So You Want a Glowing Skin?
maximal radiance with minimal effort (radiance)
If you ever wondered how to achieve a glowing and healthy skin, this letter was written for you, with tips and tools and products I’ve been using, loving and recommending to anyone asking me about it.
You’ll see, I love efficient tools over overpriced products, and that I love beautiful packaging is also true.
That’s said, if today is not a good day to receive this letter, save it for later, when you’re looking for a specific product or when you feel in the mood for a glow up! Love you either way, thanks for being here!
Breath of Fire: clearing the skin
3 minutes of breath of fire daily. Equal exhale and inhale through the nose. If you’re new to it, check this resource. Not to be practiced during pregnancy and first 3 days of your menstrual cycle. This will change your life (and skin) for the better.
When? every day, between 3 to 11 minutes (waiting for the water to be boiling? the final spin of the washing machine? the bus?)
Cold water: for refreshed and tightened skin
Cold water has so many benefits for the skin, i.e. boost the blood circulation, regulate sebum production (better skin elasticity), reduce pore size, and give you that glow. If you can’t do cold water, try one of those tools (called ice face roller) to depuff your face and tighten your skin.
When? every morning, a dozen splashes of cold water on the face and neck (as cold as possible). Take some deep breaths in-between if that’s too uncomfortable. You’ll look forward to this every day.
Rose water: toning, healing and balancing
It’s good for all skin types, inexpensive, smells delicious, and acts as a toner. A radiance booster (unclog pores, hydrate, reduce redness) with balancing properties (controls sebum production).
When? After the cold water in the morning, but also really anytime during the day when you need to feel fresh (I always carry my small spray bottle when travelling). A few “pschiii”, as long as it feels good and refreshing.
Supplements: for skin support
I talked about it for my hair, and I will say it again: SuperHair from MoonJuice has great ingredients in its formula: vitamin A (radiant skin! promote cells turnover!), vitamin C (antioxidant), vitamin E (antioxidant + supports collagen production), vitamin B3 (soothing effect). What’s missing in the formula is zinc (antioxidant) but you can find it in the formula SuperPower.
→ SuperHair 2 caps daily. I order from cultbeauty, 62€ in Europe. If you order from the MoonJuice website (US based) it’s $60, butyou can get $20 off on your first order ($100+) using my discount code RefereeRX75UFR7
Gentle dry brushing: exfoliate the skin, reduce puffiness, promote firm skin
The key is the be gentle with your skin. You want to caress your face and décolleté with a gentle dry brushing routine, and I would not do it every single day. A tool for life, that you can easily take with you when you are travelling. It provides a smooth and gently lifting effect, if you follow the instructions.
When? in the morning on dry and clean skin, 2 to 3 times a week
6 strokes on each area. With practice, it will take less than 90 seconds. If you have a dry brush for the face already — or plan to get this one — follow along with the video (or follow the guide that comes with the brush).
Cleansing oil: perfect for gua sha routine, oil-to-milk
You get all that you need here. It’s the oil I am using for my gua sha routine, it’s packed with vitamin E, rich in antioxidants, anti-inflammatory, moisturising, soothing properties. 14 plant oils on top (including argan oil, jojoba oil and evening primrose oil) in a clean formula that remove blackheads, excess oil, makeup, and fine dust without drying out the skin. It’s from Manyo, a Korean beauty brand that aims for simple, clean and effective routines.
When? Every morning, with or without my gua sha routine, on face + neck. Then when I’m ready to rinse it off, I splash some water of my face and it turns into a milky texture. I use a clean face towel to rinse it all.
+ Good gua sha tutorials on Youtube shorts here.
Cleansing balm-to-milk: a supple and clean skin
One thing: you’re gonna miss it when you don’t have it. It’s a rather small size which makes it perfect for travelling. It feels like a honey jelly potion that you aplly on your face, let it melt, and rinse with water. If you want to feel clean, this removes makeup, SPF and daily build-up safely. It’s green because it contains vitamin-rich chlorophyll.
