The beauty world is abuzz these days with talk of healthy, natural products free of toxins and carcinogens, and that in turn has sparked my interest for starting several healthy beauty habits in my daily routine.   Though there are some beloved products I simply cannot give up, I’ve enjoyed becoming educated in what it takes to have a safer beauty routine, and I’ve started to swear by a few simple practices to ensure that I’m feeling beautiful inside and out. Check out my eight habits below, and let me know what you swear by!  Truly, MKR

No. One, Oil Pulling.  An ancient dental technique, oil pulling involves swishing one-two tablespoons of oil (coconut, olive, or sunflower) in your mouth on an empty stomach for approximately 20 minutes.  The action is said to draw out toxins and improve your overall oral health all while naturally whitening your teeth.   I’ve been pulling, coconut is my oil of choice, for a few months now and I’m obsessed.  And for all you naysayers I spoke to my dentist, and in his words; “oil pulling should never replace your usual dental routine, but there is plenty of research that supports it’s health benefits.  Mainly because your mouth houses more bacteria than anything else and if your mouth is healthy then your system can focus on fighting other issues.” 

No. Two, Dry Brushing.  Introduced to me by my aesthetician, dry brushing is an age old practice of brushing your skin in an upward motion with a firm, natural bristle brush.  The practice, most commonly done before showering, exfoliates and unclogs skin, while stimulating your lymphatic system, and is said to help reduce cellulite.  Just a tad painful, but I’ve really taken to loving my dry brush, and I mean if Jennifer Aniston swears by it, then consider me sold.

No. Three, Think Dirty.  Talk about a game changer. Think Dirty the app allows you to scan or type in products and in return gives you a 1-10 toxicity rating.  So get ready to stand in the grocery store aisles for hours scanning just about everything you’ve ever bought or are thinking about buying.

No. Four, Consistently Washing Your Makeup Brushes.  Ask yourself when’s the last time you washed your makeup brushes?  If you’re like me it’s been too long.  And just think about all of that old makeup, dead skin, and germs of all kinds just sitting on your brushes.  Eew.  Washing your makeup brushes once a week is essential to keeping your complexion clear and your health in tact, so get the suds ready. 

No. Five, Non-Toxic Nail Polish.  When you really begin thinking about what’s in nail polish, and how it’s just sitting there absorbing into your nails, into your skin’s pores, into your system, and not to mention how much we probably accidentally ingest from chipping (especially if you bite your nails), wouldn’t you feel better knowing that polish was toxic free?  Enter my new favorite nail polish Smith & Cult.  Free of the 5 major toxins found in most nail polishes, it allows you to rest easy thinking about all those nasty chemicals, and go back to stressing about if your polish is dry enough to reach in your purse for your keys without smudging.  Plus, it doesn’t hurt that it comes in just about every color we could possibly want and has the most beautiful packaging.

No. Six, Activated Charcoal Pills.  Recently while reading what seemed like my thousandth detox article, I stumbled upon something I’d never heard of: activated charcoal pills.  The pills are used commonly in the ER medical community to treat oral poisoning, and the charcoal’s “pores” make it very effective at binding and flushing out poisons that are still present in the stomach and small intestines, hence the belief of detox.  While there’s research both supporting and negating it’s ability to actually flush your system after an over-indulgent Saturday, all I can say is I’ve taken it a dozen times and have felt better.  Just note that charcoal doesn’t always differentiate between good and bad, so if you want anything to stay absorbed in your system, like your daily vitamin, take them hours apart.  And like everything, do your research; what works for some does not work for all.

No. Seven, Shots.  I admit it, I’m on the pressed juice band wagon.  I’ll drink a juice, or five, all day every day.  And my new favorite thing, the shot circuit.  Seven shots: wheatgrass, E3, turmeric, ginger, lemon, aloe, and dandelion.  They’re not all pleasant going down, but I feel high on health for the rest of the day.  Not to mention my energy is on fire.  Not ready for seven shots?   Start slow with a wheatgrass or turmeric; both easily found at your local juice shop or Whole Foods, or better yet, make your own!

