December 6, 2012
If your hands, feet, elbows, or [insert body part here] are not happy with you right now, I feel your pain. Colder temperatures generally result in a never ending blast of dry air on your skin from overly aggressive indoor heating. I think we’ve all heard and tried the glove / sock trick – you know, the one where you slather your hands and feet in lotion and sit motionless while you let your skin marinate in gloves or socks. I don’t know about you, but even for someone as beauty obsessed as me, I just don’t have the patience to do that every night. So what now? Just give up and learn to live with flaky or crackly hands and feet? I don’t think so.
Enter Weleda’s cult favorite: Skin Food. Come November, I always have this cream in my bag. It actually attains lip balm status, which is a pretty meaningful commitment – for me, at least. But I have very good reason to go into panic mode when I realize that I didn’t stash any Skin Food in my purse when I made the switch from work tote to cocktail clutch – it never fails me. Skin Food is extremely rich yet my skin absorbs it super quickly, so I don’t have to avoid my phone or keyboard because I’m too scared to cover them in grease. I also love the decidedly unisex, herbal scent – so feel free to share this with the men in your life. You know, the macho types who usually avoid hand creams to avoid smelling “like a girl” for less than 30 seconds (someone please remind me why that is the worst thing in the world?). At 2.5 ounces, it doesn’t sound like it will last you very long, but when you are using a dime size at time, it lasts forever and ever.
Another reason for crackly hands? Frequent hand washing and overuse of hand sanitizer. No, I’m not recommending anyone forgo cleanliness for the sake of soft hands, but instead focus on finding other sanitizers that won’t make your skin even more parched than it already is. For a more moisturizing option, I’ve found myself turning to the Honest Company’s Hand Sanitizer. For a hand sanitizer, it is surprisingly rich and also does its job – keeping you germ free. Not to encourage anyone with OCD (me), but feel free to use it as many times as you want throughout the day. I have a big bottle for my desk and smaller bottles in my gym bag and purses. Suffice to say, I never want to be without it.
Categorized Beauty
Tagged Hand Cream, Hand Sanitizer, Honest Company, Skin Food, Weleda
November 1, 2012
If you’re interested in cleaning up your routine, it’s especially important to be vigilant about the products you use in your tub and / or shower. Think about it – your pores are wide open and much more receptive to whatever you’re putting on your skin. So in the interest of preventing scary lab chemicals from seeping into your body, these are my favorite tools to stay clean – inside and out:
1. Dr. Hauschka Cleansing Milk: Ok – real talk here: I didn’t regularly wash my face until I was 15. I just rinsed with water in the shower. My skin must have been really oily and gross, right? Actually, not at all: my skin was flawless. Until the day I read in some silly magazine that you absolutely need to wash your face twice a day with the most astringent oil-free cleanser possible. Big mistake. My skin immediately felt tight and I was punished with breakouts for the rest of my teen years. These days, I can’t get away with not washing my face every day because homegirl loves her Nars Orgasm and lives in NYC. But I do notice that when I wash my face more than once a day, my cheeks start to get dry and my T-zone acts up. I figure my skin is pretty good at regulating its moisture needs and so I usually just wash my face to scrub the city slash makeup out of my pores. I want something that does absolutely no interference on my skin’s natural processes and Dr. Hauschka’s Cleasning Milk does just that.
2. Dr. Bronner’s Soap – Almond Scent: Despite the odd packaging, Dr. Bronner’s Soap has been a longtime favorite of mine. Not only does it come in every size possible (my particular bottle is huge at 32 fluid ounces!), but it’s also fairly inexpensive. The best part is that you only need the tiniest amount to feel squeaky clean. In terms of scent, I feel that the Almond option is much more subtle (but still noticeable) and less hippie than his other scent options.
3. Weleda Shaving Cream: Most conventional shaving creams foam like crazy. This natural offering from Weleda doesn’t provide any sort of foaming action, but its lovely, unisex scent and moisturizing properties have me reaching for it time and time again. Definitely the best natural shaving cream I’ve tried – I just wish it came in a larger tube!
4. Intelligent Nutrients Pure Luxe Shampoo and Conditioner: A lifesaving duo for very dry, damaged hair. In fact, I love it so much that I plan on devoting a future post entirely to this luxurious shampoo and conditioner. More to come!
What are your favorite ways to stay squeaky clean?
Categorized Beauty
Tagged Cleanliness, Dr. Bronners, Dr. Hauschka, Intelligent Nutrients, Shower, Weleda
July 28, 2012
My skincare routine is constantly evolving, but I thought I’d give you a quick look at what I’m doing to keep myself looking as fresh as possible in 90% humidity.
As a first step, I love to use Weleda’s Cleansing Milk. it is very gentle and super natural way to start off your day. There is no lather (aka no sulfates!) so it takes a bit of getting used to, but does a great job of cleansing.
After taking a shower, I quickly slather on Adara’s Coconut Oil when my skin is still moist. It is so hard to find a good moisturizer these days without any parabens, so I just stick with old fashioned coconut oil. I particularly like this brand because of the natural, subtle scents they add, like peach and green tea, so you don’t just smell like coconut cream pie (which is nice too, but just not my thing).
Before makeup, I quickly swipe on Jurlique’s Herbal Recovery Eye Cream. I love that a lot of their ingredients come from their own farm, ensuring that the products you use are filled with safe, high-quality ingredients.
After a few spritzes of the wonderfully refreshing Pangea Organics Toner, I rub on a couple drops of Argan Oil on my face. Works like a dream – it is effective and has just ONE ingredient. It absorbs quickly and leaves a subtle glow. It feels like there are a million different types on the market right now, but the key is to make sure you are getting high-quality argan oil (doesn’t necessarily need to be Josie Maran, which is great too, but kind of expensive IMO). You want an argan oil that is labeled with the “Ecocert” certification.
And that’s it! I used to use a ton of serums and fancy moisturizers, but for the summer, I generally like to keep things relatively simple so I can just move on and get on with my day. As always, I reserve the right to change my mind, so come wintertime, if I have a 25-step skincare routine, don’t be surprised…
Categorized Beauty
Tagged Adara, Argan Oil, Josie Maran, Jurlique, Kahina Giving Beauty, Pangea Organics, Skincare, Summer, Weleda
