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I want to preface this blog post by thanking my readers. My post about cult-favorite European skincare products has garnered multiple daily views from people all over the world. It shows up on one of the top first Google results among the 35 million results worldwide, ranking higher than top beauty websites! Like, how did this happen? Thank you! I’m very grateful that I get to write about my love of skincare and beauty and sharing it with the world through this platform.
If you’re a skincare junkie, it’s no surprise that natural skincare has taken the world by storm in the last years. People are more cognizant of not only how they spend their money, but also what they put on their skin.
Why should you use natural skincare products?
Your skin is the largest breathing organ of your body. Seventy percent of what you apply to the skin gets absorbed into your bloodstream, and you don’t want parabens living rent free rent in your system right? Not only are organic skincare products made of natural ingredients, but you’re also helping preserve the environment and you’re supporting cruelty-free brands.
For me, natural products have made a huge difference on my skin. The nourishing ingredients and other antioxidants have worked wonders. I don’t want to imply that all chemicals are bad as I’m a big fan of retinol and my chemical exfoliator (Biologique Recherché), which have been miracle workers in my skin.
Take it from me – who got into skincare less than two years ago and has worked her way up through a lot of trial and error – it’s been a challenge to find the right products. I love to take a deep dive into the never-ending skincare world by doing lots of research and sampling products. I know this can be overwhelming and a complete bore to people who aren’t into skincare, but once you achieve your own curated self-care routine, it’s one of the most rewarding ways to wind down after a long day.
I update my skincare routine once or twice a year. I like to try new products every now and then but I mostly tend to stick with the same routine. On the following list you will find products that I’ve been using for months on end and brands that have been newly incorporated into my arsenal.
From my holy-grail face mask, to the cheapest natural eye cream and rosewater spray, here’s a breakdown of my favorite organic skincare brands. The high price tag you will encounter on some of these products is because the ingredients are derived from natural botanicals, which are way more expensive and time consuming to formulate as opposed to throwing in parabens and other chemicals. However, most of these products can easily last you for a year.
Josie Maran Argan Beta Retinol Pink Algae Serum
Wow. This product has single-handedly changed my skin in record time! If you’re sensitive to retinoids, this will be the best thing for your skin because it only contains 2% retinol that is derived from Pink Algae. To say that I am happy with the results is a big understatement. During quarantine, I tried out a Vitamin D supplement in hopes to strengthen my immune system. NEVER AGAIN. Not only was the dosage super high, but my acne flared up and it took many weeks for my skin to be back to a semblance of normalcy. On top of that, I was suffering from ingrown hairs on my left cheek area. Thank God for masks because my confidence definitely took a nosedive. In the first week of trying out Josie Maran’s Retinol, the three big black dots I had on my face from the ingrowns were significantly diminished. Now they are completely gone! I haven’t seen my skin this smooth and radiant in a while. I’m saying this because at the time I bought it, which was the second half of 2020, I had not had any facials! The vast improvement my skin has gone through since I started using this product says a lot about the brand. Yes, it’s expensive, but worth every penny.
More pros:
You can combine it with other products as long as these don’t contain any active ingredients. It can be used on its own or followed by a light moisturizer.
It’s super gentle! No flakiness or itchiness.
The texture is non-greasy and weightless.
You can use it every other day.
The only thing I regret about this product is not having bought it sooner! I can’t believe it had been sitting in my Sephora cart for months! Note: this brand only ships to the US and Canada, no international shipping! 🙁 It is pricey but worth the investment!
Krave Beauty Great Barrier Relief
If you don’t want to invest in retinoids, this serum is a great alternative if you want something potent that will yield great results. Krave Beauty Great Barrier Relief Serum is a beloved product in the skincare community. After seeing it everywhere, I bit the bullet and purchased it — yes, it definitely lives up to the hype.
The Great Barrier Relief Serum does an amazing job of calming your skin thanks to its powerful blend of natural oils and ingredients such as Vitamin B3, Tamanu oil, and ceramides. This serum is also a great complement to your skincare routine if you use any active ingredients. Whether you have acne scars, sunburns, dullness, or flare ups, this soothing serum will be a miracle worker. It has a very earthy smell, which I don’t mind, and a little bit goes a long way. You only need two pumps max. I’m halfway through my bottle but I will definitely repurchase it!
