Hey all! Hope you are still enjoying these AM routines as much as we are. Please keep submitting if you haven’t yet! Today’s comes to us from Naomi, who is still using a product from the Quarterly subscription (yay!) and lots of other fun ones too… Read on!
Name: Naomi
Age: 39 (ouch!)
Current weather: schizophrenic! NYC trying desperately to molt into spring
Hair: chin length, fine, fairly straight dirty blonde without highlights but currently sun-kissed blonde (with highlights)
Skin: Fair-to-medium complexion, pernickety temperament – still experiencing a dose of winter dryness but currently pretty clear and smooth, just needing extra care and moisturising
Naomi is a regular around these parts, and Siobhan even had the pleasure of meeting her once at an event in New York. Herewith, her awesome routine!
In the shower…
Quick hair wash with California Baby Tea Tree shampoo (every week or two I use Ctonics Tantra shampoo for flakes) followed by a light condition with Suki conditioner. I use Clarisonic on my face (and sometimes décolleté) with Wei Beauty Chinese Rose Foaming Cleanser. Pits & bits get a wash with soap, currently using the one that came in my first Quarterly box (one personal care item that’s soooo easy to keep clean!). Every couple of weeks I do a full body scrub with one of the 100% Pure scrubs (not a purchase, it was free when I bought products a while back). When I don’t have a body scrub product (which I don’t tend to buy, I only use them if they came with something else) I use a body brush or the equivalent with a bit of my soap
Outside the shower…
I use one of three serums: Suki targeted bio-brightening face serum; Kahina Giving Beauty serum (a fave!); or One Love Morning Glory (compliments of a recent NMDL Friday Deal – thanks!). Then I use either 100% Pure Organic Coffee Bean Caffeine eye cream or Origins GinZing Refreshing eye cream, depending on if I feel puffiness or dark circles are a problem. After that, I us either 100% Pure Organic Pomegranate Antioxidant Hydration SPF20 or (if I’m definitely not spending any time outside) Bee Yummy Skin Food. It’s Vive Sana Polar to Solar sunscreen if I’ll be spending any real time outside, like weekends. A couple of times I week I moisturise with either Evan Healy body oil or Acure Organics Cocoa Butter + CoQ10 body lotion. I put MJ’s Herbals arnica salve on any bruises, Kahina argan oil on any extra dry patches or eczema and every couple of weeks, on days I’m only running errands or not going out in public at all, I use Kahina argan oil as a treatment on my hair and leave it in until the next day’s shampoo. Every day in winter, or as little as possible in the good weather, I blow dry my hair.
Finishing touches…
I love RMS un-coverup. Sometimes, depending on how “good” my skin is, I use Vapour Organic Beauty Atmosphere Luminous Foundation. Then I like Revolution Organics Freedom Glow Beauty Balm as blush, RMS Beauty cream eye shadow in Solar or Lunar, Shu Uemura eyelash curler, Josie Maran mascara, Anastasia Perfect Brow pencil, Dior Lip Maximiser or RMS Beauty lip balm. Okay, so now I can really see why the Desert Island Challenge was too hard for me… :)
Ha! Is she awesome, or what?
Image via
You know how you’re always told to apply moisturizer on damp or just-patted-dry skin to seal in the moisture? Well, when I can be bothered to moisturize my body in the first place, I do as I’m told: Pop out of the tub, and on goes the body oil.
Lately, though, my mornings have been a little lazier (not complaining!), which means by the time I’m in the shower, I’m looking to cut corners anywhere I can. So last week I grabbed my body oil and slathered it on in the shower, while my conditioner was working its magic (I typically leave conditioner on for a couple of minutes). As it turns out, I find this quite pleasant!
My current body oils—Lotus Wei’s Energy Serum, which you can use on your face as well, and Soapwalla’s body oil, which, yes, I am still loving—smell incredible, and when taken into a steamy shower there’s an aromatherapy effect that’s luxurious and spa-like. So I apply, rub it in, rinse off the excess (truthfully there never is any “excess,” actually), then pat dry. My skin’s been super soft!
The last couple of days I’ve done this on my face, too. As I’m winding down, I grab my Kahina (yes, still obsessed) and drop a quarter size of the oil onto my palms and then press my palms into my cheeks, neck and forehead. This has made the biggest difference, I think. My skin is getting a little drier with the seasons changing and the rain abating, at least for now, and the extra hit of moisture feels amazing.
So who else does this? Anyone? And if anyone else has time-saving shower tips, we’d love to hear them.
Picture of a bath I don’t have time to take via
Good news, folks: Soapwalla is no one-trick pony! Not that I thought she was (obviously) but we’ve gone on and on and on about her deodorant, which was such a revelation for us that we sort of forgot that there was a whole line of affordable, handmade products that we might love, too.
We have long talked about the benefits of using pure plant oils on your skin. We’ve also told you about how much we love using pure organic coconut oil as an easy, multitasky and affordable all-over moisturizer. Neither of us is big into body lotion, per se, but oil? Yes please.
And that’s why I was super keen to crack open my Soapwalla Luxurious Moisturizing Body Oil.
While I do enjoy using pure coconut oil, there’s something very utilitarian about grabbing the jug from the kitchen and slathering it on my just-washed skin. I was ready to start pampering myself a little more, and was craving a well-crafted oil that felt, well, special…and then there it was!
It’s made of jojoba, sweet almond, grapeseed and coconut oils, mowrah butter (which, I’m told, reduces the degeneration of skin cells) and it’s scented gently with pure oils—though the smell does not linger.
It was love at first rub.
A word about the grease factor: When you’re using well-chosen, well-blended oils, they actually absorb very quickly and don’t leave a lot of residue. A dab will you ya in all cases, and especially with this one. One or two drops are enough for your lower legs, another two for thighs, another two for your arms. A little goes a very long way, and it costs $25. I feel like I’ll have this bottle for about four months, easy.
As an experiment, yesterday I wore this pretty light-blue shirt that I love. It’s vintage and the tags are gone, so I’m not sure what it’s made of, but it’s the kind of thing that everything shows up on. If I sweat, the shirt makes me look like a hot mess. If I get salad dressing on it, it screams at me in navy blue. Anyway, yesterday, about 10 or 15 minutes after applying the oil, I plucked Old Blue from my closet and lo and behold: nothing happened! No spots or stains.
I’ve been using it for a little over a week now and my skin has a sort of glow to it—the telltale sign of true hydration.
Have you tried her body oil? Found another you love?
Image via Soapwalla’s Etsy Page
