Natural Beauty: Skin care super foods

Hey, girl! Mind if we chat while you sip on that Green Goddess smoothie? I see you're already savvy about the foods you're putting in your body and the awesome benefits being absorbed as a result and I'm sure you've even taken that a step further to being conscious of what you're putting on your skin and the benefits being absorbed there as well! But, in case your skin care routine does need a bit of an overhaul in this department, let me point you in the direction of a dozen products that will give your skin the good stuff while you're simultaneously finding yogi zen and waiting for your mug of matcha to steep.

Consonant Skincare COME CLEAN Cleansing Cloths

These. Wipes. You guys!!! These magic wonders are in the running to become a permanent fixture on my Holy Grail list. They are beyond amazing. I have tried SO MANY cleansing cloths because the convenience of them is bar none and, occasionally, laziness happens; however, I have yet to find a cloth that takes everything off without stripping moisture and leaving my skin red, blotchy and somewhat dry. I tried this brand on a whim when it arrived at Sephora in a cute little pack of travel-sized minis - my preferred way to sample anything new - and, wow, was I pleasantly surprised! Everything in the 4-piece kit turned out to be a winner (also included: a foaming cleanser, a face cream, and this mask I have previously raved about) but these extra-large, extra-soaked, biodegradable bamboo cleansing cloths are the star of the show! They take off makeup like a champ (I even tested them on photo shoot makeup - aka face cement) while leaving skin softened and toned thanks to anti-aging and antioxidant botanicals like grapeseed extract, ginseng and chamomile. While I don't recommend adopting cleansing cloths as a regular habit in your skin routine, I will highly recommend reaching for these ones on the occasions that call for a quick swipe before you face-plant your silk pillowcase.

Buy them at Sephora; $9/10 pk or $21/30 pk.

boscia Sake Cleansing Water No-Rinse Makeup Remover and Cleanser

Vitamin and mineral-rich sake hydrates and brightens while rice powder gently cleanses and works together with licorice root extract to improve texture. Formulated sans parabens, sulfates or phthalates, this no-rinse makeup remover is also free of preservatives, gluten, artificial fragrance + color, and ethanol alcohol. Pump this product onto an organic cotton pad to swipe away makeup or grime and follow up with a super cleanser, like the one below.

Purchase at Sephora; $40 CDN for 5.07 oz

Youth to the People Age Prevention Superfood Cleanser

Girlfriend, this cleanser boasts some of your favorite ingredients - KALE. SPINACH. SPROUTS. GREEN TEA. AM I RIGHT?! So you already know that this antioxidant-rich cleanser, which falls somewhere between a gel and an oil, is going to do wonders for your skin in regards to free radicals and environmental stresses, not to mention staying on top of redness like a boss. Also formulated sans parabens, sulfates or phthalates, this cleanser pulls out the big guns when it drops the phrase every health nut loves to hear: COLD-PRESSED, BABY. Plus it's free of added color, fragrance, and soap, is 100% vegan, and made in small batch in California to ensure you're getting the freshest and most effective product possible. Simply put, it's a delight on every level.

Available at Sephora; $36 CDN for 8 0z; also available in 2 oz mini here and 1 oz here. 

Tata Harper Regenerating Cleanser - Daily Exfoliating & Clarifying Treatment

Get your scrub on safely, thanks to this gentle cleanser that uses apricot seed powder to buff skin smooth. It also utilizes pink clay and pomegranate enzymes to unclog pores of all unwanted debris while white willow bark acts as a natural salicylic acid to sweep skin clean and leave it soft + glowing. This brand does an amazing job of keeping the good in and the bad out as they also formulate sans the deadly three, plus this product is free from toxins, fillers, artificial fragrance and colors, all synthetic chemicals, and GMOs. Also impressive: 100% of its ingredients are from natural origin and 82% are farmed organically.

Purchase at Sephora; $55 CDN for 1.7 oz and $104 for 4.1 oz

First Aid Beauty Hello FAB Vital Greens Face Mist

If y'all haven't heard me say it by now, I LOVE me a face mist. It's an indulgence, for sure, and one that I try to rationalize solely for how much I love my skin post-mist. It's dewy and fresh, clean and moisturized - all the things I want my skin to be 24/7. If I could just walk around misting nonstop, believe me, I just might. ANYWAY, I've got two amazing face mists for you that also fall into the category of "skin super food", so YAY! First up is the above-mentioned with the long-ass name. Basically it's short for "smoothie in a spray" as it delivers the beloved super greens (kale, spinach, cucumber, spirulina) straight to your face. It also has a fabulous cooling property, thanks to the fancy AF rose of Jericho extract inside, and tons of other crazy-cool extracts like raspberry, cabbage, turmeric, apple, sandalwood, and malachite. Malachite! That's a mineral that, in solid form, would make a beautiful paper weight.

Find at Sephora; also available in a kit with the brand's famed Skin Tint. 

Eminence Organics Neroli Age Corrective Hydrating Mist

If a face mist is an indulgence then THIS face mist is the ultimate indulgence. The EO skin care line is nothing but heavy hitters, nature's ingredients at their utmost efficacy, and this mist packs a serious punch of hydration for instant lifting and plumping. When I'm rocking a bare face around the house all day I often reach for this unicorn magic and douse my face in it to stay dewy. It contains both coconut water and coconut milk, a straight-up moisture cocktail in their own right, as well as neroli oil, green apple stem cell concentrate and a naturally-derived retinol alternative. Things it doesn't contain? Parabens, sulfates, phthalates, animal by-products, synthetic dyes, petrochemicals, GMOs and triclosan. WIN.

