LETS TALK GLOWING SKIN
I really think the best skin care is avocado, green tea, dark chocolate, purple foods and olive oil. Everything else is a waste of money.
You cannot buy a healthy lifestyle in a beauty store; that is a lifetime investment in your own personal well-being. Beauty products try and conceal and cheat a healthy lifestyle but truthfully no product can make you look healthy no matter how much money you spend trying. If you look at what modern beauty products are selling, it's a glowy skin finish, something you develop from eating a healthy diet rich in colourful whole foods.
I went down the skincare rabbit hole a few years ago and bought every serum and skin care product under the sun, which made my skin awful. As an adult, I have never had bad skin, and the skincare routine destroyed my skin, resulting in breakouts, redness and dryness, something I have never had. Like most young girls, I went down the preventative wrinkle skin care routine hole and spent a lot of money looking worse. After months of breaking out, I stopped using skin care products altogether and had amazing, clear skin again. I was shocked that no skin care gave me clear, glowy skin and expensive skin care gave me breakouts, redness and dryness. It kind of showed me the beauty industry was a scam and that a healthy diet and a minimalistic beauty routine are all you need to be beautiful.
I spent a lot on skincare to look youthful, and now I spend a little to look healthy and glowy. I really believe you cannot buy or cheat on a healthy lifestyle. The best beauty treatment is in whole foods rich in antioxidants, coloured vegetables, animal proteins, and fats. I specifically love dark chocolate, green tea, grass-fed beef and anything pink or purple, like beetroots, pomegranates, and berries. The more colourful and natural our food is, the better. My super skin food in my brain is dark chocolate, or so I tell myself. I love dark chocolate and enjoy a couple of pieces of 90% dark chocolate each day. To be clear, I used to detest dark chocolate but now adore it as an adult. 85%-90% is my sweet spot with chocolate; however, I also love the loco love chocolates, which are around 70% dark. To me, cacao is a superfood, and because I dont drink, chocolate is my daily luxury, and well, one could argue medicine.
I think we all need indulgences in life, and my treat is a fridge full of different types of chocolate I can choose from each day. I think things like chocolate, avocado, grass-fed, hormone-free proteins are so important for skin health, and they work faster and more productively than any skin care product sold over the counter. No matter how much a product might claim to make your skin glow, if you glow from the inside, it shows on the outside. When your skin is hydrated and plump from the food you eat, you dont need makeup to give you a glow, you wake up with it. A healthy lifestyle shows on your face, and to me, I would rather radiate health and wellness than buy something claiming to do it for me.
We are all sold an illusion of what beauty and wellness look like, and it's an overpriced shortcut. You can buy a superfood powder, but it won't work as well as eating a wholefood nutrient-dense diet. The same goes for skincare; you can buy magic skin care products, but they will not work as well as a healthy lifestyle, especially as you age. I think we overspend on nothingness and need to come back to basics. A great diet, a great moisturiser and a cleanser are all you need to begin having good skin. Anything else is extra. Regarding make-up removers, I love coconut oil to melt off my waterproof mascara, followed by a clean cleanser and castor oil. I love castor oil at night; it's sticky but sinks really well into the skin, and I love applying it at night once my make-up is off to hydrate and naturally plump my skin as I sleep.
I really believe the best skin care is simple, minimalistic, and based mostly on a healthy diet. Everything else is marketing. Try natural skin care alternatives like castor oil and experiment with minimalistic skincare routines and products. You may be surprised how perfect your skin naturally is.
Love, Chiara.