This is a super fun (and funny) one, you guys. Mairin is the right hand woman over at Kahina Giving Beauty, so yes, expect some Kahina listed here. But before anyone gets their panties in a pinch, Mairin has ALL kinds of recs here: from hair to makeup to DIY and some internal tricks too. Not to mention a few dirty secrets!
Name: Mairin Cipolla
Age: 24
Current Weather: Beautiful, sunny, crisp NYC morning
Hair: Long, wavy, dense, thick
Skin: Been a roller coaster ever since moving to New York two years ago. Things are finally balanced now, which I credit mostly to fish oil/omega supplements, multivitamins, probiotics, and being happier. Taking good care of skin is essential (no sleeping in makeup, please!) but topicals can take you only so far, depending on the (many!) causes of your breakouts.
Before the shower…
My mornings are rushed- I like sleeping way too much, especially in the winter. Coffee (espresso, French press, whatever) is a must; I’ll take it black and I’ll take it immediately. I’m so bad about that “drink one glass of water immediately upon waking” thing. New Year’s resolution, perhaps?
In the shower…
If I have time to shower (usually I shower at night because my hair takes forever to dry), I use bar soap for body washing. I came across these two small brands at Brooklyn’s Renegade Craft Fair & love them: Possum Hollow Farm Soap and Volta Organics. I also really like The Beer Soap Co. That soap lasts forever.
Face wash alternates between Kahina Giving Beauty Cleanser or Simply Divine Botanicals You Can’t Zit Here. The Simply Divine smells, uh, different, and it’s this muddy black/brown liquid that semi-stains your sink, but I am convinced it really helps to keep breakouts at bay.
I use coconut oil to shave my legs—it’s the best, and so inexpensive. In a pinch, jojoba or olive oil work too. When I use a body scrub, I make my own out of coffee grounds, olive oil, cinnamon, and vanilla extract. Sometimes I’ll add sugar. It smells sort of amazing; you should try it.
Just recently I’ve been introduced to Essence of Vali aromatherapy—thanks NMDL!—and I use their Relief massage oil on the back of my neck and massage it in during my shower. It helps to relieve tension and muscle tightness.
Outside the shower…
I really dislike applying body lotion or anything after a shower. There’s no time! There’s never any time! If I’ve shaved, then the coconut oil stays on my legs and voila. I will however apply a spritz of Essence of Vali, depending on how I’m feeling that day. Calm smells amazing. I also like Uplift.
Perfume, like coffee, is a must; I have some “clean” (EOV by Essence of Vali—I know, I went a little nuts on that Friday deal), some less clean… like D.S. & Durga in Coriander. Deodorant is either Tom’s of Maine (unscented, though I hear Lemongrass is great) or Soapwalla. Soapwalla, please make a stick so I don’t have to get my fingers dirty. Please! Pretty please!
Finishing Touches…
Next up is makeup and skincare. I use a mist every single morning. It’s non-negotiable. I switch it up between Kahina Giving Beauty Toning Mist and Evan Healy mists (Immortelle and Rose Geranium). I dab on eye treatment of choice—either Kahina Eye Serum or Kahina Eye Cream—Eye Cream if I’m dry, Eye Serum if I have serious dark circles or bags. I never use eye products from another brand: Kahina’s are perfection.
After that I blend liquid foundation (mine’s not clean: Lancome Teint Idole) with a facial oil or moisturizer. I use anything from aloe vera gel (cheapcheapcheap!) to Evan Healy pomegranate or rose hip to Kahina Argan Oil or Lotion… sort of depends on how I feel and what the weather is like. I swipe RMS unCoverup (either 11 or 22) on any blemishes or scars and set with Alima Pure powder if I need extra coverage.
My makeup routine is mostly clean. I’ve yet to try or buy a clean mascara. I use Julie Hewett liner in Smudge. I put different things on my lids: RMS Living Luminizer, RMS Cream Eye Shadow in Magnetic, Alima Pure Luminous Shimmer in Stone (smokey eye!) or even W3LL People mineral shadow in this light gold tone. If I’m super lazy (often), I’ll just use my blush as eye shadow, or go without.
Blush or bronzer is another must for definition and some color. I have Vapour in Spicy or Torch, Alima Pure in Lotus (sheer, lovely pink!), a pink W3LL People stick, or, most often, Nvey Eco powder compact in Natural. (Is this discontinued? It gives flawless coverage!) My brush was given to me by my mom probably eight years ago; it’s from the Body Shop and it has held up amazingly. I also have a half moon brush from Alima Pure that I am liking.
The only thing I’ll put on my lips is moisturizer—whatever I just put on my face.
I wash my hair at night, so in the morning I just style the front layers with a flatiron and put in a little product if I feel like it. I’ll use whatever moisturizer (aloe vera gel, for instance) or Kahina Argan Oil on the tips. Two decidedly unclean yet fantastic hair products are Sachajuan Volume Powder for when I’ve gone 2 or, um, 4 days without washing my hair, and also Moroccanoil Hydratings Styling Cream to smooth frizz and define waves. I also sometimes use SkinnySkinny Hair Powder in Jasmine to refresh oily roots.
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
This Saturday I spoke at the Women of the Green Generation Conference here in Los Angeles, a kind of networking and educational event for women interested and involved in all things eco.
My panel, which was hosted by Carly Harrill of Healthy Bitch Daily, featured Rachelle Carson-Begley, a.k.a. Ed Begley’s wife and a self-proclaimed (and particularly hilarious) reluctant environmentalist; the beautiful Izabella Miko, actress, founder of Eko Miko, and maker of ah-mazing natural candles that I long to fill my house with (that’s right, they use coconut oil—another one for the list Siobhan!). Then there was fashion designer Karen Stewart of Stewart + Brown who really got me to rethink my wardrobe and shopping choices (eeks); and last but not least, there was Ani Phyo (pictured above)…
Since it’s Monday I’m going to offer up Phyo as today’s inspiration. She’s a raw vegan chef, with several amazing cookbooks, lots of tutorial videos, and a site full of recipes. And let me tell you: When you get to sit next to her, as I did, and see just how glowy her skin is, it’s a major point scored for team plant-based diet.
Another gal I ran into at the conference is Tess Masters, widely known as Blender Girl. Tess—who may be the breathing definition of spitfire—has a really cool site devoted to easy, vegetarian blender recipes. And since I’m the proud owner of a Vitamix, I’m excited to check out her digs for some new ideas. Ok, enough linkage—on to the recipe!
This one is from Aster, our long-time (and much loved) vegan reader from the Netherlands. Here’s the email she sent us with instructions on how to make a delicious dessert:
Millionaire Shortbread (Revamped)
Ingredients:
- Shortbread:
- 180 grams of coconut oil
- 2/3 c of agave
- 400 grams of (whole wheat spelt) flour
- 1/3 c of cornstarch
- pinch of salt
- lots of vanillaCaramel:
- 2/3 c of rice syrup
- 1/3 c of rice milk
- vanilla to taste
- pinch of salt
- about 2 huge tablespoons of coconut oilChocolate:
- just 100 grams of (very good) dark (vegan) chocolate
Preheat the oven to 180 C!
Friends! If you’ve read the book or hung out here for a while you know we’re fond of oils, and coconut oil in particular because it’s an amazing and cost-saving multitasker that has lots of qualities to recommend it.
It’s a rich moisturizer, it’s cheap, it’s versatile, it’s antimicrobial, antifungal, and antibacterial, has a decent amount of antioxidants, and it smells like baked goods. What’s not to love? Well, some stuff.
You can get it at any good health food store in the cooking oil section, just be sure to spend the extra buck or two to get raw, organic, virgin coconut oil. Now, without further ado: Here are the 10 specific things I’ve tried it for, with honest assessments of how that worked for me:
1. For cooking at high heat. Coconut oil has earned itself a bone fide health halo, which you can read about here. Because some oils are not safe at high temperatures, I’ve swapped in coconut for a lot of my roasting, and some frying. I have tried and liked it in the oven for potatoes, sweet potatoes, Brussell’s sprouts, carrots, asparagus, broccoli rabe, red onions and other veggies, too. I’m not fond of how it tastes with eggs or mild-tasting white fish—but it’s great with salmon.
