Vanessa’s Morning Skin and Hair Routine… Exposed! (Now Let’s Help Her Find a Clean Fragrance)
We promised to get more of these to you guys, and our friend Vanessa Gualy from Nailing Hollywood was kind enough to send hers along. Vanessa, whose big brain handles the business side of things, and her amazing partner, green celebrity nail stylist Jenna Hipp, are a dynamic female duo. (We love those!) You can learn about their projects on their blog, including the launch of this HIPPxRGB foundation-inspired nail line. Isn’t it chic? Big -3-Free, of course.
These girls are longtime clean beauty enthusiasts and helped turn us onto Hope Gillerman. Vanessa is constantly trying new stuff, but here’s a current snapshot of her morning routine:
Name: Vanessa
Age: 33
Current weather: Sunny and bright- just like I like it!
Hair: Naturally wavy and tends to be dry. I heat style often.
Skin: Normal, no complaints
My morning skin and hair routine starts before I step foot in the shower. My approach is always beauty and health from the inside out first. As soon as I wake up, I drink a glass or two of water followed by a shot of my cleansing concoction- the juice of a lemon and a tbsp. of olive oil. This cleans my body- especially my liver- and hydrates me from the inside out.
In the shower…
I LOVE to shower. I mean, I really, really love it. Shower, bath, salt water, I’m game. In the morning, I like my shower to feel invigorating. I’ll often start with a dry skin brush to naturally exfoliate and get my circulation going. I’m currently using Stark’s exfoliating mitt. Before I get in the shower, I douse HGillerman’s Chest Remedy on – as you well guessed- my chest. I take hot showers (I know, very drying but it feels oh so good) because the steam feels like bliss to me. The steam coupled with HGO’s oil makes the shower feel and smell like my favorite spa. After the steam gets going, I turn off the shower water to conserve but also to lather up. Collective Wellbeing’s charcoal body wash, detox soap and buffing bar are my cleansing staples. I’m also a huge fan of Dr. Bronner’s liquid soap (it’s saponified oils). The tingly peppermint one is in constant shower rotation and almond one for a bath or soak. My face gets the spa treatment with Suki’s exfoliating foaming cleanser. The lemongrass scent is perfection. I use a Clarisonic a few days a week on my face and an old toothbrush daily to scrub nails clean. I turn on the water for a rinse, turn off, apply natural oil to wet skin (apricot, coconut, etc.) to hydrate and pat skin dry.
Occasionally, I take epsom salt baths to detox and I add HGO oils to the mix.
Although I wash my body at least once daily, I seriously dislike washing my hair but love it if someone else does! I try to stretch hair washings – shampoo + conditioner- 3 days apart. My hair is dry so I rely on a light touch of natural oils- esp. argan oil – to add sheen and moisture. I’m still on the search for my favorite hair care line- I haven’t found a product I can’t live without yet.
Outside the shower…
Most of the action happens in the shower for me, so outside the shower is a breeze. A quick dab of a Kahina Giving Beauty Argan Oil is applied all over my face. It’s magic, try it! I use the leftover oil on my hands as a treatment focusing on applying it over my cuticles. Soapwalla Deodorant cream is my go-to natural deodorant. Lastly, I add Hope Gillerman oils. The daily mixture changes depending on what my body needs that day. Today, it needed serious muscle therapy.
The finishing touches…
My hair gets the heat treatment on most days. It’s summer so my makeup routine is super simple. Daily, I curl my lashes, style my brows and apply a generous coat of mascara (Tarte and Emani). I conceal the skin under my eyes and apply blush (Vapour). I don’t always wear lip color/gloss – I am constantly drinking something so I’d rather not get it all over my glass/mug- but lip balm is something I can’t do without. When the occasion or mood calls for it, I pull out all the stops and do the full schbang- eyeshadow, red lips, etc- but this is the exception these days.
Since going green, I tossed out my favorite and loved fragrances (yes, I wore fragrance daily) and I’m still on the lookout to replace them with nontoxic options. I haven’t found my new scent yet but I am searching….
Can anyone suggest a favorite clean fragrance line to Vanessa? We are both loving Honores Des Pres.
This picture is fabulous!!! Seriously amazing. I adore Audrey Hepburn… It makes me want to watch Sabrina again!
I am wondering how much argan oil is used? One drop? Two? Ten? Because I normally only put it on at night and my face is very, very shiny and I could never imagine leaving the house like that!
Also, I went to Printemps Haussmann in Paris and met Sophie, who represents Honoré des Près. She was so lovely about all my questions and explaining the line to me. I smelled every single one in the best order so as not to smell one that was too strong before a lighter one. I loved them ALL. Oh my. Even all ten(?) of the little strips of paper smelled like heaven when I bunched them together and smelled them all at once. They are beautiful.
My favorites were the really citrusy one, called Honorés Trip, and also Bonté’s Bloom because of the rose smell. I also liked Sexy Angelic, as it reminded me of winter time and homemade sugar cookies because of the almond….
I don’t think you can go wrong.
