Earth Based Body

Succulent Self Care

Blog

Real Rituals – A Fierce Mom with Sensitive Skin Shares Her Picks

by .

What is the perfect skincare ritual? You tell me! Are you a bathing beauty? A high priestess of hydration? A lippie lover? There are so many different self-care rituals that you all have shared with us. In an effort to give you quality options for your unique skincare needs, we will be sharing the choices of some of our “real customers” for their skin types and lifestyles to inspire + inform.

This month I got to chat with Ellie from Los Angeles. She is a self-proclaimed “workaholic” who works for a tech startup. She is a true inspiration for finding the balance between her career and unwavering love of a non-toxic lifestyle…all while being an amazing Mom! In celebration of Mother’s Day, here is a bit of our chat and a little extra about her favorite products that have kept her happy + hydrated recently:

Tell everyone a bit about yourself and what illuminates your life.  

Ellie: I’m Ellie, I live in Los Angeles, California. I work for a startup. I work a lot and I live on Zoom, like many of us do currently. And when I am not working, I have a 12-year-old daughter who I spend a lot of time with and who I am helping with her distance learning, and just kind of managing life all at home together.

What lights up in my life? Spending time out in nature, and having the opportunity to do so more. One thing about living in Los Angeles is that even in nature, sometimes it can be hard to socially distance, unless you want to drive really far. That isn’t always practical. As more things are opening, people are not spending as much time in nature as they are more comfortable being close to people and being inside. I’m looking forward to getting out there and reading. That’s what I love to do. I read.

Moms deserve all the extra bits of love available. Can you walk us through your self-care ritual?

Ellie: I’m pretty low maintenance when it comes to a beauty routine. I don’t wear makeup. I never really have. I really minimize what is on my skin, both because of my skin being sensitive but also because I am very conscious of the fact that my skin is such a large organ and anything I put on my skin goes into my body.

When I wake up in the morning, I wash my face with a very gentle cream cleanser and then I put a serum and a hydrosol spray on. In the morning, I use Root Chakra tinted lip balm with these because Zoom washes me out. It gives me a little bit of color on my lips. Sometimes I’ll even put it on my cheeks for extra warmth.

I have to say my favorite of the vegan lippies is actually Nude Mood, because I just have a very fair complexion, and the subtle shimmer looks nice on me. I don’t wear it that often right now though I will say because when I’m out my lips are covered, and through a video, it’s not as noticeable. If I’m out and about, and I need moisture from my lips. I will use the Get Fresh, because it won’t stain the inside of my mask, which is a huge plus.

Oh, then throughout the day, if I’m feeling particularly dry, I will put on more Serene Marine natural body cream. Obviously, I will use the lippies throughout the day, because I talk a lot, and talking really dries out my lips.

Evening Ritual

In the evening, I will shower. I am super old school and use Dr Bronner’s. I’m a super old-school hippie, and I have transitioned to a No Poo hair washing situation, which has made my scalp happier than it has ever been. And then I get out of the shower and I put Serene Marine all over my body, while my skin is still moist. A few times a week I will also slather my feet in moisturizing Serene Marine and put socks on. I’ll just walk around the house until bedtime, with my feet all moisturized in socks. It makes a big difference! Those are really the only products that I put on my body.

Is there one favorite Earth Based Body product that you would tell people about? And, how does it specifically impact your skin?

Ellie's Sensitive Skin Favorites

Ellie: I use a few Earth Based Body products but my favorite is Serene Marine. I use it every single day, when I get out of the shower and I put it on while my skin is still damp to seal that moisture in. I tend to have dry skin. The air in Los Angeles is really dry. Also, our water is really hard. My skin gets dry really easily. Putting Serene Marine on when I get out of the shower makes a huge difference.

I have really sensitive skin. I can walk past someone’s dryer vent, who’s using dryer sheets in their dryer, I will get a rash, just from that. So historically I’ve never been able to use anything that smells good, because it will irritate my skin. Serene Marine has a gentle wonderful spa like smell that doesn’t bother my skin. It’s the first product I can think of in a long time that I can use, and I love it for that.

How does being a Mom effect your decision-making process when buying products?

Elllie: I’ve always been really conscious of what I put on my skin, but having a daughter, it does make a huge difference. We live in LA and there’s a lot of sun here. We only use mineral based sunscreens, because I am concerned about the hormone disrupting chemicals that are in other sunscreens. She knows if she wants to eventually wear makeup, then she has to use all natural makeup.

I’m pretty sure she’s experimented with my Root Chakra, even though I haven’t seen it. She won’t admit it, but I think she’s also into Succulips lip mask. I asked my husband. He’s not using it, and it’s been going faster than I used to use it. So I know that she’s using Succulips in secret.

