Guys. Hiiiii. It’s been a long, hard recovery from a six year battle with Late Stage Lyme Disease, and it took every ounce of my energy to get here. I’ve so missed you and so missed blogging. However, never once have I let my health issues get in the way of taking care of myself, my body and my skin. Now, more than ever, I’ve upped the ante since I’m almost (gasp) 40. But 40 is the new 30 so here’s to aging better than ever now that we have SO many options in organic, chemical free skin care. And trust me, chemicals are aging. All the Estee Lauder in the world won’t help you. Department store skin care is loaded with chemicals, parabens and ingredients we can’t even begin to pronounce. I’m short on time, so I won’t be “linking to buy” this time around, but that’s what Google is for. I hope you fall in love with these products as much as I have. PS: I only do this once a year because I specifically like to use the products for about a year before I make any final decisions. Women are fickle and if we don’t love a product it gets tossed to the side. (Skin reactions, no noticeable changes, etc.) If I continually use something for an entire year, it’s a damn miracle. So … with that being said, here are the miracles of 2017. Enjoy xo Fontaine
Vitamin C Serum with Hyaluronic Acid (Asterwood Naturals)
Use: Daily under moisturizer, also great for neck and chest or wherever you may have signs of sun damage.
Buy: Amazon
Andalou Pumpkin Glycolic Face Mask
Use: Weekly (Once or twice a week) Leave on 15-20 mins then rinse.
Buy: Whole Foods, Sprouts, Target
Andalou COQ10 Resveratrol Nightime Moisturizer
Two huge ingredients for anti-aging. Must have.
Use: Nightly after serum
Buy: Whole Foods, Sprouts, Target
Nonie of Beverly Hills (AHA) Alpha Hydroxy Daytime Moisturizer
Another must have ingredient for anti-aging.
Use: Daily after serum
Buy: Online only (Nonie of Beverly Hills website)
Athara Moroccan Coffee Eye Cream
I don’t mess around with eye cream. Lyme destroyed my eyes due to Liver issues. If there’s no coffee in it, I’m not interested. Nothing else gets rid of dark circles and puffiness faster than caffeine. And this one is loaded with it.
Use: Every AM first thing like my life depended on it
Buy: Athara Website only
Alba Coffee Body Scrub
Can you tell I like coffee in my skin care? This one sets me up for my next product, NKD SKN Organic Self Tanner. It looks flawless if you use this exfoliating scrub first. I use exfoliating mits on both hands for a full body, even scrub.
Use: Only when I shower
Buy: Sprouts or Online
NKD SKN Organic Self Tanner (Gradual Tan)
Hands down, best self tanner with safest ingredients ever for a self tanner. Beautiful caramel color and no smell!
Use: After shower, after body scrub.
Buy: ULTA
Reviva Labs Alpha Lipoic Acid, Vitamin C Ester and DMAE Cream
Look up these ingredients and see why this cream wins the award for anti-aging. Facelift without the surgery. LOVE.
Use: Super strong and stings a bit so I use this one three times a week as a daily moisturizer in place of the AHA after serum. Game Changer.
Buy: Whole Foods or Sprouts
Schmidt’s Charcoal Magnesium Deodorant
Charcoal to absorb the odor and the toxins. No Aluminum necessary. Pretty genius stuff. Smells great. So strong you can skip a day.
Buy: Sprouts or Online
Activated Charcoal, Coconut Oil, Bentonite Clay Toothpaste (My Magic Mud)
Yep. You heard that right. Black as tar and bad ass. Talk about seriously healthy gums and teeth. Gum and mouth health is SO important for overall health, so choose wisely when it comes to cleaning. Also, whitens teeth brilliantly.
Use: Daily
Buy: Sprouts or Online
Andalou Naturals Biotin Lavender Shampoo and Conditioner
Yes, I blogged this last year and yes, I still love it. Amazing for fast hair growth and shine.
Use: Shower (Obvi)
Buy: Whole Foods or Sprouts
Zerran Blue Shampoo (For blondes or blonde Balayage)
I loathe brassy blonde. I also loathe the ingredients in most Blue and Purple Shampoos. It took me a long time to find one that actually takes the brass out, leaving a bright white blonde while also managing to be 100% vegan and plant based.
Use: Shower. I use this after the Biotin shampoo and leave it in for about three minutes.
Buy: Beauty Supply stores, Amazon
Lavender Body Cream (Aura Cacia)
I have super dry skin, so on the days I don’t use the self tanner, I use this. Leaves my skin moisturized for daaaaays.
Use: Daily if needed
Buy: Vitacost. In fact, for the best prices on ALL of the previous listed items, use Vitacost. Fast shipping. Free if you spend $49.