Ellicotville Rodeo

Honestly, I’m not much of a makeup user. The makeup industry would probably collapse if it were for people like me. But one thing I care deeply about is skincare. If that is done how it should be according to your skin type, I feel like there is no need for makeup.

My skin went through a rough, terrible phase sometime in college. Looking back on it from a distance, it is obvious that my hormones were not in check. It was a combination of stress, poor food choices and things being completely out of place in my life. It does sound quite logical that the skin, being the biggest organ of our bodies, portrays what’s going on inside us first, especially the skin on our faces.

I know that it sounds cliche, but you really have to love and embrace the skin you live in. Find products that work for your skin type. I, for example, mind where they come from and how they were tested. Oftentimes, I opt for natural ingredients that are not necessarily meant for skincare, such as coconut oil and cacao butter, but that’s not always possible. One thing that I like to splurge on is a cleanser. I have normal to dry skin for which I only use some cacao butter in the morning and a clay cleanser at night, again in combination with cacao butter to replenish the healthy fats my skin needs. It works best for me, but it took me quite some trials and fails to get to it. Each skin type might be different, and therefore, you need to experiment in order to profile yours.

I’ve found out that oils replenish my skin (while I know it causes some of my friends to break out). Also, another one of my favorite “products” (that is easily made at home) is a sugar scrub with olive oil. I mentioned my skin is rather dry, so if you have oily skin, you might want to try either sea salt or coconut flour instead of sugar. They are all-natural exfoliators that are evening out the skin tone, cleansing pores and removing dead skin. I normally add lemon juice to it, which is a natural source of vitamin C. It evens out the skin tone and eliminates sunspots. It also tightens pores and brightens the skin’s complexion. While the olive oil, being a natural moisturizer, soothes and heals your skin.

I use the following:

• half a cup of sugar
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• juice of one lemon

Mix them all well together and voila. I would only use it once or twice weekly because I feel that scrubbing my skin too often would dry it out even more. But when I do, my skin truly feels revitalized after it.

One more thing to keep in mind is adding SPF (especially when summer is in full swing). I’ve learned that adding it on top of a moisturizer allows it to do its job much better than mixing it in with other products, which causes breakouts.

I think the face is worth investing in. Some even indulge in designer skincare, which I don’t say it’s wrong. Being more of a hippie, my initial requirements are to be as natural as possible and as eco-friendly as well. Therefore, my top recommendations would be to eat and hydrate well, sleep long, meditate and be active in your own best possible way.