I just stress the importance to her, of putting these clean, natural products on her body. She’s getting that kind of teen skin, so making sure that what she’s putting on her face is good is my priority. It can be hard to convince a 12 year old to moisturize her body because they have such perfectly hydrated skin, but when she does moisturize, she will use Serene Marine because she likes the way it smells. It’s important to show her that even though she may not be ready to use much on her skin yet, she’s exposed to are things that are healthy for her skin.

Why do you feel that it’s important to show support for women owned companies and indie beauty brands as an example to your daughter?

Ellie: Yes, absolutely. I like supporting people. I like feeling like what I am buying is directly impacting a human, as opposed to buying from some huge company that is more anonymous. Pretty much all of the body products I use are Earth Based Body. On my face are smaller type companies that I use not just because I like the products that are in them but because they share my values. In these and in Earth Based Body, I feel like I’m supporting a business that I believe actually cares about the mission that they put forth in the world.

Our thanks go out to the kind and generous Ellie for sharing her thoughts. If you’d like to learn more about the products in her self-care ritual, here is a quick summary:

Serene Marine natural body cream for tightening: Like a “spa in a jar”, Spirulina and Blue Green Algae combine to help maintain healthy, elastic, tight skin. Botanical Hyaluronic Acid attracts moisture from the environment and locks it into skin for a plumping effect. Then we add in CoQ10 for a boost of elasticity that provides a smoother and tighter appearance for you hard working skin.

Root Chakra lip + cheek tint: Hydrate + warm up your complexion with this naturally tinted flush powered by nourishing Organic Shea Butter + Vitamin E for lips and cheeks!

Nude Mood lip + cheek shimmer: Hydrate + Highlight with this multi-purpose rose gold shimmer for lips + cheeks! Our super sheer tint will highlight your natural look while nourishing skin with Organic Shea Butter + Vitamin E.

Get Fresh peppermint lip balm: A clean and classic vegan lip balm that melts into lips. This fresh and succulent balm featuring hydrating Organic Shea Butter + Vitamin E + Peppermint is made to hydrate and heal. Your lips will be fresh and kiss-ably soft thanks to the magic of organic Jojoba seed and Rosehip oil.

Succulips hydrating lip mask: Our cooling lip mask uses Kaolin clay to restore the smoothness of your lips while hydrating. The natural goodness of our lip balms and tints will easily be absorbed after each treatment.

Buzz Chill Firming Cream and Cellulite Treatment

by .

Life can be bumpy. But we’re not about to let a few lumps get in the way of celebrating the gorgeous skin we are in! Can we talk cellulite? If you’re like me, that word can spark some feelings. In our effort to smooth things out we are shining a light on our skin smoothing Buzz Chill firming cream.  

Buzz Chill is a fresh and clean natural guarana cream for cellulite made for firming and strengthening skin. With bright lemon and exhilarating guarana + coffee, it makes waking up a little more fun. When you give yourself a deep massage, you’ll stimulate your blood vessels and break up that cellulite and kick start a detox for your skin.

The Scoop on Cellulite

First off, we are all about body positivity and empowering you to love your size, skin tone, skin texture, cellulite, stretch marks, and every other perfectly imperfect part of you. Let’s accept that we all get cellulite, we have cellulite, and we know we’ll never be able to banish it completely.

Cellulite is defined as a dimpled appearance—caused by fat pushing against connective tissue in the skin. It happens to everyone, and can be caused by anything from genetics, to weight gain, to aging. There is no quick fix for cellulite. But many of you have shared curiosity on ways to reduce the appearance of cellulite and want to know if an anti-cellulite cream will help. Let’s start with what we can control.

Cellulite and Nutrition

One piece of the cellulite puzzle is nutrition. For the most part, when we put good things in, we get good things out. Asking yourself “is this food inflammatory?” is a great way to decide if a food is going to help or accelerate the condition.

There are three major kinds of inflammatory foods: those high in processed sugar, those high in salt, and those refined carbs.

  • Sugar: most often found in soft drinks, candy, ice cream, and jellies.
  • Salt: canned foods, cold cuts, frozen meals, and salted nuts are among the most sodium saturated foods.
  • Refined Carbohydrates: these are generally ingredients and foods that have been stripped of nutrition and processed to be white like pasta, flour, rice, baked goods, and many breakfast cereals.

Some foods are essential for our skin and they can help our collagen production, anti-aging, and skin firming in the same way natural skincare treatment would. Let’s turn to why a firming cream serves as a cellulite treatment. Hint: It’s all about the ingredients!

Guarana + Lemon + Coffee, Oh My!

When we created Buzz Chill firming cream, we combined Guarana, Coffee, Lemon and Quince leaf to form the most advanced, dare we say best cellulite cream, on the market. This caffeine body cream contains all the ingredients that have been shown to positively impact the appearance of cellulite. It also contains grapefruit oil which is known to inhibit appetite.

