Natural skin care routine : Secrets for imperfect skin

1. What's my skin care routine?

2. What's my makeup routine?

3. Is Avril Lavigne really dead and has she been replaced by a clone? Today I will be answering the first two and maybe we could talk about the Avril Lavigne conspiracy theories some other time!
   

1. My health

2. The environment

3. The animals That's what I will be sharing with you today! Because there's only one Toxic that's actually good, and it's Britney Spears's.
   

Alexandra's beauty secrets :

A body that's thriving and it shows Let me tell you a story. Years ago, when I was studying in Xanthi, I had found a very nice salesman who made his own pure soaps. We were talking and seeing my interest in a soap with oats he explained to me that oats are very good for the skin. He saw that I was impressed by this information and added "Of course the best thing is to eat oats. Everything we eat comes out on our skin". Heavenly chants were heard in the loudspeakers of my brain and a new world opened before me after this phrase. And it's true. You can explore the subject in scientific articles and books or think about it logically. When you drink a lot of water, you are more likely to have a hydrated skin. When you eat a balanced vegetarian diet, you are more likely to have clear and healthy skin. When you go through days of stress, it will likely show on our skin. When your skin touches something dirty, it is possible for pimples to appear. When you are tired, it is possible to have dark circles underneath your eyes. If we accept these factual statements and understand the real needs of our skin, taking care of our face becomes way simpler. Let's think logically, is it possible for a human face to need serum, day cream, night cream, eye cream and a nourishing oil? No, I protest strongly. In my opinion, a person's face needs the following very important : 

1. Proper nutrition

2. Hydration from the inside out

3. Good sleep So we keep these as a basis, and move on to the next, complementary ones.
   

Hydration of the outer layers of the skin

How do i moisturise my face? By applying an oil after washing or whenever I feel dry. I have chosen a specific brand for the hydration of my face, which has suited my skin very well. I trust the intentions of the people behind this brand, since they are now my partners and I know them personally. (not sponsored) Generally, my 3 favorite products are the following and I use them alternately.

1. Tilia beeswax balm : This is an excellent product from a very carefully curated brand that does everything with love and respect. Really the best I've tried. I do not use it at the moment because I try to reduce bee production from my daily routine. However, the people of Tilia can assure you of the quality and sustainability of the raw materials they work with. PLUS: comes in a glass jar that you can then reuse.

2. Tilia Serum - Vegan : Another great product, and one that I use this period. It is a balanced blend of olive oil and herbal essential oils. Unfortunately, while it is a wonderful product, it comes in a not so ecological package. I hope an alternative is found soon! Do you find these products expensive? In addition to containing true pure ingredients, they have a very long shelf life. Consider that the Tilia serum, lasts me more than 4 months. If you want something more affordable, but friendly to the body and the environment, you can take a look here.
   

Face Cleansing I wash my face when I shower and in the morning. In the mornings when I wash my face, I do not always use soap because I do not want to dehydrate it for no reason. However, when I wash my face and want to clean it well (eg after a day at work, etc.) I use this activated carbon soap. I gently soap my face, rinse it and wipe it with a clean cotton cloth, not with a towel that can create small abrasions on my skin.

Face mask with clay and water Quite regularly, I make a very simple face mask for deep cleansing of the skin. In summers I do it once a week while in winter more rarely. What is this mask? Plain green clay powder, which I buy in bulk from a neighborhood store, mixed with water. I apply it on my skin, wait for 10-15 minutes and then rinse with lukewarm water. This mask is purely detoxifying and exfoliating and concerns only the outer layers of the skin. I do not believe in any other mask for hydration, radiance and renewal. What do you mean that I should put a banana with honey on my face? It is better to eat them, they will end up on the skin after all. Very soon, I will share with you what else I do with green clay!

What about pimples? In general, my skin, no matter how sensitive, does not get many pimples. The stress on my body is expressed in other organs. However, at regular intervals I get 1-2 pimples on the face, in very specific conditions. For example, right now I have 3-4 pimples near the mouth (on the jaw and low on the cheeks) because I constantly kiss Birbilo who is our filthy cat and never bathes herself. The same thing happens when I come in contact with dogs, which I also kiss a lot and hug. In this case, too, 2-3 acne pimples may appear. What do I do about these pimples? Almost nothing. And most importantly, I do not cover them. They need to breathe! And what if I have a few pimples sometimes? It does not matter at all.

Makeup : In my daily life, I only use 1 makeup product. It is a product that I apply on the cheeks and lips, also known as tint. I have found 2 that suit me.

1. Beetroot by Ere Perez. It is vegan and relatively friendly in its ingredients. I scanned it with the app I use for (ingred), and it was safe. The package is glass with a plastic applicator and comes in a cardboard box. It lasts a long time, as you need a minimal amount for the lips and cheeks. And the good thing is that you have the ability to put a little, giving a light color to the cheeks and lips or put more on the lips, achieving a regular red lipstick. You can see how it looks on my lips, in the photo. Also important, because it is an intense color, it lasts for a long time. That is, I have been lucky enough to sleep at night, wake up and still have the tint on my lips. Scary, right?
   

1. Sugar Plum by Juniper Seed which comes in biodegradable paper packaging, smells great and is completely natural. It is clearly a more ecological choice than the previous one, so I have started mainly using this. It has a milder application, does not last as long as Ere Perez but is much safer for our body and the environment. The effect it gives to the skin is warmer and lower intensity, as you can see in my photo.
   

Makeup removal And for these 2 times a year that I use an eye pencil,  how do I remove it? The answer is simple : Reusable cloths + coconut oil. And that simply, the makeup is gone! In general, if you do enough research, you will definitely find something that suits your skin and your needs. Fortunately, lately more and more brands are finding a way to minimize their ecological footprint, to find solutions for more natural and environmentally friendly products. As consumers, it is very important to remember how much power we have by making the right choice. And also, remember that our face does not need that many products! What is really important to think about when shopping for our skincare or makeup products?

Eco-friendly tips regarding face products

1. Ask yourself if you really need what you intend to buy. Less is more and resistance to all these sellers who will be on your way to tell you that you have an oil T zone and you need a specific serum for the pores in your nose at 27 years old. No honey!

2. Always look at the ingredients of the product. I always consult the Ingred app with which I scan the ingredients of the label and it shows me how toxic this product is.

3. Consider the packaging of the product in combination with its quality. Is it a product that will last a long time? Is the packaging eco-friendly? If not, will I have to throw it away in 1 week or 2 years?

4. Research the brand and its practices regarding sustainability. I hope this article inspired you to do your own research on this topic. For me, it is very important to remember the following :

5. Healthy skin and a beautiful face start from the inside out

6. Our skin and appearance can give us signals about what we need

7. Our face, like our body, has a right to have imperfections See you soon,