Versed
Natural skincare is now available at Target! This vegan, cruelty-free, and natural brand boasts all the products you can think of to treat any skincare concern. It’s really nice that natural skincare is accessible to different budgets. You don’t need to shell out hundreds of dollars if you want a face mask with clean ingredients.
I got their Find Clarity Purifying Mask, which retails for only $10! It’s perfect if you have acne — and the texture is super soft and gentle! You only apply a thin layer and wash it off after 10-15 minutes.
If you don’t want to lather your whole face, you can use it as a spot treatment. Most charcoal face masks dry out your face like crazy, but this one does actually the opposite. My skin feels super soft and hydrated after I use it. I highly recommend this mask if you want something powerful without breaking the bank. Plus, the amazing ingredients! For more information about Versed, please go to their website. If you live in the US and want to get this at Target, be aware that only select Target locations carry it.
May Lindstrom Honey Mud Mask
This face mask is the best thing for my skin. I first found out about it through a message thread on intothegloss.com called “Best Beauty Product You Bought this year” where someone was praising May Lindstrom Honey Mud mask as a miracle worker.
May Lindstrom’s luxurious artisanal skincare products are designed to soothe problematic skin. She’s a formulator who has struggled with eczema and other skin sensitivities. To get acquainted with May, watch any of her Youtube interviews and you will instantly notice how relaxed, knowledgeable and confident she is, which is inspiring.
Every time I put the Honey Mud Mask on I’m immersing myself in a ritual experience. The texture is very soft and silky. Honey Mud can either be used as an everyday cleanser when you’re in the shower or as a face mask. I prefer the latter as it penetrates deeper into the epidermis. Plus, this stuff is expensive! I had a major zit going on and I could feel the mask doing its magic thanks to the raw honey and macadamia nut oil. I’m not kidding when I say the results are almost instantaneous. My skin felt supple, hydrated and soft after one use.
I’m not big on sheet masks and I don’t get facials regularly. My most repurchased products are cleanser, moisturizer and eye cream, which usually happens every 5 months. So, after two months of debating spending that much money, I finally caved in and went to The Detox Market on Beverly Blvd and eagerly picked it up.
In late March 2019, only one week after I purchased this, May announced that she would temporarily stop selling it. She wrote on her website and Instagram: “We are investigating a theory that previously undetected, dormant microbes within clay can be brought to life when fed with the nourishment of our raw honey”.
In other words, some batches of the Honey Mud may be prone to mold formation. I went to two different stores and the sales associates told me they were planning on keeping theirs and removing any mold that may appear. So far I haven’t had any trouble with mine, but they told me that May, being herself a formulator and the founder of the brand, is an utter perfectionist and is intent on her mission to deliver high quality products to her customers. Even though it may not seem like a big deal, the sales associates said that by stopping the sales of her most famous product, she would be losing thousands of dollars since she also sells internationally. On Instagram, May replied to every single comment with the customer care email promising a new better reformulated Honey Mud. That’s real brand transparency!
Do I recommend splurging on the Honey Mud Mask once it
If you want to see the full range of May Lindstrom’s skincare line, click here. I highly suggest checking out her products in person. If you want to immerse into May Lindstrom’s luxury ritual-like world, check out her website. From how the brand started out, to a meticulous description of each product, May Lindstrom is the best, worth-every-cent splurge you could do for your skin. Even the website is so beautifully curated. Sign up to her newsletter to receive an alert when Honey Mud comes back!
Edit: Two weeks ago, I treated myself to a facial at Facehaus, which was my first facial in almost 5 months. The aesthetician confirmed what I already knew: my chin, my nose and my cheeks were super congested. She spent at least 4 minutes doing extractions on my nose. Even after doing double-cleanse every night, I feel like there’s still grim on my face that my chemical exfoliator alone can’t take off. She recommended using an enzyme cleanser two to three times a week. Tatcha makes great enzyme cleansers, but given my great experience with May Lindstrom, I bought the Dirt clean cleanser. It was only five dollars more than Tatcha and the best thing about May Lindstrom, is that the packaging from all her skincare line comes with a lot of product. Whatever you purchase from her, you can’t go wrong. For a more thorough description of the Clean Dirt Cleanser click here.
Her products are not cheap, but if you have a Detox Market in your city, ask for samples. If you live in LA, we’re so lucky to have the skincare line physically available at many locations to sample them: Detox Market, Violet Grey in West Hollywood, Goop store in Brentwood carry the line. For those who live outside of the US, May Lindstrom also ships internationally.