Where does the “Buzz” Come From?

Guarana and Coffee all work to stimulate blood flow and help detox skin. Experts have found that caffeine is able to facilitate the breakdown of fat by stimulating enzymes that do just that. Additionally, caffeine is shown to temporarily constrict blood vessels. Constricting blood vessels decreases blood flow, reducing the appearance of inflammation or, essentially, smoothing the skin.

  • Guarana has among the highest concentrations of caffeine in any plant. Guarana also dilates blood vessels to stimulate blood flow to the areas where you’d like more skin contouring. This helps make the bands that bind fat more elastic which reduces the appearance of dimpling. The guarana found in our Buzz Chill firming cream contains five times the caffeine of coffee and is ideal for boosting energy, supporting natural circulation, and smoothing the skin.
  • Coffee stimulates the breakdown of fat cells. Caffeine in coffee helps to dilate blood vessels. It leaves no space for fat deposits to push through the skin and hence makes cellulite less noticeable. This, in turn, makes the skin firmer, reducing the appearance of visible cellulite. The skin may also tighten from the stimulating effects of caffeine by improving blood flow and eliminating excess water.

What gives the Chill?

  • In addition to providing a natural mood boost, lemon helps tighten and detox skin. Lemons are natural detoxifiers, which rid the body of cellulite-causing toxins and trapped fluids. It can help eliminate toxins from the body and reduce the appearance of dimpled skin.
  • Quince Leaf is often praised for its ability to help smooth and contour skin. It soothes the skin, reduces the inflammatory response, and protects the skin from irritation. It also helps with inflammation. The high levels of vitamin C also help to control inflammation and improve the health and appearance of your skin.

Summer is coming so it’s time to show a little skin, stay cool, and shine some light on your body. Buzz Chill firming cream is the fresh pick-me-up you need to make every day glow. And, be sure to check out our other natural body creams made to tighten, hydrate, and help crepe skin. Be confident and sprinkle kindness everywhere you go.

Earth Based Body® is now Leaping Bunny Certified!

by .

As we head into Easter weekend when bunnies have their biggest moment in the sun, we are thrilled to share that Earth Based Body® is now certified cruelty-free by Leaping Bunny! From natural body creams to multiuse lippies, Leaping Bunny Certified bath and body care is the gold standard for cruelty-free. We are proud to live up to their expectations.

So, what is Leaping Bunny Certified and why is it such a big deal?

Leaping Bunny is a non-profit organization supporting a global campaign to end animal testing. The Leaping Bunny Program sets corporate standards of compassion for animals through a set of criteria for cosmetics and household products. A company can become Leaping Bunny certified only by proving that it meets these criteria.

In short, the company cannot participate in animal testing in either product formulation or ingredients. The finished product be free from animal testing. Each individual ingredient used in the product must not have undergone animal testing or been purchased from a supplier who conducts testing on animals.

All companies that are Leaping Bunny Certified must comply with the Corporate Standard of Compassion for Animals. This is a voluntary pledge that companies make to remove animal testing from every stage of development. To ensure the standard is upheld at all levels, our ingredient suppliers also make the same pledge ­­– resulting in products that are 100% free of animal testing.

Don’t Believe the Hype!

Everyone with a social handle can claim to be an expert. Thankfully, this has given rise to the conscious consumer – who we love so much! But even in an age of product transparency, there is still room for evasive and false messaging.

While some items say they are cruelty-free, that may only refer to the finished product. Most animal testing actually occurs at the ingredient level. Even brands who maintain that they do not experiment on animals may, in fact, be contracting a third party to do the testing – therefore, misleading consumers in their attempts to shop ethically. So. Not. Cool.

Cruelty-Free Every Step of the Way

Seeing the Leaping Bunny Certification on your products ensures that your favorite brands, like Earth Based Body®, are keeping it real. Holding everyone accountable at each level of development ensures that animal testing is never a factor in production. Companies that have taken the pledge to create cruelty-free products must also be open to independent audits and recommit to the program annually.

Earth Based Body® follows Leaping Bunny’s requirements for sourcing its ingredients and finished products from its vendors. Please know our suppliers are forbidden from conducting or commissioning animal testing for finished products or ingredients.

The Earth Based Body® Standard

We always have been, and always will be, a proudly cruelty-free and 100% vegan brand. We have also always been a clean beauty brand free of parabens, petrochemicals, sulfates, gluten, and synthetic colorants or fragrances. In honor of the earth and all the bunnies, we never will settle for anything less.

Thanks so much for supporting conscious brands like ours. We look forward to sharing more behind the scenes content so we can get to know each other better!

Art Imitating Life

by .

An interview with watercolor artist, Christine Arcus, who created original artwork inspired by natural ingredients that gave life to our Lippies.

