Soft plastics. Unlike fallen leaves, decomposing bodies and mineral stones, soft plastics neither break down nor healthfully assimilate with the natural environment. This is a pickle for Mother Nature.
I love Mother Nature.
Here’s a cute snap of me hanging out in one of her glorious trees.
Aren’t we just loving the fact that this little hollow looks like a vaginal canon? Perhaps the caption could read “greetings from Mother Nature’s hoo-ha’, or ’emerging from the womb-tree’.
She has asked me to have a word with you about ending your long-term love affair with soft plastics. She’s also asked me to use lots of F-bombs to emphasis the seriousness of her plea. I have altered the spelling to protect sensitive eyes. To be clear, it’s pronounced ‘far(k) and far king’.
Calm your farm, not that sort of quickie – I meant a quick blog post.
A short and sweet (like me) post about skincare. Heck Yes!
The skin is our largest organ. That’s right – an organ. It absorbs topical applications quicker than the digestive tract absorbs ingested substances. It pays to invest in chemical-free skincare products and show the skin some R-E-S-P-E-C-T.
This is not an affiliated post. I do namedrop Twenty8 and KORA organics but only because I’ve been using them for yonks. KORA since I was 15 and Twenty8 since 18. Both are organic, Australian companies that combine the magic of aromatherapy with plant medicine to create ethically natural personal care products. I may also have a girl crush on Miranda Kerr (who doesn’t?) and Kim Morrison (Twenty8 founder) is a friend and mentor of mine and I enjoy helping an amigo out with a candid plug. Anyhow.
I find it frightening that between artificial fragrances and the plethora of chemicals in hair products and cosmetics, the lay person is exposing themselves to thousands of artificial ingredients daily – before they even step out of the bathroom in the morning.
What pacifies this chilling reality is that it’s stupendously easy to make a few simple swaps and displace these thousands of chemicals. Organic products are potent and end up lasting you twice as long as the regular stuff. While it may seem like an investment initially, you aren’t spending extra money overall. Winning!
Below is my regular skincare regimen + some tips on how to save dollars and still have glowing skin. I know I’m only 22 – but I still manage to look like a sweet 16 year old – minus the ‘problem skin’ -so I must be doing a few things right skincare-wise.
From back left; soothing facial moisturiser, toner, cleanser, crystals (for a face massage) and eye cream. All organic, local brands (except crystals – they’re probably from overseas).
My Morning ‘quickie’
First thing every morning – no matter how much my dear sweet Carly Cat is screaming at me for her brekkie – I take a few minutes to cleanse and moisturise. I cleanse with my Twenty8 cleanser, pat my face dry and then spritz my face and neck with Twenty8 toner. I have had the same toner concentrate for 4 years and I’ve still got plenty! How? It’s a concentrated solution that you dilute in water, a wee bit goes an extraordinarily long way. I then moisturise my damp face and neck with KORA organics soothing moisturiser. I only use the tiniest little pump and which is all I need. This cream lasts me at least 4 months. I then finish with the tiniest smear of Twenty8 firming eye cream. I use this morning and night – right before bed. This tiny jar lasts me about 6 months – sometimes longer. Ok Carly Cat, time for brekkie – thanks for waiting. Meow. Scratch, scratch. Meow.
Why not give yourself a tarot reading with one hand and a crystal massage with the other? Snaps to multi-tasking. I know what you’re thinking. Rach is a fucking hippy cliche. Ain’t nothing wrong with that dear ones. At least I’m a happy hippy cliche – with happy skin to match. Boom shakalaka.
Crystal Facial
A few times a week I’ll grab one of my smooth finished crystals and massage my face and neck with it in circular motions. Not only does it feel relaxing, I dig the ritual of taking the time to give myself a crystal facial. This is a great one to do on a short stroll in the morning (two birds, one stone) or even when having a conversation with someone. It can be pretty mindless. A simple act of self-care. Plus, once you’ve invested in the crystal, it’s free. Every time.
Twenty8 clay mask featuring my snazzy unicorn shower cap. Me sexy.
