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3 weeks ago | 
nytimes.com | Christine Cyr Clisset |Caira Blackwell |Rosie Guerin |Abigail Keel |Rory Evans
Listen and follow The Wirecutter ShowApple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | YouTube | iHeartRadio | Other platformsRed light devices promise a lot—but do they deliver? Wirecutter supervising editor Rory Evans demystifies the science behind them, shares her top picks, and explains who might want to think twice before trying one.
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3 weeks ago | 
nytimes.com | Rory Evans
C-3PO doing the dishes. A crash-test dummy checking email. A hockey goalie folding the laundry. Skin-care social media feeds would have you believe that you can use a red-light device and just keep on living your life as the LEDs penetrate to boost collagen production and keep inflammation and oil production in check.
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1 month ago | 
nytimes.com | Rory Evans
For a task that pops on your to-do list twice a day — in the morning and before bed — washing your face should feel like a treat, not a chore. It’s not so hard to find a good-enough facial cleanser that removes dirt, grime, sweat, excess oil, makeup, sunscreen, and other residual skin-care products. It’s significantly trickier, though, to discover a cleanser that does all that without leaving skin feeling tight, touchy, sensitive, stripped, and generally shrink-wrapped.
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1 month ago | 
bhg.com | Rory Evans
Photo: Caitlin Atkinson Maximum relaxation, minimal upkeep: That goal drove every choice landscape designer Molly Wood made as she revamped this California beach house yard. The homeowners, Lindsay and Scott Monroe, and their adult children “wanted it to be easy,” Wood recalls. “They wanted to live outside.” They also wanted it to be just plain livable, which it decidedly wasn’t when they bought the place: It was an expanse of weeds, cracked walkways, and bare dirt.
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1 month ago | 
flipboard.com | Rory Evans
7 hours agoBelieve it or not, in the world of barbecue, barbecue sauce can be a controversial topic. If you stroll into a brisket joint in Texas and ask for sauce, you might be asked (nicely) to leave the premises. Many pit masters say that properly cooked barbecue shouldn’t need a sauce. At the risk of losing …
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Mar 25, 2025 | 
nytimes.com | Rory Evans
If you have skin, you probably need moisturizer. Some studies suggest about 400 mL of water—more than a tall Starbucks drink—evaporates from our skin every day. At first swipe, most moisturizers look and feel very similar. To really pinpoint a great formula, you have to dig a little deeper, take a jeweler’s loupe to the ingredient panel, and consider your skin type and style preferences (some people like it fancy).
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Mar 25, 2025 | 
flipboard.com | Rory Evans
20 hours agoDermatologists explain how to layer skin care properly, plus editor-tested products for your routineDiscover what goes first, second and third while applying your favorite products. Skin care can never be skipped during my daily routine. Even if I leave the apartment without wearing makeup, I can't start my day without prepping and protecting my complexion.
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Mar 25, 2025 | 
nytimes.com | Rory Evans
There’s almost nothing that vitamin C doesn’t claim to do—from lessening acne to lightening dark spots to improving overall skin tone and texture. (Stopping just short of contributing to your 401(k).)In our five months of reporting for this guide, we found the research to be far more measured. Topical vitamin C is actually better at preventing discoloration, dullness, and lines than it is at reversing them.
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Mar 25, 2025 | 
nytimes.com | Rory Evans
The harsh scrubs and irritating exfoliants of the ’90s may have scared you into skipping the entire category for a while. What we thought was sloughing away grime and dirt with apricot pits and walnut shells was likely causing more damage than good, leaving behind micro-tears and increased inflammation. Today we have a different and gentler approach to exfoliation.
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Mar 25, 2025 | 
nytimes.com | Rory Evans
So many skin-care categories promise miracles, but retinoids are one of the few with the science to back it up. Retinoids are milder, over-the-counter versions of tretinoin (or vitamin A). At prescription strengths, tretinoin has been shown to speed up skin’s cellular turnover, boost collagen, and minimize the appearance of pores and the production of oils. And OTC options deliver similar benefits.