If you have the extra money and want a little indulgence in your self-care routine without paying the
Ursa Major Golden Hour Recovery Cream
This is probably the most underrated natural brand out there. I can’t believe people aren’t talking about this more. Go to a Sephora or any other beauty department store and I guarantee most sales people will look at you with a perplexed look on their faces.
Ursa Major is a Vermont-based skincare brand and just like May Lindstrom, the creators are formulators. Product formulators set themselves apart from cosmetic chemists in the fact that they create all of their products from scratch, which is a massive challenge and takes much longer to develop and perfect.
This unisex brand is geared towards individuals who enjoy outdoor activities and a healthy and active lifestyle. Not only that, but they have
The Golden Hour Recovery cream has been my go-to moisturizer in the last weeks. If you read my other blog post, Weleda really helped me get through the cold weather this winter. But spring is already here and I had been looking for a lighter moisturizer that still delivered the same, if not better results as Weleda.
What I love the most about this moisturizer is that it’s very light yet fast-absorbing and packed with natural ingredients. It helps reduce redness, evens out your skin tone and most importantly, it’s anti-aging. A few of the ingredients are vitamins A, C and E, carotenoids, phytosterols, and essential fatty acids including omega 3, 6, 7, and 9. This combination makes it great to not only go to bed fully moisturized, but also to protect the skin against daytime environmental stressors.
If you’re looking for a weightless summer moisturizer, this is it. It also works great for healing sunburns.
Eminence Stone Crop Cleansing Oil
I found about this brand thanks to Nigel Beauty Emporium in North Hollywood. The sales person told me that this cleansing oil was their best-selling cleansing oil purchased by makeup artists. I had never owned a cleansing oil before and thought they were a complete waste of money. But after taking off my makeup every day with makeup wipes, I figured: why not buy a full-size cleansing oil to last for months instead of buying $10 makeup wipes every few weeks? This cleansing oil is formulated with the cleanest ingredients like Vitamin C, Vitamin E and Vitamin K, which helps combat the pollution and sun radiation. Moreover, it also has stone crop and jojoba oil.
I was amazed at how fast it removed my mascara. Most of the times, I use makeup wipes on my eyes and I need to follow up with Bioderma on my lashes. With Eminence, once I cleansed my faced, I rubbed the Q tip along my lashes with Bioderma and there was absolutely no trace of mascara. This must be the reason why their products are so popular among makeup artists on Hollywood sets.
If you’re curious, the website has a blog in which they explain what
If you use makeup wipes to take off your makeup every night, you’ll be sorry you didn’t start using Eminence oil any sooner. Unlike many cleansing oils, this one is super gentle, doesn’t strip away your natural oils and most importantly, doesn’t irritate your eyes one smidge. Plus, it’s much more effective and faster than having to go over your face multiple times with a wipe. Although makeup wipes might remove some of your makeup, they don’t remove it effectively and are more time consuming. I’m not saying I’m completely opposed to makeup wipes. In fact, I always keep one pack of Burtsbee’s wipes in my car for whenever I go straight from work to the gym. However, the effectiveness of this cleanser, how quickly it breaks down all the makeup and grime and debris from the day, can’t hold a candle to a makeup wipe.
Eminence cleansing oil has become a staple in my night routine and I use it every day before going in with the Glossier milky jelly cleanser.
Click here to buy it.
Indie Lee Stem Cell Serum
If you follow beauty tutorials on Youtube or beauty blogs, it’s hard to escape the ubiquitous German skincare line Dr. Barbara Sturm, which has gained a cult-status following among celebrities. Watch any celebrity tutorial on Harper’s Bazaar or Elle’s Youtube Channel and you’re guaranteed that some of these celebrities use either her cleanser, or her most popular product: the hyaluronic acid serum.
I’m here to report that Indie Lee’s stem cell serum is a great dupe for Dr. Barbara Sturm’s serum. I was at Nordstrom casually trying out her products on the back on my hand. A young sales associates with acne-prone skin told me that even though her serum is amazing (she used it herself), she has seen better results with Indie Lee. Another sales associate, a middle-aged African-American woman in her 40’s, joined in and attested to this. For some reason or another, there is a higher concentration of hyaluronic acid in this serum than Dr.Barbara Sturm. I went to the Nordstroms in Glendale and
I don’t want to sound bias here. I haven’t tried Dr. Barbara’s Sturm hyaluronic acid other than on the back of my hand, so I cannot give a thorough review of her products. The texture of both of the serums were similar, but I cannot say that one brand is better than the other. I definitely don’t want this post to convince you that her products aren’t good.
