When I asked my mom what she wanted for her 56th birthday, she requested only one gift—Yse Beauty’s Your Favorite Ex Exfoliating Pads. Before you ask, no, she doesn’t normally ask me for beauty samples (and yes, I do frequently offer, like any good beauty-editor daughter would!). She doesn’t wear perfume, and she keeps her skincare and makeup routines very minimal.
But these peel pads are special. They’re gentle yet effective, able to clear dark spots, smooth fine lines, and prevent breakouts in a single swipe. I know because I’m genuinely obsessed with them too—so are a gazillion others, it seems, as they had been sold out for months. (Yes, really. My mom counted the days.)
Now, you can likely guess why she was begging for the birthday gift. She’s been rationing her final few discs for weeks, hoping I could work some beauty-editor magic and snag a top-secret box. The brand was kind enough to send me its one and only sample left, and I was officially crowned daughter of the year. (Thank you, Yse!) Fast-forward a few weeks, and the beloved peel pads finally arrived back in stock—as you can surmise, my mom was pretty hyped.
Allow me to reiterate that my mom doesn’t get this jazzed about skincare products, like, ever. She’s a true product loyalist; once she finds a formula she loves, she rarely ever changes course, and Yse’s peel pads are definitely her most-prized beauty possession. I can totally see why—since adding them to my own routine, they’ve become nonnegotiables for a clear, healthy glow. I’ve convinced friends, other family members, and fellow beauty editors to give them a try, and even though I’d selfishly love to gatekeep so they don’t sell out again, I simply must share every reason you should give them a whirl.
YSE Beauty
Your Favorite Ex Exfoliating Pads
“Touch my face,” Molly Sims (yes, the Molly Sims, who is the founder of Yse Beauty) instructs as we sit on a plush couch at NYC’s Nine Orchard Hotel. Let me back up. It’s August in the city, which means peak sweat and humidity—and for me means angry zits and uneven skin texture. I brush her cheek, and whoa, it is unbelievably soft. It also appears smooth and even toned, not a sunspot in sight. Sims, who admits she has struggled with cystic acne for years, tells me her skin has absolutely transformed since using her Your Favorite Ex Exfoliating Pads; after telling her about my own sensitive, acne-prone skin, she assures me that I’ll fall head over heels for these pads.
I wasn’t expecting miracles. Sure, Sims had glowing things to say about the product, but what brand founder wouldn’t? Still, I went home with a bag full of Yse goodies and tested the pads that week. Pardon my French, but I immediately had a “holy shit” moment. I had been struggling with chin and forehead breakouts for the whole summer (again, sweat and humidity are not a good combo for me), and nothing had successfully kept those clogged pores—and their subsequent dark spots—at bay. That is, until Your Favorite Ex.
