… Has officially launched!
It’s called Go-To, and I created it.
You buy it exclusively from gotoskincare.com, which is now live, and a lot of fun.
We send prods to you fast.
You use and love.
We (telepathically) high-five.
And nearby, a small family of wombats huddle together for a nap.
To celebrate the launch today, I thought I would run you briefly through each of the five products, since I’ve been a bit cagey about them up until now. Knowledge is power, after all! So is money and political status, but that’s less relevant in this situation.
As I have previously pointed out previously, Go-To was designed to be uncomplicated, simple, effective and easy (and fun) to use. Each of these products are useful for all of us, whether we wear a shittonne of skin care and makeup each day, or we just slap on some BB cream and race out the door. Because we all need a cleanser. We all need a moisturiser that will protect our skin from free-radical damage. We all need to exfoliate. We all need a lip balm that actually works. And we all “need” (enjoy?) a multi-purpose oil that can be used everywhere from the heels to the elbows to the nails to the hair to the face.
THE CLEANSER
It’s called Properly Clean, $29.95, because I was sick of cleansers that didn’t do a good enough job. Lazy cleansers. Naughty cleansers. Cleansers that couldn’t keep up with women who used many layers of skin serums and brighteners and primers and so on. They were either too thick and left residue, or they were too foamy and drying, or too scrubby and harsh, and they didn’t nearly remove all the primer/sunscreen/makeup I’d loaded onto my face that day. So, I made one that was as soft and smoothing and lovely on the skin (in use and after being rinsed off) which I think the face demands, but which, because of the Willow Bark Extract (a non-irritating cousin to salicylic acid that ever so gently removes grime and build-up), also actually gets the job DONE and takes care of BIZNEZ.
Fun fact: This was the first product we got right, and my husband loves the shit out of it. And he’s a BOY.
THE EXFOLIANT
Called Exfoliating Swipeys, $45.95, because, well, that’s what they are, these single-use, zingy-smelling little cotton pads take the confusion and error out of exfoliating. Because there’s a lot of that! We either use too many exfoliating products, too often (I have friends who are essentially performing a mini chemical peel each night with all their strong cleansers and toners and creams), or we don’t do enough, which makes our skin dull and congested and unhappy. The ideal way to exfoliate, in my mind, is softly, thoroughly and regularly. So, I made a solution of gentle AHAs (lactic acid) and hydrating essential oils, and dunked 50 textured pads in it, and now all YOU have to do is swipe one all over your face after cleansing 2-3 times a week, and you’re set.
Fun fact: I was least convinced we had the scent of this right, but have had more positive feedback on this scent than any of the products.
THE MOISTURISER
After a while as a beauty editor, you learn that are a few iconic face creams that remain steadily popular over time. They tend to be very nourishing, but lightweight and quick to sink in. And suitable for even sensitive skins (making them loved by makeup artists to use backstage at shows on models/shoots). I wanted to make one of these all-purpose, lovely creams, because I am arrogant enough to aim that high. BUT. I’m a firm believer that defending and protecting the skin from free radical damage (which come from UV rays, the environment etc), the cause of premature ageing (wrinkles, lines and sun damage), via powerful anti-oxidants is just as important as hydration and the perfect texture. So, I sourced the magical super anti-oxidant, Alma Berry, which has 30x more Vitamin C than oranges (and is anti-inflammatory and super soothing), and popped in some CoQ10, the grand dame of the anti-oxidant world, as well as Vitamin E, so that when you put on Go-To Very Useful Face Cream, $39.95, in the morning (under your physical sunscreen, obviously), you are protected throughout the day, and when you put it on at night, you are working to neutralise any free radical damage you accrued. I love this cream for MANY reasons, including it’s lovely silky texture, fig and rose scent and ability to be worn day, night or mid-flight, but that it’s guarding my skin so thoroughly, well, that’s the bloody clincher.
Fun fact: There is no sunscreen in Very Useful Face Cream because I wanted it to be all-purpose, day/night/flight. I wear a physical sunscreen over it during the day.
THE LIP BALM
I hardly keep my passion for lip balm under wraps. Am always banging on about how I can’t find the perfect one, or why the one you’re using isn’t working, (petrochemicals, usually) or applauding those that do help my lips… So when I got to make my own, you can bet your bronzer I took it seriously. IT HAS TO BE THE BEST LIP BALM EVER I said to my softly spoken, mild-mannered biochemist. OUR LIP BALM MUST WIN, I reiterated. So, we got to work. Adding all the ingredients I know to actually do something, and which make good lip balms more than just quick-fix barriers. And after just 20 versions, we got there with Lips!, $14.95. It features seven oils, ultra medical grade lanolin, anti-oxidants, butters and beeswax… all bundled up in the perfect formula of creaminess with a pretty sheen and the subtle flavour of pure pomegranate. It’s delicious and I swear by it. So there.
Fun fact: It’s called Lips! because I was so jubilant at having finally landed on the best possible lip balm formula. (In my eyes, anyway. My very bias eyes.)
THE MULTI-PURPOSE OIL
As a dame who travels quite a lot, and has had to master a smaller toiletries kit than any beauty editor should ever be forced to endure, I know the value of a solid do-it-all prod. Something that can be hauled out and quickly fix rough heels, elbows, cuticles, or soothe and heal little scratches and bites, or hydrate the body, or condition split ends, or add some sheen to foundation, or act as a potent serum (gently dabbed onto the face under face cream – better left to dry, not oily skins). Makes sense then, that I would want to have a crack at making my own… cue Exceptionoil, $49.95. It is SO PURE and so delicious, and with a blend of ten oils and almost as many butters and waxes, the skin bloody loves this balm-oil. (One beauty ed has even said it has sorted out her eczema, so maybe it’s even more magic than we know!) It sinks in fast, leaves no residue, and boasts certified Monoi di Tiare from Tahiti (gardenias macerated in coconut oil) for a – quite frankly – criminally pretty fragrance.
I need to say here that if you DO purchase Exceptionoil, please remember it is an OIL, and needs to be treated as such. In that it might be very runny when you open it, so please be careful. Also, just like that coconut oil you cook with, it will change solidity in accordance to the surrounding temps. (An hour in the fridge will help thicken it if it’s stupidly runny.) And if you travel with it? Like any oil, you should keep it in a plastic ziploc bag.
Fun fact: One customer has been adding a few drops to her bath with truly lovely results and very soft, scented skin. Clever!
… Of course, you can read (and watch) all about the prods in more depth at gotoskincare.com, and see all of the ingredients too, and also all of the things we DON’T put into the products (palm oil, petrochemicals, PEGs, mineral oils, parabens, sulfates, silicones, GMOs, synthetic colours or fragrances, animal testing of any kind).
To all of you who have already purchased your Go-To, and have been kind enough to take the time to let us know how much you are loving the products and packaging on Facebook or Twitter or Instagram or Gruzzleplonk, THANK YOU.
It’s scary launching a skin care line! You’re asking women to put things on their face and telling them their skin will like it, but skin can be so bitchy and so individual, and so you just make it as good as it can be, and you bloody hope for the best. Also! No store! No way for you guys to sniff and play and try the products before buying them – you are just putting blind faith into them and putting them into your virtual cart, and it is THAT leap of faith and trust that I am so deeply grateful for, and promise not to ever mess with.
You’re gorgeous dames, and I bloody adore you. I will shut up Go-To for a while now, promise. Just had to push her out to sea first.
Zo-To x
Ps Go-To and I were on A Current Affair last night!