Anyone who knows me knows that, like JLo, my skin is kinda my thing.  However, unlike JLo, I don’t have millions of dollars to invest in products; I don’t have the discipline to never down a cocktail, and I most certainly don’t have the staff to scrub down my bathtub after an evening soak in warm organic milk (I shit you not, this is actually a thing).

What I DO have though, is some pretty solid maternal genes (Thanks Mom! Thanks Oma!), a diet that’s high in healthy fats (anybody else add a spoonful of coconut oil to their morning smoothies and oatmeal?), a strong commitment to beauty rest (we’re talking a minimum of 8hrs/night), and a small but powerful army of skincare products that *knock on wood* keep me smoothe as a baby’s bottom from head to toe; thus allowing me to use very minimal makeup and require almost no out-of-home maintenance (seriously, who has the time?). So to what do I owe my wrinkle-free, blemish-free, stretch mark-free, hella moisturized skin, you ask? Well let’s start from the top, shall we?

FACE

One of the only parts of our bodies that is perpetually exposed to the elements, our poor faces want (and deserve) some extra TLC.  Mine is where the majority of my skin care products wind up, yet knowing how thin and delicate facial skin is, I do my best to use uber gentle products and I try to choose organic wherever I can:

Makeup Removal: Organic Coconut Oil

I buy a giant tub of this shit, spoon it out into small containers and scatter them throughout the house – it acts as everything from diaper cream, to moisturizer, to makeup remover, to toothpaste *just add baking soda*, to cooking oil.

Face Wash: Elabloom Moisturizing Face Wash

My girlfriend sent me a care package of Elabloom products a few months ago and I was immediately hooked. This face wash feels great; it doesn’t dry you out, and it smells somewhere between high-end spa and hippie bathroom – I’m in love.

Toner: Elabloom Firming Toner

Ok I’ll admit it: I’d never used a toner before trying this one… but I have come to really enjoy spritzing it on first thing in the morning! The fresh scent wakes me up and the cool splash is delightfully soothing.  Does it actually do anything?  To be honest, I’m not entirely sure; but it most certainly hasn’t done any harm so I’ll keep spritzing away.

Moisturizer: Dermalogica Skin Smoothing Cream

This is one staple that has not left my skincare regime once in the past decade. Why? Because in all my years, I’ve never come across a moisturizer that I love more. I use it for daytime and night, in the dead of winter and the heat of summer; it has never once let me down.

*I also add a few drops of their Solar Defence Booster to it in the a.m. and consider myself protected*

Eye Cream: Baby and Eve Happy Eyes 

This one is a recent addition to the arsenal, but I often find myself wondering wtf I was doing without it. I use this miracle dark-circle reliever day and night and it has seriously lessened my under-eye concealer application, which tells me one thing… it fucking works.

Weekly Exfoliator: Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant

The most gentle exfoliator I’ve ever encountered, this light powder (which is activated by adding water) carefully buffs away dead skin, leaving just the radiant, fresh, youthful-looking stuff underneath.  Although some people use it daily, I find daily exfoliation does more harm than good to my skin, so I just stick with once a week. *Bonus: One bottle of it lasts FOREVER!*

BODY

Body Wash: Nabulsi All-Natural Soap

My skin can easily get dried out, so while I avoid lathering up from head to toe, I have managed to find a super pure, fresh, lovely bar of soap that I’ve become very loyal to.  This soap bar consists of 3 simple ingredients: 100% olive oil, water, salt and lye.  It’s so gentle that I even use it on my baby when I’m in a pinch.

All Over Moisturizer: miniBLOOM Calming Baby Oil

Ever since I was little, the importance of moisturizing from head to toe the minute I exited a bath was ingrained in me by my grandmother.  For a long time, I used one of my handy pods of organic coconut oil as my all purpose body moisturizer, but I’ve recently fallen in love with my son’s amazing smelling/deeply moisturizing baby oil (he always gets the good stuff!)… Well, I’ve decided that it’s mine now and since he can’t talk (and doesn’t notice), it’s a fair deal.

Baby Belly: Baby and Eve Mummy Tummy

Now here’s a doozie: After a thin coat of Ela Bloom Baby oil, comes a nice thick coat of Baby and Eve’s 100% natural Mummy Tummy anti-stretch mark balm. I apply it to my whole torso (logic here being that if the front skin is stretching, then the back must be too!), upper thighs (the gradual disappearance of my thigh gap means that these are expanding as well as my belly!), and breasts (or should I call them bazookas?) TWICE a day – morning and night. I figure, moisture = elasticity, so I make sure that shit is shiny as fuck all day and all night.

FEET

Can’t neglect those tootsies now can we? Having a child has reduced my pedicure frequency to .. well they’re non existent. But I can’t handle ugly feet, so I keep my nails short and polish free, and I use a good old fashioned pumice stone whenever I have the chance to take a longer-than-4-min shower. After a shower, I moisturize them with The Rocky Mountain Soap Company Foot Butter: a little deodorant-looking contraption that allows you to slather on this crazy thick salve without having to deal with washing it off your hands afterward.  Next step is to slip on some cozy socks and look forward to some smooth-ass feet in the morning!

So there you have it – head to toe – the 11 products that make me arguably one of the softest rebel mamas in the game. As you know, I love supporting boutique brands, so 90% of the products mentioned above come from small businesses and are locally made.  There’s also a lot of organic products in the mix because skin is like a giant sponge, sucking in anything that we put on it; thus, I feel like I have a responsibility to my insides (including the fetus taking up realestate in my belly)  to do my best to avoid harsh chemicals and embrace some natural goodness – and I’ve got to admit, this all-natural stuff is actually pretty friggin’ great.

Until next time, stay smooth and have fun! (and if you didn’t get that Body Break reference, then we can’t be friends.)