The Minimalist Makeover: Simple, healthy and all YOU, with five beautiful products

This guest post was written by Kristin Jorgenson, one of our favorite customers and sales brokers, who works with Dr. Hauschka skin care. Kristin has gorgeous skin and wears flawless, minimal make up, always looking completely radiant when she pops in the store.

The Minimalist Makeover is for anyone who wants to achieve a healthy, natural look using just a few skin-loving, non-toxic cosmetics. The look is also known as “YOU, on the best day of your life.”  

You: hydrated, healthy, rested, and happy, on a gorgeous, breezy summer day, sparkling, in love.

Before applying any make-up, one must care for their skin with a gentle cleanser, toner and the appropriate day cream for their skin’s current condition. I love Dr. Hauschka’s Quince Day Cream for its clean finish and protective antioxidant ingredients.

Here are the top 5 products I use when performing a Minimalist Makeover, all by Dr. Hauschka Skin Care:

| ONE |

Dr. Hauschka Foundation: This is a brand new formula that I’m wild about. It goes on smoothly and evenly on a well-moisturized face. The foundation contains oils of coconut, apricot and macadamia, which sounds like dessert but lends to hydration and smooth, protected skin. The coverage is light to medium, never heavy, allowing the skin’s natural radiance to come through - but effectively concealing any blemishes or colorations that are inconsistent. I’ve found this new foundation to work as well as a concealer when sponged under the eyes - which was a nice surprise, and keeps us on our theme of minimalism.

|TWO|

Translucent Bronzing Tint: This product is well loved by make up artists everywhere for its perfected formula and unbelievable versatility. The liquid mineral tint contains olive oil and beeswax for a hydrating, blendable application, anthyllis (a healing botanical extract present in many Dr. Hauschka products) and witch hazel for a toning effect. The bronzing tint can be mixed with day cream, sunscreen, or foundation to deepen the shade. It can also be applied strategically with fingers, a makeup sponge or a makeup brush to contour areas of the face, which would naturally be touched by the sun. 

|THREE| 

Rouge: I love rouge. The right rouge brings the face back to life almost instantly. Dr. Hauschka has really accomplished minimalism by providing the only 3 rouge shades one could need- a bright coral, a rosy pink and a soft nude. These mineral rouge powders contain silk powder, lending a slight luminescence in the light, as well as witch hazel and sage to soothe and refresh. Dr. Hauschka’s International Make-up artist Karim Sattar taught us to ad a touch of rouge to the eyelids to give a youthful look. I’m hooked on that technique.

|FOUR|

Mascara: Natural mascara is sometimes the product that brings people to natural cosmetics due to eye sensitivity. Many people, however, transition to natural mascara more slowly because they believe that eyelashes aren’t as affected by chemicals as the skin is. I’d like to challenge this! Dr. Hauschka’s Mascara contains delicious smelling Rose Petal Wax, soothing eyebright and black tea and neem leaf extract the strengthen lashes. For more oomph, the volume mascara is a firmer formula with a great volumizing brush. Ingredients such as candellila wax, beeswax, neem leaf extract and cane sugar result in plump, long and healthy lashes for beautiful, expressive eyes. 

|FIVE|

Novum Lipstick: This is my favorite decision to make when finishing a makeover. By this point, the person is relaxed and their skin is looking fresh and dewy. Using hair, eye, skin tone and colors/type of clothing I choose either a pop of color or a shade very close to their natural lip color. Dr. Hauschka’s Lipstick Novum is the most hydrating lip color I have ever used thanks to Vitamin E rich Moroccan Oil, Jojoba Oil and protective Rose Wax. Lipstick Novums come in 4 amazing shades, Sand Dune (a copper nude with hints of lavender), Miraculous Rose (a tawny pink), Laid Back Apricot (a warm peach) and Exhilarating Berry (a gorgeous shade somewhere between raspberry and wine that looks different on every person I’ve ever used it on).  

Enjoy!

Not Just Skin Deep: Alex's Picks

This is the second post in our series Not Just Skin Deep - the products our staff use every day in their body care routines. Alex is one of the buyers in our body care department and has a background in cosmetology. She's scouted some wonderful new items for the skin care section, including A Wild Soap, and is always on the look out for amazing natural make up products!

1. Heritage Store Organic Castor Oil

This organic castor oil has been a great addition to my oil cleansing routine. I like to mix it with organic sweet almond oil and a touch of rosemary essential oil to create a facial cleansing solution in place of a traditional face wash. Castor oil is known to have anti-inflammatory properties and is a bit astringent, which is helpful for removing impurities from the skin.  Heritage Store’s castor oil comes in a nice big glass bottle, cold-pressed, pesticide and paraben free, the company also tests the oil to be free of solvents and chemicals. My skin is still adjusting to this cleansing method but so far I love it!

2. Bamboobino Baby Washcloths

Ok, so these are supposed to be for babies, but why not get some for yourself? I like to use these after oil cleansing my face, run it under hot water to gently steam the skin and wipe of excess oil. These washcloths are seriously soft! Added bonus, bamboo fiber is hypoallergenic and has antibacterial properties. The company Bamboonino uses organically grown bamboo and cotton and is working towards become a carbon neutral company.

3. Evan Healy Light Moisture Replenishing Fluid

I really enjoy this product, I use it as my moisturizer before I apply my make up. The name pretty much sums it up! Super light, has a more liquid texture than your average moisturizer. Featuring tamanu oil, pomegranate seed oil and organic, sustainably sourced argan oil, it leaves my skin feeling balanced. Despite the fact that there is so many beneficial oils in the product, it is still super light. Evan Healy sources the argan oil from a protected and self governed women’s cooperative in Southern Morocco.

