The red-eye out of JFK lands at 6:47am, my carry-on is still in the overhead bin, and I’m already reaching for my routine. September is the month I reset — the airport Wi-Fi works, the hotel bathrooms are clean, and my skin finally stops arguing with me. Here’s everything I’m actually using and loving this month, tested between flights, not in a magazine.
Full disclosure up front: the OSEA and BON CHARGE products below are ones I buy myself, and there’s a discount code in the mix that helps them out. Everything else is just what survived my suitcase.
The red light I use every night
I’ve been running the BON CHARGE face and neck mask almost nightly, and I like it for one reason: it covers the neck, which is where my age shows first. Use code TIEGHAN15“>TIEGHAN15 for 15% off (affiliate link — thanks for the support). My Therabody mask is a close second, and I’ve noticed brighter, more even-looking skin after a few weeks. Not magic, just consistency.
Body care, in the 10-minute window
My night routine is simple, and it runs on a timer. I dry brush before the shower, then work body care in while my skin is still damp. The OSEA body butter goes on first, then the body serum, and sometimes a layer of MUTHA body butter on top. I have to pace myself with the OSEA — I’ve gone through a jar a week, not kidding.
OSEA’s Labor Day Sale is running too: spend $125+ and their 30 Years of Bestsellers Set is free. I’m stocking up because I genuinely fear running out. (Sale items move fast — check the dates before you click.)
The mat I can’t live without
I used my HigherDOSE Infrared PEMF Pro Mat every single morning in Colorado. I loved it for muscle recovery and for slowing down before work. Then I packed it away and forgot. I’ve been missing it badly. It’s going back on the morning routine, and I need it in my carry-on life, which is harder to pull off.
Two places I’m planning around
A podcast about the Ayurvedic idea of Ojas — deep nourishment that shows up as glow and steady energy — sent me down a travel rabbit hole. First stop on the list: a 350-year-old restored royal palace in Khajuraho, Madhya Pradesh, built over beautiful gardens and a lake. My mom would lose her mind at the history, and I’d lose mine at the light. Added to the list, no timeline, which is the honest truth about most travel plans.
Second: private hillside villas in Crete, each with its own infinity pool looking out over the Cretan Sea, plus access to the wellness spaces at Acro Suites. Goop has the full write-up if you want to see the photos. I just want a week where the only schedule is the sun going down.
One yogurt I’m not going to stop buying
The Painterland Sisters organic skyr yogurt is in my fridge on rotation. Zero added sugar, 21g of protein, lactose-free, probiotics including BB-12. I love the creaminess, but the story is what keeps me buying. The sisters grew up on Painterland Farms in Pennsylvania, where their family has been farming for four generations. They left for college, traveled for a while, came back, and started making the yogurt to connect people with American farmers. That’s a brand story I can actually stand behind.
What I’m eating while I wait for fall
It’s still ninety degrees, so the menu is mostly old favorites: mini tacos, buffalo chicken tacos, a peach salad, and brown sugar maple cookies when the evening gets warm. But the first thing I’m making the second the temperature drops is a glazed Honeycrisp apple fritter cake — the kind that turns a Tuesday into a small event.
The 2-Minute Fix
Before your shower, dry brush your body for two minutes. Then, while your skin is still damp, get the body serum on. That’s it. It’s the single most reliable thing in my routine, and it fits in the 10-minute window between “I’m done with the day” and “I’m in bed.”
FAQ
Is the red light mask worth it if I’m always traveling? Yes, and that’s the point. It’s small enough to live in a carry-on, and the neck coverage is what matters when you’re sitting upright for hours. I don’t use it every single day, but I use it enough to notice a difference.
Do I need the full OSEA routine, or just the body butter? The body butter alone is the workhorse. The serum and the MUTHA layer are upgrades, not requirements. Start with the butter, see how your skin responds, then decide.
Is the Painterland yogurt easy to find? It’s in most major grocery stores in the US. If yours doesn’t carry it, it ships online and it’s worth the order.
September is for resetting the routine, not reinventing it. Glow doesn’t wait — and neither do you.