Natural Beauty Essentials!
Can you believe it is now December, where has the year gone?! December means summer is here in Australia along with the silly season! With all the end of year craziness like Christmas parties, organising gifts, visiting family, arranging vacations and many late nights, it's easy to neglect your skin and slack off on your usual beauty routine.
Being guilty of over working and neglecting myself lately, I've decided to take a step back, refresh and dedicate this blog post to those who are feeling the stress of this hectic silly season. I hope you find my 'quick pick me up' tips useful and enjoy my guide to natural beauty essentials to help you survive this holiday season!
Tip 1 - Think Moderation: While it may be easy to drink and eat too much at family BBQs and parties, you should try not to overindulge especially when it comes to alcohol. According to the Australian Medical Journal of Dermatology, one of the "main effects of alcohol on the skin is a chemical reaction that causes our peripheral blood vessels to expand and widen," so allowing more blood to flow through our skin, thus making you more susceptible to spidery red thread veins! Alcohol also dehydrates the skin and depletes it of essential nutrients, making your skin appear dull and tired. It can also make existing conditions of psoriasis and rosacea worse. Don't forget to drink plenty of water and eat a potassium rich snack like a banana and go for a stroll to get some fresh air.
Tip 2 - Don't forget 'You': Holidays are often a time people (like myself) attempt to take on too much! Take a step back and ask for help from family and friends for support if needed. Remember, this is your holiday too and you can be there for yourself just like you try to be for everyone else. Pamper yourself, do what feels good and most importantly try to make time for 'you'! You don't want to end up needing a holiday when you're supposed to be on holidays.
Tip 3 - Avoid the Crowd: Shopping and crowds always stress me out and more so at Christmas time, especially trying to get shopping done with a teething baby and active toddler! I try to avoid it where possible and do shopping online! Make sure you get organised so that your order arrives on time so you can wrap it or get it posted in time (if you have family/friends that live interstate like me).
Below are my picks for 'essential items' this holiday season:
Late nights attending to pre-Christmas tasks equal dark eye bags, and I know this from experience! Try Vanessa Megan Resuscitate Anti-Ageing Eye Cream. The certified organic ingredients of scientifically proven anti-ageing IBR-Domin®, combined with a hydrating, cooling and anti-aging blend of extracts that have been specially chosen for this eye cream to help assist in smoothing fine lines and wrinkles, boost hydration and bring a healthy brightness to the delicate eye area, giving fresh life to tired eyes.
Sunscreen is a must have item all year round but especially for the Aussie summer! I use EcoTan Natural Coconut Sunscreen -Tinted on my face because it is a non-greasy, Zinc Oxide based natural sunscreen offering broad UVA/UVB protection. It gives me a natural matt finish without needing to apply makeup, though I do use Ere Perez Pure rice powder bronzer - BRONZE TONES on my cheeks and jaw line if I'm going out to lunch.
I also use Ere Perez Organic Jojoba Eye Pencil Brown on my eyebrows and line my top lids to give a subtle natural look and Ere Perez Creative chamomile eye duo – Very Important. For lips, I love the Karen Murrell Lipstick Violet Mousse as it is a cute shade that is suitable for many skin tones. It has the perfect blend of subtle pink and nude brown making it a great everyday wear lipstick!
Is your skin looking drab and flaky from too much alcohol or sun? Try zk'in Clarifying Exfoliator with Natural Skin Refining Actives will improve skin texture and help refine pores. Oat kernel flour and coffee seed powder help remove dead skin cells and impurities while the high aloe vera content make this product calming as well as exfoliating. The caffeine content from the coffee beans helps alleviate puffiness, skin is left feeling polished yet not overstimulated.
I can't live without Vanessa Megan Organic Deodorant Vanilla Pod! It is infused with anti-fungal and anti-bacterial, certified organic extracts of green tea, rosemary leaf and horsetail, plus our blend of vanilla and grapefruit make this a reliable, all day deodorant.
These WOTNOT Facial Wipes - Combination/Sensitive Skin are great when you are too tired to wash your face and just want to clean the day's gunk off your face quickly before bed. These facial wipes are 100% natural with certified organic ingredients to cleanse, soothe and hydrate. The formula is enriched with all natural ingredients including Australian certified organic Aloe Vera to lubricate and repair, certified organic sweet almond oil to restore lost moisture and calm itch and inflammation, and certified organic rosehip oil for skin regeneration and moisture re-balancing.
Short on time to wash your hair but don't want to look like a grease monkey? Try Acure Dry Shampoo. It is a convenient, easy to use, fast-acting dry shampoo that absorbs oil and removes grime without water! Argan Stem Cells + CoQ10 add a keratin boosting moisture complex to this natural dry shampoo. Handy and effective for in-between hair wash days!
Lastly, this is a must have item for the house and your handbag as you can use it for almost anything from nappy rash cream, insect bites, dry lips etc. I keep the 2 sizes, one in my hand bag and the other in the bathroom: Suvana Beauty Paw Paw & Honey Balm is a certified organic natural alternative without the pertroleum jelly! This versatile organic balm is a hand bag must have item and can be used for many skin issues. It works wonders on most skin ailments!
Happy holiday green beauties and until the next blog in 2016!
Shop: Packs & Giftsets, zk'in, Vanessa Megan, Karen Murrell, WOTNOT, Acure.
Resources:
https://www.mja.com.au/journal/topics/Dermatology
http://www.drinksmarter.org/health-and-wellbeing/the-visible-effects#sthash.BHIsYh9p.dpuf
