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About me, in the context of this post.

I am about to finish two masters at UCLA; I work on several research projects and as an academic counselor. In most of my social circles, people don’t really talk much about beauty and skin care. I also spent my late-teens and nearly all my twenties being very anti-establishment, anti-consumerism, and anti-lots-of-other-things. I still cling tight to D.I.Y. and “buy less, share more” principles for all aspects of my life.

My love for skin care and beauty has slowly been developing over the past few years, balancing beauty, natural/healthy ingredients, and financial consideration. Balancing these three criteria is not easy and often involves a lot of research and trial-and-error, but my background as a scientist and obsessive personality are helpful in this! Here is what I have to share about my own beauty and skincare routine.


Health

I try to get AT LEAST six hours of sleep every night. Key phrase AT LEAST. With my schedule, this HAS to be a priority or it’s just not happening. I drink a lot of water, and I infuse it to keep me interested. I also limit my coffee (decaf only) and drink lots of green and herbal teas throughout the week. My diet consists of plenty of fresh veggies, yogurt, eggs/some meat, whole grains, and I LOVE my breads and cheeses.

I have always been into essential oils. My French Mother used to wrap me in natural lavender everything as a baby, and my dad (who raised me) used to clean the house and treat blemishes with tea tree oil and water. I could probably write a short book about essential oils, but I will leave you with these faves:
  • Ylang ylang and neroli (orange blossom) for perfume and in body oil.
  • Tea tree and lavender for home cleaning
  • Clary sage for hormonal changes
  • Rosemary for attention and stimulation
  • Eucalyptus and lavender for nighttime relaxing and deep breathing
  • Patchouli and the woods for baths and perfume
  • Peppermint for anxiety and headache

 Skincare
I used to be THE WORST with my skin, just three or four years ago. Constantly picking at it, never cleansing it or moisturizing it properly, and sun damaging it on the regular. It’s been a slow, progressive journey towards my current skincare regime. Aside from reading Charlotte Cho’s AMAZING book on Korean skincare (love it even though I disagree with her re the importance of integrity of ingredients), my biggest motivator for taking care of my skin has been dermatillomania, aka “Skin Picking Disorder”, the repetitive picking at one’s own skin. I have had a mild form of this obsessive compulsive issue for as long as I had pores that I could squeeze something out of. While this is essentially a mental health issue and always improves when my anxiety and stress levels are low and addressed, I have found that taking care of my skin is a way of focusing on the anxieties I have about my skin and pores, but it’s productive and safe. It also obviously leaves me with less to pick at! If you want to know more about how I have managed (and still manage) this obsessive-compulsive issue, please comment on this post or email me at emerald g snow at g mail dot com.

I have pretty normal skin, with big blemishes occurring every now and then. Here is a regime that I adore and look forward to every day:

  1. Oil-based cleansing. I use Origins Clean Energy with my fingers. 
  2. Foamy, soapy cleansing OR a mild cleanser. I use Trader Joe’s Spa Cleanser with Tea Tree Oil with my fingers. I adore Glamglow’s Youthcleanse exfoliating cleanser but cannot afford it just yet. For a mild cleanser I like the Neutrogena ultra gentle hydrating cleanser or my ultimate fave: the Glossier Milky Jelly Cleanser.
  3. 2-3 times a week I VERY lightly exfoliate with a Korean Italy towel on my face and neck. Rub in tiny light circles. Or, I use my new fave: The alba detox AHA scrub
  4. Dry with a clean Aquis microfiber hair towel.
  5. 2-4 times a week I mix Origins Clear Improvement and Out of Trouble masks together and let sit on my face for 10-15 min. I love this clearing and balancing mix of sulfur, salicylic acid, and charcoal. Pores and texture dramatically improve. When I don't have this I just mix white kaolin clay, a little charcoal, aloe, and water. 
  6. Mist with Boscia Balancing Facial Tonic or the Heritage rosewater with glycerin. 
  7. Moisturize with a moisturizer of my choice; this changes often. I used to love the Juniper Seed Mercantile moisturizer, but now I use the Glossier moisture moon mask at night with some rosehip seed oil mixed in OR the Herbivore Lapis oil mixed in. 
  8. First Aid Beauty triple duty eye cream
  9. Laneige Water sleeping mask on top of my moisturizer or serum over entire face 2-3 times a week and under just the eyes about four days a week. Believe the hype: this stuff is crazy awesome, albeit blue and slightly toxic.

In the morning I tend to skip steps 5, 8, and 9. The rest is the same. If my skin didn’t get enough moisture the night before I will skip step 2. Frankly, this skincare routine has changed my life, especially the "double cleanse". My skin is clear, bright, soft, and even. There is a tiny bit of recent scarring, but nothing a little exfoliation and moisture can't cure. 