P.S. Since I haven’t worn a fragrance in over a year now, Sophie recommended that I get an “eau de toilette” instead of an “eau de parfum” for starters…. A parfum might be too strong after a year without anything…
i’m loving pacifica solid perfume. they’re so cheap, like ten dollars a pop, and there’s a million different scents so you can wear different ones according to your mood.
I agree with the other Amy-Honores de Pres is the best! Right now a lot of their fragrances that are regularly $145 are on sale at Anthropologie for $100, not bad!
Nice Post!
Like Alyssa, I love love LOVE Pacifia perfume in French Lilac. It smells like… a waterfall full of flowers in an enchanted forest or something. I found it at my local natural foods store next to the inevitable Burts Bees display. It comes in a tube about the size of mascara and has a roll-on applicator! The best part? It’s only FIVE dollars. Yep, 5. And I seriously don’t miss my Chanel. It also come in a solid form — perfect for travel (two blog posts, one stone! Go me!). The solid one is about eight dollars I think. I can not get enough of it!
Hi girls! It’s me, Vanessa, the girl in need of natural fragrance. Just wanting to thank you for all of your natural fragrance recommendations from high brow to $10. I’m can’t wait to try and I’m a big fan of solid perfume so your suggestions are spot on. I just got a bottle of Tallulah Jane and I’m giving it a go.
Amy, you were wondering if how much argan oil I use. At night, I apply liberally but in the morning, I mainly focus on the eyes, around the mouth and lips and my cheeks. I avoid anything on my forehead and nose since you’re certainly right, I do NOT want to look like an oil slick. Hope this helps. If you have any more questions, see you in the NMDL comments section:) Thanks again ladies!
lol $100 for perfume. I have started to experiment with making my own; super simple and all to your own preferences. The possibilities are truly endless. My first batch is… not so perfect =P but i still love it and wear it everyday since. (not to mention my fiance loves it… the other day he said “uhh…why aren’t you wearing your perfume??”) It ended up being a spur of the moment mix because I didn’t have a bottle to mix anew in & well, I wanted some smell goods… NOW. Haa … after my oh so horrible Curve mistake the other weekend, yup. I wanted it NOW.
So I took an old bottle of Wally’s Ear Oil (mm lovely) rinsed it out… kinda… added some grapeseed oil, tiny bit of aloe juice, a few drops of patchouli, & h2o so it won’t grease me up or stain my clothes… and Voila! Perfume. I added a bit too much patchouli (aura caci brand, meh) so it’s a bit strong (it almost seems to make my heart speed up a bit… ?!… )… but it has ended up being a very energetic but musky mix of patchouli & mint! It’s good enough for a quick smelly-goody-stuff experiment, for now. I can’t wait to experiment more.
I’m still struggling with hair products to. Fragrance wasn’t easy either, but I found a couple that I like. I really like Honore’s de Pres \Honore’s Trip\ (has a light citrus smell) and Nu Green (this could be a unisex fragrance, it’s very clean and green smelling). Unfortunately, they don’t last for me though; not even for an hour. Everyone is different when it comes to fragrance reactions though.
The two that I ended up purchasing are Red Flower \Champa\ which is considered a floral. I usually don’t like florals though, so this is a bit unusual. It’s light, feminine, but still has character. it’s a great everyday fragrance. The other is Tsi-la\Saqui\. This has beach-y smell to it. It’s very alluring, and sexy without being too strong or overpowering. It’s a great date night fragrance.
Both are oils that come in a small roll on glass bottle. I bought both of them last summer and usually wear one of them almost every day. I might reapply an additional time during the day, and I still have a small amount of each left.
It might be helpful to narrow the focus if we know what fragrance families that you like.
I also LOVE this pic of Audrey – it’s one of my favorite scenes :o) Has anyone ever seen Dr. Laura Berman on Oprah? I’m admittedly not a religious Oprah fan, but this was an interesting bit on male/female attraction by scent. The actual study was on the Discovery Channel, (I think). Dr. Berman explains why scent is so vital to attraction, and may account for some mismatched couples!! It’s a cool theory, if not just fun. Needless to say, I’m single and scentless these days! Sorry, Vanessa – no suggestions, but I’m willing to try a good one if you find it!
Versace is great. I love it. Its got not very high toxicity so, I’m in love with the smell :D
Love + Toast perfumes smell wonderful! I love the rollerball ones, others can’t really smell them on me (unless they get really close), but I can catch little whiffs throughout the day.
I used to love Pacifica…until I found out they use synthetic fragrances in some of their perfumes and they won’t tell you which ones. Grrrr. My new favorite is Agape and Zoe Naturals. They have roll-on or spray and they make deodorants to match the scents. I absolutely LOVE the Repose, Beauty, and Faith scents, basically anything with vanilla. Repose is lavender vanilla, Beauty is vanilla, sandalwood and lemon, and Faith is vanilla and grapefruit. The roll-ons start at $10, so it’s not too expensive and they even have a sampler set for $20 that has samples of all 10 scents they make so you can figure out which one you like best. There is plenty in each sample to wear numerous times. Patricia, the owner is very sweet, tell her I sent you!
