My Low Waste Skin Care & Make-up Routine

Wow, it has been a hot minute since I have done anything with this blog. I don't need to tell and/or explain to anyone reading this what kind of chaotic year this has been. However, it's 9:05 PM, my son is asleep, the kitchen and living room are clean, and I've done all the homework I can take for the day, so I decided to finally sit down and write this post that I've had saved since April 2020. I'm really excited to share with you all my low waste skin care and make-up routine because this is something I have been working on since the start of my sustainability journey. It's still not perfect and I'm learning as I go, but when I think about how far I've come in the products I use and where I get them from, I'm definitely proud of this routine. 

As someone who has had acne prone skin since what feels like the beginning of time, finding the balance of sustainability and skin care was challenging. When I first started this transition to sustainable living I went kind of overboard and stopped using skin care products altogether for a little bit. I was literally just washing my face with water and let me tell you, my skin did NOT appreciate that. It gave me some of the worst acne I'd had in a very long time. I wasn't happy with my skin or appearance, and as someone who has deeply struggled with self image issues, I knew that being comfortable in my skin was important to me. So, then I went to using a bar soap that is made for acne prone skin (I still use bar soap on my face and in combination with other products, I think it works great!), toner, moisturizer, and SPF. Again... my skin was really struggling and did not like the regimen either. This was hard for me because I really dedicated to living that "zero waste" lifestyle, but my skin just wasn't agreeing with it. While this was going on I also stopped wearing makeup of any kind, so I was also adjusting to going out "bare face" and having major issues with acne. 

Looking back I was being too hard on myself. Unless you literally go off grid and live off the land, in the 21st century, there is no such thing as living a "perfect" zero waste lifestyle. That is something we have to accept when we shift to choosing more low-waste and sustainable products. There is no "perfection" when it comes to zero waste living, really you just need to choose which products in your life are the ones you can't live without and then try to change the other ones that you can. For me, I couldn't live without my skin care products since I have acne prone skin. So, the hunt was on for a more sustainable skin care routine. What follows is the companies + products that worked well for my skin, my budget, and my ideals of living a more low waste lifestyle! 

*My skin care routine looks a little different right now because I'm pregnant so there's certain ingredients I'm not supposed to be using due to pregnancy*

~AM ROUTINE~

1. I wash my face with the Sea Buckthorn and Tea Tree face bar soap from Chagrin Valley Soap and Salve. I really like getting skin care products from this company because the founder of it is an RN and a chemist, so she understands the complexity of making soaps that are actually good for your skin. My skin never feels dry or tight after using this! https://www.chagrinvalleysoapandsalve.com/p/soap-sea-buckthorn-tea-tree/

    

    2. I mix together 1 "shake" of the Versed Skin Found The Light Powder w/ Vitamin C and 3 drops of Sunday Morning Antioxidant Oil-Serum (also from Versed Skin). Vitamin C is a great addition to your routine if your skin is looking dull and also as a baby step for anti-aging! I like using oil/serum based products because my skin is on the oily side and I've found that this helps to control excess oil my skin may produce. Versed Skin is a FAVORITE company of mine for so many reasons 

• Get rid of the bad stuff, but keep the good stuff (like using natural alternatives to chemical ones) 
• All of their packaging comes from at least a portion of post-consumer recycled plastic 
• Packaging can then be recycled AGAIN locally or at a Target (Target sells this brand) 
• They are aiming to be a carbon neutral company by sometime in 2021 
• https://versedskin.com/pages/sustainability

    

     3. That's all I do for the AM because of this awesome skin tint serum I found through ILIA Beauty! The Super Serum Skin Tint SPF 40 does multiple different things and can help eliminate the need for several products. That is another thing I have discovered trying to have a skin care routine that works for my skin, but is also good for the planet. A good rule of thumb for sustainability, find products that have multiple different uses so you only need one of those instead of 5 other products. That is what this skin tint does! It works as a serum, a moisturizer, makeup, and SPF. I've been using it for the last couple of months and not only does it give a good amount of coverage (definitely not full coverage), but it has also seemed to help even out my skin tone! It is on the pricier side at $46 a bottle, but like I said, it replaces several other products that I would be spending money on any way. 