Back to Indie Lee:
Indie Lee was founded by Indie Lee herself in 2009, after being diagnosed with an almost fatal rare brain tumor. She discovered later on that it was caused by exposure to environmental toxins. This propelled her to create her eponymous brand, formulated with botanical-based ingredients, empowering customers to live their healthiest lives.
Hyaluronic Acid is the cornerstone of skincare thanks to its miraculous effects. Some of these include moisture while reducing the appearance of fine lines and soothing the skin. It’s suitable for all skin types. I put this on at night and I woke up the next morning with my face as radiant and glowy as a disco ball. Okay maybe I’m exaggerating a little. I can only think of how much benefit I’m going to get from this product in the long run.
This serum not only contains hyaluronic acid but it also contains other botanical extracts such as alpine rose and bamboo extract, which makes it an even better deal than most serums on the market.
I was so impressed I ended up purchasing it a few days after. The full-sized bottle is $135 but luckily, for us folks who don’t want to commit to a full-size, there is a 10ml mini-size for $54. One drop is enough to cover your whole face.
You can purchase the stem cell serum on her website, Sephora and beauty stores.
Heritage Store Rosewater & Glyceryn
I’ve been using this for the last months every single day. I can’t believe this 8 oz bottle retails for only $9. In all seriousness, skip Mario Badescu face mists and buy this one. Less than two years ago when I got into skincare, Mario Badescu facial sprays became super popular and set the trend of facial sprays.
This is another really hard-to-get product in stores. Urban Outfitters usually carries it, but good luck finding the full-sized bottle at Whole Foods or Erewhon Market. Completely sold out. They do carry other facial sprays from the same brand like Lavender but they’re not as good as this one.
I always finish off my nighttime routine with a few spritz of this. The glycerin is packed with lots of moisture that you can instantly feel as soon as it hits your face. Rosewater is another great anti-inflammatory with astringent-like properties, so if you have acne prone skin or eczema, this will work like a charm.
This multi-purpose godsend product moisturizes, clears your skin, refreshes your face throughout the day and sets your makeup. You can use it at any time of the day, but I prefer to use it at night. The best of all is how gentle it is and the rose scent is pleasant without being overpowering like other face mists.
All the Heritage Store products contain Vor-Mag water, which, according to the packaging and their website is “water that has been vortexed and magnetized to raise the energy to a higher vibration that Heritage believes to be more beneficial.”
The easiest way to get this is either at your local Urban Outfitters, Amazon, or you can also place an order at natural health food stores if they’re out.
Face oils
I don’t want to make this post super lengthy, but I want to add that face oils are another staple of mine. The myth that face oils are not good for oily skin baffles me. From someone like me who knew the bare minimum about skincare, face oils have been the best thing for my skin. Many natural face oils help dissolve the excess sebum that builds up on the surface of the skin, while still providing lots of hydration. There are many on the market, but you always want to make sure that your face oil is non-greasy and lightweight so it doesn’t clog your pores.
I love to add a few drops of the Greek brand Korres Wild Rose Vitamin C Active Brightening Oil to my foundation, and every time I do it people compliment my skin. After all, vitamin C is known for giving the skin a boost of hydration and glow. The only thing that puts me off, which no one seems to bring up in the reviews, is the strong smell, but that’s because it’s infused with real rose petals and ginger root extract. Another good face oil I tried is the Virgin Marula Oil by Drunk Elephant. Jojoba oil is also highly beneficial for those with oily skin. I’ve been using Herbivore Lapis Balancing Oil since August of last year and I swear and I haven’t even made it halfway through the bottle. You only need 4 drops. Lapis oil is also a miracle worker that helps keep my hormonal acne at bay. If you go to Sephora regularly, you will see that Lapis oil is the most used face oil, as the tester bottle is always on its last drops. I went to Sephoria a few weeks ago and I had the pleasure to meet one of the founders of the brand Herbivore. He said he gifted his mom one of their oils four years ago and she still has it! As long as oils are stored in good conditions, the shelf-life can easily last up to two years.
Their other two face oils from the same line, Phoenix and Orchid, are catered more towards people with dry skin. The full
I hope this post provided you some valuable information! Do you use natural skincare products in your routine?