2. As a cheekbone highlighter. Sweep a little on top of makeup (sounds weird, go with it) and leave it alone. It looks like your skin but glowier, which is why Rosemarie Swift, of RMS Beauty, uses it in her amazing Living Luminizer, “Un” Cover Up, and Lip-2-Cheek pots.
3. To shave my legs. So good! You get a real close shave and don’t have to worry about moisturizing after.
4. As a deep-conditioning hair treatment for my totally wrecked ends. There’s a reason lots of conditioners use coconut oil: According to this study, coconut oil is better able to penetrate the hair than is mineral oil (shocking!) and sunflower oil—which is good news because I’ve been dealing with a little heat damage over here. Because I don’t want to cut off the damage—I’m liking my hair long right now—I’ve been trying to get the ends looking OK as I grow it out. Knowing full well there is no way to physically repair fried ends (I even confirmed this with a cosmetic scientist named Colin, who isn’t a clean guy, but he’s nice and he’s smart) I’ve been loving this method: once a week, I sleep with a handful of coconut oil in my hair. I rub it in, comb it, pile it in a loose bun on the top of my head, and call it a night. In the morning I shampoo and it seems to make a big difference in the look and feel of my ends.
5. To take off my eye makeup. Put a little on a cotton ball or a piece of toilet paper and sweep it over your eyes gently. It even works on waterproof mascara.
6. As a personal lubricant. Saucy! Let’s be brief: It totally works by yourself or with a buddy, but it’s not compatible with condoms (oil + latex = babies).
7. As a face moisturizer. I do not like this. I’ve read about acne-prone women who have used it to great effect because it’s naturally antibacterial, calming, and moisturizing, but I won’t put coconut oil—or any product that contains it—anywhere near the part of my face that breaks out (hi, chin). I tried the oil-cleansing method when we were writing the book and I got the absolute worst cystic acne ever which, yeah, yeah, might not have been the oil’s fault, but did I want to wait another month to find out? Hells no.
8. As a body moisturizer. See above (shaving). I recently met my friend Jessica at yoga and before class started she yanked up her pant leg and told me she’d been using coconut oil on her whole body. How’d they feel? So soft. So! Soft! And the smell doesn’t linger, for the record.
9. As a day-time hair tamer. Cute on your ends but I wouldn’t put this on the top of your head, especially if you’re blonde, because it looks really, really greasy.
10. Gluten-free and vegan baking. It’s a staple. It tastes really good and, it seems to me, is the only thing that can mask the chalky taste you get with most gluten-free baking. (Mmmmm Babycakes.)
What am I missing? Or what have you tried and loved—or hated?
OK folks, sorry for not getting to this sooner! Without further ado, I will now review my other favorite conditioner—the one that costs 10 bucks instead of a whopping (and, in my opinion, worthwhile) $28. Drumroll please…
It’s Alaffia’s Virgin Coconut and Shea Daily Conditioner! I’ve tried most of the Alaffia conditioners except the one for curly hair (though I bet it would be great for air-drying my waves), and while I think they’re all good enough, this is the only one I will purchase over and over again when I run out. I think it’s just fantastic.
I also love the company. I met Alaffia’s wonderful founder Olowo-n’djo Tchala last year, thanks to the natural makeup artist Jessa Blades, and knowing what I do about how he runs his business, and how much he gives back to Togo, where the shea is from, I feel great every time I buy one of his products. (I’d also like to give a quick shout out to the insanely rich shea butter cream, too, which soothed my friend’s horrible sunburn this summer after a day at the beach. It even prevented his skin from peeling altogether—and it was quite the sunburn.)
Anyway, I’d put off trying the daily conditioner because I assumed something “daily” would be really light on moisture. Not the case. We can thank the certified-fair-trade shea and the hair-friendly coconut oil for the insanely moisturized, high-shine hair I get when I use this puppy. Moisturized and bouncy. The butters don’t weigh down my rather heavy hair, which is miraculous, as far as I’m concerned.
I also like the smell better than the others. The one that smells like minty coffee is refreshing but the smell kind of went sour on my hair over the course of the day, and the honey conditioner felt a little perfumey for my taste. This one, however, smells juuuuust right to me.
