This week, I wrote about red light therapy for Better Report, and I wrote the first iteration of Wired’s guide to red light masks in 2024. Basically, over the last few years, I’ve had my hands on nearly all the most popular high-tech anti-aging devices. Of everything I’ve tried, Shark’s CryoGlow is the best one so far.

When I first noticed the Omnilux Contour mask gaining popularity on TikTok, my first thought was that it was another beauty gimmick. I filed it away in the same category as the old-time vibrating belt machine that promised to reduce body fat. A light mask to reduce wrinkles? Right. But soon, I was inundated with videos touting its effectiveness. I put my product reviewer cap on and went to work.

You’ll find plenty of snake oil in the beauty industry, but surprisingly, light therapy isn’t among them. You just have to use it correctly and buy trustworthy devices with a strong enough wavelength to do something. Unfortunately, you can’t just sit in front of a red lightbulb and watch the clock reverse.

Compared to the masks I tried, the CryoGlow’s quality was apparent from the first unboxing. Pads on the forehead and eyes make it much more comfortable to wear than the hard Dr. Dennis Gross SpectraLite and the soft Omnilux. And the strap, which goes around your head and on top of it, helps you get a more personalized fit so nothing is slipping or uncomfortably jamming against your nose.

Plates under the eyes, called chill pads, cool and help reduce puffiness. It also just feels more like a spa treatment, but you can turn these off if you don’t like it. Or opt for just an undereye reset anytime of day if you’ve already done an LED treatment that day. As I wrote for Better Report, the con here is that no LEDs are on that undereye area, which is often one of the biggest problem areas.

The CryoGlow uses red and infrared light for anti-aging and blue for healing acne. Once you’ve achieved whatever skin goals you were after, you can use the shorter skin sustain treatment to maintain results.

Adding a connected remote is also genius, even if all it did was tell you how much time is left in a session. It also keeps track of how many sessions you’ve completed, so you can stay on top of how long you’ve been using it and track your progress. And it clearly shows how much battery is left, so you won’t run out in the middle of a session.

I wasn’t surprised to see Shark venture into light therapy. Though the brand is more well-known for its vacuums, its hair tools are impressive and, in some cases, are direct dupes for Dyson. The beauty division just doesn’t miss and I’m excited to see what comes next.

The elephant in the room when it comes to these devices is how absolutely horrifying these masks look. The CryoGlow looks like the mask from MTV’s Scream TV series. The Dr. Dennis Gross SpectreLight is like Iron Man, while Therabody’s TheraFace is giving more welding mask. And the Omnilux is giving Dwight wearing the dummy’s face on The Office. Sometimes beauty is pain, and sometimes it’s terrifying.

• I’ve seen no less than five videos in the last two days about The Doux hair products. The Bonita Bubble Balm Foaming Pomade is already on the way, and I’ve got more products on my wish list. As someone whose hair needs far too many steps to look even decent, I like that this small, black-owned brand focuses on routines that use minimal—sometimes even single—products.

I can’t remember the first time I ever wore makeup, but I do remember when I started wearing it regularly. A friend did my face for me, showing me different techniques, and she commented on how thick my lashes were. I remember the compliment all these years later, because once I started wearing mascara almost daily, those thick lashes disappeared.

I knew hair loss was a symptom of postpartum, but I didn’t think I’d even notice it. My hair is thick enough that I lose a ton regularly anyway. I was wrong. Not only did I start losing a scary amount of hair in the shower, but my lashes, already lackluster, started to shed as well. My right eye, in particular, had two very thin spots that I couldn’t stop staring at every time I looked in the mirror. It was almost like a chunk of lashes were cut in the middle. If I didn’t curl them, you could barely tell lashes were there, but the more I curled them, the more they fell out.

I was desperate, but not desperate enough to try lash serums with prostaglandin. Those ones usually give shockingly beautiful results, but can end in discoloration of your skin or iris. I have very dark circles as it is, and am running on two-hour blocks of sleep most days. I couldn’t afford to look any more tired and discolored, solving one problem and making another even worse.

