My Skincare - Aug/Sept

L to R: Osmosis Shelter SPF 30, Vered Herb Infused Toner, YÜLI Cocoon, YÜLI M.E. Skin Fuel, Dr.Alkaitis Organic Soothing Gel, Dr.Alkaitis Organic Nourishing Treatment Oil

I haven't really been updating my blog because I was accepted into a volunteer program for medical students so I have been working at what the team calls a "pre-doctors without borders" environment. It is extremely tough work but not to sound cliche, the feeling of accomplishment in providing medical aid to those without healthcare is even more amazing.

There is a 3 room clinic so most of us work outside in the make-shift tents all day and we have limited source of clean running water that we have to ration. I thought this would be a good post to show how my green skincare regimen provides the versatility and performance that shows how amazing these green products are when put to the test.

Cleanse

This is a terrible shot but I was trying to shoot this with my phone in one hand and The Clean Dirt in the other, not easy! The Clean Dirt is great because you just need to splash your face a little bit and ration a little trickle of water to mix the dirt into a paste. It helps to exfoliate skin and break through the dirt. I use this probably three times a week so prevent my skin from looking dull or rough. I didn't bring the full bottle because I tried to travel lightly so I poured these into smaller containers.

Quick Clean: I was sent a full size of Vered's Botanical Herb-Infused Toner which I will review shortly. I find that when water is scarce or I just need a quick clean (often after working an entire day then going directly to a dinner), I dab this liberally over a cotton pad and it takes all the excess oils and dirt off my face. 

Sunscreen: My mom carries Osmosis in her office and it is a solid line, though not one for green beauties (for instance, while they don't use parabens, they use a lot of honeysuckle which contains a natural form of parabens that impacts the body in the same harmful way). I like their Shelter SPF30 sunscreen because it's a great physical block that also moisturizes skin. It's one of the only sunscreens that doesn't sting my eyes if I get some in through sweating. 

Face Mist: I knew that I would be in a hot and dry climate so I needed something cooling, refreshing, but that could also relieve my skin of sunburn, heat, and environmental irritation so YULI's Cocoon Elixir was the perfect choice. True to it's word, redness and inflammation is calmed down quickly, and let's just say if I ever find this bottle gone, it's usually with one of my fair skinned cohorts who have taken a liking to this. Oh and it feels and smells so good.

Night time: At night I like to use the Dr.Alkaitis Soothing Gel to help keep breakouts from forming and also provide a little moisturization. I also think it's important to have an anti-bacterial product just because things aren't as clean here. If my skin is ever feeling a little warm or exhausted, using this with Cocoon is a sure bet to calm everything down.

Moisturizer:

Body - I like to use Dr.Alkaitis Nourishing Treatment Oil as it is a thicker oil that can feed my depleted, sun-drenched skin. The oil helps dry/damaged skin which is perfect for extremeties that can often be neglected in the heat.
 

Face - I really enjoy YULI's ME Skin Fuel, which besides the superb ingredients which I mentioned here, is very light and balancing. It's perfect for providing skin with nutrients and moisture without weighing it down. I try to put a few more drops around parts that have high sun exposure as this has natural UV protectors. There are a lot of blemish calming ingredients in here and even angry red flare-ups seem pacified after applying this. At the end of a long day, my skin absolutely drinks this stuff up and I wake up with really happy skin. 

So this is my routine, relatively low dependence on water and very versatile. Most of all, the performance is amazing. I'm able to finish my routine in 1-2 minutes while everyone else is waiting in line for water. I've also noticed that I'm the only one who hasn't suffered sun burns, acne, or skin flaking this entire trip, so I give a lot of credit to these products.