Lately, I have been educating myself on natural and organic skincare and makeup. This book was a big inspiration:
No More Dirty Looks: The Truth about Your Beauty Products--and the Ultimate Guide to Safe and Clean Cosmetics by Siobhan O’Connor and Alexandra Spunt.
These are some of my new favorite moisturizers.
Both
of these use rose as a main ingredient, and in the past I stayed away
from them because it isn’t my favorite scent. Don’t be turned off
though - the scents are mild and fade away quickly and actually smell very nice!
Earth tu Face is a great brand that uses food-quality ingredients. I like their Face Balm.
- I have also been using their Palmarosa & Aloe face wash for a few weeks, and it is great. It is gentle enough to use with my Clarisonic.
After receiving several recommendations for this product, I finally tried Dr Hauschka’s Rose Day Cream. It is heavier than I expected, but makeup still easily layers over it.
- I have been a big fan of his Revitalizing Mask for years.
I
have also been exfoliating my face 2-3x per week, which I think has
been really good for my skin. It seems brighter and looks refreshed,
even when I am not getting enough sleep.
Joanna Vargas Exfoliating Face Scrub uses lava as a main ingredient. Having just returned from Kauai, I like imagining a beautiful tropical island when I use it.
Aesop’s Purifying Facial Exfoliant Paste
smells a bit medicinal, but I have noticed results quickly. It uses
lactic acid as well as other natural ingredients to exfoliate. According
to my new favorite video makeup artist Lisa Eldridge, lactic acid is a great ingredient for beautifying skin.
- I have been on the fence about toner, but on the same trip to the new Aesop store in San Francisco I tried the Aesop Parsley Face Toner. The nice salesperson explained toner to me this way. I hope this is clear - it took me a bit of time to follow his logic:
- Cutting into an apple leaves the inner skin exposed, and if it is left out, the fruit will brown and age. Skin has similar qualities, and antioxidant toner acts like a protectant for your skin, keeping it from aging and browning like a cut apple. This is not scientific, but whatever, I like the smell and my skin looks nice.
- He said not to put it on with a cotton ball - instead, put a bit into the palms of your hands and gently tap it all over the face. I have taken this advice and prefer this method.
I am in the midst of a pretty comprehensive switch from standard makeup and cosmetics to natural and organic products. More blog posts about this to follow.
Thank you for reading!