4. Hurraw! Moon Balm

Love this lip balm. First off, it smells amazing, almost like a vanilla cookie! It is intended as an overnight lip balm, as it contains soothing chamomile and a blend of therapeutic oils including meadowfoam seed oil and rosehip seed oil. However, I wear mine during the day - it’s certainly creamy, but I don't find it to be too heavy. And I can’t get enough of the scent! Hurraw!’s balms are vegan, raw, organic, fair trade and they also use sustainable argan oil from the Berber Cooperative in Southern Morocco.

5. A Wild Soap - Sea Scrub Bar with Sea Clay and Kelp

We just brought this line of soaps into the store. They come from a family owned company in Austin, Texas that uses organic and sustainable palm oil, wildcrafted herbs and unique essential oil blends. The Sea Scrub bar is my favorite. It has a super light and refreshing scent (palmarosa, cassia, vetiver are just some of the unique essential oils used!) that is blended with pumice, sea salt, sea clay and kelp. Refreshing, lots of lather and mineral rich!

6. Dr. Hauschka Liquid Eyeliner in Black

If you enjoy makeup and are forever trying to achieve that perfect cat eye, then this liner is for you! The brush on this eyeliner is crazy delicate and thin to help with precision. The eyeliner liquid is infused with eyebright and neem oil to help sooth and rose wax to help maintain color throughout the day. I definitely am still working on the perfect cat eye, but getting closer!

7. Mineral Fusion Sheer Moisture Lip Tint in Adorn

Another product new to our store, I love that this helps round out our cosmetic selection providing a quality yet cost effective (and cruelty free) lip color option or all ages. My favorite color is a rich plum called “adorn”, the darkest of the fun hues mineral fusion offers. It goes on pretty light - the color intensifies as you apply more to your lips. The consistency is super smooth, almost like a gloss, which is great. I keep it in my back pocket and reapply as needed!  

Not Just Skin Deep: Our Natural Body Care Rituals

The truth is, when it comes to body care, the products you use every day go more than skin deep. At Cambridge Naturals our mission is to provide you with the best choices in truly natural, healthy and effective body care products that you can feel good about putting onto your body's largest organ: your skin. Whether it's five or 15, each of us on staff has body care products that we just can't live without. They make up our daily body care routines, helping us start and end each day feeling clean, refreshed, beautiful.

In this new blog series, our staff will tell the story of the products they use every day in their own body and beauty care rituals. Zack, our Assistant Manager and champion of our improved Men's Section, is the first one to step up to the plate! Read on for all of Zack's favorites...

(1) Black Willow Bark Shaving Soap by A Wild Soap and (2) Vegan Shaving Brush by Omega

I love shaving, but it took me years of razor burn as well as trying different products and techniques to get to this point. If only I had known about natural shaving soaps! Now I look forward to shaving instead of dreading it. This is an incredible shaving soap infused with Black Willow Bark extract to sooth irritation and Activated Charcoal for exfoliation. Shaving soap is an often misunderstood body care product; it will work on its own but works amazingly better if you use shaving oil and a shaving brush. I like the Omega brand Vegan Shaving Brush and the Badger Shaving Oil. The key is to take your time and turn shaving from a chore to a joy.

Using a wet shaving brush, rub the shaving soap until a dense lather develops and then gently brush the lather into your oiled skin. And only shave in one direction before rinsing off and re-lathering!

(3) Clay Dry Deodorant - White Pine by Adama Minerals

How many deodorants does one have to try before they find the right one?! I have searched high-and-low for a deodorant that works through my entire workday that doesn't irritate my skin and doesn't smell like I'm wearing cologne. This is one of my new favorites, it goes on smooth without friction, smells 'clean', and gives me a good 6-8 hours of full effect. It also comes in three other scents. Two or three swipes and I’m good to go for the day.

(4) Scalp: Follicle Treatment and Volumizer for Thinning Hair by John Masters

Like a lot of people I rotate shampoos and conditioners every so often.  And despite my best efforts, my hair is thinning fast. Some shampoos and conditioners can help by volumizing it or giving me a better balance of cleanliness and moisture, but this spray from John Masters is the best solution I have found. It is light in texture like water, is full of scalp stimulating herbs and essential oils, and leaves your hair and scalp feeling fabulous. Mist on after toweling off and gently massage into the scalp and hair.  It’s no “miracle hair loss cure!” but it has helped improve my scalp and I like the way it leaves my hair looking, clean but not frizzy.

(5) Neem & Turmeric Face Wash by Himalaya

Oily skin can be a struggle, especially when you’ve got blemish prone skin too. This face wash from Himalaya is a great pick for anyone with oily, blemish prone skin who doesn’t want their skin drying out immediately after washing. Not only does it leave your skin feeling super-clean, it smells like fresh marjoram! I like to begin my day with this wash and end it with something more astringent.

(6) Lemon Thyme Hydrosol and (7) Sea Algae Serum by EvanHealy 

What can I say about EvanHealy… their products are simply the best. Their Sea Algae Serum is a slick, lighter serum that is packed with natural antioxidants and beneficial oils and leaves the skin feeling smooth and looking radiant. And I love using their Lemon-Thyme Hydrosol for its oil-balancing and anti-microbial properties. It is honestly my favorite smell in the entire world.  After washing your face morning or night, spray liberally with hydrosol and finish with one or two pumps of this serum. Heaven.