Creating the new multi-use Lippies was a true passion project. Getting to collaborate with an artist was a dream come true. It was so exciting to be able to bring to life a collection of sumptuous balms that can be used for both lips and cheeks.

When it was time to design the packaging, I knew we had to do something special in celebration of the beautifully hydrating ingredients that serve as the foundation of the balms.

We were lucky enough to collaborate with one of our real customers who just happens to be an amazing watercolor artist, based in Chicago. I’m such a fan of her work! Christine Arcus lives her life in full color. She generously created the original artwork for our new Lippies.

Here’s a bit of the story of our passion project collaboration:

Nancy: How did you feel when I asked you to join this project?
Christine: Pure happiness! Working on a collaboration like this is something that I’ve been dreaming of working on for some time.

Is this your first time collaborating with a brand?
Well, sort of. Yes. It feels like the first time. Wait, isn’t that a Foreigner song? (Queue 80’s montage.)

Make it Work

What was your approach to creating the paintings?
I tried to understand your point of view and vision. Then, I put my own spin on it. I love that you wanted to celebrate the perfect imperfection of the natural ingredients without being too literal. It needed to be my expression of your vision. The result was beyond my expectations.  

Why do watercolor paintings makes sense for this passion project?
Well, the truth is that they DON’T make sense and that’s what is awesome. At the start, I thought maybe designing on a computer would be the smarter way to go. I also considered using a different kind of paint. Then I centered myself and remembered that this is my art. This is what I do. Sure, it’s not done this way very often, but why not get that truly unique expression?

Organic Connection

What was it about Earth Based Body that connects with your spirit?
For lack of a better term, I love how grounded you are in the earthiness of everything. The way you crush up whole ingredients to get the most out of their essence really speak to me. Earth Based Body feels very connected to me on a natural level. I love to work with flowers and natural elements and that is what this collaboration is all about.

What is it like to have the finished Lippies realized and in your own hands (and lips)?
I love them so much! Seeing my artwork as design is still unbelievable. I use them all the time and have gifted them to so many people. Right now, I am using the perfectly minty Get Fresh during the day. I use Root Chakra lip + cheek tint for an evening look. I don’t wear much makeup, so the added tint of warm color is my version of a “night look”.

As an artist, this comes naturally to you, but what would you say to people who struggle to take risks and be creative?
I would tell them that it’s not about finding the time to be creative but more about being creative all the time. It’s a mindset and a way of life.

Collaboration is Magic!

As we celebrate Women’s History Month, setting that creative mindset is definitely inspirational. I encourage you to always be seeking the next passion project that brings joy and feeds your soul.

I hope you have a whole new perspective on your Lippies now that you know how much love goes into each and every one.

It was a pleasure to work with a talent like Christine. In fact, we had so much fun that I’ve convinced her to collaborate again in the future. Check out her artwork HERE and follow her on social.

Lip Care Completes Your Winter Self-Care Ritual

by . Leave a Comment

When that chilly air arrives, you probably instinctively take extra care to moisturize your skin and nourish and protect it with natural body creams and softening hand cream designed to guard against the harsh winter weather. But, with all the mask-wearing, it can be easy to neglect our lip care.

You know there is a difference between dry and hydrated skin, but do you give the same amount of attention to your lips, which are equally vulnerable to the chill of winter and easily become dry and chapped?

Let’s Talk Lip Care.

There are many advantages of using a high-quality, all-natural and nourishing lip balm. A good lip balm is essential because it creates a protective barrier between your lips and the frigid winter temps. The skin on the lips is delicate and doesn’t naturally produce the moisturizing oils that the rest of your skin does. This leaves it exposed and susceptible to weather-related damage.  

That’s where lip balm comes in. It moisturizes your lips so they stay hydrated no matter how dry and cold the weather is, ensuring that they’re protected from the elements. When the weather is dry, it is essential that you apply lip balm regularly.

Lip balm also promotes healing, so if your lips do get chapped, the skin on your lips will recover quicker and more easily if you apply natural lip balm. It also seals any cracks in the skin, so if you do get chapped lips, they won’t be as open to infection and irritation.

Hydrating + Vegan Lippies

Our new collection of multi-purpose vegan lip + cheek balms are made to soothe and protect your lips + cheeks with the naturally hydrating goodness of Organic Shea Butter and Vitamin E.

You know that we had to be extra with it, so we went ahead and doubled down on the functionality. Get some extra relief + repair, a rose gold shimmer, or a warm hint of color. The entire collection can also be used on your gorgeous cheeks.

If you haven’t had the chance to meet them, let me introduce you to these hydrating gems.

If you have a commute that forces you outdoors or enjoy getting outside to be active, your cheeks and lips are constantly at risk from the wind and cold. Double down on function. Apply one of our balms to cheeks for protection and healing. When you rock some extra shimmer, it makes you stronger.