Shop online with Eminence Organics or source your local EO spa. (YXE ladies, that would be Polished Beauty Spa or Visions Salon!)

Farmacy Honey Potion Renewing Antioxidant Hydration Mask

This face mask is such a treat to rub into tired skin. It begins to warm as it's gently massaged in and leaves skin feeling intensely moisturized when rinsed away, thanks to a trifecta of hydrating ingredients that include honey, propolis, and royal jelly rich in amino acids. If you look up those last two ingredients on Google you'll discover that all 3 derive in some form from honey bees. Royal jelly is the principal food of the honeybee queen (yassss) and propolis is a compound produced by bees that is said to fight infection and heal wounds. It also contains a super-fancy patented ingredient with a super-fancy name that enhances the hydrating + purifying potency of honey even further. This ingredient is so fancy, it's solely created by the bees that live on the Farmacy farm in upstate New York. Posh bees. Posh bees made this sh*t. 

Another Sephora find!

Fresh Vitamin Nectar Vibrancy-Boosting Mask

This mask is picking up beauty editor awards left, right + centre and, after one use, it's easy to see why. It's powered by a highly-concentrated blend of crushed citrus fruit and it somehow manages to provide an equally effective dose of both physical and chemical exfoliation. This is RARE to find in one product and even rarer to find one where both methods of exfoliation are delivered by natural means. The instant radiance this mask delivers is quite addictive so I highly recommend using it before a night out where you'll see instant payoff in the form of how little makeup you apply post-treatment. Trust. You will not want to cover up that glow!

Again - Sephora, ftw. Available in 1 oz. and 3.3 oz.

LANEIGE Multiberry Yogurt Repairing Mask

Oh, how I love this adorable pink jar that looks oh-so precious sitting on my skin care shelf next to the equally pink LANEIGE Lip Sleeping Mask (!!!). It was love at first sight based on packaging alone but, thankfully, this lovely mask delivers so much more than just a pop of color to my vanity. It features a ton of extracts that are great for your skin, including wolfberry, which I have never heard of before but can only imagine look like the most bad-ass berry in the bush. (*Fast forward 3 mins + a Google search and I've discovered that wolfberries are MORE COMMONLY KNOWN as goji berries. D'oh!!) It also contains a specialized fermented yogurt loaded with anti-irritation benefits to soothe and calm skin, as well as niacinimide (vitamin B3) to clarify skin and slough anything dull off the surface. Abundant in nutrients and antioxidants, this feel-good mask nourishes deep into the skin, while LANEIGE as a brand never test their ingredients or products on animals. Good vibes all around.

Find the Repairing Mask here and the Lip Sleeping Mask here.

Vitner's Daughter Active Botanical Serum

When contemplating which serum to include in this list it was super easy-peasy to find one that covers the bases of being ultra-nourishing, made with ingredients that are either 100% organic or wildcrafted + able to deliver amazing results. Enter Vitner's Daughter Active Botanical serum, a product currently on every beauty editor's top shelf that Into the Gloss declares to be "the facial oil to end all facial oils". FYI - if Into the Gloss declares it, it shall be gospel! This serum is also vegan and free of any kind of animal testing. Unfortunately the only downside to this serum is the price tag (sorry!!!!! truly!!!!) but I swear up and down that it is worth the price tag if you apply properly and diligently.  Plus, it's encased in a specially-filtered glass bottle that not only enhances the active properties of the ingredients but ensures the serum stays good for its entire shelf life of 18 months. Fantastic news for anyone who's experienced the disappointment of a product that has oxidized well before it's expiry.

Shop the serum at the brand's site or Canada's own Clementine Fields.

TATCHA The Water Cream

Also known as the "feel good cream", this sweet little jar gives a pop of turquoise to your vanity while the cream itself gives skin loads of hydration and anti-aging benefits. Utilizing a unique water-burst technology and heavy-hitting Japanese botanicals, this cream refines skin texture, tightens pores, clarifies, purifies, and sends girls to school... No, really! Every purchase of a full-size TATCHA skincare item will fund a day of school for girls through the brand's Beautiful Faces, Beautiful Futures campaign. Now you know why it feels SO GOOD to own this cream! Plus TATCHA has created a pure product that is noncomedogenic, non-irritating, non-sensitizing, dermatologist tested, cruelty free, and formulated without mineral oil, synthetic fragrances, sulfate detergents, urea, DEA or TEA.

Find The Water Cream and other fabulous TATCHA products at Sephora.

tarte Maracuja Oil

Save the BEST for last!!! I can't get enough of the radiant glow I wake up to after sleeping with a thin layer of this vegan face oil over my nightly skin routine. It seals in moisture without clogging pores or leaving any greasy feels behind and provides a replenishing barrier that allows the products underneath to sink in and do their thing. I also love the variety of ways this oil can be used: massage it into clean, toned skin for a no-makeup glow; add a few drops to your usual moisturizer to up the hydration factor; even mix it with your foundation for the ultimate dewy glow! The oil is cold-pressed from the maracuja fruit, which delivers a potent but natural source of vitamin C to brighten as well as fatty acids to plump, protect + nourish skin, making it the perfect last step in a nightly skin routine or the first thing you reach for when a facial massage is in order.

Find Maracuja oil and other tarte products containing maracuja oil at Sephora. I personally can't wait to try the concealer next!