Best of all it seems to work on all hair types. A girlfriend with long, thin, wavy brown hair likes it a lot, and so does an African American guy I know with short extremely tight curls. Could it be that it just works for everyone? Mais oui!
Let us know your favorite natural conditioners in the comments, and if you’ve tried any of Alaffia’s.
This is our favorite makeup application trick because it appeals to our completely lazy side while also working and looking nice. Here goes: Instead of layering on your lotion or sunscreen (or both) and then finishing with mineral powder, foundation or heavy concealer, try a two-fer! Squeeze some lotion, argan oil, coconut oil or suncreen into your palm, then sprinkle about a quarter teaspoon of loose mineral powder into the goop. Rub your hands together to blend, and then sweep your hands over your face, starting at the center and moving outward.
You basically get the effect of a nice tinted moisturizer (with SPF!), but with a few perks.
First, because the minerals market is so huge, it’s easier to color-match perfectly to your skin tone. It may take some doing, and you might want to combine two different colors to get it just right, but it’s doable.
Second, the pure oils and the minerals are known quantities. There won’t be any surprise reactions to mystery ingredients.
Third, because minerals can look like garbage on dehydrated skin, this eliminates that problem altogether by building in the moisture and adding a little sheen.
And finally, because you get a nice light coverage, you don’t have to worry about the maskface that sometimes comes with foundation or poorly applied powder.
As always, make sure your minerals are clean—no parabens, silicone or extra crap in there—and same goes for whatever you’re mixing it with.
Have you tried it? Got any other application tips to share?
Since Alexandra shared her new amazing face wash with us, I thought I’d throw something else in the mix. It’s the easiest body scrub in the entire world, and the best part is you probably already have the ingredients in your kitchen. Let’s call today DIY Wednesday or, um, Scrubby Wednesday, maybe. Though that’s a bit weird because actually, we’re both totally anti-scrub.
Those of you who have read the book may remember we have a pretty strong take on manual and chemical exfoliation on the face. You can check the face chapter for a refresher (we talked about it on NPR too) because as a general rule, we’re not fans, and we found some pretty compelling reasons why you shouldn’t be either—especially if you have rosacea, acne and other issues.
That being said, the honey wash is as gentle as can be, and mine? Well, sometimes you just want a good scrub. Instead of spending 30 bucks on some fancy one, or seven bucks on one loaded with plastic beads (seriously—they’re plastic), try this instead. As for the amounts, just eyeball it. Rocket science, this is not.
—Some oil you like (coconut, jojoba or my favorite, extra virgin organic olive oil)
—Some sea salt (leave this out if you have a sunburn or eczema)
—Some brown sugar (I prefer a coarse sugar to balance out the super-fine salt, but it’s basically up to you)
—Vanilla extract, the most amazing smell in the world (if for some weird reason you don’t like vanilla, use any other oil you like the smell of, or none at all)
—Combine it in measurements that seem right to you, stir and then hop in the tub
Couple things to know though: It makes the shower slippery, and I have a nasty bruise to show for it, so be careful and use a bath mat. I like to make enough it for a single use, but if you have some left over, seal it in an airtight container in the fridge, being sure not to get any water into the mixture (bacteria central). It’ll keep in the fridge for two weeks. Just take it out about 10 minutes before you want to use it, since some oils congeal with they’re cold.
That’s it!
This is an argan tree, native to Morocco and source of one of our favorite facial beauty routines. Oil on your face, you say!? Yeah, that’s how we felt too when we first started reading about the wonderful benefits of healthy plant oils—argan, olive, coconut and others—for our skin and hair.
Oil on our faces? We pictured breakouts and shine.
Of course, after years of fat fear, the nutrition world has finally come around to the importance of healthy oils in our food. Why would our skin be so different? Turns out it’s not. These oils lock in moisture, fight free radicals and impart a dewiness to skin that we never got from a bottle of cream. What’s more is that women around the world have been using them for centuries.
To hear more about why we love our oils so much take a look at this interview we did with our new favorite person Virginia Sole-Smith, over at Planet Green.
So, what do you say—would you dare to grease your mug?
