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: 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:
