Great question! So, what do the women who formulate skincare products for a living rely on for gorgeous skin? I started formulating skincare some years back when I couldn't find a strong enough cream that was natural. I wanted a day cream that also worked for my skin type- sensitive! I love natural, but there are some phytonutrients that are more powerful and give better results than others. I like the ones with the highest GLA's. I had researched for many years before I came to the best regimen and formula for skin care that gives that synergistic potent balancing blend. Here are a few skin secrets I use before I leave the house. No matter how demanding my schedule gets within a given work week - and it can be quite demanding. I do not leave the house until I do a very important skin care routine. It's not hard, and it is important if you want to have youthful skin.
The first secret I'd like to share with you is my specially formulated facial beauty bar soaps. I have convinced even the most sophisticated beauty queens to try and use my soap bars with thriving success. My formula for soap is packed with purifying and rebuilding essential fatty acids that help keep skin well hydrated and clean, without drying out delicate skin. Soap that makes your skin "squeaky clean" is not good for your face. It's too harsh and probably uses a lot of synthetic detergents because it's quite frankly much cheaper to make soap synthetically than to make it the artisan old-fashioned way- by hand. I chose this method, and it's worth all the hard work I put into it.
That's not all that goes into our well crafted artisan bar soaps though. My formula took years to perfect. Each amount of oil changes the formula, so it's not just the ingredients- it's the amount of each ingredient that creates the unique formula and changes the chemistry of each bar. Ingredients are chemistry and good chemistry delivers great benefits, especially when they are time tested. Additionally, many soap companies simply don't use the high-end ingredients that I use in each bar such as avocado oil, sweet almond oil, virgin cold pressed olive oil, coconut oil, along with borage and jojoba oil -just to name a few. I love the addition of these oils because they help promote beautiful flawless well hydrated, clean, healthy skin without over drying the skin. I know the value and benefit they have given my clients and me over the years, and I can't say enough good things about them and neither can my loyal customers and friends.
Personally, I love using our Me & A Tree French Lavender Silk Bar, or our Spearmint Wheatgrass Face Bar or perhaps, the Eucalyptus and Himalayan Pink Salt Spa Bar. I always know that no matter what kind of day my skin is having, I can count on my soap bars one hundred percent of the time. To be honest, I can count on many we make and carry but those are my favorites. The essential oils in those bars are mild and help clear up any breakouts from any food that doesn't agree with my sensitive skin. Too much oil, even raw olive oil on a salad makes me break out within hours of eating. Sometimes my pores look larger than other times too, and soap naturally shrinks pores as an added perk. Sometimes I need to clear up my skin quickly before an event. This is what I do on a daily basis to keep my skin looking it's most youthful, vibrant and healthy.
1. After I get up in the morning, the first thing I do is wash my face and
hands (using medium hot water) with one of my mild soap bars like the ones I mentioned above. After I wash my hands I then splash warm water on my face. I lather up the beauty bar of my choice creating a nice rich lather on my fingers and hands or a small face sponge that gets into the crevices around me nose. If I am feeling especially oily from the humidity in the air, then I rinse, lather, and repeat if necessary.
2. Gently blot-pat my face with a towel or just let air dry depending on how much time I have. 
3. Liberally spritz my face with one of my botanical facial flower toners Damascus Rose Toner . Excellent for hydrating, shrinking pores, and soothing red, irritated skin rather quickly. If you have especially sensitive skin, its a great additions to your home care. Affectively soothes underarm, leg, or bikini areas from shaving rash or any area that you need and little tender love and relief. Men also use our toners after shaving as well.
4. Let face air dry after applying a toner. Wiping off toner removes potency and toning action that's needed to prepare the face for day cream application step 5 below. Allow air drying for maximum absorption
5. If my face feels particularly dry, or is showing more lines and wrinkles than
normal (from dehydration) then I will use one pump of my Bright Eyes & Face GLA Line Defense Day Cream with Sunscreen before applying makeup foundation. Let face cream dry a bit while you finish getting dressed or whatever. It's very important to use a day cream with a sunscreen built in especially if you are driving around town a lot or you go outside often. Having a lot of windows near you where the sun can get to your skin can also be a contributing factor to sun damage from ultraviolet light. If you are prone to sunspots as I am, then you should ALWAYS use the Bright Eyes & Face GLA Line Defense Day Cream every day no matter what. Sun spots are easier to avoid than they are to get rid of once present.
I also love the powerful plants we incorporate inside this light botanic high-performance herbal day cream. Evening Primrose along with Borage Flower help soothe tired dehydrated looking skin and help deliver the Gama Linoleic Acids deep into the sub-dermal layers of your skin. Aging is a process where free radicals break down cells including elastin. As we age, we lose GLA's. I purposefully added special antioxidant plant botanical's to help combat free radicals. Bright Eyes & Face is also a great day cream for sensitive combination skin or those who suffer from over oil production skin issues. Both oils amazingly promote skin balance.
6. If my face feels normal and hydrated, then I will go ahead and mix about a
quarter pump to a half pump of my Bright Eyes & Face GLA Line Defense with my makeup foundation. Think equal parts. I apply both to the tips of my fingers and mix by tapping fingers together (you can also use a small cosmetic sponge if you prefer) and apply using gentle upstrokes until its all rubbed in and looks nice and even. I formulated the Bright Eyes & Face GLA Line Defense Day Cream to be able to mix with most foundations. I have not had any customer complaints as of yet. It mixes flawlessly. I have used it with both commercial and handmade brands with amazing success.
7. Once I have completed my morning ritual of washing and applying my all natural skin care, I apply my powder and rest of my makeup. It's really important to have very well hydrated skin before applying any foundation or powder. If you have fine lines and wrinkles, then you know that makeup and powder can make the lines look even worse. So, go through the ritual I just explained above before laying any makeup or powder on dry, tired-looking skin.
8. If your skin is experiencing severe dehydration from say- late nights or
simply not getting the rest and nutrients your body needs, try starting off the morning with a caffeine free beverage such as mint tea with honey or agave. While caffeine applied to the outside of your skin is good to help tighten skin, caffeine inside your body on a daily basis can be the cause of tired and dehydrated looking skin- especially under the eyes. Skin can also become dehydrated from eating out at most chain restaurants too often. Unfortunately, sodium, cooked oils, and cheap ingredients devoid of life and nutrients can also age our skin prematurely, so eat a healthy balanced meal of live food and natural drinks made from fruits and veggies. Make sure you use a skin care product that is made naturally such as ours, with fortifying ingredients known to aid in giving you healthy glowing skin.
9. The Monoi smoothing night cream experience. Really day or night our Monoi de Tiare face neck and hand cream is soothing, soft and adds that final touch of natural skin hydrating nutrients back into the skin to aid and improve collagen (elasticity). I finish my day with a dab and gentle massage around and under the neck and face. I also apply some on my hands around the nails.
If you have tried other artisan skincare but haven't been satisfied, you should consider trying my Me & a Tree Natural Organic Face Care Kit. I designed if for my sensitive, prone skin. I have helped others transition from Retinol to our all natural line quite successfully. Our customers are very satisfied, and I stand behind all my products. If you have acne prone skin or suffer from hormonal breakouts, or just want to help protect your skin from sun damage and premature aging, you'll enjoy the oil balancing of our Bright Eyes & Face GLA Line Defense Day Cream with non-nano particle zinc oxide.
If you're ready to take the next step to flawless healthy and radiant skin, then click on the link below to order your eco-friendly cruelty-free purely natural artisan face care kit today. If your visiting for your first time create an account here and let us know you did by replying to our welcome email with "Give Me Ten" and you'll recieve a 10% discount code plus free shipping on your first face set order. Be a thorn in times side. Look young, healthy and beautiful...
(Michelle Touchstone is a skincare formulator who makes all the products you see on her website www.meandatree.com from scratch using raw ingredients in their natural form. If you would like to purchase any eco-friendly sustainable cruelty-free skincare that helps save forest and animal habitats, then consider supporting her through the purchase of her products. You can obtain all these natural and handcrafted artisan products either in person by visiting her "Locations" page on her website or simply order online and have all products delivered to your front door).
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