New Weleda Favorites

A few months ago I dedicated an entire post to Weleda, and --don't hate me-- I'm about to do the same thing.

I recently added two new Weleda products to my repertoire, Skin Food and Iris Hydrating Day Cream. I bought Skin Food as a hand cream after I ran out of my Neutrogena and L'Occitaine favorites, and have not been disappointed. It's thick, creamy, and a little bit goes a long way. It has a strong scent which I wasn't expecting, and it's not bad, but I don't love it either. It kind of has that generic "I bought this at a natural foods store" smell, if you know what I mean, and I tend to dab some perfume on my wrists quickly after I apply it. I've also used it on my dry knees and dry spots on my face. All-in-all it's a solid multi-purpose heavy moisturizer that would be great in a carry-on to be used as a hand cream, body cream, and night cream. I'm only being nitpicky about the scent so I have something to say about a Weleda product other than "OMG I love this!"

Even though today was in the '80s here in Santa Barbara, it's been slowly starting to get a little more fall-like with cooler nights and mornings, and my skin is feeling it. Some flakes and tight dry spots have already appeared, and the Almond Soothing Lotion I've been using just wasn't cutting it. I've switched to using Iris Hydrating Day Cream on cooler mornings, and it's much more moisturizing than the Almond. Unfortunately I have to say again that it has a strong scent, clove-like, that I don't particularly enjoy, but it wears off quickly once it's absorbed. I wouldn't say that it's the most moisturizing cream I've used, but it does the job.

I admit that I'm getting a little bored with all of these Weleda products, regardless of how fabulous they are. They're simple, affordable, natural, and non-irritating, but the world of skincare is vast and tempting. My tube of Iris Hydrating Night Cream is getting towards the end and I will likely replace it with something from a different brand ... stay tuned to find out what I choose!

No-Shower Shower

Since we moved and I started a new job back in January, I have finally followed through on my promise to myself to bike to work more often. Before January, we lived downtown and my old office was a 5 minute bike ride from our condo, but now that distance has multiplied to a whopping 7 miles or 35-minute+ bike ride each way, with hills. I think it is understandably intimidating, especially when my job often involves coordinating events and I need to look presentable. We had a pretty hot summer, so when it got down into the low '70s last week, I decided to seize the opportunity to get some bike commutes in before I lose daylight savings.

I'm a sweaty mess when I work out. Whether it's yoga, running, hiking or biking, I am always drenched by the time I'm done, usually regardless of the temperature. So I knew that when I started biking to work I would have to refine my routine so that my coworkers wouldn't politely stay far away from me on days I biked to work. Here's my No-Shower Shower routine that's been working well for me so far:

Part 1: Before you Bike

Prepping for your ride correctly can make the post-bike ride clean up go a lot more smoothly. For one, I don't bother putting any makeup on before I leave. I wash my face with my normal cleanser, and then apply my favorite facial sunscreen, Coppertone Oil Free Faces SPF 30, and put a swipe of untinted Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment SPF 15 on my lips. Then I put sunscreen on my shoulders, chest, back, and arms, depending on what's exposed that day.

I wear my hair in a low bun so that my helmet can sit comfortably and my hair is kept off my back. Then I use bobby pins to pin the sides of my hair back off my face. This minimizes the amount of sweat that gets in my hair.

Part 2: Post-Bike Ride

About 7 miles later I'm in my office and sweating bullets. I find that most of my sweating happens after I stop moving, and so it's key to work quickly to stop that nasty sweat in its tracks! I'm lucky in that I have my own large, private office, so I can walk in, lock the door, pull down the shades (sometimes...I have a second floor office and the windows are pretty hard to see into from outside, but knowing me I already have a stalker) and get to work.

Step 1: Hair

The first thing I do is take off my helmet and let down my hair, flip my head over, and liberally pour dry shampoo all over the underside of my hair. I use Lush No Draught Dry Shampoo but I've heard that plain old corn starch works well too. I like the citrus scent of Lush's. I massage it in as well as I can, then I flip my hair back over and put more dry shampoo on the top of my hair and massage it.

*Note: Your floor will likely look like you are trying to hide a coke habit after all of this. I keep Lysol wipes in my office, and usually push one around with my foot to clean the white powder off the floor.

Step 2: Body Clean Up

The next step is probably the most important for feeling fresh: cleansing wipes. I spent a good amount of time in Ulta looking at the ingredients lists of different cleansing wipes before settling on Yes to Cucumbers Facial Towelettes. They have a clean scent and are non-irritating. I use one wipe on my face and another one or two on whatever parts of my body are feeling grimy (you can use your imagination here). After I'm cleaned up, I swipe on some deodorant and spritz myself with my favorite body spray, Philosophy's Inner Grace Perfumed Body Spritz, and put on my change of clothes.

Step 3: Face

I like to simplify my usual morning routine when I have to do it at the office. To do this I use a tinted moisturizer. I own Philosophy Hope in a Tinted Moisturizer, which is one of those products I'm trying to use up, and after googling it it looks like it's been discontinued. It's not very moisturizing at all, so I mix it with some of my usual morning moisturizer, Weleda Almond Facial Cream, to make it more substantial. (On a side note, I've heard good things about Josie Maran Argan Tinted Moisturizer and am excited to try it once the Philosophy runs out.) Then I apply some mascara, a few dusts of foundation from a compact (I'm currently liking Neutrogena Mineral Sheers Compact Powder Foundation) and some lip gloss or balm.