I’m a long-time perfume addict ;) and going green has been particularly hard in this area! There are lots of cheap, simple natural fragrances out there, but I miss perfumes that are complex and unusual. The best–most interesting and varied–natural perfume lines I’ve found are Roxana Illuminated Perfumes (on etsy), Mandy Atelier (aftelier.com), and Dawn Spencer Hurwitz (DSH perfumes). Their scents have the complexity of great synthetic frags and while they don’t have the longevity of synthetics, Roxana’s, in particular have decent lasting power. All of these lines offer samples. Ajne, another line, has lots of offerings and an okay sample program. Most of these lines are expensive–but the samples help you find what you love without spending toooo much $$$. (By the way, these 3 natural perfume brands are also indie brands, which is always nice to support, while Honore de Pres is a more mainstream brand.) Another top-of-line indie all-natural brand is Strange Invisible Perfumes, which have decent longevity and are amazing, but it’s harder to get samples. Cheaper options include Tallulah Jane, as you mentioned (interesting, pleasant fragrances, but short-lived)–and Pacifica is fun, as many have said. The problem I find with these cheaper shorter-lived scents is I reapply them often, and then my skin has a bad reaction to the essential oils in the perfumes. But hopefully that’s just my sensitive skin being over-reactive.
Anyway–good luck with your perfume hunt!
They’re pricey, but I’ve been digging Strange Invisible Perfumes. They have a gorgeous shop down in Venice on Abbott Kinney (and also sell lots of naturals, including Intelligent Nutrients and Tata Harper!). You can go in, sample everything, take home samples, or a bottle. I’ve had a bottle of the Prima Ballerina, and a spritz is super powerful. It should last a long time! The alcohol base is 100% organic grape alcohol, and the fragrance comes from essential oils. It’s good stuff.
I swear by Aubrey shampoo and conditioner. The GPB is a great intensive conditioner, and my preference is the Honeysuckle Rose shampoo & conditioner. I buy them at Super Supplements and they are both mild and very moisturizing for my dry, frizzy, colored, naturally-curly hair. I add 6 drops of Argan oil to my palm, rub my hands together and then work the oil through my hair. That’s it! The coconut oil in the conditioner is so rich, smells lovely, and it doesn’t leave a residue. For perfume, I love Lavanila’s Vanilla-Coconut roller ball scent. It is somewhat tropical, but light and feminine. Plus, I can get it locally at Sephora or order it online. Lavanila’s Lavender-Vanilla deodorant is awesome too.
Try Juice organics pomsmooth conditioner! Its cheap and makes my DRY (<- very) hair silky smooth! Also you should check out rebel & mercury perfumes. Fig & Sage has a great review of the products you can check out =)
<3 Sarah
Pretty ladies, thank you for all of your suggestions… I’m taking them! I love that you included fragrance and haircare tips….. I need! xx, v
Vanessa – please tell me more about this lemon juice/olive oil cleansing concoction!
Hi Melissa!
Glad to share! Here’s the deal- squeeze the juice of one lemon (I use a lemon squeezer/ press) and a tbsp. of cold pressed organic olive oil- and drink it like a shot. The olive oil really takes the bite out of the lemon so it’s easy to drink. That’s it- super simple and takes a second. I always drink it on an empty stomach so my digestive system gets detox benefits too but lemon is great for the skin for several reasons: it’s great at purifying/ cleaning from the inside out (skin is your largest organ), it’s high in vitamin c which helps with free radical damage and it’s a natural anti-ager and lastly, lemon works like a natural antiseptic (toner for the skin). Olive oil is a great at hydrating the skin so this concoction lets me clean and moisturize my skin and organs. When it comes to skin, what you put in does come out and vice-versa- what you put on does go in, so for me, this skincare shot is a big part of my routine. Please feel free to ask anything! Happy to help:)
I just started using morocco method hair care and so far I really like it! It’s raw and vegan. Has no sls. My hair is super oily and Im going through a detox right now, but my husband says my hair doesn’t look greasy.
As far as perfume goes, I used to be an addict! Ever since going fairly clean, I cant handle the smell of most synthetic perfumes. I would like to try something natural.
Does anyone know if my absolute favorite perfume ever ( and the only one I can handle) auric blends Egyptian goddess perfume oil is on the natural side? Oh how I hope so! I love it so much. Thanks for your help!
@Lindz I don’t know if Auric Blends are natural, but if you find out they aren’t, you might check the DSH Perfumes website to see if they have something similar. Here’s a link to their natural essence oils site, https://www.dshperfumes.com/naturals_eo.asp?page=10 (though you might want to email them to ask rather than search through all their scents). Good luck!
Thanks for your help Samantha! I just love my Egyptian Goddess perfume oil.
I stopped wearing perfume for years – then I found Tsi-La (my favorite scent is called Saqui). I love that their perfumes are free of phthalates, parabens, sulfates, petrochemicals, and other harmful ingredients commonly found in traditional perfumery. They have: NO parabens, NO genetically modified organisms, NO dioxins, NO synthetic fragrance, NO petrochemicals, NO synthetic colors, NO propylene glycol, NO excess packaging and NO sulphates.
Tsi-La products are suitable for vegetarians. (FYI, I got the above information from their website.)