Beauty/Makeup

I keep my makeup very natural, using a tiny bit of tint/coverage, a little mascara, and a little blush or lip color on most days. I save eye-liner and real foundation for evenings or special events. I have light-medium skin with neutral undertones. My pantone # is 1Y07
  • After cleansing, I use the HourglassNo 28 serum primer. This stuff is AMAZING. It’s so hydrating, smells great, and has a ton of natural ingredients.
  • Then, I use Benefit Fakeup under-eye concealer in medium only if I really need it under eyes and other dark spots/areas.
  • Tinted moisturizer is my absolute fave. I heard from a source or two that BB creams and tints are not so great for your skin. I am not quite sure I buy it. In any case, since this is something I use everyday, I care that:
1. It’s healthy
2. It has MINERAL sunscreen in it

If you want to know why I care that it’s mineral and not chemical sunscreen, and almost always have my trusty sun hat, read this. Otherwise, here are my favorite tinted creams:
  • Jane Iredale tinted moisturizer in medium-light. I love this stuff cause it’s SO healthy, has mineral SPF 15, and the price is right ($30-$40). For some, it’s too grainy-seeming, but I love it.
  • New fave: Andalou Naturals Rose CC cream in sheer tan. 
  • Tarte Amazonian Clay tinted moisturizer in medium or medium light. This has better coverage than the Jane Iredale product, and on days where I don’t like that I mix it with my Juniper Seed moisturizer. Or, on days where I want more sunscreen coverage, I mix a little bit of the darker shade (medium for me) with the super-white-thick-healthy-natural Alaffia face lotion (cheap, smells wonderful, so natural).
  • Despite it’s super toxic ingredients, I used to ADORE what used to be I Am Rebel tinted cream by Benefit before they discontinued it. I kind of wish they’d bring it back.
  • On days/nights where I wear a little more makeup, I like the NARS sheer glow foundation in Punjab. It’s light, medium coverage, buildable, and stunning!
  • I either use fingers or the Tarte bamboo airbrush foundation brush shown standing up in the picture above for all tints/foundations on my face. That brush is pure magic.
For lips, I love:

    For mascara, I’m not too picky:
    • For drugstore mascara I like Revlon Colorstay Photoready Mascara (I also like their eyeliner), Loreal Voluminous, and Covergirl lashblast or clumpcrusher. 

    Blush and bronzer:

     Brows:
    I was blessed with what I think are very nicely thick and arched brows. Like almost every millennial I know, I have a few sparse patches on my anchor and arch due to over-plucking as a teen and young adult. However, those patches are growing in slowly and surely and I don’t fill them too often. When I do, like almost everyone, I love the Anastasia Brow Wiz in chocolate and the Maybelline brow pen. I honestly think the Maybelline one is nice enough and way cheaper than the Brow Wiz. On most days, however, I just brush my brows up with a teensy dot of the Moon Valley Organics beeswax Lotion Bar I mention below.

     Update: Pretty much only brush my fully grown back brows with Glossier boy brow or a little lip balm. 


    Body

    I tend to be pretty low maintenance with my body skincare. Throughout the week I stay moisturized with jojoba oil and once a week (usually Fridays) I take a hot steamy bath and scrub up Korean style. I moisturize heavily after that with Moon Valley Organics beeswax lemon Moon Melt Lotion Bar and jojoba oil. I use all of the MoonValley salves for my skin, sore muscles after working out, and nether-regions (baby bum balm is nice for this) with a little lavender after my scrub-down.

    I use Trader Joe’s natural fennel toothpaste and make my own mouthwash with water, sea salt, baking soda, a few drops of tea tree and a few drops of peppermint oil. I also make my own deodorant with about equal parts coconut oil, corn starch, and baking soda; mix in your favorite essential oils to scent or keep unscented. It really works, and I’ve tried almost every other healthy deodorant out there!

    Hair

    I think my hair is the most neglected part of my beauty routine. However, I do splurge and get my haircut by THE most amazing hair person, Zanne.  I have very fine brunette hair with some waves. It’s healthy and shiny, but a little bit underwhelming at times. I like to let it air-dry with Healthy Sexy Hair’s soy taming foam (when I’m lucky I can find this at Ross on the CHEAP), CHI’s keratin cream (love, and newly discovered at TJ Maxx), and sometimes a little bit of coconut oil. If I blow-dry and style it, I use a little Bumble and Bumble repair dry hair cream before drying to keep it healthy. And I always use the Aquis microfiber hair towel after I wash my hair.







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