All About Skincare
We are excited to announce our latest collaboration with renowned London make-up artist and clean beauty expert Khandiz Joni! In six chapters and over a course of six months, LISSOME's new series "Raw Beauty" will outline the principles behind clean and healthy beauty by engaging with the following topics of skin care: skin, hair, makeup, body, hands/nails & feet, and fragrance. Khandiz has compiled a multitude of beauty wisdom to advise you on what works best for your skin. And she's curated a selection of brands and products, outstanding equally in their quality and aesthetics.
Chapter One: All About Skincare, by Khandiz Joni:
Our faces are true indicators of what lies beneath because our skin is a glorious storyteller. There are many factors that affect the skin’s appearance, particularly on the face, from your diet, stress, dehydration, and pollution, to name a few. Some of these factors are unavoidable, but the ones we can change, we should, if you want healthy, glowing skin throughout your lifetime.
It is also important to remember that you need to change your skin routine according to what is happening in your life, the seasons and your age. We all have a combination skin. These combinations will change over time, so don’t label your skin a certain “type” and think you’re stuck with it for life. Cleansing effectively is 50% of the battle, and keeping skin hydrated internally by drinking plenty of fluids (if you find plain water a bore, herbal teas will do the trick!), and externally is also essential to healthy skin.
We all like different textures when it comes to face washes, which is totally fine. The important thing is to choose a product in your preferred texture that doesn’t contain harsh chemicals that strip the skin but rather loosens dirt and removes makeup. Depending on the type of cleanser you choose, this may require two parts – first an oil cleanser to remove makeup and a cream wash to cleanse the skin. If you prefer one-step-wonders, a balm cleanser would be more suitable to you.
Finding a skincare line that is healthy for your skin is sadly not as simple as popping to the grocery store and picking up the bottle that says “organic” across the front, nor does it mean that the beautiful amber glass apothecary style bottle with the hefty price tag guarantees a clean product, despite its artisanal exterior. We understand the need for your aesthetic satisfaction, though. If they can put a chimp in a space rocket, surely it can’t be that difficult to put a safe, clean product into beautiful, sustainable packaging?
We have enlisted Pedro Catalá of Twelve Beauty to offer some expert advice on how to look for ingredients that will not harm but more importantly benefit different skin types. Pedro is a pharmacist, botanist, and cosmetologist, giving him a unique set of skills most formulators do not have at their disposal.
But first, a little advice… It is important to remember that even natural ingredients are powerful chemicals, and can trigger skin reactions. It takes about 28 days for your skin to run its full cycle, so when trying out a new product, organic or mainstream, you need to give your skin time to adapt and settle. If any product makes your skin itchy or burn or break out in a rash (spots are quite common when changing skin care) stop using it immediately. I recommend, that while you are investigating new products to ask for samples – even take in your own little containers (just make sure they are sterilized!) so you the beauty counter lady can’t say no.
Advice For Blemish Prone Skin
Avoid wearing makeup as much as womanly possible – yes, even natural makeup –
if you’re having a breakout.Also avoid products containing Lanolin (a natural ingredient), Isopropyl myristate, Sodium Lauryl Sulphate and Laureth-4 as these can irritate the skin and cause breakouts.
Look for products containing, preferably organic, essential oils of lavender, sage and tea tree oil.
Witch hazel water is excellent for purifying the skin, rich in gallic acid.
Burdock is rich in caffeic acid, which is a great antioxidant and also very soothing on painful breakouts.
Birch is rich in vitamin C which is great at keeping the skin healthy while green tea is full of antioxidants that help fight free radicals from external factors.
Kaolin is super absorbing and overs gentle but effective exfoliation.
Azelaic acid minimises the production of sebum and therefore minimises breakouts.
Products For Blemish Prone Skin:
1. Therapi Honey Skincare: Lemon Myrtle Gel Cleanse
2. As Apothecary: Geranium Cleansing Water
3. Guy Morgan: White Marble Exfoliating Mask
4. Evolve Organic Beauty: Hyaluronic Serum 20
5. Absolution: La Cure Peau Nette
Advice For Dry And De-Hydrated Skin
First, you need to identify why your skin might be dry (versus dehydrated). Dry, flaky skin can be caused by external factors such as the weather but can also just be genetic. Extremely dry skin could be something more severe like dermatitis – this is an inflammation, which can leave the skin red, patchy and blistered.
Avoiding using hot water when washing your face.
Exfoliate your skin a couple of times a week to dislodge dead skin cells – preferably with an enzyme exfoliator or a konjac sponge as they are gentler on the skin and prevent further damage.
Look for products that contain honey, glycerin, and sorbitol – as this will help draw moisture into the skin.
Hyaluronic acid is great for dehydrated skin as it helps the skin maintain its plumpness and gives the skin a dewy, hydrated appearance.
Oils such as Avocado, Argan, and Buruti are great for very dry skin. They are rich in oleic acid as they contain high levels of Vitamin A, D & E and penetrate the skin deeper than other oils.