    https://iliabeauty.com/products/balos-st3

    4. I also use ILIA Beauty's brow gel and mascara. I only bought the brow gel because I was curious to see how it worked/looked and if I spent a certain amount of money, I would get their mini limitless mascara for free. I stopped using mascara daily a long time ago because it's a product I can live without. I am leaning towards getting my brows tinted and my lashes lifted/tinted when I want that part of my face to look more "put together." Brow tints and lash lifts/tints last for 2-3 months, which for now I've come to the conclusion is maybe a more sustainable route than buying makeup products that I'll just have to throw away later.

    5. I go back and forth between two different products that I use as my blush/eye shadow/high lighter/lip stick only IF I feel the need to get that amount of ready in the morning. I mean let's get real, we are still in a pandemic and no one is really going anywhere. I love these products though because they last FOREVER (these are still the first ones I've ever bought and it has been well over 6 months since I purchased them), they have little to no packaging (and the packaging they do have can be recycled or repurposed), and they are sustainably made (of course). They also follow the rule of thumb to get one product that can be used for multiple purposes! 

I get both of these products at Plastic Free Pursuit! https://plasticfreepursuit.com/

~PM ROUTINE~

    1. At night I like to "double cleanse" to make sure that I've gotten off all the dirt and makeup from the day. I start with a Makeup Remover + Cleansing Oil that's made by Chagrin Valley Soap and Salve, but I buy it from Plastic Free Pursuit. It's made with carrot and helichrysum oil and is good for all skin types! It comes in a glass bottle (so be careful when using/storing) and a stainless steel lid that can be recycled (I replaced the lid with a dropper I had and I think it works a lot better that way). This has helped my skin with those stubborn dry patches (like my nose). 

   

    2. I wash my face again with the bar soap that I use in my AM routine 

    

    3. I repeat step 2 of my AM routine (sometimes I will use the vitamin C powder both AM and PM and sometimes I will only use it during one of those times, it just depends on how my skin is doing) 

    4. I use a small amount of the Nix It Complexion Solution from Versed Skin as a spot treatment on those stubborn pimples. I was using it before I was pregnant, but even though it contains a very small amount of Salicylic acid, this spot treatment from them is pregnancy safe! 

 

    5. Since it's the winter time and although my skin is oily, I do get these dry patches on my nose and my chin; so, in addition to the serum-oil I use (which can replace a moisturizer altogether), I have been using a moisturizer that I bought from Plastic Free Pursuit. The brand is UpCircle and it's actually from the UK! This brand uses repurposed ingredients and turns it into amazing skin care products! All of their packaging can be easily recycled. 

And that's it! That's my whole skin care routine (as of right now). Like I said before, there is no "perfect" way to live zero waste in the 21st century. If skincare is something that is important to you, you just have to find a way to make it sustainable! We are all just doing our best and that's really anyone can ask of us. I have tried multiple other products from Versed Skin and UpCircle that I'm not currently using right now, but I wanted to share real quick just to get an idea of how diverse their product selection is! 

~UpCircle~ 

Herbal Blend Face Scrub (they old coffee grounds for this and let me tell you, this product is AMAZING -- I ran out of this and I'm actually not sure why I haven't ordered more)

Vegan Face Mask 

~Versed Skin~

Just Breath Clarifying Serum 

Weekend Glow Toner 

Day Dissolve Cleansing Balm 

Dew Point Gel-Moisturizer (this is GREAT for summer when you don't need something as heavy)

If you are still here, thank you for taking the time to read this! I hope this gave you some ideas on how to make your daily skincare and makeup routine a little more sustainable. If you use other sustainable brands please feel free to share those in the comments! 

~Sadie~