Instead, I bought The Ordinary’s Multi-Peptide Lash and Brow Serum. It’s prostaglandin-free, so there’s no risk of discoloration. And while the brand promises results in four weeks, it’s unlikely you’ll see extreme length and volume like you might with other formulas. It’s more of a lash (or brow) conditioner that helps your existing lashes stick around longer, gaining length before the natural shedding cycle. Basically, they have time to grow to their full potential.

I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I did see results in less than a month. They’re not noticeably longer overall, but those sparse spots on my right eye are almost completely filled in. If not luscious, they are at least normal-looking.

My lashes will likely never return to their thick, naturally curled state that they once were before I damaged them again and again with curlers and waterproof mascara. But The Ordinary’s inexpensive serum has worked enough already that I’m going to continue using it to see just what it can do. Now, if I could just get the hair on my head to look as good as it did while I was pregnant.

Great jeans make you look put together, whether you’re wearing a T-shirt and sneakers or heels and a blouse. They keep their shape all day—no one wants a saggy butt by lunch time—but aren’t so rigid that it hurts to sit. They fit your hips and your waist without squeezing. They look tailored without the extra cost. It’s easy to find good jeans, but great jeans are elusive.

At one time, I might have had two entire drawers full of denim. I’d wear jeans all day, even at home. Then came Covid, some weight gain, and I felt like I hated every pair. Even at the height of my jeans obsession, there were lots of good options, but none were ever perfect. Then I discovered Levi’s Ribcage jeans, and now I’m a jeans person again.

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I’ve tried other Levi’s that failed my tests. Even the fan favorite Wedgie jeans overstretched and started to loosen throughout the day; eventually, the seams tore. But the Ribcage jeans are structured enough to stay fitted, perfectly accentuating my butt and waist no matter how long I have them on. The button fly helps smooth my stomach without getting all bunched up when I sit like a long zipper might. Even this week, when I’m bloated and all my pants feel tighter, the Ribcage jeans looks the best and keep me smooth.

It’s hard to believe that I once wore jeans so low that my hip bones stuck out, because now I want them so high that you can barely tell I have a belly button. Lots of brands tout their highness, but my torso is long, so most pants labeled as high are just regular rise on me, landing awkwardly on my hips. Not these. The Ribcage jeans do literally touch my ribcage, snatching in my waist. My height is all in that long torso, but these give my legs the illusion of length. I feel like I could walk right into a jeans ad when I wear these. I’m Brooke Shields in her Calvin Kleins. Basically, bury me in my Ribcage jeans.

The full-length jeans are my current favorite, but I also love the wide-leg for wearing with boots and the pocketless, western-style rivet straight ankle which looks great in black—though this length does look a little funny on me, so I have to cut the hem and fray them a bit for it to look more intentional. I have two more pairs of the straight ankle that are a size too big that I’m considering getting altered. Never before would I have even considered tailoring jeans that I was sure would just wear out in a few months anyway.

If you’re counting, you might be wondering if I’ve spent nearly $500 on all my Levi’s. Not a chance! They’re on sale often enough that I’ve stocked my wardrobe never having paid full price.

• Just like my long torso makes pants shopping difficult, my wide feet have never met a cute shoe they like. Peggy Hill and I would get along. I’m dying to try Vivaia and Rothy’s, particularly Vivaia’s Julie Arch Pro in ivory and black, which reminds me of the flats Annie wears with her tweed two-piece in The Parent Trap.

I’ve noticed the quality of clothes anywhere in my price range—even at the high end—seems to be mostly junk. They fray, lose their shape, and fall apart after only a handful of wears. But Knix stands out.

I’ve written about Knix several times, first discovering them when I tested reusable period products for Wired. Of the dozens of period underwear I used, Knix was always the best. Nearly everything I’ve tried from the brand since has also become the best of its category. The underwear I got to try for free at that time, but you know it’s good when I keep purchasing once testing is over.

