Lately, I’ve been obsessing over skin care, actually beauty products in general. I can spend hours scrolling on my phone, reading about countless new beauty brands popping up, learning about their vision, and acquiring knowledge on the ingredients, as well as the do’s and don’ts when it comes to skin care. Overall, I’ve learned that a lot of brands just like to profile themselves as eco-friendly or good for your body, and make you feel you made the right choice by purchasing their products by using terms as ‘99% paraben free’ as a marketing strategy. But, news flash: the amount of parabens that are allowed by law is 1%.

I am quite suspicious when searching for the right product and I generally try to do my research and educate myself on the vision of the brand, before purchasing or using certain products.

Throughout this and previous year, I managed to transform our bathroom into a beauty product walhalla with exclusively eco-friendly, vegan and cruelty free products. I know, some of you may think: why the hell would you do that? Because our skin is our most important organ that is exposed to a lot of toxics on a daily basis. Furthermore, I think we are at a point in time that we all feel that we should do something for our planet. It needs our love and care. I’m not saying that you should just change everything from one day to another. But I do believe that all small changes count.

To begin with, I’d like to share my daily morning and evening skin-care routine. I’ll share my cleansing routine later.

Morning

Serum

Before applying my day cream, I use the absolution Le Booster SUPERFOOD.

Active ingredients:

• Acerola: a wild berry that is packed with Vitamin C which revitalizes your skin. Furthermore, it stimulates collagen production and thus firms your skin.
• Spirulina: a microalga that is very rich in plant proteins, amino acids, minerals (iron, magnesium) and Vitamins (A, B12). Spirulina improves the elasticity of the skin and prevents (the appearance of) wrinkles.
• Maca: a South American edible herbaceous biennal plant with exceptional nourishing, revitalizing and anti-stress properties.

Day cream

My ultimate favourite: the certified organic and supported by biotechnology research Patyka Youth Remodeling Cream.

Active ingredients:

• Wakame extract: an Asian seaweed that helps to restore the elasticity of the skin and redraws the oval of the face. Because of its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, it blocks the excessive production of free radicals (it’s like an açai for your skin).
• Pure & Vegetable Hyaluronic Acid of 3 Molecular Weights which stimulates the skin’s collagen production. Ideal for filling and smoothing wrinkles.
• Beech bud: it restores cellular oxygenation and moisturizes the skin. Known for its anti-aging properties, it prevents the skin from ageing and reduces the depth of wrinkles. 

Eye creme

I shift between two eye-cremes, depending on how tired I look.

When I look VERY tired, I use the dr. brandt needles no more, NO MORE BAGGAGE which reduces the look of under-eye bags, puffiness and dark circles. Basically, it’s like coffee for the bags under your eyes.

Active ingredients:

• Algae and plant extracts: form an invisible, second-skin film that tightens the appearance of the eye contour
• Peptides: restore the look of elasticity and firmness while supporting the skin and helping to reduce the look of bags, puffiness, and brighten the under-eye area.
• And my favourite part: caffeine and botanical extract cocktail (centella, asiatica, birch bark, green and white tea): help reduce the look of puffiness and decrease the intensity of dark circles

Usually I use the Vine-activ energizing and smoothening eye cream by Caudalie which aims at alleviating dark circles and smoothening both the eye and lip contours. It is thus an energizing cocktail for your eyes.

Active ingredients:

• Spruce extract: reinforces cellular defense, activates micro-circulation
• Peptides which are actually just liftants (cfr. supra)
• Polyphenols: anti-oxidant and have an anti-wrinkle

Evening

Serum

As a serum I use the completely natural and multi-purpose huile absolue skin booster serum from Patyka.

Main active ingredients:

• Vegetable Squalane: Plant oil extracted from olives which protects the skin from dehydration. 
• Rosehip: which fights skin ageing (rich in Omega 3, Omega 6) and retinol)
• St John’s Wort: Recognised for its healing and astringent properties, this ingredient gives a bright, fresh complexion.

Night cream

I should be honest with you guys: I have a bunch of different night creams so I decided to pick the most recently (and affordable one) which is the Cime Belle d’amour, Antioxidant day & night cream. While I do not like using this one as a day cream, I like to put it on my face before going to bed. It is good for all skin types, except for oily or impure skin.

Active ingredients

•  Edelweiss: (known for its high antioxidant) that protects the skin against external stress and UV radiation and pollution (so you can also use this one as a day-cream).
• Wild rosehip oil: nourishes and regenerates the skin, prevents the skin from (premature) aging.

All day every day

Last but not least, I would like to share my ULTIMATE FAVORITE and phenomenal moisturizing balm: the Egyptian Magic All-Purpose Skin Cream. This cream owes its ‘legendary powers’ (it was claimed that the formula for this cream was found in ancient Egyptian tombs) to its mixture of natural ingredients: olive oil, bee pollen, royal jelly and bee propolis (been obsessing over honey and bee propolis lately but I’ll share why in another post). You can use it for your face and body, whenever and wherever you want (I always carry a mini version of this cream in my bag)!

Let me know what your experiences are with these products (and thank me later)!

Stay safe and healthy ❤
Marie-Lotte