Beauty At Home: Skin Reset with For The Biome

With all that is going on in the world right now, I have had a lot of stress and have been feeling anxious which has been impacting my skin. I decided to give my skin a breather, not wear much makeup (only about once a week), and focus on using whole-ingredient skincare from For The Biome as a way to reset my skin! I've been using their Vegan Starter Set that includes their Empower Powder 2-in-1, Adapt Essence Spray, and Shield Face Serum and have been loving my results so far! Bonus that the face powder smells like oatmeal cookies (it has oats, cloves, cinnamon among some of the ingredients!)

Step 1: Empower Powder 2-in-1

Use the Empower Powder 2-in-1 mask cleanser duo first to retain hydration and spark cell renewal. Just spoon some out into the Tool Kit bowl, add water, mix, and apply to skin. For regular use, I apply all over face but for photo purposes I just did a little swatch. After you’ve washed your face off and are feeling fresh and clean, it’s time for step 2!

About the Product:

This artisanally fermented mask and cleanser duo bestows the skin with nature’s most potent hydrators including our clinically studied aloe vera which increases skin hydration by 100% within one hour of application for a firmer, smoother complexion. - For the Biome

Step 2: Adapt Essence Spray

Spritz Adapt Essence Spray on face and neck for dewy hydration. The spray acts as a standalone moisturizer.

About the Product:

Replenish your microbiome with this feast of prebiotic nutrients and adaptogenic mushrooms as they guard against blue light radiation and help skin adapt to stress for a dewy complexion. - For the Biome

Step 3: Shield Face Serum

After the Adapt Essence Spray, apply the Shield Face Serum and massage into skin. This acts as a moisturizer on your damp skin, seals in hydration, and activates your shield.

About the Product:

Astaxanthin stands guard against free radical damage as restorative rosehip and 6 botanicals deliver moisture to the skin’s deepest layers with the elevated bioactivity that can only be found in volcanic CO2 extracts. - For the Biome

And that’s a wrap!

I have a new found appreciation for balancing my skin and microbiome. By using natural and whole ingredients, I not only feel better about my skin but about my health and what I’m putting on my body. The skin is our largest organ and we need to protect it by using products with safe ingredients!

If you’re interested in trying out For the Biome for yourself, I suggest checking out their Discovery Trial Set. This is a good way to see which products you like best at a fraction of the price and to see if it’s a good fit for you and your skin! If you’re vegan and don’t use honey, I would suggest the Vegan Start Set. Don’t hesitate to ask me any questions about my experience, I’m an open book! Stay safe and healthy friends!

XO, Al

My Low-Waste (Vegan) Lifestyle

I do my very best to reduce trash and disposables in my life, but I am not full “zero-waste”. I eat no animal products (dairy, eggs, meat, fish, and honey) and avoid wearing animal products like leather and suede. I’d like my lifestyle choices to be kind to the environment in as many ways as I can. 

I cleared my closet of animal products when I moved to California almost 2 years ago. I may still have a few items with leather embellishment and maybe a wool hat or two but it's hard to tell exactly what it's made of if it's missing a materials tag. Not going to lie — me being a fashionista my whole life, this cleanse was tough, but I feel so much better now! 

I think that this is a big step toward living in a more sustainable manner.  I've only personally met a handful of people that live a full vegan lifestyle and only one that was “zero-waste” — sure I see the ones on social media, but in general, these lifestyles are very rare. When you limit all of your shopping options to this level, it can be overly restrictive. Anything extra that you can do to reduce the amount of animal products and garbage/waste that you consume or produce is a good option! I like to think of searching for vegan low or zero-waste items as an opportunity and challenge to find more sustainable items/products/food. It makes me very happy when I choose kindness for both people and the planet.  :) 

So, while I am moving towards more “zero-waste” options, I am really more “low-waste”… I could never do full “zero-waste” for a few key reasons: 

1. Convenience, time, and my taste buds are a big factor. I like my tofu, tempeh, soy/pea protein vegan meats, seitan, almond based yogurt, vegan coconut milk ice cream mochi (when I can find it), and vegan cheese. I just don’t have the time or resources to make all of these products myself. I can make a bomb cashew cheese and cashew cheese sauce, fresh pesto, lentil bolognaise sauce, and attempt some homemade seitan or nut milks – but the rest of the items seem pretty out of my league. If you know where to get some of these products zero-waste around Long Beach (or LA/OC within a reasonable distance) let me know!

2. I like to wear makeup. Nothing too crazy, but just the basics! I haven’t found a vegan, cruelty-free, makeup brand that has the products I normally use with a recycling program or with compostable/fully recyclable packaging. If you know of any, hit me up! I also go through makeup extremely slowly, which is a good thing — it’s not like I am using a lot of product or packaging. I’ve had my daily eyeshadow and bronzer for at least four or five years, so some perspective is in order!

