Luna’s Morning Hair and Skin Routine…Exposed!
Meet lovely Luna. She has lived in both the US and China, and currently calls the latter home. She does an amazing job at keeping her beauty products green by bringing them over when she travels back to the US. Read on for her efficient but inventive routine…
Name: Luna
Age: 27
Current Weather: Beijing at its best! Warm, Spring breeze, Sunny
Hair: Black, straight, shoulder length – can’t hold a curl for longer than 10 minutes
Skin: Best defined as complicated: definitely combination, acne prone, dry on cheeks, oily around forehead and T-zones. Beijing water is very hard and the climate is dry which isn’t good for skin that is prone to breakouts since many moisturizers can clog my pores but not using any will leave my skin parched!
Favorite star/icon from the past: Anna May Wong
In China there isn’t a lot of focus on “clean” beauty products. There are some basic drug store staple brands like L’oreal and Nivea and their Chinese counterparts. On the other spectrum, the luxury skincare market is dominated by brands such as SKII, Lancome, Amorepacific, Clarins, and some Chinese ones like Yue-Sai. There’s really nothing in between and there are definitely no smaller, clean, indie labels like in the US. Sephora opened here a few years ago and some “cleaner” brands have started to trickle in such as Boscia and Ren. I grew up in the US and am now back in China working for a multinational corporation. I usually come to the US about three or four times a year for work and this is when I stock up on my beauty products. I would describe myself as loyal but adventurous – I have my “tried and true” products that I MUST restock every trip and then there are others I learn about through web research (such as your site!).
I usually start my day by just washing my face and doing my makeup, and save showering for night, so I will frame this as morning routine, makeup, night time.
Morning…
In the morning I usually just wash my face with lukewarm water. If I want to really clear my skin for a meeting at work, I will use a cleanser – my favorite is Intelligent Nutrients Anti-Aging Cleanser. It smells a little strong but it’s nothing I can’t handle. After that I use Dr.Alkaitis Organic Herbal Toner, followed by 100% Pure Argan Oil Hydration SPF 30 (which I learned about from your site!). This combination keeps my skin very balanced and prepared for whatever Beijing throws my way: pollution, smog, etc.
Makeup…
I’m not a huge makeup girl so it doesn’t take me very long in the morning to get ready. Since I don’t use that much product, I have no problem with spending more for high quality products. I use Suki tinted moisturizer and Vapour Organic Aura blush in Courtesan which really wakes up my face. I use Lancome mascara because I can’t find a natural one that doesn’t give me racoon eyes by noon. For lips I use either raw shea butter or Dr. Bronner’s Naked lip balms, the one without a scent. If I’m feeling like wearing color, I’ll rotate between any of the Kjaer Weis Lip Tints or Ilia Tinted Lip Conditioner colors I have.
Night…
Before the shower, I take my makeup off with sweet almond oil or jojoba depending on which one I have available and then I dry brush myself.
I try to take the quickest showers possible because the water is really not ideal. You can’t drink it straight from the tap so I don’t really like to marinate in it at night. I wash my face with Intelligent Nutrients Anti-Aging Cleanser and use Dr. Bronner’s baby liquid castile soap for my bits and that’s it. My showers are literally 3 minutes long and if I wash my hair that takes it to about 8 minutes. I only shampoo my hair once a week and I use Intelligent Nutrients Harmonic shampoo. No conditioner. No blow dryer. My hair is not high maintenance at all so I’m totally grateful for that.
Out of the shower…
I tone again with Dr. Alkaitis and then do a few drops of YULI Skincare’s M.E. Skin Fuel serum on my face which is light but still hydrating. I never do anything thick or creme-like at night because I feel like that hinders with my skin’s ability to renew and push out impurities overnight. If I’ve washed my hair than I rub a few drops of the Skin Fuel over my head and comb through.
That’s it!
Thanks, Luna! Is there anyone who has any experience with naturals in China or elsewhere in Asia? If so, maybe you can suggest some new local brands?
It’s great to know and learn about your experience Luna. I love your routine for the facial area, because I have the same skin type. I just started using Nurture my Body’s Gentle face cream (https://www.nurturemybody.com/organic-gentle-face-cream.html) and I love it. It’s light and great for acne prone skin and they ship products to China.
I LOVE this routine! I love her choice of products, and that although she has really high-end stuff, it’s very streamlined. She really don’t do more than she needs to, like with her hair routine.
I was in Beijing a few years ago and I agree- you have to boil the tap water to make it drinkable, and you can literally see the residue. I used one “all natural” brand of hair care in China when I was there called “ba wang” or something but I heard that there were carcinogens in their shampoos, who really knows how much products are vetted there.