When? In the evening after a day living life. When you come home and just feel like you need to feel clean, fresh, and… bare skin.
Face exfoliant paste: for a spa moment and deep cleansing
My favourite Aesop product. I buy it every year, and use it once a week. Now: it contains lactic acid and fine quartz, and together they give you this scrubbing effect that sloughs away dead skin cells and soften the skin. It also means that I use it in the evening. It is recommended to protect your skin with sunscreen after that!
When? Once to twice a week, in the evening.
A facial in a jar: for instantly plumper, smoother, glowing skin
This one is my secret weapon. It’s called the Miracle Mask for a reason. It’s not sticky, and it gets in the skin so easily. I often keep it on for one hour, and then rinse it off. It’s my anti-wrinkle cream, if you will, because the formula plumps fine lines, and provides deep hydration (contains a blend of gently exfoliating mandelic + lactobionic acid (PHA), soothing marshmallow root extract and moisturising panthenol).
When? on a Sunday slow morning kind of day, when my routine takes hours, the spa moment. But truly, this could be use every day to restore your glow.
Jojoba oil + the glow serum for the day
This comes from my husband. He only uses jojoba oil + a few drops of frankincense essential oil on his skin (and I’m allowed to say that he looks good and radiant!) (share the tip with the men in your life?). So I make my own mix using jojoba oil (buy the big bottle on Amazon, and use 100ml pump bottle to create your own small size…) with… the glow serum from MANTLE. Why? Because I don’t love the smell of the glow serum on its own, but I love what it does. Hero ingredients are: liquorice root extract (antioxidant + soothing + smoothing), bisabolol (soothing), bakuchiol (skin elasticity, a gentle and vegan alternative to retinol).
When? Every morning, a pump of jojoba oil + a drop of glow serum on face + neck.
Lip balm: for plumping hydration
Again, the lifehack here is a drop of hyaluronic acid (by The Ordinary) + B5 and a very hydrating balm (Le Baume by Doré). The drop of hyaluronic acid is there for extra hydration (as it attracts up to 1000 times its weight in water) and vitamin B5 heals and damaged areas. The balm is thick and gives a homéoplasmine vibe, but in a clean version: with castor oil, aloe vera, vitamin E (I also use it for my cuticles and for extreme dry skin).
When? At least twice a day, morning and evening (I bought a trio of Le Baume, and keep them in my bag, next to my bed and the last one is floating around the house).
SPF: hydrate, prime and protect in a lightweight formula
Skincare + Sunscreen = Skinscreen. This is how you future-proof your face. Now. I hydrate, prime and protect my skin with this SPF 50 from Ultra Violette (Australian brand specialized in ‘skinscreen’) — it’s lightweight and you’ll want to squeeze every drop out of the tube. You can take the quizz on their official website to find your new SPF. And your new SPF 50 lip balm.
When? Every morning, a few drops before your makeup if you are wearing any.
Meditation to rewrite how you feel, inside out
Your subconscious mind is your best and worst beauty tool. If you experience negative self-talk, try to meditate. And if you don’t know where to start, create some space, grab your headphones, and spend 15 minutes with this video for clear glowy skin.
When? Anytime you need an extra self-care moment.
I think that’s it.
Oh. I know someone is gonna ask about where to find gua sha tools. I bought some of mine at Zara Home, and I’m happy about it, so here is a shopping selection for you, for this home spa vibe.
A last thought
I talk a lot about skincare with my sister. We find it difficult to navigate this world — what to put on our skin, when, how, how much, in which order, etc. and she has been simplifying her routine by getting what she needs from one clean skincare brand called Ringana, and she now has an easy 4-step daily routine. You can write to her here (join her telegram channel) for more information, or check out this website, I’m new to this brand, and might give it a try!
Good things here! Thank you for being here today. If you found this helpful, please forward this letter to a friend or sister?
If you missed it, read the hair care and growing long hair letter in full here (a letter from April 28th)
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