Step 4: Finishing Touches

My last step is brushing out my hair. Dry shampoo works better the longer you leave it in, which is why I like to leave it in while I'm doing everything else. I make sure all of the powder is gone, and either leave my hair down or put it in a pony. Usually it looks fine down.

Eh voila! Not only do I get a workout, some endorphins, and a chance to really appreciate and enjoy being outdoors in beautiful Santa Barbara, but I can go about my work day feeling fresh and focused.

The Routine

It's been over a month since my last post, and, believe it or not, over a month since I bought my last beauty product. I have realized that I have enough stock at home to last me through a zombie apocalypse and am determined to use what I can rather than buying more to replace something that I feel "eh" about. I've also been feeling like my wallet's a little tight lately, so that probably has something to do with it, but I also just hate waste of any kind, whether it's products, food, clothing, or just leaving the lights on when you leave a room.

I thought this would be a good time to share my current beauty routine with you. One thing that has noticably improved in the past month is my skin. I can't remember the last time I had a pimple that stood out on my face or dry flakiness, and I think a few new products that I have added to my routine have something to do with it.

Morning:
-Wash face with Boscia Clear Complexion Cleanser (this is an example of a product I've had for a while and am trying to use up; the bottle seems bottomless. It works well as a cleanser and makeup remover, but I don't think it does much on its own for acne and it's slightly drying)
-Moisturize with Weleda Almond Lotion
-SPF it up with Dermalogica Ultra Calming Super Sensitive Shield SPF 30 (good for sun protection and doesn't make my skin break out or have an allergic reaction, but does zilch for moisturizing) 
-L'Occitane Shea Butter Lip Balm

Morning makeup:
-Make Up Forever Full Cover Concealer under my eyes
-Make Up Forever HD Invisible Cover Foundation, spot applied on any blemishes with my fingertip or a brush
-bareMinerals Original Foundation, followed by Mineral Veil
-Eyelashes curled and Benefit They're Real! Mascara applied
-Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment applied in a color, topped with Smith's Rosebud Salve or a Buxom gloss if desired (or a different gloss I'm trying to use up)

That's it! I only put eyeshadow, eyeliner, blush, etc. on if I'm going out.

Evening:
-Wash face with Peaches Skin Care Blueberry Coffee Bean Exfoliating Cleanser (another cleanup item from a facial over a year ago, smells yummy but other than that it's "eh")
-Exfoliate with Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant (only every other day, LOVE this stuff)
-Weleda Iris Hydrating Night Cream
-Weleda Wild Rose Smoothing Eye Cream
-Badger Sleep Balm on lips

Shower:
-Shampoo twice with L'Occitane Aromachologie Soothing Shampoo (another never-empty bottle)
-Aveda Be Curly Conditioner
-Philosophy Field of Flowers Shampoo, Shower Gel & Bubble Bath in Peony Blossom. I only use it as a shower gel, but have used other scents of this product in the past and it is OK for shampoo in a pinch, doesn't create nearly enough bubbles as bubble bath. I loved the Peony Blossom scent at first, it's an extremely strong floral that conjured up some nostalgia for me, but I'm getting a little sick of it and I have a giant 16 oz bottle to use up :(
-Lush Ro's Argan Body Conditioner

Weleda

It's been an insanely busy week. A huge part of my job over the past 3 months has been planning for a big conference that just took place on May 1 & 2.  I also had two smaller events on the days before and after. Everything went smoothly over all but working 12 hour days really took its toll on me. I didn't eat right, didn't get enough sleep, and didn't work out. I did yoga for the first time since last weekend this morning and I was shocked at how stiff my limbs left. Poses that were usually easy were surprisingly challenging. It reminded me of the importance of having a daily yoga practice, even if it's just 10 minutes, something to get your muscles working. I'm going to try harder to do that, even on days when it seems like there's no time for anything other than vegging on the couch and eating some takeout.

But on to one of my favorite natural brands: Weleda. Like another one of my favorite natural brands, Dr. Hauschka, Weleda is a German brand, and their products are made with ingredients that are sustainably farmed. While still on the pricey side, they're more affordable than Dr. Hauschka, and with very similar ingredients. I'm currently using their Almond Facial Cream, Iris Hydrating Night Cream, and Wild Rose Smoothing Eye Cream, and I love them all. I have a bad track record with having allergic reactions to almost all of the eye creams I've tried, and this one is lovely. The night cream is super hydrating on my parched skin, and I alternate between Almond Facial Cream and Almond Facial Lotion during the day, using the cream when my skin is feeling drier, and then top it off with an SPF not from Weleda (they don't make any sun protection products). 

Weleda is also well known for Skin Food, an all-purpose rich moisturizer, which I have not yet tried. They also have an extensive line of natural baby products, which I have also not yet tried but I'm sure I will at some point in the future! As I was cruising around their website earlier I also noticed they have a "Medicines" section with both OTC and prescription medicines. I'm certainly intrigued.