Nourishing plant butters such as shea, mango seed and cocoa are excellent emollients and deliver rich moisturizing properties.
Products For Dry and De-hydrated Skin:
1. Evolve Organic Beauty: Gentle Cleansing Melt
2. Kjaer Weis: The Beautiful Oil
3. Madara: Soothing Hydrating Face Oil
4. Therapi Honey Skincare: Rose Otto and Propolis Ultra Radiance Cream
5. TWELVE Beauty: Hyaluroil Lip Treatment
Advice For Oily Skin
Stop using products containing harsh, oil-stripping ingredients. Oil is not your enemy, in fact, oily skin ages slower. In orderto minimize a shiny appearance, you need to address the PH balance of your skin.
Products containing organic essential oils of eucalyptus or peppermint are great at reducing oil production. Jojoba seed powder and mandelic acid are good options if you feel you need to exfoliate, as they are gentle on the skin.
Use a cleansing cream or milk as it is gentler on you skin, and encourages the skin not to produce as much oil over time.
And most importantly, stay sun safe. The sun is one of oily skin’s worst enemies.
Products For Oily Skin:
1. Twelve Beauty: Ideal Rebalancing Serum
2. Ocadité: Synergy (4) Immediate Skin Perfecting Beauty Masqu
3. Haeckel's: Seaweed Facial Serum
4. Kojac Sponge Co: Clay Konjac Sponge via Amazingy
5. Honest Skincare: Rebalancing Cleansing Cream
Advice For Sensitive Skin
There are many things that can cause skin sensitivity: fragrance, alcohol and stress being three of the biggest culprits. Switching to products that have a shorter ingredients list can help as your skin will react to fewer chemicals. And it can also help you to identify what might be causing the sensitivity.
Use products containing Aloe wich is rich in sugars, vitamins and essential minerals and very soothing and redness reducing.
Wheat grain oil is super nourishing and hydrating.
Vitamin E will help fight off free radicals and is nourishing for the skin.
Liquorice extract is an excellent traditional remedy because of its effective anti-inflammatory properties.
Allantoin is an emollient and is found naturally occurring in skin and plants. Natural emollients are effective at moisturising skin and preventing scaling and flaking often associated with sensitive skin. Avoid synthetically produced emollients such as petroleum jelly, a by-product of petrol manufacturing, that don’t nourish your skin.
Mallow flower extract has effective soothing, moisturising and emollient properties and is an excellent anti-irritant.
Panthenol is an alcohol present in all living cells and is processed by the body to produce Vitamin B5, which is moisturising, relieves itching and soothes dry and sensitive skin.
Products For Sensitive Skin:
1. Dr Jackson’s: 05 Face And Eye Essence
2. Odacité: Oleosomes Time Release Delivery Cremé
3. Haeckel's: Seaweed / Sea Buckthorn Facial Cleanser
4. Twelve Beauty: Essential Bio-Technological Moisturiser
5. Team Dr Jospeh: No2 Extra Sensitive Calming Serum
Advice For Aging Skin
Aging is an incredible privilege, and it is our responsibility to age gracefully and proudly. It is also inevitable - so don’t buy into “anti-aging” marketing tactics, rather start thinking about your skin differently by minimizing the effects of aging through prevention.
Use products with ingredients containing co-enzyme Q10. Co-enzyme Q10 is produced naturally by your own body but the production decreases with age. By applying it to your skin, or possibly more effectively, taking it orally, it helps your bodies cells to produce energy, and it is an excellent antioxidant.
Hyaluronic acid – which is also naturally occurring in our bodies – is possibly the holy grail of anti-aging ingredients because of its incredible ability to retain moisture. It gives the appearance of a more youthful, hydrated skin.
White genepi extract is an excellent antioxidant and has great antibacterial properties.
Cupuaçú butter is effective in restoring moisture to the skin topically, making it soft and supple.
And don’t forget your daily dose of vitamins! Vitamin A stimulates the thickening of the dermis, which is where all your built-in anti-aging defenses live - collagen, elastin, and blood vessels work to stimulate the blood flow to the surface of your skin and help with fine lines and wrinkles. However, as Vitamin A can be photosensitive, make sure to use products that contain high amounts of it at nighttime and not during the day. Vitamin E is considered to be the most effective antioxidant and can be easily found in food.
Products For Aging Skin:
1. Nuori: Vital Facial Cream
2. Kahina Giving Beauty: Kahina Eye Serum
3. Dafna: Serum Anti Ageing & Glow
4. Romilly Wilde: Advanced Supercell Serum
5. Mádara Organic Skincare:
CREDITS
Photography
Agata Wolanska
Hair / Makeup + Words
Khandiz Joni
Art Direction
Dörte Lange
Models
Lulu Stone @ Leni’s Model Management
Ninouk Akkerman @ Wilhelmina International