No. Eight, Chemical Free Products.  Letting go of products we’ve used for years can be a difficult thing, but now more than ever there are so many amazing non-toxic choices there really is no excuse.  Two brands I’ve completely fallen in love with are Beauty Counter and One Love Organics.  I swear by Beauty Counter’s sunscreen and eye palettes  and One Love’s Vitamin C Body Polish smells like heaven and their Morning Glory is my new morning savior.

Last week, I showed you what a typical day in my life looks like. Today, I wanted to expand on that story, and share how I put my best face forward with my daily beauty routine.  I’ve learned that if you want anything in life you have to work hard at it. That applies to your skin as well. Two ways I’ve found that are key is having a daily routine, and analyzing your skin problems each year.  Just as you change with every passing year, so does your skin. The struggle of acne in my teens and twenties has  been replaced with correcting the damage I did in those years; scarring and hours spent baking in the sun.  When sharing these struggles with StriVectin, we landed on their Brighten and Perfect line.  The line consists of three different products; a daily Intensive Illuminating Serum, a Radiance Refining Moisturizer, and a twice-weekly Instant Revitalizing Mask.  All are formulated to fade the look of dark spots, prevent excess pigmentation, brighten and even out skin tone.  I’ve been using the products for about thirty days now and the results are dramatic.

First up, the Intensive Illuminating Serum.  I’ve been using the Serum both day and night, and I must say this may be the hero of my story. Thanks to the Serum, my hyper pigmentation has begun to fade, and my skin is smoother and definitely has a glow about it. I feel it’s not only correcting my skin, but also protecting it from the day-to-day environmental factors I simply cannot avoid. Also with my sensitive skin, serums can sometimes wreak havoc on my skin, but I haven’t felt any negative effects with the Intensive Illuminating Serum.

Finding a moisturizer has always been one of the biggest challenges for my combination skin. I’ve been using the Radiance Refining Moisturizer day and night, and find it light, but completely hydrating. Plus, it doesn’t leave my skin feeling or looking oily.

Lastly, the Revitalizing Mask. While the Serum may be my hero product, I look forward to the twice-weekly Instant Revitalizing Mask the most. Those nights have become my detox, my good vibes, and my relaxation-in-the-form-of-a-mask nights. I draw a bath, pour a glass of wine, and completely zone out while I let the mask work it’s magic. The Revitalizing Mask instantly illuminates and evens out my complexion so much, that I try to always make “mask nights” the evening before a photo shoot so my skin looks light years ahead in front of the camera.

After thirty days, I can see a real difference in my skin tone and clarity. So much so that I won’t be stopping my new routine any time soon. Tell me; do you have a daily, tried and true, beauty routine? Truly, MKR
 

Recently StriVectin posed a question to me; how do I put my best face forward?  And I thought instead of simply answering the question, why not instead invite StriVectin to spend the day with me and actually see how I put my best face forward.

You see since leaving the 9-to-5 cubicle grind behind and becoming an entrepreneur, I’m in the spotlight more than ever.  A spotlight I didn’t fully expect, but had to get comfortable with real quick.  Because being an entrepreneur means being your brand every moment, in every aspect, in every scenario, of every day.  Whether meeting with design clients to pick out the perfect textiles, speaking at a conference, running around town preparing to host a dinner party, or on set for a photo shoot, my face has to often literally represent my brand.

I remember getting pictures back from one of my first photo shoots for Waiting On Martha.  The pictures were untouched (read: not Photoshopped) and high resolution.  Do you know what it’s like to have your face up close and personal on a 32″ screen?!  Well if you’ve ever looked into a magnifying mirror, it’s similar to that…only way more magnified.  You see every flaw.  Every single flaw.

My skin is something I’ve struggled with since I was a teenager.  And while it’s improved in my 30’s, it’s still a daily struggle.  Now instead of battling acne, I’m battling the repercussions of not taking care of my skin in my younger years: discoloring and uneven skin tone from baking in the sun and scarring from the acne of my teens and even twenties.  That’s where StriVectin’s new Intensive Illuminating Serum comes in.  It has truly transformed my skin and helped me feel more confident on and off camera.

I’ll be sharing my daily routine and all the details from my thirty-day skin journey with StriVectin’s Brighten and Perfect system next week, but until then, I ask you: how do you put your best face forward?  Truly, MKR