The SculptRib Cotton T-Shirt is the best plain tee I’ve ever worn. It’s fitted and smoothes everything out, but it isn’t suffocating and doesn’t ride up. It makes a simple pair of jeans look sophisticated. Because I have the T-shirt in black, I bought the SculptRib Cotton Tank in fawn. It’s not the best color for me, but it is pretty and the tank is just as supportive and comfortable. I wish the SculptRib line was available in navy, gray, and white. I’d buy them all. I’m considering buying a second one in black just in case the first one gets ruined.

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My labor survival kit included the Modal Short Sleeve Sleep Set, which is cooling and comfy to sleep in, even for someone like me who feels itchy and oversensoried (that’s a word, right?) in most fabrics while trying to sleep. I, of course, never actually wore these in the hospital since I was mostly in a gown, but it saved me once I got home. The shirt includes one hidden button in between the two that fall on your chest—no more weird bulging or accidentally flashing someone when a button-up separates. It’s genius.

I also picked up another pair of the Dream Shorts to get me through some of the postpartum bleeding. These are the shorts that started it all. The nylon is super silky and cool, and the padding absorbs about five 1/2 tampons’ worth of liquid without being bulky. Truly, you can wear these even when you’re not on your period and won’t feel like you’re in a pad. I wear them to bed often. For daily use on my period, I like the super leakproof nylon no-show in high rise or boyshort.

I needed new bras that gave me back some sort of pre-pregnancy shape. I landed on the Revolution V-Neck Bra. There’s no underwire, but it keeps a great shape thanks to 3D printed stabilizers. It’s so comfortable without being frumpy. I wouldn’t call it lingerie, but I feel cute in it. I love it so much, I bought it in two more colors when the brand had a sale.

I consider myself pretty cheap. I’ll splurge on a haul, but I don’t want to splurge on a single item. Knix is very expensive in my opinion, but worth every dollar I’ve spent on it. I try to wait for sales as often as possible, but I don’t get buyer’s remorse when I buy something full price. I’m excited to keep trying more.

• There’s always something from Knix on my wish list and right now, it’s the brand’s swim line, particularly the color block scoop neck and high-rise bottoms. While Knix is usually pricey, the swimsuits are comparable to basically everywhere else. We’re currently dealing with some home issues, and alas, my extra money has to go to electrical instead of swimsuits. SAD.

My skin is not my friend. It’s often rashy, flaky, broken out, and otherwise sensitive and mad. Then I try to add makeup and it all gets worse.

I hydrate and moisturize. I am basically attached to my Owala water bottle. Nothing seemed to help. Then I gave in to what felt like hundreds of TikToks about Naturium’s Barrier Bounce, and thankfully, they did not steer me wrong. I’m on my second bottle and even set up a subscription. Never in my life have I had autoship on a skincare product.

Instead of just adding a layer of moisturizer that sits on my skin, this actually feels like it’s hydrating deep down even when I wash it off at night. The magic is in the texture of this oil-serum, which is thick but not in a goopy, Aquaphor kind of way (I love Aquaphor, but sometimes it is a sensory nightmare for me). It uses 5% squalane and 2% urea for hydrating and improving your skin’s barrier (urea is also magic for cracked heels).

Barrier Bounce makes me look glowy on its own and settles well under makeup. And it also layers nicely under a moisturizer for even more hydration. It simply feels so amazing to put on that I want to slather it all over my body, but I’m not sure my wallet could handle how many bottles I’d have to buy for that. I bought Naturium’s Urea 5% Body Serum too, in hopes it felt similar. Sadly, it does not, but it is a great body moisturizer nonetheless.

I wish the glow lasted a bit longer throughout the day, but the hydration it leaves behind is apparent. If I had to give up every skincare product for Barrier Bounce, I absolutely would.

• I’m dying for a lash serum. I did not know that postpartum hair loss could also affect eyelashes, but as the hair on my head continues to fall out and feel like straw, my lashes are getting sparse and no longer hold a curl. There are tons of effective serums, but I’m terrified of the prostaglandins that can cause discoloration, so instead, I ordered The Ordinary’s lash serum, which forgoes them. Results don’t seem to be as extreme, but I’m holding out hope.