and singer has flawless skin, so her video quickly received a lot of views.
Dove Cameron’s 12-step routine kicks off with a cleansing oil that she uses to both take off makeup and clean her face. While cleansing oil is highly recommended, especially for those with dry skin, it should be used as part of a double cleanse. This is where you either take off your makeup with the oil, rinse, then wash your face with it, or use the oil to take off makeup and follow up with another cleanser.
The oil she uses is Shu Uemura Anti/Oxi Cleansing Oil, which costs $83 and includes the pricier green tea as an ingredient.
Dove Cameron uses the extremely affordable Neutrogena makeup wipes to get rid of her eye makeup, but it comes at the price of not being environmentally friendly. Throwaway wipes maximize instead of minimize waste, so it’s best to use an oil-based makeup remover on a reusable face pad instead.
She follows up with hyaluronic serum by the brand Dr. Barbara Sturm, which is very expensive, costing $260. A much cheaper alternative would be the hyaluronic serum from the Ordinary or the Inkey List.
She washes her hands before her routine and does not put the serum dropper straight on her face, which are good skincare practices that anyone can follow.
She finishes with the Tata Harper Antiaging Peptide Night Cream. Again, it’s a costly product at the price of $195, but it is very well reviewed in the skincare community. However, there are cheaper alternatives out there.
The Affordable Combination Skin Routine
A recently hyped-up video in the “Go to Bed With Me” series is one featuring the YouTuber Hyram, whose channel (Skincare by Hyram) has over 3 million subscribers. He is known for disliking fragrance in skincare, being environmentally conscious and loving Korean products. He has reactive (not sensitive) combination skin on the oilier side and lives in Hawaii. His surprisingly simple routine features eight products.
He begins with the award-winning Then I Met You Living Cleansing Balm ($38), which dissolves sunscreen and makeup. Hyram explains that he uses this balm because it’s less messy than oil, but unlike most cleansing balms, this one doesn’t have polyethylene as an ingredient, which is terrible for the environment. This balm has fragrance, but he explains that this is a wash-off treatment, so he’s okay with it.
Hyram’s favorite face wash is the Youth To The People Superfood Antioxidant Cleanser, which is $38. It includes green tea, kale and vitamins C, E and K.
He says that toner isn’t a necessary step in skincare, but he uses the Isntree Green Tea Fresh Toner because it’s affordable at $17 and has a high concentration of green tea.
Although Hyram is relatively young, he develops wrinkles very easily, so he uses a gentle retinol treatment called Versed Press Restart Gentle Retinol Serum. The serum is also quite affordable at $21.99, and it is non-toxic, vegan and cruelty-free.
A product he hypes up in his “Go to Bed With Me” video a lot is Krave Beauty Great Barrier Relief, which he claims “saved my skin,” as it focuses on repairing the skin moisture barrier. It sells for a reasonable $28, and it claims to calm sensitive skin and that its “blend of conditioning oils fight irritation, discoloration and breakouts caused by a damaged skin barrier.” The bottle it comes in is also fully recyclable.
Overall, Harper’s Bazaar’s “Go to Bed With Me” series provides entertaining and informative videos that give insight into beloved celebrities’ seemingly flawless beauty. However, these routines aren’t perfect (makeup wipes? Really?), and the products used are often unnecessarily expensive, which might make viewers think they can’t afford to have good skincare. Just remember: There are cheaper alternatives out there.
