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🎁 Heads up: Boss’s Day is this Friday.
Our gift guide covers solo picks and team group gifts, plus what to skip.
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🧘 Tense moment at work? Try the ABC routine: awareness, breathing, and centering.
🔥 Burned-out workers who still liked their employers applied to 45% fewer jobs in 2025 as the job market slowed.
Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve been obsessed with beauty and skincare. I’d pore over Cosmo and Teen Magazine, experimenting and testing everything I could get my hands on. Part of what hooked me was the advertising and the packaging. There’s something so beautiful about the way different brands portray a product and tell its story.
I’ve always been a skincare person, partly because I dealt with eczema and acne and all the fun stuff that comes with being an adolescent. These days I’ve got a much better handle on it, mostly because I manage my skin from the inside out: eating well, taking care of my gut, all of that. Over the past year I’ve gotten more intentional about my actual routine (ChatGPT helped me simplify what to use and when), and a big part of it has become Korean skincare. So here’s a roundup of what I keep reaching for, plus a few new things I’m testing. I also went deep on Reddit for recs, and this thread was a goldmine.
One thing before we get into it: everything on this list is stuff I’ve actually used and genuinely liked. I’m not padding it out with things I feel meh about. If it made the list, it earned its spot and I think it’s worth your money.
Medicube
Okay, the Collagen Night Wrapping Mask is the one I can’t stop talking about. On paper it’s a pretty standard peel-off situation, you smooth it on over your nighttime serum and cream, then peel it off or wipe your face in the morning. But my skin the next day? Glowy in a way I noticed right away. One morning I skipped both tinted moisturizer and foundation, threw on just bronzer and blush, and thought my face looked great. I can’t give the mask all the credit, but I am a little obsessed with how my skin has been looking.
Their collagen masks are the other standout, and these ones feel amazing going on. They’re cool and soothing on your face, and then they slowly turn translucent as your skin drinks everything up. Weirdly satisfying, and so good on a thirsty-skin day.
Beauty of Joseon
This is the brand that started it all for me. I watched an influencer put their eye cream on mid-flight, and the before-and-after from a single plane ride genuinely sold me. Then I looked at the price point and the ingredient lists and I was all in.
I keep coming back to the Green Plum Refreshing Toner and the Glow Serum with Propolis, and their eye patches and retinol under-eye cream are in permanent rotation. If you’re just easing in, the green plum cleanser and cream duo is such a gentle, low-stakes place to start.
But the masks are where I’m truly gone. The Ground Rice and Honey Glow Mask smells exactly like rice and honey, soft and cozy, like something you’d whip up at home from a Pinterest recipe. No harsh chemical smell anywhere. I keep it and the red bean pore mask right in my shower and alternate: the red bean clay once a week to really draw the gunk out, and the honey glow once or twice a week when my skin wants a little softness. Neither one ever leaves me tight or stripped.
And when my skin gets truly parched, which is every winter I’m snowboarding in Idaho and honestly plenty of random dry days back in California, the Dynasty Cream is my year-round save.
JIYU brightening pads
These JIYU toning and brightening face pads!! They get two exclamation points because that’s impressed I was. I’ve been using them for about a week, and they feel gentle and refreshing without that stripped, squeaky feeling. There’s a minty, almost eucalyptus scent that makes my whole routine feel like a fresh reset, and even the packaging made me happy, with little tweezers that tuck right inside the container. They’re not cheap, but so far they’ve been worth every penny. A solid 10 out of 10.
Anua cleansing oil
I use Anua Cleansing Oil as my first step for taking makeup off, and it melts everything away without leaving my skin tight. Floral scents usually aren’t my thing, but this soft, botanical one completely won me over. Funny enough, I originally bought it as a gift for my aunt and liked it so much I kept a bottle for myself.
Peach and Lily
I grabbed the Peach and Lily Discovery Kit because I love a kit that lets me try a little of everything before I commit to full sizes, and it did not disappoint. The two I keep reaching for are the matcha cream and the cleanser. The cleanser gives you that squeaky deep-clean feeling without leaving your skin stripped or tight. And I love the smell: It’s this organic, earthy, fancy-spa situation, green tea with a little peppermint and eucalyptus, the kind of thing that makes a tired evening routine feel like a treat. I reached for it after two weeks of traveling when my skin was completely out of whack, and it pulled everything right back into line.
Haru Haru
The internet raves about the Haru Haru Black Rice Toner, and I get why. It’s incredibly hydrating. At first I wasn’t even sure I’d put on the right product, and then I realized it was just that the toner was that nice. It also has no fragrance, which I really appreciate.
Plantifique
The Gold Eye Patches are actually caffeine patches, so they’re my move for de-puffing on those rough mornings, or when I’m headed on a long plane ride. The brand has a whole lineup I’ve been working my way through: a PDRN face serum, and a PDRN mask that’s actually cheaper than Medicube’s and gives the same benefits. Their clay mask is next on my must-try list, and I’ve got their foot peeling masks waiting in the wings too.
If you only grab one thing off this list, make it the one your skin has been begging for! And feel free to reply to this email with your favorite Korean skincare recommendation 🙂
Thania (TA Content Mgr)
An employee posts about a workplace incident. Coworkers start sharing it. By the time HR hears about the concern, the story is already taking shape in public.