A Mask
I try to do a mask once or twice a week. At the moment I have the twenty8 clay mask but if I’m opting for the DIY option, I’ll simply combine some tahini (ground sesame paste) and raw cacao. I buy both in bulk from The Source Bulk Foods – so it’s a dirt cheap option. It is a bit messy, so I’ll apply it starkers (yes, naked) and just pace back and forth on my back lawn (or lie down and listen to some tunes) while my skin soaks up the oils and antioxidants. Then I hope in the shower and wash it off. My skin feels like a baby’s bottom afterwards – minus the poop smears. Glorious.
Additional Budget Friendly Tips
An easy body scrub (apply naked on back lawn or on an old towel in the bathroom if you have snoopy neighbours or don’t have a back lawn) is a few spoons of rapadura (or coconut) sugar mixed with extra virgin olive oil and a drop of your fave essential oil. Use as an exfoliant from neck to toe. Give yourself a good massage with it and then rinse off in the shower. Your skin will feel amazing and smell effing divine. Sexy feels get around you!
Extra virgin olive oil and organic coconut oils make the cheapest and easiest body moisturisers. Spike with a tiny drop of essential oil and you displace the need for perfume.
Olive oil is a great eye treatment overnight. I got this tip from one of my heroes; Lola Berry (thanks Lols). Apply a drop around the eye area and massage in before hitting the sack. It soaks in overnight. Antioxidants in the olives rejuvenate skin cells.
Wear a cap. Seriously, Vitamin D is bloody important, but having a cap will shield the face and neck – arguably the most sensitive areas that receive sun exposure – from too many sunny vibes.
Eat antioxidants. Veg the fuck up dear ones. Bright coloured fruits and veggies, as well as nuts, seeds, legumes, herbs, spices and organic wholegrains such as oats and brown rice are your skin’s best mates. Antioxidants slow the ageing process, whilst the natural plant oils feed the skin. A list of heroes to get you started; avocados, walnuts, berries, greens, sweet spuds, apples turmeric, ginger, cinnamon, paprika, pumpkin, figs and prunes.
Most of us see a cold, flu or sniffle and an inevidable part of the Winter season. I used to think it was the cold weather that made us more susceptible. Not directly apparently. It actually has far more to do with how our lifestyles change in Winter. We spend more time inside, so we’re breathing in more recycled air, thats likely full of germs. The heating systems don’t do much to help and can dry out our mucous membranes (remember that mucous is one of our first lines of defence against pathogens).
We may become more sedentary, as we think it’s too dark, cold and miserable to get outside. This also means we’re getting less Vitamin D – a hormone that has immune-modulating effects. Then there’s the craving for comfort foods that might be a bit stodgier and less nutritious that our Summer and Spring cravings for smoothies and vibrant salads.
When I was in primary school, my absolute favourite baked good was mum’s homemade milk-chocolate chip muffins. They were seriously the best. Light, fluffy and loaded with sweet and creamy chocolate chips. Like most kids, I had quirky ways of eating certain foods. I loved nothing more than to nibble the buttery muffin parts around the choccie chips, leaving big mounds of chocolate sections for an epic chocolate-in-my-mouth “explosion” afternoon tea finale.
If you’re listening to health-conscious thought-leaders and paying attention to the media sources daring to inform us of inconvenient truths, then chances are you’re at least vaguely aware that we are living in a pretty toxic world.
To all the mums that are worried about their teenager’s newfound obsession with protein powders, weights and “getting big”, you can thank me later. Please grab your teen, park them in front of this article and let me work my magic.
I don’t want to seem sexist, but to make this post easier to write, I’m assuming the the reader is a teenage male with a mother forcing him to at least “hear read this girl out, she makes some candid points”However young girls, and gym/protein/exercise buffs of all ages and genders can benefit from the points made here, so be my guest, pull up a chair (or park yourself at your standing desk) and read on.
I’ve talked about fats, I’ve covered carbohydrates, it would be rude to overlook the third and final macronutrient; protein. There’s probably not as much contention around protein when compared to carbs and fats – unless you’re in the body-building world of Gym Goers. I guess because we’ve been educated from a young age about the importance of eating enough of it.
EASY! HOMEMADE! SMELLS KICK-YOU-IN-THE-CROTCH-SPIT-ON-YOUR-NECK-FANTASTIC*body butter,that you canpersonalise to suit the spud muffinsyou‘re making it for.Get excited!