I myself, just started using products from Dr.Alkaitis and YULI. I love the Alkaitis cleanser, and when I have the funds, will need to get the ‘berry mask. I’ve been using the Ultimate Perfecting Serum and ME Skin Fuel from YULI and the combination of the two is kind of insane. I always wake up with ‘perfect’ skin… like my redness really goes down, my pores are small, and I think my acne marks are fading and my skin just feels softer. I love their stuff.
Also, Anna May Wong? Fierce.
Hi, Luna! Have you tried Skinfood products? I know they aren’t completely natural, but their emulsions work really well. Also, there are L’Occitan and The Face Shop products in the department stores. In drugstores there’s a Japanese brand called Dou Ru. That’s what I use. It’s fragrance free, and I actually prefer it to Skinfood, which is expensive anyway.
You should consider getting filters for your shower and tap! I’m sure they’re available over there. And you can definitely get them (although probably mostly online- like from Gaiam.com). DC water is nasty stuff too, and a filter on my tap and shower helps my skin and hair loads!
Also, I think I have your skin type as well, and I love love Pai for moisturizers. The only downside is no SPF…
Thanks for sharing your routine Luna! One natural skincare brand available in China that comes to mind is Lavera. It’s a German brand to be exact, but it’s available on Taobao at http://lavera.tmall.com.
I use their eye cream and their foundation (in #3 Honey) however the latter isn’t available in China yet. I really have to second Silvy on her suggestion of installing a water filter–my parents, who live in China recently invested in one from a Japanese brand and say it’s made a real difference for them.
When it comes to organic skin care products, Japan has a great selection of domestic and international brands.
This is a great website: http://www.isis-gaia.net/
and this retail store is popular: http://cosmekitchen.jp/brand.html
I grew up in Tokyo, and the first organic brand I came across was Dr. Hauschka. Japan tends to have more European organic/biodynamic brands rather than American ones. You can’t find Dr. Alkaitis or Intelligent Nutrients, but you’ll discover some amazing German brands like Soluna, French brands like Shigeta and Italian brands such as Apodea and Argital. My favorite Japanese brand is Kanpo, which uses indigenous Japanese herbs. They have this great purple oil that balances hormones and has regenerative properties that prevent UV damage.
Also, for some reason In Fiore is extremely well established in Japan. It’s stocked at high-end department stores, which is a welcome change.
Korea now has Dr. Alkaitis and Juice Beauty, which is great, but there are very few domestic organic brands, which would be nice to see. Sometimes at local markets and small stores in Seoul you’ll find homemade DIY cosmetics that are lovely.
on the subject of asian naturals . . . does anyone have any thoughts on camellia oil for skin/hair?
I live in Shanghai now. We actually have a bunch of local, handmade beauty products that are amazing. I just wrote a story for a local expat magazine on all the clean brands I’ve been able to find in the city. If you ever make a trip to Shanghai you should check these brands out:
Great TCM soaps and a homemade shampoo
http://www.shanghaistylefile.com/2011/11/flow/
Great serums, balms, and base oils for mixing
http://delicious-skin.com/
I use their shampoo and their Tibetan yak’s milk soap that helps communities in Tibet
http://www.bayankala.com/?q=en/content/e-boutique
Some cool stuff
http://www.shanghainaturals.com/
And this online store sells a lot of good brands. (They have a lot of fake organic stuff too but they do have some really good clean ones like Stem, Snowberrt and Mukti. I love Mukti’s and Snowberry’s sunscreens)
http://mylohasbeauty.com/
Oh! Flow also has really nice flower waters that I use for toners :) The owner is a Japanese lady who uses Traditional Chinese Medicine principles in the products she makes.
@Jen
If you scroll down this page, you’ll see some info on the uses of camellia oil for skin and hair. It looks like a good thing!
http://delicious-skin.com/rapidcart/precious-natural-plant-oils.html
(Sorry for posting 3 comments in a row!)
@Jen: I know for a fact that there is a long tradition of using camellia oil for hair in China, Korea and Japan. When it comes to skin though, I have heard very little about it being used as a facial/body oil traditionally, although organic/natural brands both in the East and West claim that it is rich is oleic acid and a source of some UV protection.
As for contemporary use, I’ve heard mixed reviews about camellia oil for skin/hair. I think people with drier skins tend to prefer it, rather than those with oily/acne prone skin. It is a thick oil, so I think little would go a long way – maybe 2-3 drops for face/décolleté and 3-4 drops for the ends of your hair. I remember reading about one Japanese lady’s skin regimen in a magazine, which involved using rhassoul clay as face wash, a DIY loquat leaf toner and camellia oil for her dry skin and hair. In the photo she wasn’t wearing any foundation/concealer and had taut, peachy skin with rosy cheeks. I wish I had a scan of the page to share!