For HR, the challenge goes beyond responding to the post. Did the employee know how to raise the concern internally? Would a manager have recognized the warning signs? And does your Code of Conduct give people clear guidance for situations that don’t fit neatly into a policy example?
Join Traliant Chief People Officer Casey Heck on Tuesday, October 20, from 2 to 3 PM ET for the webinar Before Misconduct Goes Viral: Is Your Code of Conduct Ready? You’ll learn how to set expectations employees understand, make it easier to raise concerns internally, and help managers respond when issues come up, including when they surface online.
A Code of Conduct can’t prevent every difficult moment, but it can help your organization respond with more clarity when one happens.
There’s so much stigma around taking medication for your mental health. So the three of us decided to share our own stories, honestly and out loud, to encourage you to get the help you need if you need it. No shame, no whispering, just the truth about what it was actually like for us.
Cameron: Depression + OCD
My first SSRI experience was as a teenager, treated for depression without the right dose or the right information, and it went badly. So as an adult, when I knew I needed help with my anxiety and couldn’t white-knuckle it anymore, I was terrified. Afraid of a bad reaction. Afraid of the stigma. Afraid it would change who I am.
It took time to trust it again. With my therapist’s recommendation, I found a psychiatrist who looked at my full history, including my childhood OCD, walked me through the myths, and started me on Zoloft at 25 mg, low and slow, so I’d feel safe.
It wasn’t instant. For months I didn’t notice much. Then came a week of family stress and a brutal workload, the kind that normally sends me into my cave unable to breathe. Instead, I realized I’d gone two months without those thoughts. I remember thinking, “Oh my God, this is actually it.”
It didn’t erase my anxiety. But now I can spot it and actually use the tools I learned in therapy instead of drowning in OCD urges. When I finally told my team, the response was basically “hell yeah, we’re so proud of you.”
If you think you might need help, talk to a care provider you trust. And if you’re scared, I’m a resource. Email me anytime. You’re not alone.
Thania: ADHD at 32
I come from a family where you drink a glass of water for a headache and don’t take medicine unless you really have to. Vitamins and supplements, sure. Actual medication, rarely. That’s what my parents modeled for me.
So at 32, when I got diagnosed with ADHD, taking medication for it wasn’t an easy call. People close to me (including ex-partners and their moms! 😂) were genuinely worried I was taking “meth.” They’d heard all the stories about ADD zombie kids and addiction, and expressed concern I could become that.
Same thing happened when I got contacts as a kid. That was a big deal in my family too, but I needed them to see.
Being born with bad eyesight doesn’t mean I should spend my life squinting when there’s a fix sitting right there. Same thing with meds!
So I worked with my psychiatrist, trialed a week of each option to feel out which fit my brain chemistry, and landed on Ritalin at a very low dose. It was life-changing, and it still is. There’s no shame in taking medication that helps you function as a better human being.
And those same people who were so worried? They see the difference now, in my moods, my productivity, my whole sense of well-being. They agree now: I function better when I take my meds, and I’m not going back.
Kristel: Anxiety + PTSD
I’ve always been good at holding it together. Through loss, pain, and trauma, I could always regulate my emotions and keep going. Keep smiling, keep working, keep showing up.
Then I lost both of my parents to cancer while raising two toddlers.
I’d always feared the big C, and after losing them, the fear grew into something crippling. What if this symptom is something? What if I don’t get to see my kids grow up? What if my kid’s headache is serious? For two years I was constantly checking my body, constantly bracing for the worst.
When I finally talked to my doctor, she diagnosed anxiety and OCD tied to PTSD from losing my parents, and suggested a low-dose medication. I didn’t say yes right away. I researched it and asked every question I could think of, scared I’d become dependent. She walked me through all of it, and I started three months ago.
At first I didn’t notice much. Now the noise has calmed down, and the constant fear doesn’t run my day anymore. I can be present with my family instead of stuck running every worst-case scenario. I spent so long being the strong one who handled everything on her own. Asking for help didn’t make me weak. It gave me my life back.
From all three of us
You don’t owe anyone your medical history, and you don’t have to keep suffering to prove how strong you are. If you think you might need help, talk to a care provider you trust. Everyone’s chemistry is different, the right fit can take a few tries, and none of it has to be forever. But you deserve to feel like yourself again.
So from all of us, with love: take the damn meds 🩷. No shame!
Your dog swallows a sock, and suddenly you’re facing an emergency vet bill before you’ve had your coffee. Most of us put off pet insurance because it sounds complicated and probably expensive.
Lemonade Pet keeps it simple. You get a quote in about a minute, plans start at $10/month, and you file claims right from your phone, with around half of eligible claims settling on the spot.
Add the wellness plan and vaccines, checkups, and dental cleanings are covered too.
🥬 Greens you’ll actually look forward to every morning: try Grüns.
💧 These tropical electrolytes turn your 3pm water refill into a mini vacation.
🎁 Get ahead of holiday gifting with branded swag your team will actually use.
🧊 This cooling migraine cap delivers hands-free cold therapy when your head is begging for a little quiet.
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