BEAUTY 101 | Your Best Skin Yet

With the dawn of a new year, there seems to be a resounding “starting fresh, starting clean” theme to the beauty articles and posts out there discussing how to get your best skin yet with a slew of cleansers, moisturizers, toners, serums, face oils, treatments and other gizmos.  Yep, overwhelmed yet?!  Maybe it’s because of the extended bad-eating (and food coma inducing) stretch of the holidays or maybe it was a debaucherous New Year’s Eve (or maybe both), but if you’re reading this, you get it.  There’s no better excuse than the start of a new year [and with that passing of another year, there’s no better time than right now] to start taking better care of your skin.

…because really..most of us just want to turn back the hands of time on our skin, right?

Ok so I’ve been on a clean beauty kick as of lately.  Actually, not just a kick–a conversion– in the past year.  By saying I’m going ‘clean’, I mean I’m trying to use products that are most pure in form and void of the usual fillers and synthetics that comprise most of the skincare and cosmetic products on the mass market.  It only makes sense, right?  Since I pile ALOT of things on to my face from skincare to make-up and everything in between, why can’t (and why shouldn’t) these products be good for my skin??  I knew a definitive change in my usual routine was needed when my skin was just looking lacklustre [bubbye natural glow of the 20s] and when I started getting comments asking what foundation I was using, when I used to get questions asking what products I used to get my skin glowy.  So I took that a little personally, as I’ve never been a student of the heavy-handed school of make-up.  I still like to see skin that looks like skin.  Flawless, yes, but not too “made up”.  So I crossed my fingers that going a bit more clean with my cleansing and moisturizing routine would lessen the need for cover-up overall.  And guess what…it did.  Here’s what I’m (and my skin!) are lovin’:

Olie Biologique (www.oliebiologique.com)

I loooove face oils.  Ever since I started using them, my skin has been better balanced and I’ve had fewer to no break-outs, even during that time of the month.  If well-balanced skin isn’t enough of a reason to try them, then I don’t know what is.  Also, dry and tight skin in the winter?  Nope – haven’t dealt with that in a couple of winters since I’ve been using facial oils!  Read up here why I love Olie.

Odacite An Autumn on the World 15% Vitamin C  (www.odacite.com)
Vitamin C, I’m so into youuu.  In fact, I bought a second bottle of this stuff for safekeeping in case my current one runs out.  Ahem, nerd.

Ok back to Vitamin C.  Vitamin C is your friend – it offers so many anti-aging benefits!  It aids in the production of collagen, which gives skin its youthful elasticity.  With age and other factors like environmental pollutants and UV exposure, our skin’s concentration of vitamin C naturally lessens over time.  Adding some topical Vitamin C helps to balance the skin’s vitamin C levels, which helps to ward off wrinkles and also lessen the appearance of other signs of aging like dark spots.

Actually let me clarify, adding Odacite’s An Autumn on the World is not just adding some Vitamin C – this serum boasts a 15% super concentration, which along with all the other serum’s certified clean ingredients, help to make all the difference in performance.  After using this for about half a year now, I can thankfully say my skin has a supple fullness and brightness that it lacked when I was covering it up with all that make-up last summer.  Also, I’ve had minimal to zero breakouts, and I always used to get those hormonal breakouts on the chin during that time of the month.  I never feel shiny and greasy even though this is an ‘oil’ – my skin just feels balanced.  Lastly, even the hubby says that my undereye circles are not as dark as they used to be (**umm thanks dear**).  I personally think the circles are still there, but that my skin feeling and looking brighter distracts away from them.

Granted this serum is not cheap – at $159 for 0.05 oz (1.48mL), it’s definitely beyond a pretty penny.  But if I think of all the empty-promise skincare products I’ve spent money on in a year versus seeing noticeable results when I started using this about 5 months ago…well then it’s worth it to me.  A little goes a long way and all I need is 2-3 drops once a day to see the improvement in my skin.

In simpler terms, I never write this much unless I really love something.  If you can swing it, this is an essential.

Zorah Biocosmetiques XIA Face Cream (www.zorahbiocosmetiques.com)
Ever since participating as a judge in the Clean Care Beauty Awards, I was lucky to be exposed to and educated on a vast selection of pure beauty products.  This XIA moisturizer is recommended for dry to very dry skin, and while my skin is more on the normal side, I find it to be the perfect defence against the the extreme cold and dry weather that is a Canadian winter.  XIA is formulated with argan and chia oils, so your skin is getting a good dose of antioxidants and Omega-3’s, which in plain ol’ English means using this makes your skin looks more supple on the outside, while all those natural ingredients work to promote cell renewal on the inside.

Neal’s Yard Frankincense Intense (www.nealsyardremedies.com)
Neal’s Yard is another brand of clean products that I likely would not have come across without Clean Care.  I love the feel of this cream – its lightweight formula feels amazing on the skin and leaves it with a non-greasy feel.  Frankincense Intense is powered with plant stem cells which in clinical trials have shown help in the battle with anti-aging.  Their clinical trials show the positive effects of using Frankincense Intense leads to less wrinkles, increased radiance and more taut skin.  Sign me up!  It’s just a new year, but I figure why not get a head start on making the telltale signs of aging disappear? :)

So is it time to go clean with your beauty routine?  After years of trying most products recommended in Allure magazine and across beauty blogs, I think I’ve finally settled into a routine where I’m seeing noticeable results that I love.  Nowadays, I’m heading out the door with just some concealer versus a full routine (primer, foundation, highlighter, concealer), and that’s a big, big step for the usual full-face make-up loving girl that I am.  It could be an age thing too, but this clean beauty conversion is a big reason I’m feeling good just showing my own skin lately…

…and I must admit feeling good in your own skin is a great way to start 2015.  :)

Happy New Year, Happy Cleansing! :)