The most beautiful skin you've ever seen!
Obviously, if you want to have a beautiful skin, you need to eat well, sleep a lot, drink enough water, protect yourself from the sun but still spend some time outdoors, oxygenate your blood through exercise, and not smoke.
However, there’s also great importance in the choice of your cosmetics, and there, ladies - and gentlemen (as they could really benefit from it as much as we do!) I think I have encountered THE perfect and miraculous face routine! It’s been many months since it became an institution in my bathroom, and I wouldn’t change it for the world! I even regret that I didn’t enjoy it earlier! If one day I have a daughter, when the time comes, it will be the best beauty advice that I could give her!
I intimately call it my “Hydra +++ routine”, but you can of course call it whatever you feel like! It is basically a mix of vegetable oils, flower waters (hydrolats), Aloe Vera… all organic and natural, with no additives. So, let’s just chuck everything in the bin, and start spreading plant-based oils all over our face, morning and night!
Morning
I start by washing my face in the shower using a cleansing foam (at the moment I use the mousse Nuage Céleste from Cattier which is very delicate). When I get out of the shower, I spray a bit of rose water (Melvita, Neal’s Yard Remedies or Skin and Tonic) to get rid of the limestone from the water, I then apply a small amount of Aloe Vera around my eyes and lips, followed by a drop of avocado oil. I find that this double layer is the best eye contour treatment I have ever tested in my life!
To finish, I apply my day cream, in which I add one or two drops of carrot oil to get a glowing complexion, as sometimes winter + overcast weather do not improve my already pale complexion… Be careful, it’s 2 drops maximum, as too much carrot kills the carrot. I use the carrot oil from Fushi, a very eco-friendly brand. Carrot oil is extremely rich in Beta Carotene, Vitamins A, B, C, D and E and essential fatty acids. It is excellent for sun damaged skin. It is also beneficial for dry skin, ageing or wrinkled skin, is known to help skin regeneration and to moisturise. It also makes a great deep conditioner for dry hair. It can also be used to soothe burns.
I have poured some of it into a little dosing bottle to make it easier to apply.
Regarding the day cream, I have discovered a truly wonderful product! It’s the Daily Renew Natural Face cream from Evolve. This is a winner: good moisturising without a heavy or greasy texture and the fragrance is like a subtle scent of incense – that’s a good thing because I was a bit worried about the combination of vanilla and coconut; two aromas I wouldn’t choose. I’m glad I trusted my intuition as I have found the perfect cream, which is not easy!
After that, time for make up (or not), and this cream is very good under make up.
Evening
At night, I remove my make up with vegetable based oil (sweet almond for me, but further down I suggest some other oils matching your skin type). Eyes, mouth, face, everything goes – and vegetable oils are really a great way to remove make up. Forget the burning eyes with mascara still on and the itchy skin from industrial products; vegetable oils only have one purpose in life: saving our skin!
Simply put a little bit of oil in your hands and gently scrub your face, eyes and mouth. You might at first look like a panda that hasn’t slept for 3 months, but it won’t last as you will remove everything with a cotton or muslin cloth soaked under warm water. As a bonus, it is an exquisite sensation at the end of the day!
Then, you quickly wash your face with your favourite cleansing foam to get rid of all the remaining impurities, another spray of floral water to remove the…? Limestone, yes, great! (If you want, you can apply the same Aloe Vera and avocado oil mix at night as in the morning around your eyes and lips, and finish the whole routine with a vegetable based oil to moisturise before going to bed). Now, my friends, you HAVE to try the Apple seed oil (Huile de pomme) from the French brand Make it Beauty. It will immediately become your great passion in life! It smells like almond (like the Frangipane from our very French “Galette of the Kings”, because we only think about food), it’s sweet, soft, hydrating, it feels amazing, I could go on… Every night, when I use it, I have the same reaction: “Wow, I had forgotten how good this is!” (because you will want to eat that apple seed oil! In fact, my cat licks my fingers so hard after each application that it irritates my skin… I’m exaggerating a bit here to emphasize my message). When you wake up the next morning, your skin feels soft, replenished, radiant – you must let l’Huile de Pomme enter your life!
Don’t forget to hydrate your lips and hands, and you’re all set to go to bed and have the most hydrated dreams.
All of this may seem like a long list of products and steps, but it realistically only takes 5 min! Don’t hesitate to create the routine that suits you best.
Floral waters according to your skin type
Sensitive skins >>> witch Hazel, chamomile, orange blossom.
Oily skins >>> lavender, myrtle, sage, thyme, mint.
Mixed skins >>> cornflower, geranium.
Acne skins>>> geranium, sage.
Mature skins >>> rose.
Dry skins >>> rose.
Normal skins >>> choose whatever you want to indulge yourself with! (I would still recommend rose water as it is the queen of all floral waters with its endless list of properties from firming to hydrating and anti-wrinkles).
Vegetables oils according to your skin type
Sensitive skins >>> jojoba, sweet almond, rose hip, sesame.
Oily skins >>> jojoba, neem, nigella.
Mixed skins >>> hemp, jojoba, hazelnut, apricot stone.
Acne oil >>> sea buckthorn, calophyll, jojoba.
Mature skins >>> argan, avocado, prickly pear, jojoba, macadamia.
Dry skins >>> sweet almond, argan, avocado, borage, coconut.
Normal skins >>> argan, jojoba, macadamia, onagre, rose hip.
Baby skin >>> argan, jojoba, calendula, sweet almond.
As you can see, Jojoba oil is the big winner! It suits almost any skin type because its composition is very close to the one from human sebum. If you have any doubt and find it hard to make a choice, you now know which one to turn to.
Also, if you are worried that vegetable based oils might make your skin greasy, you can relax: unlike petroleum based oils that are found in most conventional cosmetic products, vegetable based oils do not clog the pores and therefore do not cause blackheads.
Cosmetic cares mentioned
- Carrot oil from Fushi. Do not hesitate to spend a little bit of time browsing their website, it’s a gold mine!
www.fushi.co.uk
- Daily Renew Natural Face Cream de Evolve Beauty.
They also have a delicious face oil, the Miracle Facial Oil, and a delightful cleanser, the Gentle Cleansing Melt, a fondant gel with a velvety texture, a pure bliss. Evolve are true masters in terms of textures and refined scents.
- Apple seed oil (huile de pomme) from Make it Beauty. You cannot make any mistake with that brand! Emie, the creator, offers a large range of vegetable oils (the white tea or “thé blanc” is excellent), floral waters, Aloe Vera; these are very high quality products, and I love that story about Emie testing 34 different coconut oils in order to provide the very best one to her customers! A very conscious brand.
www.make-it-beauty.com
All these products are vegan and cruelty free, with minimalist and mainly recyclable packaging. They are only suggestions; you can find loads of great ingredients and products according to your needs and budget.
My final word and advice though… PLEASE GO FOR VEGETABLE BASED OILS!!
