Confession: I’m a Beauty Editor and Water Hasn’t Touched My Face in a Decade

I never, ever wash my face. I refuse. Seriously, no water touches my face. I’ve been a beauty editor for 15 years—this is blasphemous. But I have a very solid (and shallow, solid and shallow) reason, which all revolves around my hair. I usually wear my naturally curly hair straight, which involves blowing it dry and smoothing it out with a flat iron. If an ounce of water comes near this situation, it reverts back to curliness. So I always try to avoid splashing my face with water, even while wearing a headband or one of those little hair bonnets (Which I also can’t deal with—even in the privacy of my own bathroom, they embarrass me). I don’t even take showers. Only baths!

Yes, my vanity is next-level. But this is a beauty site, I feel like it’s a safe space.

I don’t hit the bed without cleaning my face, of course. And out of my admittedly weird no-H2O rule, came a totally useful obsession: cleansing wipes. Instead of scrubbing with a cleanser and water, I just swipe off my makeup with one of these genius, already-moistened towelettes, and call it a night.  I have it all down to a science. It’s so easy. I don’t even do it in the bathroom—I keep a pack on my nightstand, and clean up right before my head hits the pillow. There are three types I keep in constant circulation, depending on how my skin is behaving.

Well-Behaved

When my skin is not doing anything controversial, my only concern is keeping it looking supple, feeling moisturized, and getting rid of all traces of makeup. Garnier Nutri Pure The Refreshing Remover Cleansing Towelettes ($5) are sent from heaven. You wouldn’t believe how impossibly soft they leaves my skin. In one swipe, my face is squeaky-clean. No mascara, even.

Dull

You know those moments in the winter when your skin is just sort of grey-ish and listless? Yeah, that’s the buildup of dead skin cells in your pores. Yes to Grapefruit Brightening Facial Towelettes ($7) clear out all the gunk, and contain fruit acids that buff skin to glowy, lit-from-within hotness.

Zitty

When my skin goes to the acne place, there’s no other option but The Body Shop Tea Tree Cleansing Wipes ($8). These towelettes are drenched in tea tree oil, a miracle-working, blemish-busting ingredient that somehow dries out zits while not drying out your skin. Oily T-zone? They also eliminate all traces of shine. 

Tia Williams has been a beauty editor for 15 years, at publications like Elle, Glamour, Lucky, and Essence.com. Back in 2005, Tia created one of the first beauty blogs, Shake Your Beauty, where she wove her love of products through hilarious vignettes from her life as a beauty expert and mom living in Brooklyn. She’s also written several books, including the best-selling novel The Accidental Diva and supermodel Iman’s The Beauty of Color. Follow Tia on Twitter @shakeyourbeauty.