3. You must consider your own living environment, and others. Composting in an apartment can be obviously difficult, and impractical, depending on your living situation. We currently have limited freezer space for me to freeze scraps and take to a composting site later on. I would love to start composting someday — I saw a super cool composter that turns food scraps into soil within 24 hours on Kickstarter! Expense, appropriate space, and facilities is a common barrier, so you may certainly have to scale back what you can do until you can be in the proper space, place and time. Having a yard, garden, or a really convenient setup makes a huge difference in how all this can work. Typically local urban gardens will take your compost or in some big cities have services or drop off sites. You also don’t want your struggle for an environmentally low-impact lifestyle to have a high negative impact on your relationships with your roommate, spouse, or significant other. While being kind to the environment is important, people come first — for some things, it’s always best to just do your best, and not obsess! 

4. A lot of mailed packages arrive encased in Styrofoam or other non-recyclable materials. I did learn recently that the City of Los Angeles will recycle styrofoam, but Long Beach will not even though it's technically LA County (sigh). And yes, the items delivered I cannot get second-hand or at a thrift shop. Whenever I know I can buy something elsewhere without the waste, I do so! I’ve heard of some zero-waste people taking these materials back to the post office, but I need to look more into this. 

5. Traveling and eating out can be a barrier as well. I always bring my metal cutlery set but often when doing either of these things, restaurants prepare meals with unnecessary disposables despite ordering from more health conscious/vegan-friendly places.

6. Medical and necessary health products are a must. If you have regular medicines, get sick, or have another issue that requires medical attention, you need to use the proper products to aid your health — many of which have extra waste and packaging for sterilization and sanitation purposes.

Despite my handful of barriers, I’m really trying my best to reduce plastic use and disposables when I can. I’ve been researching zero-waste places to buy products around me and have found some great spots. One spot in particular is called Co-Opportunity in Culver City. It is amazing! They have a location in Santa Monica too but it doesn’t have a deli. They have so many items in bulk. You can get apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, liquid soaps, detergents, lotion, buy zero-waste by bringing your own containers or buy the glass mason jars they have there.

I had been using zero-waste shampoo and conditioner bars, and although I loved the shampoo, the conditioner didn’t actually make my hair silky or help me get out knots so I was super excited to find some liquid shampoo and conditioner that I could refill! It’s vegan, eco-friendly, smells like lavender, and works wonders. What a find!

I’ve been in the process of replacing my pantry items into jars. I got a label maker — yeah I know, also not technically zero-waste, but it reduces a lot of packaging in the long run and I need to know what’s in my jars! It’s been great to see my pantry evolve.

Baby steps people, baby steps! Kindness to people and the planet!  You can live a lower-waste life and make a positive impact on people and the planet through your example.

This is all pretty new and exciting for me and I’m happy to share the resources and practices I’ve learned so far with you. Here’s to learning more about a low-waste lifestyle, educating those who aren’t familiar, and to reducing your carbon footprint and environmental impact through daily actions and lifestyle choices!

Remember, you certainly don’t have to be perfect at all of this to make a big difference. Any little bit you can do helps a lot!

Vegan Beauty: Phlur Sustainable Fragrances

I probably have enough perfume to last me ten years right now, but when the influencer marketing group that I'm a part of, Obviously, approached me about working with the sustainable vegan fragrance company, Phlur, this was not an opportunity I was going to pass up!

Surprisingly, many fragrance companies still use animal bi-products and/or test on animals. You would think with advancements in technology they wouldn't have to, but it's a sad and realistic truth. The odd products range from, "wax-like pathological growth found in the stomach and intestines of about one in a hundred sperm whales, and also in the pygmy sperm whale," to the male musk "stored in a hairy pouch just the size of a golf ball, in front of the penis" from a Siberian Musk Deer, to castoreum which, "comes from the castor sacs of the beaver, which occur in both males and females between the pelvis and the base of the tail." The list can go on forever, but if you'd like to learn more you can visit this link or do some of your own research online! Knowledge is power!

Information like this is not well-known and is hidden by the name brands, big corporations, and advertisers as they want to portray the ultimate luxurious fragrances - to you (the consumer) to buy buy buy. And guess what?! It works! Many people only buy fragrances because of the name brand and how the brand symbolizes wealth, power, beauty, etc. - it's all marketing! 

Phlur is a whole different type of fragrance company - no big corporations, no department stores, no harsh chemicals or additives, no celebrity-endorsed advertisements, no animal cruelty, and no weird and unnecessary animal products. This keeps the scent vegan, pure, and natural. You can feel confident putting Phlur on your skin knowing it was thoughtfully made with consideration and respect for your beautiful skin, your health, animals, and the environment!

What more can a girl ask for in a perfume? Oh ya! It needs to smell BOMB. Good thing the peeps over at Phlur know what they're doing. Every scent I tried in my sample set and full size bottle were amazing and could be worn so effortlessly. Loved being able to try these out. Big thanks to Phlur for my new favorite scents!