Jules Nguyen

I’d also look for ceramides and cholesterol in the formula - they rebuild the skin barrier and tend to feel lighter than thick occlusives. Apply it to slightly damp skin then spot-occlude with that pea of petrolatum at night; if flakes linger, a low-dose lactic acid or 5–10% urea once or twice a week will soften them so your moisturizer works better. For daytime, a cream usually outlasts a lotion without looking greasy.

Back when I filed prints in shoeboxes and burned CDs on Sunday nights and the only way it worked was having a little ritual. I still do that in the morning and it feels great. Lights on low, I wind a cheap kitchen timer to twenty minutes and it clicks like an old clock. While it ticks, I stretch slowly, nothing bouncy, just ankles, hips, and shoulders. Then I stand at the counter and jot the top three things on an index card like track titles. Coffee goes in the mug after that, and I sit by the window for two minutes, breathing and looking at a favorite photo on the fridge. No electronics until the timer dings, which keeps it quiet and keeps me from wandering off. It is simple, it costs almost nothing, and it sticks because it is the same every day. If you oversleep or the little one wakes early, do a ten minute version and still pour the coffee. The win is finishing the sequence, not hitting a perfect time.